Chapter 87 (1/2)

After he finally fed He Nuo his medication, Shi Yan hugged him and didn’t dare to fall asleep. He thought that he would probably need to help He Nuo apply for leave today. The handkerchief used to wipe his sweat off was thoroughly drenched, and Shi Yan still needed to stop him from struggling to lift the quilt because he felt hot. After half an hour, He Nuo moved around again so Shi Yan’s arm that was around his waist hugged him tighter. But He Nuo spoke in an incomparably hoarse voice, “I want to pee.”

The toilet was located in the yard, so He Nuo would have to wear his clothes to go out. Fearing that He Nuo’s fever would worsen if he had to endure the cold winds while sweating so much, Shi Yan didn’t want him to leave. He turned on the lights and looked around. Only two cups could serve as containers. He took one of them and passed it to He Nuo. When He Nuo understood his intention, he felt so angry that he glared at him with eyes that had turned bloodshot from his fever, refusing to settle his business in the cup. He struggled to put his pants on, so Shi Yan could only help him wear them. After he stood up, He Nuo couldn’t support his own weight and fell back onto his bed, then immediately sprang back up with a pained expression. Shi Yan propped him up, making him lean in his embrace before they left the room.

After they entered the toilet, He Nuo didn’t have time to chase Shi Yan out before he hurriedly untied his trousers and released a golden yellow stream. Within a few seconds, He Nuo uttered a nasal hng and Shi Yan quickly supported him. He felt the body in his hands tremble, and, when he saw the urinal, a bloody scene entered his line of sight. He Nuo leaned against Shi Yan, his blood had stained the entire urinal. Shi Yan’s scalp tingled. After he saw He Nuo urinate blood with his own eyes, the visual stimulation had thoroughly shocked him. Even when He Nuo pulled down on the rope to flush the toilet, Shi Yan’s gaze still couldn’t leave the blood-red eddy of water.

Looking at the dazed Shi Yan, He Nuo knew that this must have frightened him. Actually, He Nuo’s sudden urge to pee had woken him up, and this kind of urge that came out of nowhere was usually the first sign of his hematuria. He lifted his hand as he wanted to comfort Shi Yan, but he didn’t even have the strength to raise it all the way so it ended up plopping onto Shi Yan’s hand, “It’s okay, it’ll go away after I take some medicine.”

Shi Yan was still bewildered. He was walking like a robot as he carried He Nuo back to his room. Shi Yan placed He Nuo on the bed, then took his clothes off, found his medication, poured him a cup of water, and fed him his medication — he completed this set of procedures very carefully with smooth movements. After He Nuo lied down on his side, Shi Yan sat at the edge of the bed and his hand slid underneath the blanket to hold He Nuo’s hand. The intense pain from his urethra had already dispelled He Nuo’s sleepiness. Shi Yan remained silent as he watched He Nuo with an extremely gloomy expression on his face; his gaze was filled with self-reproach, anxiety and pain.

“It hurts a lot.” The hand that Shi Yan held was damp, while his other hand was still wiping the cold sweat off He Nuo’s forehead.

“Don’t worry, it’ll get much better after I take some medicine.” He Nuo said at the same time, and these words made Shi Yan’s heart twist like the fried dough twists1 sold on the streets. He buried his head in the blanket to force back the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

He Nuo placed his hand on Shi Yan’s to try and soothe him, “Look at what time it is, go back ba. Or else they’ll see you.”

Shi Yan looked up, “I’ll accompany you. I’m not going back. My parents will just think that I’m still sleeping anyway, so they won’t go to my room to wake me up. And even if they don’t see me at home, they’ll just think that I went out for a run. I always flip my blanket over before coming over.”

He Nuo didn’t know much about Shi Yan’s family, but he never heard of any trouble that was caused by him sneaking out at night so he was relieved. As for his family though, how should they explain it to them? His family will be up in awhile, and when they see that Shi Yan is here this early, they wouldn’t have a single reason they could use to explain it. So He Nuo didn’t want his family to bump into him.

“I may have to apply for leave today.”

“Of course. You need to rest, you can’t go anywhere.”

“Then can you help me apply for leave?”

“I’ll go later.”