Gu Zhan came back carrying a thermos. “Thirsty? Do you want some water?”

“Mm.” Fu Yan nodded.

Gu Zhan poured half a cup of hot water, added some bottled water, then, not quite trusting the temperature, took a sip himself to make sure it was right. Only then did he take a straw from the bedside-table drawer and bring it to Fu Yan.

Fu Yan watched him the entire time. When Gu Zhan brought the cup to his lips, his eyes immediately lit up, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. But then he saw Gu Zhan take a straw from the drawer, and the light in his eyes instantly faded. Putting on a disappointed expression, he said, “Oh—I thought you were going to feed me mouth-to-mouth. I nearly died, and President Gu doesn’t even know how to show a little concern.”

Fu Yan still couldn’t move around too much, so Gu Zhan supported the back of his neck with one hand and gently lifted him, while holding the cup to his lips with the other.

“You really are hard to take care of,” Gu Zhan teased. “I’m practically serving you tea and water right to your mouth, and that’s still not enough?”

Fu Yan gave a little chuckle and took two big pulls from the straw. He really was thirsty after going a whole day without drinking.

“Slow down,” Gu Zhan warned. “You just had surgery. Why are you drinking so fast?”

“I’m thirsty.” Fu Yan obediently slowed down. “By the way, how’s Chang Jian? Did the police take him away? And what about Chen Lang?”

“Chang Jian was taken away by the police on the spot. They’re investigating him now. While you were still unconscious, the police came to the hospital and took my statement. They’ll probably come talk to you tomorrow too.” Gu Zhan let out a small sigh. “Unfortunately, Chen Lang is still at large.”

“Why?” Fu Yan asked, puzzled. “Chang Jian didn’t implicate him? Even if Chang Jian didn’t say anything, didn’t you mention the USB drive when you gave your statement?”

“Of course I told them everything. Chang Jian naturally confessed to Chen Lang too. But that USB drive… The police found it at Chang Jian’s villa, but there was nothing on it. It was empty.”

Fu Yan frowned. “Could someone have switched the USB drive?”

“That’s what I suspect too,” Gu Zhan said thoughtfully. “And there’s a good chance Chen Lang had someone do it.”

“Could Chen Lang’s meeting with Chang Jian this morning have been a diversion? He sent someone into the villa to take the USB while Chang Jian was away. But how could he be sure Chang Jian wouldn’t take something that important with him? Or maybe it was Chang Jian’s wife? She would have been the person in the best position to tamper with it.”

Gu Zhan nodded. “Very possible. When the police searched the villa, she was nowhere to be found. Her whereabouts are still unknown.”

“Is she hiding from the police? Or did Chen Lang’s people take her?” Fu Yan frowned. “She’s heavily pregnant, about to give birth. Where could she have gone?”

“All right.” Gu Zhan gently rubbed the crease between his brows. “You’re a patient. Stop worrying about all this and get some rest.”

Fu Yan gazed at him tenderly, the corners of his eyes curving upward. “Okay. I’ll listen to you.”

Gu Zhan chuckled and raised the cup toward him again. “More?”

Fu Yan took another sip from the straw. “I’m good.”

Gu Zhan placed the cup on the bedside table, gently lowered Fu Yan’s neck, then carefully tucked the blanket around him. He glanced out at the night beyond the window. “What do you want to eat tomorrow morning? The doctor said you can start eating a little tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Fu Yan looked disappointed. “You’re not staying here with me tonight?”

“I…” Gu Zhan glanced at the companion bed behind him, then looked at Fu Yan lying helplessly in the hospital bed. “Fine. I’ll stay here with you tonight.”

Fu Yan’s face immediately lit up, and he pushed his luck further. “Then don’t sleep in the companion bed. Sleep with me?”

“Stop fooling around.” Gu Zhan pointed meaningfully at the roughly one-meter-wide hospital bed beneath him. “How are the two of us supposed to fit on this tiny bed? What if I accidentally roll onto you during the night?”

Fu Yan clicked his tongue regretfully. “Why didn’t you take me to the hospital our family owns? The conditions there are much better. I could stay in a luxury suite with a two-meter-wide bed, and there’s more privacy too. It’d be perfect for some hospital play or something.”

At the latter part of his sentence, his eyes darkened as he gave Gu Zhan an unmistakably suggestive look.

Gu Zhan reached out and covered his dark eyes with his hand. “Sorry, Fu Yan. You were literally hanging between life and death. We didn’t have time to pick a hospital. The First Municipal Hospital was the closest, and its doctors are excellent, so we brought you here.”

“All right, then. Next time, let’s try the ‘king-size room’ at our hospital.”

“You’re hopeless.” Gu Zhan scoffed at him and turned toward the wardrobe to look for pajamas.

Actually, even without Fu Yan saying anything, Gu Zhan had already planned to stay and take care of him that night. He had asked Xiao Chen to pack a change of clothes that afternoon and bring them to the hospital.

“I’m going to take a shower first. Your phone is beside your pillow. Your parents probably aren’t asleep yet at this hour. Call them and let them know you’re safe.”

“Okay.” Fu Yan hesitated. “They came while I was having surgery, right? Did my parents give you a hard time?” Fu Yan knew his parents well. They were reasonable people and probably wouldn’t take their anger out on Gu Zhan, but when his father lost his temper, he could still be pretty intimidating.

“No. Your mom even comforted me.” Gu Zhan met his eyes. “Fu Yan, you have wonderful parents.”

Fu Yan smiled. He noticed the envy in Gu Zhan’s eyes and said seriously, “If you don’t mind, they can be your parents too.”

The arm Gu Zhan was using to search for clothes froze.

After a moment, he casually changed the subject. “Earlier today, Chairman Fu saw that you weren’t doing well and his blood pressure went up a little. Call him and check on him.”

“Mm.” Fu Yan, still concerned, asked, “Did you eat dinner?”

“I did. Your brother brought it to me while you were still unconscious.”

“You two…? Chuyin didn’t give you a hard time, did he?” Fu Yan felt a little uneasy. After all, Fu Chuyin had never really liked Gu Zhan. Now that Fu Yan had been seriously injured, Fu Yan wondered whether his single-minded little brother might irrationally blame Gu Zhan for what happened.

“No. We had a pretty good conversation.” Gu Zhan found his pajamas and turned around with a grin. “After two more chats, I might be able to poach him over to Slungshot.”

Fu Yan scoffed. “Chuyin isn’t that easy to fool.”

Gu Zhan laughed and carried his clothes into the bathroom.

By the time he came out after showering, Fu Yan had finished his phone call and fallen asleep again.

After all, he had just undergone surgery. His body was bound to be weak and exhausted. He had seemed perfectly fine earlier, chatting and joking around, but he had probably forced himself to stay awake just to ease Gu Zhan’s worried heart.

Gu Zhan quietly walked to the bedside, turned down the humidifier on the bedside table, and looked at Fu Yan’s pale cheeks. He gently stroked them, his heart aching.

Fu Yan was a light sleeper. Feeling the movement, he suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at him sleepily. He tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against Gu Zhan’s palm twice, his half-asleep voice carrying a hint of a nasal tone.

“You don’t have to sleep with me, but could you come up here and stay with me for a while? Wait until I fall asleep, then move back over. I’ll fall asleep really quickly.”

“Why are you so clingy today?” Gu Zhan withdrew his hand, grumbling despite himself, but his actions were already efficient. He moved the bedside table into the corner, then pushed the companion bed over with a shove.

The two beds were now side by side.

“Wow.” Fu Yan’s eyelids were heavy, but he still managed to joke. “I have a two-meter-wide bed now.”

Gu Zhan lay down beside him. “Now can you sleep properly?”

He reached over and turned off the light. The room instantly fell into darkness.

Fu Yan, whose eyelids had been drooping just moments earlier, suddenly seemed wide awake. The darkness before him and the silence beside him inexplicably made him feel uneasy. It was just like the sensation after he had been shot and lost consciousness—pitch-black and deathly silent. He wanted to call out but couldn’t make a sound. He wanted to reach for Gu Zhan’s hand but couldn’t grasp anything.

He had just parted his lips, intending to say something to Gu Zhan, when a warm touch suddenly landed on the back of his hand.

He instinctively grabbed it.

It was Gu Zhan’s hand.

Gu Zhan gently held his hand. His voice was soft. “Are you still a little shaken up when you think about it?”

Fu Yan muttered, “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Otherwise, why would you be acting so unusually clingy today?”

Having his thoughts exposed, Fu Yan rubbed his thumb against the back of Gu Zhan’s hand.

“When I was shot, I didn’t actually feel particularly afraid. I just thought I was useless. I kept saying I wanted to help you deal with Chen Lang, but the enemy is still perfectly fine, while I ended up getting myself hurt first. No wonder you don’t want to be with me.”

Gu Zhan was silent for a long time before asking, “A year ago, when you went to Shanghai, was that post you made at the airport about me?”

I want to hold up the sky for someone…

Gu Zhan had once thought those words were meant for Wang Yanqiao.

At the time, the two of them had just “gotten together,” and the young couple had both gone to a new city to build a beautiful future together. Gu Zhan had assumed Fu Yan’s post was a genuine expression of his feelings toward his new boyfriend.

But later, Fu Yan told him that everything between him and Wang Yanqiao had been an act. And now Gu Zhan finally knew how much Fu Yan had done for him over the past year.

So who else could those words have been meant for?

“You understood it?” Fu Yan’s voice carried a hint of dejection, unlike the confident, composed President Fu he usually was.

“I want to hold up the sky for someone. There was actually another sentence after that, but it was hidden beneath the light above his head.”

“When something happened at the Fu family factory, I was barely able to take care of myself. I even dragged Slungshot into the mess. I watched Chen Lang bully you and had no way to protect you. It was the first time in my life that I’d suffered such a setback, the first time I’d truly felt useless…”

“Perhaps when we’re standing before the person we truly love, we’ll always feel that we’re not good enough.”

“Fu Yan, all of this was because Chen Lang was scheming behind the scenes. Don’t blame yourself for someone else’s mistakes. You’ve given me so much warmth. You even threw yourself in front of a bullet to protect me. Don’t ever say you’re useless again. In this world, you’re the only man who has ever made me feel safe.”

Fu Yan’s nose stung. After a long silence, his voice became choked with emotion.

“Gu Zhan, I want to kiss you.”

Outside the window, the hazy moonlight slanted into the room, spilling a gentle glow across the floor.

Gu Zhan propped himself up and, in the darkness, leaned over to place a kiss on Fu Yan’s cheek.

Seeing him pull away, Fu Yan protested unwillingly, “That’s it? You just said I’m the only one…”

Before he could finish, Gu Zhan’s kiss covered his lips.

Then his mouth, the bridge of his nose, his eyes, his eyebrows…

“Fu Yan, can you be a good boy and go to sleep now?”

The corners of Fu Yan’s lips curved upward, his voice soft and lingering.

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Gu Zhan tucked the blanket around him and lay back down.

The two held hands, their fingers interlaced, and slept peacefully through the night.