The Little Deaf Man Decided to be Spoiled

Chapter 4

Li Sui'an has been practicing medicine for more than ten years. Including the cases he has encountered from undergraduate to doctoral studies, there are only a few like Ji Ruan, who can make him feel nauseous just by listening to their symptoms.

He almost jumped out of his chair and repeatedly called out, "Lily, Lily! Quickly, get a vomit bag!"

Lily had never experienced this kind of situation before, and she was fumbling through drawers to find a vomit bag, running to give it to Ji Ruan.

Unexpectedly, although Ji Ruan appeared gentle and weak, he was actually quite strong-willed. He clenched the vomit bag tightly in his hand and stubbornly refused to vomit in front of outsiders.

He endured the discomfort, his face turning pale and his shoulders trembling. He seemed to believe that any discomfort would pass if he just waited a while.

However, it was impossible to endure this any longer. Even Li Sui'an could not bear to watch anymore and whispered, "It's okay, just vomit, child..."

Lily also reached out cautiously and lightly patted Ji Ruan's back.

This last bit of pressure was like the final straw that broke the camel's back. Ji Ruan's back instantly tensed up, and then he squeezed the vomit bag and vomited with a "wow".

Almost at the same time, Lily and Li Sui'an breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, Ji Ruan had not been eating much, and he had hardly touched his breakfast because of a poor night's sleep. Naturally, he couldn't vomit much. Most of the time, he was retching due to discomfort, and by the end, he was just sitting in the chair, gasping for breath.

His stomach was uncomfortable, and his mind was not very clear. He was in a daze and seemed to have returned to the days of severe illness, when he was eating and vomiting due to the strong reaction to medication.

The treatment for advanced-stage cancer was unbearable, and it was more like being prematurely thrown into hell to suffer.

Even just recalling it for a moment would make Ji Ruan tremble with fear.

After a while, a large hand covered Ji Ruan's back, and the warmth from the hand seeped through his cold and sweaty clothes. Only then was he pulled back from his nightmare.

He slightly turned his head, and Gu Xiuyi was squatting beside him, still maintaining a polite distance of more than ten centimeters. Gu Xiuyi took the tissue from Lily and handed it to Ji Ruan, saying, "It's okay now, wipe it off?"

Ji Ruan's fingers were stiff and his reaction was slow. He felt that he should have heard Gu Xiuyi's words, but he didn't know why he couldn't respond.

Gu Xiuyi pursed his lips slightly, and the black pupils only reflected Ji Ruan's reflection without any emotion mixed in. He waited quietly for a moment, then lowered his eyes and looked back at Ji Ruan. A slight curve appeared on his lips, which might be considered a comforting gesture.

At least it made him look more friendly.

"It's okay," he said.

Ji Ruan blinked in confusion, and the skin around his eyes was covered with soft tissues. He could vaguely feel the warmth of Gu Xiuyi's fingertips.

He only realized that he had vomited so much that tears came out of his eyes.

Gu Xiuyi wiped his tears as neatly as he usually did things, without any lingering tenderness in his comfort, nor did he make Ji Ruan feel too intimate and uncomfortable.

After confirming that there were no traces of tears on Ji Ruan's face, he stood up, folded the tissue that had been contaminated with Ji Ruan's tears, and threw it into the trash can. He said to Lily, "Take him to the bathroom to clean up."

Lily had been stunned for a long time, and it took her two seconds to come forward and help Ji Ruan out.

After the door closed, the clinic was quiet for a moment. Unlike the stiff expressions of Song Ling and others, Gu Xiuyi was still calm and composed, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Li Sui'an also sat back in front of the examination table, took out a tissue, and began wiping his sweat again.

Gu Xiuyi took the water handed to him by Song Ling, held the handle of the white porcelain cup with one hand, and took two sips faintly. He asked, "Is this a normal reaction for him?"

Li Sui'an drank two sips of water frantically and finally regained his composure. He leaned back on the chair and said, "It's normal. Dizziness during the tuning process is normal. If the reaction is stronger, vomiting is also possible. However..."

Gu Xiuyi raised his eyes.

"Well, how should I put it, I have seen children who vomited. They were all very young children who heard the sound for the first time and were scared. As for Ji Ruan...I can only say that his constitution is more sensitive."

Gu Xiuyi put down the cup, and the bottom of the porcelain cup lightly touched the overlapping knees. "Is it a big problem? Does he need to be hospitalized?"

"Cough," Li Sui'an covered his mouth and smiled, "there's no need for that. Who would need to be hospitalized just for adjusting the sound? Just go home and sleep for a while, and it'll be okay."

"But your kid does have a poor constitution," Li Sui'an shook the water cup and sighed, "I don't know how he was raised."

"Our boss raised him," Song Ling's calm tone echoed in the spacious clinic.

Clang-

Li Sui'an spilled his water again.

"Huh?" He couldn't care less about tidying up and leaned on the table, asking with a hint of suspicion, "Didn't you two sign a contract to get married?!"

Li Sui'an's expression changed rapidly, matching Ji Ruan's delicate age of eighteen, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind uncontrollably, probing towards the edge of criminal law.

Gu Xiuyi glanced at Song Ling and raised his hand to touch the wet sleeve, silently moving the chair farther back. "I sponsored him."

"F*ck."

Li Sui'an leaned back into his chair, gritting his teeth as he pointed at Song Ling, "You and your mouth!"

Song Ling coughed and looked away, "It's not me, Dr. Li. It's your imagination."

Li Sui'an rolled his eyes, loosened his tie, hesitated for a moment, and then raised his chin towards Gu Xiuyi, "What about you? Do you really like that kid?"

Gu Xiuyi looked back at him with no emotion in his eyes, "Why should I?"

It seemed like he really had no feelings towards Ji Ruan, and thus couldn't be emotionally affected by such absurd speculations.

"You were so gentle with him just now!"

Gu Xiuyi knocked on Song Ling's chair, "Gentle?"

Song Ling frowned and thought for a moment, "It was okay..."

Gu Xiuyi looked at Li Sui'an seriously, "He is my companion for the next three years. According to our contract, I will not mistreat him in any way."

"It's not about mistreating him or not." Li Sui'an felt like he had caught on to something, but couldn't quite put it together. After thinking for a while, he could only temporarily attribute it to men's intuition.

He slammed the table, "I just splashed some water on your sleeve, and you acted like you were avoiding the plague. He even threw up, and you helped him wipe his face!"

"Is it his fault for being sick?" Gu Xiuyi seemed to really not understand, "And he's eighteen, how old are you?"

"You—" Li Sui'an was caught off guard and almost choked on his words. He leaned over the table and stared at Gu Xiuyi's face, realizing there really was no emotion there, and couldn't help but doubt himself.

"Then," he hesitated, "you really have no interest in that kid? He's so good-looking!"

"..."

Gu Xiuyi sat still, and his aura no longer seemed to want to speak.

Li Sui'an fell back into his chair and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "That's even worse—"

"Old Gu," Li Sui'an continued, "let's not even talk about your personality or morals. Just looking at your assets, there aren't many diamond bachelors in the entire city who can compare. And how many people are always trying to get close to you, you're well aware of that, right?"

Gu Xiuyi looked up, "What are you trying to say?"

"You're supporting that kid's education and meals, marrying him, accompanying him to see a doctor, showing him tender affection. He's eighteen, at an age when he's experiencing his first love—"

Li Sui'an sat up, leaning on the table with his elbow. "What if he develops a nestling syndrome towards you?"

Gu Xiuyi's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly, then he turned his head to one side as if he was thinking. "So, no matter what he thinks, we still have to follow the contract. I didn't force him to marry me."

Li Sui'an stood up, propping himself up on the table. "But what if he really falls in love with you, devotes himself to you, and then rises up in rebellion? Won't it just end up a big mess?"

"..."

Gu Xiuyi didn't speak, but his expression at this moment seemed to truly fluctuate.

He gently tapped the white porcelain cup wall, seeming to find Li Sui'an's words very interesting.

The clinic suddenly became very quiet, Song Ling kept silent, and Li Sui'an couldn't understand Gu Xiuyi's expression for a while.

Time passed silently for a while, and Gu Xiuyi seemed to have tasted the previous words from beginning to end before speaking lightly: "I'm not that charming, and besides--"

He looked at Li Sui'an and raised a slight arc at the corner of his lips. "Do you think he has any room for resistance?"

Li Sui'an and he looked at each other, and suddenly his heart moved. It was like a drop of ice falling into a deep pool, causing a slight and cold ripple. When the ripples spread out completely, the coldness also crawled all over his limbs.

He suddenly understood what Gu Xiuyi had been saying all along, that Ji Ruan was the most suitable marriage partner.

He knew that Gu Xiuyi needed a marriage partner because of a pile of family matters. At first, when he saw Ji Ruan, he thought that the surname Gu had chosen a clever and unobtrusive person based on his personality.

Now, it seems that Ji Ruan's weakness seems to fit his mind perfectly.

Ji Ruan had no parents or relatives, and his social relations were weak. Everything about him could be controlled by Gu Xiuyi. Even if he tried his best, he could not create any waves.

There was no room for resistance, nor the ability.

Gu Xiuyi had chosen an extremely fragile little animal, a little animal that he did not need to spend any energy to completely control.

If Ji Ruan really had the ideas that Gu Xiuyi didn't want him to have in the future, and one day he disappeared, would anyone even notice?

Li Sui'an was chilled by his own thoughts. "Wow, you're really ruthless, Mr. Gu."

Gu Xiuyi shook his head gently. "Don't always think in the worst direction. In fact, it will only be three years later that he will take the money and leave. I will get what I want, it's that simple."

Li Sui'an knew very well that although Gu Xiuyi was cold and expressionless, his aura had always been gentle, thanks to his perfect treatment of people.

If you maintain a relationship where you don't interfere with his affairs, you will feel comfortable, and at least you will never have an embarrassing time. But if you hope to get a trace of warmth from him, it will be the beginning of a tragedy.

"I think that child is still quite innocent," Li Sui'an finally spoke to Gu Xiuyi with the conscience of a doctor. "Not to flatter you, but if you are a little nicer with your face and money, how many 18- or 19-year-old kids can resist it?"

"I'll do a good deed today and give it to you. Don't go bothering him if you don't have any intentions. Keep the back-patting and face-touching to yourself. If you try hard, you can still keep yourself safe."
____________________________

It was almost noon, the sun was high, and the whole row of floor-to-ceiling windows in the corridor outside the door let in a lot of sunlight, shining on Ji Ruan's snowy-white neck.

Lily stood outside the door with Ji Ruan, separated by a wall, and heard every word of Gu Xiuyi's speech. She looked at Ji Ruan with a hint of reluctance.

The young man stood with his hands hanging down, slightly bowing his head. His slender back and graceful neck were fragile, and even the curve of his trembling eyelashes was extremely delicate. This appearance made Lily, a girl, unable to help but feel a protective desire and became even more angry towards the person speaking inside.

When she first arrived, she thought that President Gu was a humble gentleman who was polite and gentlemanly to everyone. She didn't expect him to be a heartless person, just like the rumors said.

Even if he and Ji Ruan were in a marriage agreement, he shouldn't describe Ji Ruan like an object that can be manipulated at will with such a casual tone.

Lily supported Ji Ruan and even hesitated to take him in.

Ji Ruan didn't understand why the nurse suddenly stopped him from moving.

Although the hospital was fully air-conditioned, the large glass window behind them allowed the sun to shine in, and the temperature was still high. Ji Ruan was so hot that he was dizzy and couldn't help but ask Lily, "Aren't we going in?"

Lily's watery eyes stared at him all the time, and she bit her lip when she heard him. She hesitated and asked, "Are you... okay?"

Ji Ruan was both hot and dizzy, and his ears were buzzing. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but he could barely recognize from her lips that Lily seemed to be caring for him.

He was okay now, but if he continued to be exposed to the sun for a while, he might not be okay. Ji Ruan forced a smile and shook his head to reassure Lily.

This smile fell into Lily's eyes, looking like a heartbroken person trying to hold on and not let others worry about them. She instantly felt more distressed, and her opinion of the person speaking inside the examination room became even worse.

Sure enough, men were not good people!
____________________________

Until the tuning was over and they got in the car to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, Ji Ruan still didn't understand why Lily looked at him with such sympathetic and caring eyes

But he was too tired. He hadn't slept all night, and the aftermath of the tuning made him drowsy and unable to think.

There were four people in the car, including the driver, and none of them spoke a word. Gu Xiuyi and Ji Ran sat in the back seat, flipping through documents that needed to be processed. As he read, Gu Xiuyi couldn't help but think of Ji Ran.

To be fair, he didn't dislike Ji Ran as a person, and even found him interesting. It was precisely because of this that he didn't want any unpleasantness to happen in the future.

Although Ji Ran was not like the child Li Sui'an described who would casually have feelings for him, there were some things that should be clarified face to face.

Gu Xiuyi's pen tapped on the paper without looking at Ji Ran's expression, calmly saying, "We're about to get our marriage certificate, and I want to re-emphasize the contents of the contract."

"First, we're getting married publicly. Soon, everyone will know that you're my legal partner, and you will need to accompany me to certain specific occasions."

"Secondly, during the contract period, there can be no ambiguous contact with anyone else, regardless of gender. The same goes for me."

"Other than that, do not cause trouble, do not make trouble, and do not entertain any inappropriate ideas."

...

Song Ling heard movement from the back seat and couldn't help but turn around. His boss was calmly emphasizing the terms of the contract to Ji Ruan, one by one.

Meanwhile, Ji Ruan sat on the side, head down, his long eyelashes covering his eyes, making it difficult to discern his emotions. He appeared thin and desolate.

Just now, Lily had texted him that Ji Ruan had heard the conversation between Gu Xiuyi and Li Sui'an while standing outside the door! He was so upset that he almost cried!

Now, his boss was coldly laying out the rules, which was really poking at his heart!

Song Ling couldn't bear to see it, but he dared not speak up rashly. He could only carefully observe the situation from the passenger seat, feeling anxious.

"Finally, after the contract expires in three years, taking the money and leaving quietly is the best outcome."

After Gu Xiuyi finished explaining the last item, he calmly looked at Ji Ruan, who was sitting by the car window, without an immediate response.

Gu Xiuyi didn't pressure him and patiently gave him some time to react.

It wasn't until all four pairs of eyes were focused on him that Ji Ruan realized that Gu Xiuyi seemed to be speaking to him.

Before leaving the hospital, Li Sui'an specifically instructed them not to turn off the new extracorporeal machine and to get used to it.

However, this new device was much more expensive than the previous one, and it was also clearer and more sensitive. Ji Ruan couldn't adapt to it at once and was exhausted. He secretly turned it off after getting in the car.

Gu Xiuyi said something, but Ji Ruan didn't hear it at all.

Ji Ruan secretly felt the current atmosphere. He should have said something serious, but his state is really poor. Just a little pondering twice caused his temples to jump and made him not want to use his brain at all.

Ji Ruan sighed and rubbed his forehead. He quietly turned on his cochlear implant and smiled at Gu Xiuyi, "Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly."

He looked pale and tired, with red eyes and a shaky appearance.

Song Ling in front of them felt guilty for Gu Xiuyi. Ji Ruan looked so sad and tried to force a smile.

Song Ling urgently looked at Gu Xiuyi, and it seemed that even his boss, who had never shown any emotion, was stunned by Ji Ruan's appearance.

His jaw tightened violently for a moment, and then he tilted his head to look out the window. The atmosphere solidified for a long time.  A light sigh from Gu Xiuyi came from the back seat: "Turn around and go home."

Ji Ruan didn't understand what was going on and sat up straight, asking, "What does that mean?"

Gu Xiuyi kept his eyes on the documents in his hands and didn't respond to Ji Ruan at all, "You should go back and rest."

Ji Ruan was a bit stunned by the sudden change and couldn't think clearly anymore. He asked, "What about the marriage certificate?"

"Tomorrow"