DCTMOAS Chapter 32

Dctmoas:
Because of his previous poor lifestyle habits, Chu Cheng spent his post-surgery recovery being subjected to alternating rounds of “torment” from his uncle and Teacher Yu.

Faced with endless reminders and lectures, the weak and helpless patient could only respond:
“Yes, yes, I hear you—both ears hear you loud and clear.”

“Patients need to stay in a good mood. If you guys don’t leave now, I’m going to spiral into depression.”

In the end, he used this threat as a reason to successfully chase the two people out of his recovery space.

Once his ears were finally free of noise, Chu Cheng could relax enough to have the caretaker accompany him for a walk down the corridor to help relieve some gas.

But when he returned to the ward, he got a fright. On the bed directly opposite the door, there was a strange lump.

Chu Cheng paused, confused.

Could it be that his roommate had returned?

Uncertain, he took another glance.

Sure enough, there was a person kneeling on the bed—though his posture was quite contorted, with his entire face buried in the mattress and his butt sticking high up in the air.

Before Chu Cheng could gather his thoughts, the roommate had already heard the noise and turned his head to look.

It was an extremely youthful face, probably only seventeen or eighteen, with well-defined features, a look of puzzlement, and a hint of annoyance.

The scene was a bit awkward for a first meeting. Chu Cheng moved his lips and said, “…Hi.”

The young patient twisted his face around, glanced at the pile of personal items next to the other bed, and frowned. “You’re staying in this room too?”

Chu Cheng nodded. “Yeah.”

The caretaker helped Chu Cheng settle back into bed and then said, “Mr. Chu, I’ll be heading out. Just call if you need anything.”

“Okay, thank you,” Chu Cheng replied with a friendly smile and casually picked up the book he hadn’t finished reading.

The young man on the neighboring bed, however, kept sizing him up. “How much did you pay to get in?”

“Huh?” Chu Cheng didn’t quite understand what he meant.

“To get into the special ward at the medical university hospital, you usually have to book at least three months in advance. There’s no way to get a last-minute slot. When I moved in, they told my dad it would most likely be a private room.” The teenager spoke with an air of entitlement, as if his reasoning was perfectly natural. “If you didn’t shell out cash or have connections, how would they just stick you in here?”

Chu Cheng didn’t respond.

The young patient went on anyway: “But you seem quiet and not annoying. It’s fine if you stay. I’ve been kind of bored anyway.”

His tone had a touch of loneliness, which sparked some curiosity in Chu Cheng. “No family here with you?”

The boy jerked his chin toward the door. “They hired a high-end caretaker for me too, like yours, but I found him annoying.”

“Why are you still in that position? Are you feeling unwell?”

The city hospital organized its rooms based on departments. The gastroenterology, gastrointestinal surgery, and proctology units were all in this area. But Chu Cheng couldn’t imagine what kind of illness someone so young could have.

“Don’t even bring it up.” The boy clearly didn’t want to talk about it. His mouth twitched, and then he burrowed back under the covers. After about half a minute, his muffled voice came again, “What about you?”

“Gastric polyps,” Chu Cheng replied.

“Isn’t that something you get when you’re my dad’s age? Spending all day in an office, dealing with endless business dinners and social events. What do you do?”

“I’m a teacher.”

“Teachers have even more occupational diseases.” The boy shifted his position, though he was still bent over with his butt sticking up. “What do you teach?”

He was probably just bored out of his mind and naturally sociable. The bit of hostility he had shown earlier when Chu Cheng came in was already completely gone.

Chu Cheng glanced at the stack of LEGO instruction booklets by the boy’s bed and replied, “LEGO.”

“For real?” The boy perked up immediately, clearly interested. He sat up, grabbed a manual, and asked, “Can you build this one?”

Chu Cheng: “Of course.”

The boy scooted up from the bed, grabbing his phone as he dialed, saying, “That’s awesome. I was just annoyed I had no one to build with. Wait here, I’ll call the nurse to bring it over.”

Chu Cheng smiled but didn’t say anything.

He was just killing time anyway. By playing along with what the kid liked, he easily lowered the boy’s guard—and, bonus, found himself a little playmate too.

On Sunday afternoon, Yu Siting came by as promised.

As soon as he walked in, he was greeted by the bizarre sight of two patients, freshly unhooked from their IVs, kneeling side-by-side on their beds, building LEGO with their butts in the air.

“Bro,” the kid called out like they were old pals, “Pass me two of your silver gears.”

“Mm.” Chu Cheng reached over and handed him the pieces, then glanced up and saw Mr. Yu frozen in the doorway. “You’re here.”

Yu Siting stepped into the room, his brows furrowed as he looked at the synchronized duo. “What the hell is this? You think that’s a normal posture? Sit up properly.”

Chu Cheng slowly straightened up, grinning brightly. “It’s surprisingly comfy, actually.”

“Who’s he?” The boy looked Yu Siting up and down like he was inspecting an intruder who’d interrupted their sacred LEGO ritual.

“My colleague,” Chu Cheng answered, then added with mock seriousness, “Also a friend.”

The kid was quick-witted and asked, “He a teacher too? What does he teach?”

Without missing a beat, Chu Cheng replied, “Public speaking.”

“I feel like you’re lying to me.” The boy rolled his eyes at Yu Siting’s stern, unsmiling face, then lowered his head and went back to building, ignoring them.

“Feeling better today?” Yu Siting didn’t come empty-handed this time. He brought a giant bag of fruit and placed it on the bedside table. Even though he knew the patient could barely eat anything, he still took out each item one by one like he was putting on a show.

“Much better, already…” Chu Cheng started to respond seriously, but caught a glimpse of the performance and broke into laughter. “You are so annoying.”

Yu Siting put on an innocent face, imitating Su Chen’s tone as he replied, “Didn’t you tell me to bring something thoughtful? Here, pick what you like.”

Chu Cheng shot him a look that said, You figure it out.

You’re childish, I’m not even gonna bother.

“You’re impossible to please.” Yu Siting commented blandly, then rummaged through the bag and pulled out a small can of peeled lychees. He tapped it against his palm a couple of times, then cracked it open with a pop.

Chu Cheng’s hand froze over the pile of LEGO pieces.

When he was little, every time he got sick, Professor Jin would make sugar syrup canned fruit to comfort him. Lychee had always been his favorite.

“I asked the doctor, you can have a little,” said Yu Siting as he inserted a straw into the can and handed it over while Chu Cheng was still in a daze.

There wasn’t much in the little can—just a few sips’ worth. Chu Cheng took it, sipped through the plastic straw, and finished it quickly. But that sweet flavor, infused with childhood memories, lingered on his tongue long after.

“Like it?” Yu Siting asked, watching him smack his lips in satisfaction. “Want a sip of the yellow peach one next?”

Chu Cheng shook his head. “Better not. It feels like such a waste.”

“It’s fine. I bought them for you anyway.” Yu Siting didn’t mind at all. He took back the now-empty lychee can, then handed over half a cup of warm water to rinse his throat. “I’ll eat the rest later.”

When this man wasn’t being a sarcastic bastard, he was honestly meticulous and considerate. Chu Cheng now fully understood what his students meant when they said, “Ge is the kind of guy you love and hate at the same time.”

“No more, it’s too sweet.” Chu Cheng shook his head and rinsed his mouth before flopping back onto the bed with a groan. “The more I drink, the emptier my stomach feels. So hungry…”

After all, no amount of IV nutrition could replace the satisfaction of real food. Yu Siting looked at his tired, lethargic state and felt powerless, so he tried his best to offer solutions. “Want me to make you some lotus root starch?”

Chu Cheng still shook his head and muttered, “Tastes awful.”

“How could it be awful? It shouldn’t even have much of a flavor.” Yu Siting rummaged through the bag again. “I bought a new kind. Give it another shot?”

“I’ll go get some water.” Seeing that Chu Cheng didn’t refuse, Yu Siting stood, grabbed the hot water thermos, and left the hospital room.

The water in the dispenser hadn’t finished boiling yet. So he stood off to the side and waited.

The boiling water room was directly across from the double ward. Leaning against the window in the hallway, Yu Siting could see the silhouette of someone inside, head down and busy building Lego. He stood there in silence for a while, watching with a thoughtful expression. Then, he pulled out his phone from his coat pocket and made a call home.

The dial tone beeped a few times. Just when Yu Siting thought no one would answer, a lazy and weary female voice came through.

“Who is this?”

“You being awake at this hour is rare,” Yu Siting replied dryly. Just two words, and he already knew who it was.

The woman sighed knowingly. “Ugh… my editor just woke me up. What’s up?”

“You know a while back when Lu Yan got sick and the family’s nutritionist came over to make soup?” Yu Siting got straight to the point. “Do you know if she’s available to come over again in the next few days?”

But the woman on the other end dodged the question entirely: “Is Xiao Yan dying again under your care?”

That didn’t sound like an aunt talking about her nephew.

Yu Siting clicked his tongue. “He’s alive and well.”

“Oh.” Yu Chen responded rather indifferently and didn’t pry further. “Probably not. Auntie’s daughter-in-law is due any day now. She took time off to take care of her.”

Yu Siting: “Any backup options? Help me find someone else.”

“You think it’s that easy? If just anyone could do the job, you wouldn’t be calling home for help.” Yu Chen yawned audibly on the other end, her tone turning even more nonchalant. “But if it’s just soup you want, no need to make a fuss. I’ll have Auntie send you her exclusive recipe. Whether it’s for clearing internal heat or nourishing the stomach, everything—ingredients, timing—is all clearly listed. Just follow it step by step and cook it yourself.”

Yu Siting glanced at the person in the hospital room and responded in a low voice, “Alright, I guess.”

“The taste will be a bit off, but the effect is the same. Just make it a few more times and you’ll get it right.” Yu Chen’s voice continued over the phone.

The rumbling from the water boiler next to him had already stopped. Yu Siting casually replied with a few words before ending the call.

By the time he returned to the hospital room, Chu Cheng had already grown tired of building blocks. He was leaning on the edge of the bed, gazing out the window. While watching, he said, “The weather looks nice today. I want to get some fresh air.”

“Weren’t you just complaining about being hungry?” Yu Siting took out a glass, added some lotus root starch to cool boiled water, poured in the freshly heated water, and stirred it into a smooth mixture. “Here, hold it carefully—it’s hot.”

“That’s exactly why I’m trying to distract myself.” Chu Cheng pouted. He brought the clear, jelly-like lotus root drink up to his nose for a sniff, but didn’t even bother tasting it before giving up.

This guy’s heart was clearly somewhere else. After all that fuss, he didn’t even take a sip.

Yu Siting was annoyed but helpless. He could only compromise. “How about we ask the doctor? If it’s okay, we can go out for a walk.”

“Sure!” Chu Cheng beamed and quickly threw on his coat.

Once the doctor gave them the green light, Yu Siting accompanied the stubborn patient into the elevator.

Chu Cheng hadn’t been downstairs in several days. Just being out and seeing people made him feel content. But his stamina was nowhere near what he thought it was—he hadn’t even made it past the lobby doors of the inpatient wing before he was exhausted.

“You can barely walk a few steps and still insisted on coming out.” Yu Siting looked at him shuffling along and sighed in resignation.

“Try going three days without food and see how you feel—such a lack of empathy.” Chu Cheng looked around as he walked, like an old cadre inspecting a facility. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he’d spotted something novel.

Yu Siting followed his gaze—and saw a row of shared wheelchairs.

Chu Cheng grinned. “How about… I trouble Mr. Yu to give me a little push?”

Yu Siting didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his phone right away.

“You’re actually scanning it?” Chu Cheng looked at his actions in surprise. “I thought you’d scold me and say it’s inauspicious…”

Yu Siting chuckled at that. “You’re already living in a hospital. What’s there to worry about being ‘inauspicious’ anymore?”

Click—

The QR scan succeeded, and the wheelchair’s wheel lock disengaged.

“Please, take a seat,” Yu Siting gestured politely.

It was late autumn. The fallen leaves in the courtyard had dried out under the sun and were now brittle. As the wheelchair rolled over them, it made a soft creaking, crunching sound.

Chu Cheng sat in the chair, chin tucked into his collar, eyes closed, basking in the sunlight.

“So this is what peaceful elderly living feels like.” He took a deep breath. The brisk autumn wind filled his lungs, refreshing and invigorating.

Yu Siting stood behind him, lowering his gaze to the one sighing contentedly.

He really was good-looking—a clean, youthful appearance, delicate and gentle, like he deserved all the beautiful words in the world.

After watching him quietly for a moment, Yu Siting spoke in a soft voice, “Are you happy?”

“Mm.” Chu Cheng raised the corners of his lips and joked, “Finding someone willing to push my wheelchair at such a young age—how rare is that?”

Yu Siting retorted playfully, “So your attention’s successfully diverted now? There’s a stall over there selling grilled sausages and sweet potatoes—want me to push you over to get a whiff?”

Chu Cheng had finally managed to forget his hunger for a moment, only for it to come crashing back full force. He couldn’t care less about the mood now—he opened his eyes abruptly and snapped, “Ugh, you’re so annoying!”

Having successfully teased him, Yu Siting felt a wave of satisfaction and continued pushing him toward a more open area.

In the deep autumn scenery, the pair—one seated, one pushing—laughed and bantered without a care, completely ignoring how they might become gossip material for the other curious patients watching from inside the hospital.

Author’s Note:
“A brooding boss and his disabled little beauty”
Big Bro: If I knew you liked wheelchairs, would I have bothered changing cars just to pick you up?