Chapter 16, Recovery
On his way to the classroom, supporting his injured right hand, Ji Linxue became the center of attention for everyone. Some students even turned back halfway to look at him.
Shen Shaoyan teased, "Xiaoxue, you're a celebrity in our school now."
Ji Linxue said, "I don't want to be any celebrity."
Shen Shaoyan retorted matter-of-factly, "You have to be, whether you want to or not. You're a great hero who acted bravely. If it weren't for you, Heng Ge would've had his head cracked open."
Gu Hengzhi glanced at him but didn't refute.
They soon reached the classroom. When Ji Linxue entered, the class fell silent for a moment, then erupted into thunderous applause.
The few of them were startled by the commotion. A few familiar male classmates even shouted praises, calling Ji Linxue "awesome." They were too enthusiastic, and finally, the Chinese teacher called out, and everyone quieted down.
The Chinese teacher was a very young woman. She spoke gently, "Please take your seats. Classmate Ji, if you feel unwell, you must tell us. Don't force yourself if you can't attend class."
Ji Linxue nodded to her, "Thank you, Teacher."
Once the atmosphere in the class cooled down, the teacher resumed the lesson. Ji Linxue was halfway through listening when he suddenly felt a gentle poke on his back with a finger.
He slightly turned his head. Gu Hengzhi leaned closer, his breath warm against his ear, creating a tingling sensation, "Does your hand hurt?"
Ji Linxue rubbed his ear, subtly moving a little further away from him, "A little."
When he first woke up, the pain was sharp, but now it had gradually turned into a swollen sensation, not particularly painful, but very uncomfortable.
Gu Hengzhi frowned, "Then just skip class. I'll take notes for you, and you can look at them later."
Ji Linxue refused, "Anyway, I'd just be idle in the dorm, and I still have homework to do."
When he was stubborn, not even a team of oxen could pull him. Gu Hengzhi had no choice but to give up. After class, he saw Ji Linxue indeed pull out his exercise book and start writing awkwardly with his left hand.
Shen Shaoyan couldn't help but sigh, remarking on his perseverance despite his injury.
After school in the afternoon, the group went to the cafeteria together. Shen Shaoyan conscientiously took on the duty of getting food for Ji Linxue. After sitting down, Gu Hengzhi naturally picked up his chopsticks and helped Ji Linxue remove the chili and cilantro from his dish.
He didn't forget to remind Shen Shaoyan, "He doesn't eat cilantro, and he can't eat spicy food lately."
His movements were quick. In no time, the food was picked clean. Shen Shaoyan's eyes widened in awe, exclaiming, "Heng Ge, I didn't expect you to learn this so fast. You could practically steal the job from your family's auntie."
Lu Yu hadn't said much, but suddenly blurted out, "Hengzhi really cares about Xiaoxue."
Gu Hengzhi hadn't even spoken yet, but Shen Shaoyan quickly interjected, "Of course! Xiaoxue is Heng Ge's lifesaver. If you blocked a steel pipe for me, I'd treat you like my own father!"
Ji Linxue helplessly said, "Don't call me Xiaoxue."
He knew very well that Gu Hengzhi was being so good to him now only to repay a debt of gratitude.
He also didn't want Gu Hengzhi to feel any psychological burden, so he simply accepted his care with peace of mind. Anyway, once his injury healed, they would be even.
Shen Shaoyan and Lu Yu started bickering again. Ji Linxue shook his head, no longer dwelling on the nickname, and quietly ate his food.
For a right-handed person, eating with the left hand was a very laborious task. Food would fall off the chopsticks in a few seconds, and sometimes he could only get a few grains of rice in one bite, let alone pick up vegetables.
Just as Ji Linxue was at a loss, a spoon was handed to him from beside him. Gu Hengzhi, who knows when he got it, said, "Use this to eat, it's easier."
The cafeteria was crowded and had many eyes, so naturally, it was impossible to continue feeding him like in the hospital. Gu Hengzhi clearly understood this point and found a more convenient method for him.
Ji Linxue took it, "Thank you."
He watched the long, fair hand retract, then his gaze moved up, landing on Gu Hengzhi's deep, handsome face.
As the male lead, Gu Hengzhi had clear likes and dislikes, upholding the principle of repaying kindness and avenging wrongs.
In the original novel, Gu Fengyan and Lin Muxin never appeared. The book only mentioned that they were in poor health and lived in a sanatorium year-round, out of touch with the outside world.
At that time, the Gu family was Gu Hengzhi's domain. He gradually gained real power in the Gu Corporation after coming of age and was doing extremely well in the business world. It was likely that Gu Fengyan and Lin Muxin entering the sanatorium was his doing.
Ji Linxue didn't think Gu Hengzhi's actions were wrong. If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness? He just felt that Gu Hengzhi was too obsessive in some aspects and hoped that after surviving this severe injury, he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes as in the original novel but would have a normal relationship.
Although he had never been in a relationship, he knew that a normal relationship wouldn't constantly involve misunderstandings, threats, or even violence.
"Is there something on my face?" Gu Hengzhi interrupted his thoughts. "Why aren't you eating, just staring at me?"
Ji Linxue shook his head, hastily scooped a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
After eating, the group returned to the dorm.
Shen Shaoyan had a date with his girlfriend that evening and spent a long time getting ready in front of the mirror before slowly heading out.
Not long after, Lu Yu also left with a thick English book, likely heading to the study room.
Only the two of them were left in the dorm. Gu Hengzhi asked him, "Do you want to wash your hair?"
During this period, apart from wiping himself down, which Ji Linxue did himself, Gu Hengzhi helped with everything else, including washing his hair.
Ji Linxue couldn't stand the feeling of greasy hair and face. He felt like he had been granted a great pardon, "Yes!"
Rarely seeing such an excited expression on his face, Gu Hengzhi smiled, "Good."
Warm water flowed down his hair into the basin. Ji Linxue closed his eyes, feeling long fingers running through his hair, their movements gentle and comfortable.
Actually, at first, Gu Hengzhi was always clumsy. He often spilled soup when feeding him and wet his collar when washing his hair. But now, he had become increasingly skilled.
Given Gu Hengzhi's resources, he could have easily hired a caregiver to do these things.
"Is the water temperature okay?" A faint, mellow voice sounded from above. Ji Linxue closed his eyes and softly hummed. The water rinsed away the shampoo foam from his head, and soon it felt fresh and clean.
In a moment, the water stopped flowing. Gu Hengzhi supported his neck and gently dried his head with a towel.
"Now I think Shen Shaoyan's words actually make a lot of sense."
Gu Hengzhi hummed in question, "What words?"
Ji Linxue wiped the water from his face, his eyes smiling, "If you keep waiting on me like this, your skills will only get better, and one day you'll steal someone else's job."
"No, I won't," Gu Hengzhi was in a good mood. "I only wait on you."
Ji Linxue raised an eyebrow, remembering something Gu Hengzhi had once said, and mimicking him, said, "After all, I'm your lifesaver."
For a period afterward, Gu Hengzhi stayed constantly by Ji Linxue's side. Ji Linxue barely had to lift a finger, Gu Hengzhi would bring things to him. Every time he went for a follow-up check-up at the hospital, Gu Hengzhi would also accompany him.
Looking at the considerate and meticulous boy in front of him, Ji Linxue simply couldn't connect him with the irritable and easily angered male lead from the original novel anymore.
Two months later, Ji Linxue was finally able to have his cast removed. His physical constitution was good, and his arm recovered quickly, but he still needed to do some rehabilitation training after the cast was off. It had been fixed for too long, and his arm couldn't bend or extend normally.
Rehabilitation was a very long process. The doctor said it would be difficult to fully recover to his previous flexibility, and high-intensity sports might be affected.
Ji Linxue froze. Although he was in an air-conditioned room at a comfortable temperature, his body inexplicably felt cold, "Then can I still do archery in the future?"
The doctor shook his head, "That cannot be guaranteed. It still depends on your recovery."
Ji Linxue stood there, holding his arm blankly, still somewhat in a daze even after leaving the hospital.
Gu Hengzhi silently followed beside him, looking down and saying, "It will definitely get better."
Ji Linxue showed a bitter smile, "Let's hope so."
Actually, relatively speaking, he was still lucky. Last time he saved someone, he lost his own life. This time, he only injured his arm.
When summer arrived, Ji Linxue's hand had almost fully recovered. Daily life was completely unaffected.
Gu Hengzhi was also finally able to shed his "caregiver" identity and had time to attend to his own matters.
He seemed to have reconnected with his maternal relatives. Weekends were no longer spent in the dorm, instead, he would go back to the Lu family with Lu Yu.
The key plot point had passed. The tight string in Ji Linxue's heart finally loosened. He didn't plan to pay too much attention to what Gu Hengzhi wanted to do.
Gu Hengzhi's motives were easy to guess, nothing more than dealing with Gu Fengyan and Lin Muxin.
This was the Gu family's internal affair. Ji Linxue wouldn't meddle, nor could he do much.
What bothered him most was that Gu Hengzhi seemed to have been traumatized by that incident, always wanting to take him wherever he went.
Whether it was going to the cafeteria to eat or going to the school supermarket to buy things, he wanted to drag Ji Linxue along.
Shen Shaoyan even joked that they should just turn Xiaoxue into a pendant and hang him on Gu Hengzhi.
Gu Hengzhi actually thought seriously for a while before answering, "With current technology, the difficulty is quite high."
Ji Linxue, "..."
Comments Box