Chapter 27
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Transitioning from being frugal to being extravagant was easy, but it was difficult to go back to being frugal after being extravagant.
While enduring the pain and stiffness in every joint of his body, Xie Min missed his life as a happy and agile toy bunny.
The doctor completed a preliminary examination, and the nurse gave him a little water to drink. Because the sunlight was too bright, the caregiver pulled up the thin curtain.
Chi Yuan stayed by his bedside and explained the current situation of the company and his physical condition.
Xie Min felt like his brain was an old, rusty machine slowly restarting. The gears made squeaking sounds as they turned. It was exhausting to simply grasp the important information in Chi Yuan’s words. He soon became tired and fell into a deep sleep.
When the clock on the wall across from him showed nearly half past nine in the morning, Xie Min couldn’t keep his energy up and fell asleep.
After some time passed, he was awakened by his father’s voice. His father seemed to have called him several times, but he was still groggy and unresponsive. Then, he heard his father start scolding Chi Yuan, “Didn’t you say he woke up? Why can’t he get up?”
Xie Min opened his eyes and saw his father wearing a suit, pointing at him with his finger, staring angrily at Chi Yuan.
“Chairman, I’m sorry, just now—” Chi Yuan suddenly noticed that Xie Min had woken up and immediately called out to him, “Mr. Xie.”
Xie Min’s father put down his hand and quickly walked to Xie Min’s bedside, looking at him. “Xie Min, you finally woke up.”
His father’s gaze didn’t show much concern. It seemed more like he was examining an object that had an accident. He waved his hand in front of Xie Min’s eyes and turned to ask the doctor, “My son still couldn’t speak?”
The doctor seemed somewhat helpless and told his father, “Mr. Xie just woke up. He needs some time to recover.”
His father frowned but didn’t say anything.
The nurse pressed the button on the hospital bed, raising the upper part where Xie Min’s body was positioned to help him sit up.
His father stood by the side, glanced at his watch, and then the secretary walked in and whispered something to him. His father mentioned that there were still matters at the company, and he would come to see Xie Min tomorrow, then he left. Before leaving, he approached Xie Min and encouraged him, “Son, get well soon. The company needs you.”
Xie Min watched his father’s figure disappear from the room. He had probably gotten used to it, as he didn’t feel any sense of injury. He just felt a bit nostalgic for the vacation days in Yuanguang. At least someone would help him tuck in the blanket, adjust the pillows, and turn on the television.
While he was thinking, suddenly his throat became itchy, and he coughed a few times. The cough wasn’t severe, but his chest was in excruciating pain, as if all his ribs had been fractured. It felt like suffocating, and his vision became blurry.
Chi Yuan was close to him and immediately went to his side, supporting his outstretched arm. “Mr. Xie, are you alright?”
Xie Min grabbed Chi Yuan’s hand, rested for a moment, and recovered a little. Dizzy and lightheaded, he weakly said, “Chi Yuan.” His voice was extremely feeble, but Chi Yuan heard it and leaned in to ask him, “Mr. Xie?”
Xie Min looked into the concerned eyes of his assistant and felt that he had become weak due to the pain. His first question was surprisingly, “What’s the date today?”
“February tenth,” Chi Yuan answered.
Xie Min thought for a moment and realized that he had actually been unconscious for another day before waking up. Sui Yang’s drunken return home was already the night before last. Perhaps due to his limited ability to think, Xie Min didn’t know how to sugarcoat his words. He opened his mouth and directly asked Chi Yuan, “Did Sui Yang contact you?”
Chi Yuan paused slightly and told him, “He called me yesterday.”
“When?” Xie Min asked.
“In the morning,” Chi Yuan said. “Oh, Mr. Sui mentioned that if there was any news, he hoped I would inform him.” He paused and asked Xie Min, “Should I let him know?”
Xie Min wasn’t sure and hesitated, but Chi Yuan’s phone suddenly vibrated. He took it out, looked at it with surprise, and said to Xie Min, “It’s Mr. Sui.”
“Mr. Xie, can I answer it now?” He sought Xie Min’s opinion.
Xie Min’s mind was in a mess, but he nodded. Chi Yuan answered the call and activated the speaker. Then Xie Min heard Sui Yang’s voice coming from the phone’s loudspeaker.
“Assistant Chi,” Sui Yang’s voice, slightly different from his usual self due to the electric processing, deeper and not as pleasant as in person, politely asked Chi Yuan, “Has he woken up?”
Chi Yuan said, “He’s awake,” and Sui Yang suddenly paused. The air became quiet for a couple of seconds, and then Sui Yang asked, “Are you by his side?”
Chi Yuan glanced at Xie Min and said, “Yes, but Mr. Xie isn’t able to speak at the moment. I have the speaker on. If Mr. Sui has anything to tell Mr. Xie, you can say it directly, he can hear.”
Sui Yang remained silent for a moment and then said, “Nothing much, just wishing him a speedy recovery.”
Chi Yuan politely expressed thanks before hanging up the phone, returning the hospital room to its quiet state.
On the monitor, Xie Min’s heartbeat was noticeably accelerated. However, Chi Yuan seemed not to notice and asked if Xie Min had any other requests.
Xie Min had been awake for a while, feeling mentally exhausted and overwhelmed. His thoughts were all about Sui Yang, but there was no central idea, as if his brain was repeatedly transcribing Sui Yang’s name.
He closed his eyes, and the caregiver lowered the bed, raised the curtains, and he drifted back to sleep. Just before falling asleep, he involuntarily wondered if the cake Sui Yang mentioned had been bought or if he had forgotten upon waking up.
When he woke up again, it was already evening.
Chi Yuan had left, and Xie Min’s secretary, Tan Sichen, took over to keep him company.
Tan Sichen had a more outgoing personality than Chi Yuan. Seeing Xie Min awake, he appeared extremely excited and shared some things that happened while Xie Min was asleep. He also mentioned, “Mr. Jiang wants to visit tomorrow.”
Xie Min agreed, sat up, feeling slightly better in spirits, but still finding it difficult to move.
He stared blankly for a while, then asked Tan Sichen to turn on the TV and play the disaster movie he hadn’t finished watching. After taking his phone from Tan Sichen, he let him go home.
After lying down for so many days, the phone felt like a heavy object to Xie Min. He placed it on his bent legs and casually checked the messages and missed calls that his secretary had organized for him.
As the disaster movie approached its climax, he couldn’t resist and mustered up the courage to send a message to Chi Yuan: “Send me Sui Yang’s phone number.”
Chi Yuan replied promptly, and Xie Min saved the phone number he received, realizing deep down that although it wasn’t apparent, Sui Yang seemed like a sudden arrival for his subordinates.
Claiming to be Xie Min’s friend, claiming to be ready for collaboration, visiting twice, showing great concern for Xie Min, yet Xie Min didn’t even have Sui Yang’s phone number. All these things couldn’t help but raise suspicions.
However, Xie Min was now a patient and didn’t bother to think about it too much.
His fingers slid across the screen, unsure of what to say. Finally, his wrist grew tired, and he decided to send a message like this: “Thank you recently (I’m Xie Min).”
Not long after, he received a new message: “You’re welcome.”
Words couldn’t convey emotions, and Xie Min couldn’t figure out Sui Yang’s attitude. He stared at those two words, feeling drowsy, and fell back asleep.
He woke up at three o’clock in the morning, and the caregiver had adjusted his bed to a flat position.
Xie Min didn’t want anyone to accompany him bedside, so he asked the caregiver to sleep in the lounge outside. The hospital room was now empty with only him inside.
His phone was placed by the pillow, and he turned to pick it up and glanced at it, noticing a new message.
Sui Yang asked him, “Are you in pain now?” It was sent at ten o’clock in the evening.
With limited mobility, Xie Min used his left hand to operate the phone. It was a bit difficult for him to reply, but he managed: “I’m okay.”
Unexpectedly, Sui Yang immediately sent another message: “Are you awake now?”
Xie Min replied with a simple “Hmm” and asked Sui Yang, “Aren’t you sleeping yet?” In fact, he wanted to ask if Sui Yang had gone out drinking again, but it would be too long to type, and it posed a challenge for him, so he didn’t write it.
Sui Yang seemed to be doing something, and after a while, he simply replied, “Yes.” He didn’t mention the reason for not sleeping or when he planned to sleep.
Xie Min didn’t know what to say, and Sui Yang messaged again, “When do you plan to sleep since you’re awake now?”
Xie Min replied, “I don’t have work tomorrow.”
After sending that message, Xie Min felt tired again. He pushed the phone aside. He had intended to rest for a while, but with his eyes closed, lost in his thoughts, he fell asleep once again.
For some unknown reason, Xie Min slept very well during this nap, long and deep.
After waking up, the caregiver assisted him in getting out of bed, washed his body, and changed his clothes. Lifting his hand still caused pain in the wound, but when he remained still, it improved significantly. He felt signs of recovery and his spirits lifted.
Just as he sat on the bed, Jiang Ci arrived.
Jiang Ci came in with a big bouquet of flowers, bustling in. When he saw Xie Min, his eyes almost became teary. “Young Master, you’re finally awake.”
“You have no idea how guilty I felt!” he mournfully expressed to Xie Min, looking him up and down, “You’ve become so thin.”
Xie Min comforted him in return, and his mood improved. The two of them started chatting.
“By the way, Sui Yang came to visit you with me not too long ago,” Jiang Ci informed Xie Min. “Surprising, right?”
Xie Min smiled and said, “Really?” Jiang Ci continued, “He’s been doing well in business these past few years. You didn’t witness how Uncle treated him. Who would have thought back in high school.” Jiang Ci sighed. “Given the situation in his family at the time…”
Xie Min didn’t say much and suddenly remembered that he had fallen asleep after replying to Sui Yang’s message last night. He picked up his phone and took a glance, discovering that Sui Yang had sent him another message:”I haven’t bought the cake yet.”
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
