“Stomach hurts?” Xiao Yao frowned and quickly came to his side, grabbing his hand. “Exactly where?”
“My stomach…” Ti Xiao squeezed Xiao Yao’s hand hard, though his fingers trembled slightly. “It’s probably gastritis acting up. That old problem.”
Xiao Yao helped him sit down in the living room. Ti Xiao whimpered softly, curling up on the couch. “There should be some medicine in the box under the TV. Find it for me, I’ll take a few pills and feel better.”
But the medicine Xiao Yao dug out had expired. Ti Xiao’s face went even paler, nausea rising from his stomach, but he only dry-heaved a few times without actually throwing up.
Seeing him in such pain tightened Xiao Yao’s heart, and he decided they had to go to the hospital.
The emergency room was crowded as always at night, with a long line at registration.
Xiao Yao was busy running around, glancing back anxiously at Ti Xiao slumped in the chair. He hated how long the line was.
By the time Ti Xiao started the IV drip, it was already past midnight. The infusion hall was packed, and they finally settled in a small corner.
Ti Xiao closed his eyes to rest, his usual rosy complexion drained. The normally talkative guy kept his mouth shut tight, his eyes red and watery from the pain—looking truly miserable.
Xiao Yao felt his forehead—it was warm. Acute gastritis often comes with a fever.
But that wasn’t the worst part. The hardest thing for Ti Xiao was the fasting—no food or water for at least twelve hours, as the doctor had said. Judging by Xiao Yao’s frown, he wasn’t going to let up.
Ti Xiao had eaten a ton of chips that night and barely drank any water. His mouth was dry. At the hospital, he had violently vomited everything in his stomach. Now his mouth was unbearably uncomfortable, and his stomach was empty.
He wanted water. He wanted food.
“I want to drink some water,” Ti Xiao said softly, eyeing the bottle of mineral water Xiao Yao had at hand.
That water was just used to rinse his mouth.
Xiao Yao looked at the bottle, then back at Ti Xiao, and firmly said, “No.”
“Just one sip, please. Just a tiny sip. Ball ball you,” Ti Xiao pleaded, not giving up and still trying to sweet-talk him.
But Xiao Yao’s answer was still an unyielding “No.”
No matter how many different ways Ti Xiao begged, Xiao Yao wouldn’t budge. He even tucked the bottle back into his bag to keep it out of Ti Xiao’s sight.
Ti Xiao pressed his lips together, feeling wronged. “My mouth feels so uncomfortable.”
“No,” Xiao Yao repeated like a broken record.
Ti Xiao pouted and gave up the topic—but he still couldn’t stop thinking about that bottle of water.
Even though it was already April, the nights were still cold. Learning from last time, Xiao Yao brought a small hot water bag for Ti Xiao during the IV drip, resting it right under his hand.
“Sit tight. I’ll go warm up the water bag,” Xiao Yao said.
After Xiao Yao’s back disappeared down the hallway, Ti Xiao slowly stood up, trying not to tug the IV tube, and reached for the bottle in Xiao Yao’s bag, hoping to sneak a quick drink while he was gone.
Just as he flipped the bottle out, Xiao Yao returned, face dark, and asked coldly, “Xiao Xiao, what are you doing?”
Ti Xiao sheepishly put the bottle back.
“Hmph, you’ve changed. You don’t spoil me or listen to me like before!”
Xiao Yao gently lifted his hand, slipped the hot water bag underneath, and softly massaged his palm. “It’s not that I’m not letting you drink. Your health is the most important thing, isn’t it?”
Ti Xiao looked down and muttered softly, his voice full of hurt, “But my mouth really feels awful.”
Ti Xiao felt so miserable he wanted to cry—his mouth was dry and bitter, and he felt like he could chug a whole bucket of water in seconds. At the same time, he bitterly regretted eating so many dry chips earlier that night.
He thought his little pity play might make Xiao Yao relent and let him have a sip of water. But instead, Xiao Yao twisted off the bottle cap and took a big gulp himself.
Ti Xiao was this close to exploding.
He glared angrily, but Xiao Yao acted completely unfazed and drank another mouthful.
The “glug-glug” sound echoed loud and clear in Ti Xiao’s ears, and he felt like his heart was breaking.
Even the sound of water sloshing in the bottle, the twisting of the cap—Ti Xiao swore it was all Xiao Yao mocking him.
Just as he was sulking like a little panda, his chin was gently grabbed and forced to turn. He felt a cool, sweet, moist touch on his lips that slid into his mouth, temporarily easing the discomfort.
In that moment, Ti Xiao felt like a parched earth in a kid’s metaphor, and Xiao Yao was a clear spring of water.
The water was so damn good—even tasting just a little bit was amazing. All those snacks were nothing compared to this.
Before leaving, Xiao Yao gently bit Ti Xiao’s lip and chuckled low, “Still want more?”
Ti Xiao was stunned for a few seconds, then his ears flushed bright red.
Was this guy really not shy at all, even in public?
Especially with a kid getting an IV and their mom sitting nearby, watching the whole thing like a corrupting influence on the future generation.
Ti Xiao turned his face away, not looking at Xiao Yao, and quietly licked his lips to savor the taste.
Even though they were both practically old married folks by now, nothing was new between them—and yet that kiss still made his heart race like a kid’s.
“Eat well when we get home,” Xiao Yao said, holding his other hand.
Ti Xiao snorted but pretended to agree.
“Sleep well too.”
Ti Xiao hesitated a moment, then snorted again.
“Snacks…”
Ti Xiao whipped around, eyes wide, glaring at Xiao Yao.
There was no way he was giving up snacks completely.
“Eat less,” Xiao Yao finally said when he got a proper look from him, squeezing his hand again.
“Okay,” Ti Xiao finally muttered reluctantly.
Though the stomach pain was easing, Ti Xiao still looked pale and weak, clearly worn out.
Xiao Yao stroked his head. “Try to get some sleep. We’ll probably be able to go home in about two hours.”
Two hours was a very conservative estimate. The doctor had ordered five full bags of saline, and who knew when they’d actually be done.
“What about work tomorrow?” Ti Xiao asked quietly.
“Taking the day off,” Xiao Yao said, eyes down, typing on his phone. “I can’t concentrate at school knowing you’re like this. I’ll swap some classes with coworkers.”
Ti Xiao felt a deep discomfort. He hated being such a burden, holding Xiao Yao back. If only he’d eaten properly and kept a better routine, none of this would have happened. Xiao Yao wouldn’t have to take time off, and he wouldn’t be suffering or worrying anyone.
A wave of guilt surged up inside him.
He lowered his head. He was an adult, and yet he couldn’t even take care of himself.
As if reading his thoughts, Xiao Yao gently squeezed his hand and soothed him, “Taking care of you is what I’m supposed to do. You don’t have to feel guilty.”
There was a calming strength in those words.
“Mm.” Ti Xiao shyly squeezed Xiao Yao’s hand back, silently vowing to himself to eat properly, sleep well, and exercise regularly.
By the time all the saline bags were finished, it was already late into the night. After the doctor gave some instructions and prescribed medicine, they finally headed home.
On the way, Ti Xiao kept begging for water again, and Xiao Yao repeated the same move—kissing him a few times. Things almost got out of hand, but luckily Xiao Yao held himself back.
Because of that, when Ti Xiao brushed his teeth later, Xiao Yao stayed close by, watching him like a hawk, afraid he’d swallow the mouthwash out of hunger.
“Don’t swallow it, spit it out,” Xiao Yao pinched his little cheek.
“Ugh!” Ti Xiao protested.
No matter how thirsty he was, he wasn’t going to drink mouthwash, okay?
The next day, Ti Xiao woke up close to afternoon. Still groggy in bed, Xiao Yao brought him a cup of honey water. “Drink slowly.”
More than twelve hours had passed, so Ti Xiao was finally allowed to eat and drink again.
But it was all very bland food—plain porridge with barely any oil, and only a few grains of sticky rice.
The only garnish was two red dates; not even a little salty pickle on the side. It was tasteless and dull.
All his previous determination to eat well last night instantly flew out the window.
But there was no other choice. Xiao Yao only cooked porridge for him and kept him company eating the same. He even hid the snacks from Ti Xiao.
“I called your mom this morning,” Xiao Yao said, picking out a red date from his bowl and offering it to Ti Xiao. “She told me you’ve had stomach issues before. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It hadn’t flared up for a long time,” Ti Xiao said, spitting out the pit. “I’d forgotten about it.”
“Your mom also asked if you’d been eating snacks recklessly again,” Xiao Yao added. “I didn’t tell her.”
Because he felt it was his fault for not taking good enough care of Ti Xiao.
“You could have told her,” Ti Xiao mumbled, drinking some porridge. “She doesn’t tease me about it—at least, not usually.”
His mom really did say that. He’d always been like this since he was a kid and never learned his lesson. Xiao Yao just hadn’t mentioned it to him before.
Xiao Yao smiled. “What kind of porridge do you want for dinner?”
Usually he’d ask what Ti Xiao wanted to eat for dinner. Now it was just porridge, no questions.
“How about with some meat?” Ti Xiao put down his bowl.
“Nope.” Xiao Yao laughed, pinching his cheek. “When you’re fully better, I’ll make you something really good.”
Dinner was pumpkin porridge—much better than the midday meal.
That afternoon, while Xiao Yao went to the market, Ti Xiao rummaged through the house and found the snacks Xiao Yao had hidden.
If he ate any now, Xiao Yao would definitely catch him. A bold idea started to form in Ti Xiao’s mind.
After a few days of rest, Ti Xiao’s energy was slowly coming back, but his stomach still couldn’t handle much. He kept drinking porridge, now with a bit of salty pickle, but snacks were still off limits.
During his livestreams, fans laughed about his recent troubles and joked about urging him to eat snacks.
Xiao Yao sat in the living room, listening clearly to Ti Xiao’s earnest words on the stream: “No, no.”
“What snacks? I’m not a kid anymore,” Ti Xiao said. “Can you try to act a little more mature?”
Hearing this from outside the door, Xiao Yao shook his head and smiled.
Preparations for the author meet-and-greet were going smoothly. Some fans had posted photos of the company in the group chat and kept reminding everyone about submitting manuscripts.
The ladies in the group had already turned in their illustrations and joked about giving a red envelope (cash bonus) to the last person to submit. Ti Xiao obediently sent one.
He hadn’t worked much these past few days. Not only did he have to submit this manuscript, but it needed editing. But Xiao Yao now strictly monitored him, and once it hit 9:30 p.m., he’d start urging Ti Xiao to sleep, dragging him under the covers by 9:59.
No chance for late nights anymore—Xiao Yao was determined to break this bad habit completely.
Dinner was still porridge. The temperature had warmed a bit compared to previous days, but Ti Xiao’s poor appetite returned. He barely managed to finish half a bowl and only reluctantly finished a full bowl after Xiao Yao coaxed and coaxed.
Only Ti Xiao knew the truth.
He was pretending.
Before this, when Xiao Yao came home from work, he would check if the snacks had been eaten. Whenever that happened, Ti Xiao would slurp his porridge noisily to prove his innocence.
But in these past few days, Xiao Yao had gotten lazy about checking the snacks, so Ti Xiao thought his chance had finally come.
He felt like his stomach and digestion had mostly recovered, and it was time to put that bold plan into action.
“Good night.” After the bedtime kiss, Ti Xiao obediently crawled under the covers, acting perfectly well-behaved.
Plus, with the classes Xiao Yao had swapped with his coworkers, Xiao Yao had taught five classes today and even stayed for an evening study session. He fell asleep shortly after laying his head on the pillow.
Once he heard Xiao Yao’s breathing even out, Ti Xiao quietly slipped out from his arms and tiptoed to the living room. He found his “treasure” hidden under the TV stand.
When his tongue touched the powder on the rice cracker, Ti Xiao almost teared up.
Since they got together, Xiao Yao would wake up once or twice every night. Sometimes it was because Ti Xiao kicked him awake, sometimes he woke up on his own. Whenever that happened, he’d check on Ti Xiao, cover him with a blanket, and steal a quick kiss before going back to sleep.
This time, Xiao Yao woke up on his own. Habitually, he reached out to touch the person next to him—only to find empty space. No one was there. He sat up immediately.
Then, he heard a faint crunching sound coming from the living room—like a hamster sneaking a midnight snack.
Hamster Xiao was crouched in the living room, happily munching away on snacks, holding a rice cracker in one hand and a bottle of Wahaha (a sweet drink) in the other.
Unaware, a long-legged cat had already crept up behind him.
Leave a Reply