Chapter 22
Shang Tingzhi came out of the study and went to the living room. Usually, Xia Leyang liked to lounge here, watching TV or playing games. If Shang Tingzhi’s work wasn’t too demanding, he would join Xia Leyang in the living room, sitting on the single sofa in the corner, reading a book.
Today, Shang Tingzhi was engrossed in a World War II espionage-themed book. The plot twists were unfolding one after another, and Shang Tingzhi was captivated. Inadvertently, while flipping the pages, he managed to cut his finger.
Staring at the fresh blood seeping from his right middle finger, Shang Tingzhi was momentarily stunned, then immediately furrowed his brow.
According to reason, with Xia Leyang, his lucky star, and the protective talisman around him, nothing should happen. However, now, even while peacefully reading a book, he could see red. This indicated that his talisman was currently inactive.
The image of Xia Leyang confidently walking towards the second floor flashed in Shang Tingzhi’s mind. He inwardly exclaimed in dismay and quickly put down the book, heading to the second-floor bedroom.
“Yangyang?”
There was no one in the bedroom, and the bathroom light was on, but no one responded.
Shang Tingzhi hurriedly opened the bathroom door, only to find Xia Leyang lying pale on the bathroom floor, foaming at the mouth, completely unconscious.
The next morning, Xia Leyang was awakened by Shang Tingzhi.
He had dreamt that he fell from a cliff but was hanging on a tree. Desperately clinging to the tree trunk, a woodpecker suddenly flew in from somewhere and pecked at his hand. Drenched in sweat, he woke up from the dream.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Shang Tingzhi’s broad chest. They were lying face to face on the bed. Xia Leyang’s hands were tightly clutching Shang Tingzhi’s clothes, and Shang Tingzhi was trying to pry away Xia Leyang’s fingers, evidently wanting to leave.
“Where are you going?” Xia Leyang lethargically tightened his grip, seeing Shang Tingzhi as a life-saving straw. Although his mind wasn’t completely clear yet, he held onto Shang Tingzhi tightly.
“Yangyang, please let go of me first.” Shang Tingzhi propped himself up with his elbow, looking a bit anxious. However, Xia Leyang was completely immersed in his own world, paying no attention to Shang Tingzhi’s silent pleas.
“No, you can’t leave!” Xia Leyang pounced into Shang Tingzhi’s arms, hugging his waist tightly. “Do you know I saw a ghost? I was almost scared to death!”
“I know, it’s okay. It’s already morning.” Shang Tingzhi gently patted Xia Leyang’s back to comfort him. “Can you please let me go first?”
“No, I won’t!” Xia Leyang buried his head in Shang Tingzhi’s chest, not lifting it. He first found a corner to secretly wipe away his tears, then found another place far from the tears to snuggle in. “That ghost was right behind me, and she was talking to me!”
Thinking about the scenes from last night, cold sweat broke out on Xia Leyang’s body. While trying to describe how terrifying the female ghost was, he couldn’t control the tears and mucus flowing out, all smearing onto Shang Tingzhi’s clothes.
“That ghost is so scary… sob… you don’t know anything!”
“Yangyang, calm down…”
“She suddenly appeared! Right behind my ear!” Xia Leyang looked up at Shang Tingzhi, eager to describe how frightening the ghost was. However, Shang Tingzhi showed no reaction at all.
“Yes, I know it’s scary.” Shang Tingzhi gently rubbed Xia Leyang’s neck. “Li Shan’s talisman is still there; she can’t harm you. You were just scared.”
“I was scared to death!” Xia Leyang buried his head back into Shang Tingzhi’s embrace. He first found a corner to secretly wipe away his tears, then found another place far from the tears to snuggle in. “I thought I was about to meet my end.”
Suddenly, a male voice echoed in the room, “Isn’t that too exaggerated?”
Without thinking, Xia Leyang replied, “It’s not exaggerated at all.”
As soon as the words were spoken, Xia Leyang suddenly realized that something was off. The owner of the voice wasn’t Shang Tingzhi. Swiftly lifting his head from Shang Tingzhi’s embrace, he discovered that the surroundings weren’t his familiar bedroom but a single-patient hospital room. Moreover, several people were standing by the bed.
Xia Guohua frowned, “A 25-year-old acting so timid? How is this possible?”
Yang Wenting, with a smiling expression, looked at the two people huddled together on the bed, “Lao Xia, Yangyang hasn’t dealt with these things before; it’s normal.”
Xia Leyang gasped for a breath of cold air and quickly released his grip on Shang Tingzhi’s waist, scooting up and looking at the four seniors, asking, “Why are you all here?”
Ji Zhengfang and Yang Wenting had similar expressions, both looking like they were here to watch a show. Ji Zhengfang hooked her arm around Yang Wenting’s, saying, “Let’s go, give the young people some space.”
Yang Wenting chuckled, “The youth these days can’t let go like we did in our time.”
“That’s right.”
As the two mothers chatted and walked arm in arm, Xia Guohua and Shang Jianye naturally followed behind them.
The hospital room was soon left with only Xia Leyang and Shang Tingzhi. Xia Leyang knew that his explanation had completely failed, glaring at Shang Tingzhi with resentment. “Why didn’t you remind me earlier?”
Shang Tingzhi sighed and tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been giving you signals with my eyes. How else could I remind you?”
Last night, when Shang Tingzhi saw Xia Leyang foaming at the mouth, his heart raced in fear. However, when the doctor examined him, it turned out that the substance at the corner of Xia Leyang’s mouth was just toothpaste. Shang Tingzhi, who had lived for twenty-nine years, felt like a complete idiot for the first time.
After a thorough check-up, Xia Leyang was perfectly fine. He had just been frightened, and a night of observation was sufficient.
Shang Tingzhi didn’t want to disturb the elders in the middle of the night, so he informed them early the next morning. In less than half an hour, both sets of parents rushed to the hospital.
Since the hospital itself had a heavy atmosphere, Shang Tingzhi and Xia Leyang had no qualms about staying at the hospital. However, if they didn’t sleep embracing each other, Shang Tingzhi would have a fever again the next day. So, they ended up sharing a bed again.
Unexpectedly, the four elders arrived at the hospital before Xia Leyang woke up. Shang Tingzhi hurriedly tried to pry apart Xia Leyang’s hand, but Xia Leyang woke up at that moment.
“I was almost scared to death. Why didn’t you remind me earlier?” Xia Leyang complained resentfully, glaring at Shang Tingzhi. “Now, it’s all over. I can’t wash off this humiliation even if I jump into the river.”
Shang Tingzhi sighed, “That’s the Yellow River.”
Pretending not to hear, Xia Leyang said, “Did the female ghost last night absorb your yang energy?”
Shang Tingzhi grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and handed it to Xia Leyang. “No, don’t worry. Li Shan still has some skills.”
“That’s good.” Xia Leyang took the tissue from Shang Tingzhi, and belatedly asked, “Why are you giving me a tissue?”
Shang Tingzhi tactfully replied, “You just cried.”
“You’re talking nonsense.” Xia Leyang chose to lie with his eyes open, “I didn’t cry.”
Shang Tingzhi looked at the secretion at the corner of Xia Leyang’s eyes with a complex expression. Knowing that if he mentioned the eye boogers, this young master would definitely explode, he decided to take back the tissue from Xia Leyang’s hand and wiped his face directly. He also cleared away the dried tears and mucus.
Xia Leyang obediently closed his eyes, letting Shang Tingzhi clean his face. Shang Tingzhi was satisfied with the view of this young master’s face; it was indeed quite pleasant.
“If there’s nothing else, go home.” Shang Tingzhi crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash bin next to the bed. “Li Shan will come today to catch the ghost.”
