Chapter 170
Although Sidney said “He will be fine,” Su Bin knew it was just a comforting phrase— the reality was far from optimistic.
Before this, Su Bin had already consulted the attending physician about Allen’s current condition and recovery. Compared to Qin Chao, who was just a bystander, and Yang Chengzhe, who had only heard rumors, the doctor’s response was more professional and detailed. Aside from his lungs, Allen had four other superficial knife wounds on his body. Though they hadn’t hit any arteries, due to his hemophilia, Allen’s blood loss was several times greater than that of a normal person. The normal injuries he sustained were also fatal for him. After the incident, the bleeding in his lungs spread widely. After he was taken to the hospital and injected with clotting factors, his blood began to coagulate into clots all over his body. Several minimally invasive surgeries were needed to remove the internal blood clots. At that time, all the doctors had one thought—he’s still alive after all this? It truly was the Duke of Lance!
During the surgeries, Allen even showed signs of left heart failure. So even though a week had passed, he was still unable to leave the intensive care unit.
Su Bin pressed his face against the glass, wishing that the one lying in that bed suffering was him, or that he could share half of his life with Allen… Anything, just please wake up soon…
“Do you love him?” Sidney suddenly asked, standing beside him.
“Yes…” Su Bin blurted out without thinking.
“I remember you used to be afraid of Allen. Hualing told me that you thought he was a vampire.”
“Yeah.” Su Bin was embarrassed, realizing that his silly story had already spread among Allen’s circle of friends.
A vampire… that was quite the image…
Sidney smirked as he looked at the blood bags in the hospital room—he’d seen Allen receive blood transfusions countless times since he was a child. His body seemed to have an insatiable need for blood.
“So now, when you look at me, do you think I’m a vampire too?” Sidney teased.
Su Bin blushed. “No.”
Sidney raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“You and Allen have different qualities.” Although they had similar backgrounds, Allen’s aura gave Su Bin the impression of nobility and elegance, but there was also an almost suffocating coldness, as though standing in front of him could lead to being devoured at any moment. “But you two do look alike. The first time I saw you outside the medical school, I almost thought you and Allen were twins.”
“Heh, now we look alike. But when we were kids, we were completely different,” Sidney said, his usual cold demeanor softening as he spoke. “Because of his illness, he was always very thin and pale. He would sit motionless in a wheelchair every day, like a statue. Do you know? When we were kids, Hal was the most afraid of Allen. He even gave him a nickname—’The Ghost Doll.'”
Su Bin: “…” Prince Hal was afraid of Allen?
Sidney smiled. “But that changed after Allen’s health improved—he became the youngest Duke in B Country’s fashion scene, the youngest person in the royal family to get a doctorate. He’s handsome, wealthy, and intelligent. From five years ago, the number of social invitations he received at Roland Manor stacked up to a palm’s height. All the young ladies in society were fighting to be the future Duchess. Every year, the ladies would make a list of the men they most wanted to marry. Since Prince Hal’s older brother married, Allen has been number one on that list, and he’s kept the top spot ever since… Back then, we used to bet on who would be the one to take Allen’s virginity. Hal even had his partner try to tempt Allen, but it failed miserably.”
Su Bin knew that Allen was very popular, but hearing Sidney say all of this still made a pang of jealousy rise in his chest—he was jealous! q_q
Sidney glanced at Su Bin. “So, to catch Allen’s attention, you must have some ability, right?”
Su Bin: “…” D-Did I?
Sidney raised an eyebrow. “How did you two get together? Did he pursue you first, or did you pursue him?”
Su Bin: “…” It seemed neither of them had pursued each other. They had never openly said they liked or loved each other. From the start, Allen had only given him a proposal. He offered Su Bin what he wanted, and in exchange, Su Bin had to meet Allen’s conditions. After both sides reached an understanding, they simply “got together”…
Sidney asked out of curiosity. Seeing Su Bin’s confused expression, he changed the topic. “We were all surprised when we heard Allen was coming to M City alone for research. Although the medical school at M University is good, it’s not the best. From every angle, D City’s atmosphere isn’t any worse than M City’s, and his family and friends are all in D City.”
Su Bin: “Didn’t you ask him why?”
Sidney shook his head. “We asked, but he didn’t answer. But I guess he was avoiding us.”
Back in D City, everyone still liked to invite Allen to gatherings because he was the only one, aside from the Crown Prince, who dared to “manage” Hal. Seemingly gentle, but when he wanted to cause trouble, no one dared to resist. Even within their circle, Allen emitted a powerful aura that made people want to submit willingly.
No matter the social class, B country’s people inherently had a strong admiration for strength…
Allen would attend their meetings out of routine, maintaining the relationships. Although he didn’t seem out of place, they could tell that Allen was somewhat distracted. He had his own things to do, and his goals drove him with extreme determination. He was never willing to be bound by the rules of their social circle.
“What was it like when he lived with you?” Sidney asked.
Su Bin thought back to when he first moved in. “Allen has obsessive-compulsive disorder. He bought his own things, had his own space in the fridge, and ate alone. There was another doctoral student in physics who was closer to him…”
Sidney raised his eyebrows. “Oh…” It seemed quite normal.
“But after that, things changed,” Su Bin forced a smile and continued, “Because I often cooked meals and invited everyone to eat together, slowly, everyone spent more time gathering. Unfortunately, Allen’s health wasn’t good, and there were some things he couldn’t eat… Later, he started to主动找我聊天, asking me to tell him stories. He would sit in the living room and watch the sunset with me, and when I came home late, he’d worry. When I was feeling down, he would comfort me… Well, even though I was still a bit afraid of him at that time and couldn’t fully appreciate the thoughtful little details, looking back now, I feel he’s such a gentle person…”
Sidney: “…” Is the person Su Bin’s talking about really Allen?
Su Bin sighed. “When I first came here and was renting an apartment, the agent conveyed Allen’s requirements: I needed to know how to cook. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to know what it felt like to have someone cook at home. So, I guessed that Allen might be looking for a home of his own… Later, when I learned more about Allen’s background, I felt that possibility became even greater. He specifically wanted to rent from a Chinese person, perhaps because of his mother. He didn’t want to return to China, so he might have wanted to experience the feeling of living with a Chinese person to remember that family member who passed away in a distant land.”
Su Bin rambled on, but as he spoke, he grew sad again. He looked at Allen in the hospital room and absentmindedly touched the ring in his pocket that he hadn’t given him yet. His heart ached as he muttered, “Allen, please wake up, give me a chance to chase after you.”
Sidney glanced at Su Bin with a meaningful expression. Although the time had been short, this person seemed to understand Allen better than they did.
Looking at his watch, Sidney turned to Su Bin and said, “I’m going back to D City tonight.”
Su Bin panicked, “Can I still come tomorrow?”
Sidney replied, “I’ll speak with the doctors here and have them issue you a special visitor pass.”
Su Bin gratefully said, “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” Sidney smiled, “If you visit him more often, maybe he’ll wake up a little earlier.”
The next day, Su Bin arrived at the hospital as soon as he woke up. Since the isolation ward didn’t allow visitors, there were no chairs outside the room. Su Bin stood all day, resting only by leaning against the hallway walls when he got tired. The emergency doctors had all gotten to know him by now.
The next day, a kind-hearted doctor brought him a chair, and Su Bin was deeply touched. For the next several days, he stayed mostly outside the ward, watching over Allen, only leaving occasionally to participate in police investigations regarding the case.
Time seemed to drag on, but a week later, the investigation had made some progress. The police had arrested one of the assailants. To Su Bin’s shock, the culprit turned out to be the eldest son of the head chef from his former restaurant! Su Bin was stunned—this wasn’t a random attack, but a carefully planned act of revenge!
However, the good news was that Allen had finally passed the danger period and was now allowed visitors!
After being transferred to a specialized care unit, visiting could still only be done through glass. A few days later, Su Bin saw Robert for the first time. He felt guilty and couldn’t bring himself to meet Robert’s eyes, instead bowing his head and apologizing earnestly. Robert snorted and glared at him, maintaining a noticeable distance.
Su Bin was afraid of missing the moment Allen woke up, so he decided to stay at the hospital all day.
The doctors, having already learned who Su Bin was, saw his constant presence and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.
That evening, after other visitors had left, the attending doctor asked Su Bin if he wanted to go in and see Allen.
Su Bin’s eyes brightened. “Can I?”
The doctor had him wash his hands and sanitize, then led him inside.
Su Bin cautiously moved to Allen’s bedside. It had been over half a month since he had seen Allen up close. The moment he laid eyes on Allen’s pale, skeletal figure, tears filled his eyes. His voice trembled as he asked, “Can I touch him?”
The doctor hesitated for a moment before nodding. Su Bin gently reached out and touched Allen’s face. At that moment, Allen’s eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Su Bin froze in shock, not reacting for several seconds. When he finally came to his senses, his entire body shook with excitement, and he whispered, “He’s awake, he’s awake…” But just two seconds later, Allen’s eyes closed again.
Panicking, Su Bin turned to the doctor. “What’s happening? Did I hurt him?”
The doctor sighed and explained, “Actually, His Grace woke up a few days ago. While he was in the isolation ward, he opened his eyes too, but he was so weak that he couldn’t move his neck, so he couldn’t see you outside the room…”
Su Bin’s voice trembled with concern as he asked, “What do you mean? What’s his current condition?”
The doctor, one of the specialists treating Allen’s hemophilia, replied, “To put it simply, he knows you’re here, but his awareness is very faint, and his body can’t respond appropriately. Right now, it’s probably better for him to remain in a coma, because the blood clots are putting pressure on his nerves and blood vessels, causing him a lot of pain. But we can’t use anesthesia or painkillers repeatedly; that was agreed upon in the surgical consent form long ago.”
Su Bin felt a pang of empathy, as if he could almost feel Allen’s pain, and his body tensed slightly in response.
“Should I not let him see me? Should I avoid stimulating him?” Su Bin asked, taking a step back. Just then, he saw Allen’s eyelid twitch again, his brow furrowing faintly.
The doctor gave a wry smile. “It seems like he wants you to stay.”
A warm wave of emotion surged through Su Bin’s chest, his heart filled with a bittersweet ache. He stepped closer again, gently taking Allen’s hand in his, his voice breaking as he whispered, “I’m here, Allen. I’ve come back…”
