Ice Cold

When Liang Shining carried him out, Ying Huai's body temperature was already very low.

His whole body was like a block of ice. Even his lips were white, and the breath he exhaled was extremely faint.

Liang Shining's own complexion was terrifyingly pale.

Song Si Lan, who had rushed over, froze for a moment when he saw Liang Shining's state.

He thought something serious had happened to Ying Huai. His expression shifted, and he immediately stepped forward to quickly check Ying Huai's condition.

Fortunately, it was only a mild precursor to hypothermia. Song Si Lan's expression grew heavier, but he finally exhaled silently.

He raised his head, about to say something, but Liang Shining spoke first in a hoarse voice: "...Save him."

"He was locked in a low-temperature place for nearly an hour. When I carried him up just now, his whole body was extremely cold. I tried my best to keep him warm. It won't be too late, it won't..."

Liang Shining's voice caught. The last words faded away soundlessly.

Song Si Lan frowned at Liang Shining's reaction.

But he didn't say anything immediately. Instead, he gestured for Liang Shining to carry him onto the ambulance, and quickly said to the nurse beside him: "Prepare hot water bottles. Place them at his neck, armpits, groin, and other areas. Connect the monitor. Watch whether all indicators reach normal values."

Ying Huai lay unconscious on the stretcher bed. The hand that had been resting at his side slipped little by little from the edge of the bed due to the resuscitation efforts, then suddenly hung down limply.

The nightmare-like scene from his past life overlapped with what was before him. Liang Shining suddenly stood up, unable to stop himself from stepping forward.

The next second, he heard Song Si Lan exhale a long breath.

"Good. He's temporarily stable."

Liang Shining's motion of standing froze.

His expression blanked for a moment, as if belatedly realizing something. He slowly lowered his head: "What?"

"Ying Huai was showing some near-hypothermia symptoms just now, which caused weak breathing and arrhythmia, but for now he's stabilized."

Song Si Lan slowed the IV drip, looked up at Liang Shining, and said quietly: "We'll do a thorough check at the Hospital to see if there are any problems with the other organs."

Liang Shining seemed to slowly come back to himself.

He stood in place for a few seconds, then finally slowly sat back down.

Song Si Lan counted Ying Huai's pulse, then turned to glance at the person beside him.

He frowned, and finally said quietly: "What's wrong with you?"

Liang Shining was quiet for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his voice was still hoarse: "So it wasn't too late..."

"You got him out in time. If you'd been another ten minutes later and he had actually reached a state of hypothermia, Ying Huai's condition would have been really dangerous."

Song Si Lan spoke, directly cutting Liang Shining off.

"It wasn't too late—was that what you were worried about?"

Liang Shining said nothing.

The heart monitor emitted its regular "beep, beep," and the IV beside it dripped medication at a steady pace.

Everything seemed to indicate that this time, Ying Huai really had... been saved by him.

—But the unease in Liang Shining's heart still couldn't be dispelled.

He pressed his brow and exhaled heavily. After a long moment, he said quietly: "I'm fine."

Song Si Lan frowned.

But the ambulance had already reached the Hospital. He had no time to say anything more, and rushed Ying Huai quickly into the Hospital.

·

When Ying Huai woke again, it was already the morning of the third day.

The moment his body trembled slightly, he felt the person slumped at his bedside suddenly tighten their grip on his hand, then jerk their head up.

"Shifu's awake?" Liang Shining's voice was hoarse, carrying a sense of relief at having survived a disaster.

He skillfully raised the head of the bed. The next second, Ying Huai spoke softly, somewhat dazed: "What's wrong with your voice?"

Liang Shining's movements paused.

Song Si Lan had said there was nothing seriously wrong with Ying Huai this time, and that he hadn't woken only because his body had been too depleted and forced itself into sleep. But Liang Shining still wasn't at ease, and had stayed by Ying Huai's side the whole time.

Liang Shining took a deep breath to calm himself down, afraid of startling Ying Huai.

He shook his head and said quietly: "I'm fine. I slept leaning over for too long. Shifu, is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? Are you cold? Would you like some water first..."

Ying Huai's expression was still a bit dazed. The question he'd just asked had only slipped out instinctively.

He felt his body being supported little by little as he leaned against Liang Shining, and a straw cup carefully brought to his lips.

Ying Huai instinctively lowered his head and took a few sips. The warm liquid flowed slowly down his esophagus into his stomach, and his consciousness gradually returned.

Ying Huai coughed lightly a few times, then curved his lips into a small smile: "I'm fine."

Liang Shining said nothing, but seemed to quietly let out a breath of relief. His tense expression finally eased somewhat.

Ying Huai shifted his body slightly, then suddenly let out a soft hiss.

"Can you help me up a bit, Liang Shining? Sitting like this, I can't really put any strength in my waist."

Liang Shining froze for a moment.

He instinctively reached out to pull the person into his arms, but the next second he thought of something and his movements stiffened. He only helped prop the person up a little higher.

Ying Huai also seemed to freeze for a moment.

He turned to glance at Liang Shining with some puzzlement, his eyes narrowing slightly: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Liang Shining shook his head.

He kept his eyes lowered, not looking at Ying Huai's expression, and simply reached out to knead his waist with just the right amount of pressure.

"Song Si Lan said you showed some signs of hypothermia this time, but none of your organs were seriously affected. You might feel some chills and palpitations recently, so rest well, and tell me right away if anything feels off."

Ying Huai opened his mouth to say something, but the next second heard Liang Shining continue rambling on.

"I've already brought that Panda Cat home. Shifu will be able to see her as soon as you get back."

He kept his eyes lowered, watching Ying Huai's fingers curled up unconsciously outside the blanket, and slowly covered them with the blanket: "As long as Shifu comes home with me, everything will be fine after that. Just come home with me..."

Ying Huai coughed softly. Liang Shining seemed to suddenly come back to himself and raised his head.

"What's wrong? Is there something Shifu wants to ask me?"

"There is actually something I want to ask." Ying Huai laughed lightly.

Liang Shining instinctively raised his head. The next second, Ying Huai's half-smiling voice rang out: "Little disciple, why are you talking so much today?"

Liang Shining's body stiffened.

His voice stopped abruptly.

Ying Huai looked at him thoughtfully for a few seconds.

He could feel the tension in Liang Shining's whole state.

He had thought Liang Shining was still worried about his body, so he'd pretended to casually want Liang Shining to hold him, in order to put him at ease.

He hadn't expected Liang Shining to instead pull back.

—Then the problem wasn't with him, but with Liang Shining himself.

Ying Huai stared at Liang Shining for a few seconds. Something occurred to him, and he asked tentatively: "Are you... afraid of something?"

The moment his words fell, he saw Liang Shining suddenly stand up.

Ying Huai was startled.

He heard Liang Shining say quietly: "...Song Si Lan is coming to check on Shifu again in a bit. I'll go out first and find him for Shifu."

Ying Huai hadn't expected this reaction from Liang Shining either. "Hey, wait—"

Before he could finish, he saw Liang Shining had already turned and walked quickly out of the room.

Ying Huai's expression was momentarily blank.

A few seconds later, the door made a soft sound again. Ying Huai instinctively raised his head: "Liang Shining..."

His words stopped the moment he saw who was at the door: "Why are you here?"

·

Liang Shining walked quickly to the end of the corridor.

He turned a corner and walked all the way to the stairwell before suddenly stopping.

Liang Shining closed his eyes and exhaled heavily.

Three days had already passed. Song Si Lan had also told him there was nothing seriously wrong with Ying Huai.

But Liang Shining still couldn't control the panic in his heart.

—If his timely arrival at the Villa that day had only been a coincidence, if something like this happened again and he was one step late...

Liang Shining's expression darkened. The hand hanging at his side clenched hard.

The next second, a teasing voice came from behind: "Long time no see, Teacher Liang."

Liang Shining turned his head sharply.

Yu Wu stood with arms crossed at the corner of the corridor, smiling as he looked at the person in front of him.

Liang Shining frowned.

He quickly suppressed the darkness in his expression and calmly lowered his eyes: "Is Doctor Yu here to see Shifu?"

As he spoke, he tried to step around Yu Wu: "Shifu is in the ward on the other side. Let me take Doctor Yu there..."

Before he could finish, he saw a hand suddenly reach out in front of him.

"There's no rush with Teacher Ying," Yu Wu said with a grin, looking up. "I'm here to see you."

Liang Shining's footsteps paused.

The next second, he raised his head as if nothing were wrong: "What does Doctor Yu want with me?"

Yu Wu stared at him thoughtfully for a few seconds, then suddenly said: "That day in the Basement room, were there two people?"

"Ying Huai was on the verge of hypothermia and unconscious. How is the other person?"

Liang Shining frowned, not understanding why Yu Wu was suddenly asking this.

But it seemed Yu Wu wouldn't let him leave until he answered this.

Liang Shining took a deep breath and said quietly: "I checked him over. Nothing serious. The police investigated too. The Basement temperature was just a bit low—probably because of the weather. An ordinary person staying there for a while wouldn't have any problems..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

—Ying Huai hadn't been in there long either. Why had his reaction been so severe?

Liang Shining's expression shifted. He shoved Yu Wu aside and started to rush toward the hospital room.

The next second, Yu Wu spoke first.

"I checked. The Basement temperature hadn't been deliberately lowered by anyone."

"Ying Huai had taken a sedative at the time—he must have been having an acute stress reaction."

Liang Shining froze.

"The medication I prescribed him is an emergency drug. It has a forced-calming effect—it can help him quickly regain composure in a short time, but it also causes drowsiness and lethargy, which would to some extent worsen his loss of body heat."

Liang Shining's expression darkened. He gritted his teeth: "So why did you prescribe him..."

"Because I needed to give him a chance to save himself. It was his own choice—and at the time, it was the best one."

Yu Wu calmly cut him off.

"He had another option—to not take the medication like before, and force himself to endure it."

Yu Wu looked up at Liang Shining, his voice slightly heavy: "But that would have led to more serious consequences."

"Si Lan told me he was also having palpitations at the time. In that dim, enclosed space, if he'd chosen to force himself through it, there would only have been one outcome—he would have had a complete mental breakdown."

—The consequences of a mental breakdown would have been far more severe than the current situation.

Liang Shining's expression shifted.

Yu Wu watched his reaction, knowing he was beginning to understand something, and shrugged slightly: "Honestly, I didn't expect Ying Huai to take this medication either."

After all, Ying Huai had quite a 'track record.'

Based on what Yu Wu had learned about him through these sessions, Ying Huai would probably rather tough it out alone until he died than entrust his life to anyone else.

But the fact that he chose to take the medication meant—

"He chose to trust you, Liang Shining." Yu Wu raised his head and said calmly.

"He chose to believe you would save him."

Ying Huai had decisively chosen to take the medication to calm himself, conserve his strength, and hold on until someone came to rescue him.

Liang Shining's expression shifted slightly.

He belatedly realized something. Somewhat at a loss, he raised his head: "So Ying Huai..."

A faint smile appeared in Yu Wu's eyes. He folded his arms and laughed lightly: "So congratulations, Teacher Liang."

"Ying Huai really is gradually... letting himself trust and rely on you."

He straightened up as he spoke and stretched: "Although I don't know exactly what you're worried about, don't worry—Ying Huai seems to know his own limits."

Liang Shining's mind went blank.

It took him a long time before he gradually understood what Yu Wu had said.

Liang Shining closed his eyes, and the taut nerves in him suddenly relaxed.

He took a deep breath and said quietly: "Thank you."

"Indeed, indeed—my treatment also played a big role." Yu Wu shamelessly said with a grin.

He suddenly leaned in: "By the way, what was Teacher Liang doing standing here just now?"

Liang Shining's expression suddenly stiffened.

He said somewhat awkwardly: "Nothing, just thinking about some things..."

"Just now, before Teacher Ying sent me over, he told me you've been bringing up 'going home' with him." Yu Wu said curiously.

"Teacher Liang isn't thinking of keeping Teacher Ying locked up at home from now on, are you?"

Liang Shining froze completely.

He instantly realized that Ying Huai had sent Yu Wu to find him.

—Then Ying Huai must have noticed something was off about him.

Liang Shining was suddenly overcome with panic.

—He had indeed had that thought just now.

He was too afraid that he couldn't protect Ying Huai, afraid that Ying Huai would still inevitably walk toward death like in his previous life.

But the thought had only flickered through his mind before he immediately cast it aside.

—He knew he couldn't treat Ying Huai like that.

Liang Shining suddenly raised his head, unusually flustered: "Ying Huai sent you over? Did he say anything just now..."

"Don't worry, Teacher Ying didn't say anything. He just told me he felt you seemed a bit too worried about him."

Yu Wu shrugged, speaking with a half-smile: "But I'm just here to remind Teacher Liang not to do anything that might upset Teacher Ying."

Liang Shining closed his eyes.

He raised his head and said earnestly: "I won't."

Yu Wu stroked his chin, gazing at Liang Shining thoughtfully.

He hadn't told Liang Shining about all of Ying Huai's reactions just now.

But he could sense that Ying Huai might rely on Liang Shining even more than he had thought.

·

Liang Shining's emotions finally calmed down.

He turned around, ready to bring Yu Wu back to Ying Huai's hospital room, but the next second, Yu Wu casually spoke up.

"By the way, Si Lan told me just now that Teacher Ying's condition this time isn't that serious."

"Why did Teacher Liang react so strongly?"

Yu Wu leaned forward slightly, smiling as he drew close to Liang Shining: "Teacher Liang isn't... hiding something, are you?"

The moment his words fell, he saw Liang Shining's expression change instantly.

He suddenly raised his head.

The next second, Yu Wu suddenly laughed: "I'm just kidding."

He pressed down on the door handle as he spoke, gently pushing the door open: "Teacher Liang, go on in. I'll go find Si Lan first."

He grinned and raised his head: "Once you two lovebirds—cough, I mean—once you've finished catching up, Si Lan and I will come over."

Liang Shining: ...?

He opened his mouth to say something, but the next second, Yu Wu reached out and shoved Liang Shining inside.

Liang Shining: ???

The sound at the door came, and Ying Huai instinctively raised his head.

"Liang Shining?"

Liang Shining's mind was in chaos. He stood stiffly in place.

Ying Huai was somewhat puzzled.

He thought of Liang Shining's reaction before leaving the room, frowned slightly, and instinctively got out of bed to walk over.

The next second, he saw Liang Shining rush over and pull him into an embrace.

The tips of Ying Huai's ears instantly burned hot.

He reached out to push the person in front of him away: "What are you doing? Let go of me first, Liang Shining. What's wrong with you..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

Liang Shining gently rested his head on Ying Huai's shoulder and let out a low breath, as if a great weight had been lifted.

Ying Huai's movement paused.

—Liang Shining had never reacted like this before.

A flash of helplessness and surprise crossed his expression. After a pause, he slowly lowered the hand that had been pushing away.

The hospital room was quiet, with only the faint airflow from the nebulizer.

Ying Huai stood in place, one hand unconsciously patting his back lightly.

He heard Liang Shining say quietly: "I'm fine."

Liang Shining's arms around him tightened little by little. He said quietly: "I'm... fine now."

Ying Huai hesitated: "So just now you..."

Liang Shining shook his head.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again: "From now on, no matter what happens, shifu can trust me."

"I will definitely come find shifu."

Ying Huai was startled.

—For a moment, he thought Liang Shining was referring to that incident from his previous life.

His hand on Liang Shining's back stiffened for a moment, but the next second, he heard Liang Shining speak again: "Just like this time."

Ying Huai was taken aback.

He closed his eyes and slowly placed his hand back on Liang Shining.

"All right."

After a few seconds of silence, after confirming that Liang Shining had indeed calmed down, he finally cleared his throat lightly.

"Can you... let go of me first, little disciple?"

Liang Shining's body shifted slightly.

He slowly straightened up. Ying Huai glanced at the partition beside them and instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

He rubbed his reddened ear tips, wanting to pull back from Liang Shining's arms, but the next second, he felt his body go light.

—Liang Shining had simply picked him up in a bridal carry.

Ying Huai's entire face flushed red at once.

"Liang Shining, put me down—"

"Why?"

Liang Shining carried him steadily back to the bed.

But he didn't let go. Instead, he sat down with Ying Huai still in his arms and skillfully hooked him up to the monitor.

Ying Huai felt as if he was about to be steamed alive.

He wanted to get out of Liang Shining's arms, but Liang Shining's expression was perfectly calm.

"Wouldn't Shifu be more comfortable sitting like this?"

Ying Huai's voice caught.

A flicker of awkwardness crossed his face. He turned his head away at once. "That still won't do right now. Let go of me first..."

Liang Shining acted as if he hadn't heard.

He picked up the medicine and warm water from the side and held them out to Ying Huai. "Didn't Shifu just want me to hold you? Why don't you want it now?"

Ying Huai: ???

Now even the corners of his eyes reddened bit by bit—whether from anger or embarrassment. "I didn't, and the situation is different now from before. No one was in the room earlier. Put me down right now..."

Liang Shining was baffled. "What's different? There's no one here now either."

He paused, and a faint trace of grievance crept into his tone. "Or has Shifu already grown tired of me after such a short while?"

The moment his words fell, a muffled thud came from the doorway of the partition beside them.

Liang Shining instinctively looked up.

Song Xingzhou stood at the partition doorway, face blank, holding a Hot Water Bottle.

He saw Liang Shining raise his head, and the next second, abruptly turned around. "I didn't hear anything—no, I didn't see anything either, Teacher Liang!"

Liang Shining: ...?

Ying Huai gave a soft cough.

He set the medicine aside and, without drawing attention, shifted himself slightly out of Liang Shining's arms. A hint of laughter slipped into his tone despite himself.

"I warned you just now."

Ying Huai looked up with a half-smile. "Also—that last question, I suppose I don't need to answer it now, do I?"

Liang Shining: ...

·

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Song Xingzhou stood rooted to the spot, hesitant, until Ying Huai's voice came again from behind him: "It's fine. Come on over."

Song Xingzhou turned around cautiously.

He didn't dare look up. With lowered eyes, he walked straight to Ying Huai's bedside and handed him the Hot Water Bottle.

Ying Huai smiled and thanked him, gesturing for him to sit.

Song Xingzhou froze for a few seconds, then slowly sat down after all.

He seemed about to say something, but Ying Huai had already turned to Liang Shining first.

"Did anything come of the investigation into last episode's incident?"

Liang Shining's expression grew serious too. He nodded. "We looked into it. The Assistant Director has already sent over the relevant materials, and Li Xiang verified them afterward."

"It was indeed Chu Hongsheng's doing."

"Chu Hongsheng claimed to be your uncle and sponsored this episode under the pretext of quietly looking after you, and arranged for Song Xingzhou to be brought in. The Assistant Director didn't know what Chu Hongsheng had done before and ultimately agreed."

"During the game segment that night, Chu Hongsheng deliberately meant to separate us. He bribed the two staff members in charge of guiding us, placed you on the lowest level of the Villa, and me on the highest. He also didn't tell the Director's team that he could control all the Villa's security access."

Liang Shining's voice wavered slightly, but he continued.

"But when the police went to question him later, Chu Hongsheng claimed he knew nothing and pushed everything onto the Villa's staff."

"The police really couldn't get any evidence of Chu Hongsheng's personal involvement, so in the end they could only handle it as staff operational error."

Ying Huai raised an eyebrow, showing little surprise.

Chu Hongsheng was always cautious—he never left any handles behind.

Song Xingzhou spoke up at the same time from beside him. "When Chu Hongsheng contacted me, he didn't tell me anything specific either."

"He only said he could arrange for me to appear on this Variety Show, as compensation for not being able to participate in the Singer Competition, and at the same time... take the opportunity to get back at Teacher Ying."

Song Xingzhou looked up at Ying Huai.

Ying Huai's expression didn't change. He only smiled reassuringly. "What had Chu Hongsheng been telling you before?"

Song Xingzhou pulled out his phone without hesitation.

"Chu Hongsheng is always cautious. Apart from face-to-face conversations, he never tells me exactly what to do—only the general direction, and lets me act as the situation calls for."

That day, Song Xingzhou's task was simply to follow Ying Huai.

That's why he was able to rush straight down to the Basement level two to find him right away, and because he wasn't sure what Chu Hongsheng actually wanted, he stayed by Ying Huai's side at all times.

Song Xingzhou said, somewhat dejectedly: "So I don't really have anything... very useful as evidence. Maybe I should take the initiative and contact him in person?"

Ying Huai shook his head.

"No, that's too dangerous. These next few days, if Chu Hongsheng doesn't reach out to you first, don't contact him."

"The initiative is in our hands now. Don't alert him rashly. Wait and see what he wants to do next."

Liang Shining took the opportunity to hand him the medicine. Ying Huai didn't react in time, instinctively took it and drank a mouthful—only to feel a wave of bitterness shoot straight to the top of his head.

"Liang Shining—"

The next second, he felt a candy being placed into his mouth. "Mm, I'm here."

"Doctor Song said Shifu should take his medicine now, but Shifu hadn't taken it earlier," Liang Shining said quietly. "So I could only do this."

Ying Huai took a deep breath, only to be startled by the bitterness again.

With the candy in his mouth, he spoke indistinctly to Song Xingzhou: "Go home today. Stay safe, and contact us right away if anything comes up."

He was only halfway through speaking when Liang Shining placed a few more bottles of medicine into Ying Huai's hand.

Ying Huai still had no guard up against Liang Shining at all. He instinctively brought it to his mouth, and the next second was completely overwhelmed by the bitterness.

"Liang Shining—"

Unable to bear it any longer, he leaned toward Liang Shining—but the next second, noticed Song Xingzhou was still standing beside them.

Ying Huai froze.

He instantly sat back upright, gave a small cough, and looked up. "What is it? Is there something else?"

Song Xingzhou's lips moved soundlessly a few times.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he opened his mouth and asked the same question again: "How are you feeling now, Teacher Ying? Is there anywhere else that doesn't feel right?"

Song Xingzhou said quietly: "I don't have anything to do when I get back. Is there anything you need? I can go get it for you. If you're cold, I can turn the air conditioning up..."

"You already asked me all of these just now." Ying Huai gave a soft laugh and cut him off.

He seemed to realize something and let out a quiet sigh.

"I'm fine now. You don't need to keep worrying... or blaming yourself."

Song Xingzhou froze for a few seconds.

Then, all at once, his eyes reddened.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Ying. What I did before was wrong..."

Ying Huai felt a slight headache coming on.

—He hadn't expected he'd have to coax two people in a single day.

"Don't cry. What are you crying about now? I'm fine, aren't I..."

He propped himself up slightly, about to say something, but the next second heard Liang Shining speak first: "For what happened at the Villa, I should be thanking you."

Song Xingzhou froze. He slowly raised his head.

"If you hadn't kept banging on the door at the end, it would have taken us a little longer to find you."

—And it was exactly that little bit of time he bought that saved Ying Huai's life.

Liang Shining looked at him and said seriously: "Thank you."

Song Xingzhou panicked completely.

"No, no, this is what I should have done..."

"So what are you panicking about? This is that bastard's fault, not any of yours."

A teasing voice suddenly came from the doorway.

Song Xingzhou turned his head blankly.

Yu Wu strolled into the Hospital room with his arm around Song Si Lan.

Song Si Lan's expression was also somewhat unfriendly.

For once, he didn't bother with Yu Wu's little gestures. He looked at Ying Huai with a frown and said: "So why was that person deliberately trying to provoke you?"

Ying Huai froze, momentarily not registering: "What?"

"Yu Wu told me last time that your episodes have been happening too frequently lately." Song Si Lan frowned.

"It doesn't seem to be because of your own physical condition. It looks more like someone has been deliberately provoking you, constantly inducing your episodes."

"Do you know what his purpose in doing this is, Ying Huai?"

Ying Huai's expression went still.

He looked at Song Si Lan, hesitated for a moment, and said nothing.

Song Si Lan frowned and suddenly spoke: 'Your body can't hold on much longer like this, Ying Huai.'

'I'm doing my best to keep your body stable, not so you can hide everything from all of us and bear it alone.'

Song Si Lan said coldly: 'You don't need to worry about burdening us. Whatever you know, you have to say it. We need to know what that bastard's purpose is—'

Song Si Lan said slowly, in a low voice: 'Only then can we truly help you.'

Yu Wu beside him raised his brows in surprise at Song Si Lan's rare profanity.

Ying Huai sat at the head of the bed with lowered eyes.

He was silent for a few seconds, then finally said in a low voice: 'He wants to send me... into a 'Sanatorium'.'

Song Si Lan paused, frowning: 'What Sanatorium? Why would he do that?'

Ying Huai shook his head: 'I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to have something to do with... my mother.'

Liang Shining could feel Ying Huai's body trembling uncontrollably. He slowly reached out and gently gathered him into his arms.

Ying Huai's body jerked violently, but he didn't pull away.

He sat at the head of the bed with lowered eyes, taking two rapid breaths, as if remembering something else, and laughed softly: 'No, it shouldn't be called a 'Sanatorium.' It should be called an—asylum.'

He raised his head. His peach-blossom eyes curved as always, but the smile didn't reach them: 'To imprison the mad, or people like me—people he's turned mad.'

The hospital room fell silent. Song Si Lan stood in place without speaking. After a long moment, Yu Wu suddenly laughed softly.

'What madman? That bastard doesn't get to say that. Does he have a medical license earned through five years of undergrad, three years of master's, three years of doctorate, three years of residency, and over a decade of training?'

Yu Wu yawned and said lazily: 'Please, I'm your attending physician. Whatever your situation is, I get the final say.'

Ying Huai raised his head in a daze.

His breathing was still a little rapid. He watched Yu Wu draped over Song Si Lan's shoulder, half-bent at the waist, and spoke with a half-smile.

'Whatever he ultimately wants to do, isn't he just trying to provoke an episode right now so he can send you to the Hospital?'

'If we don't give him the chance, isn't that fine?'

·

It took a few minutes for Ying Huai's emotions to finally calm down.

His body was limp and weak. Liang Shining gathered him back into his arms, patting his back absentmindedly.

Song Si Lan checked Ying Huai's condition again.

Yu Wu beside him kept following Song Si Lan with a cheeky grin.

Seeing Song Si Lan seemed about to get up, he raised his hand to drape himself over him again. The next second, Song Si Lan unhesitatingly raised his elbow and struck his arm.

Yu Wu let out an 'ow' and snatched his hand back. Song Xingzhou was startled. Ying Huai came back to himself, glanced up, and laughed softly.

Yu Wu winced in pain but unconsciously let out a breath of relief: 'Calmed down? Everything's okay?'

Ying Huai glanced at him with a half-smile, the corner of his mouth curving: 'Tough as old boots, Dr. Yu.'

Yu Wu covered his arm and laughed at him.

Song Si Lan glared at the two of them.

'Still laughing. Just answering a question can send your heart rate up. Can you pay a little attention to your body, Ying Huai?' Song Si Lan said through gritted teeth.

Ying Huai felt inexplicably guilty after Song Si Lan's words.

Seeing Song Si Lan's expression had relaxed a little, he immediately curved his eyes ingratiatingly: 'My body's fine now, right, Dr. Song? Can I go home today...?'

'In your dreams. Your body's only just stabilized. The foundation is still weak. Do you think the effects of hypothermia are that easy to recover from?'

Song Si Lan said irritably.

Ying Huai shrank back and tried to defend himself quietly: 'It was only on the verge of hypothermia, not actually...'

Song Si Lan was almost amused into anger: 'Fine. If you want to go home and keep running a fever tonight, walk out right now.'

He crossed his arms: 'Originally two more days here would've been enough, but that's fine. I can wait for you to come back to the Hospital for another ten days tonight.'

Ying Huai: ......

He instantly shrank back: 'Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything.'

Song Si Lan 'hmphed.'

He knew that although Ying Huai looked fine with his smile now, the whole person must already be very tired.

Some time had passed since he'd woken up. It was almost the limit of what Ying Huai's body could endure right now.

Song Si Lan frowned, swapped the IV medication for another bottle with a sedative, and adjusted the drip rate.

Sure enough, after a moment, Ying Huai couldn't help but yawn.

'Alright, everyone out. Let him sleep for a bit.'

Song Si Lan released his hand from Ying Huai's pulse and stood up to shoo people out.

'Press the call button if you're uncomfortable. Your body's just recovered. Tonight if your temperature drops too low you might feel a bit nauseous or dizzy. Don't push through it, or it'll cause palpitations and feel worse.'

Song Si Lan walked backward and thought of something else, continuing to nag.

Ying Huai, with half-closed eyes, laughed softly: 'I know, Dr. Song.'

'Knowing it, will you do it?' Song Si Lan said expressionlessly.

Ying Huai's words caught. He forced his eyes open and curved them guiltily at Song Si Lan: 'I'll try.'

Song Si Lan's brow twitched.

——He knew Ying Huai would answer exactly that.

Song Si Lan took a deep breath and glanced at Liang Shining: 'Please keep an eye on him.'

Liang Shining nodded.

He stood up, lowered the head of the bed a little, and helped Ying Huai lie half-down again.

Ying Huai burrowed into the blanket and unconsciously leaned a little toward Liang Shining.

Liang Shining's movements paused.

The next second, he heard Song Si Lan say indifferently: 'If you want to hold him, just hold him. Don't mind us. He'll be more comfortable that way.'

Liang Shining: .......

He took a deep breath, but in the end sat on the edge of the bed and gently gathered the person into his arms.

Song Xingzhou's footsteps paused nearby.

He walked a few steps forward, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally couldn't help turning back.

'There's one more thing I want to ask Teacher Ying.'

Ying Huai's almost-scattered consciousness was forced to clear a little again.

——He never used to think this kid was the type to fire off questions one after another.

He sighed, pulled his consciousness back together with effort, and looked up at Song Xingzhou: '...What?'

Song Xingzhou took a deep breath.

'Are Teacher Ying and Teacher Liang... dating?'

Ying Huai: ???

Song Si Lan and Yu Wu, who had been about to reach the door, also stopped in their tracks at those words.

Ying Huai instantly became a little more alert.

He looked up, torn between laughter and tears: 'Why would you think that?'

Song Xingzhou hesitated.

'It's just... a feeling.'

Remembering something else, he said quietly: 'Also, when we were recording the Variety Show that day, I think I heard Teacher Chu say that Teacher Ying and Teacher Liang's clothes... were a couple's set.'

Liang Shining's movements froze. Ying Huai paused.

His gaze fell on the outfit hanging nearby and he instantly remembered something.

——No wonder Chu Ming had reacted so strangely that day.

He narrowed his eyes, glanced up at Liang Shining, who guiltily turned his head away.

Ying Huai took a deep breath: 'No, you've misunderstood. These were a gift from Liang Mu. Probably she didn't realize when she bought them...'

Before he could finish, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open.

'You're awake, Huai ge. How's your body?'

Chu Ming burst into the room in a whirlwind.

He had just reached the bed when Ying Huai said unhurriedly: 'I'm fine.'

'But whether you're fine, I don't know.'

Chu Ming paused: 'What's wrong with me, Huai ge...?'

'You knew about that clothing thing long ago.' Ying Huai said unhurriedly.

Chu Ming's expression instantly froze.

'But not only didn't you tell me, you told other people instead.'

Ying Huai curved his eyes: 'Tell me, who else have you been running your mouth to?'

Chu Ming couldn't tell for a moment whether Ying Huai was really angry.

He hesitated a few seconds, then said quietly: 'Xin Wan, Lu Jing, and... Su Xin.'

Ying Huai was half-amused, half-annoyed for a moment.

Before he could speak, Chu Ming, as if he had resigned himself, spoke again: 'Mainly Su Xin was the one who first said you and Liang Shining seemed to have done something. I was trying to pump him for information...'

Ying Huai: ??

At the hospital room door, Su Xin, who had just been about to push it open, froze.

The next second, they saw Ying Huai's gaze land directly on them.