Tentative

When Qu Zhe woke up, he saw only a dazzling white.Next to the window with the curtains wide open, the light pouring in brightly illuminated the entire ward, and he could immediately sense that this was by no means the narrow and dark storage room.

He wanted to sit up, but when he moved a little, he felt pain in his lower body.

This feeling reminded him immediately of that night, and he remembered every detail of it clearly.At this moment, the door lock of the ward rang lightly, and Jiang Yuzhao pushed the door open and walked in.

With just one glance, he saw Qu Zhe who was lying on his back and still receiving the infusion, and said softly, "Are you awake?" Jiang Yuzhao said, walked to the edge of the hospital bed, pulled out the chair and sat down.

"……Um."

Seeing Jiang Yuzhao, it is self-evident what happened when he was unconscious.

The last memory stays on curling up on the foldable bed with fever all over his body. He knew he had a fever, but he didn't have the energy to move.But now, the fever should have subsided, and he was in the hospital again, and Jiang Yuzhao should have sent him here—so naturally, the doctor would tell Jiang Yuzhao why he had a fever.

Thinking of this, Qu Zhe turned his face away uncomfortably, looking at the sky outside the window.

Jiang Yuzhao clicked his tongue, knowing that the atmosphere was awkward, but he wanted to say something, so he asked after a while, "Is it a customer from the store..."

How could he not be able to say those few words, he hesitated for a while.But before he finished speaking, Jiang Yuzhao hesitated, skipped those words and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you go to the shop, the place is messy..."

Qu Zhe still didn't speak, he half closed his eyes as if he didn't hear.

The more he was like this, the more Jiang Yuzhao felt that things were exactly as he thought—there must be a drunk customer who asked Qu Zhe to be sent to the car last night, and then this happened.If you want to blame it, blame him, you obviously go to the store every day, but you didn't go yesterday because of your friend's birthday.

Jiang Yuzhao blamed himself terribly, staring at the back of Qu Zhe'an's hand beside him, where a needle was stuck on it, and a transparent liquid was pouring into it.

"Hey...fuck." Seeing Qu Zhe's silence, Jiang Yuzhao cursed in a panic, and hurriedly explained, "I had something to do yesterday, so I didn't go to the store...it's my fault, sorry……"

"It's none of your business." Qu Zhe finally said.

"Why is it none of my business? If I hadn't asked you to go to the store..." Hearing Qu Zhe's words, Jiang Yuzhao raised his voice unconsciously.But it was only halfway through, when he seemed to realize something, he stopped his mouth resentfully.

If... he means if, Qu Zhe is voluntary?

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuzhao didn't want to delve into it any further. After all, no one would be in the mood to talk about it with friends when encountering such a thing. It's normal to keep silent.Jiang Yuzhao changed his words: "...You can go back after the infusion, you can stay at my house first."

"No need, I'll still stay with Sister Tian." After Yuemo calmed down, Qu Zhe turned his head, looked at Jiang Yuzhao, and smiled reluctantly, "I'm fine, it's not your fault, don't worry ... You sent me to the hospital, I am already very grateful."

It's a pity that his face is as pale as paper, and his lips are even paler. This smile is not pretty at all.

What made Jiang Yuzhao feel the most creepy was that he didn't know what Qu Zhe had experienced in the past three years, but he was sure that Qu Zhe must not have stayed with Shen Yizhuo - but his smile was the same as that in the classroom back then. That bumbling Shen Yizhuo had a similar charm.

"...I was afraid that it would be inconvenient for you to apply the medicine." Jiang Yuzhao avoided his gaze.

Speaking of this, Qu Zhe blushed: "I can do it myself..."

Jiang Yuzhao felt uncomfortable because he knew the truth was not that simple, but he had to temporarily press it to consider the mood of the person involved.He is a simple and straightforward person, he likes it when he likes it, hates it when he hates it, he can't learn and doesn't like to talk around corners like this.

What happened to Qu Zhe that night was where the two of them bypassed by coincidence, but if they were looking for the truth, Jiang Yuzhao wanted to know.

Not only did he want to know, but he also wanted to find out that person and make him pay the price he deserved.

Jiang Yuzhao sighed, lowered his head, and stopped talking.

After a long silence in the ward, Qu Zhe suddenly said, "Jiang Yuzhao, actually...I have always wanted to ask you something."

"Well, you said."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Qu Zhe said softly.

After he finished speaking, he felt that his words were ambiguous and inappropriate, so he hurriedly added: "I mean, I used to protect me at school... and now I'm taking me in or something."

"I didn't take you in, it was my sister." Jiang Yuzhao said, "I would be happy to take you in, you never gave me a chance."

"Then...why?"

This question has been lingering in Qu Zhe's mind for many years, and he has never thought about the reason for it.

When he was studying, Jiang Yuzhao used to order him around, which he could understand; on the contrary, after that incident was made public, Jiang Yuzhao's attitude towards him changed.He would openly stand up for himself, and he would say a word or two to himself when no one paid attention to him.

At that time, getting along with Jiang Yuzhao was somewhat compulsive, and the other party always approached him with opening remarks that sounded very selfish, but everything he did was for his own good.

Qu Zhe is stupid, but not stupid. People who are willing to stand up at that time are really good to him.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry for you." Jiang Yuzhao just said indifferently.

Naturally, the work at the bar could no longer be continued. Qu Zhe was injured again, and the work in the tattoo shop could not help him. He could only lie obediently in the storage room and wait for his body to recover slowly.

At times like this, books are really good spiritual food.

For him, Guan Tian also changed his work and rest schedule, and followed the doctor's order to eat three meals a day, and made some liquid food for him.As for why and where Qu Zhe was injured, Jiang Yuzhao did not mention it to Guan Tian in order to take care of his face, but only said that he was injured because of a conflict with others in the bar.

"According to me, that's your problem, Ah Zhao!" Guan Tian scolded while stirring the porridge with small bubbles with a spoon.

Jiang Yuzhao stood obediently by the side washing the dishes, and didn't make a sound when he heard the scolding.

"How can Ah Zhe be bullied in your territory..."

"Do you have any friends? Find him a job with a better environment?" Jiang Yuzhao changed the subject.

"Yes, I don't know whether to recruit people or not, I have to ask." Guan Tian said, turned off the fire, took a clean small bowl, put it in it, and handed it to Jiang Yuzhao, "Here, take it up, I have something to do later , I want to go out, watch the store for me."

"Oh."

Jiang Yuzhao didn't say anything, took the spoon and put it in a bowl, and went upstairs with the porridge.

"Qu Zhe, open the door." He stood at the door and said.

The door opened quickly, and there was a stale smell, mixed with the smell of cigarettes.Jiang Yuzhao frowned and said, "Are you still smoking?"

"...Just smoked one." Qu Zhe said.

He was half lying on the bed, and for the convenience of opening the door, he turned his head towards the foot of the bed.There was an open book on the pillow, obviously before Jiang Yuzhao came in, he was reading.

"My sister boiled it for you, come and eat."

"it is good."

Qu Zhe sat up with difficulty, the wound still hurt, but it was not unbearable.Jiang Yuzhao handed the porridge to him, just sat down by the window, picked up the cigarette case on the small table and looked at it: "You're still smoking this, I haven't seen you smoking anything else."

"Well," Qu Zhe put the slightly cooled porridge into his mouth, and nodded, "I'm used to it."

"What good is smoking..."

"Nothing good." Qu Zhe said with a smile.

"Okay, hurry up and eat, I'll give you medicine after eating." Jiang Yuzhao said, and picked up the phone on the table to look again.It was an old candy bar phone with no functions other than phone calls and text messages. It was conservatively estimated to be five years ago, so it might be where Qu Zhe got it second-hand.

He frowned and complained: "Your phone is too old, it doesn't have any functions, how can you use it..."

"Just make a phone call."

"You've worked so long, you must have some savings." Jiang Yuzhao said, "...that's not the case."

"No money..."

"Now, in my store for two months, there must be seven or eight thousand, and you can't spend much money."

"There is 500 yuan left..."

As Qu Zhe spoke, he seemed a little guilty. He held the bowl and blew two breaths, and then began to drink from the bowl.

"...Where did you spend your money?"

"...It's spent."

This was obviously an excuse, but Jiang Yuzhao couldn't force him to tell the truth with a knife on his neck, so he said, "Okay, have you finished eating yet?"

"Soon..." Qu Zhe said, a little embarrassed, "You don't need to help me with the medicine, I can do it myself."

"You have eyes on the back of your head? Do it yourself?"

"I can……"

"Do not talk nonsense."

Qu Zhe became uneasy, there was still a porridge left in the bowl, but he didn't finish eating for a long time, until Jiang Yuzhao lost his patience, snatched the bowl from his hand, and scooped all the remaining porridge into the spoon neatly. Handed it to Qu Zhe's mouth: "Hurry up."

"..." Qu Zhe had no choice but to open his mouth, and ate the last bit of porridge.

Jiang Yuzhao casually put the bowl on the table, picked up the medicine for external use and a cotton swab, and ordered, "Take off your pants."

"...I'll do it myself."

"What are you arguing about? I have what you have, so there's nothing to be shy about." Jiang Yuzhao said, "It's better to take the medicine as soon as possible, and don't be a useless person here."

Jiang Yuzhao had no intention of saying the word "disabled person", but Qu Zhe listened to it.

His expression darkened for a moment, and he no longer refused. He took off his pants and lay down on his stomach as he wanted.

Jiang Yuzhao didn't notice his abnormality, and he was not the type to take care of people often, so he was somewhat uncomfortable.He took a cotton swab and dipped it in the medicine, looked at Qu Zhe's bare buttocks and didn't know what to do.

After a few seconds of stalemate, Jiang Yuzhao coughed dryly: "You break it yourself, I can't do it."

Qu Zhe blushed, but he couldn't refuse, so he had to do as he said.He opened his buttocks with both hands, exposing the injured organs, and then he could feel the cold ointment being picked up by the cotton swab, and then spread little by little.Being watched there and touched with a cotton swab really made him extremely ashamed.

But Jiang Yuzhao was right, he couldn't take the medicine, and if he made a little bigger movement, the wound would hurt; he didn't have such good ligaments, and he could see behind himself.

Both of them held their breath, and the storage room was silent.Jiang Yuzhao's cheeks were also flushed, making it uncomfortable.He wanted to finish the medicine quickly, but he was afraid that Qu Zhe would be hurt if he moved too fast, so he went back and forth for two years at a time, so he had to carefully spread the medicine evenly in this awkward atmosphere.

"Okay." He said, taking a long breath, "Huh—"

"Thank you, thank you..."

"Take a good rest. I'll find a place with a better environment when I'm done resting, and then I'll go to work."

"thanks……"

Besides this, Qu Zhe couldn't say any other words.

"Then I'm going down."

"Uh-huh."

The door of the storage room was closed, and Jiang Yuzhao went down.Only then did Qu Zhe relieve his breathing and pull up his pants.He kept lying on the bed, but couldn't read a single word in the book.

In fact, before Jiang Yuzhao came in, he couldn't see it either.His mind was full of Shen Yizhuo's face he saw that day, as well as the various IDs in his wallet - one was a student ID card from S University.