Chapter 4: Feeding Me Actively

Chapter 4: Taking the Initiative to Feed Him

In the afternoon, Lu Hechi underwent an MRI and CT scan.

His legs were still a bit weak and he needed support, with Shen Lanxue acting as his human crutch the whole way.

Shen Yixing toddled along behind them, rooting for them.

The doctor said Lu Hechi was lucky—by his second day in the hospital, he was already fully alert. Aside from amnesia and a fracture, there were no other issues for now.

He just needed to stay in the hospital one more week for observation.

Back in the hospital room, Lu Hechi really had to pee.

He'd been holding it for an hour, too embarrassed to speak up, but now he really couldn't hold it any longer.

His face turned beet red as he whispered to Shen Lanxue, "Bro, um, I gotta use the bathroom."

Shen Lanxue's body stiffened for a moment, then nodded without any expression.

"Okay."

Shen Lanxue looked down at Little Star and said, "Baby, wait in the room for a bit. I'll help Daddy go to the bathroom."

Lu Hechi lightly poked Shen Lanxue with his elbow.

How could he say that in front of the kid?

He had zero dignity left as a dad!

Little Star nodded obediently and ran over to the bed on his own.

Shen Lanxue helped Lu Hechi to the toilet, hesitating over whether to help him.

At that moment, Lu Hechi said, his face flushed red, "Bro, turn around. I can stand by myself."

Shen Lanxue glanced his way.

Then turned around and faced the door.

Lu Hechi pulled his pants down, held himself, sneaking a peek at Shen Lanxue's back.

Back in the day, going to the bathroom with his buddies and messing around was a regular thing.

He'd never once felt embarrassed about it.

But knowing this was the person he'd married, had a kid with, and been intimate with in the most extreme ways—

He couldn't stop the shame from washing over him.

The sound of water trickled out, a bit hurried—clearly from holding it in too long.

Lu Hechi shook a few times and yanked his pants up.

The strain sent a jolt of pain through his right arm.

He gritted his teeth and bore it.

When the sound stopped, Shen Lanxue turned around, those clear, lake-like eyes fixed on him.

Under those eyes, Lu Hechi felt like he'd done something awful.

"..."

Shen Lanxue reached out and took Lu Hechi's left arm.

After rinsing his hands, the two of them left the bathroom and found Shen Yixing already asleep, slumped against the hospital bed.

"Why don't you take the little one home," Lu Hechi said in a lowered voice. "I'm fine now. You don't need to stay with me the whole time."

Shen Lanxue's face showed a hint of hesitation.

Lu Hechi reached out with his left hand, turned it over to wrap around Shen Lanxue's, and held it in his palm: "Don't worry, I can take care of myself on my own."

As his hand was held, a flicker of warmth passed through Shen Lanxue's heart.

"Alright." Shen Lanxue thought for a moment and said, "I'll take the little one home first, then come back. I can't relax knowing you're here alone."

Lu Hechi gave a small nod.

Then he squeezed his hand even harder.

He was only eighteen, still just a kid. Being alone in the hospital was bound to be a little scary.

So Shen Lanxue's words went a long way in easing his fear.

Settling his nerves again.

Once Lu Hechi had lain back down in bed,

Shen Lanxue scooped up Little Star, letting him sleep in his arms, and said softly, "I'm heading out now."

Lu Hechi replied softly, "Drive safe."

He watched Shen Lanxue's back until it vanished, and the room fell quiet again.

It hadn't even been a full day, and he already seemed used to having Shen Lanxue around.

With one person gone, the room suddenly felt empty.

Lu Hechi lay there for a while, bored out of his mind.

He grabbed his new phone and started killing time.

With one arm broken and useless, he couldn't play games, so he could only scroll through short videos.

After logging in, his feed refreshed with videos that had tens of millions of likes.

There were costume changes, hand-gesture dance videos, pretty girls, and hot muscular guys.

Lu Hechi scrolled past them, thinking the world these days was something else.

Until he came across a newly released period drama.

Looking at the male lead's face on screen, he couldn't shake the feeling it looked super familiar.

He tapped on the comments section to check the lead actor's name.

Lu Hechi's heart was pounding with excitement.

Chen Jiadong is actually an actor now?!

In his memory, just two days ago, they were still talking about where to go for summer vacation.

Chen Jiadong had transferred to his middle school in the second year of junior high and ended up in the same class. Since their homes weren't far apart, they often played ball and video games together.

Before long, they became great buddies.

He never expected the guy to be doing this well now.

Lu Hechi couldn't help but wonder what his own career was like now. His husband looked pretty loaded—that aura alone was something an ordinary person couldn't match.

If he could marry someone like that, he probably wasn't doing half bad himself, right?

Unfortunately, his original phone was gone, and the only person he could still contact was Shen Lanxue.

The videos on his phone kept playing, and Lu Hechi snapped out of his thoughts, wanting to reach out to Chen Jiadong.

He found Chen Jiadong's profile, followed him, and sent a DM.

After sending the message, he scrolled through videos for a bit longer, but eventually couldn't fight off the drowsiness and drifted off.

When he opened his eyes again, Shen Lanxue was sitting in the visitor's chair, staring at a laptop screen, fingers tapping away.

Lu Hechi quietly watched him for a bit.

He figured his future self had pretty good taste.

What a beautiful face—delicate features as light as a handful of snow, a high nose bridge, and rosy lips that looked soft.

He had changed into a different outfit: a cream-colored V-neck knit sweater, collarbones showing, skin taking on a warm, smooth glow under the light.

As if sensing something was off, he suddenly looked up, and his gaze met Lu Hechi's.

Lu Hechi smiled with his eyes: "Bro, when did you get here? I didn't even hear you come in."

Shen Lanxue: "Just got here a bit ago."

"I had Aunt Wang make you some loofah soup and steam a sea bass. You hungry? Want to eat a little now?"

Lu Hechi hadn't felt hungry at all, but the moment he was asked, his stomach started to growl.

He nodded: "Okay, thanks, bro."

Seeing him try to prop himself up, Shen Lanxue went over and supported him.

"Don't be so polite with me." He paused, then said, "We're family."

Lu Hechi figured that was true, but old habits die hard.

He was trying to learn to be a husband.

As for the rest... he'd take it one step at a time.

Lu Hechi leaned against the headboard, holding the chopsticks in his left hand.

Eating with a spoon at lunch had been fine, but now with chopsticks, he could really feel the problem—he couldn't pick up a single piece of fish no matter how many times he tried.

Shen Lanxue watched him struggle to get food to his mouth a few times.

He simply sat on the edge of the bed, took the chopsticks, picked up a small piece of fish, and brought it to Lu Hechi's lips to feed him.

Lu Hechi was like a kid—opening his mouth whenever he was told to. Once he'd had his fill, he remembered something.

"Oh, right, bro, what do I do for work now?"

"Bro?" Lu Hechi's eyes sparkled as he waited for an answer.

Shen Lanxue looked into his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and didn't finish his sentence: "You run a talent agency. You're the boss."