Chapter 76: A Painful Confession

“It’s not a terminal illness. There’s a drug residue in your body—one that isn’t in the hospital’s known database. Have you accidentally taken any medication?”

Doctor Gu said sternly, “This is very important. You must answer truthfully.”

Ji Xiao shook his head. “I haven’t been sick in the past two years. I haven’t even taken cold medicine, and my annual check-ups have been normal.”

“Then you need to be hospitalized for a while. First settle the previous fees, then go through the admission procedures. I’ll go check if the results are out.” With that, Doctor Gu left.

The nurse glanced at them and added, “I’ll be going now. Press the call button if you need anything.”

The room was left with only Ji Xiao and Ruan Jier.

Ruan Jier felt a bit awkward. He pulled out his phone and handed it over. “You’re going to be hospitalized, but you don’t have your phone or ID. Contact a friend.”

Ji Xiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly. His somewhat long hair fell forward, and a hint of fragility crept into his delicate features. “I don’t have any friends.”

Liar!

Ruan Jier’s eyes widened.

Then what about that time he held him and called out names like Zhenzhen and Awu? What was that about?

Right, not friends—lovers.

“Call a lover then.”

Ji Xiao didn’t take the phone. His lips were pressed tightly together, silent.

The wound on his lip, bitten and slightly swollen, caught Ruan Jier’s attention. Somehow, he perceived a hint of abused beauty in it.

Toothache.

He poured him a glass of water and compromised, “Do you have your keys? I’ll go get your phone and ID for you.” Then he could contact whoever he wanted.

“I didn’t bring them,” Ji Xiao said softly. “But there’s a small pouch sewn under the doormat outside my door. The spare key is inside.”

Ruan Jier: “…”

He left in silence.

Ji Xiao reached into his pocket.

[Black Cat: “Hospitals don’t allow smoking.”]

Ji Xiao: “…”

[Black Cat: “If you ask me, you’re still the slut, but you’re really too hard on yourself. This drug is from another world. This world might not be able to analyze it and give you an antidote. You know that, right?”]

The drug had already merged into his bones, tendons, and blood.

It could be said that his entire body was now saturated with that substance.

Ji Xiao sat up straight, his expression indifferent. “It’s fine.”

[Black Cat: “I’ve warned you. You used too many points in the last world, and today you bought the drug. The nine points you have left aren’t enough for the antidote. If you don’t want to die from pain, you’ll be stuck depending on men.”]

Ji Xiao: “I can endure it.”

[Black Cat: “…Why bother?”]

Ji Xiao: “What else? Given Ruan Jier’s temperament, without some compelling reason, would he accept Xiao Shiyu’s past behavior? The prodigal son’s repentance doesn’t work with him.”

[Black Cat: “I believe you can think of another way…”]

Ji Xiao: “This is the fastest.”

[Black Cat: “…”] Fine, it’s not him who’s in pain.

Ji Xiao curled his lips. “Just a temporary pain.”

​

Ruan Jier arrived at Ji Xiao’s apartment and realized he had forgotten to ask where Ji Xiao kept his ID.

He hadn’t brought his phone either…

He’d have to search.

Ruan Jier silently apologized and entered his home.

The first thing he saw was the scattered sketches in the living room.

One of them was face up, and he instantly recognized the person drawn… it was him.

Ruan Jier picked up the scattered sketches, one after another—all of him.

Standing by the roadside, holding out his phone, laughing, angry, pinned against the door…

Ruan Jier pressed a hand to his chest. ‘So… does he like me?’

But recalling that day on this very sofa, Ji Xiao kissing him while blurting out three names, his heart calmed down, and a dark glint passed through his eyes.

He put down the sketches, picked up the phone from the floor, and walked into the bedroom to start searching.

On the bedside table, he found a wallet. Opening it, the ID was inside.

Ruan Jier: “?”

He took out the ID.

The person in the photo didn’t have long hair but short, messy locks. The face was still exquisitely beautiful, but why was the gender male?

Male?

Male???

He rubbed his eyes. Still male.

Come to think of it, since they’d met, Ji Xiao had never said he was a girl.

He himself had mistaken the gender.

He had always worn very casual clothes that could be worn by both men and women. At the time, he only thought Ji Xiao’s voice was androgynous—there were androgynous girls in the club too—but… was he actually a boy?

So he had kissed a guy that many times?

Unable to pinpoint exactly what he felt, Ruan Jier only knew his mind was in a mess.

Then suddenly he remembered Jige’s moans that had made him hard.

So… there was no man-woman thing at all?

He just liked men?

Ruan Jier paid the fees and helped Ji Xiao complete the admission procedures.

His forcibly calm expression couldn’t hold when he saw Ji Xiao’s face drenched in cold sweat.

“Don’t bite!”

Ji Xiao released his slightly swollen lips, panting in pain.

It didn’t hurt to add one more bite.

He lowered his head and sealed Ruan Jier’s lips.

Ruan Jier closed his eyes, responding instinctively, as if drawing the hope to survive.

Ruan Jier was kissed dizzy before he pressed Ji Xiao’s shoulders and pulled back. “Enough.”

“Ha…”

Ji Xiao panted lightly.

Ruan Jier placed the wallet and phone on the bedside table, frowning at him. “Does kissing me really ease your pain?”

Ruan Jier silently pulled out a tissue to wipe his sweat, his voice low. “What exactly is wrong with you?”

Ji Xiao’s eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t answer.

Ruan Jier: “…” Forget it.

“Hungry?”

“…”

“I’ll go get you something to eat?”

“…”

Ruan Jier looked at his stubborn yet fragile expression and sighed. “Say something.”

Ji Xiao’s throat moved. “Mm.”

Ruan Jier: “Then I’ll go get you something to eat?”

“Mm.”

“…”

Ruan Jier didn’t stay away long.

He worried that if he was gone too long, Ji Xiao would have another attack. He jogged to the hospital opposite and packed two dishes and a soup.

Ji Xiao’s movements weren’t hindered; he ate silently with Ruan Jier.

Seeing him like this, Ruan Jier suddenly recalled their first meeting, that gentle smile that had instantly captured his heart.

When they were almost done eating, Doctor Gu arrived.

He looked at Ruan Jier, hesitating whether to ask him to leave.

Ji Xiao put down his chopsticks and picked up a tissue to wipe his mouth. “Doctor, just say what the results are directly.”

Ruan Jier also looked at the doctor.

Doctor Gu said, “Xiao Shiyu, right? Your condition is very special. I hope you won’t hide anything about your illness. Can you do that?”

Ji Xiao paused for a moment, then said with difficulty, “…Okay.”

Doctor Gu: “Do you really not remember when you accidentally took or used a drug?”

Ji Xiao: [Cat.]

[Black Cat: “It’s been arranged.”]

Ji Xiao lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes, hiding his gaze. “One night last year, I was in a bad mood. I went out for a late-night snack and had some drinks. The next day, I woke up in an abandoned construction site. My wallet and phone were gone. The place was desolate and hard to get a cab.”

Doctor Gu encouraged, “And then?”

“I walked home. Only when I showered did I find a small hole on my arm. I thought maybe I’d pressed against something—after all, construction sites have nails and such, so it’s not strange.”

Ji Xiao’s voice trembled slightly.

“I thought for a long time just now. In the past two years, I almost never got sick, and my annual check-ups showed no problems. I couldn’t have used the wrong medication. If there was an accident, it must have been that night. Maybe… that hole on my arm wasn’t from a nail but a needle injection.”

Doctor Gu’s expression turned serious. “You were drunk and woke up at a construction site? Did you ask at the place where you ate?”

Ji Xiao raised a hand to cover his eyes. “Yes. They said I left after finishing the meal. I was staggering, but I paid the bill before leaving. However… I don’t remember it. I might have blacked out.”

Ruan Jier stared at him, unsure whether to criticize him for drowning his sorrows in alcohol or feel sorry for what he had gone through.

Doctor Gu: “Did your body feel abnormal after that?”

Ji Xiao: “…No.”

Doctor Gu sighed softly. “When you have an episode, only Mr. Ruan’s kiss can calm you. His test results came back—everything is normal. Mr. Xiao, do you really not know the reason?”

Ji Xiao’s body stiffened, and he slowly lowered his hand.

Doctor Gu: “Mr. Xiao, you need to be honest so we can solve the problem.”

“I…” Ji Xiao took a deep breath. “Three months later, I felt intense pain all over. I planned to go to the hospital, but my neighbor happened to be leaving and caught me.”

Doctor Gu: “And then?”

Ji Xiao’s voice was bitter. “I don’t know why, but I kissed him. And then… the pain stopped.”

Ruan Jier’s pupils contracted. His fists clenched.

So, it wasn’t that he was special—it could be anyone?

Ji Xiao said in a self-defeating tone, “Later, I calculated. A kiss can ease the pain for about a week. s*x can ease it for a month. But as time goes on, the episodes become more frequent.”

Doctor Gu couldn’t help asking, “Why didn’t you see a doctor earlier?”

“Something like this…” Ji Xiao said desolately, “I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Doctor Gu was puzzled. “Since you had a solution and didn’t want to expose it, why did you let it get to the point of hospitalization?”

Ji Xiao fell silent.

Just when they thought he wouldn’t answer, he said very softly, “Because… I have someone I like.”

Someone I like.

Ruan Jier immediately thought of the sketches scattered on the floor.

All of them were of him.

He also remembered that day in the company storage room, when Ji Xiao had rejected someone, kissed him, and then run away.

Doctor Gu frowned. “This is the first time we’ve encountered such a condition. We’ve already injected the drug extracted from you into mice. According to what you’ve said, it might take a month to get results. For this month, do you want to be hospitalized or go home?”

If everything he said was true, staying in the hospital before the mice results came out wouldn’t help much.

Ji Xiao: “Home.”

“You can go through the discharge procedures, but your phone must be on 24/7 so the hospital can contact you. You also need someone with you. If there are any abnormalities, seek medical attention promptly. Can you do that?”

“Mm.”

“Then go ahead with the discharge procedures. I’ll keep following up.”

“Okay, thank you, doctor.”

​

Ruan Jier accompanied Ji Xiao home.

They were silent the whole way.

Seeing Ruan Jier about to leave, Ji Xiao said softly, “You paid the medical fees, right? How much? I’ll transfer it to you.”

Ruan Jier didn’t tell him. Instead, he asked, “You’ll contact someone to take care of you, right?”

Ji Xiao lowered his head without answering.

Ruan Jier suddenly grabbed his hand and led him to the sofa. Pointing at the sketches on the table, he asked, “These… are they of me? Why did you draw me? Hm?”

Ji Xiao said quietly, “Just… random sketches.”

Ruan Jier let go of his hand and turned to leave.

But Ji Xiao suddenly reached out from behind and hugged him. His voice was deep with emotion. “I wish I had met you before everything started.”

This sentence struck Ruan Jier with a pang of sadness.

One moment he thought of how many people Ji Xiao had slept with over the past year, the next he thought that if he didn’t sleep, he would suffer excruciating pain—it wasn’t his choice…

Ji Xiao slowly let go.

Ruan Jier turned around and saw him force a gentle smile, but tears glistened in his eyes, and his heart trembled violently.

“Thank you for today. You should go back. Someone will take care of me.”

“…”

Ruan Jier wanted to ask, who? Your lovers?

But he didn’t ask. He left in silence.

[Black Cat howled, “If you don’t keep him here, how will you get through the night? You’ll probably die from pain.”]

Ji Xiao didn’t answer. He went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

He had sweated too much today; he couldn’t stand it anymore.

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