It was 7:29 AM.

There was only one possibility for asking him to open the door.

Bo Yu was in City A and had already arrived at the hotel where their crew was staying.

Did that mean Bo Yu flew straight to City A after their phone call last night?

Gu Qichi’s eyes widened slightly in shock. He really didn’t expect the other party to move so quickly, nor did he expect Bo Yu to fly over to see him just because of a phone call.

There was a movement at the door. Gu Qichi looked over towards the sound and saw Bo Yu walking in carrying bags of all sizes. Seeing Gu Qichi awake, he raised an eyebrow.

By the time Bo Yu walked to the bedside, Gu Qichi was still a bit dazed. He hadn’t slept well these past few days and was mentally absent-minded, and he had even lost quite a bit of weight.

“Bo Yu, why are you here?” Unwilling to lift the blanket, Gu Qichi wrapped himself up in the bedding and asked groggily.

Bo Yu put the breakfast in his hand on the bedside table, sat on the edge of the bed, leaned down slightly, and reached out to touch Gu Qichi’s forehead.

It was a normal temperature, no fever or cold.

Bo Yu relaxed.

The faint scent on Gu Qichi’s body reached his nose again, cool and distant, slightly dispersed by his intrusion. Bo Yu swallowed, his Adam’s apple rolling up and down, and said in a hoarse voice, “Didn’t you say you had a nightmare? I came to see you.”

The young man might not know how pitiful he looked yesterday.

His soft black hair was damp with cold sweat, sticking clammily to his face. Under the dim bedside lamp, he was dazzlingly pale. Those sparkling peach blossom eyes were misty and gray, wetting his long, thick eyelashes so they stuck together. He seemed to haven’t slept well for days, with faint dark circles under his eyes and unusually pale lips.

He hugged himself helplessly, his voice sounding particularly broken in the quiet night as he said, “Bo Yu, I’m scared.”

Bo Yu couldn’t describe how he felt at that moment. He only felt the string that had been taut in his mind snap, and his reason teetered on the verge of collapse.

Gu Qichi grew up let down by everyone, using all his strength to protect himself from further harm. Like a porcelain doll, hard on the outside, but with just a light touch or a fall from a height, he would shatter into countless pieces, impossible to piece back together.

…

The palm against his forehead was burning hot, even higher than usual temperature. Yet, Bo Yu’s cuffs carried the morning chill of the mountains. The two intertwined, creating a strange sensation.

Gu Qichi’s fingers curled slightly, fully awake now. He half-sat up, releasing himself from the cocoon, his hair sticking up messily.

“Eat something first,” Bo Yu said as he took out the breakfast he bought. He lifted the lid of the porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and brought the spoon to Gu Qichi’s lips, adding, “Have you not been eating well lately? You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Never having been taken care of like this before, a shy flush rose on Gu Qichi’s face, and he couldn’t help saying, “How about I do it myself?”

Seeing Bo Yu motionless, the spoon still pressed against his lips with no intention of letting him do it himself, the beauty was helpless and had to drink the porridge from Bo Yu’s hand.

Gu Qichi ate gracefully, taking small sips of porridge. Bo Yu watched him, the fatigue from traveling all night dissipating, replaced by immense satisfaction. Seeing he had eaten enough, President Bo reached out, put the food container aside, and found a napkin to wipe the beauty’s mouth clean.

It felt very much like a poop scooper taking care of his cat.

With everything tidied up, Bo Yu’s gaze leisurely fell on Gu Qichi’s wrist. Seeing the bracelet wrapped around the slightly protruding wrist bone, the corner of his lips hooked up. Unable to resist, Bo Yu encircled Gu Qichi’s wrist in his hand again, his thumb rubbing repeatedly against the delicate skin, pretending to speak casually:

“You haven’t answered my question.”

Hearing this, Gu Qichi lifted his eyelids and answered honestly, “Yeah, a bit. haven’t had much appetite lately.”

Bo Yu started frowning again, silently reprimanding Luo Qianqian.

Seeing Gu Qichi maintaining this half-propped-up posture with a small section of smooth calf exposed, Bo Yu subconsciously tucked his leg back under the quilt, afraid he would catch a cold.

President Bo was strong. Although he restrained his strength, he inadvertently pulled on Gu Qichi’s injury, causing the beauty to hiss in pain.

The snow-white quilt was suddenly thrown open, revealing everything underneath.

Bo Yu’s face looked even worse.

Gu Qichi’s foot was like the rest of him, jade-like cool white. The metatarsals outlined clear lines on the instep, the ankle was slender, and the intertwined blue-purple veins under the thin skin could be seen.

Like an exquisite piece of art.

But now, the artwork was damaged. The thin ankle was swollen high, with a shocking red spreading out, and there were quite a few bruises distributed on the calf.

Bo Yu: “How did it get like this?”

Gu Qichi pursed his lips. His left calf was firmly clamped by the man, and unable to pull it back, he remained silent.

“There were many fight scenes these past few days. I didn’t control the landing posture well when on the wire, and accidentally sprained my ankle.” He paused, then added, “Actually, it just looks scary; it doesn’t hurt that much.”

After he finished speaking, Bo Yu’s expression didn’t improve at all, the pressure around him still very low.

“Is there any medicine for sprains in the room?” Bo Yu asked while carefully moving Gu Qichi’s calf onto his own thigh.

He lowered his eyes slightly, even his breathing became lighter, afraid of hurting the person opposite him.

Gu Qichi turned his head away, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and pointed to the bedside table. “Luo Qianqian helped me buy safflower oil last night; it’s in the second drawer of the cabinet.”

When Bo Yu’s palm covered Gu Qichi’s ankle, the spicy and cool safflower oil mixed with the scorching temperature of the man’s palm made Gu Qichi shrink back involuntarily.

He wanted to dodge but failed, pulled back by Bo Yu. His toes curled uneasily, his instep tense, the lines of his metatarsals distinct, making the whole foot look even thinner.

The ankle sprain wasn’t actually severe; it just needed the bruising rubbed out and a few days of rest to heal.

There was a layer of calluses on Bo Yu’s palm, not thick, but with a very strong presence. He rubbed the safflower oil back and forth in his palm until it was hot, then pressed it onto Gu Qichi’s ankle, rubbing the oil from the swelling gradually outward, penetrating the muscle texture for full absorption.

The feet were already a very sensitive part for Gu Qichi. With his sole tightly pinched by Bo Yu’s fingertips and his ankle repeatedly rubbed by the thin calluses, a sensation both painful and numb shot up from his spine all the way to his scalp.

Gu Qichi bit his lip tightly, turning his head away to endure the pain, not letting himself make a sound.

His back was extremely tense, his neck bones slightly protruding. Combined with the weight lost from starving these days, his lines were elegant, appearing particularly fragile.

Time passed second by second. It was so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop, only the sound of their breathing rising and falling.

Bo Yu lowered his brow, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow on his face, hiding the darkness in his eyes as thick as ink. Gu Qichi couldn’t see the emotions in his eyes at all, only helplessly hoping this treatment to disperse the bruising would end quickly.

Bo Yu, however, didn’t want to let go at all. The feel of the skin under his palm was excellent, like a piece of warm melting jade. Gu Qichi’s ankle was slender; when his hand pressed up, the slightly protruding hard bone met his palm, and Bo Yu could even trace the shape of his foot bone.

It was killing him.

Bo Yu’s tongue tip silently pressed against his cheek, his throat itching involuntarily.

Too much time had passed, and Gu Qichi couldn’t help asking, “Bo Yu, is it done?”

Only then did the man let go, finding a tissue to wipe off all the remaining safflower oil.

Escaping the shackles and regaining freedom, Gu Qichi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

His leg was numb.

While Bo Yu was packing up the safflower oil, he moved his leg and foot slightly to relieve the itchiness that felt like ants biting.

Unexpectedly, the man with his back to him suddenly turned around, and they collided right there.

The beauty looked at the awkward position in front of him, rarely speechless.

Gu Qichi: …

Gu Qichi: “If I said I didn’t do it on purpose, would you believe me?”

---

Author’s Note:

Gu Qichi: Do you believe me?

Bo Yu: I don’t believe you.

Bo Yu: Wifey, you are fishing for me.

Gu Qichi: No, I’m not.