Su Yiran lay curled up in the blanket, teary-eyed, holding his cheek in a half-hearted attempt to soothe the pain without touching it. His mind was a blurry mess.

Dizzy and in pain, he also felt incredibly embarrassed. How humiliating—to be a grown adult, yet end up in the hospital in the middle of the night because he’d eaten too much candy and got a toothache. He had really crashed and burned this time… sob sob sob…

Gu Yuanting drove at full speed to a top-rated dental hospital in City A. Once they arrived, he carefully carried Su Yiran out of the car and quickly got him registered for emergency care.

The doctor took X-rays and had Su Yiran lie on the outpatient treatment bed to examine his teeth. “Acute pulpitis. A minor procedure should fix it.”

Gu Yuanting gripped Su Yiran’s hand tightly and anxiously asked the doctor, “Is it serious?”

The doctor, preparing for the procedure, replied, “Not serious. It’s a reversible early-stage inflammation. Luckily you came in time—had you waited, it might have progressed to moderate or late-stage pulpitis. We’ll still need to observe for a few days. If it doesn’t improve, he’ll need a root canal.”

He continued, “We’ll start with pulp decompression and observe for three days. Come back for a follow-up then.”

The minor procedure didn’t require an operating room. The doctor administered a local anesthetic. Su Yiran, terrified of the long needle on the syringe, closed his eyes and didn’t dare look. The shot hurt terribly going in, but afterward he felt nothing.

Throughout the procedure, Gu Yuanting held Su Yiran’s hand, his thumb gently stroking a small patch of skin on it. He kept his eyes on the entire process, silently committing every detail to memory.

Afterward, the doctor instructed Su Yiran, “This is a textbook case of pulpitis caused by cavities. Young man, take better care of your teeth—or you’ll suffer when you’re older.”

The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet. Half of Su Yiran’s face felt numb and puffy, like something was stuffed in his cheek. It was difficult to speak, so he simply nodded and mumbled, “Mm.”

Gu Yuanting answered for him, “Got it, thank you. We’ll definitely be more careful from now on.”

The doctor glanced at Gu Yuanting and asked, “You two a couple?” It was obvious they were deeply in love.

When Gu Yuanting nodded, the doctor looked down and scribbled on a prescription sheet while giving instructions. “He should avoid anything hot, cold, sour, sweet, spicy. Also nothing too hard or sticky for the next few days…”

Gu Yuanting nodded attentively, memorizing every point.

When everything was settled, he went to get the medicine while Su Yiran waited for the anesthesia to wear off. Slowly, sensation returned to his face. Though it was still slightly numb, the pain was completely gone.

Su Yiran cautiously poked his cheek. It felt weird but not painful. He breathed a massive sigh of relief—his tooth finally didn’t hurt. But thinking back, he was mortified. He really wanted to cover his face…

When Gu Yuanting returned with the medicine after paying, he saw Su Yiran sitting up. Not daring to touch his face, he gently brushed Su Yiran’s tear-damp lashes and softly asked, “How do you feel? Still hurting?”

Su Yiran, speech slurred from the numbness, said, “Mmm, no more pain.”

…And immediately felt even more embarrassed after hearing himself talk.

Gu Yuanting felt a wave of relief—but stayed alert. “Let’s go home. You need to rest.”

As he moved to pick Su Yiran up again, Su Yiran tried to get off the treatment bed himself, mumbling, “Wu ji ji nen go (I can walk myself).”

Su Yiran: “…” Forget it. I’m not talking anymore.

Gu Yuanting understood, but didn’t comply. He picked up the blanket that had slipped off the chair, wrapped Su Yiran tightly in it so that only his small face peeked out, tucked in the collar neatly, and kissed his forehead. “Be good, Ranran.”

He carried him again, cradling him in his arms as he walked out.

Truthfully, Su Yiran felt totally fine now—no more pain in his head, cheek, or tooth. He could probably run a few laps. But he knew he had really scared Gu Yuanting tonight. Feeling guilty and sheepish, he didn’t argue and let himself be carried. He snuggled obediently into Ting-ge’s chest.

Gu Yuanting carried him to the car, drove back to their apartment, and then carried him all the way upstairs again.

He laid Su Yiran gently onto the bed, stroking his soft hair. “Is the numbness gone?”

Su Yiran thought for a second. “Still a little bit left.” But he could already speak clearly again—no more slurred speech.

“Does your tooth still hurt?” Gu Yuanting asked.

Su Yiran shook his head. “Nope. Ting-ge, I’m all better now, really.”

Still uneasy, Gu Yuanting carefully touched his soft left cheek. “Does this hurt?”

Su Yiran chuckled and took his hand, pressing it against his cheek. “Really doesn’t hurt.”

Gu Yuanting left his hand there for a moment before withdrawing. “Stay still. I’ll get water for your medicine.”

Before going to the hospital, Su Yiran had already taken anti-inflammatory and pain meds. It had been two or three hours of back and forth by now. The doctor had said to take two more tablets of metronidazole once home.

Gu Yuanting returned with warm water and the medicine, helped Su Yiran take it, then carefully took off his blanket, coat, shoes, and socks one by one. He tucked him under the covers and smoothed the edges, gently feeling his forehead. “Get some more sleep.”

Su Yiran lay obediently in bed and lifted the corner of the blanket. “You too. Come lie down. It’s not even light out yet.”

It was already past 5 AM, but with the rainy weather, it was still dark outside.

“I’m not sleepy. I’ll cook porridge in a bit. You sleep first,” Gu Yuanting said.

But Su Yiran knew he was tired. They’d been up all night—how could he not be? He gently shook his head and softly said, “I don’t want that. I want you to sleep with me.”

Gu Yuanting didn’t hesitate—he was afraid Su Yiran wouldn’t be able to fall asleep alone.

He quietly climbed into bed, wrapped his arms around Su Yiran, kissed his forehead, and gently patted his back. “Sleep. I’m here.”

Su Yiran wasn’t very sleepy at first, but with Gu Yuanting’s soothing touch, drowsiness crept in. Eventually, he dozed off, sleeping soundly in his embrace.

—

When Su Yiran woke up, the scent of porridge filled the air.

He rubbed his eyes. Gu Yuanting was no longer beside him—he was surely out cooking already. The clock read just past 9 AM.

It was Saturday. Staff members Zhang Xiaohong and two part-timers were scheduled to work. Su Yiran had already given Zhang Xiaohong a spare key in case something came up and she needed to manage the shop.

He posted in the shop’s WeChat group, letting them know he’d be arriving late due to personal reasons, and that any desserts requiring his prep were temporarily off the menu—they could sell the ready-made items instead. Zhang Xiaohong and the others quickly replied with “okay.”

After some thought, Su Yiran realized that Zhang Xiaohong was proving to be a promising employee. If their shop “Yi-Ting” continued to grow, he would get busier and might need to consider training her as a future store manager.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he got out of bed and put on his slippers, feeling far more refreshed than the night before.

The anesthesia had completely worn off, and his tooth no longer hurt. His left cheek still felt a bit swollen to the touch—lingering effects from the night before. He grabbed a mirror and checked his reflection. Thankfully, it wasn’t too noticeable.

Leaving the bedroom, he saw Gu Yuanting in the kitchen, stirring porridge with a big spoon. When Gu Yuanting saw he was up, he immediately put down the spoon and came over, asking anxiously, “How do you feel? Still hurting?”

Su Yiran replied, “Not at all. I felt fine right after the procedure.” He walked toward the bathroom. “I’m gonna wash up first.”

As soon as he entered and unscrewed the toothpaste cap, he caught sight of Gu Yuanting following him in via the mirror.

Gu Yuanting handed him a new toothbrush. “Use this one.”

Su Yiran took it and noticed it had extra-soft bristles. Surprised, he asked, “You just bought this?”

Gu Yuanting nodded. “Mm.”

Their old toothbrushes were too firm. Since Su Yiran’s teeth were still in the observation period, even if the pain was gone, anything hot, cold, sour, sweet, spicy, hard, or sticky could cause a relapse. Gu Yuanting had gone out early to buy a softer one.

Su Yiran washed up inside while Gu Yuanting prepared the porridge outside.

For now, Su Yiran could only eat soft foods—so Gu Yuanting made egg congee, cooking it until it was mushy and smooth, stirring constantly until the temperature dropped to just right. But when he tasted it, he frowned. Still too hot.

Su Yiran, now done washing up, came out and walked over. “Is it ready?”

Gu Yuanting frowned slightly. “A bit too hot.”

He put the spoon down, then gently touched Su Yiran’s cheek. “Still swollen.”

Su Yiran smiled and shook his head. “Just a little. Doesn’t show, and it doesn’t hurt.”

Gu Yuanting was skeptical. He gently pulled open Su Yiran’s mouth, reaching in with a finger to check. “How is it?”

Su Yiran, mouth still holding his finger, shook his head. “Nope. Doesn’t hurt.”

Gu Yuanting felt that his gums were still slightly swollen. Worried about hurting him, he quickly withdrew his finger—leaving behind a faint, glistening trail of something intimate.

“…”

Gu Yuanting lowered his hand and pinched his fingers together, blaming himself for still getting aroused at a time like this.

He turned away, tucking his fingers discreetly into his palm.