Mistaken Canary Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Ying Tongchen quickly put on his clothes and dragged the lifeless young man to the hospital for an emergency check-up and an IV drip.
They sat wordlessly, perched on the cold, hard chairs.
After a while, Ying Tongchen broke the silence. "Sorry, I didn't realize there was a lobster-flavored mooncake in there."
Zhuo Shu, transforming from a pitiful mess to a demanding force, crossed his legs. "Well, this is all your doing. How are you going to make amends?"
Ying Tongchen asked, "How can I make amends?"
"Another perfectly good night ruined," Zhuo Shu said, giving him a knowing look.
"I’ll make it up to you next time, I promise."
"Just the regular stuff?"
Ying Tongchen paused, thinking, then a memory of Meng Gong's message popped into his mind. Pressing his lips together, he leaned in close to Zhuo Shu's ear and quietly asked, "Doctor or maid, which do you prefer?"
Zhuo Shu’s eyes widened, and his crossed leg began to shake uncontrollably. He immediately reached for the IV needle, ready to pull it out. "We’re going back to the hotel. Now!"
"Don’t!" Ying Tongchen quickly grabbed his wrist. "Finish the IV drip first, or we’re calling it quits right here."
"You’re threatening me? You think breaking things off is that easy? I’ll have you know I—" Zhuo Shu was about to fire back, when his tone abruptly shifted. Turning his back to him with a hint of grievance, he whined, "My back is so itchy~ Hurry up and scratch it for me."
Ying Tongchen smirked slightly and placed his hand on Zhuo Shu’s back. "Here?"
"A little higher… Left, left—yeah, right there!"
Through the fabric, Ying Tongchen scratched his back, and for a moment, the atmosphere fell into a tranquil lull.
The emergency room was quiet tonight, with only a few patients present. Across from them sat a mother and daughter—the little girl nestled in her mother’s arms, fast asleep. Behind them was an elderly couple, whispering about trivial family matters. Near the entrance, a young couple shared a phone, their soft laughter punctuating the silence as they watched funny clips
Zhuo Shu couldn’t quite remember the last time he had visited a hospital. He realized that since becoming an adult, he had always come by himself.
Who had ever accompanied him to the hospital in the middle of the night? Let alone scratch his back like this...
Wait, no. This entire situation was caused by Ying Tongchen in the first place!
And besides, he was the bankroller, one footing the bills here. Wasn’t it only right for him to get some back-scratching service?
"Ahem." Zhuo Shu straightened up, putting on an air of importance as if he were issuing a royal command. "I’m feeling peckish. Go fetch me something to eat."
"Didn’t you eat dinner?" Ying Tongchen turned to look at him.
"I threw it up."
"Alright, just stay put." Ying Tongchen stood up, gave the IV drip a quick glance, walked over to the duty nurse to say something in a low voice, and then stepped out.
The nurse came over to replace the IV bag, and Zhuo Shu asked, "What did he just say?"
"He was asking what you could eat," the nurse replied, sneaking another glance at the handsome man before smiling. "Are you two good friends?"
"Hmph, of course not." Zhuo Shu closed his eyes, preparing to rest.
He had barely drifted off when a mouthwatering aroma roused him from his light slumber. Opening his eyes, he saw Ying Tongchen gently fanning the steam rising from a bowl of hot lean pork and century egg congee, directing the delicious scent towards him.
Zhuo Shu: "......"
"Awake?" Ying Tongchen placed the steaming bowl within easy reach. "Here, it’s fresh and still piping hot."
Zhuo Shu motioned toward the IV needle attached to his hand. "Feed me."
"Your other hand still works," Ying Tongchen pointed out.
Zhuo Shu immediately clutched his chest dramatically. "This hand is occupied with the important task of comforting my deeply wounded heart, which is, as you can see, in a state of severe distress."
"......"
This guy was dead set on being difficult. With the heavy burden of a so-called ‘sinner’, Ying Tongchen grudgingly began spoon-feeding him.
"Hiss—!" Too hot!
Zhuo Shu's face contorted in a grimace as his features scrunched up in a mix of pain and mock anger, "Are you trying to finish me off for good this time?"
"Was it really that hot?"
"You try it yourself!"
Ying Tongchen turned and took a bite.
"Hiss—"
He winced, his face mirroring Zhuo Shu's earlier pain.
"Sorry." Ying Tongchen said, rubbing his forehead in genuine distress. He scooped up another spoonful, blew on it carefully for a few moments, and then held it out to Zhuo Shu's lips.
Zhuo Shu lowered his eyes, staring at the spoon. He suddenly realized that Ying Tongchen had just used the same spoon just now…
"I’m not eat—"
Ying Tongchen: "Ahhh—"
"Ahhh." Zhuo Shu instinctively opened his mouth.
Ying Tongchen fed him another spoonful. Seeing Zhuo Shu staring blankly at the spoon again, he suddenly barked, "Arf—"
"Arf." Zhuo Shu reflexively opened his mouth again.
Zhuo Shu: "……" F*ck your arf!
Giggles filled the emergency room, "Heeheehee, Mommy, look! Those geges are so funny!" The little girl's sudden giggles filled the emergency room, drawing everyone's attention as she woke.
Only then did Ying Tongchen realize how childish they looked, the embarrassment making him feel like he could dig a three-foot podium with his toes.
Then, an epiphany struck him! Remembering his successful non-native Chinese persona, he immediately switched to English, "Oh my God, look at you, can't even enjoy good ol’ soft rice*. I swear I just wanna kick your butt over. Come on, mate."
(TLN: To "eat soft rice" (吃软饭) denotes a man who stays home living high off his sugar mama. Basically it’s a derogatory term when the man isn’t the breadwinner of the house.)
Zhuo Shu: "……"
Zhuo Shu glanced around at the dumbfounded patients nearby, gritting his teeth. "I’m afraid you won't be able to handle it."
Ying Tongchen: "......"
After finishing the congee, a comfortable silence settled between them. Zhuo Shu returned to playing on his phone. He had no idea how much time had passed when suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder.
Turning his head, he saw Ying Tongchen had drifted off, his head resting against him.
Zhuo Shu gazed at his peaceful face for a moment. Then, his free hand slowly crept up—
And gave his cheek a sharp pinch.
"Hiss—" Ying Tongchen jolted awake, wincing in pain.
Zhuo Shu scowled. "You’re crushing my IV hand. Move."
By the time the IV was finished, it was already past midnight. As they stepped out of the hospital, Ying Tongchen suggested, "We already paid for the hotel, might as well go back and go to bed."
Zhuo Shu’s brow furrowed. "I just finished my IV, and you’re already getting impatient?" His rash wasn’t completely gone yet—he wasn’t about to let himself look like a red koi fish during that kind of situation!
"I meant actual sleep," Ying Tongchen replied flatly.
He wasn’t interested in seeing a red koi fish-like body when doing it!
Since they were miraculously on the same page, they returned to the hotel to rest.
…
Before the first rays of dawn, Ying Tongchen woke up, carefully lifted Zhuo Shu’s robe, and checked—his rash was completely gone. Relieved, he left for school to make it in time for morning self-study.
When Zhuo Shu finally woke, he noticed his robe was all loose and open, and the other person had already vanished. He couldn’t help but seriously suspect that his tofu had been eaten*.
(TLN: Oh man, it’s been so long since I’ve seen ‘having one’s tofu be eaten (被吃了豆)’ in a novel, so I decided to leave it in for nostalgia sakes. Having your tofu eaten is just having been taken advantage of/molested.)
When Zhuo Shu arrived at the office, he gave Mi Shu a special task.
That evening, after finishing dinner, Ying Tongchen received a call from Mi Shu, informing him she was waiting downstairs at his apartment building.
He hurried home to find her standing beside a gleaming, brand-new Bentley, her smile perfectly professional. "Mr. Ying, your car is still being repaired, so Chairman Zhuo has sent you this one."
"For me?" Ying Tongchen looked at her, puzzled.
"Yes," Mi Shu confirmed, her polite smile unwavering. "Chairman Zhuo said you mustn’t embarrass him. If his friends see you driving your original car, they’ll definitely laugh at him, so he’s lent you this one."
It took Ying Tongchen a beat to understand—so a few days from now, on National Day, if he showed up in his beat-up Magotan*, it would somehow ruin Zhuo Shu’s reputation? Clients and friends would look down on him?
(TLN: A model from Volkswagen, ~35k USD)
"Alright, I’ll drive it for now," Ying Tongchen said as he took the car keys. Just for a few days—once his own car was repaired, he’d return this vanity project.
"Great! See you in three days then," Mi Shu said. "Would you like me to arrange for someone to pick you up?"
"No need, we’ll head over ourselves."
With her task successfully completed, Mi Shu returned to the office. Zhuo Shu immediately asked, "Did he accept the car?"
"He did."
Zhuo Shu’s expression conveyed a sense of smug satisfaction, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along. He believed that no matter how much someone stuck to their "Cinderella" act, when presented with something they longed for, they’d take it in the end.
Even so, considering he'd stayed with him at the hospital in the middle of the night, it was an acceptable reward.
Still…hours had passed, and not a single thank-you call?!
What, just because it wasn’t a seaside villa or a prime-location courtyard house, it wasn’t worthy of gratitude?!
So frustrating! He was definitely going to settle that little thing properly once National Day was over!
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Lean pork and century egg congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥) - My favorite; it’s one of the most common flavors. Even my friend from the states found it scrumptious.😋