NCCnovel Chapter 215 The Inner Defenses Gradually Break Down
Chapter 215 The Inner Defenses Gradually Break Down
chapter 215
"It might hurt a little, just bear with it..."
Lu Linshen patiently applied the anti-inflammatory solution with a cotton swab, and then carefully applied it to Meng Youcheng's injured area...
It was actually a very large gash, and a lot of blood had flowed out. When the disinfectant touched it, it was still sizzling and oozing water...
Meng Youcheng frowned, but did not say anything.
After applying the disinfectant, Lu Linshen found another bottle of medicine. "I'll put some of this on you, it'll help it heal faster..."
"It's just a minor injury..."
Meng Youcheng looked somewhat troubled. "Just apply some disinfectant. I used to get injured often, and even without applying any medicine, it would heal on its own. You're using so many medicines, and the medicine you're using is quite expensive..."
Lu Linshen was holding the medicine and was about to get a cotton swab when he heard Meng Youcheng's words and stopped.
After a moment, his fingers trembled slightly as he resumed his exercise, trying to conceal his unease. He took out a cotton swab, applied some medicine, and then carefully applied it to his leg again. "It's just a bottle of medicine, it doesn't cost much."
"But it's just a minor injury, I mean there's no need to... go through all this trouble."
Lu Linshen paused, looked up at him, and said, "But I don't find it troublesome."
As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his head again and slowly applied the medicine. "These medicines all have special uses. The disinfectant is for disinfection, and applying this medicine will help your scar scab over faster. After it heals, I'll apply something else to prevent scarring..."
Meng Youcheng was stunned. "You...you need to apply it too?"
Lu Linshen looked up at him and asked, "Do you want to have a scar?"
Meng Youcheng smiled and said, "I'm a grown man, I'm not afraid of scars, and besides, it's on my leg, so it's not visible unless I'm wearing shorts. There's no need to go through all that trouble, is there?"
Lu Linshen froze, lowered his head, and was just about to speak...
"Besides, I'm used to it..."
Meng Youcheng laughed and said, "When I used to fall down, I often didn't even apply disinfectant, and I was fine, wasn't I? I know you're different from me, you're more..."
Meng Youcheng didn't continue, and pondered for a moment...
He wanted to say that their family circumstances were different. Lu Linshen's family was well-off, unlike his own. He was already used to not applying medicine after a fall, and Meng Youcheng didn't like to bother others. Watching the other person apply medicine to him always gave him a strange feeling...
It felt like being enveloped in warmth, yet also felt incredibly distant.
Lu Linshen hadn't spoken to him. After applying the medicine, he took a band-aid, put it on the wound, and then looked up at him. "What do you want to say?"
Meng Youcheng hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "It's nothing."
Lu Linshen threw all the medical supplies in his hand into the medical kit, but he didn't put them away immediately. Meng Youcheng's injured leg was still draped over his own. Meng Youcheng tried to pull it back, but he couldn't muster the strength...
Lu Linshen looked at him calmly, without saying a word or making a single movement.
Meng Youcheng was completely bewildered by his gaze and awkwardly wanted to leave, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. He could only smile and ask, "Is there... something on my face?"
Lu Linshen finally made a move, his hand gently touching Meng Youcheng's ankle. "Let me rub it for you, maybe it will heal faster..."
Before Meng Youcheng could answer, he had already begun to gently rub it. "Does it hurt?"
Meng Youcheng wanted to take it back; he really didn't like troubling others, so he could only smile wryly and say, "Actually... you don't need to worry about him. He'll be fine in a while. There's no need to go to such lengths..."
"Would it feel better if I massaged it?"
Lu Linshen clearly avoided the question, "Does it hurt when I touch this spot? The doctor said it's a sprained bone. If I hurt you, just let me know..."
Meng Youcheng was stunned. "I..."
He gazed at the boy's profile, swallowing the words he was about to say. Lu Linshen's full head of white hair, his earnest eyes, and his focused, gentle massage of his ankle evoked a feeling he couldn't quite describe…
My heart felt as if it were enveloped in warmth. I had never felt this way before, because from birth until now, apart from my younger sister, I felt like I had never been loved by anyone like this before.
Never, not even to my own parents.
The surge of emotion welled up within him as Lu Linshen massaged his feet, rising directly to his eyes and forming clear tears that swirled within them...
It's so painful, really painful.
Lu Linshen didn't look at him, patiently rubbing his feet. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and hesitantly asked, "Brother Cheng... how have you been all these years?"
Meng Youcheng froze, or rather, his brain went blank; he couldn't react at all. He maintained his smile, staring into Lu Linshen's eyes, "What?"
"I heard from the housekeeper..."
Lu Linshen calmly rubbed his feet, without looking up, and said, word by word, "When you were 19, you and your mother (sister) depended on each other for survival. Your mother (sister) was in poor health, and you had to take care of her every day. But you were only 19 years old then. How have you managed all these years?"
Meng Youcheng stood there stunned for a long, long time, unable to utter a single word...
Tears welled up in his eyes but wouldn't fall. Meng Youcheng could only lower his head, trying to calm his terrible mood and maintain a smile. "That's... how it went..."
Lu Linshen looked up at that moment, "Are you tired? It must be very hard?"
Meng Youcheng was dumbfounded.
Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his face. He had tried to keep smiling, to maintain his composure, and to let out a laugh or two, to tell others that he wasn't crying...
But her voice gradually choked up, and the laughter faded, seemingly turning into sobs...
There was a terrible truth: he cried. He couldn't accept it himself and tried to cover it up with laughter, but the emotion surged within him and he couldn't stop it.
Meng Youcheng didn't look up, tears falling drop by drop...
Those past experiences, those were the very things he had gone through, things that hadn't seemed particularly difficult to him then, things that felt quite normal. But now, as the boy asked that question, those hardships seemed to amplify within him...
Are you tired? How could I not be tired?
Meng Youcheng's voice gradually changed from "hehe" to "wuwu".
Lu Linshen immediately sensed something was wrong. He looked at Meng Youcheng with a panicked expression, quickly pulled out a few sheets of paper from the side, and came to his side. "Brother Cheng..."
Meng Youcheng tried his best to control his emotions. He took several breaths, but to no avail. He forced a smile, took a tissue, and wiped away the tears that wouldn't stop. "I... I'm fine... Waaah... I'm just... Heh..."
Meng Youcheng took off his glasses, covered his eyes with a tissue, and forced a smile. "I don't know what's wrong, it's just... I feel so sad, it's just... I inexplicably want to cry. Don't worry about me, just wait a bit..."
Her voice choked with emotion, and she was barely audible as she said, "Maybe it will get better."
"Brother Cheng..."
Lu Linshen stood very close to him, appearing very anxious. He touched his thick hair and said, "I'm sorry, I said the wrong thing and made you feel bad..."
"I'm fine..."
It took Meng Youcheng a long time to calm down before he could gradually suppress his emotions. He let out a long breath and said, "Don't worry about me... I can... I can handle it myself."
Lu Linshen stepped forward and cupped his face in his hands. "I'm saying all this just to tell you one thing: you don't need to work so hard. I'm right here beside you. If anything happens, you can tell me, and I'll help you solve it. You don't need to carry all that burden alone anymore; you can share some of it with me..."
Meng Youcheng's emotions, which he had barely managed to suppress, broke through all his shackles once more, reaching straight to his eyes...
Meng Youcheng shook his head, crying, trying to break free from his hands. "I...don't do this...I need to be alone right now...it really...hurts me so much..."
Lu Linshen cupped his face, looking somewhat anxious. "Brother Cheng... can you tell me what's wrong? Where do you feel unwell? Tell me, okay? Don't bear it all alone. I'm right here with you. I want to offer you warmth. Tell me, tell me what's troubling you, okay?"
Meng Youcheng was unable to break free from his grasp and could only helplessly watch him. His mood was extremely low, and the emotions inside him were surging uncontrollably. He couldn't quite put his finger on it; he just felt incredibly uncomfortable...
Lu Linshen looked into his bloodshot eyes. "Tell me, okay?"
Meng Youcheng stopped struggling and looked into his eyes, tears streaming down his face...
Lu Linshen slowly released his grip. "If... you're feeling really bad, just cry it out..."
Meng Youcheng suddenly hugged him and burst into tears.
……
After a very long time, Meng Youcheng finally stopped crying.
Lu Linshen helped him to the bed, patted the dust off his head, and asked, "Brother Cheng...want to take a shower?"
Meng Youcheng's eyes were still a little red and swollen. He forced a smile and said, "I..."
Lu Linshen noticed the hesitation on his face. "I can help you wash..."
Meng Youcheng laughed, "How are you going to help me wash...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Youcheng suddenly remembered something, and the smile on his face froze. "I..."
Lu Linshen smiled. "I was just about to take a shower too. We're both guys, so nothing's going to happen. I can even scrub your back for you..."