Chapter 16 Do You Want to Come Up and Sleep Together?

It was eight in the evening, and the hospital corridor was unusually empty.

Song Jingmo gently pushed open the door to the VIP consultation room. Bai Zhi was packing up her things, getting ready to leave.

Lu Er, lying on the hospital bed, lit up the moment he saw Song Jingmo enter—but immediately turned his head away, putting on a “don’t come near me” attitude.

“What’s going on here?”

Bai Zhi gave an exasperated smile. “He’s been acting up since the afternoon, insisting on taking a shower. I told him the doctor’s orders said no water for seven days, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“I haven’t showered for three or four days!”

Lu Er suddenly turned his head, frowning tightly. “I stink, I can’t sleep properly, and the whole room smells!”

Song Jingmo approached the bed, calm as ever. “The room smells like disinfectant. If your nose is having problems, I can book an ENT appointment for you.”

Lu Er: “I’m stinky all over—don’t you smell it?”

Song Jingmo: “A little sweat is normal. Just endure three more days. Showering now could infect your wounds.”

“I can’t endure it!”

He raised his voice, but the sudden movement tugged at the wound on his back, making him gasp sharply. “Not showering will cause infection!”

Song Jingmo sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Stop making a fuss. Your back and arm wounds are just beginning to heal. Water will cause inflammation.”

Lu Er bit his lip, staring stubbornly at Song Jingmo.

Ten minutes later, he picked up his phone. “So you’re not helping me, huh? Can I call a private doctor to help me shower?”

At these words, Song Jingmo’s expression darkened instantly. He pressed down Lu Er’s hand. “Do you have to make trouble?”

“I do want to shower.”

Lu Er’s eyes reddened slightly. “I know you hate me and don’t want to touch me, but you can’t control me even if I ask someone else to help, right?”

Song Jingmo was silent for a moment, then finally relented and released his hand. Standing up, he said, “Fine, I’ll help you shower.”

Lu Er froze, clearly not expecting Song Jingmo to give in so easily.

“I’ll get some waterproof patches. Lie down for a bit.”

Before long, Song Jingmo returned with the waterproof patches.

Lu Er remained sitting on the bed in the same position as before, but the anger on his face had dissipated, replaced by nervousness and even a hint of regret.

“Take off your hospital gown.”

Lu Er obeyed obediently, but his body tensed instinctively when Song Jingmo approached to apply the waterproof patches.

Occasionally, Song Jingmo’s fingers brushed against his skin, sending a subtle, electrifying sensation through both of them.

Once the patches were in place, Song Jingmo went to the bathroom attached to the room and turned on the water.

The sound of running water was unusually clear in the quiet room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lu Er suddenly realized that asking Song Jingmo to help him shower might not have been such a smart idea.

“The water’s ready.”

Lu Er slowly moved into the bathroom and, with Song Jingmo’s help, sat in the bathtub. The warm water flowed over his body, so soothing it made him sigh involuntarily.

Song Jingmo rolled up his sleeves, revealing pale, wrist-bone-white arms. His long, jade-like hands were full of strength.

Thinking about such beautiful hands scrubbing him, and imagining any speck of dirt ruining the moment, Lu Er felt a pang of regret.

Song Jingmo, unaware of Lu Er’s conflicted thoughts, put on plastic gloves and began helping him shower diligently.

The feeling of gloved hands applying body wash to his skin made Lu Er uneasy all over.

“Why the gloves?”

“Are you… still disgusted by me?”

Lu Er’s voice sounded wronged, almost drowned out by the water.

Song Jingmo paused for a moment, then continued. “Don’t overthink it. It’s just to prevent infection. There are too many bacteria on hands.”

The shower ended in an almost awkward silence.

Lu Er hurried through it, anxious to get out once he was clean.

Song Jingmo helped him dry off, put on a clean hospital gown, and watched him quickly dive into the blanket like a frightened rabbit.

Once everything was settled, Song Jingmo sat on the sofa and opened his laptop to work on a student’s thesis.

The room was left with only the sound of typing and their faint breathing.

Having slept too much during the day, Lu Er wasn’t sleepy. He scrolled through social media on his phone, but his gaze kept drifting toward Song Jingmo on the sofa.

Under the light, he could clearly see the dark circles under Song Jingmo’s eyes.

These past few days, Song Jingmo had either been on night duty or at the hospital taking care of him, without proper rest.

A mix of worry and guilt rose in Lu Er’s chest.

Seeing Song Jingmo close his laptop, Lu Er hesitated, then asked, “Tonight… do you want to come to bed and sleep?”

Song Jingmo looked up, surprised.

Lu Er quickly explained, “The VIP bed is big enough for two. It’s uncomfortable to sleep on the sofa.”

As soon as he said this, he remembered what had happened six years ago and feared he might have triggered Song Jingmo’s bad memories, wishing he could bury himself in the blanket like an ostrich.

Song Jingmo put the laptop on the table and quietly looked at Lu Er for a few seconds, his gaze complex.

“Okay.” Unexpectedly, he agreed. “I’ll wash up first.”

When Song Jingmo finished washing up, changed into pajamas, and lay on the bed, Lu Er could hardly believe it was real.

The bed was large, with a distance between them like an invisible boundary.

Fearing that playing with his phone would disturb Song Jingmo, Lu Er quietly put it on the bedside table and prepared to sleep.

In the darkness, he could feel Song Jingmo’s warmth and breathing.

So close, yet so far.

Song Jingmo, exhausted, fell asleep quickly.

But Lu Er couldn’t sleep—he had napped too much during the day, and the wounds on his arms and back were itchy as they healed.

He carefully adjusted his position, trying to relieve discomfort while avoiding disturbing the sleeping Song Jingmo.

For days, he hadn’t dared to lie flat, always sleeping sideways on the pillow, which made his sleep poor.

On his third gentle adjustment, a warm hand suddenly reached out and softly pressed around his wounds.

“It itches?” Song Jingmo’s voice was sleepy but unusually gentle.

Lu Er whispered, “Yeah.”

“Don’t scratch. Try to endure it.”

Song Jingmo continued to gently press the skin around the wounds, effectively relieving the itch. “Turn over, lean on my shoulder. I’m here. You don’t have to worry about pressing on your wounds.”

These words made Lu Er’s nose sting.

He carefully turned and leaned lightly on Song Jingmo’s shoulder.

This position was all too familiar.

Whenever he had been sick or uncomfortable before, Song Jingmo had always stayed by him like this.

“I thought…” Lu Er’s voice choked slightly, “after that incident, you hated me being close.”

Song Jingmo paused, then continued to press gently. “Sleep. Don’t overthink it.”

Leaning against Song Jingmo, feeling his steady breathing and warmth, Lu Er suddenly felt the fall had been worth it.

Once Lu Er was asleep, Song Jingmo quietly opened his eyes.

In the night, under the faint light slipping through the curtains, he watched the person beside him sleep.

Lu Er’s face was peaceful like a child’s, so different from the noisy one earlier.

Song Jingmo knew that every minute of this time was precious.

Thinking of this, he didn’t want to sleep—he just wanted to savor this rare closeness a little longer.

“I could never hate you,” Song Jingmo whispered softly, his voice fading into the night.

Moonlight outside slowly shifted, casting a narrow strip of light on the hospital floor.

The two lay together in bed, serene and beautiful.