After Marrying Bigshot Vegetable Boss - Chapter 5

Chu Wang was initially a bit tense, but with what he said, he eased up a bit.

However, after describing himself, Yu Lan felt that his metaphor was somewhat grounded in hell. Quickly changing the topic, he innocently asked, “So, Mr. Chu, after I leave the room, will you return to your state before I came?”

Chu Wang recalled the casual remark he made earlier, so he nodded in agreement with Yu Lan’s words.

Yu Lan, convinced, said, “So, I’m like a switch.”

Touch: Beep, Chu Wang, activate.

After leaving: Beep, Chu Wang, shut down.

Chu Wang heard Yu Lan’s peculiar analogy and remained silent for a moment—sometimes a sleeping beauty, sometimes Aladdin’s lamp, sometimes a switch.

He understood the analogy.

While he no longer needed caregivers to attend to his body in front of Yu Lan, the switch from a caregiver to Yu Lan himself didn’t seem like a significant improvement.

Concerned that Chu Wang might mind or harbor any resentment, Yu Lan explained, “When I was young, the aunties at the orphanage taught me a lot about nursing. I’ve also practiced, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Chu Wang’s voice lacked emotion as he replied, “Hmm.”

“Did you stay at the welfare home until the Yun family found you?” Chu Wang asked in a low voice.

Yu Lan shook his head, “I left midway but couldn’t stay away for long, so I returned.”

In the book, Yu Lan was sent back because of his mischievous nature, but for him, it was different. After spending some time with a family, they often had their own children, and he would be politely sent back.

As he grew older, families that came to adopt preferred younger children. Despite his sweet talk and likable personality, he couldn’t find a new family.

These details didn’t need to be explained to Chu Wang; after all, becoming a young master in a book brought him no real benefit.

Yu Lan didn’t mind; he managed well in the orphanage. Apart from Aunt Liu passing away during his high school years, he felt he had a decent life.

He had earned his university tuition through summer jobs and took care of Aunt Liu during her illness. Thus, claiming he could care for Chu Wang wasn’t a lie.

Setting aside Chu Wang’s hand, Yu Lan moved a chair to the other side and continued meticulously cleaning from between the fingers.

While cleaning, he thought, “Chu Wang doesn’t seem as fierce and terrifying as the author described. If I continue on this path, even if not three months, maybe just one month, the main antagonist probably won’t treat him as harshly as in the original book.”

Immersed in the prospect of escaping the cannon fodder plot, a joyous smile unconsciously appeared on Yu Lan’s face.

Chu Wang, observing this, felt a complex emotion.

Throughout the year, he had witnessed caregivers exhaust themselves, sometimes showing signs of fatigue and annoyance.

He knew it wasn’t an easy task, so why would someone smile while doing it?

Chu Wang remembered Yu Lan’s demeanor before meeting him and the rapid change afterward. He could see that some of Yu Lan’s gentleness was an act, but he didn’t mind. At least now, it was more interesting than before, so he didn’t expose it.

Yet, even while doing this monotonous task, Yu Lan managed to smile…

Chu Wang found it challenging to judge whether Yu Lan had suffered too much in the orphanage or if he genuinely had an extraordinary passion for caring for a comatose patient.

Regardless of the answer, the fact that Yu Lan, who had finally been found by the Yun family, was heartlessly abandoned was undeniable.

Chu Wang’s gaze dimmed for a moment. He initially found the Yun family’s attempts to gain their favor amusing, but now, considering the decline of their family business in recent years, he no longer felt sympathy.

Thinking about it, Yu Lan’s desire to pretend was understandable. After all, he didn’t have many trustworthy relationships, Chu Wang thought.

Chu Wang observed silently, not planning to reveal the truth too soon.

“Oh, Mr. Chu.” When Yu Lan took a break, he carefully placed the other hand back under the blanket before looking up at him. “I suddenly thought, to see you, I need to touch your body. If I don’t touch, you’ll disappear… So, how long does this persistence last? Is it related to the duration of contact?”

Chu Wang paused and said, “I was just contemplating this issue.”

Because the first time, it seemed Yu Lan accidentally kicked him before seeing his soul. After they could communicate, he didn’t touch himself again.

Chu Wang glanced at the clock on the wall, “Maybe about ten minutes with one touch.”

Later, when Xi Yun brought people in, Yu Lan left, so Chu Wang couldn’t determine when he became invisible.

“If I keep touching, will I be able to see you continuously?” Yu Lan wondered aloud. However, he shook his head after speaking and asked, “Mr. Chu, in your current state… for example, when I’m not around, do you sleep?”

Using the term “sleep” wasn’t entirely appropriate. When Chu Wang was alone in the room, time was the least significant thing. Occasionally, he would enter a brief state of ethereal consciousness, but it couldn’t be called “sleep,” as it had no connection to tiredness.

Chu Wang vaguely replied, “Consider it as such.”

“Oh, okay,” Yu Lan obediently nodded, “In that case, should we set a specific time? For example, every day at a certain time, I’ll come to see you, touch you, communicate, and the rest of the time, I won’t disturb Mr. Chu. This way, it shouldn’t bother you.”

Chu Wang recalled Yu Lan’s analogy of the “switch” a while ago.

Since he spoke those words, Chu Wang calmly agreed, “Hmm.”

“How about I come to accompany you every evening after dinner?” Yu Lan thought it through. Since he was at Chu’s house, doing something productive during the day to improve the family’s impression and then spending the evenings in the room to build a good relationship with Chu Wang seemed fulfilling and perfect.

Chu Wang raised an eyebrow, “Okay.”

“Then…” Yu Lan suddenly hesitated, “Can you…”

Chu Wang lowered his head to see that Yu Lan had finished wiping the exposed skin, and now he wanted to lift the blanket to clean other areas.

Blushing, whether from fatigue or embarrassment, Yu Lan, with a pair of beautiful round eyes, looked at Chu Wang with a gaze full of meaning.

Chu Wang: “…”

Although the scene was somewhat peculiar, Yu Lan had grown accustomed to it. Despite not being homosexual, as a qualified, knowledge-seeking modern university student with a focus on external appearance, Yu Lan was afraid his face would show an expression not in line with his current persona when Chu Wang’s semi-transparent spirit was exposed and manipulated.

Chu Wang’s expression stiffened slightly, then he turned around in a circle. The semi-transparent spirit, over six feet tall, floated silently to the other end of the sofa.

Yu Lan adjusted the air conditioner, replaced the disinfectant towels, and then walked back to the bedside.

To be impartial, in the original world, Yu Lan would probably have thought of such a physique as merely malnourished, not associating it with the body of a comatose patient lying for almost a year.

Whether it was due to Chu Wang turning into a spirit or for some other reason, it was undoubtedly much better than he had imagined.

It was evident that the Chu family had invested a considerable amount here. The skin still had a glossy elasticity, and there were no noticeable signs of atrophy elsewhere. It was apparent that before falling ill, Chu Wang had been in good shape, with faint traces of abdominal muscles.

Yu Lan’s gaze stopped there and didn’t go any further.

Regardless of the situation, it would be awkward. Nonetheless, Yu Lan looked at the silent ghost in mid-air, the comatose patient with a lifelike appearance by his side, and optimistically thought that encountering such a scenario in a transmigration was not a waste.

Worried about Chu Wang feeling awkward, as a cannon fodder needing to maintain a good relationship with the main antagonist, Yu Lan, with a sense of responsibility, believed he should do something to dispel the subtle atmosphere.

“Mr. Chu,” he spoke in a soft, weak tone, clearing his throat, “Please don’t misunderstand. I’m just a bit shy because, after all, I never… never thought I could help you like this.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll come every day in the future and will definitely take better care of you than those caregivers!”

His intention was to maintain his pitiful, innocent persona. However, perhaps due to misjudgment and the added softness in his voice, it sounded more like… someone with a peculiar fetish.

Chu Wang desperately wanted to pretend that he hadn’t seen through Yu Lan’s exaggerated acting at the moment. However, his soul wasn’t entirely numb, and as Yu Lan pretended to be delicate, he picked up a warm towel and rubbed his abdomen as if scrubbing a washboard.

A subtle, not quite painful but certainly uncomfortable sensation passed through the flesh and reached the spirit.

Chu Wang: “…”

Suddenly, he wished that what he had said to Yu Lan earlier was true.

Hurry up, give him a touch, and shut down.

Leaning against the ceiling, he thought expressionlessly.