Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 192

The whole family rushed toward the hospital without stopping. On the way, Lu Yao and Zhao Beidou supported Zhao Beichuan together, nearly tripping several times.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.” Lu Yao tried to comfort him, but inside, he was even more anxious than Zhao Beichuan. He didn’t even understand why he was feeling so emotional.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the ICU ward. Everyone crowded around the door, peering inside. Zhao Guangsheng was still lying in bed with his eyes tightly shut.

Zhao’s mother clutched her son’s arm, her face filled with unease. “Could the doctor have made a mistake…? He looks the same as before to me.”

Just as they were feeling confused, a nurse walked out from inside. “Are you Zhao Guangsheng’s family?”

“Yes, yes, we are!”

“One of you, come inside with me.”

“Mom, you go in.”

“No, no, let Dachuan go in instead.”

“How about Xiaonian?”

Xiaodou and Xiaonian shook their heads. After much discussion, they finally decided Zhao’s mother would go in.

She followed the nurse into the ward, her hands and feet cold with nervousness as the sound of medical equipment beeping filled the room.

“The patient is very weak. You only have fifteen minutes to visit.”

“Alright, thank you.” Zhao’s mother quickly walked to Zhao Guangsheng’s bedside, gently taking his hand—covered in puncture marks from IVs—and called to him softly, “Guangsheng….”

The man who had never responded before suddenly had a slight tremor in his fingers.

Zhao’s mother lowered her head in disbelief, seeing that Zhao Guangsheng’s eyes were slightly open, and his lips were faintly moving.

“Guangsheng?”

Zhao Guangsheng seemed to use all his strength to nod slightly.

Tears streamed down Zhao’s mother’s face as she covered her mouth. After three years, her husband had finally woken up!

At the door, the children were watching the scene in the ward intently. Though their father’s movements were small, they all knew—he had woken up!

Xiaonian turned to hug his younger brother, sobbing aloud.

“This is amazing, truly amazing!” Zhao Beichuan’s eyes were red, his voice hoarse and trembling as he gripped Lu Yao’s hand, shaking uncontrollably.

Lu Yao was also overwhelmed with tears of joy, as if a heavy stone in his heart had suddenly been lifted.

Inside the ward, Zhao’s mother wiped away her tears and said, “You rascal, do you know you’ve been lying here for three years?”

Zhao Guangsheng looked at his wife quietly, tears rolling from the corners of his eyes.

Zhao’s mother panicked and hurried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears fell.

“Don’t cry. It’s enough that you woke up. That’s all that matters….”

Hearing the commotion, the nurse quickly walked over. “Family members should leave for now. The patient just had surgery and can’t be too emotional.”

“Ah, alright.” Zhao’s mother stood up reluctantly. “You rest well here. In a few days, once you’re stable, you’ll be transferred to a regular ward.”

Zhao Guangsheng blinked. With a tube down his throat, he couldn’t speak, and his muscles had severely atrophied. He could only communicate with his eyes.

Zhao’s mother couldn’t hold back her tears again as she turned and left the ward.

“How is Dad?!” The three children immediately asked.

“He’s conscious, but he can’t talk yet.”

Even so, it was already a blessing beyond words. Everyone’s faces were filled with joy. Just imagining that their father would soon be able to speak again and stand up made them feel that life finally had hope.

The family stood outside the ICU for a long time before leaving.

It was getting late. Lu Yao drove Xiaonian and Xiaodou back to school first.

On the way, Xiaonian hesitated before saying, “Brother… when do you plan to tell Mom about your relationship with Brother Lu?”

“Stop poking your nose into things, kid.”

“I’m almost an adult now, not a kid anymore. Besides, I’m just looking out for you. Brother Lu is such a great catch—you better not let someone else take him away~”

Lu Yao chuckled. “How could that happen?”

Xiaonian leaned forward excitedly and started exposing his older brother’s history. “Seriously! My brother was such a clueless straight guy. All these years, he never dated anyone. And when he finally did, he landed the ultimate jackpot.”

Xiaodou added, “My brother is amazing.”

Zhao Beichuan laughed and scolded them, “You two little brats, stop asking for trouble!”

“Hehehe~ Big Bro, don’t be shy. And by the way, my brother is super diligent, loves doing housework, is family-oriented, considerate, and he can earn money. Brother Lu, you must never dislike him.” Xiaonian counted his brother’s strengths on his fingers, making Lu Yao laugh heartily.

“Mhm, your brother is great.”

“I’m just afraid Dad and Mom won’t approve.” Xiaonian’s smile faded.

Without Brother Lu’s help, their family would still be struggling in hardship, and their father wouldn’t have had the chance to get surgery so soon.

They were all grateful children, and they knew their brother truly loved Lu Yao. They wholeheartedly liked this big brother as well.

Before their first meeting with Lu Yao at the hospital, Zhao Beichuan had seriously told the two of them, “I will never get married in this lifetime, but I have someone I love, and he is a man.”

Xiaonian and Xiaodou had been so shocked that they were speechless. In their hearts, their big brother was a very traditional person, so hearing him say he liked men was nothing short of a thunderbolt.

It took them a long time to process and accept it.

Zhao Beidou cautiously asked, “Big Brother… how did you and, um, Brother-in-law meet?”

Zhao Beichuan briefly recounted how they had met and gotten together. “I’m telling you this not because I need your approval, but because I want you to know that I love Lu Yao. That’s enough. I just hope you respect him the same way you respect me.”

After a long silence, Xiaonian timidly said, “We’re not against it. We’re just… just afraid that Brother Lu might find you lacking….”

“Hm?”

“Think about it—you have no money, no house, and you have us as burdens. Even finding a regular partner would be hard, let alone someone as amazing as Brother-in-law.”

Zhao Beichuan was choked speechless by his sister’s words. “That’s none of your business. Just be polite when you meet him later.”

That was the conversation before Lu Yao first met Xiaonian and Xiaodou.

The two of them sincerely wished for their big brother’s happiness. He had suffered too much over the years, and they resented being too young to share his burdens. Now that he had someone he truly loved, it felt like the storm had finally passed, revealing the clear moonlit sky.

After dropping the two kids off at school, Lu Yao didn’t go home. Instead, he drove toward the riverbank.

“Aren’t we going home?”

“I’m taking you out for a walk.”

“Alright.” Zhao Beichuan smiled sweetly.

After about forty minutes of driving, they arrived at the riverside in A City. Lu Yao parked in an open lot and helped Zhao Beichuan out of the car.

From here, they could see the neon lights lining the entire riverbank. The shimmering water reflected the lights like scattered stars.

They found a clean bench and sat down. Lu Yao leaned against Zhao Beichuan’s shoulder and said, “I used to come here alone to watch the river at night. No matter how much was weighing on my mind, sitting here always helped me figure things out. Back then, I told myself—if I ever had a boyfriend, I would bring him here to see it.”

Zhao Beichuan had never heard him talk about himself before. He tightened his grip on Lu Yao’s hand.

“You’re the first and the last person I’ll bring here.”

Zhao Beichuan looked at him in shock. “Wait… you—you—you never had a boyfriend before?”

“If Bai Chi counts, then maybe half a boyfriend.”

Bai Chi obviously didn’t count—he was Lu Yao’s first love!

“Boom!” Fireworks suddenly lit up the sky along the riverbank, their dazzling reflections dancing on the water.

Fingers intertwined, Lu Yao tilted his head up and kissed Zhao Beichuan’s lower lip. A light, fleeting kiss.

As they leaned against each other, it felt as if their souls had melted together.

“Buzz… buzz….” The vibration of a phone startled them awake. Lu Yao stretched out his arm, grabbed it, and, seeing the caller ID, instantly sobered up.

“Hello, why are you calling so early?”

“If I didn’t call you, you wouldn’t even think of calling me.”

“I’ve been busy with work lately…”

Zhao Beichuan turned his head and whispered, “Who is it?”

Lu Yao was so startled that he immediately covered his mouth, raising a finger to his lips to signal him to stay quiet.

Zhao Beichuan took his finger into his mouth and licked it, making Lu Yao’s face flush red. He quickly kicked him under the covers and mouthed, “It’s my mom, stop messing around.”

Only then did Zhao Beichuan behave himself, resting his chin on his hands and quietly listening to the conversation.

“When are you coming home for the New Year?”

“Isn’t it still early?”

“It’s already almost the twelfth lunar month, how is that early? Let me know in advance when your holiday starts so I can prepare food for you.”

“Don’t prepare too much. I’ll only stay for two or three days before leaving.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Lu became upset. “What, is this house too small for you now? You barely spend a few days at home all year. Your dad and I are getting older, and all we hope for is that you can settle down soon, get married, and have children. Then our mission will be complete, otherwise, we’ll always be worrying about you.”

Lu Yao was speechless for a moment. He didn’t even know who had assigned this “mission”—it felt like some NPC task.

Sensing his silence, Old Madam Lu quickly changed her tone. “Yao’er, this time, I’ve found a girl for you. I really like her! She’s six years younger than you, a proper civil servant, tall—1.7 meters—and has a fair complexion. If you see her, you’ll definitely like her!”

“Mom, I’m afraid she won’t like me.”

“How could that be? My son is so outstanding—highly educated and good-looking! If she doesn’t like you, she must be blind.”

“Don’t say that… I’m already turning thirty-six this New Year.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

“Mom?”

Old Madam Lu’s voice sounded a bit disappointed. “It’s nothing… Has it gotten colder where you are? Make sure to wear more layers when you go out. Your dad and I are getting old; we can’t take care of you anymore, so you have to take care of yourself.”

“Got it, don’t worry about me. You and Dad should also be careful when you go out. Be mindful not to fall. And remember to drink the protein powder I bought for you.” Elderly people have fragile bones, and even a minor fall can easily lead to fractures. Once bedridden, they tend to decline quickly.

“I know, I know.” With that, she hung up the phone.

Zhao Beichuan leaned over and asked, “What did Auntie say?”

“She asked when I’d be going home for the New Year.” Normally, Lu Yao would return around the twenty-sixth or twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. But since he had quit his job this year and had more free time, he might go back a few days earlier.

Zhao Beichuan seemed a little disappointed. “I was going to ask if you’d come to my house for the New Year.”

“We’ll see. Besides, isn’t the winter in the northeast really cold?”

“It’s not too bad. It’s cold outside, but it’s warm indoors. When the heated brick bed is fired up, it’s so warm that you can’t even sit on it.”

Lu Yao was quite intrigued. Though Jin City also had snowfall in the winter, it wasn’t as breathtaking as the northeast, where the entire landscape would be blanketed in snow.

“Come on, get up. You have a check-up at the hospital today.”

Zhao Beichuan had been recovering for nearly a month. The metal plate in his leg wouldn’t be removed until next year, but the cast might be ready to come off.

After washing up, the two first headed to the Central Hospital. The doctor took an X-ray of Zhao Beichuan’s leg and confirmed that the fracture had healed well, and the swelling in his muscles had gone down. It was time for the cast to be removed.

Having his left leg in a cast had been driving Zhao Beichuan crazy—he couldn’t wear shoes, couldn’t properly wash his feet, and when it got itchy, he couldn’t scratch it, which was agonizing. In desperation, he had even secretly used a needle to poke at it. When Lu Yao caught him once, he gave him a good scolding.

After the cast was removed, his left leg looked noticeably paler than before. Though the bone hadn’t fully healed, and he still had to use crutches, at least it looked much better than before.

Leaving the Central Hospital, the two headed straight to the Neurology Hospital.

Yesterday afternoon, Zhao Guangsheng had been transferred from the ICU to a regular ward. Though he hadn’t fully recovered, his vital signs were stable, so he no longer needed intensive care. This was thanks to Dr. Yan’s help—staying in the ICU cost over ten thousand yuan per day, which was far too much for an average family to afford.

On the way, they passed a flower shop. Lu Yao went in and bought a bouquet of dendrobium orchids. The deep purple petals, paired with green foliage, looked fresh and elegant.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Zhao Beichuan first went to the medical office to thank Dr. Yan.

Lu Yao knocked on the door and walked into the ward.

“Xiao Lu, you’re here! Come in and sit down!” Zhao’s mother greeted him warmly. “Why bring flowers? That’s too much.”

Hearing the voice, Zhao Guangsheng slowly turned his head. When he saw Lu Yao, his eyes suddenly widened.

“Hello, Uncle. I’m Beichuan’s friend.”

Zhao Guangsheng gestured for him to come closer. Lu Yao, a bit confused, stepped forward.

The old man suddenly grabbed his hand, tears welling up in his eyes. With great effort, he spoke, his voice hoarse and unclear:

“Child… I… recognize… you…”