Chapter 27 Severe Insomnia 2

Watching He Qiuting collapse, Lu Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. His expression shifted slightly as he moved forward to help, but Lu Shun’s glare pinned him in place.

Don’t come any closer.

While speaking, Lu Shun gathered the unconscious man in his arms. Turning back toward the hospital room, he didn’t forget to warn his brother over his shoulder.

Lu Zhao, since you’ve chosen to follow Dad’s path, don’t blame me for being this wary. Every word I said earlier was true – I’m really capable of anything.

His eyes filled with pure animosity as he addressed his brother so formally by full name, making Lu Zhao feel both alienated and chilled to the bone.

They were biological brothers who shared blood ties. Since childhood, Lu Zhao had never been sparing with his affection – sharing good food, nice things, and fun experiences whenever he had them. He’d even been willing to share business connections and prioritized Lu Shun for profitable projects.

After all he’d given, in the end, he still couldn’t compare to a mere He Qiuting.

Standing alone in the corridor, Lu Zhao watched his brother nervously carrying a man into the hospital room. His fists clenched until they creaked, his molars nearly grinding to dust.

What kind of twisted, frustrating mess was this day after day?

The crucial thing was, this frustration was something he had to bear alone.

Lu Zhao didn’t dare tell their family about this. Given Lu Zihai’s domineering personality, there was no telling what he might do to Lu Shun. Chen Ling’s heart condition had been unstable lately – if she heard Lu Shun was involved with a man, it would be a one-way ticket back to the hospital.

After weighing the options, Lu Zhao decided to handle this privately.

In the hospital room.

He Qiuting was settled onto the bed by Lu Shun.

His eyes remained tightly shut, his entire body damp and cold with clammy sweat. He lay curled up for five minutes before gradually regaining consciousness, though his complexion and lips remained frighteningly pale.

The doctor hurried into the room, ruled out postoperative bleeding, and diagnosed orthostatic hypotension.

He got out of bed by himself earlier, then collapsed from exhaustion, Lu Shun added from beside them.

Mr. He, can you hear me? The doctor leaned close to He Qiuting, asking, Chest pain or headache? Any discomfort anywhere?

Lu Shun also called his name from nearby, He Qiuting, He Qiuting, look at me.

After a long pause, He Qiuting finally lifted his eyes. He weakly shook his head, his voice hoarse, No pain, just very dizzy…

Monitoring equipment was reattached to his body. The doctor observed the readings and relaxed his tone, Nothing serious. The patient is still too weak and needs IV fluids and observation. Family members should keep watch and not let patients get out of bed so recklessly.

Lu Shun nodded repeatedly, watching as the nurse stepped forward to readjust He Qiuting’s IV line and hang a fresh drip bag.

Footsteps rustled away until the room grew quiet, leaving only the two of them gazing at each other.

He Qiuting looked at Lu Shun and asked seriously, What was your brother trying to say earlier in the room?

Oh, just disagreement about a project.

Lu Shun relaxed his expression, casually explaining, My brother’s quite domineering and impulsive. When he couldn’t reach me, he came charging over. Don’t mind him.

He Qiuting’s gaze remained fixed on his face, profound and utterly still.

Are you feeling better now…

Lu Shun felt somewhat guilty as he reached out his hand, fingers sinking into the hair at the back of He Qiuting’s head. The motion was so familiar, as if he had done it countless times before—a gentle head pat.

He had always been a person with little sense of boundaries. While rubbing, he asked, Still dizzy?

He Qiuting lowered his eyelashes and didn’t pull away, allowing Lu Shun’s hand to stroke the back of his head again and again.

It wasn’t particularly comfortable, but neither was it unpleasant—much like most of their interactions. Lu Shun’s directness clashed with He Qiuting’s restraint, yet somehow they always managed to strike a delicate balance.

He Qiuting couldn’t stand Lu Shun’s way of dealing with people—too straightforward, too domineering, too inconsiderate of others’ feelings. But he had to admit, they truly complemented each other.

He Qiuting meticulously weighed every decision before acting, but Lu Shun never did.

Lu Shun never attached deeper meaning or symbolism to his actions or words—like this head pat right now.

If he felt like doing it, he did it, regardless of whether they were broken up or deeply in love.

He never hesitated, acting openly and unapologetically, doing and saying whatever he pleased, all according to his mood.

As Lu Shun would say, Do what you want—why make things so complicated?

It was a logic and mindset He Qiuting could never grasp.

In the past, when they argued, He Qiuting would rationally analyze the cause and effect, carefully considering how to clearly and gracefully express his stance and attitude.

But Lu Shun was unreasonable. One moment he could be hysterically angry, and the next he would wrap his arms around He Qiuting’s waist from behind, rest his chin on his shoulder, nuzzle against him like a large dog, and kiss his neck and face.

At first, He Qiuting found it absurd—how could an adult use such cheap tactics to evade responsibility? But over time, he grew accustomed to it.

His aloofness was always enveloped by Lu Shun’s warmth. The twists and complexities deep within his nature were effortlessly shattered by Lu Shun’s straightforwardness.

What are you thinking about, He Qiuting? Lu Shun moved his hand from He Qiuting’s head and pulled a chair over to sit by the hospital bed.

He Qiuting shook his head, remaining silent, only blinking slowly.

The afternoon sunlight slanted into the ward, falling across the blanket covering him, drawing a glaring line of contrast.

The light was intense—so bright it turned white, so bright it felt noisy.

He Qiuting leaned halfway against the headboard, staring blankly at the sharp line between light and shadow.

Lu Shun, I want to transfer hospitals.

He Qiuting spoke suddenly, his voice hoarse but his tone leaving no room for doubt. I want to go to Li Feng’s place.

It was quieter there, and more reassuring. If his severe insomnia flared up, He Qiuting preferred to be in a familiar environment.

Lu Shun frowned and tried to persuade him, You’re too weak right now. Let’s not rush things. Wait until you’ve had a couple days of liquid food, then we can transfer.

He Qiuting didn’t respond, only stared fixedly at Lu Shun. His face was still pale, illness lingering between his brows, yet his dark eyes were clear and sharp—beautiful and resilient.

After a long pause, Lu Shun gave in. Alright, alright, we’ll transfer today. But you have to finish your IV drip first and get some rest. We’ll leave tonight.

Transfer after the IV drip is finished, He Qiuting said softly, knowing that with the Severe Insomnia System installed, sleep was impossible for him.

Lu Shun smiled slightly, his gaze lingering on He Qiuting’s face as if unable to get enough. Understood.

…

The IV drip process felt interminable.

He Qiuting closed his eyes to rest, but his mind remained acutely awake and uncomfortable. Every faint sound was magnified infinitely against his eardrums—the thumping of his heartbeat, his breathing, birds outside the window, car horns, even the tiny dripping from the IV tube became deafening.

Noisy. So noisy.

He Qiuting’s nerves tightened. Anxiously, he gripped the corner of the bedsheet, feeling his body operate like a machine spiraling out of control, unable to stop.

His veins were thin, and by the second bag of medication, they began to ache under the strain. He didn’t make a sound, his mental stress overshadowing the pain, until a pale, swollen patch emerged on the back of his hand.

Lu Shun, thinking he was asleep, had been sitting by the bed checking transaction details on his phone. When he glanced over and noticed He Qiuting’s hand, his expression darkened abruptly.

Quickly, Lu Shun adjusted the flow rate down two notches, then gently stroked the back of He Qiuting’s hand with his thumb. The skin was swollen and chilled by the medication.

He Qiuting slowly opened his eyes. It’s fine.

Swollen like this and still toughing it out… as if you can’t feel pain, Lu Shun muttered under his breath, half-complaining, half-concerned, as he cupped He Qiuting’s hand in his palms to warm it.

After slowing the drip, it took a full three hours to finish. Lu Shun completed the transfer and discharge procedures, then helped He Qiuting into the car sent by Li Feng.

While conscious, He Qiuting refused to be carried, stubbornly walking a few steps on his own before collapsing into the car, breathing heavily.

Lu Shun wanted to tease him about his pride costing him comfort, but seeing He Qiuting’s pale profile, he held back the urge.

Li Feng’s hospital was located on the hillside in the western suburbs of Sky Dome Port—a small but high-end private facility. Behind it lay a tea plantation, prized for its tranquility.

The VIP room was exceptionally well-appointed, more like a five-star hotel suite than a hospital ward, complete with a living area, bedroom, and a comfortable large bed surrounded by advanced medical equipment.

He Qiuting had a dedicated room here. Bizarrely, beside the medical monitors stood an office desk with a computer and stacks of documents, alongside an oxygen supply device.

Lu Shun stared in disbelief, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he quipped, Planning to hold a shareholders’ meeting in the ICU, President He?

Li Feng chuckled, his tone equally teasing. When Qiuting had stomach pains or chest tightness at night, he’d come here. Even on oxygen, he’d review documents—said all you CEOs are like that.

Caught between them, He Qiuting felt awkward and clarified, It’s not that extreme. Sometimes working here at Li Feng’s place just makes me feel more at ease.

Right, very ‘at ease’—collapse and get resuscitated on the spot, then review three more projects after reviving, Lu Shun retorted dryly, his expression darkening slightly, clearly displeased.

He had no idea He Qiuting was like this behind the scenes. On one hand, he felt he had failed as a boyfriend; on the other, he felt He Qiuting didn’t regard him as family—not even as a friend.

While Li Feng was examining He Qiuting, Lu Shun stepped out and angrily smoked three cigarettes in a row. Afraid the smell of smoke would be too strong, he wandered around the tea garden at the back for a long time before returning.

Li Feng, sitting at the door of the ward, stopped Lu Shun and said He Qiuting was on a phone call, suggesting he wait before going in.

Lu Shun froze for a moment before realizing that He Qiuting must be discussing business matters, which was why Li Feng was stationed at the door to keep him out.

In the end, He Qiuting was still deliberately keeping his guard up against him.

Inside the room, He Qiuting stared at the stable stock price trend on his computer screen but didn’t consider it a good sign.

In the real estate industry, the market typically adopts a cautious, wait-and-see attitude toward aggressively expanding developers. Logically, stock prices are highly susceptible to short-selling and negative news.

He Qiuting did possess a major piece of positive information but had not yet made it public.

So why would this mysterious overseas entity, secretly using massive funds to support the stock, take such a huge risk to buy his shares?

Zhou Hang, the acting CEO on the other end of the line, asked, “Could it be a capital firm you have ties with?

The first—and only—person He Qiuting thought of was Lu Shun. Lu Shun certainly had the daring to take such risks, but he couldn’t use CL Capital to support Cloud Horizon’s stock.

If he were acting independently of CL Capital, there was no way Lu Shun could come up with such a large sum of money.

He Qiuting replied firmly, “It’s not an ally.

“This supporter is most likely secretly accumulating shares, planning a takeover of Cloud Horizon.

That was the first time He Qiuting misjudged the situation, viewing Lu Shun as an enemy and willing to suffer significant losses himself just to inflict damage in return.

He and Zhou Hang agreed during the conference call to deliberately release news about Cloud Horizon’s tight cash flow, hoping to drive the stock price down in the short term and scare off the “acquirer. Unbeknownst to them, this move would push Lu Shun to the brink of liquidation.

Before the storm hit, Lu Shun remained completely unaware.

After ending the meeting, He Qiuting raised a hand to rub his temples and pressed the call button by the bed with the other.

Lu Shun and Li Feng entered the room one after the other, and both were startled by the sight of the person on the bed.

He Qiuting sat bolt upright, the collar of his hospital gown hanging open, revealing his neck and collarbones.

But at that moment, patches of irregular red rashes had appeared across his pale, cool-toned skin.

From the side of his face down to his jaw and neck, the rash seemed to be spreading downward beneath the collar of his gown.

He Qiuting frowned in discomfort, scratching at the irritated skin, which only caused fresh red patches to rapidly spread.

It was urticaria.

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