Wen Fenglin chuckled a little and asked, “Will you help me get a cup of water please?”
Yu Lili got up quickly and went to get him a cup of warm water . She placed the cup on the table and carefully helped him sit up .
“I can do it on my own . Let me do it on my own . ” Wen Fenglin waved her off and sat up . He stretched his hand forward to reach for the cup of water .
Yu Lili handed the cup over into his hand, but she didn’t release it fully . She kept her hand at the bottom to catch any stray droplets of water .
Fortunately, Wen Fenglin’s hands were still somewhat steady . After he had his drink, his smile faded away . “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious . You should return to Ou Ming’s side . I’m going to sleep for a while . ”
This abrupt change in topic was clearly meant to chase her off . Yu Lili caught the hint and nodded her head in agreement as she threw the cup away . As she was on her way back to Ou Ming’s room, she bumped into Ou Huojin and his wife . She acknowledged them and gave them a quick rundown on Wen Fenglin’s condition before continuing back to Ou Ming’s room .
The sky was starting to get dark, and it was the second day of the New Year . There weren’t many people present in the hospital . The surroundings were also a little empty .
When she pushed the door to Ou Ming’s room open, Ou Ming wasn’t on the bed . Yu Lili panicked, and called out, “Ou Ming?”
There was no reply from Ou Ming . What was heard instead was the sound of something dropping .
Yu Lili looked toward the direction that the sound came from . It was the en suite bathroom . She made her way over with quickened steps and pushed the bathroom door open, calling out, “Ou Ming!”
Ou Ming was standing by the washstand . His uninjured arm was feeling his way around . On the floor was a bottle of hand sanitizer that had dropped .
Hearing Yu Lili’s voice put a slight smile on Ou Ming’s face .
“What are you doing here? Washing your hands?” she asked .
“Using the toilet,” Ou Ming replied . With his hand still covered in soap suds, he reached out to touch Yu Lili .
Since he didn’t know where the toilet was, he had no choice but to stand at that spot and wash his hands . Since he had managed to identify his toothbrush, he brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth . He hadn’t expected Yu Lili to return so quickly .
“Were you intending to urinate here?” Yu Lili couldn’t decide if she should laugh or cry . “This is the washstand . Here, let me help you . ”
Ou Ming felt a little embarrassed and cleared his throat awkwardly . “Hold on, my clothes…”
Yu Lili looked down at his clothes and realized that his entire front was drenched . He was in a thin hospital robe without a coat . Looking like an overgrown kid who had sneaked out to play, Ou Ming was now at a loss of what to do .
When Yu Lili looked up at his face, his expression of embarrassment made her heart clench . She took off her down jacket and gently put it over his shoulders . “Let’s use the toilet first . We’ll change your clothes after . ”
She hoped he hadn’t been holding his urgent bladder for too long, especially since he wasn’t able to find a solution until now .
Yu Lili supported him as she led him to the toilet . Just as she was about to help him remove his pants, Ou Ming pushed her hands away . His lips were in a tight line . “I’ll do it on my own . Turn around . ”
Yu Lili’s eyes started to sting with tears . She grunted her OK and turned her back, not looking at him at all .
All Ou Ming could see was a sea of darkness . He bent down and reached his hand out to ascertain that it was indeed the toilet bowl in front of him before relieving himself . He remained completely unaware that Yu Lili had witnessed his choppy and confused actions from behind, and that her eyes were welling up with tears .
Yu Lili helped him move over to the washstand to wash his hands and proceeded to help him back to bed . Both of their actions were done gingerly and with extreme care . No one broke the silence first .
Upon returning from the bathroom, Yu Lili had Ou Ming sit on the bed while she went in search of a clean and dry set of clothes for him .