Why do we have to separate? Why push him to that annoying person? If he can't sleep, he can choose not to sleep; if he's not going to live long, he can live as long as he can.
He can endure it all; he can desperately endure it all.
Why didn't Qin Chu help him?
Throughout the journey, Qin Rui remained silent and did not utter a single word to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu couldn't figure out what the child was thinking, but for the first time, he felt uncomfortable in the silence.
He explained to Qin Rui, word by word, "It's not that I don't want you, it's just that I want you to stay with Dr. Su tonight."
"If I have time during the day, I will come to see you."
"Get a good night's sleep."
"Let me know if you need anything."
Qin Rui did not respond; he looked up at the warm yellow firelight in the military camp.
He thought Qin Chu knew nothing. Qin Chu thought he was just being sent to live with Doctor Su, but she didn't know what he was struggling to resist.
He struggled to resist Dr. Su's influence, even her control.
For a day or two, he'll still remember that he dislikes Dr. Su and that his favorite person is Qin Chu. But what if it goes on for a long time? What if he's influenced by his sleep and completely falls for Dr. Su? Will Qin Chu still be his favorite person then?
What if he loses control of himself and harms Qin Chu according to Dr. Su's wishes? What if he even forgets the meaning of his name and everything Qin Chu has done for him?
Qin and Chu were unaware of these things.
Qin Rui then thought of the question he had just asked Qin Chu.
He thought that perhaps Qin Chu wasn't unaware of it, but simply didn't care.
The firelight flickered, and in the orange-yellow glow of the torch, Qin Rui recalled the night he had just escaped from the Prime Minister's residence.
He's so greedy.
At first, he thought that he could live a lifetime by clinging to the warmth Qin Chu gave him. But later, he wanted Qin Chu to stay with him forever.
When he saw Qin Chu buying candy, he thought, "If only this person didn't dislike me so much." But now, he wasn't satisfied with Qin Chu not disliking him.
He wanted Qin Chu to like him, just as he liked him.
But Qin Chu sent him away and didn't care whether he would fall in love with someone else.
The tent where Dr. Su lived was right in front of us. The tent was small, but Dr. Su lived there all by himself.
Looking at Doctor Su waiting outside the tent, Qin Rui slowly lowered his head.
Qin Chu watched as Qin Rui obediently went into the tent, and then stood outside for a while before leaving.
He hadn't expected Qin Rui to make such a fuss. He had thought the boy had some feelings for Doctor Su, but his reaction after learning he was leaving was completely unexpected.
Alone, Qin Chu returned to his tent, sat on the ground, drank some water, and stared blankly at the tent for a while, a rare occurrence for him.
"How's it going, sir? Aren't you happy to see the Crown Prince clinging to you like this?" Noah popped up with a cheeky grin.
Qin Chu ignored him.
Are you happy?
He would rather Qin Rui liked Dr. Su a little more, so that their relationship wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the half-open bundle beside him. This was the only thing Qin Chu owned, but now it was half the size of what he had left.
While he said he was packing, there wasn't much to pack. When he actually started searching, Qin Chu realized he hadn't bought Qin Rui anything. All he had was a simple change of clothes.
Qin Chu searched high and low but couldn't find anything essential, so he tied the dagger that Qin Rui had been wearing to his leg back on. After thinking for a moment, he also brought him a small military crossbow.
There shouldn't be any problem.
Qin Chu was quite certain of this statement before, but now that he had sent the child away, he hesitated.
He lay in the tent, unable to sleep for a long time.
After tossing and turning for a while, Qin Chu had to admit that there was a reason why body pillows were so popular. He had been sleeping with Qin Rui in his arms for a while now that the child wasn't there, he felt like something was missing from his embrace.
He simply sat up, and remembering Qin Rui's words before he left, "I don't like him!", Qin Chu's heart tightened, and he grabbed his sword and left the tent.
By this time, most of the fires in the military camp had been extinguished. Qin Chu quietly slipped into Doctor Su's tent and sat down in the open space behind the tent.
Arriving here, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little.
He can rush into the tent immediately if there is any problem.
Noah clicked his tongue for a while, then started offering a bad suggestion: "If you're so reluctant to part with him, why don't the three of you sleep together? Three guys together, there won't be any problems."
"I'm not reluctant to part with it," Qin Chu retorted stubbornly, then fell silent.
Noah, with his audacious curiosity, peered into Qin Chu's thoughts and was surprised to find that he was actually considering the possibility of three people sleeping in one tent.
However, Qin Chu quickly gave up, because he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to sleep well with Qin Rui around.
Qin Rui had always been wary of Qin Chu, and given that Qin Chu had a history of scaring children in real life, Qin Chu always felt that Qin Rui couldn't sleep soundly next to him, which was partly due to Qin Rui's behavior.
Putting himself in Qin Chu's shoes, if he had a cold, indifferent person who could easily crush him sleeping next to him when he was a child, he wouldn't have been able to sleep either.
Noah was speechless for a long time. He thought Qin Chu would go back after figuring this out, but Qin Chu didn't move at all. He was holding a sword and leaning against the tent, looking like he was going to spend the night there.
After thinking for a while, Noah realized the problem: "You don't trust that Dr. Su?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Qin Chu closed his eyes to rest. "He suddenly appeared, and Qin Rui can only fall asleep next to him. Doesn't that seem suspicious?"
Qin Chu initially guessed that the doctor was actually a player, but Noah, that idiot, failed to detect it.
However, if it were a player, they could easily have attacked Qin Rui while he was asleep, but this doctor didn't. Only then did Qin Chu feel a little relieved and allow Qin Rui to spend time with him.
"So you've started to have doubts just because of this?" Noah clicked his tongue in surprise.
"No, there's another reason."
What's the reason?
Qin Chu: "Qin Rui doesn't like him."
Noah: ...
Noah: "Thank you, goodbye. Qin Rui is your favorite child. I'm no longer your baby. Goodbye forever!"
A short while later, Noah, who had been shouting that they would never meet again, popped out again and asked curiously, "Then why did you send Qin Rui over here?"
Qin Chu was silent for a moment, then said, "He can't stay awake forever."
Sleep is something everyone can enjoy. Hunger can be endured, and external sustenance is still necessary, but sleep is something everyone, regardless of poverty, should have. Yet Qin Rui simply cannot have it.
If there's still no solution, then so be it.
But now that Dr. Su has appeared, since Qin Rui can sleep, let him sleep well.
As for how this Doctor Su put Qin Rui to sleep, and whether he was a player, Qin Chu would find out. Even if he was a player, Qin Chu would tie him up and use him as a sleeping pill for Qin Rui.
Qin Rui just needs to relax and get some rest.
He took care of everything else.
Inside the tent.
Qin Rui sat on the made-up bedding, took the hot water handed to her by Doctor Su, and smiled sweetly at him: "Thank you, Doctor."
When Dr. Su turned around, the smile on his face faded considerably, leaving only a dark look in his eyes.
Doing these pleasing things is just his survival instinct; his truest emotions are only revealed when he's in front of Qin Chu.
Having followed Qin Chu before, he had become quite capricious in these matters. When he was in a good mood, he would put on a friendly face; when he was in a bad mood, he would imitate Qin Chu by keeping a cold face and remaining silent.
But now... Qin Chu is not by his side.
Qin Rui touched the porcelain bowl with his fingers, but instead of drinking the water, he casually lifted the bedding and poured it onto the dry ground below.
As Qin Rui expected, Doctor Su was very interested in Qin Chu. After asking him a few questions, she always managed to steer the conversation back to Qin Chu: "Little brother Qin Rui, how many years older is your brother than you?"
"Qin Rui, your brother is so good to you. Is he that good to everyone else too?"
Qin Rui was a little annoyed. Instead of answering the questions, he yawned, rubbed his eyes, and said, "I'm so sleepy, I want to go to sleep."
Are you going to sleep already?
Dr. Su was a little stunned, not expecting the sleeping potion he redeemed from the game system to be so effective. He also wanted to inquire further about Qin Chu.
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask a few more questions, but Qin Rui had already taken off his shoes and lay down on the bedding.
Dr. Su just wanted to shake this brat awake. If it weren't for getting closer to Qin Chu, he wouldn't have exchanged for this ridiculously expensive medicine.
The eldest prince, a main storyline boss with little ability, can be easily killed.
If other players who were farming points had such an opportunity, they would have already killed the Crown Prince and claimed the reward, but he couldn't.
Doctor Su sighed. He was there to solicit a man. Doctor Su would never forget the first time Qin Rui fell asleep beside him, and the way Qin Chu threw off the carriage chain and rushed in.
He was genuinely startled at that moment. He had no doubt that if anything happened to Qin Rui, Qin Chu would definitely draw his sword and kill him.
Helpless, Doctor Su extinguished the oil lamp in the tent and could only reluctantly lean against Qin Rui to get closer to Qin Chu.
It was already dark inside the tent, and Qin Rui was curled up in a ball on the bedding.
As Dr. Su approached, he clearly felt his mind begin to fog up. He had no recollection of falling asleep the previous two times, but now, despite his body becoming drowsy, Qin Rui's consciousness was still awake.
He is resisting sleep.
If he can't sleep even when he's with this Doctor Su, then he can go back to Qin Chu's side.
He was still thinking about Qin Chu.
He thought of how Qin Chu saved him at the Prime Minister's residence, how Qin Chu gave him his food on the way, how Qin Chu cut his wrist to feed him blood, and he also thought of... how Qin Chu coldly brought him here today.
He also wanted to know what Qin Chu was doing now, whether he was asleep, and whether the tent had been properly tidied up.
Qin Rui gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, but couldn't find a familiar embrace to snuggle into.
He felt unwell; he was already drowsy and about to fall asleep, but it felt like a stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Just as Qin Rui was about to drift completely into sleep, some noises suddenly came from outside the tent, followed by a cheerful voice: "Brother Qin, what's wrong...?"
Brother Qin...
Brother Qin?!
Qin Rui sat up abruptly, all sleepiness instantly gone.