He nodded but, noticing how cold she was, asked, “Do you want some too? It’ll warm you up.”
Cheng Fangqiu shook her head like a rattle, scrunching her nose in distaste, though her voice was sweet and soft. “I won’t be cold if I’m holding you.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yinghuai’s lips curled up in amusement. “Then I’ll be back quickly.”
“Mm.” She sleepily murmured in response before drifting off.
She was so obedient that Zhou Yinghuai couldn’t bear to leave immediately. He stole a quick kiss at the corner of her lips and lingered by the bed for a while before finally forcing himself to leave.
After drinking the ginger soup, he washed up thoroughly before climbing into bed.
Almost the moment he lay down, she instinctively moved toward him, seeking out the warmth.
In the summer, no matter how he held her, she would always complain. But now that the weather had turned cold, it was the other way around.
Zhou Yinghuai wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace. When he noticed that her feet were as cold as ice, he immediately sandwiched them between his legs, acting as a human heater.
That night, both of them slept exceptionally well.
However, in the latter half of the night, Zhou Yinghuai was jolted awake by the scorching heat coming from the person in his arms. Immediately sensing that something was wrong, he reached out to touch her forehead, only to feel it drenched in cold sweat.
“Qiuqiu?” He called her name several times, and only after a moment did he hear a weak groan in response.
Hearing her reply, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the heavy weight in his chest did not ease. Sitting up, he turned on the light. As soon as the room lit up, he saw her curled up in bed, discomfort written all over her face as she tried to bury herself deeper under the covers.
Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and her small face was burning red with fever.
“We’re going to the hospital.”
Cheng Fangqiu’s head was spinning, and she had no idea what Zhou Yinghuai was saying.
Seeing her in this state made Zhou Yinghuai’s heart ache. He took a deep breath to steady himself, quickly gathered some necessities they might need, then gently coaxed her into comfortable clothes before lifting her into his arms and heading out.
By now, the rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet. Afraid that he might slip while carrying her, Zhou Yinghuai treaded carefully, taking each step with extreme caution.
When they arrived at the hospital, they found it overcrowded. With the changing seasons, the temperature difference between morning and night had caused a surge in colds, filling the space with patients receiving IV drips and family members accompanying them. Most of the patients were children, their illness making them fussier than usual, making the entire floor noisy and chaotic.
Among the crowd, the two adults stood out. Their striking appearances attracted quite a bit of attention.
“Supervisor Zhou?”
Hearing someone call him, Zhou Yinghuai turned his head and saw an unfamiliar woman sitting on a chair with a child in her arms. She looked at him in surprise, then glanced at the woman he was holding.
“Your wife is sick too?”
“Mm.” Zhou Yinghuai didn’t recognize her and responded with indifference before shifting his gaze toward the doctor’s office, which was currently empty. He stopped a nurse and was informed that the doctor was making rounds and would return shortly. However, that didn’t alleviate his anxiousness in the slightest. He continued to stand at the door, holding Cheng Fangqiu in his arms as he waited.
“Supervisor Zhou, do you want to come sit for a bit?” The woman offered again.
“No need,” Zhou Yinghuai declined politely but firmly.
Li Qinxian studied the two of them for a while, wanting to say something more, but at that moment, the child in her arms woke up and started crying.
“There, there, don’t cry.”
But coaxing a sick child was no easy task. The baby flailed, nearly pulling out the IV needle in his hand. If he moved too much, the blood might start flowing backward, making things even more troublesome.
Recalling the doctor’s warning, Li Qinxian had no choice but to do everything she could to soothe the child. In the end, she unfastened her clothing and fed him, finally managing to calm him down.
After finishing, she leaned back against the chair, exhausted. She couldn’t help but resent her husband—her child was so sick, yet he hadn’t even bothered to come to the hospital to help. Instead, he used the excuse of needing to work the next day to stay home and sleep.
A hint of loneliness flickered in her heart. Just then, something caught her eye, and she suddenly remembered that her husband’s supervisor was still standing nearby. Feeling a bit embarrassed, her cheeks flushed as she quickly straightened her clothes.
But who would have thought that he wasn’t even looking her way? His entire focus was on the woman in his arms.
That cautious and gentle care…
Li Qinxian couldn’t help but compare.
Her husband had never once treated her like that. Forget carrying her to the hospital—whenever she was sick and had to go by herself, he would scold her for wasting money, saying she was being overly delicate and should just endure it for a couple of days.
Seeing how comparing oneself to others only brought frustration, Li Qinxian took a deep breath, forcing herself to suppress the discomfort in her heart.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yinghuai had disappeared from view—he had gone into the doctor’s office as the physician had just returned. Not long after, the three of them emerged, and the doctor instructed the nurse to take them to a hospital ward.
It was only when their figures vanished completely that Li Qinxian finally withdrew her gaze.
At that moment, she overheard a woman next to her clicking her tongue and muttering, “Tsk, tsk, it’s just a fever, and they’re getting a hospital bed? Must have more money than they know what to do with.”
That sour tone was unpleasant to hear. Li Qinxian rolled her eyes. “He’s a department supervisor. What’s a little money to him?”
“A department supervisor at that age? Don’t try to fool me.”
Li Qinxian snorted. “My husband works under him. Would I not know?”
“What’s with the attitude? If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was your husband.”
“What do you mean by that?” Li Qinxian’s face turned red with anger. She wanted to argue back, but the woman patted her pants, got up, and left without another word. Furious, Li Qinxian’s chest rose and fell sharply, and she had the urge to chase after her and give her a slap.
But she was still holding a child in her arms. She could only swallow her anger.
Once she calmed down, she bit her lip, a complicated look flashing in her eyes.
Who wouldn’t want to marry a man like Supervisor Zhou? If neither of them had been married, maybe she would have had a chance to compete for him. But now, she was already married with a child…
Even so, she still couldn’t stop her heart from itching with desire.
—
Inside the hospital ward, it was much quieter than outside. Zhou Yinghuai had brought two blankets, laying one on the bed before gently placing Cheng Fangqiu down and covering her with the other.
Once she was settled, the nurse came over to set up the IV drip.
“The patient has a high fever. We’ll monitor her for two days with IV fluids. The doctor has also prescribed some medication—after you pay for it, make sure she takes it after eating.”
Zhou Yinghuai listened attentively and nodded.
“When this IV bottle is finished, come outside and find me for a new one.” Seeing how serious he was, the nurse gave him an extra glance before leaving the room.
The ward only had Cheng Fangqiu as a patient for now. Once the door was closed, the surroundings became much quieter.
Zhou Yinghuai pulled up a chair and sat beside her, keeping watch. On the hospital bed, her messy hair stuck to her pale, feverish face, and even her lips had lost their usual rosy hue. Sweat dotted her forehead.
It was the first time he had seen her looking so weak. His hands clenched into fists, and without thinking, he smacked himself.
If she hadn’t stayed up waiting for him, she wouldn’t have sat in the cold living room for so long.
He had known she wouldn’t go to bed before he came home—why hadn’t he asked someone to let her know not to wait up?
He had noticed she had gotten chilled sitting on the couch—why hadn’t he insisted she drink a bowl of ginger soup?
His throat felt tight, as if something was stuck there. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath, composed himself, and carefully adjusted the blankets around her.
Time passed, second by second. When he saw that it was already nearing nine in the morning and she still hadn’t woken up, he informed a nurse to keep an eye on her and left the hospital. His first stop was his department to request leave, and then he headed straight for Hongmeng Photo Studio.
“Qiuqiu is sick? Is it serious?”
“Her fever has gone down now.”
Seeing how haggard he looked, clearly having not rested the entire night, Sun Hongyan refrained from asking more questions. After confirming which hospital she was in, she let him go without delay.
Leaving Hongmeng Photo Studio, Zhou Yinghuai was lost in thought about what food he should get for Cheng Fangqiu. Because of this, he didn’t notice the bicycle approaching from the side.
The man and the bicycle nearly collided, but fortunately, both of them reacted quickly, narrowly avoiding an accident.
“Sorry.”
“My apologies.”
Two different voices of apology sounded almost simultaneously. Zhou Yinghuai looked up and met the face of a young man. The other party scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and asked, “Are you okay?”
He had been too focused on looking into the photo studio and hadn’t noticed the pedestrians on the roadside.
“I’m fine.” Zhou Yinghuai shook his head. Seeing that the young man looked even younger than Zhou Yingchen, he couldn’t help but ask, “What about you?”
“I’m good too.” Yuan Zheng waved his hand, signaling that he was unharmed.
Hearing this, Zhou Yinghuai nodded. Since his mind was occupied with thoughts of Cheng Fangqiu, who was still in the hospital, he didn’t linger and left.
After watching Zhou Yinghuai walk away, Yuan Zheng picked up his bicycle and quickly inspected it. Seeing that only a little paint had been scraped off and there were no serious issues, he locked the bike and entered Hongmeng Photo Studio.
Upon stepping inside, he noticed the atmosphere was somewhat subdued, which puzzled him. However, instead of asking about it, he greeted them as usual. “Hello, is Master Cheng at work today? I came to take some photos.”
“It’s you again.” Seeing who it was, Li Taoyuan immediately recalled the previous unpleasant encounter, a hint of discomfort flashing across his face. Then, he said, “Master Cheng has taken leave. She won’t be coming in for the next few days.”
“She’s on leave?” Yuan Zheng was taken aback.
“Yeah, Master Cheng is sick. Come back next week for your photos.” Li Taoyuan knew that Yuan Zheng only wanted Cheng Fangqiu to take his photos. Remembering the previous incident, he couldn’t help but add a few extra words.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Zheng’s pupils widened slightly, and he murmured, “She was fine just yesterday… How did she suddenly fall ill?”
His voice was too soft for anyone to catch. “Huh?”
“Which hospital is she at? Can I go visit her?” Yuan Zheng blurted out without thinking, his urgency evident.
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had overstepped. As expected, the expressions of the three others in the room shifted slightly.
Noticing this, Yuan Zheng hurriedly explained, “I just found out yesterday that Master Cheng is a friend of my sister. We even watched a movie together last night, so…”
“Oh, I see!” Sun Hongyan believed him without suspicion and was about to provide the hospital’s name when Li Taoyuan tugged at her sleeve, stopping her.
Li Taoyuan offered Yuan Zheng a polite but distant smile. “We don’t really know the details. If you want to visit her, you might want to ask your sister.”
Yuan Zheng was anxious, but he was afraid of arousing suspicion. He could only nod and leave.
After he left, Sun Hongyan turned to Li Taoyuan with confusion. “Master Li, why didn’t you tell him?”
“He said he knows Qiuqiu, and you just believed him? What if he’s lying? It’s always good to be cautious.” Li Taoyuan looked toward the door thoughtfully before saying, “After work, let’s buy some things and go visit Qiuqiu ourselves.”
Sun Hongyan nodded repeatedly. “Alright.”