The hospital lights were glaringly white. Su Wanning helped Gu Jingchen sit down on the bench outside the consultation room. Seeing his still pale face, a wave of pity rose in her heart. The doctor had just diagnosed him with mild gastrointestinal disorder and prescribed some medicine, telling him to go home and rest. Yet Gu Jingchen looked even weaker than before.
“Wanning,” Gu Jingchen’s voice was as light as a feather, his fingers clutching tightly at her sleeve, “I feel so dizzy… can we sit a little longer?”
Fine beads of cold sweat covered his forehead, his eyes unfocused, his body almost collapsing against the bench. Su Wanning quickly supported him, letting his head rest against her shoulder. The intimacy of the gesture made her hesitate for a moment, but her worry soon overpowered everything else.
“Does it hurt a lot? Should I call the doctor back?” she asked softly, using a handkerchief to gently wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Gu Jingchen shook his head weakly, his fingers unconsciously twisting the fabric of her clothes. “No… I’m just a little scared. I live alone. What if it gets worse again at night…”
Those words were like a needle, pricking the softest part of Su Wanning’s heart. She briefly felt a trace of guilt for brushing off Fu Sinian on the phone earlier, but it was quickly overwhelmed by Gu Jingchen’s fragile state.
“Don’t be afraid,” she comforted gently. “I’ll take you home. I’ll leave after you feel better.”
A flicker of light appeared in Gu Jingchen’s eyes, but he quickly returned to his weak expression. “Wouldn’t that trouble you too much? Mr. Fu…”
“It’s fine,” Su Wanning interrupted firmly. “He should be at the hospital with his mother right now. He won’t notice that I’m not there.”
She said it to reassure him, but also to convince herself. Fu Sinian had always been capable, always able to handle everything perfectly. Surely the hospital didn’t need her. But Gu Jingchen, right in front of her, truly needed her care.
After calling a taxi, she carefully helped him inside. The entire way, he leaned against her shoulder, his shallow breathing brushing lightly against her neck. The closeness made her uneasy, yet seeing his tightly shut eyes and fragile state, she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.
Gu Jingchen’s rented apartment was far more modest than she had imagined. A small one-bedroom unit, sparsely furnished to the point of austerity. There were even faint patches of mold on the walls. The stark contrast to the luxurious life Fu Sinian had given her made her feel even more sympathy for him.
“Lie down and rest first. I’ll make some porridge for you.” Su Wanning helped him onto the bed and carefully covered him with a blanket.
But Gu Jingchen grabbed her wrist and refused to let go, his eyes filled with pleading. “Don’t go… I’m afraid to be alone.”
His fingers were cold, trembling slightly. Su Wanning’s heart softened. She sat down by the bed. “Alright, I won’t go. I’ll make porridge after you fall asleep.” This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
Only then did Gu Jingchen close his eyes in peace, though his fingers still held onto her sleeve tightly, like a child afraid of being abandoned. Watching his sleeping profile, Su Wanning suddenly remembered how, long ago, Fu Sinian had once stayed by her bedside just like this when she was sick. Back then, they had loved each other so deeply.
But when had everything started to change?
Fu Sinian had grown busier and busier, so busy he no longer had time to share a meal with her. Their home grew larger, yet emptier. And Gu Jingchen’s appearance had filled that hollow space in her heart.
Her phone vibrated inside her bag. She took it out and glanced at the message. It was from Fu Sinian: “Mom’s surgery went well. She’s back in the ward.”
She hesitated, then didn’t reply. If she replied now, he would surely ask where she was, and she didn’t know how to explain. Besides, there were professional doctors and nurses at the hospital, and Fu Sinian was there. They didn’t need her.
Gu Jingchen turned restlessly in his sleep, cold sweat forming again on his forehead. Su Wanning quickly used a damp towel to wipe it away, her movements as gentle as if she were handling something fragile.
“Wanning…” he murmured in his sleep. “Don’t leave me…”
Those words made her heart tremble. Looking at his vulnerable state, then thinking of Fu Sinian’s ever-calm and composed demeanor, she suddenly felt that perhaps Gu Jingchen was the one who truly needed her.
Night deepened, and lights lit up one by one outside the window. Su Wanning gently freed her hand from his grip and went to the kitchen to make porridge. The small kitchen was poorly equipped. She struggled for quite a while before finding rice and a pot. Such a situation was unimaginable in the Moon Lake Bay Villa, where professional chefs handled all meals. She had rarely even stepped into the kitchen there.
By the time the porridge was ready, Gu Jingchen had woken up. He leaned against the headboard, watching her carefully carry the bowl in, his eyes filled with gratitude.
Su Wanning smiled faintly. She scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to his lips. “Eat while it’s warm. The doctor said you should have light food.”
The intimate act of feeding him made her pause for a moment. The last time she had cared for someone like this was when Fu Sinian had a severe cold. They had just gotten married then. He had a fever of 39°C, yet still insisted on working. She had angrily taken away his laptop, forced him to lie down, and fed him spoonful by spoonful.
Back then, he would act spoiled with her, deliberately biting onto the spoon when she fed him, and when she got angry, he would say in a nasal voice, “Wife, I was wrong.”
When had their relationship turned into nothing but distant politeness?
“Wanning?” Gu Jingchen’s voice pulled her back from her memories. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she shook her head and continued feeding him. “Just remembered something from the past.”
Gu Jingchen, perceptive as ever, noticed the shift in her mood. He gently held her hand. “Were you thinking about Mr. Fu? If you’re worried, you should go back. I’ll be fine on my own.”
The more understanding he appeared, the more guilty Su Wanning felt. “No,” she said. “You need care more.”
The moment those words left her lips, she clearly realized she had made a choice. Between her mother-in-law’s surgery and Gu Jingchen’s minor illness, she chose the latter. Between her husband and another man, she leaned toward the latter.
Late at night, Su Wanning sat on the chair by the bed, watching Gu Jingchen fall into a deep sleep. Her phone vibrated several more times… all messages from Fu Sinian. She didn’t reply to any of them.
Outside, the moonlight was hazy. Her heart felt just like the night… lost and tangled.
She knew what she was doing was wrong. Yet deep inside, a voice kept whispering: Fu Sinian never needed her… but Gu Jingchen did.
And in the stillness of the night, that voice grew clearer, louder, impossible to ignore.