Gu Xia learned the basics of applying medicine from the nurse. The nurse had originally intended to stay and supervise, thinking that since the chief didn’t want her to do it herself, she could at least watch from nearby, right?
Lu Shaoting detested being watched the most. His tone was cold and icy, even tinged with annoyance as he told the nurse to leave.
Only Gu Xia remained in the hospital room.
Gu Xia was naturally slender, and even though she was pregnant, her loose clothing completely concealed her belly, so she didn’t appear clumsy at all.
Following the nurse’s instructions, she proceeded step by step.
Pulling back the blanket covering Lu Shaoting, she saw him wearing boxer shorts, the firm muscles of his long legs tensed. Gu Xia had never been particularly curious about men’s bodies.
When she had drugged Lu Shaoting back then, her goal had been to use him. Hatred outweighed any sense of shyness, so there was naturally no room for embarrassment.
Moreover, that experience had been extremely unpleasant for her—agonizingly painful and deeply uncomfortable.
As a result, she harbored no illusions about Lu Shaoting’s body.
But now, as a normal woman, seeing a man’s body evoked an involuntary sense of shame in her.
Her eyes remained fixed solely on the wound, avoiding any other areas.
Naturally, she didn’t notice Lu Shaoting’s suddenly darkened expression.
He had thought that having Gu Xia change his dressing would be more comfortable than having the nurse do it.
Unexpectedly, as Gu Xia helped him, the soft touch of her fingertips against his skin sent a tingling sensation through him, making Lu Shaoting even more uneasy.
He instinctively tugged the blanket to cover his sensitive area.
Gu Xia was solely focused on changing his dressing and didn’t think much of it. Her mind was preoccupied with removing the old gauze, cleaning the wound, and re-bandaging it properly.
While bandaging him, she inadvertently glanced at an awkward spot…
A flicker of doubt arose in her mind.
Wasn’t it said that Lu Shaoting was no longer capable? But the spot she had just seen was hard to ignore—it was simply too obvious.
After quickly and carefully changing the dressing, the nurse left.
However, the nurse did remind Gu Xia to keep a close eye on Lu Shaoting’s condition. His wound was quite severe, and there was concern about fever caused by infection.
Gu Xia took note of everything.
The hospital room was a single suite with a simple bathroom, making it very convenient.
There was also a companion bed for family members staying overnight.
After tending to Lu Shaoting’s wound, Gu Xia quietly stayed in the room, waiting for his instructions.
Surprisingly, he seemed to have changed his previously disdainful and unwelcoming attitude toward her. After his wound was re-bandaged, he simply called for his clerk to bring him a few books.
He acted as if Gu Xia were completely invisible.
It wasn’t until lunchtime that the clerk came and asked whether a meal should also be prepared for Gu Xia.
Gu Xia wasn’t sure if the companion arrangement included three meals a day, so she glanced at Lu Shaoting.
Lu Shaoting directly stated that as long as she was there, three meals a day should be prepared for two.
Lu Shaoting’s appetite seemed quite poor. He looked somewhat irritably at the food in the lunchbox, then glanced up and saw Gu Xia eating heartily.
Her eating manner was refined and elegant, not at all crude, but she ate quickly, as if she hadn’t eaten for days.
“How long has it been since you last ate?” he asked, his tone slightly cold.
Gu Xia thought Lu Shaoting disliked her poor table manners.
She immediately slowed her movements and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong either, but I’m just very hungry. If I don’t eat on time, my hands start shaking. Is it because I’m making noise while eating and disturbing you?”
Her earnest reply made Lu Shaoting’s tone seem somewhat cold and harsh.
“No, keep eating.”
Gu Xia hummed in acknowledgment.
She quickly finished every last bit of food in the lunchbox. Lu Shaoting watched her slender frame, surprised by how much she could eat. Just then, Lu Xiaoyan arrived.
Lu Xiaoyan had come mainly because she was worried Gu Xia wouldn’t show up to care for Old Fourth.
Even though it had been agreed upon, she feared Gu Xia was too young and didn’t know how to care for others.
Lu Xiaoyan knew clearly that Gu Xia was the youngest daughter of the Gu family. She had never suffered hardship since childhood, spoiled by her parents and protected by her older sister—hardly the type who knew how to look after someone.
When Lu Xiaoyan arrived, Gu Xia had just finished eating.
Lu Xiaoyan was carrying several packs of Daohuaxiang pastries. Seeing Gu Xia there, her face immediately softened into a warm smile.
“Gu Xia, you’re here. Have you eaten? Knowing you’re pregnant and shouldn’t go hungry, I specially bought you a few packs of pastries. Old Fourth doesn’t like sweets, so these are all for you.”
Gu Xia nodded.
Seeing Gu Xia present, Lu Xiaoyan naturally felt reassured. After setting down the pastries, she turned to Lu Shaoting and asked with concern whether he had changed his dressing, emphasizing that he must change it on time, or the wound wouldn’t heal properly.
Lu Shaoting replied that he had.
Lu Xiaoyan’s visit this time was simply to check if Gu Xia was there.
She had come during her lunch break. After dropping off the items and offering a few words of concern, she stayed less than half an hour before leaving.
Before leaving the hospital, she called Gu Xia aside for a private conversation.
It was nothing more than instructing Gu Xia not to mention Lu Shaoting’s injury in front of him and to take good care of Old Fourth. Learning that Gu Xia had come early that morning and had even helped Old Fourth change his dressing, Lu Xiaoyan felt even more satisfied with her.
“To be honest, I never expected Old Fourth would let you change his dressing. But since he said he’d marry you, it seems he doesn’t reject you.”
“Gu Xia, as long as you safely give birth to these two children for Old Fourth, although I can’t do much about your parents’ situation, if you need food or supplies, just tell me. I’ll get you some ration coupons.”
Regardless of Lu Xiaoyan’s motives, Gu Xia felt a touch of gratitude for her words.
She said thank you.
After seeing Lu Xiaoyan off, Gu Xia returned to the ward. The lunchboxes she and Lu Shaoting had used had already been washed and taken away by the orderly.
Only the two of them remained in the entire ward.
Even though they had been intimate and Gu Xia was carrying Lu Shaoting’s child, they were practically strangers.
Lu Shaoting lay with his eyes closed, resting.
Gu Xia didn’t make much noise either. In this calm yet unfamiliar atmosphere, Gu Xia cared for Lu Shaoting in the hospital for seven days and seven nights.
Except for calling the orderly or driver when he needed to use the restroom, everything else was handled by Gu Xia. And Lu Shaoting seemed to have grown accustomed to her care.
When it was time to return to the Lu family, Gu Xia naturally went with him.
During Lu Shaoting’s hospitalization, aside from the Lu family visiting the day after his surgery, it was mostly people from the military unit who handled matters until his discharge.
The Lu Family Old Master did call a few times, offering a few words of concern over the phone.
Disappointment in his family was nothing new; Lu Shaoting had long seen through them.
What truly surprised him was Gu Xia’s gentle and considerate nature.
If it weren’t for the fact that Gu Xia had used underhanded means to entangle herself with him, hoping to exploit his status and this peculiar relationship, he might have genuinely believed that her care for him was sincere.
Gu Xia’s kindness toward him was merely a means to an end.
At this thought, Lu Shaoting’s heart grew even colder.
It was nothing more than cheap concern offered before attempting to use him.