Wen Quhua looked at his back, and the panic in her heart had already overshadowed the fear of the thunder.
She could not quite describe what she felt. Apart from surprise, she did not feel much embarrassment or anger.
Now that her mind had completely cleared, she finally realized just how out of line her actions had been. In her extreme fear, she had chosen to follow him home, and even… thrown herself into his arms.
She knew he liked her. It was normal that he could not hold back, was it not?
Overall, she was not very angry.
When Yang Qin steadied his breathing and turned back, he saw that she had already fallen asleep, hugging the blanket as if nothing had happened.
He almost laughed in exasperation. She had tossed him around for half the night, yet she slept peacefully.
Yang Qin simply sat at the bedside, watching her sleeping face under the dim light.
Without her usual striking charm, her face now looked clean and gentle, her sleeping expression calm, showing a hint of innocence and softness.
However, she was wearing his oversized shirt, exposing a large portion of her neck, and one of her slender, long legs had slipped out from under the blanket, dazzlingly fair.
He rubbed his brow and pulled the blanket up to cover her completely.
In the end, his gaze settled on her soft lips. Wanting to kiss her had long been a thought in his mind. He had only taken advantage of the moment to act on it. He did not regret it.
If she kept her distance from him because of that kiss, then he would no longer shamelessly appear in front of her again.
He glanced around at his temporary living conditions. For the first time, he felt they were too shabby.
After staying up half the night and having drunk quite a bit of baijiu during the evening’s socializing, he now felt a headache coming on. Leaning against the head of the bed, Yang Qin closed his eyes and decided to rest for a while.
At dawn, Wen Quhua woke up.
She rubbed her eyes, and after recognizing her surroundings, she froze slightly. Then she remembered the reckless things she had done last night.
She took a deep breath and checked her watch. It was six thirty, and the sky was already bright.
She carefully got off the bed from the foot, afraid of touching the man’s legs.
Tiptoeing, she took down her clothes from the line. They were still a bit damp, but she did not mind. She quickly changed, quietly opened the door and left.
After the thunderstorm, the weather had cooled. A gust of wind made her shiver.
Inside the room, Yang Qin slowly opened his eyes. He had already woken up when she got out of bed.
He had watched her take her clothes with her back turned to him, then closed his eyes and did not look further.
Then she left, as if everything from last night had never happened.
Yang Qin had drunk alcohol, been soaked in the rain, and stayed up half the night dealing with her. His head throbbed painfully.
But he still had things to do. He got up, tidied himself briefly, and went out.
Wen Quhua spent quite a while finding her way back to the dessert shop.
Early in the morning, the barbecue stall and the small shop were still closed. She hurriedly opened the door and went upstairs.
After taking a hot shower and changing into clean clothes, she finally felt better.
However, she felt like she might be catching a cold. Her head felt heavy and dizzy.
When Manman came to work and saw Wen Quhua coming downstairs with flushed cheeks, she was immediately surprised. “Sister Wen, are you not feeling well?”
Wen Quhua nodded. She had taken another nap, and when she woke up, she indeed had a fever. Her forehead was burning hot.
Picking up her bag, she said weakly, “Manman, watch the shop. I’m going to the hospital.”
“Okay, Sister Wen.”
After being hooked up to an IV, Wen Quhua leaned back in her chair.
She knew she had a fever, but she did not expect it to reach 39 degrees.
In her half-conscious state, she heard a man’s deep voice beside her speaking to the nurse. “This bottle is finished. Please change the medicine.”
She opened her eyes groggily. The hospital lights were harsh. She raised her hand to block them, but a man’s figure stood in front of her, shielding the light.
Wen Quhua gradually saw his face clearly and froze.
Why was he here?
After the nurse changed the IV, Yang Qin sat down beside her and opened a thermos, bringing it to her lips.
She was indeed thirsty, but Wen Quhua did not drink the water he offered.
“Why are you here?”
She did not expect to see him again so soon. Thinking back to last night now feels quite awkward.
Yang Qin said calmly, “You forgot to take the things you bought. I delivered them to your shop.” Then he had learned from her employee that she had gone to the nearest hospital.
When he arrived, he saw her sitting in the chair, fast asleep, her face flushed from fever.
He had turned around to buy a new thermos, washed it, filled it with hot water, and now the temperature was just right.
“Not drinking?”
It was not really about drinking or not.
In the end, Wen Quhua felt her throat hurting. She lowered her head and took a few sips from the thermos.
The water was just the right temperature, and she instantly felt much better.
Then she saw him open a food container, and a fragrant aroma spread out.
“Wontons. Want some?”
Wen Quhua: …
Did he even know what he was doing? Suddenly appearing here, acting like a devoted husband.
Did he think that just because he kissed her last night, their relationship could reach this level?
“Don’t worry, I’m not thinking that,” he said, looking at her as if he could see through her thoughts.
“Just think of it as humanitarian care.”
“Miss, you don’t know, while you were asleep just now, your boyfriend was busy running around for you,” an elderly woman who had just finished her IV said with a smile, praising Yang Qin.
Wen Quhua looked at him. Humanitarian care, was it?
Yang Qin coughed lightly. After the old woman left with a smile, Wen Quhua said weakly, “Where’s the spoon?”
So she was going to eat?
The corner of his lips lifted slightly. He handed her a clean spoon and held the container for her without complaint.
After eating a few warm wontons, Wen Quhua’s empty stomach finally felt much better.
Although his intentions were not pure, his care was just right.
Clearly, at this moment, she did not really want to refuse.
She did not refuse, so Yang Qin became even more practiced in taking care of her. After she finished eating, he took the thermos container to wash it clean, and when he came back, he handed her a clean, damp towel.
Wen Quhua wiped her cheeks and neck. The fever had made her sweat, leaving her sticky and uncomfortable.
When the last bottle of IV fluid finished, the nurse came to remove the needle. Yang Qin stayed by her side and walked her back to the dessert shop.
There was about half a meter between them. He did not say anything. The tall man walking beside her gave her a sense of security.
When they were about to turn the corner, Wen Quhua stopped and said to him, “I can go back by myself from here.”
If they turned the corner together, people from the barbecue stall and the small shop would see them, and it would easily cause misunderstandings.
He gave a low acknowledgment, understanding what she was worried about.
“You…” Wen Quhua hesitated for a moment, then turned back to look at the man standing under the streetlight. His gaze was calm and steady.
“Should I accompany you to the hospital again tomorrow?” Seeing her hesitation, he directly asked what he wanted to ask.
The nurse had said earlier that she needed at least two days of IV treatment.
Wen Quhua: …
“Alright then. Come here at five in the afternoon and wait for me.”
“Okay.”
A faint trace of ease seemed to pass over his resolute face as he stood under the streetlight, watching her walk away.
The next day, Yang Qin got off work early. After giving instructions to the workers about the remaining tasks, he even took time to go back, take a shower, and change into clean clothes.
Then he took the cleaned thermos container and thermos cup and went out.
When he reached the street near the dessert shop corner, he waited for about ten minutes before she turned the corner and walked toward him.
Perhaps because she was sick, she wore a dress with a cardigan over it. The light yellow dress and white cardigan made her look especially gentle.
Only her complexion was not good, and she looked a little weak.
When she saw the thermos in his hand, her expression shifted slightly. After she walked up to him, he followed half a step behind her.
When they arrived at the hospital, he said to her, “Eat something first before the IV. Otherwise, your stomach won’t handle it well.”
He opened the thermos. Today it was shredded chicken soup, and it smelled very fragrant.
As she ate, she asked him, “Where did you buy this?”
It tasted quite good.
Yang Qin paused slightly. “Just bought it casually from a roadside stall.”
In fact, that was not the case. He had gone back to his place at noon and started simmering the soup in advance. Before heading out in the afternoon, he packed it. But there was no need to tell her.
After drinking the chicken soup, the IV felt much more comfortable than the day before.
The old lady from yesterday also came around the same time for her IV. When she saw the two of them, she became overly enthusiastic.
“You two look really well matched.”
Wen Quhua: …
She opened her mouth to explain, but it felt like the more she explained, the stranger it would become. In the end, she just smiled perfunctorily. “Not really.”
The old lady, however, seemed to have opened a floodgate and continued asking, “Young man, are you local? Such a good girl, have you settled things yet?”
Her questions left no room for response. Yang Qin simply remained silent.
Out of politeness, Wen Quhua could only reply occasionally. “He’s local. I’m not. My family is from the south.”
“So far? Is your family willing to let you marry so far away? But this young man treats you very well. As long as you like each other, distance isn’t a problem.”
“It hasn’t reached that stage yet.”
“Oh, you’ll get there as you keep dating. That’s how people are. Marriage is about having someone who cares for you, isn’t it?”
Wen Quhua: …
She cast a pleading look at Yang Qin.
There seemed to be a hint of amusement in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen her so at a loss in conversation. Yet she did not deny their relationship, which made his expression remain calm while his heart beat rapidly.
“Auntie, my partner is thin-skinned and gets shy easily,” Yang Qin said with a smile, taking over the conversation. Then he said gently to Wen Quhua, “Are you tired? Get some sleep.”
Wen Quhua’s ears were filled with his words “my partner”… She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, unable to handle the old lady’s enthusiasm any longer.
Yang Qin pressed her head gently against his shoulder, letting her lean on him so she could be more comfortable.
Her steady breathing brushed against his chest, and the corners of Yang Qin’s lips could not help but lift slightly.
If she were truly his partner, that would be good.
But even this illusion was enough to make him indulge.
Her attitude had softened, so he intended to take advantage of the situation and move forward.
After finishing the IV, Yang Qin took her out of the hospital but did not rush to send her back to the dessert shop.
“Do you want to take a walk before going back?” he suggested casually.
Wen Quhua did not know what she was thinking, but she agreed. There happened to be a park nearby. She checked the time. It was around eight, not too late.
She agreed because she wanted to make things clear with him. Their current way of getting along felt strange.
She looked at his shadow. It was tall and broad, guarding behind her, giving her a strong sense of security.
Over the past two days, her impression of him had changed quite a bit.
But he had kissed her, and his actions over the past two days had not been concealed. His intentions were very clear.
Wen Quhua thought for a long time before finally speaking. “I don’t plan to find a partner.”
As soon as she said it, the person behind her fell silent for quite a while before responding softly with an “Mm.”
She was about to take the opportunity to clarify things further when he suddenly asked, “If you don’t plan to find a partner, then that man from before… wasn’t he?”
…
She had been exposed.
Wen Quhua looked troubled.
He suddenly stepped in front of her, lowered his head, and stared straight at her. “A shield?”
“Is the fiancé also one?”