Returning to the hospital bed, Qin Qing, already weakened by a cold and fever, felt rather listless.
Zhou Yansheng stayed quietly by her side, fetching a fresh ice pack from the nurse’s station and continuing to apply it to reduce the swelling.
Finally, the IV drip finished, and the needle was removed.
A nurse brought over the medication and a sling.
“Apply the topical ointment twice daily until the swelling subsides. Also, when you’re out of bed, your arm needs to be immobilized with the sling—no unnecessary movement.”
The nurse even demonstrated in detail how to use the sling.
Qin Qing’s face scrunched up in dismay.
Wasn’t this just restricting her freedom…?
“Listen to the doctor,” Zhou Yansheng said sternly as he accepted the items.
Qin Qing had never imagined that Zhou Yansheng could be so meticulous when taking care of someone.
For dinner, he fed her spoonful by spoonful.
With her cold suppressing her appetite, she hadn’t wanted to eat at first.
But when the spoon was brought to her lips, she obediently opened her mouth.
Under Zhou Yansheng’s authoritative insistence, she managed to finish a whole bowl of vegetable noodles.
Zhou Yansheng went to fetch hot water, saying he’d help her wash up before applying the medicine.
The aunt in the neighboring bed started gossiping again.
“Young lady, your husband treats you so well! I wish my daughter could find a partner like that.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than her daughter cut in, “Just sleep and mind your own business. Don’t bother the young couple. Who I marry is none of your concern!”
Qin Qing felt secretly pleased.
In others’ eyes, they were a young married couple, and he treated her wonderfully.
This was something she wouldn’t have dared to dream of in her past life…
But then again, there were many things she hadn’t dared to imagine in her past life.
Like this—
“Take it off yourself, or shall I do it?” The man, standing before her bed like a solemn statue, held a basin of water.
Qin Qing sat on the hospital bed, blinking her big eyes as she looked at him.
“Doctor’s orders. Wash up, then apply the medicine.”
As he spoke, Zhou Yansheng placed the basin on the bedside table.
Qin Qing was about to say she could do it herself when she noticed the tips of the man’s ears were flushed red.
So she wasn’t the only one feeling awkward.
“You do it…” she deliberately changed her mind, adding, “It hurts…”
Both spoke in hushed tones, afraid the aunt in the next bed might overhear and spark another awkward conversation.
Zhou Yansheng clearly hadn’t expected Qin Qing to say this. Flustered, he went to draw the curtain tightly around the bed.
Qin Qing truly couldn’t undo the buttons of her hospital gown with just one hand.
So when Zhou Yansheng’s hand reached over, she simply blushed, closed her eyes, and tilted her head up.
Her expression was one of complete surrender.
Zhou Yansheng couldn’t help but chuckle.
Silly girl!
With unwavering focus, he helped her undo the first button, then the second.
At the third button, his hand suddenly froze.
The little girl wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
He quickly realized—a bra would put pressure on the injured area.
Seeing him pause, Qin Qing opened one eye and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhou Yansheng took a deep breath and withdrew his hand. “I’ll go get a nurse.”
“No.” Qin Qing grew anxious and reached out to grab him, accidentally pulling at the injury on her back.
Hiss—
The pain twisted her expression.
Despite the pain, Qin Qing instinctively held onto Zhou Yansheng.
“Not someone else… I want you, Brother…”
Her voice was so soft Zhou Yansheng could barely hear it, but she carefully yet firmly hooked her finger around his right index finger.
Zhou Yansheng stared at their intertwined fingers, momentarily stunned.
In the past, whenever she needed something from him, this was her most habitual gesture—hooking her finger around his.
If he refused, she’d never let go.
She was still just a child at heart.
“Alright, close your eyes.” If they delayed any longer, the water would grow cold.
Zhou Yansheng stopped hesitating and carefully helped the girl out of her hospital gown, then quickly covered her front with the blanket.
Only the injured area on her back was exposed.
Though mentally prepared, when he saw the massive bruise stretching from her left shoulder all the way down to her waist, Zhou Yansheng clenched his fists tightly.
Against her snow-white skin, it looked so glaring!
A terrifying rage was almost uncontrollable.
When had his Qingqing ever suffered such torment!
As heart-wrenching as it was, he remained extremely gentle and meticulous while cleaning and applying medicine to her wound.
Not a single inappropriate thought crossed his mind.
The ward was very quiet.
So quiet that Qin Qing could sense the man’s somewhat unsteady breathing.
She kept her eyes closed the entire time, not looking at him.
She could faintly feel the coolness brought by his fingertips as they glided over her back, coated with ointment.
Mm—
She let out a soft gasp.
“Does it hurt?” The man paused his hand.
Qin Qing buried her head even lower, shaking it slightly, and mumbled almost inaudibly, “…It’s cold.”
Zhou Yansheng’s fingertips moved even more gently.
Finally, once the ointment had dried somewhat, he carefully helped her put her clothes back on, buttoning them all the way to the top.
He helped her lie down and tucked the blanket around her.
“I’m going out for a smoke.” Without waiting for the girl to nod, Zhou Yansheng picked up the used basin and walked out.
When he returned, Qin Qing was already drifting into a hazy sleep.
A cold comes and goes quickly.
When Qin Qing woke up the next day, she felt as if nothing had happened.
Completely refreshed.
Except for her back, of course.
During the doctor’s rounds, he said that after finishing the IV drip in the morning, she could be discharged in the afternoon.
“…Rest is the main priority. You can remove the brace after a week and come back for a check-up in two weeks. Young people’s bones heal quickly, so it shouldn’t be a big issue,” the doctor instructed.
Zhou Yansheng listened more attentively than Qin Qing.
“Zhou Yansheng, relax, I’m really fine now.”
After the doctor left, Zhou Yansheng was still frowning, so Qin Qing grinned and teased him.
It was just that the bruise on her back looked even worse when he applied the ointment in the morning.
It wasn’t as if he lacked common sense—this was a normal occurrence.
But this guy had been wearing a stern expression all along, looking so fierce.
“Young lady, you don’t know, but when you had a fever last night, your husband was running around taking care of you. How could he not be worried?”
In broad daylight, with the curtains drawn open, the elderly lady in the next bed started chatting again.
“I had a fever last night?” she asked him.
“Oh my! You were so feverish you were delirious, calling out for ‘brother’ the whole time,” the elderly lady chimed in to answer. “You young couples are quite interesting—not calling each other ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ but ‘brother’ and ‘sister.’ Hahaha, young people these days.”
“Mom! I just stepped out for a moment. Why are you talking nonsense again!”
Qin Qing: “…”
Turning to look at the stubble on the man’s face and the bloodshot eyes beneath, she thought, alright then…
“Thank you, brother!” she said sweetly to him.
In response, Zhou Yansheng simply placed his large hand over her head, tousling her already messy hair into complete disarray.
During the morning IV session, the ward suddenly became crowded with a large group of people.
Principal Han came forward, bringing Wang Bing’s parents to personally apologize.
Following them were several other school leaders, expressing the school’s apologies.
Xiao Yang trailed at the very back.
Just as Qin Qing was about to say she was fine and that everyone shouldn’t worry, Zhou Yansheng stopped her.
“Your throat isn’t well. Don’t speak!” He then turned to the “guests” crowding the ward.
“Thank you all for coming to visit my Qin Qing.”
A smile played on his lips, but Qin Qing could distinctly sense a chilling undertone in his words.
The man continued, “What happened yesterday was an accident, and we accept that.”
“But to use the fact that we are substitute teachers hired through connections as grounds for personal attacks, indirectly causing the accident—isn’t that a bit—”
Zhou Yansheng paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone growing even colder and more forceful, “Too much of a bully?!”