Upon arriving at the sanatorium, the staff led them inside and pushed open a door next to the nurses’ station.
“Commander Zhou, this is the ward arranged according to your requirements. Is there anything else you need?”
Upon entering the ward, the room was clean and tidy, with a brand-new bedside table next to the single bed, and a basin, towels, and enamel cups all on a tall stand, clearly indicating a high-standard ward.
Lin Yuqiu’s heart skipped a beat. She turned her head to look at Zhou Runqing, her lips moved as if she wanted to ask how much it would cost, but she swallowed the words back.
She knew she didn’t have much money to spare, and asking would only make her feel more embarrassed.
Zhou Runqing looked at Lin Yuqiu, his deep voice carrying a comforting gentleness: “What do you think?”
The staff followed his gaze and greeted him with smiles: “Commander Zhou, is this your fiancée?”
Lin Yuqiu’s heart tightened, but she smiled and nodded, then nodded to the man and said, “This place is quite nice.”
After the room was booked, the staff brought in a caregiver in a blue overalls, smiling and saying, “Commander Zhou, this is the caregiver you ordered. She’s quick and efficient and takes good care of patients.”
After a pause, he added, “However, our sanatorium has a rule that family members cannot stay overnight, and daytime visits also require a formal application process. Please bear with us.”
Lin Yuqiu was stunned. If she couldn’t stay with her, how could she take care of her mother?
Before she could panic, the man spoke again in a calm voice: “Open a guesthouse, one with a nice environment.”
The staff smiled and agreed, and quickly opened a room in the sanatorium’s guesthouse, handing them the key.
After settling his mother in, Zhou Runqing took the keys and led her to the guesthouse.
The guesthouse is right next to the sanatorium, just a few steps away.
Upon entering the guesthouse, Zhou Runqing glanced around the room after opening the door and then instructed Xiao Liu to go out and buy some daily necessities.
Lin Yuqiu entered the room. Although the room was not large, it was clean and tidy.
In addition to the restrooms, the public areas also have washrooms and shower rooms, which Lin Yuqiu was already quite satisfied with.
What’s most comforting is that the windows are open, and the evening breeze carries the fragrance of the grass and trees in the courtyard, without any of the musty smell of a typical guesthouse.
Lin Yuqiu walked to the window and gazed into the distance. The clouds on the horizon seemed to melt into strands of golden powder and sprinkle down, making the pink and white petals in the distance look like they were coated with honey, giving people a sense of fresh sweetness.
Suddenly, a man’s voice came from beside her. His tone was calm and emotionless, but the last syllable of his voice carried a reassuring and touching quality: “How’s the environment here? You’ll have to make do for a few days. Once the report comes through and you get your marriage certificate, you can move into the compound.”
Lin Yuqiu turned her head and looked up at the man who was so close to her.
His expression was stern, yet his words flowed silently into the heart like spring rain.
Zhou Runqing looked down at the woman, whose eyes seemed to shimmer with a gentle light, and felt as if his heart had been scratched by a cat’s claws.
The girl who was once raised with the utmost care and affection is now so lovable.
He whispered, “Your food rations will be transferred to you after we get married. I’ll arrange for someone to deliver meals to you in the next few days.”
He then pulled out a small notebook and pen from the front of his military uniform and wrote down a string of numbers. “If you need anything, just let me know. This is my home phone number.”
Lin Yuqiu felt a lump in her throat. The house was ransacked, and even her and her mother’s food ration book was taken away. If it weren’t for Zhou Runqing, she and her mother would probably still be eating sweet potatoes bought from roadside vendors to fill their stomachs.
She nodded, took the letter with the phone number written on it, and looked up with her tender, watery eyes full of gratitude: “Thank you.”
Zhou Runqing’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at her intently, then said in a calm and slow tone, “We will be husband and wife, there’s no need for formality.”
Lin Yuqiu looked into the depths of the man’s eyes, as if burned by those two words. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away, unsure how to respond.
She mumbled a muffled “Oh.”
Zhou Runqing looked at the woman’s plump cheeks, as smooth as the first snow, with a blush of pink that surpassed all the unforgettable spring scenery he had ever seen.
He looked at him with interest for a few more seconds; his cold and sharp features revealed nothing about his thoughts.
He suddenly pulled over two chairs from beside the coffee table, placed one in front of her, gestured for her to sit down, and then straightened the chair and sat down.
After she sat down, he gazed at her intently and asked slowly, “Is there anything you want to ask?”
Lin Yuqiu nodded and then shook her head.
She desperately wanted to know how her elder brother had entrusted her to him, and also wanted to know what his relationship was with the female doctor, but she despicably didn’t want to break down this barrier.
Regardless of his motives, she got what she wanted from the marriage.
She chuckled softly, her eyes filled with a gentle, ingratiating smile.
The man’s eyes were unreadable, but he suddenly leaned forward, his movements as swift as a hunting wolf, carrying a menacing aggression.
Lin Yuqiu was caught off guard as the man suddenly moved closer, his handsome face almost touching hers, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.
The man’s fingertips traced her cheek, pinching a small fleshy part of her face, and a low, seductive murmur escaped his thin lips: “So obedient.”
The rough touch on her cheek made her chest feel like it was filled with a small beast, which pounded wildly, making her heart tremble and her eardrums buzz. She couldn’t hear what the man was saying at all.
The man quickly withdrew his hand, a barely perceptible curve appearing at the corner of his lips, adding a touch of tenderness to his cold and ruthless features.
He looked at her calmly and solemnly and said, “I don’t want my wife to have a look in her eyes that’s trying to please me.”
“Our relationship is equal. Since I have decided to marry you, I will do my best to treat you well, so you don’t need to feel guilty.”
Lin Yuqiu regained her composure slightly, then frowned again: “But my identity”
Zhou Runqing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, casually twirling his pen between his fingers. “Does being a capitalist really bother me?”
He shook his head. “I don’t mind.” The disdain and arrogance in his tone were completely different from his usual composed demeanor, as if he didn’t care about her status.
Lin Yuqiu remained uneasy: “I haven’t met your family yet. Will they agree?”
Zhou Runqing leaned back in his chair, his posture extremely languid, and said in a domineering and unquestionable tone, “You don’t need to worry about these things, just be prepared to be my wife.”
Lin Yuqiu swallowed her many questions about his family, and then, as if possessed, asked, “So, who is that female doctor to you today?”
Zhou Runqing dropped his languid demeanor, becoming serious, his voice low and calm: “You mean Shiyun? She’s the little sister we grew up with in our compound.” He then looked at her intently, adding meaningfully, “You care about her a lot?”
Lin Yuqiu hurriedly shook her head: “No.”
Just then, Xiao Liu’s panting and groaning came from outside the door.
“Commander, the goods have been purchased.”
Xiao Liu came in carrying large and small bags, all of which were daily necessities.
Lin Yuqiu went to greet him, saying, “Thank you for your help, Xiao Liu.”
Xiao Liu waved his hand, put the things on the table, and replied with a smile, “It’s no trouble at all. The commander specifically instructed me to do this, and it’s all paid for by the commander.”
Lin Yuqiu looked at the pile of brand-new items: towels, washbasins, enamel mugs, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. The guesthouse already had these, but he still prepared new ones.
In the past, she would have been particular about these things, but after the destruction of her family, what right did she have to be so particular?
She took a deep breath and saw that Xiao Liu had even bought candles, which must have been at the man’s behest.
The city’s power supply is currently unstable, and the hospital experiences frequent power outages.
She never expected that men could be so thoughtful.
As night deepened outside the window, the room could still be clearly seen in the afterglow, but now the lights had to be turned on.
Lin Yuqiu turned on the incandescent light and looked at the man still standing in the room, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Xiao Liu was already waiting outside the door, but the man, with his hands in his pockets and his tall, upright figure, strolled around the room as if surveying his territory, showing no intention of leaving. He would stand by the window for a while, looking up and down, tugging at the window to make sure it was locked, and then look up at the low-wattage incandescent light bulb, his brows slightly furrowed.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, he slowly turned around and asked, “Are you hungry?”
Her stomach suddenly growled twice, and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. She lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, saying, “It’s getting late, you should go back. I’ll just eat something simple later.”
Zhou Runqing frowned, his gaze falling on her small, pointed chin as if measuring it silently. His Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, clearly indicating that she looked thinner than she had a few days ago.
“Pack your things and come out with me.”
Hearing this from outside the door, Xiao Liu peeked through the door: “Commander, are we going back to the compound?”
Zhou Runqing nodded: “Mm.”
Lin Yuqiu’s heart skipped a beat. “I have to go too?”