Chu Tianqing jogged back and forth across the hundred-plus-square-meter living room more than a dozen times, then thundered up and down the wide staircase several times.
As a quintessential high-energy person, her excitement finally found release.
Sprawled spread-eagle on the living room carpet, Chu Tianqing wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She let out a long breath and grinned goofily while lying there: "So satisfying! My Lanbao is here, hehehe~"
Chu Tianqing had long forgotten her solemn vow that afternoon at Lakeside Park to ask herself every day: Has Lin Sinian fallen in love with me today?
When your bestie arrives, who needs a man?
Her amnesiac bargain-bin husband had been tossed to the nine clouds and beyond.
She hadn't been lying on the carpet for a minute before Chu Tianqing sprang up with agile grace.
She pulled out her phone, blasted "A Good Day" on speaker, hummed along, and headed upstairs to shower.
Meanwhile, at Renji Hospital's VIP ward.
Lin Sinian opened the surveillance audio at the same moment.
Chu Tianqing's sweet, resonant singing filled the ward: "Today is a good day, all that I wish for will come true~"
Lin Sinian: "…"
From her radiant, fair-and-flushed little face, Lin Sinian could detect not a trace of worry or sadness.
Sure enough—this afternoon in the ward, it had all been an act.
Lin Sinian raised a hand to press his throbbing temples, his brow ridge twitching slightly.
With obsessive compulsion, he wanted to know why.
His wife, ten years his junior, didn't love him, held no feelings for him whatsoever.
And toward her, he…
Probably felt nothing either.
Recalling the fried food Chu Tianqing had brought, that surging emotion welled up in his chest once more.
Lin Sinian pressed his fingertips against his stinging brow.
If there were no feelings, then why get married?
Chu Tianqing found bath salts in the bathroom and soaked in a blissful bath.
She slathered on body lotion, then applied an ice-cold sheet mask.
Chu Tianqing pressed the switch.
The electric curtains drew shut, leaving only a dim amber bedside lamp glowing. The faint, elegant scent of gardenia aromatherapy lulled her toward sleep.
Lying on the plush bed, she stretched, grabbed her phone, and prepared to chat with Shen Xinglan before bed.
Opening WeChat, besides Shen Xinglan's message confirming she'd arrived home safely, there was one unread message.
From her eldest niece.
Lin Nanxi: [Auntie, did you go see Little Uncle and Uncle Achen today? Are they doing any better?]
Lin Nanxi: [I bought the panty liners—just in time. Thanks for the reminder, Auntie.]
Lin Nanxi: [Get some rest early, Auntie. Take care of yourself.]
The niece also sent a cute sticker of a little bunny holding flowers in thanks.
Chu Tianqing replied while marveling inside.
No wonder she's the sweet white-lotus female lead—even her stickers are this gentle.
Nothing like the stickers Chu Tianqing and her bestie exchanged, which were a chaotic blend of cringe and abstract absurdity.
Chu Tianqing: [Little Uncle woke up. His memory hasn't returned yet, but physically he's fine.]
Chu Tianqing: [Lin Zhichen hasn't woken up yet, but his vitals are stable.]
Chu Tianqing: [Assistant Sun and I are at the hospital with him, and the clan elders are also here. Once they stabilize a bit more, I'll bring you to see them at the hospital this weekend.]
Lin Nanxi: [Okay, thank you, Auntie. See you this weekend.]
Chu Tianqing exchanged a few voice messages with Shen Xinglan, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
"I'm done for—sleeping first, babe." Chu Tianqing yawned.
Shen Xinglan's voice was equally lazy: "Go to sleep. You still have to be at the hospital tomorrow morning. I'm sleeping too. Good night."
At the words "hospital duty,"
Chu Tianqing perked up a few notches instantly.
Almost forgot the main quest.
Chu Tianqing patted her cheeks and sat bolt upright: "Has Lin Sinian fallen in love with me today? Obviously not!"
A rumble of thunder crashed outside the window, followed by a sudden downpour pelting down.
Chu Tianqing jolted.
"That's it!" She looked out the window, inspiration striking.
She tapped open her chat with Lin Sinian.
"Tap tap tap"—typing.
In the original story, little Lin Sinian at three or four years old was most afraid of rainy days.
His mother had just passed away, his sister went out to set up her street stall at night, and he was home alone.
Booming thunderclaps crashed into his ears one after another.
Little Lin Sinian worried about his sister, so he ran barefoot out of the house.
When thunder struck, he'd crouch down, eyes squeezed shut, hands over his ears, trembling.
When it stopped, he'd stumble onward toward where his sister set up her stall.
Chu Tianqing deduced—
Though Lin Sinian had lost his declarative memory, his emotional and implicit memories would still be etched into his instincts.
Since he'd feared thunderstorm nights as a child, his body would still react with fear before his mind caught up.
Chu Tianqing: [Missing you. Can't sleep.]
Chu Tianqing: [Can you hear the thunder outside? In times like this, you used to cover my ears with both hands, hold me in your arms, and gently kiss the top of my head.]
Chu Tianqing: [I can actually feel your body trembling slightly. Did you used to be afraid of thunder as a child too?]
Chu Tianqing: [After you got together with me, you said you'd never fear thunder or rain again, because I brought you clear skies.]
Chu Tianqing: [From now on, every thunderstorm, every rainy day, I'll be right here with you.]
Chu Tianqing sent a little sun smiley emoji.
"Yue…" Chu Tianqing let out a dry heave.
Cheesy pick-up lines were so disgusting.
Money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to eat.
Who told Lin Sinian, that old geezer, to be ten years older than her? If he were her age, he wouldn't be using such tactics.
The next day.
Chu Tianqing woke up at eight in the morning.
She unlocked her phone in a daze.
"Ugh…" Chu Tianqing sighed. Lin Sinian still hadn't replied to her WeChat message.
"It's a brand new day, let's go!" Chu Tianqing dashed to the bathroom to wash up.
While brushing her teeth, she received a WeChat message from Shen Xinglan.
Shen Xinglan: [Qingqing, all the money on my meal card is gone!]
"Damn system! It won't even spare my meal card?" Chu Tianqing spat out a mouthful of foam.
She immediately transferred 500 yuan to her.
Chu Tianqing: [I wanted to send it yesterday, but I was too excited and forgot.]
Shen Xinglan: [That's too much. My dad's been driving me around lately, and I eat dinner at home, so I don't spend much. Just give me 200.]
Chu Tianqing: [Keep it. I'm about to go hustle that old man, and then we'll have money!]
Shen Xinglan: [Go Qing·Spirited Girl·Qing! You got this!]
Shen Xinglan: [I'm starting work in the last row of the classroom. Don't forget to go ask around about the Lin family elders. I'll share any useful info I find with you tonight.]
Shen Xinglan: [Don't be late for your hospital shift. Treat it like a real job.]
Shen Xinglan transferred the 300 back.
Chu Tianqing didn't accept it.
She felt a bit guilty inside.
The excitement from yesterday had worn off, and today she finally realized that transmigrating into the book was her responsibility.
If she hadn't sent that crappy novel to Shen Xinglan, maybe her best friend wouldn't have been dragged into this with her, and wouldn't have had money deducted by that damn system in the third dimension.
Chu Tianqing silently vowed.
She would make sure Shen Xinglan lived a good life in this book!
Chu Tianqing went downstairs and microwaved a small container of the cucumber chicken rice bowl Shen Xinglan had made yesterday.
After breakfast, she changed into a cream-colored loose hoodie and wide-leg jeans.
She combed her wavy chestnut hair into a neat high ponytail and applied some sunscreen as a base.
She had naturally thick eyebrows, so she didn't even need to draw them on. Her features were striking, and a light swipe of tinted lip balm was enough to make her stand out.
She dug a denim baseball cap out of her closet, put it on, slipped into a pair of flats, and headed out the door with her laptop bag.
The rain had cleared, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass.
Chu Tianqing first took a ride-hailing car to the nearest subway station, which cost her fifteen yuan.
She skillfully scanned a shared bike, mounted her phone on the holder, and started pedaling hard toward the hospital.
Save where you should, spend where you must—riding a bike to visit my man.
Renji Hospital VIP Ward.
Lin Sinian leaned against the hospital bed, gazing out the window.
It had rained all night, but now the sky had cleared.
Last night, just as he'd closed his eyes, he'd been jolted awake by a clap of thunder.
Suddenly, his heart raced. Lin Sinian's body felt as if it were being squeezed by some invisible force, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
His brain felt no fear or dread, yet his amygdala was giving direct orders—
Instinct told him he was afraid of thunder.
The phone by Lin Sinian's hand lit up and dimmed, dimmed and lit up again.
When he opened it, his gaze lingered for only two seconds before his brows furrowed.
As if he'd seen something filthy, Lin Sinian coldly locked the screen. He fell asleep quickly after, and didn't wake again all night.
Two little sparrows hopped around by the window, chirping as if they had endless things to say.
"Take it away." Lin Sinian withdrew his gaze.
The congee, side dishes, and egg custard from breakfast had barely been touched.
Assistant Sun cleared the tray and glanced at the wall clock. "It's past nine. The missus should be here soon, right?"
"She might not come…" Lin Sinian's words trailed off.
"Ohayou~" Chu Tianqing poked her head into the ward, waving at them with full energy.
Lin Sinian looked up and paused. "…"
"Good morning, missus?" Assistant Sun almost didn't recognize her.
Yesterday, Chu Tianqing had arrived at the hospital in ten-centimeter stilettos, full makeup, and an imposing aura.
Assistant Sun's impression of her was a glamorous beauty with mature attire and ambition written all over her face.
But the girl before him now had a high ponytail, wearing a simple hoodie and jeans.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto her face, her skin so bright he could see the fine fuzz on it.
There wasn't a trace of makeup on her face. She was as clean and fresh as if she'd just run over from the morning playground.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Chu Tianqing set down her backpack and naturally sat down by the bed.
"Fine." Lin Sinian pulled his chin in slightly, keeping some distance from her.
"Then that means you slept well. Looks like my comforting worked! From now on, I'll be with you every rainy day."
Chu Tianqing's brows and lips were full of smiles, her eyes sparkling like stars.
Lin Sinian's gaze remained calm and unreadable, neither confirming nor denying.
"Missus, could you persuade Chairman Lin to eat more at lunch? He barely touched his dinner yesterday or his breakfast today." Assistant Sun shook his head, handing the tray piled with food to the nurse.
"Of course," Chu Tianqing turned around. She'd almost forgotten—she was here to "work." "Assistant Sun, can you add a meal for me to the companion lunch order?"
"Alright, I'll bring the menu over. Please mark any allergens or dietary restrictions directly on it, ma'am," Assistant Sun said as he handed over the menu and a pencil.
Chu Tianqing wrote "No ginger" in the dietary restrictions section and happily began ordering.
After ordering, she pulled out her laptop from her bag, grabbed a portable side table, and plopped herself down on the companion bed.
Chu Tianqing spent the entire morning typing away furiously at her computer.
Every now and then, she'd close her laptop and step out to make a phone call, looking every bit the professional career woman.
Lin Sinian, aside from being wheeled out for examinations, spent his time listening to Assistant Sun's verbal briefings on urgent matters requiring his approval.
Even with amnesia, his ability to analyze and make judgments remained intact.
When he returned to the ward, Chu Tianqing was mostly quiet, and even the sound of her keyboard tapping had softened considerably.
When she saw him resting with his eyes closed, she'd quietly swipe some fruit and snacks from the table and wander out to the hallway to chat with the nursing staff.
The moment lunch arrived, Chu Tianqing darted back in from the hallway and buried herself in her food.
Delicious, she thought to herself—she'd eat a hearty lunch from now on so she could skip dinner.
Shen Xinglan was right; she should treat the hospital companion bed like a job.
She'd show up on time every day just for that lavish lunch.
Lin Sinian watched her eat as if she hadn't had a proper meal in eight hundred years. He hesitated for a moment, the words on the tip of his tongue, but swallowed them back down.
There were too many oddities about this marriage.
Until his memory returned, he had no intention of getting too close to her.
As soon as the lunch break rolled around—
With Lin Sinian forced into his afternoon rest by the doctor, and Assistant Sun nodding off like a pecking chick from exhaustion,
Chu Tianqing slipped out of the ward without a sound.
She headed straight upstairs.
The entire third floor was reserved for VIP intensive care wards.
Lin Zhichen, her best friend's future "marriage to ward off evil" comatose husband, was staying on this floor.
Arriving at the door of the VIP lounge, she paused to steady her breathing.
Chu Tianqing pushed the door open…