When Shao Wenye returned to the ward, he saw Xu Rou pouring water for Wen Yu. His gaze instantly shifted.
He strode in quickly. “What are you doing here?”
His tone was as cold as ever.
His eyes swept over Wen Yu—making sure she hadn’t been bullied.
Xu Rou’s hand paused mid-pour. What did Shao Wenye mean? Did he really think she would harm Wen Yu in a hospital room?
Her temper flared instantly. She slammed the enamel cup down on the table hard to show her displeasure.
“Shao Wenye, we grew up in the same courtyard. You could even say we’re childhood friends. You know what kind of person I am. Do you really need to treat me like a thief? What, you think I’m going to eat her alive or something?”
Wen Yu couldn’t help but think that Aunt Shao’s description of Xu Rou as fiery-tempered was absolutely accurate. She really had seen it firsthand—daring to snap at Shao Wenye like that took real courage.
Shao Wenye was too lazy to argue with her. Some people were the best at pushing their luck when given an inch.
“This isn’t the place for you. Leave.”
The eviction was blunt and merciless. If it weren’t for the relationship between the Shao and Xu families, and not wanting to embarrass both sides, he would have already told the nurses to stop letting Xu Rou in.
He hadn’t forgotten—when Shao Rong had thrown a tantrum and bitten Wen Yu, it was Xu Rou who had been stirring things up behind the scenes.
On the surface she looked carefree, but she was anything but simple-minded. She was like a hornet’s nest full of schemes. From now on, Wen Yu needed to stay far away from her.
“Still not leaving?”
His impatient tone made Xu Rou’s face flush red. She didn’t want to lose face in front of Wen Yu.
She forced a smile. “I came here out of kindness to visit Wen Yu. I even helped out for quite a while. I don’t expect gratitude, but was there really a need to speak to me like that?”
“We all live in the same courtyard. We see each other every day. There’s no need to make things so unpleasant, right?”
If given a choice, Wen Yu would rather stare at Shao Wenye in awkward silence than stay in the same room as Xu Rou. Even though watching Xu Rou suffer a loss was a bit satisfying, she still preferred peace and quiet while recovering.
Just as Xu Rou was about to continue her long-winded speech, Wen Yu smiled and said, “Comrade Xu, thank you for your trouble just now. Since Shao Wenye is back, you don’t need to stay. You can go now.”
The two of them were clearly cooperating in pushing her out. To Xu Rou, it felt like she was being summoned when useful and discarded when not.
She had her pride too. Enduring Shao Wenye’s cold attitude was one thing, but being slapped in the face by Wen Yu as well—she couldn’t take that.
“Comrade Wen, then you take care of yourself. I’ll come see you when I have time.”
“Mm. Safe travels.” Wen Yu nodded politely, distant and composed.
Her high-and-mighty attitude made Xu Rou almost explode on the spot.
This Wen Yu really thinks she’s something special.
If it weren’t for wanting to see her so-called “love interest” more often, she wouldn’t have bothered enduring this humiliation.
She shot Shao Wenye an aggrieved look before turning and leaving the ward.
Her footsteps were heavy—clearly in a foul mood.
Wen Yu couldn’t help but laugh. This woman had a lot of schemes, but no patience. Teasing her a little was actually quite entertaining.
Seeing her smile, Shao Wenye froze for a moment.
Ever since the wedding incident, Wen Yu hadn’t smiled in front of him at all.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly.
“Let’s eat first.”
He laid out the food from the cafeteria: steamed buns, pork stewed with potatoes, and stir-fried greens.
Wen Yu touched her stomach. “I don’t really want to eat. Auntie already made me two eggs. I’m full.”
“Then eat a little.”
He split the bun in half and handed her one piece. “Have some bun and some vegetables. Brown sugar eggs don’t keep you full. You’ll be hungry later with nothing to eat.”
His words were clearly caring, but coming from him, they sounded stiff—and faintly forceful, almost like a threat.
Wen Yu didn’t want to argue, so she quietly took the bun and started eating.
“Eat some vegetables too. Balanced nutrition helps you recover faster.”
“Oh.”
Wen Yu felt conflicted.
Had she accidentally picked up a father?
Shao Wenye picked up his chopsticks and moved all the pork onto the lid of the lunchbox, placing it in front of her. “Eat it all.”
There wasn’t much meat—just five or six slices of pork belly, the rest was potatoes.
But having any meat at all was already a luxury in this era. Many people didn’t even eat meat twice a year.
Wen Yu wasn’t clueless. Thinking he hadn’t eaten yet, she only picked up two slices before stopping. After finishing the bun, she put down her chopsticks. “I’m full.”
“Eat the meat.”
“I can’t finish it.”
Her eyes were wide and round as she looked at him. Shao Wenye’s tone unconsciously softened. “It’s not much. You won’t get stuffed.”
“Overeating is bad for recovery. I already had two eggs. That’s enough nutrition. Moderation is best—too much of anything is bad.”
Wen Yu spoke rationally, leaving him no room to refute.
Shao Wenye didn’t insist further.
He finished the rest of the food himself.
Watching him eat her leftovers made that strange, uneasy feeling in Wen Yu’s chest return again.