Inside the ward at the end of the corridor, two nurses were changing the dressing for Jiang Qiuli’s mother.
They were the same two nurses who had run into Chen Zhuo and Jiang Qiuli at the elevator yesterday.
“Aunt, your daughter’s boyfriend is really handsome. Sigh, look at us—we work at the hospital and are busy every day. We don’t even get the chance to meet handsome guys,” one of the nurses said with a smile.
Although they didn’t know the full situation, regardless of right or wrong, saying things that could make the patient happy and bring a bit of liveliness to the lifeless oncology ward was part of their unspoken professionalism.
Hearing this, Jiang Qiuli’s mother smiled.
Yes, although her daughter and Chen Zhuo weren’t actually a couple yet, she believed that if what Chen Zhuo had shown yesterday was genuine, it was only a matter of time before they fell in love.
By then, if Chen Zhuo could withstand the test of time, she would feel at ease entrusting her daughter to him.
“Aunt, Qiuli and I came to see you.”
Just as she was thinking, Chen Zhuo’s steady voice came from the doorway.
“You’re here. Come, come sit.”
Compared to yesterday, Jiang Qiuli’s mother looked much better.
At that moment, the two nurses finished tidying up and prepared to leave.
“Thank you for taking care of Aunt,” Chen Zhuo said first as the four of them passed each other.
Offering words of gratitude and praise cost nothing, yet it could make the other person feel respected and appreciated, improving their impression of you.
Chen Zhuo understood this very well.
“Haha, no need to thank us.”
“Qiuli, you brought your boyfriend again. Yesterday when you came with him, your mom’s condition improved a lot. If you come a few more times, I think she’ll recover soon!”
The nurses weren’t familiar with Chen Zhuo, so they only responded briefly to him, but they spoke quite a bit to Jiang Qiuli.
Jiang Qiuli had originally wanted to refute it, but when she heard that her mother’s condition had improved because of Chen Zhuo’s visit, she swallowed her words.
She simply smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”
“No need. Spend some time with your mom. She’s been waiting for you all day.”
When Jiang Qiuli turned back, Chen Zhuo had already set up the small dining table.
He was placing the dishes he brought one by one in neat order.
“Aunt, Qiuli and I haven’t had dinner yet. Qiuli bought some dishes so we can eat together.”
“This is steamed perch, this is steamed egg, and this is stir-fried beef with sweet peppers. None of them are heavy in flavor, and they’re nutritious. Qiuli said she wants you to nourish your body well. With a healthy body, recovery will be faster.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
These were just casual words from Chen Zhuo, basic caring phrases for a patient.
Yet Jiang Qiuli’s mother couldn’t hold back and wiped the tears from her eyes.
Unlike Jiang Qiuli, who used to cry easily as a child but later learned to cry quietly after their family’s downfall, her mother had always been a strong woman, a true self-made success. She had built everything from scratch alongside Jiang Qiuli’s father.
Cry?
Even when her husband took his own life and left behind a mountain of debt, she had not shed a tear.
And yet now, faced with Chen Zhuo’s simple words, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
Chen Zhuo had brought a gentle warmth like sunlight into their once frozen lives.
“Mom, why are you crying?”
Chen Zhuo was busy arranging the dishes and hadn’t noticed.
Jiang Qiuli, who was standing beside her, quickly stepped forward.
“It’s nothing… I was just worried. You’re still studying—where did you get the money to buy so much food? Did Chen Zhuo pay for it?”
Compared to Jiang Qiuli, her mother was far more mature. With just a couple of sentences, she shifted the topic.
Jiang Qiuli fiddled with her fingers and hesitated before saying, “N-no. Mom, I found a job. I’m earning money now.”
“Really? I told you before to continue working part-time to improve your life. I can manage alone in the hospital, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’ve figured it out?”
Her mother was genuinely happy.
Her daughter was finally getting back on track, ready to pursue her own life again.
As for herself… she was just a burden now. She would leave it to fate.
Jiang Qiuli shook her head. “No. My boss gave me an electric bike. I can come to the hospital quickly in the morning and afternoon. It won’t take too long, so I can balance school, work, and coming here.”
Her mother froze for a moment.
She wanted to persuade her not to come, but she knew it would only increase her daughter’s pressure.
After thinking for a moment, she said, “Your boss is a really good person.”
Jiang Qiuli nodded. “Mm, he is.”
There was something she didn’t say… sometimes he was a bit bad.
Chen Zhuo, who was arranging the utensils, felt a surge of joy.
Their relationship had truly advanced to a new level this time. It seemed he should visit the hospital more often in the future.
“Let’s eat. I also bought some fruit. Aunt, have some first.”
The ward was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.
Meanwhile, in the orthopedic ward, Ye Fei was undergoing a psychological consultation.
“The patient doesn’t show obvious signs of mental illness, but his emotions are very unstable. It’s likely due to the psychological impact of the accident. With more counseling, it shouldn’t be a major issue.”
After the psychologist left, another group entered.
It was his instructor, Instructor Wang, along with several class committee members from Public Administration Class 3.
Since the class monitor had suffered such an incident, she had to come and check on him, both out of duty and personal concern.
“Ye Fei, I heard from the doctor that your emotions have been unstable and that you even fell to the ground. I know this accident has been hard on you, but you need to stay rational. You’ll recover soon.”
Seeing that it was his instructor and classmates, Ye Fei immediately put on the appearance of a well-behaved student.
Maintaining his image in the eyes of his classmates and teacher was crucial if he wanted a chance to explain things clearly to Jiang Qiuli.
And even if things couldn’t be salvaged with Jiang Qiuli…
He still had another target—the beautiful junior-year instructor who had just arrived: Li Yueyue.
Compared to Jiang Qiuli, who didn’t dress up much, was cold, and kept to herself, Li Yueyue was far more alluring.
“Teacher, I was just in too much pain and felt too frustrated, so I got a bit emotional. Seeing you all come to visit me has already made me feel much better.”
Ye Fei forced a smile, saying words that didn’t match his true feelings.
“That’s good.”
Instructor Wang placed the fruit she had brought aside and continued, “You don’t need to worry about school matters. I’ve already had your classmates explain things to all your course instructors. It’s fine if you don’t attend for now.”
She paused, then added, “Also, regarding Public Administration Class 3, you don’t need to worry. The school was concerned that we instructors might be too busy, so they assigned a class assistant from the third year.”
“The class assistant assigned to our class is an outstanding senior student. He’s already taken care of your responsibilities. Once you’re discharged and can return to school, everything will be handed back to you.”