Xue Yanxin hurried home in a panic, mentally preparing herself to find her apartment flooded beyond saving. To her immense relief, it turned out to be nothing more than a false alarm. The problem wasn’t with her place at all.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she rolled up her sleeves and started making soup instead.
By the time she returned to the hospital with the freshly simmered broth, Huo Zhiyuan’s IV drip was nearly finished, and Qi Junlin had already left.
“It’s almost done? Why didn’t you call me?” she complained as she set down the insulated food container. “I could’ve picked you up and taken you home to drink the soup. I would’ve even made you a few more dishes. You’re sick, you need all the nutrition you can get.”
Huo Zhiyuan looked at the steaming bowl before him. He hadn’t even taken a sip yet, but the warmth filling his chest had nothing to do with the soup.
Xue Yanxin ladled out a bowl and handed it to him. Then her gaze landed on the IV needle still taped to his right hand.
“Can you even drink by yourself?” she asked. “Do I need to feed you?”
“If you want to, I wouldn’t object.”
He looked straight into her eyes as he spoke, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. It was almost as though he had seen through whatever hidden agenda she supposedly had.
His unwavering gaze somehow made Xue Yanxin feel guilty, even though she hadn’t been plotting anything at all.
“What do you mean if I want to?” she shot back, glaring at him. “I’m asking whether it’s convenient for you.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but to Huo Zhiyuan, that little expression made her seem incredibly vivid and adorable.
“Oh, is that so?” he replied. “Then… I suppose it’s not convenient.”
He obediently opened his mouth.
“Ah…”
Waiting to be fed.
Xue Yanxin couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Once he finished the soup, there was only a little saline left in the IV bag. She pressed the nurse call button for him.
While waiting, she suddenly noticed Huo Zhiyuan’s expression growing tense. His face had turned slightly pale, as though he was enduring something uncomfortable.
She immediately became worried.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling worse again? I’ll get the doctor.”
She jumped to her feet so quickly that she nearly knocked over the soup container. Huo Zhiyuan quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her.
“I’m fine,” he said hastily. “I’ll be okay once the nurse removes the needle.”
Just then, the nurse arrived.
She expertly removed the IV, and before she had even finished tidying up, Huo Zhiyuan had already climbed off the bed.
“I’m going to change.”
He hurried toward the restroom with an oddly stiff, awkward gait.
Watching him practically jog away, Xue Yanxin froze for a second before realization dawned on her.
She burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! If you needed the bathroom, you should’ve just said so! What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
When Huo Zhiyuan finally came back out, his face was burning red with embarrassment.
“If… if you were helping me…” he stammered. “That would’ve been… inconvenient.”
“What’s inconvenient about it?” she teased. “At most I’d carry your IV bag for you. It’s not like I’d watch.”
As she spoke, she suddenly leaned in until her lips were almost brushing his ear.
Her voice dropped to a whisper that only the two of them could hear, filled with playful temptation.
“So… did you want me to help hold it for you?”
“You… I… I didn’t mean that!”
Huo Zhiyuan’s face exploded crimson in an instant.
The warmth of her breath still lingered by his ear, making it itch.
He knew Xue Yanxin loved teasing him with shameless jokes, but he never imagined she’d be this bold in a hospital of all places.
He instinctively glanced around.
Fortunately, the nurse busy making the bed didn’t spare them a single glance. She probably hadn’t heard anything.
Only then did he let out a quiet sigh of relief before hurriedly covering Xue Yanxin’s mouth.
“There are other people here!” he whispered urgently. “We’re not at home!”
Xue Yanxin blinked innocently, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She looked as harmless as a little rabbit, as though those outrageous words hadn’t just come from her.
Her mouth still covered by his hand, she mumbled something.
Huo Zhiyuan couldn’t make it out, and fearing she’d say something even more shocking for others to hear, he refused to let go until the nurse had left and they were finally alone.
Only then did he remove his hand.
“What did you just say?”
Suppressing another laugh, Xue Yanxin lowered her voice.
“I said… you’re so innocent. You make me feel like some kind of hooligan.”
“You little hooligan.” He chuckled helplessly. “At least you’re self-aware. Come on, let’s go home.”
Back at the apartment, before either of them had even settled down, Xue Yanxin eagerly pulled out the gift she’d prepared.
The wrapping looked almost identical to the one she’d used for the ragged work clothes she’d given him before.
A blue gift box.
A neat white ribbon tied into a bow.
The moment Huo Zhiyuan saw it, his heart skipped a beat.
Don’t tell me… it’s another terrible outfit…
The memory of Qi Junlin laughing himself silly over those old clothes was still painfully fresh.
“Ta-da! Your discharge gift!”
“I get a gift for leaving the hospital?”
“Recovering from an illness is something worth celebrating.” She smiled brightly. “I wanted to give you one. Go on, open it.”
Her bright eyes were fixed on him without blinking, eagerly waiting for his reaction.
Looking at the pure joy and excitement on her face as she anticipated surprising him, Huo Zhiyuan suddenly felt that he’d already received the greatest gift imaginable.
Her concern.
Her warmth.
Her optimism.
Her love for life.
And most of all…
The fact that she genuinely cared about him.
Those were the gifts that soothed his weary heart more than anything else.
Silently, he reminded himself that no matter what was inside the box, even if it was another awful present, he would pretend to be pleasantly surprised and sincerely love it.
Perhaps because his expectations had been lowered by that first “gift,” the moment he lifted the lid and saw the suit inside, he was genuinely stunned.
His fingers gently brushed over the fabric, the buttons, every careful stitch.
This…
This was handcrafted by Uncle Goat’s Tailor Shop.
The little tailor shop specialized exclusively in men’s suits. It was an old establishment tucked away in a quiet alley, hidden from the bustling streets.
The shop itself was tiny, barely thirty square meters.
There were rarely any customers inside, probably because most people were scared away by the staggering prices.
Yet the place had an almost magical reputation.
Anyone who bought a suit there would inevitably return for another, becoming a lifelong customer.
The storefront was plain and unremarkable, but the people who frequented it were anything but ordinary.
Its clientele consisted almost entirely of wealthy and influential individuals.
Huo Zhiyuan himself had once been one of its loyal regulars.
He loved the tailor’s craftsmanship and refined sense of style. Aside from a few luxury brands, nearly every suit he owned had been made there.
That was why, the instant he saw the suit inside the box, he knew exactly where it had come from.
His eyes lit up with unmistakable admiration.
He caressed the suit as gently as if it were a priceless work of art.
“Something like this…” he murmured. “You probably spent every penny you earned selling lunch boxes.”
Xue Yanxin waved him off.
“It’s only money. You’re the one who went bankrupt, not me.”
She grinned smugly.
“Did you forget how much I managed to squeeze out of you before? Besides, money can’t buy happiness. Well… actually, it can if it makes you happy.”
She shoved the suit toward him.
“Go try it on. Let’s see if it fits.”
Emotion flickered across Huo Zhiyuan’s eyes.
He immediately changed into it, even swapping into a matching dress shirt.
The transformation was astonishing.
Clothes truly did make the man.
The tailored suit elevated his already striking appearance by several levels. Its crisp lines accentuated his tall, lean frame, making him appear even more commanding.
Standing in the living room, he seemed to eclipse everything around him.
Like a stalk of dark bamboo, solitary yet elegant.
Unyielding.
Graceful.
Untouched by the ordinary world.
The cold, rational, aloof CEO he once was had returned.
One look at him, and it felt as though he was about to negotiate a multi-billion-dollar business deal.
“Does it fit?” Xue Yanxin asked softly.
Even her voice had unconsciously become gentler than usual.
“It does.”
He smiled warmly.
“It fits perfectly. It’s perfect for me.”
“I really like it.”
“I’m glad.”
She smiled with satisfaction.
“You can wear it to your new job.”
Huo Zhiyuan gently smoothed the fabric across his chest.
The material was soft yet structured, luxurious beneath his fingertips. He simply couldn’t bear to let it go.
Looking at Xue Yanxin, he sincerely said,
“Thank you.”
His earnest gratitude made her unexpectedly shy.
After trying it on, he carefully removed the suit, neatly straightened every crease, and hung it on a proper wide wooden hanger to keep its shape.
Then he placed it beside the old, worn-out work clothes Xue Yanxin had given him the first time.
He would never wear those tattered clothes to a construction site again.
They no longer had any practical use.
Yet, for some reason, he simply couldn’t throw them away.
If anything, he took even better care of them than the rest of his wardrobe.
Perhaps he already knew the reason.
The very first gift someone gives you is often the most precious.
Even if it’s nothing more than a worn-out set of old clothes.