After arriving at the hospital, Gu Qingci opened the car door, took the youngest child from Jiang Banyue’s arms, and rushed inside with big strides.
Jiang Banyue, carrying the other two babies on her back, followed behind him.
The doctor placed the child on the bed for examination and measured her temperature—39°C, a high fever.
The doctor looked up at Gu Qingci.
“Father, come hold the child. I’m going to give her a fever-reducing injection.”
“Ah? I…”
Gu Qingci froze for a moment at being called “the child’s father.”
The doctor impatiently called again.
“Father! Hurry up! What are you dawdling for?”
“Alright!”
Gu Qingci quickly stepped forward and held the youngest child.
The doctor drew up the injection and quickly gave the shot into the child’s bottom.
The youngest cried out loudly in pain, struggling hard.
Gu Qingci held her tightly and gently soothed her.
“Baby, be good. It’ll be over after the injection.”
Jiang Banyue’s heart ached as she patted the child, tears falling again.
“Baby, Mommy is here… don’t cry…”
Jiang Huai Jin looked worriedly at his younger sister. She was very delicate and afraid of pain; she would definitely cry for a long time after such a shot. And indeed, even after the injection was finished, she kept sobbing.
The doctor told them to stay in the hospital overnight for observation.
Back in the ward, Gu Qingci took the two babies from Jiang Banyue’s back and held them in his arms to soothe them, letting her focus on comforting the sick youngest child.
The second child was already deeply asleep, so he placed him on the bed and covered him with a blanket. The eldest, however, kept staring at him and refused to sleep.
“Baby, why aren’t you sleeping? Are you worried about your sister? Be good and sleep. I’m here—I’ll take care of your mom and sister.”
Jiang Huai Jin moved his lips slightly, silently saying thank you in his heart, before finally giving in to sleepiness and falling asleep.
Gu Qingci placed the two sleeping children side by side on the bed.
He then turned and saw that Jiang Banyue was holding the youngest child while wearing thin clothes and slippers.
His brows furrowed in distress.
He took off his black coat and gently draped it over her shoulders.
“No need…” Jiang Banyue stepped back in surprise, sensing the strong masculine scent.
“Be good. Put it on. It’s cold at night. If you also get sick, who will take care of the children?”
“Thank you.”
She held the coat tightly, her face warming instantly.
“It’s fine. Give me the child. You should lie down and rest for a while.”
“No need. I can manage. You already helped me bring them to the hospital—I’ve troubled you enough.”
“Banyue, don’t be so polite to me.”
Gu Qingci took the sleeping child from her arms and wrapped her in a small blanket.
“Taking care of you… is something I’m willing to do.”
Jiang Banyue’s mind went chaotic. Hearing something that sounded almost like a confession made her heart race and her face flush.
This was the first time in both her lifetimes that someone had confessed feelings to her—and such an outstanding man at that. If this continued, she would not be able to resist.
She looked back at her children on the bed and immediately snapped back to reality. She lowered her head, overwhelmed with guilt.
What was she thinking?
She was a divorced woman with three children. How could she think about remarrying?
The most important thing now was to take good care of her children.
She walked over to Gu Qingci and reached out to take the youngest child.
“She’s asleep now. I’ll put her on the bed.”
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
Gu Qingci placed the child on another bed and stood up.
“It’s almost three o’clock. Go lie down and rest.”
“Thank you… you should go home. I’ve already troubled you enough today.”
Hearing this, Gu Qingci felt a trace of irritation.
He had heard “thank you” too many times tonight.
Looking at the sleeping children and the exhausted woman, he knew this was not the right time to talk.
He suppressed the emotions in his heart.
“Rest well. I’ll leave first.”
He walked out of the ward and quietly closed the door.
Outside, he got into his car and leaned back to rest for a moment.
Inside the ward, after the man left, Jiang Banyue stared blankly at the closed door, sighed, took off the coat and placed it on the bed, then lay down beside her youngest child and fell asleep.
..
Around five in the morning, birdsong in the trees woke Gu Qingci in the car.
He opened his eyes and saw the faint morning light. He rubbed his face, got out of the car, and walked to a breakfast shop opposite the hospital.
He bought steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and milk, then returned to the ward.
He opened the door gently and saw the mother and four children sleeping peacefully. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
He placed the breakfast on the table and walked to the bedside. He bent down and touched the youngest child’s forehead—cool to the touch.
He let out a relieved breath.
The fever had gone down.
He looked at Jiang Banyue. She was lying on her side with her face against the child’s chest, cheeks flushed from sleep, messy hair scattered across her face.
Without thinking, he gently reached out and brushed her hair aside.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Startled, he quickly withdrew his hand, rubbed his fingers lightly, and walked to the window pretending nothing had happened, staring outside.
Later, around six, the hospital became lively again.
Jiang Banyue slowly woke up and instinctively checked the child’s forehead.
“Finally… the fever is gone.”
Gu Qingci smiled softly and lowered his voice.
“Banyue, are you hungry? I bought breakfast. Come eat.”
She looked up and was startled.
“You didn’t leave last night?”
“I left, but I was worried you’d be hungry. With three children, it wasn’t convenient for you to buy breakfast… so I came back.”
He placed the buns and soy milk on the table.
“Come eat while it’s still warm.”
Jiang Banyue nervously fidgeted with the bedsheet.
She was now certain—Gu Qingci liked her and was pursuing her.
But she was a divorced woman with three children. How could she be worthy of him?
“Comrade Gu, I…”
“Eat first. It’ll get cold.”
He interrupted her, clearly knowing what she was going to say.
She swallowed her words, sat down, and ate.
“You should sit and eat too.”
“Alright.”
He sat across from her and ate quietly.
“I bought milk for the children. It’s been warmed. They can drink it when they wake up.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
She reached for her money, but he pressed her hand down firmly.
“Sit. Eat.”
His voice turned slightly stern.
She froze and obediently sat back down.
A man this outstanding liked her—but in her past life, she might have accepted without hesitation.
But now… she was divorced with children.
She shouldn’t drag him down.