Chapter 20

I feel warm all over; I haven't slept this soundly in a long time.

The coffee smells so good, mmm~ caramel flavor. Chu Ci slowly opened her eyes, her gaze shifting slightly. An IV drip. This is a luxury ward.

...

The sunlight was a bit dazzling; all I could see was someone opening a window. The person turned around, exclaimed "Oh dear!", ran over, and put down their coffee.

"Chu Ci, you're finally awake! You've been in a coma for ten years! Waaah... Xingxing has grown up so much! Waaah..." Huo Zixi wailed.

My thoughts froze for a moment.

Yes, Xingxing was taken away by Yao Shengjie. They went to the Karimata Strait to rescue people, but the ship broke apart, and she fell into the sea again. After that...

He lay in bed for ten years after being rescued?

Huo Zixi cried out, "Quickly check if there's any atrophy in your limbs! Can you feel anything here? Can you move your hands and feet?"

With his help, Chu Ci sat up, her lips trembling, and a wave of sorrow washed over her. "Waaah... my youth..."

"Wow..."

Huo Junyan had just reached the door when he heard wailing and howling coming from the ward. He hurriedly pushed the door open, and the sound stopped abruptly.

Chu Ci and Huo Zixi clasped hands tightly, their expressions exaggerated, much like a nouveau riche returning home in glory and his childhood friend, now a major taxpayer in the area, reuniting after a long separation.

"What are you doing?" Huo Junyan asked in a deep voice.

Chu Ci immediately let go, gently smoothed her hair, lowered her eyelashes, and said in a weak voice, "Zi Xi said I... have been in a coma for ten years."

"Huh?" Huo Zixi's lips twitched, and he glared at Chu Ci. He had the guts to betray him but not the guts to look at him. Tch!

He could only chuckle awkwardly and explain, "Well, I meant I lay there for ten hours, heh~"

Chu Ci lowered her head, suppressing a laugh, and realized what was happening the moment Huo Zixi let out his first howl.

The tacit understanding between good friends led to a perfectly coordinated performance.

“Uh… Uncle, we were just joking, she knows,” Huo Zixi picked up his coffee. “I’m going to take care of Xingxing; I promised to buy him popping candy.”

“Wait, don’t give him too much sugar,” Chu Ci looked up, her big eyes filled with a sly smile. “I want coffee too, caramel flavor.”

Huo Zixi grinned at her, about to complain, but seeing her uncle's ashen face, she composed herself and said, "I have something to do, Uncle. Your coffee is even better."

"Caramel flavor? How sweet?"

Huo Junyan looked at her with a subtle gaze and a hint of something intriguing in his tone.

Chu Ci paused for a few seconds, blinked, and looked away. "Nine points."

He looked up at Huo Zixi, "You're also drinking it nine-tenths sweet?"

"Hehe, I drink instant coffee."

They ran away in a flash.

Damn it!

I was wondering why this feeling felt so familiar. Five years ago, when they were getting along well, he would find fault with everything they did.

Just as Chu Ci was about to throw off the covers, Huo Junyan suddenly stood up and left.

She paused for a moment, then slowly got out of bed, moved her limbs with agility and strength, looked around, went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her skin was almost transparently white, without any color in her face, her shoulders were sharp and narrow, and her thick hair clung to them, making her look rather unattractive.

Um……

I went outside, looked around the room, grabbed a set of pajamas, and took a nice, comfortable hot shower.

Hehe~

She must have been rescued very quickly after falling into the sea. I don't know how the others are doing; I didn't have time to ask them just now.

After changing my clothes and putting on a headscarf, I came out to find the room empty except for a cup of coffee on the table.

Chu Ci Meimei picked up her coffee; the cup was already cold, so it must have been sitting there for a while. She was thirsty anyway, so she took a big gulp!

ah!

His face contorted in pain, he abruptly put down the cup, preparing to rinse the toilet and vomit.

Turning around, she met Huo Junyan's gaze as he pushed open the door and entered.

She held back her coffee, her eyes wide, wanting to run away but unable to swallow it.

Is this black coffee with bitter melon?

Bitter explosion.

How sweet is the coffee?

Chu Ci: ?

She swallowed the tears back, tilted her head back to hold them back, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Just a little bit of sugar."

Huo Junyan picked up his coffee. "How much less?"

"One point." One negative one.

He took a sip. "I only added one part sugar."

Chu Ci looked bewildered: Nonsense! If you added even a single grain of sugar, it wouldn't taste that bad.

Waving its claws behind him, Huo Junyan suddenly braked and turned around. Chu Ci hurriedly leaned back to dodge, and the towel wrapped around her head fell off.

He reached out and caught it.

My hair, still damp, was loose, and the light floral scent from my bath neutralized the bitterness of the coffee.

The peripheral vision glances at it are fleeting.

His gaze, however, wouldn't leave her; he stared at her as if he wanted to see a hole through her.

Chu Ci lowered her eyelashes, glanced at the coffee table, went over to pour a glass of water, took a few small sips, turned around and went into the bathroom, turned on the hairdryer, and then gasped for breath.

The girl in the mirror looks very energetic.

Some people pursue Platonic love, some prefer stability and comfort, and some like to support each other and reach new heights together.

And her?

With Huo Junyan's looks and temperament, he's always the center of attention, so it's not surprising that he attracted Chu Ci's attention.

The key is that she becomes lost in thought as soon as you get close, just like in the novels where the pheromones choose you.

Or perhaps she was simply attracted to his good looks and lusted after his body.

Aaaaaah!

Chu Ci raised an eyebrow at herself in the mirror and carefully dried her hair. There were only skincare products on the shower table, no hair care products.

She came out with her hair braided and saw that Huo Junyan was still holding a wet towel.

Their eyes met, and she walked around to the hospital bed. Huo Junyan put down the towel, turned around and went out, and soon brought back another cup of coffee.

Chu Ci was still tying her hair up.

"Is it comfortable to sleep like this?" He watched as she rolled up her braids and coiled them into a bun at the back of her head.

Unable to find a hairpin to hold it in place, Chu Ci saw the stirring spoon in the coffee cup saucer, got out of bed barefoot, picked it up and inserted it directly, just like a silver hairpin.

She sat back on the bed, tilted her head and smiled gently, like ripples on a clear stream, "I'll put it down when I go to sleep."

Huo Junyan's eyes, which had been lowered considerably, lit up for a moment. "Then why bother?" His voice held a hint of barely perceptible pleasure.

Of course, it's for the sake of a natural, bouncy look.

"Seawater damages hair, making it a little frizzy. Tying it up will help."

The coffee smelled rich with caramel and milk aromas. This time, she cautiously took a small sip and said, "Delicious." Her eyes crinkled with laughter, and her toes curled up in the smile.

Huo Junyan's eyes narrowed slightly, his pupils darting over her toes, before he grabbed the blanket and covered her legs with it.

"Thank you," Chu Ci thoughtfully raised her arm, leaned back, and continued drinking her coffee. "How sweet is it?"

He simply sat on the edge of the bed, took the cup from her hand, took a sip without hesitation, and frowned slightly, "Saturated and sweet."

"Nonsense," Chu Ci said with a smile, taking back her coffee. "Full sugar is too sweet, this one you made is just right."

Huo Junyan's lips curled up, his expression relaxed. He turned his head to look to the other side, propped himself up with his hands behind him, and tilted his head back. From his sleeves to his elbows, his muscles tightened slightly from the effort.

Chu Ci put down her coffee, quietly moved closer, raised her eyebrows, and tilted her head to look at him.

As if sensing something, he turned his face, his eyebrows and eyes sparkling with tiny diamonds, his smile as bright as a spring breeze.

Without thinking, she looked up and kissed him.

It's soft and cool; the moment you touch it, a tingling electric current instantly travels to your toes, and you immediately pull away.

He had no intention of letting her go, so he grabbed her wrists with both hands, held her head high, and began to thrust deeper and deeper.

Hormones spread unchecked in the quiet room. She was breathless from the kisses, her brain gradually became oxygen-deprived, and her consciousness became scattered.

Finally, there is laissez-faire.

There was a knock on the door!

Both of them were startled at the same time. Chu Ci opened her eyes and saw that one of his arms was around her waist, her body pressed tightly against him, and his other hand greedily reached into her clothes.

Huo Junyan frowned, his face showing displeasure at being disturbed.

Chu Ci tried to push him away but couldn't budge him. She opened her mouth and bit his tongue. Huo Junyan winced in pain and finally let go of her. He licked his lips with his tongue, feeling a sharp pain. How cruel of him.

"Get up." The voice was soft and sweet. Chu Ci pursed her lips, coughed lightly, and turned her face to the side.

Huo Junyan pinched her chin, lightly pecked her lips, and immediately got up to open the door.

Chu Ci's cheeks flushed red. She hurriedly pulled the blanket over her chest, bent over, and buried her face in the blanket. What a scoundrel!

When her assistant brought dinner, Chu Ci noticed that it included osmanthus rice cake and mung bean soup, as well as fermented rice ice cream, which were from a tea shop near her home.

He bought her everything he had eaten that night.

Chu Ci was already hungry. She threw off the covers, got out of bed, and tiptoed over to sit on the sofa.

Huo Junyan glanced at her, went around to the other side of the hospital bed, took the slippers to her, squatted down on one knee, and just as he grasped her ankle.

The door was pushed open again, and Huo Zixi and Xingxing rushed in, carrying balloons and foam airplanes they had bought in the square.

"Mommy, Mommy..." When Xingxing saw Chu Ci, she immediately dropped the balloon and rushed into her arms.

The balloon flew to the ceiling.

Chu Ci had been missing her son for a long time. She hugged him tightly and kissed him, "Did you miss me?"

Xingxing nodded vigorously, "When I came in the morning, I saw Mommy was sleeping, so I didn't go to kindergarten. I went to see Grandma, another grandma, another grandpa, uncles and aunts, and another grandpa..."

Chu Ci immediately understood that Xingxing had been taken to the Huo family.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask, has the matter been resolved? Was no one hurt?" Chu Ci put down Xingxing.

"Nothing happened. Qin Ye's men suffered minor injuries," Huo Junyan said succinctly.

Chu Ci felt relieved, as long as no one was hurt. She didn't want the shipwreck of five years ago to happen again, not even to Yao Shengjie.

She didn't want to spend the rest of her life never daring to look at the sea again.

Huo Zixi set out the bowls and chopsticks. "Chu Ci, you're really amazing. You didn't suffer any losses against the Zhou father and son. Damn it, you don't know, this father and son took the opportunity last night to launch an AI online medical service, which happened to coincide with the time when we were all on the cruise ship."

Chu Ci paused slightly, "How could that be? They don't have a database."

"The lack of a database is just a disadvantage, not an inability to go live."

Chu Ci nodded.

Since Xingxing's disappearance, Huo Junyan was worried that they would use this project as leverage, so he temporarily suspended the launch of AI medical services. Before boarding the helicopter with Chu Ci, he gave her these instructions:

Without receiving definite news from him, do not try to attack any company that launches AI healthcare services.

The Zhou family father and son used time difference and psychological tactics.

This doesn't need to be said aloud; it's simply a businessman's keen instinct.

Now that the Zhou family has launched first, and the Huo family launched shortly afterward, public opinion suggests they are following suit, and it will be difficult to see any differentiation in the short term.

More costs will be required.

Chu Ci saw Xingxing reach for the osmanthus rice cake, so she quickly grabbed his little hand and moved the rice cake away, saying, "You eat the shrimp paste and steamed egg."

"It's just rice cake, eat it if you like," Huo Zixi said.

"He has an allergy."

Huo Junyan looked up, "You're allergic to stars too?"

"Uncle, are you allergic too?"

Huo Junyan picked up Xingxing and said, "I'm your father."