Chapter 12: The seventh afternoon of the quiet hospitalization...

On the afternoon of the seventh day of hospitalization, the doctor came in with the latest examination report, his brow much more relaxed than when he was admitted. "You're recovering well. The bleeding has completely stopped, and the uterine cavity is clean. All indicators are basically back to the safe line." He handed the report to Shen Shutong, "You can be discharged. But you must rest and stay in bed for at least another week. Take your medicine on time, eat a light diet, and keep your mood stable. Especially avoid overexertion and avoid drastic mood swings. Remember?"

Fu Jingchuan nodded: "I remember it."

Shen Shutong took the report: "Thank you, we will pay attention to it."

"It's not about paying attention, it's about strictly enforcing it." The doctor's tone became heavier. "Mr. Fu, your body is not a machine and can't withstand repeated tossing. If problems occur during the recovery period, it will be a big trouble. No matter how urgent it is, you can't treat your body as a consumable." He glanced meaningfully at the head of Fu Jingchuan's bed, where there was a closed tablet with a black screen.

Fu Jingchuan lowered his eyelashes: "I understand."

The assistant handled the discharge procedures. The driver drove the car to the bottom of the hospital building.

The carriage was very quiet. Fu Jingchuan leaned against the headrest with his eyes closed, breathing shallowly. Shen Shutong looked out the window at the rapidly receding street scene, wondering what he was thinking.

The car drove into the villa area and stopped in the familiar garage. Fu Jingchuan pushed the door and got out of the car. Shen Shutong followed him half a step behind, watching his slightly thin back walk into the entrance.

Auntie was already waiting in the living room. When she saw them, she immediately came over and said, "Mr. Fu, Miss Shen, the rooms are ready. There's porridge warming up in the kitchen. It's light."

"Thank you, Aunt Wang." Fu Jingchuan nodded.

Chen Shutong changed his shoes and said to his aunt, "Thank you for taking care of him this week, Aunt Wang. Follow the doctor's instructions for the diet. He needs to rest, so try not to disturb him."

"Okay, Miss Chen." Auntie responded, looked at Fu Jingchuan's thin body again, and hesitated to speak. Finally, she just sighed and turned to go to the kitchen.

Fu Jingchuan walked straight to the guest room on the first floor - it was temporarily converted into his bedroom to facilitate his rest.

Shen Shutong paused at the door: "You rest first. If you have anything, call auntie, or... call me."

Fu Jingchuan hummed.

…

Another week.

Fu Jingchuan strictly followed the doctor's orders and spent most of his time in his room, reading, processing the small amount of work emails that had to be reviewed by him, or simply resting his eyes.

Shen Shutong goes to the company during the day and usually goes home for dinner at night.

When they first sat down at the table, the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant. Auntie had prepared a table of light dishes. Fu Jingchuan sat across from her, drinking his soup slowly. Shen Shutong picked up his chopsticks and picked up some vegetables, but he couldn't taste them.

"How is the company today?" Fu Jingchuan suddenly asked.

Shen Shutong was stunned for a moment, looked up at him, and met his eyes.

"Not bad," she replied briefly, lowering her head to continue eating. After a moment, she added, "The Lin project is basically finalized. We'll sign the letter of intent next week."

Fu Jingchuan nodded: "Lin Zhe is very fast."

"Yeah." Shen Shutong responded. The two of them didn't say anything else, each eating from their bowls.

The next evening, Shen Shutong returned with a plastic bag in her hand. She walked into the kitchen and placed the bag on the countertop. Auntie was clearing away the dishes.

"I bought some fruit." Shen Shutong took out a few plump and bright red pomegranates from the bag, as well as a small box of exquisitely packaged cherries.

Auntie was a little surprised: “Oh, Miss Shen, Mr. Fu can’t eat too many raw and cold fruits now…”

"I know." Chen Shutong interrupted her, "Put it there for now." Without looking in the direction of the restaurant, she put the fruit in the fruit basket next to the refrigerator, turned around and left the kitchen.

Fu Jingchuan paused for a few seconds as he scrolled across the tablet screen. Pomegranates and cherries, both fruits he had once loved. He stared at the fruit basket for a few seconds, then lowered his head, his gaze returning to the screen. However, the text on the screen hadn't scrolled for a long time.

On the third day, Shen Shutong brought back osmanthus cake from a time-honored shop in the south of the city. She still said nothing, put the cake box on the table in the restaurant, pushed it in Fu Jingchuan's direction, and then pulled out a chair and sat down.

Fu Jingchuan looked at the paper box with the familiar store logo, was silent for a moment, then reached out and opened the box. The faint sweet fragrance of osmanthus wafted out. He picked up a small, soft piece.

"Thank you," he said.

"On the way." Shen Shutong picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of steamed fish.

Two days later, Shen Shutong came back even later. When she entered, Fu Jingchuan was already sitting at the dining table, his food untouched. He seemed to be waiting for her.

"Sorry, I had to add a meeting at the last minute." Shen Shutong took off her coat, put it on the back of the chair, and sat down opposite him. She looked a little tired and rubbed her eyebrows.

"That piece of land in the east of the city," she said, picking up her chopsticks and chatting casually about work. "There's a holdup at the Planning Bureau, and the plot ratio may need to be readjusted."

Fu Jingchuan poured her a bowl of soup and pushed it over: "It's not a big problem. I'll ask the planning team at Jingzhi to come up with two alternative plans and send them to you for reference tomorrow."

"Okay." Shen Shutong picked up the soup bowl and took a sip. The warm soup eased her tense nerves a little. She looked up at Fu Jingchuan. His face seemed a little rosier than a few days ago. "Are you going back to work next week?"

"Yeah." Fu Jingchuan responded, "Let's go to the company tomorrow."

Shen Shutong nodded and said nothing more. The atmosphere at the table, amidst this vague work exchange, maintained a strange harmony.

Fu Jingchuan took his medicine on time and maintained a regular sleep schedule. Shen Shutong came home every night, sometimes bringing something with him, sometimes just coming back empty-handed to eat. The two of them still didn't talk much, but those simple questions and answers, about work and food, were like tiny grains of sand, gradually filling in some invisible gaps.

Until the night before Fu Jingchuan returned to work.

When Shen Shutong returned, she was carrying a delicate handbag filled with golden mango slices. The sweet aroma instantly filled the entrance.

She changed her shoes and walked into the restaurant. Fu Jingchuan was sitting at the table, his laptop screen lit up. He paused typing on the keyboard when he smelled something, then looked up at her, his eyes flickering with a flicker.

Shen Shutong put the bag on the table next to him. "Auntie said your appetite has improved recently." She said in a normal tone, "You have to go to work tomorrow, so you need to replenish some calories."

The sweet aroma of mangoes dominated the air. Fu Jingchuan looked at the box of golden mango flesh for a while, as if in a daze.

After a while, he picked up the fork next to him, picked up a piece, and ate it slowly.

After Shen Shutong saw him eating, he pulled out a chair, sat down, and started eating.

After a while, Fu Jingchuan put down his fork, looked at the fruit plate, and whispered:

"Thank you for remembering."

Shen Shutong paused for a moment while picking up the food. She didn't look up, nor did she ask "what do you remember?"

Fu Jingchuan didn't say anything else. Only the sweet scent of mango lingered in the air.

Top floor of Jingjing Capital.

After more than half a month of absence, the CEO's office remained spotless. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, a sea of ​​tall buildings and passing traffic filled the air. Fu Jingchuan stood in front of the window, his suit neatly ironed, outlining his slightly thinner but still upright figure.

The intercom on the desk rang. The assistant's voice came over: "Mr. Fu, the meeting of department heads will begin in five minutes. Everyone is here."

"Okay." Fu Jingchuan responded, turned around and picked up the tablet and pen on the table.

In the conference room, Fu Jingchuan sat in the main seat and swept his eyes calmly over the executives present. No one dared to catch any signs of weakness on his face.

"Let's get started."

Each department head took turns reporting on recent work priorities, project progress, and encountered problems. Fu Jingchuan listened with his eyes lowered, occasionally jotting down notes on his tablet or interrupting at crucial moments to pinpoint the core of a problem or suggest a course of action. His thinking was clear, his decisions decisive, just as they had been before his illness.

The meeting lasted two hours. When it concluded, Fu Jingchuan closed his tablet. The handover of the "Jiuzhou Menghualu" project would proceed according to the previously agreed-upon process. All resources after Jingzhi's exit would be prioritized for transfer to Shen's. He paused, then added, "Don't leave any loose ends."

"Yes, Mr. Fu." The vice president in charge of the project immediately agreed.

"Send me the alternative planning plan for the land in the east of the city this afternoon." These words were addressed to the director of the planning department.

"Okay, Mr. Fu, we're ready."

Fu Jingchuan nodded and stood up: "Let's adjourn the meeting." He was the first to walk out of the meeting room.

The executives exchanged glances and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Fu was still the same Mr. Fu. He was just calmer and seemed in a better mood.

Shen Shutong's schedule was packed. After a lengthy board meeting in the morning, she met with two important clients in the afternoon. As the clock was about to end, she had just picked up her coffee to refresh herself when her assistant knocked on the door.

"Mr. Shen, Jingzhi has sent us the handover process and resource list for 'Jiuzhou Menghualu'. It's very detailed, and includes the direct contact information for several key channel managers." The assistant said with a hint of surprise, "Also, the planning team has sent us three alternative optimization plans for the land in the east of the city, all very targeted."

Shen Shutong took the tablet and quickly scanned it. The plan was clear and well-thought-out, clearly a product of careful thought. Her fingertips slid across the screen, landing on the date the plan was signed—late last night.

She put down the tablet, picked up her coffee and took a sip. "Got it. Leave the plan on my desk. I'll take a look at it later."

"Okay, Mr. Shen." The assistant stepped out.

The office fell silent. Shen Shutong walked to the French window and looked at the bustling traffic below. She thought of the unfinished box of mangoes in the restaurant last night and Fu Jingchuan's barely audible "Thank you for remembering."

The phone vibrated. The screen lit up with a new message.

F: [Do you have any social engagements tonight?]

ST: No.

The reply came quickly.

F: [Auntie Wang made Chinese yam and pork rib soup. Dinner at 7 o'clock?]

ST: Yes.

End of conversation.

Shen Shutong put down his phone, sat back in his office chair, and reopened the planning plan.

At seven o'clock, Shen Shutong pushed open the door of the villa. The aroma of food was already wafting out. Fu Jingchuan was sitting at the dining table with a laptop in front of him. The screen was still on, as if he had just finished an online meeting.

Hearing the door open, he looked over, tapped his finger on the touchpad, and closed the computer screen.

"I'm back."

"Yeah." Shen Shutong changed his shoes and walked to the dining table and sat down. Aunt Wang just came out with the steaming hot soup.

"Miss Shen is back just in time. The soup is just ready." Aunt Wang smiled and placed the soup bowl in front of Shen Shutong.

The soup bowl in front of Fu Jingchuan was also full. He picked up the spoon and drank quietly.

"I've looked at the planning proposals." Shen Shutong picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of pork ribs. "Plan 2 is more feasible, but it requires coordination with Old Chen from the Planning Bureau. He's not easy to talk to."

Fu Jingchuan put down the spoon: "Old Chen's son is graduating this year and wants to join an investment bank. Jingzhi just got an internship spot and can give it to him."

Shen Shutong raised his eyes and looked at him: "You are exchanging the quota for planning?"

"It's just an internship position." Fu Jingchuan said calmly, "Jingjing doesn't lack this position."

Shen Shutong said nothing, lowering his head to drink a sip of the soup. The soup was well-seasoned, the spareribs were tender and the yam was sweet, dispelling some of the fatigue.

"That Lin's project," Fu Jingchuan suddenly said, "Have you signed the letter of intent?"

"Sign tomorrow." Shen Shutong said, "Lin Zhe has an appointment this afternoon."

Fu Jingchuan hummed and didn't ask any more questions. He picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of tender pork ribs into Shen Shutong's bowl. "Auntie Wang said this was stewed for a long time and has a lot of flavor."

Shen Shutong looked at the ribs in the bowl, then at Fu Jingchuan. He looked calm, as if it was just a casual move. She picked up the chopsticks, picked up the ribs, and took a bite. The aroma of meat filled the air.

"Well, it's good," she said.

Dinner ended in a subtle calm. Fu Jingchuan returned to his study to deal with emails. Shen Shutong spent some time in the living room reading financial news. Around ten o'clock, she went upstairs to wash up. As she passed Fu Jingchuan's study, the door was ajar, and she could hear low voices from inside, seemingly on a conference call.

Shen Shutong paused and suddenly thought: A day like this doesn't seem bad.

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