When Xu Lai woke up, the rain was still drizzling, and the room was dimly lit. She felt a sudden sense of loneliness, just like when she was alone and helpless in City B.

The next second, she heard her grandparents chatting downstairs. Her grandmother was saying that the weather was terrible and everything was damp. Her grandfather replied that he didn't know when the rain would stop.

She was accompanied from time to time by the barking of dogs and the quacking of ducks not far away. Listening to these soft and mundane sounds, she crawled out of bed.

She slipped on her slippers and went downstairs. Her grandmother looked at her and asked, "You're awake? It's almost five o'clock. What do you want to eat tonight? You've worked hard today, so Grandma will cook."

Xu Lai was still dazed. She clung to her grandmother's arm, grabbed a small stool, and sat down next to her, resting her head on her grandmother's shoulder. "I'm fine with anything. Since it rained and we didn't go grocery shopping, let's just have stir-fried eggs with chili peppers."

Grandma got up to cook, and Xu Lai opened her phone to browse short videos, then checked the comments and private messages.

In the video about lotus flowers, many fans asked if the lotus flowers and lotus pods would be sold. Xu Lai thought for a moment and decided that the lotus pods could be sold. She would tell her third uncle, but the lotus flowers would be more difficult to sell. At most, she could only sell them to people in the same province.

She replied in the comments section: I've seen everyone's messages. It's been raining lately, I'll check on the lotus seed production when the weather gets better.

She couldn't remember anything she had forgotten until she finished eating. Then she sneezed and realized that she had forgotten to check on Zhao Qingyun.

She knocked on the gate of the neighboring courtyard. The gate was not closed, so she went straight in. Grandma Jiang was not in the main room; she must have been in her room. Xu Lai did not disturb her and went upstairs.

She knocked on Zhao Qingyun's door, and the person inside coughed twice: "Come in."

Zhao Qingyun was already half-lying down, still working on her laptop. Xu Lai frowned and said, "Even in this state, you're still thinking about working. Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

He rubbed his temples. "I'll be done soon. It was raining and the roads were closed today, so I didn't go to work, but I still have to complete the documents that need to be signed and the meetings that need to be attended."

She touched his forehead with her hand and found it was still quite hot, so she said, "When you're done with your work, I'll go with you to the hospital for an injection."

Zhao Qingyun nodded, "Wait another ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, he shut down his computer, got up and got out of bed. Xu Lai noticed that he was dressed in thin clothes, so she grabbed a thin blanket from the small sofa.

He hadn't eaten anything yet, so Xu Lai made him finish a bowl of porridge, told Grandma Jiang, and then picked up his car keys and left.

Upon arriving at the hospital, he saw the doctor, received his medication and injections, and went to the infusion room.

Xu Lai crossed her arms and waited for him in the lobby. Then she took the form, got him the medicine, and went to the infusion room to find him. Zhao Qingyun had already started his IV drip and was dozing with his eyes closed. Xu Lai didn't wake him and draped a thin blanket over him.

The nurse in the infusion room recognized her. As soon as Xu Lai entered, she said, "It really is you. You've changed today; your boyfriend is the one getting the IV."

Xu Lai recalled the time she had a fever, when this same nurse gave her the injection. She understood and smiled, saying, "You actually still remember us."

It's almost eight o'clock now, and there aren't many people left in the hospital. The nurses started chatting, "How could I not remember? I have a particularly strong memory of good-looking people. Speaking of which, back then, your boyfriend came right into my room to call me to change your IV so as not to wake you up."

She took a sip of water and continued, "Although this isn't something to be particularly touching, it proves that he's a thoughtful and caring person. Some grown men, on the other hand, shout at the top of their lungs, as if they're afraid we won't hear them."

The two chatted for a few minutes, then another patient arrived. The nurse was busy giving him an injection, saying, "Let's talk after I'm done."

Xu Lai sat next to him for a while and played on her phone. Zhao Qingyun couldn't fall asleep. He had heard her conversation with the nurse, and he had also heard the words "your boyfriend".

God knows how nervous he was, fearing that Xu Lai would say, "You've misunderstood, he's not my boyfriend." But thankfully, she didn't explain and went along with what the nurse said.

Although that is indeed the case, he still has his own selfish motives. As long as she doesn't deny it, does that mean that Xu Lai is also a little bit attracted to him?

He opened his eyes and looked at Xu Lai, who was playing Snake. She had barely managed to survive and was now in first place. She was trying to avoid the other snakes, but they kept coming towards her as if they didn't care about their lives.

She dodged that one, but couldn't avoid this one. In the end, she crashed into it. Xu Lai looked at the button to revive the advertisement, gritted her teeth, and prepared to click it.

A soft chuckle came from beside her. Xu Lai knew he had been watching, and suddenly felt her face flush. Now that she didn't need to be resurrected, she casually asked, "Shall I get you some hot water so you can take your medicine?"

Zhao Qingyun nodded. Xu Lai got up, walked to the corridor, took a paper cup, filled it with some hot water, and added some cold water. When she felt the temperature was right, she returned to the infusion room.

Xu Lai broke off two pills for him, and Zhao Qingyun took them, popped them into his mouth, took the water, and took a sip. Xu Lai was about to take the cup when she saw his embarrassed expression.

"What's wrong?" Xu Lai asked, puzzled. His expression was contorted. No one had told him that the medicine was so bitter. What was worse was that he hadn't swallowed it and it was now completely dissolved in his mouth, making it incredibly bitter.

Xu Lai guessed, "Did you choke, or did you not swallow it?"

Zhao Qingyun felt the pill was almost dissolved before swallowing it, then took a sip of water and said, "No, I just think that holding it in my mouth for a while will help me recover faster."

Xu Lai could tell from his expression. She gave him a knowing look and said, "It's okay if you didn't swallow it. You don't have to be so stubborn. I won't laugh at you. After all, you're almost thirty years old. It's rare to not be able to swallow a pill."

It was almost ten o'clock when he finally finished the last bottle of IV fluids. The nurse yawned and said, "This is the last bottle. Your girlfriend has fallen asleep waiting."

Zhao Qingyun looked at the person sleeping on his shoulder. Actually, Xu Lai had initially been leaning her head on the chair, but seeing that she wasn't sleeping comfortably, he pulled her onto his shoulder to lean on.

Xu Lai unconsciously rubbed her arms. Zhao Qingyun noticed this and carefully pulled out half of the blanket to cover her.

Xu Lai was woken up, and the blanket was already completely wrapped around her. The person next to her was nowhere to be seen. When the nurse saw that she was awake, she said, "Your boyfriend went to the bathroom. I woke you up, otherwise you might catch a cold if you sleep too long."

Xu Lai folded the blanket neatly, and Zhao Qingyun returned to the infusion room. He took the blanket, picked up the medicine bag, and said, "Let's go home."

Xu Lai drove back as usual. She parked the car smoothly, yawned, and said, "I'm going back now. If you're still not feeling well tomorrow, tell me and I'll go with you to get a shot."

"I'll be fine tomorrow and I'll go to work. Thank you for today," Zhao Qingyun said.

"You're too kind," Xu Lai said, closing the courtyard gate.