Chapter 50 Trust

High fever, obvious flu symptoms, but whether it's just a common fever or the flu depends on the test results.

Lin Ke was surprised that Meng Jing would come.

"Was it Si Yuming who sent him?"

"Yes, you called me late at night. I went to your dormitory in the middle of the night but didn't see you. I knocked on Director Yun's door but still didn't see you. I couldn't get through to you on the phone. I called Director Yun and found out that you had a fever."

Meng Jing saw Yun Zheng next to her, but didn't think much of it.

He wasn't particularly close to Yun Zheng in private, but they were both mid-to-high-level officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and they would exchange a few words during meetings.

There are many rumors about him in the department. He is tall, handsome, self-disciplined and calm. The fact that he is still unmarried at his age often makes him the center of attention.

Lin Ke was in the same department as him, and he was also his superior. It was only right that he should lend a hand to his subordinate who had fainted from a fever in a foreign country.

As Lin Ke's family member, Meng Jing thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Director Yun."

"Of course."

After Lin Ke finished her IV drip and needed to be hospitalized for observation, Yun Zheng turned to her and asked, "Should I have Sister Zhang come and take care of you?"

Lin Ke regained some consciousness and thought that if the fever subsided, she should be fine. "No need for all that trouble."

Meng Jing said directly, "Come on, it's not appropriate for the two of us men to stay here."

Yun Zheng sent out the message and left shortly after.

The nurse came and wheeled her to the ward. Meng Jing sat down on a chair next to her and stayed with her, planning to wait for her female colleague to arrive before leaving.

Lin Ke was the only one in the ward. She wasn't asleep, so Meng Jing talked to her to keep her entertained, but his words were clearly aimed at her: "Yu Ming is really anxious. You have no idea. If I had dared to say I didn't have time back then, he would have come over immediately."

However, after sending the pictures and a brief description of Lin Ke's current situation, there was no reply. Meng Jing thought that the person was probably already on their way to kill him.

He clicked his tongue and said, "I never expected this. I don't know whether to say that you fell into Yu Ming's hands, or that Yu Ming fell into your hands."

Lin Ke glanced sideways, a smile playing on her lips, "Brother Meng Jing, I never expected your wife to be a young girl several years younger than me."

"..." Meng Jing glanced at her, "You can still choke when you have a fever?"

Lin Ke coughed twice, and Meng Jing immediately went outside to get a glass of warm water and came back.

She sat up against the pillows, took two sips of her drink, and said, "Brother Mengjing, tell him I'm fine, don't worry, and don't come over."

“Okay, I’ll send it to you, but I don’t know if it will be useful.” Meng Jing took out her phone to type, and said, “But it’s not like he’s going to do anything, he doesn’t need to ask for leave. The company can run just fine without him for a day or two. Girls should be a little softer. You’re both married now, so learn to rely on him more and don’t try to tough it out on your own.”

Lin Ke paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled: "Shuxia is lucky."

Meng Jing sighed softly as he spoke of this.

What good fortune? He couldn't understand young people these days at all. Was he that scary-looking or had a bad temper? Why was that girl avoiding him everywhere?

He wanted to get along well with them, but he really didn't have a chance at all.

He doesn't usually have many female friends, so he asked, "Lin Ke, what do you think young people like these days?"

Lin Ke didn't understand at first, but after a moment's thought, she grasped the meaning. "What young people like, Shu Xia might not like. You'll have to observe her more." She added, "Shu Xia is quite naive; she's just too young to accept marriage. Be understanding and tolerant. Most importantly—"

She deliberately kept him in suspense, and the man pressed, "What?"

"Be patient, don't rush, or you'll scare the girl away."

Meng Jing shook his head and smiled helplessly.

Sister Zhang arrived around 10 a.m., and Meng Jing went back.

Lin Ke thanked her, "Thank you for your help, Sister Zhang."

"It's nothing. We're all alone out here, so we definitely need to help each other. If I ever get a headache or fever, you'll have to take care of me."

Lin Ke accepted this kindness.

After the IV drip, the fever subsided, but it started again in the middle of the night, and it went on and on until morning.

Ms. Zhang worried: "I think it might really be the flu, otherwise why would a common cold cause a persistent fever?"

Lin Ke's head still felt heavy, but the first two days of her period had passed, and with people around her in the hospital, she could talk to them and distract herself, so she felt less uncomfortable.

Yunzheng brought lunch over at noon. "Sister Zhang, you should go back now. I'll see if Xiao Qin can come over this afternoon if she hasn't been discharged yet."

"OK."

Lin Ke was a little embarrassed, "Director... no need."

Yun Zheng: "Don't worry too much. Things are different abroad than in China. Colleagues are not just colleagues; I also have a responsibility to take care of you. I got some light porridge and vegetables from the cafeteria; have something simple to eat."

"...Okay, thank you."

Yun Zheng pulled out a small table from the hospital bed and placed the porridge and vegetables on it. "Is this okay?"

"It's possible, but... the cafeteria lunchbox is sealed tightly, and with the IV in her right hand and no strength in her left, Lin Ke hesitated: "...Director, could you help me open the lid again?"

"Can."

The small table was in front of her, and the man leaned down...

As soon as the lid was opened to reveal the body, a fist came flying from behind.

......

Lin Ke was shocked to see the person, and then noticed the blood gushing from Yun Zheng's mouth. She asked anxiously, "Director, are you alright?"

He shouted even louder: "Si Yuming, are you out of your mind? Why are you hitting people for no reason!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Man was following behind Si Yuming. Zhang Man also saw what had just happened, but before she could think much about it, the man in front of her had already thrown a punch. She quickly stepped forward to support the man who had been knocked back and bumped into the bedside table.

Yun Zheng steadied himself, wiped his lips, and said with a mix of speechlessness and helplessness, "President Si, you've misunderstood."

After his initial emotions subsided, Si Yuming gradually calmed down, though his eyes still held a dark look.

He was worried the whole way, and dared not delay a moment after boarding and landing. But when he entered the ward, he saw another man "kissing" her. It was none other than Yun Zheng. At that moment, he lost control of everything.

He looked over quietly, his facial features tense, and said nothing.

Seeing that the couple was not in a good mood, Zhang Man pulled Yun Zheng out first.

Yun Zheng didn't give him a friendly look either. She took him to the nurses' station, where a nurse treated his wounds.

Zhang Man, standing to the side, said, "President Si was a bit impulsive, but even I almost thought you were bending down to kiss Ke Ke just now."

Yun Zheng hissed as the soft flesh of his mouth bumped against his teeth and broke the skin. After the nurse applied some medicine, he looked over and asked, "Why are you here?"

The woman's face broke into a seductive smile: "I've been less busy these past few days, so I thought I'd come and see you."

She was half telling the truth. If it weren't for the orders she needed to follow up on and the relationships she needed to maintain, she wouldn't have come here. Making money is her top priority right now.

But since we're here, we definitely have to come and see him.

This man is indeed hard to win over; if the hard approach doesn't work, she's going to try the softer one.

Yun Zheng, of course, did not believe it and calmly withdrew his gaze.

"I never expected to witness such a show as soon as I arrived." Zhang Man crossed her arms and suddenly asked, "Yun Zheng, you don't actually have feelings for Ke Ke, do you?"

The man paused for a second, then quickly replied, "That's not true, don't overthink it."

After working together for two or three months, those youthful thoughts, or rather, youthful regrets, have long since faded away; he wouldn't be so unaware of his past.

Zhang Man didn't think much of it. She was good at judging people, and at this moment she didn't see any trace of lying on his face.

Moreover, even if she didn't believe him, she would still believe Lin Ke.

What kind of person is Lin Ke? Back in school, if she knew a boy liked her, she would run away as soon as she saw him, never giving him a chance.

Unlike me, who is oblivious to everything, she is very meticulous. So if Yun Zheng really liked her, she couldn't possibly not know it, let alone let Yun Zheng take care of her.

The nurse brought over an ice pack, which Zhang Man took and pulled up a chair to sit next to him. "I'll apply it for you."

“I can do it myself.” Yun Zheng reached out to take it, but Zhang Man nimbly dodged him, smiling brightly. “Let me do it.”

Yun Zheng looked at her, his face cold and silent.

Zhang Man leaned closer, holding an ice pack and pressing it against the side of his face where he had been hit.

My gaze shifted and I noticed her ears were gradually turning red.

She smiled and slowly said, "My ex-husband came to see me a while ago, but I was a bit annoyed, so I didn't call you. You're not angry with me, are you?"

The man turned his face away.

“I used to delegate the customs declaration for the company’s orders to others, but then problems arose, and I had to deal with them myself, so I learned every step of the process again.” The woman’s voice rose and fell, as if she were whining to someone close to her: “This order cost me a lot of money, it’s infuriating.”

Yun Zheng glanced at him again. This man was greedy, worldly, and good at pretending. He was full of words that were hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood. He had ulterior motives for getting close to him.

He scoffed, "Of course I'm only half-baked, so I'm only half-baked."

"Director Yun, who wasn't a novice at first? Don't look down on me, okay?" Zhang Man wasn't angry; instead, she smiled even more brightly. She removed the ice pack, pretended to blow on it, and asked with feigned concern, "Does it still hurt?"

Yun Zheng stood up abruptly and walked out.

Zhang Man quickly followed, a smile playing on her lips. "Hey, wait for me! I'll go back with you."

......

The atmosphere in the ward plummeted to freezing point.

Lin Ke stared at him, not understanding why he would hit someone for no reason. Her voice was harsh: "Why didn't you even ask before you attacked? Anyone with common sense knows that Director Yun and I..."

She abruptly stopped, belatedly realizing something, and her voice deepened, "Are you doubting him, or do you not trust me?"

The man remained silent.

Lin Ke was so angry she almost laughed. "Si Yuming! Don't you have a heart?!"

Si Yuming said in a low voice, "I don't distrust you."

It's a lack of self-confidence.

He occasionally experiences feelings of insecurity and anxiety, which is nothing to be ashamed of. He feels uncomfortable every time he sees Yun Zheng, who is a huge threat—outstanding, single, and a shining senior in Lin Ke's field. The way he sometimes looks at her is not innocent either.

During all those years apart, he was the one who worked and lived with her, and he was genuinely afraid that she would outshine him.

Lin Ke was utterly bewildered: "If you trusted me, why did you immediately believe the illusion you saw? Do you think I wouldn't refuse if he did something to me?"

Her fever had subsided considerably, but she was still weak. Her mind was spinning because of her emotions, so she had to lean back against the headboard, close her eyes, and take deep breaths to calm herself.

The man tried to step forward, but Lin Ke stopped him, saying, "Don't talk to me yet."

Patients, doctors, and nurses occasionally walked around outside, but the ward smelled strongly of disinfectant, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.

Afraid she might bump into the porridge on the table, Si Yuming first put it on the bedside table, then sat down on the edge of the bed, "Wife..."

After a few minutes of pause, Lin Ke said seriously, "Si Yuming, I was worried that we would gradually drift apart because of the long distance, but as of today I don't think so. On the contrary, we are slowly getting better. Every day I look forward to the smooth end of these two years, and then I can go home and reunite with you and the baby."

"But maybe there are still some problems between us. My colleagues sometimes say that couples who live apart will inevitably argue more and have more conflicts. I didn't understand that back then, but I do now."

"Trust is the hardest hurdle in a long-distance relationship."

"You say you love me, but you don't believe me. Do you suspect that I might be tempted? That I might have something happen with Yunzheng?"

Lin Ke looked at the person with tightly pursed lips, "You had your suspicions, didn't you?"

The ward was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After some time, the resident doctor came in, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two.

The doctor handed over a report and said a few words in Russian.

The person on the bed, whose face had just begun to recover, turned pale again.

Si Yuming panicked and quickly asked what was wrong.

Lin Ke did not answer.

He took the form from her, but it was all in Russian and he couldn't understand it. He had no choice but to use his phone to translate it.

Soon, he saw the words "biochemical pregnancy".

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Author's Note: That's all for Yun Zheng and Zhang Man. See you in the extra chapters if there's a chance!