59: They've all arrived.

"Shuyin, what are you doing?" Pei Qing'an appeared at the door like a ghost, seemingly out of nowhere.

"It's nothing." Liang Shuyin's eyes darted away, but she quickly composed herself.

Pei Yanxiu wanted to say something, but she stopped him with a look.

Shang Zhi's phone rang. It was a video call from Lu Xingqi. On the other end of the phone, Lu Xingqi's expression was gentle: "Azhi, are you alright? How's school over there?"

"Hey, are you in a wheelchair now?"

"No, no, there's no wheelchair. You're mistaken. This is a designer chair that costs tens of thousands!" Shang Zhi smiled at her phone screen while suppressing her sadness.

She didn't plan to tell Lu Xingqi about her illness. She was pregnant and needed to rest, and if Lu Xingqi knew she was in this state, he might rush to see her.

"Xingxing, how have you been lately? Are you experiencing morning sickness?"

"It's okay, I don't feel anything special, except that my appetite is bigger than before. The doctor told me to control my diet, but I can't really control it, hehe."

"You should eat less; you'll suffer later when the child grows up."

"I know, Zhi, are you adjusting well in America? You haven't been to class for so long, do you think you can keep up? If you're too tired, come back soon."

"Okay." Shang Zhi hurriedly hung up the phone, afraid that if she talked for another second longer, she would break down and cry.

The next day, the two had a relatively smooth check-up at the hospital. Pei Yanxiu strictly followed the doctor's instructions to remind Shang Zhi to take her medicine and gave her massages every day. Under his careful care, Shang Zhi recovered faster than most people.

"Amazing, truly amazing. I originally thought you might need surgery, but if you can continue like this, perhaps you won't need surgery at all." Upon hearing the doctor's words, Shang Zhi's worried expression vanished, and she revealed a long-lost smile.

The doctor adjusted the dosage of the medication based on Shang Zhi's current condition, and Pei Yanxiu wrote down the instructions for use word for word. He happily pushed Shang Zhi home, but his smile froze the moment he opened the door.

On the sofa at home, two people were sitting on either side of each other, Lu Ke and Yu Qing. They didn't look at each other and didn't exchange any words.

"You're back, Xixi. These two said they were your friends, so I let them in." Liang Shuyin had just gotten water for the guests from the refrigerator when she saw Pei Yanxiu and Shang Zhi looking hesitant.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"Mom, don't let shady people in next time."

Lu Ke had no time to pay attention to Pei Yanxiu and got up to walk to Shang Zhi's side.

"What happened? What did he do to you?"

“Great minds think alike, you also think he did it, right?” Yu Qing chimed in from the side.

"Who's similar to you?" Lu Ke rolled his eyes at Yu Qing. He and this young punk were not on the same level.

"It was my old injury that flared up again; it has nothing to do with Brother Yanxiu."

“I’ve been injured while filming before. There are several very reputable orthopedic doctors around here. Shall I take you to see one?”

"No need, we've already seen a doctor, and he said I'm recovering very well. I just need to take the medication as prescribed."

"Xixi is injured. All bystanders should leave first and let her rest properly." Pei Yanxiu used his body to shield Shang Zhi, keeping Lu Ke and Yu Qing at a distance.

"In this situation, we should be thinking about how to cure Xixi's illness. We should try anything that is good for her, instead of being selfish and keeping her by our side. Don't you think so?"

Lu Ke's words successfully ignited Pei Yanxiu's anger.

This guy may say this, but we don't know what he really thinks. He clearly just wants to take advantage of someone in distress, but he says it in such a high-sounding way.

"We will consider what you've said. Thank you for your concern for my wife. Xixi needs to rest now. If there's nothing else, please take care."

Pei Yanxiu spoke with displeasure, emphasizing the words "husband and wife" and "wife" heavily. Lu Ke's expression changed upon hearing this.

Regardless, he is still her husband, and legally so.

"Xixi, we'll be going now, but if you suffer any grievances at home, you must tell us!"

"There are so many flies lately. I think we should buy some insecticide to get rid of these rotten flies." Pei Yanxiu said with a hint of bitterness as he closed the door, but Shang Zhi ignored him.

"XiXi, here are the details of a few doctors I contacted. Take a look." Shang Zhi picked up her phone and saw that one of them was her attending physician. She was about to call Lu Ke back and say no when Pei Yanxiu appeared beside her without her noticing.

"He's definitely talking nonsense. You don't actually believe him, do you? I did a lot of research to find this doctor. He's the best doctor in the US. Lu Ke is definitely lying to you."

"What if he can prove it? If he can prove that the doctor he introduces is better than the one you found, would you let me go?" Shang Zhi looked up at Pei Yanxiu, deliberately teasing him.

She felt a little guilty; she hoped he would say no, perhaps his rejection would ease some of the guilt she felt towards him.

"Then let's go."

"What?" Shang Zhi wondered if she had misheard.

"Your health is the most important thing. If there really is a better doctor, of course we should go. Why are you looking at me like that? What, do you think I'm some kind of bad person?"

"No." Shang Zhi gently bit her lip, the helpless yet heartbroken look in his eyes echoing in her heart.

She suddenly realized that she had misunderstood him, and that she had misunderstood him in many ways.

"I was just kidding. The doctor Brother Lu found is the same one you found for me. I'll tell him I don't need it later."

"Okay." Pei Yanxiu appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Or should I stay at the hospital with you?" Pei Yanxiu had mentioned before that he wanted Shang Zhi to stay at the hospital. He had his own reasons. The hospital here operates on an appointment system, so no one else could come in and disturb Shang Zhi except him. This way, he could have some peace and quiet.

"I'm not going." Shang Zhi refused decisively. She really disliked the quiet atmosphere of the hospital, which made her feel lifeless and uncomfortable. She would rather stay here and watch Pei Qing'an and Liang Shuyin argue than stay in the hospital.

It started raining outside the window. Seeing that Shang Zhi's attitude was firm, Pei Yanxiu didn't say anything more. He helped her to bed to rest, and Shang Zhi picked up the iPad next to her and started watching Lu Ke's new drama.

Pei Yanxiu also turned on his computer to check his emails. Tiancui was in the final stages recently, and there was still a lot of work to be done. He thought to himself that he hoped that when Tiancui was completely finished, Xixi's illness would also be cured, so he could take her back to see how her first project had been implemented.

But for a moment, just one moment, he thought that this was actually not so bad; she couldn't go anywhere and could only stay by his side.

He felt utterly despicable, but that thought quickly faded.