Chapter 67 Hands Clasped: The man's large, warm hands enveloped the woman's delicate skin...

The day He Ming called Zhu Liushuang, she happened to be out at the bank on business. On her way back to the company, her phone kept ringing.

Zhu Liushuang had to pull over and take her constantly vibrating phone out of her bag. When she saw the words "He Ming calling," she thought she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't mistaken before answering the phone.

"Hey, senior?"

"Liu Shuang..." The person on the other end of the receiver took a breath before continuing, "Are you free the day after tomorrow afternoon?"

The day after tomorrow... that's Saturday, and she still has to go to work.

Zhu Liushuang pondered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Is there anything I can help you with, senior? If it's urgent, I can take half a day of my annual leave."

"Grandpa wants to see you... Could you please come with me to the ICU to visit him the day after tomorrow?" The man's voice was deep, and his tone became exceptionally gentle because he needed something from him.

"Dr. Xie has fully woken up?" Zhu Liushuang asked in surprise.

"Yes, he can recognize people now. Although he can't speak, he can move one side of his arm and leg." He Ming's voice was calm, but the scene in the ICU kept replaying in his mind. When he sat by the hospital bed saying goodbye to his grandfather, the old man, who was staring at the ceiling, suddenly grabbed his hand and gestured excitedly in his palm. At first, he was confused, and after pondering for a long time, he vaguely pieced together the word "double".

“Liu Shuang… your intuition was right.” He Ming suddenly blurted out, startling Zhu Liu Shuang. But she quickly realized he was responding to what he had said that day. That day, she had been overjoyed by Dr. Xie's subtle reaction in the ICU. He had poured cold water on her hopes.

"Then I'll take half a day off the day after tomorrow and go there early." Zhu Liushuang silently curved the corners of her mouth. "Senior, are you at the hospital or a hotel for lunch? Do you need me to bring you lunch?"

"The hospital cafeteria has food," He Ming said succinctly. "You only need to come one person."

"My cooking is definitely better than the hospital cafeteria's," Zhu Liushuang muttered softly. "Senior, I recently learned how to make a new dessert, would you like to try some?"

The person on the other end of the phone no longer refused her "feeding" and slowly relented, saying, "Okay."

She listened quietly to his steady breathing through the receiver. The wind was gentle, there weren't many people on the street, and it was a rare cool early autumn evening. The sun was faintly visible in the sky, and the fragrance of osmanthus wafted in the wind.

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On the day she visited Xie Jingzhi, Zhu Liushuang rushed home without even having lunch. Once home, she first took out the frozen bagels, sprayed them with water to reheat them, and then repackaged them.

With everything prepared, she opened the door to her home under Gu Chunling's questioning gaze.

"Xiaoshuang, where are you rushing off to? Aren't you supposed to be at work today?"

"I have something to do this afternoon and I'm taking a day off," Zhu Liushuang said without turning her head. "Mom—please save some vegetables for me for dinner."

"Then be careful on the road."

"Come back early, don't stay out too late..."

"Are you going out with Xiaoyu? Hasn't Xiaoyu started school yet?"

Gu Chunling spoke one sentence after another, but none of it reached her daughter's ears.

The sounds of running in the stairwell gradually subsided. Zhu Liushuang took three steps at a time and stepped down the last step, her black hair fluttering in the wind.

Half an hour later, she arrived at the fourth floor of the inpatient department of the People's Hospital with practiced ease. Unexpectedly, she did not find He Ming on the seats outside the waiting area.

Just as she was looking around anxiously for someone, she suddenly felt someone gently touch her shoulder. She turned around abruptly and saw He Ming standing behind her, looking at her with clear eyes.

As Dr. Xie's condition improved, his overall condition gradually returned to normal. His stubble was gone, the dark circles under his eyes faded, and even the weariness between his brows disappeared.

He seemed to have returned to his previous "invincible" self.

She was truly happy for him.

Zhu Liushuang's eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of her mouth immediately turned up, and the tip of her nose glistened with tiny beads of sweat.

"Senior, I brought you a peach cheese bagel." She said gently, shaking the paper bag in her hand.

He Ming took the paper bag from her with both hands and thanked her.

"It's still early before visiting hours." He gazed at her quietly.

Zhu Liushuang rubbed her cheeks shyly: "Anyway, I'm just killing time, so I might as well come over early and talk to you."

Her words slipped out and gently reached He Ming's ears, making him inexplicably uncomfortable. He looked away, his eyes shifting from her warm smile to his own hands.

"It must take a lot of time to make this, right?"

"Bagels? It's not too much trouble, only two or three hours. I made these a couple of days ago and kept them frozen. I just take them out and bake them for two minutes when I want to eat them. Making desserts is very relaxing; it's a real treat for me." Speaking of her hobbies, Zhu Liushuang's eyes sparkled. "When I've saved enough money, I want to open a dessert shop. That would be an incredibly happy thing!"

He Ming seemed to be touched by her expression, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He slightly raised the corners of his mouth and said, "I wish you success soon."

The two walked and talked until they found their usual spot and sat down.

Zhu Liushuang pointed to the paper bag and said, "Senior, would you like to try it first? It won't taste as good if it sits for too long."

“Okay.” Under her gaze, He Ming opened the paper bag and took out a pink bagel. He lowered his head slightly and took a bite from the edge of the bagel.

A soft chewing sound rang out, his jaw moving slowly. After swallowing in one gulp, he looked up and said, "The outer layer is very crispy."

Zhu Liu stared at him expectantly: "Mmm, it's filled with mango cheese and peach pulp. Senior, try it again, it's not sweet."

Under her expectant gaze, He Ming lowered his head again and took a bite of the milky bagel in his hand. His tongue was enveloped in the rich filling, and with each chew, the fruity fragrance filled his mouth.

"Is the taste alright?" Zhu Liushuang's eyes sparkled.

"Hmm, it's very milky, and the fruit cuts through the richness..." He racked his brains for adjectives, "Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, it's delicious."

Receiving the praise made Zhu Liushuang feel as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

"Senior, I've noticed you're really good at describing the texture of desserts! If we make a new variety in the future, could you please try it and give it a taste?" Overjoyed, she blurted out her thoughts.

He Ming's fingertips twitched slightly, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he nodded almost imperceptibly. He had actually eaten quite a full lunch, but looking at the girl's bright smile beside him, he forced himself to swallow the remaining half bagel.

Sure enough, after he finished eating, the girl's face became even brighter.

From the moment He Ming started eating the bagel, Zhu Liushuang's lips never left her mouth. Whenever she was in a good mood, she became exceptionally talkative, chattering incessantly like birdsong on a spring branch.

"Senior, Lin Hui and Shuting came to our company a couple of days ago. I heard that your team will be doing the annual audit for our company from now on?"

"Our CEO Guo got angry again this morning because the technical department still hasn't fixed the bug for the other company."

"When I got home from get off work at noon, the osmanthus trees in our neighborhood were all in bloom, and they smelled so good! When I have time, I'll go and get some to make osmanthus cakes. They're sweet and chewy, and they'd be delicious with fried dough sticks!"

Her topics jumped around, she talked about whatever came to mind, and when she got excited, her speech would unconsciously quicken. Sometimes she would pause, waiting for his response.

He Ming wasn't a talkative person. Faced with Zhu Liushuang's endless chatter, he would occasionally stop what he was doing to respond to her. But most of the time, she was talking to herself.

Zhu Liushuang didn't seem disappointed. She had grown accustomed to his taciturn nature; she simply wanted to share her work and life with him. Therefore, as long as he listened quietly, she could continue talking. If he responded, she was greatly encouraged.

The sensor door to the ICU opened, and a nurse came out to distribute protective suits and masks to the patients' families.

This time, Zhu Liushuang was not as flustered as before. She calmly put on her protective suit and waited quietly for her number to be called.

"Are Xie Jingzhi's family members here?"

When it was their turn, four or five patients' family members had already gone in. As usual, Zhu Liushuang followed He Ming, nervously stepping into the ICU.

The long corridor is connected to a series of transparent glass panels on one side. Looking from the outside in, the first thing that catches the eye is the various kinds of flashing instruments.

The sun was shining brightly, and Zhu Liushuang saw the evening sun streaming through the window beside the hospital bed, landing on Xie Jingzhi's bedside. She couldn't help but feel a sense of "feeling apprehensive about returning home," and her steps toward the bed became heavy and slow.

He Ming approached Xie Jingzhi before she did. He skillfully disinfected his hands and then began massaging the elderly woman's hands and feet while she lay in bed. He also chatted with her casually while massaging her.

Zhu Liushuang stood not far from them, silently watching everything before her, unwilling to disturb the time the grandfather and grandson spent alone together.

Until He Ming turned his head and beckoned to her: "Liu Shuang, come here."

She then followed closely forward.

Arriving at Xie Jingzhi's bedside, she first disinfected her hands, just like He Ming had done, and then rhythmically massaged Xie Jingzhi's arm.

"Dr. Xie, I am Liu Shuang." In front of He Ming, she couldn't call him "Grandpa" as she had last time.

The old man slowly turned his head back to her, a hint of confusion in his cloudy eyes. He very slowly raised his hand and stroked the top of her head.

While He Ming walked to the foot of the bed, Zhu Liushuang quickly leaned close to Xie Jingzhi's ear and whispered, "I was a little shy just now and forgot to change how I addressed you. Grandpa, I heard you missed me?"

The pale-faced old man murmured, only managing a hoarse "ah," and tears suddenly streamed down his wrinkled eyes.

Zhu Liushuang numbly wiped away his tears and whispered, "You need to get better soon, and then my senior and I will take care of you together."

Xie Jingzhi nodded a few times with difficulty, followed by another hoarse "ah" sound.

Zhu Liushuang didn't know what he wanted to say, and asked anxiously, "What do you want?"

The elderly man, unable to speak, raised his hand and pointed to the foot of the bed.

"Should I call him senior?" she asked.

He Ming, who was massaging Xie Jingzhi's toes at the foot of the bed, realized what was happening and walked back to the head of the bed.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

The old woman trembled as she moved her hands to Zhu Liu's, gripping them tightly. After a while, she reached for He Ming's hands. The two young hands slowly came together, the man's broad, calloused palms enveloping the woman's delicate, soft bones.

Zhu Liushuang's heart suddenly raced, and her fingertips curled up. A faint electric current surged from where her hands touched, quickly spreading throughout her body. A subtle emotion welled up inside her; she felt both shy and uneasy, and didn't even dare to turn her head to see He Ming's reaction.

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Author's Note: [Shrug][Shrug] A little disoriented on my first day back at work. I dawdled through three hours of writing tonight, and when I checked the time, it was past midnight! I'm disgusted by my snail-paced typing speed.

I'm a little hungry while writing this chapter, I'll order a bagel tomorrow.

After spending more time with her senior, Shuangshuang became less shy and nervous. Who doesn't like a gentle, sweet, cute, and understanding girl whose eyes sparkle when she smiles? In her senior's heart, Shuangshuang's smile was the best medicine to heal him! That's why he was so fond of her.

[Cat head emoji][Cat head emoji] Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!