78. Caregivers

Ye Zhenzhen's Weibo post immediately went viral and became a trending topic among netizens.

Ye Zhenzhen posted only one photo with the caption: Thank God, thank Earth!

Fans clicked in immediately, and their anxious hearts were soothed by the photos.

[It's good that you're alright. Zhenzhen must have been terrified. Wishing President Gu a speedy recovery!]

Wishing Mr. Gu a speedy recovery!

Besides fans sending their blessings, some passersby were also drawn in and were amazed by the photo.

[Who understands? I used to just think their professionally edited photos from events looked good, but this poorly lit, completely unmade-up candid photo is just so awful!!!]

[Sisters! I get it, I get it!! The battle-damaged CEO Gu! The strong suffering is so swoon-worthy... I love this kind of thing!!]

[And what's more, despite his own injuries, his eyes are only for his beloved wife! The usually cheerful Zhenzhen, with her eyes red and swollen from crying, still manages to smile and comfort her husband!!!]

[The person upstairs is so eloquent! Does anyone still remember those old lyrics?! Thank God, thank Earth, and the last line! Thank fate for bringing us together!!!]

[How romantic! I'm totally shipping you two! You two must stay together forever!!]

After posting on Weibo, Ye Zhenzhen received many more calls expressing her concern and sympathy.

Director Jiang, Wang Liqing, Zhang Siqing, and Lan Nuo from "Let's Go Traveling Together" all called to inquire about her well-being. Wang Liqing even recommended an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who specializes in bone injury rehabilitation. Ye Zhenzhen carefully noted it down and was deeply grateful.

---

At the airport, Gu's parents and Ye Fengxing arrived on the same flight. As soon as they landed, they received a call from Ye Zhenzhen.

Upon learning that Gu Tingshen had awakened, Gu's mother's lips trembled, and two lines of tears fell down her cheeks. She murmured, "God bless, God bless..."

Gu Henian and Ye Fengxing were also relieved. Both of them were over fifty years old and had seen all kinds of storms, but this time they were so frightened that they were almost scared out of their wits.

Just being alive is good enough. Any injury can heal. Being alive is the most important thing!

When they finally saw their son (son-in-law), he was pale and lying in a hospital bed. Ye Zhenzhen next to him also looked haggard, clearly quite frightened. The three parents were heartbroken.

Kong Shuyun stroked her son's hair, remaining silent for a long time, her eyes red as she carefully examined him.

Jiang Cheng arrived shortly after them, checked the test results, and assured them that once they returned to City A and completed rehabilitation training, there wouldn't be any aftereffects whatsoever! He even thoughtfully arranged for professional caregivers.

Gu Tingshen's rib injury should not be moved for the time being; he will have to wait at least a week before he can fly back.

The news of the Gu family's crown prince's car accident had already spread like wildfire, causing unrest within the group and instability in the stock price. At this time, Gu Henian had to return to City A to take charge, no matter what. Kong Shuyun and Ye Fengxing wanted to stay, but Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Tingshen persuaded them to go back.

The three stayed until evening before being urged by their companions to go to the airport and fly back to City A overnight.

Jiang Cheng stayed with Gu Tingshen for a while longer. Seeing that Gu Tingshen was cooperating well with the treatment and that the caregiver was taking good care of him, Jiang Cheng tactfully took his leave.

The caregiver, Xiao Li, was a quiet young man who was very professional in treating fractures. Every now and then, he would help Gu Tingshen turn over, massage his leg muscles, and prepare a balanced dinner.

Since waking up after surgery, Gu Tingshen has never uttered a sound of pain. He fully accepts the doctor's examination and the caregiver's attentive care, making him a model patient.

Ye Zhenzhen felt only heartache.

Even after the anesthesia wore off, the pain from his bone injury continued to torment his nerves, leaving him pale and covered in cold sweat.

Moreover, having spent a long time in the hospital in her previous life, Ye Zhenzhen knew all too well what it was like to be a patient without privacy or dignity.

Having spent nearly a year together, she knew all too well just how fastidious and territorial men were.

The aunties at Mantingfang have a very low profile, almost always staying on the first floor. Their bedrooms and studies are off-limits, and they won't enter without permission.

When they first met, Ye Zhenzhen felt that there was an invisible barrier around this man, rejecting the touch of all living beings.

She still remembered the first time they attended Jiang Cheng's mother's birthday party, and how his childhood friends were shocked when the man led her through the door.

This man was always tough in public and never showed any weakness.

Now he can only lie in a hospital bed, at the mercy of others.

Ye Zhenzhen had no choice but to follow behind Xiao Li and learn as she went, hoping to get the hang of it as soon as possible.

At night, caregiver Xiao Li was supposed to stay on duty, and Gu Tingshen also advised her to go back and rest. However, after Ye Zhenzhen asked about the precautions for the evening, she let caregiver Xiao Li go back and stayed on duty herself.

She first dialed Gu Sinan's number. Such a big thing couldn't be kept secret, so she might as well explain it to the child to save him from worrying.

When the child saw his father in a hospital gown, he sniffed, his eyes reddening as he held back his tears. Like a little adult, he even told his father to listen to the doctor and take good care of himself.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Zhenzhen closed the ward door, turned up the air conditioner temperature, cleaned the man's head and face with a hot towel, and then changed the basin to wipe his legs and feet.

Gu Tingshen was lying obediently, but when she unbuttoned his collar, he raised an eyebrow and deliberately teased her, "So virtuous, you learned so quickly?"

He wasn't annoyed by Ye Zhenzhen's eye roll; instead, he laughed happily.

However, he couldn't remain calm when Ye Zhenzhen started rolling up his trouser legs.

"No need," Gu Tingshen said, his uninjured leg curling up slightly, only to be grabbed by Ye Zhenzhen, who then glared at him.

The man sighed helplessly, "Dirty..."

"If I were ever hospitalized, would you still think I'm dirty?" Ye Zhenzhen retorted irritably, quickly rolled up her trouser legs, and cleaned him up.

"What do you mean by hospitalization? You're perfectly fine!" Gu Tingshen frowned.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, I blurted it out." Ye Zhenzhen readily admitted her mistake and, imitating Xiao Li, massaged him. "How is it? Is the pressure okay?"

Thanks to her long hospital stays in her past life, she has a lot of experience in enduring pain. For patients, no amount of comfort or concern is of any use. Pain is something that can only be borne by the patient himself. All others can do is accompany him and try to distract him.

Gu Tingshen stared at her profile, unable to look away. The strength of her small hands was nothing compared to that of a caregiver, yet they strangely soothed the vexation in his heart and even lessened the continuous pain in his wound.

"That's amazing, it doesn't hurt at all anymore." After enjoying it for a while, worried that she might get tired, Gu Tingshen reached out his arm to pull her into his embrace. "Come and lie down, go to sleep."

Ye Zhenzhen dared not act as usual, since this guy had broken ribs and had a brace on his chest.

There is a bed in the ward that is specially prepared for family members who are on night duty. It is right next to the bed for convenient care.

She pushed the cot closer together until the two beds were side by side, then turned off the light before lying down and opening her arms to pull the man into her embrace.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, the familiar scent of flowers and fruits dispelling the smell of disinfectant and relaxing Gu Tingshen.

Ye Zhenzhen hugged him, feeling a comforting warmth on her skin. She didn't ask him if he was in pain anymore, and they just chatted about trivial things, like everyday family matters.

She rested her forehead against the man's arm, rubbing it affectionately, and placed one hand gently on his chest, feeling the strong impact from her fingertips.

She talked on and on, and the man responded in a low voice from time to time.

She said the soup was delicious today, and she wanted to learn how to make it at home; she wondered how much Black Panther had grown, and that he'd probably whip his tail like a propeller when he saw them again; the college entrance exams were approaching, and they wondered if the girls' high school students would get into their desired universities this year; they were also dreaming about where to take Nan Nan on summer vacation...

Outside the window, the moon and stars were few and far between. The moonlight fell on the man's handsome eyebrows and eyes, his thick and long eyelashes casting a dark shadow.

A layer of bluish stubble appeared on her chin, and Ye Zhenzhen reached out and rubbed it with her fingers.

Gu Tingshen took the playful finger in his hand and kissed it.

Caught red-handed, Ye Zhenzhen looked up and saw the man staring intently at her, his deep black eyes like the deep sea, churning with a thousand emotions that threatened to engulf her.

She neither flinched nor avoided it, but was overjoyed.

"Why are you staring at me like that? You've been looking at me for ages, haven't you had enough?"

"I can't get enough of looking at you," Gu Tingshen said. "I could never get enough of looking at you in my entire life."

Ye Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Then take good care of your health and try to live to be a hundred years old. I'm just afraid that when I get old, you won't want to see me anymore."

Gu Tingshen pulled her into his arms with great effort and kissed her tenderly, "Even when you're old, you'll be the most beautiful old lady. I'm older than you, so if anyone's going to grow old, it'll be me first. May we both live to be a hundred..."

The days in the hospital were long, but not as difficult as I had imagined.

The pain from his injury was nothing to him; what was most unbearable was the restriction of his movement and the lack of privacy he felt confined to his hospital room.

But Ye Zhenzhen was like a ray of sunshine, dispelling the gloom and distress around him.

She was always on the go, full of energy, and took excellent care of him.

Gu Tingshen was so captivated by her vibrant smile that he didn't even have time to feel a trace of resentment towards his fate.

Perhaps meeting her was the greatest blessing fate could bestow upon him.

---

Song Chengcheng wanted to come immediately upon hearing about the car accident, but Ye Zhenzhen dissuaded her. She wouldn't be able to attend to the company for a while, so it was better for her, as the general manager's assistant, to stay in City A and oversee things.

Li Qingyun was injured, and Gu's father sent an assistant surnamed Wang to take care of him at the hospital, along with Zhao Xu from the branch office.

Jiang Cheng spent two more days with her, during which he talked a lot with Dr. He Miao, and even drafted a basic reconstruction plan.

After driver Xiao Wang was finally transferred from the ICU to a regular ward, Jiang Cheng, having had enough of being a third wheel for the young couple, leisurely came to say goodbye.

Before leaving, he urged Ye Zhenzhen to go to the hotel to rest. After she left, he leaned over to Gu Tingshen and winked, "Your luck is unbelievable!"

"What kind of luck is this? Did you just walk along and get hit by a car?" Gu Tingshen couldn't stand his strange expression and rolled his eyes at him. "Want this luck?"

"No!" Jiang Cheng became serious and sighed, "Look at how worried Zhenzhen is. She doesn't even trust the caregivers to take care of you. She does everything herself, afraid that you might feel even slightly uncomfortable. Tsk tsk, why can't I meet such a good girl?"

Their circle is full of marriages that are only superficial, where couples appear loving and trusting in front of others, but secretly they each do their own thing. Working in the hospital, they've seen many couples break up, which has made them increasingly pessimistic about marriage.

The girls his parents arranged blind dates for him were undeniably outstanding, but he could never muster any enthusiasm for them. Their exquisite makeup seemed like masks to him; they were beautiful, but lacked warmth and humanity.

In the past, Ye Zhenzhen was the same in his eyes, so he didn't understand why Gu Tingshen was attracted to her. But these past few days, seeing her busy at the bedside and the tender affection between the two of them, he actually felt a little envious.

Gu Tingshen glanced at him without saying a word, but Jiang Cheng could read the contempt and smugness in his eyes. He was instantly furious, flung his trench coat to his feet, and said, "Did I travel halfway across China just to be fed dog food by you?! I'm leaving!"

After Ye Zhenzhen returned to the hotel and slept for a while, she ordered a nutritious meal and went back to the hospital. Looking at the unusually empty and quiet ward, she looked around curiously, "Where's Brother Jiang?"

She and Zhao Lu put the food they brought back on the table together. "I also brought him food. I didn't know what he liked to eat, so I ordered a few of his signature dishes."

"He's already eaten. He has to go back to City A because of hospital business." Gu Tingshen met Ye Zhenzhen's questioning gaze and smiled.