His voice trembled slightly and sounded somewhat unnatural.

Xu Zhaozhao...

Xu Zhaozhao was slightly taken aback, as it had been a long time since Gu Qingyan had called her by her full name.

She can tolerate the smoke; after all, the smell in nightclubs is much worse than this.

Xu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes, seriously considering the answer to his question.

If it were Gu Qingyan lying inside, would she be in such a hurry?

Gu Qingyan didn't say anything, waiting for her reply. He raised his hand to smoke, but a small hand stopped him halfway.

She snatched the cigarette from his fingertips, and before Gu Qingyan could stop her, she put it to her lips and took a deep drag.

As he frowned and snatched the cigarette back, the murky white smoke also sprayed onto his cheek.

He paused, and then heard a somewhat cold voice beside him: "My answer is, neither."

People are already in the hospital. What's the use of being anxious except to cooperate with the medical staff?

No matter who is lying there, Xu Zhaozhao will not be in a hurry.

"Which eye of yours saw me in a hurry? If I hadn't been mistaken for a family member, I wouldn't have come at all."

Xu Zhaozhao remained remarkably calm throughout the entire process; if the medical staff hadn't been urging her, she would have been two seconds slower in signing the papers.

On the surface, she appears to accept everything well, but in reality, she is just indifferent.

It is precisely because we are indifferent to everything in the world that we allow it to change.

Gu Qingyan stubbed out the dry-burning cigarette butt in the ashtray.

The smoke dissipated, but the atmosphere between the two was somewhat awkward.

Xu Zhaozhao handed him the report, "Take a look."

He didn't answer, so Xu Zhaozhao read it to him: "Minor fracture of the third lumbar vertebra."

Xu Zhaozhao was in the ward, holding the report and thinking for a long time.

The only time Yu Yao might have been injured was when Gu Qingyan kicked her towards the rock, in which case her back hit the rock.

The first time it was her ribs, the second time her lumbar vertebrae; Xu Zhaozhao couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Xu Zhaozhao took back the report and questioned him in a calm tone.

"I will not fall in love with you, nor with him. You don't have to do this."

Gu Qingyan regretted putting out the cigarette.

Without nicotine, he would want to strangle Xu Zhaozhao right now.

"I said he crashed into it himself."

Gu Qingyan turned his head and met her gaze: "Do you believe me?"

Xu Zhaozhao twitched the corners of his mouth; he clearly saw the sarcasm.

"Gu Qingyan, aren't you being childish?"

What normal person would accidentally end up in the emergency room twice?

Xu Zhaozhao didn't want to stay with him any longer and turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

Thinking he would offer a few perfunctory explanations, Xu Zhaozhao did not resist.

But she didn't hear anything. A faint smell of tobacco enveloped her, and her exposed skin felt the heat.

She was held in Gu Qingyan's arms.

A large hand covered her eyes, plunging her into darkness.

People don't believe explanations anyway, so why bother explaining?

If you feel bad, just bring her back and give her a good kiss.

A cool breath landed on her lips and quickly enveloped them.

Dominance, plunder, suffocation—Xu Zhaozhao experienced this familiar feeling again, but the difference was…

This time, it also had a bitter taste of tobacco.

When they parted, Xu Zhaozhao was panting slightly, her lips, which had been dry from running up and down the hills, were now glistening with moisture.

"I will never fall in love with you."

Gu Qingyan stepped back slightly and forcefully pulled her left hand away. "But don't forget, we're still husband and wife."

It seemed that as long as his tone was cold enough, he could turn the tide.

In Xu Zhaozhao's eyes, the misty white bracelet was quite an eyesore, so he put the rose gold ring on her instead.

She wasn't allowed to wear rings during filming, so she took them off and left them on her dressing table at home. He took them away without her knowing when.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't take it off, but instead... pushed him away.

"Okay, honey."

Her voice was rising in pitch, which sounded cold to him.

After saying that, she turned away without any hesitation.

Gu Qingyan ultimately did not try to stop her.

He took out a new cigarette from his pocket, his figure remaining hidden in the darkness, the white smoke and the burning flame lingering for a long time.

...

Xu Zhaozhao returned to Yu Yao's ward and breathed a sigh of relief after closing the door.

Her mouth was filled with the bitter taste of smoke.

Although Xu Zhaozhao smokes, she can't really say she likes the smell.

Yu Yao was still unconscious in the hospital bed, so Xu Zhaozhao quickly took out her phone to send a message to her beloved son.

I'm really afraid this scumbag dad will abandon the child on the street.

If we were to name the most important person to Xu Zhaozhao in this world, it would undoubtedly be Gu Yulin.

Shh: Baby, where are you? Mommy is so worried about you.

A little fish: Mom, I'm at the door of your hospital room.

Xu Zhaozhao opened the door and saw Gu Yulin's small figure appear at the door, finally putting her mind at ease.

She hurriedly pulled him inside and asked, "Where did you go, baby? Why are you only coming to find your mother now?"

Gu Yulin reached into his pocket and placed several strawberry candies in front of Xu Zhaozhao.

"Go buy strawberry candy for Mom."

Gu Yulin shifted his gaze to Yu Yao, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. "Mom brought this brother here, but he hasn't eaten. I'm afraid Mom will faint."

"The baby is so good, I love the baby so much."

Xu Zhaozhao unwrapped a strawberry candy and put it in her mouth, which made her feel much better.

Lost in emotion, she didn't notice Gu Yulin's unusual behavior.

Gu Qingyan is really useless. He can get so annoyed by someone lying in a hospital bed.

I just specifically told him not to tell his mother that he asked me to buy strawberry candy.

He wasn't trying to help Gu Qingyan; it was just that the smell of cigarettes on Gu Qingyan was too unpleasant, and he didn't want him to smoke anymore.

I swiped the small bracelet I was wearing, pressed it, and sent a voice message.

"Don't worry, Mom is fine, and she ate candy too."

Release and send.

Xu Zhaozhao's phone vibrated. After unlocking it, she found that it was a message from Gu Yulin in the "Two-to-One Targeted Poverty Alleviation" section.

Gu Qingyan...is worried about himself?

Piglet: Hmm.

While Xu Zhaozhao was still in a daze, a reply had already been sent.

QQ.

Before she could reply, someone knocked on the door.

Xu Zhaozhao opened the door and let Yu Jin in, "Hello, Uncle Yu."

"Okay, okay."

He seemed to have rushed over, still in his suit and sweating slightly: "Zhaozhao, you're so thoughtful."

"That actor surnamed Gu has gone too far!"

Yu Jin held the report, his face ashen. He had already learned about the situation on the way.

"Does having power and influence give him the right to hurt others at will? We were just filming, how could he actually kick someone like that!"

Yu Jin glared and puffed out his cheeks, and Xu Zhaozhao and Gu Yulin dared not utter a word.

"Uncle, let me take the child out first."

Yu Jin didn't want to lose his composure in front of the child, so he waved his hand and told her to go.

Click.

The door closed.

The silence of the corridor was quite different from the noise in the ward.

She saw Gu Qingyan still standing in the same spot, smoking.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he turned around, his peach blossom eyes meeting hers, his churning emotions so complex she couldn't decipher them.