Chapter 40. [Second Update] "Call me that from now on..."
Four o'clock in the afternoon.
The office buildings in the West City CBD were ringing incessantly. Lin Baizhou took the coffee from his colleague, leaned back, and continued listening to their listless discussion of work plans.
"This year has really been unlucky. I even wanted the boss to take us to pray to the gods to wash away the bad luck. Look, we finally managed to communicate with the project manager of Wanbo, but that shameless guy was exposed by his wife for cheating on him. Now the internet is full of this kind of rotten stuff."
"I just asked, and General Manager Gao has been temporarily suspended. We don't know who will take his place yet."
Lin Baizhou took a sip of coffee and raised his hand to pinch the space between his eyebrows.
Distracted for a few minutes, I didn't expect the topic to turn to him.
"Hey, I heard you and Wanbo's son are alumni? Do you two have any personal relationship?"
Lin Baizhou calmly put down his coffee cup, shook his head and smiled, "We're not familiar with each other."
Just as he was about to change the subject, his phone, which was next to the computer, vibrated. Without even checking who was calling, he simply made an excuse to leave, saying, "I'm going out to take this call."
After leaving the meeting room, he glanced at his phone screen, swiped to answer, and before he could even offer a polite greeting, a jumbled plea for help came from the other end. He tilted his head slightly, moved the phone away, and after sorting out the situation, he remained silent for a while before saying, "I'm coming to the hospital right away."
It was a call from Aunt Zhang, who lives with his mother.
She said that after lunch, while watching Weiwei receive her IV drip, she felt really sleepy, so she curled up on the small bed and took a nap. But when she opened her eyes, her child was gone.
She hadn't taken her phone or wallet. At first, she thought Weiwei was just getting some fresh air in the corridor, but she searched the entire inpatient ward and couldn't find her. Panicked, she tried calling Fang Lirong, but no one answered. Feeling completely lost, she remembered that Weiwei had a brother, so she dialed his number.
Lin Baizhou stood there expressionlessly for a few seconds, then went back to his office, picked up his car keys, and headed towards the elevator lobby.
The black sedan arrived at the hospital. Ignoring the security guard's instructions, he drove slowly towards the new inpatient department, glancing left and right through the windshield looking for a parking space. Suddenly, his gaze stopped and he looked at two people in front of him who were walking slowly as if they were taking a stroll.
Strangely enough, he recognized the back of the person he had only met once before, even before his own sister.
It wasn't a cold day, but she was wearing a down jacket, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on her, shimmering with soft light.
Fang Lingwei lowered her head, intently looking at the photos on Wen Xue's phone, still incredulous: "When you were little..."
Walking beside her, Wen Xue chuckled, "You're quite fat, aren't you?"
She didn't expect that the reserved Fang Lingwei would secretly come to find her. After asking a few questions indirectly, she learned that Fang Lirong hadn't been discreet when chatting with Aunt Zhang. The young girl, who was not yet a child, heard that she had infected her tutor with the virus, causing her to be hospitalized. She didn't say anything, but she felt extremely guilty.
Wen Xue added, "I rarely got sick before, and I was very healthy. I only got sick last year because I lost a lot of weight and my immunity dropped. It has nothing to do with you, so don't overthink it."
"Really?" Fang Ling asked in a low voice.
"Really?" Wen Xue leaned closer and opened another album. "Look, these are photos from my freshman year military training..."
Fang Lingwei looked at the photo, then at her, "You've really lost a lot of weight, why is that?"
"It's because of dieting."
Wen Xue chuckled, "So don't follow my example, eat well and exercise."
Can I take another look?
"sure."
The black sedan slowed down and then stopped. A car behind was also approaching and saw that it was not moving for a while. It honked its horn a few times to warn the driver. Suddenly, a sound rang out, and Wen Xue turned around to look. She saw a car about ten meters away. The windshield was tinted, and because of the distance, she could only vaguely see the outline. There was a person sitting in the driver's seat.
Since it wasn't the Jeep she was familiar with, she looked away and led Fang Lingwei, who was looking at the photos, toward the new inpatient ward.
Inside the car.
After Lin Baizhou pulled his car over to make room, he checked his phone, dialed Aunt Zhang's number, and said in a calm tone, "Weiwei should be back in her ward soon."
Aunt Zhang kept chanting Amitabha Buddha's name and said, "Xiao Wen—Weiwei's tutor also sent me a message saying that Weiwei is with her. Thank goodness!"
Which "wen"?
Aunt Zhang was taken aback. "Huh? Oh, you mean Xiao Wen? The 'Wen' as in 'heard'?"
"Um."
…
After taking Fang Lingwei to the ward, Wen Xue hurriedly returned to her own ward. She was lucky; less than two minutes after returning to her room, she heard familiar footsteps at the door. Peeking out, she saw He Yan carrying two thermos containers.
She thought to herself, "That was close."
If it had been a minute or two later, he would definitely have caught her.
If he knew that Weiwei had come to see her without telling her family, he would definitely frown deeply. He wouldn't say a word, but he would scold her with his cold, hard face.
After all, he already disliked Weiwei even before he had met her...
"Why are you acting so suspiciously?"
He Yan placed the thermos on the small table set up on the hospital bed, glanced at her, and asked, "Did you wash your hair?"
Wen Xue: "..."
She's twenty this year, and this is the first time someone has used the word "sneaky" to describe her.
While receiving her IV drip at noon, she casually asked the nurse who was giving her the injection if she could wash her hair, thinking that if the nurse said yes, she would wash her hair, and if the nurse said no, she wouldn't do anything reckless.
The nurse told her to bear with it.
She immediately nodded obediently.
But before leaving the hospital, He Yan repeatedly reminded her, as if he was certain she would secretly wash her hair.
"I didn't!" she protested. "Go ahead and check if you don't believe me."
He Yan remained noncommittal, too lazy to expose her.
She seemed unaware that every time she did something humbly, her eyes darted around as she feigned composure, but she never dared to meet his gaze.
Thinking she had gotten away with it, Wen Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had gone through so much.
The thermos He Yan brought back was filled with fragrant and nutritious food, which tasted much better than the lunchboxes in the hospital cafeteria. Under his gaze, Wen Xue ate the food and drank a small bowl of soup, and his furrowed brows finally relaxed.
Most patients have companions, but hospital beds are scarce, so the companions buy folding beds and place them next to the hospital bed. These beds are even narrower than the hospital beds. After washing up, Wen Xue sat on the bed, measured the length of the folding bed with her eyes, and looked at He Yan, who was casually standing to the side replying to messages.
He was very tall, and this folding bed made him feel cramped, let alone lying down to sleep on it. Even sitting with his long legs stretched out, he looked uncomfortable.
"How about..." she began hesitantly.
“No,” he interrupted, “you stay in bed.”
Wen Xue had no choice but to lie down and cover herself with the blanket. After thinking for a moment, she took out the pillow and placed it on the folding bed.
He can refuse to change the bed, but he can no longer refuse the pillow.
He Yan put away his phone and walked over. He saw the pillow on the small bed but didn't say anything, which was considered tacit approval.
After 8 p.m., the hospital ward gradually quieted down. In this three-person ward, someone was discharged at noon, and less than two hours later, someone else moved in. As everyone finished showering and resting, the room lights were turned off.
In fact, Wen Xue was not used to falling asleep quickly in unfamiliar environments.
She closed her eyes, moved to the side, trying not to make any noise from the fabric rubbing together, and then quietly lowered her eyes to observe He Yan, who was curled up on the folding bed, through the corridor light that peeked in through the crack in the door. He was indeed very uncomfortable, lying with one leg bent, raising his arm to cover his eyes, and breathing steadily.
You fell asleep so quickly?
He seems really tired.
Being sick is a very unpleasant thing. She actually lost her appetite, her sense of taste became dulled, and nothing tasted good.
But she also hoped that she could recover as soon as possible, so as not to waste any more of his time.
From last night until today, his phone has been constantly receiving messages and calls. She knows how busy he is, and she has mentioned asking him to come back, saying that she can manage on her own at the hospital. But he won't listen and simply tells her, "Don't worry about me."
She had no choice but to shut up.
Why……
"Get well soon," she encouraged herself.
"Aren't you asleep yet? What are you looking at?"
She paused, then, realizing it was him speaking, exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know?"
He Yan didn't lower his arm, his voice low and deep, "Go to sleep."
"Oh." She pulled her head back, lay down again, and closed her eyes to try and fall asleep.
She didn't know how much time had passed when some noise suddenly broke into the previously quiet ward. Before she could identify the source of the sound, it grew louder and louder. It was the new patient snoring, and the snoring was getting louder and louder, not to be underestimated.
Wen Xue was stunned for a moment, then sighed inwardly in pain, sensing that tonight would be a sleepless night.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound beside her ear. She opened her eyes abruptly and saw a figure looming over her. He seemed to be getting up and about to do something, radiating impatience. She grabbed his arm anxiously and whispered, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"
He Yan's tense body froze. In the dim light, he met her gaze; her clear eyes were filled with terror. "..."
What can he do?
Where can he go?
His gaze shifted from her eyes to his restrained arm. Her slender, white fingers gripped him tightly, revealing a surprising strength. It was as if she were clutching a lifeline. He immediately understood: during the day she had told him to go back, but at night she was afraid he would leave.
His heart softened, and he comforted her, "It's too noisy—"
She knew it...
Wen Xue panicked: "Don't do this..."
This is a hospital, those are patients. You can't argue with someone just because they're making snoring noise, can you?
"It's so noisy, I'm going to go ask around—"
"He Yan!" She gripped him even tighter, her tone serious.
He Yan paused for a few seconds, realizing that she wasn't afraid of him leaving, but rather worried that he would seek revenge. He laughed in exasperation. Although he always said he was low-class, she actually believed him.
He said in a flat tone, "I'll go ask the nurse if they have any earplugs."
The woman in the next bed, who was suffering terribly, perked up when she vaguely heard their conversation. "If you have any, could you get us a couple too?"
“Okay.” He Yan turned his head and stared intently at Wen Xue.
Wen Xue decisively let go, not daring to look at him.
He Yan gave her a meaningful look and then walked out of the ward.
He returned empty-handed, apparently only hotels provide earplugs, not hospitals.
The aunt next door and her daughter were very disappointed, so they went to bed and pulled up the covers.
He Yan hadn't brought any earplugs back, so he could only take out a few tissues, crumple them into small balls, and give them to her, saying, "Try them."
Wen Xue took it and was about to put it in her hand when she heard him say, "Call me that from now on."
"What?"
He Yan lay down again and said slowly, "Better than feeding."
She probably calls him that naturally too. He had talked to Wu Yuejiang about not calling him "brother," and Wu Yuejiang said it was because his name had two characters, which was awkward. Calling him "Brother He Yan" sounded strange, and calling him "Brother Yan" would just be following the crowd. She wasn't one of his employees.
It's just that his name doesn't have three characters.
If you don't want to call me "brother," then so be it. It's no big deal.
"Is it really possible?" she asked uncertainly in a low voice in the darkness.
He gave a dismissive "hmm."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Wen Xue seemed to no longer hear the noisy snoring. A smile appeared in her eyes as she lay on her side, resting her face on the back of her hand, and tentatively called out in a breathy voice, "He Yan."
He Yan was speechless, and when he was speechless, he would laugh and say, "Go to sleep."
"Okay." She suppressed a laugh. "He Yan."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com