Chapter 34: Heartbeat 34, Going to bed
“…”
This one sentence left Xu Youjing speechless, and all the anger that had been weighing on his chest dissipated.
"Third time."
A moan left him no time to think, so he stepped on the accelerator and quickly disappeared into the deepening night.
-
Wen Huai slept very uneasily and didn't even know how he fell asleep.
She only vaguely remembered Xu Youjing taking her to his car and them talking for a while, but the pain from the stomachache obscured any trace of their conversation. Later, she must have gone to the hospital, had an IV drip inserted in her hand, and once the pain subsided, she fell asleep.
I was in a daze. Someone said something to me, but I couldn't remember what it was.
Is it Xu Youjing?
What would he say?
His mouth felt a little dry, so Wen Huai propped himself up and reached out to take the water cup on the small table next to him. Before he touched it, he heard the sound of the door lock being opened.
She forgot the movements and kept looking in the direction of the sound, and saw Xu Youjing.
Xu Youjing was also stunned when he saw her wake up, but he recovered in a second and walked over.
"Does your stomach still hurt?"
"No..." His throat was hoarse as if it was filled with sand.
Xu Youjing placed the cup in her hand and said, "The temperature is just right."
"Thanks."
The warm water flowed through my dry throat. When I touched the cup, I was a little surprised that the temperature was just right, neither cold nor hot.
How could it be so perfect?
"Do you know that you have stomachache?" he asked, sitting in a chair beside the bed.
Wen Huai nodded: "It's an old problem."
"I won't repeat the doctor's instructions. You already know them."
She knew she was in the wrong and said in a very good manner: "Yes, I know."
"You are not allowed to drink that wine."
She raised her eyes, met his slightly oppressive gaze, and curled her lips: "It's okay to drink a little."
Xu Youjing continued: "Kiwi fruit has a cooling effect. Did you drink iced one yesterday?"
“…”
Unexpectedly, he could even guess the iced milk tea, and Wen Huai felt guilty.
He coughed and said, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble last night. I will control my diet in the future."
Xu Youjing stopped while he was ahead and didn't make a big deal out of it.
"Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"
Wen Huai thought about it seriously: "I want to eat the sweet and sour shrimp balls made by Aunt Ping."
The person sitting there glanced at their phone and stood up. "Anything else?"
"Pineapple spareribs and Kung Pao chicken."
Xu Youjing looked at her and said, "You like sweet and sour food so much, aren't you tired of it?"
She smiled, and he had already walked out, "Wait a moment."
Wen Huai didn't have to wait long before Xu Youjing came back with a thermos in his hand.
She couldn't help but wonder: "So fast?"
After putting the small table away, he unscrewed the thermos. Wen Huai also saw the food inside. It would be a lie to say that he was not disappointed.
Who wouldn’t be disappointed after reading out the names of the dishes one second and seeing yam and lotus seed porridge, red date steamed buns, and apple slices the next second?
But she knew her current situation and didn't even ask.
Xu Youjing, who was standing by and helping her with cooking, naturally knew what she was thinking.
My eyes fell on the person sitting cross-legged. I saw that her cheeks were puffed with anger. Even with her head lowered, I could feel her loss. She looked so meek that she dared not speak out but was angry.
Quite obedient.
He restrained his smile and said soothingly, "I'll do what you just said when you're discharged from the hospital."
I took out the spoon and gave it to her, "You can only eat this now."
Wen Huai nodded.
She knows.
"I'm going to Lingang in advance tomorrow."
Wen Huai was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Will you just wait until the pre-meeting is over before coming back?"
"Yeah." There was an apology in his words, "Aunt Ping will come to pick you up from the hospital."
Wen Huai nodded, not wanting him to notice his disappointment, "Okay."
He picked up the spoon with little interest and scooped a mouthful of porridge into his mouth.
The sticky but not greasy taste instantly fills the tongue, and the slight sweetness is just right.
Just as I was about to exclaim at Aunt Ping's excellent cooking skills, I heard someone next to me ask, "How's it?"
She nodded.
Then he remembered that there was only one serving. He looked at the spoon he had used with some embarrassment, "Have you eaten it?"
"I ate it." Xu Youjing took the whole pack of tissues, tore it open, and placed it next to her. "You slept for a whole day and a whole night. It's now 7:45 on Tuesday evening."
"That company?"
"I've asked for leave."
As for who invited him, it was naturally Xu Youjing.
He's both the boss and the husband...
There won't be anyone else except him, which is... convenient?
Thinking of this, Wen Huai accidentally choked on his porridge and started coughing violently.
"Eat slowly."
A large palm patted her back, powerfully and with body temperature, and Wen Huai suddenly remembered something.
"Xu Youjing."
"Um?"
This name.
He raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't go shopping for birthday gifts yesterday." She turned her head and didn't move when she noticed someone was looking at her. "I went shopping for you, for Grandma, Aunt Ping, and Uncle Li. But there was an accident with your gift."
"The one I like is out of stock. I need to make it now, and I have to wait another month to get it, so... I haven't forgotten about yours."
Wen Huai was not sure whether Lu Zhixue would want to hear it if he explained to him that he and Lu Zhixue were just friends.
I hesitated whether to speak or not, and the next moment, I felt a heavy weight on my head.
Xu Youjing rubbed it gently.
Like last time.
"I see." He sat back down and said nonchalantly, "I'm not that petty, and I certainly won't be jealous of others."
Jealous?
Is it because of Lu Zhixue?
Wen Huai felt that this sentence sounded familiar. Before she could remember where she had heard it before, she heard him say:
"When I went back to the company today, Lu Zhixue came to me and asked about your situation."
She coughed: "How did Brother Zhixue know to look for you?"
"Maybe the call wasn't going through, and I'm worried about your health, so I came to ask what the other party said when I answered the phone."
"Then what?"
"Then......"
Xu Youjing narrowed his eyes and recalled the conversation in the office during the day.
Lu Zhixue: "Mr. Xu, you may not know that Wen Huai and I have a special relationship. We grew up together. Her father was my mentor and took good care of me. I also treat Wen Huai as my sister. It's just that my mentor passed away some time ago, and Wen Huai lives alone now. I am really worried about her."
"Oh." Xu Youjing didn't turn around. "Isn't Secretary Wen married? Why is he living alone?"
Lu Zhixue was emotional: "I don't even know when she started dating someone, and I heard her husband is often on business trips. I don't know where he is today. He doesn't care about the family after marriage. I guess he doesn't have much feelings for her, and he's not the kind of person who would take care of others."
“Pah.”
The sound of the tea strainer being attached to the fuselage interrupted something.
Xu Youjing frowned and looked over: "Unfortunately, it was her husband who called me. He sounded quite anxious."
Lu Zhixue didn't believe it: "Her husband asked Wen Huai to move so many things by herself. Will he take care of her now?"
Knowing what he said, Xu Youjing began to get impatient: "How can you, an outsider, know about the affairs between a couple?"
"But......"
"Don't say but." He turned away. "Get back to work."
Lu Zhixue didn't give up: "Mr. Xu, when you received the call from her husband, did he really sound very anxious?"
"Yes." Xu Youjing stared at the gradually filling cup of coffee and looked at him with a half-smile. "It sounds like you are not only worried, but also very loving."
“…”
Thinking back, Xu Youjing concealed the loneliness and loss that Lu Zhixue felt when he left, and said, "I said you were fine, and then he left."
Wen Huai had no doubts, "Brother Zhixue is quite thoughtful."
She felt around but couldn't find her phone. Xu Youjing got up and walked to the living room and unplugged her fully charged phone.
"It ran out of power and shut down in the afternoon. It's fully charged now."
"Thanks."
She had already finished her yam and lotus seed porridge, and perhaps because she hadn't eaten all day, she finished two small steamed buns before she felt full. She took a bite of the cut apple, and the sweet juice was refreshing.
"Do you want to eat it? It's so sweet."
After asking, they all remembered the kiwi fruit that day.
Especially Wen Huai, who turned back his hand that was about to pick up the fork and scratched his chin unnaturally.
Xu Youjing just glanced and didn't move.
"You can eat it. Aunt Ping is very good at choosing fruits."
After checking the time, he took the thermos bucket he had finished eating to the bathroom to wash, but Wen Huai saw through his intention.
"I'll wash it, don't—"
Xu Youjing didn't let her take it, but just asked her to sit still and be good: "Eat the apple and get some vitamin C."
“…”
Wen Huai couldn't resist him, and she felt a little uneasy when she heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom. She looked around for clothes but couldn't find any.
Xu Youjing came out and saw her like this, "What are you looking for?"
"Find some clothes and go home."
"The doctor said I need to get vaccinated for another day tomorrow, and I won't be discharged until the day after tomorrow at the earliest."
"I'm fine now. I was fine after just a day of water before."
She just glanced at the messages on her phone and saw that her mailbox was full of messages, not to mention WeChat.
Xu Youjing knew what she was worried about. "There's no end to the work. The President's Office also has Dong Chen and Jiang Han, so you don't have to worry about them."
"Can--"
"Even at peak times, it's not enough to squeeze out employees' rest time, let alone sick ones."
Today is the second time Xu Youjing has persuaded someone.
But compared to the first time, his attitude was obviously much more relaxed this time.
"Just relax and take care of your stomach." He wiped his hands and took the fruit box. "Auntie Ping has packed all your things. I'll go get them. Can you stay in the ward by yourself?"
She nodded.
Xu Youjing's eyes softened, "Is there anything else you want me to bring?"
Wen Huai shook his head and nodded again. "There's a blue candle by my bed and a matchbox in the drawer. Can you get it for me? I can't sleep without aromatherapy at night."
"good."
Xu Youjing left and she was the only one left in the ward.
The room suddenly became deserted and seemed even colder.
Wen Huai breathed a sigh of relief, prepared himself to sleep in a strange room tonight, and picked up his phone to reply to the message.
About forty minutes later, Xu Youjing came back with a bag.
Wen Huai glanced at the time. It was almost nine o'clock. She felt embarrassed to bother him so much and hurriedly said, "You should go back soon. There are still a lot of cars at this time of night. I don't know what time you will be back."
Xu Youjing looked up from where he was sorting his clothes and asked, "Where are you going back to?"
Wen Huai also paused: "Go... home."
Seeing him taking off his clothes, she realized belatedly: "Are you sleeping here tonight too?"
In the room, between the two people, the sound of clothes rubbing against each other became sensitive.
Xu Youjing rolled up his sleeves and glanced at her as if it was a matter of course: "Do you think I'm going to let you sleep here by yourself?"
Without giving her a chance to negotiate, he asked, "Would you like to wash up first?"
...
It took an hour to finish cleaning up.
One was sleeping on the bed, and the other was blowing out the matches.
Xu Youjing lit the aromatherapy and suddenly asked, "Why can't you sleep without it?"
Wen Huai was a little embarrassed: "Just think of it as a psychological effect. I can't explain why."
"Will you suffer from insomnia if you don't order it?"
"I don't have insomnia, but I just don't sleep well, like having a lot of dreams."
Xu Youjing remembered that day when he sent her to the room. He saw the aromatherapy, but he didn't know what it was for and didn't light it at all.
She probably didn't sleep well that night.
Wen Huai didn't know what he was thinking, he just thought he was very interested in aromatherapy.
There is a familiar faint fragrance in the air, which makes people feel inexplicably at peace.
Although I am not at home tonight, it doesn’t matter whether I am at home or not as long as I am with Xu Youjing.
"I also brought you the thermos next to the aromatherapy."
Wen Huai paused for a while before saying "hmm".
Xu Youjing said, "Rest."
"good."
He turned off the lights, and the entire ward went dark, leaving only the outer hall brightly lit, like two distinct days and nights.
Somehow, Wen Huai opened his mouth subconsciously and happened to meet Xu Youjing who turned around.
"What's wrong?" He was nervous. "Is your stomach upset again?"
"......no."
Noticing her hesitation, he twitched the corners of his lips: "Do you want me to go to bed?"
Wen Huai's breathing stagnated as he stared at the unclear face hidden in the dim light.
She wondered if Xu Youjing was joking or hinting at something.
Or maybe she was overthinking it.
In the quiet silence, something seems to be slowly emerging and taking root.
Until the sound of fabric rubbing was heard in the quiet environment, Xu Youjing, who was about to leave, heard a low, soft voice coming from the bedside.
"Then go to bed."
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