Ge'er was in a bad mood every day.
Although the two families had agreed to keep Shang Jincheng's funeral simple, there were still many social obligations to attend to.
She had been feeling overwhelmed lately.
Especially since her morning sickness had kicked in.
Jiang Nan Fang was worried about her health, as she was not eating or sleeping well due to her busy schedule, and wanted her to move back home.
But Ge'er didn't want to.
She didn't want anyone to look at her with pity. Even her parents' sympathy made her feel like a failure and defeated.
Jiang Nan Fang, respecting her pride, didn't dare to force the issue. He could only ask Aunt Zhang, who had been taking care of them since they were young, to cook for her at home every mealtime.
After attending to social obligations and spending half a month at home to calm down, Ge'er found herself bored. Not wanting to idly think of all sorts of things, she returned to work.
Not having seen Qin Shen for a long time, Ge'er, carrying her exhausted body, ran into him at the elevator entrance as she was leaving work one day.
Qin Shen, carrying a large bag of groceries he had just bought, was delighted to see Ge'er and greeted her.
"Sister, long time no see! What have you been busy with lately?"
"I thought you and brother-in-law got married and moved elsewhere without telling me, which made me quite disappointed. I'm so happy to see you today."
Ge'er was not in the mood to chat, let alone socialize. Leaning against the wall, she glanced at him indifferently upon hearing his words but didn't reply.
Qin Shen, unfazed, waved the groceries in his hand at her.
"I just bought a bunch of food. I plan to update my video tomorrow morning. Have you been following my account recently?"
Naturally, she hadn't.
She was so bothered every day that she didn't even want to eat, let alone think about him.
Ge'er remained silent.
Qin Shen thought she was aloof. Seeing her silence, he changed the subject.
"Why isn't brother-in-law with you? Doesn't he pick you up after work? What are you eating for dinner?"
He was bringing up the most sensitive topic.
With his constant mention of "sister" and "brother-in-law," Ge'er thought, are we really that familiar?
Just as she was about to retort and distance herself from him, two young men approached from behind.
Both were holding basketballs and wearing loose tracksuits. They clearly had just returned from exercising, their bodies emitting a faint sporty scent.
Even a slight smell was very strong for Ge'er, who was in a sensitive period.
She instinctively turned her head to the side, feeling a sourness rise in her stomach.
As they were talking, the elevator arrived.
The doors opened, and the two boys entered first.
Qin Shen stepped in as well and then turned to wave at Ge'er.
"Sister."
Ge'er endured the nausea and turned her head. She looked at the three of them and was about to tell Qin Shen to go ahead, as she was waiting for someone. The two boys behind her smiled at her.
"What a beautiful sister, are you a resident here too? What floor do you live on? We've never seen you before."
Never mind.
They were all clean and cheerful young people. They meant no harm, nor were they deliberately trying to make her sick.
Was she going to throw away their kindness just because she was in a bad mood?
Who did she think she was, Zhan Jingge?
Ge'er, not wanting to offend them, walked in with a frown.
Qin Shen pressed the close door button, pressed her home floor, and then turned back to answer the questions of the two handsome guys.
"Sister has a boyfriend."
The two men: "..."
Ge'er leaned against the wall with a dejected expression. After Qin Shen spoke, his gaze fell upon her, and he finally noticed something was wrong.
"You look a bit unwell. What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
They had said so many things, and she hadn't replied to a single one. Ge'er knew it wasn't good, so she nodded.
"A little."
"Do you have a cold or something? Why do you seem thinner again? You need to take care of yourself, no matter how busy work is."
Ge'er gave him a pale smile and looked ahead, falling silent again.
As the elevator ascended, in the enclosed space, the body odor of the other two seemed to be amplified infinitely.
It assaulted her senses in waves. Within just a few seconds, the urge to vomit surged into her throat.
And to make matters worse, there were so many people in the elevator when she felt unwell.
As they reached the third floor, someone pressed the stop button. An elderly couple walked in, leading a dog.
The doors closed, and as the elevator reached the tenth floor, the couple with the dog got off. Another young couple carrying a baby walked in.
The elevator, which usually ran so quickly, seemed to be deliberately playing a trick on Ge'er today.
Slowly, stopping and starting, it was almost unbearable.
Ge'er tried her best to endure, not wanting to embarrass herself in public.
At this critical moment, the child behind her let out a fart. The child's mother chided him, and the father unfastened his diaper.
The couple probably thought their child's poop smelled good, as they openly checked if their child was feeling unwell.
They didn't realize their actions had pushed Ge'er beyond her limit.
An intense urge to vomit immediately washed over her. Even though she knew it was inappropriate to vomit in the elevator, she couldn't help it!
"Ugh..."
Ge'er covered her mouth and crouched down.
Since noticing Ge'er was unwell, Qin Shen had been standing behind her, watching her silently.
Seeing Ge'er cover her mouth and crouch down in discomfort, Qin Shen realized the situation was not good. With a "whoosh," he dropped the groceries in his hands to the floor.
Then he rushed to Ge'er's side and handed her an empty plastic bag.
"Feeling like you want to throw up? Quickly, throw up in here!"
Ge'er didn't have time to hesitate. She grabbed the bag, buried her face in it, and vomited her guts out.
She hadn't eaten much all day, so there was nothing substantial to vomit, but the sour liquid that came out was still revolting in the enclosed elevator.
Fortunately, Qin Shen's floor arrived at this moment.
The elevator door opened, and he abandoned his groceries, scooping up the crouching Ge'er and carrying her out.
Ge'er was carried out before she had finished vomiting. She knelt at the elevator entrance and vomited again with all her might.
Only when she could no longer even force out sour liquid did she lean against the wall, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Qin Shen had already opened the door and beckoned her over.
"Feeling any better? Can you stand up now? Come to my place and rest for a bit. Here, let me help you."
Ge'er leaned heavily on him as he dragged her inside.
The door closed, and Qin Shen first told her to lie down on the sofa, then went to clean up the plastic bag.
Without the slightest hint of disgust, he brought the bag with the sour liquid inside, tied it, threw it into the trash can, then went to get her water to rinse her mouth.
Ge'er felt dizzy and nauseous, utterly useless.
Although she knew she was bothering him, she lacked the strength to push him away.
Qin Shen helped her spit the mouthwash into the trash can, then helped her lie back down. Only then did he take the trash can to the bathroom to rinse it, wash his hands, and come out.
"What's wrong with you? What happened to you today?"
The sun had already set by this time, with only a faint warm golden glow filtering through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Qin Shen stood with his back to the light, facing her, his features obscured.
The halo behind him was magnified, making him look as if he were bathed in a circle of light, appearing very handsome.
Looking at his youthful figure, Ge'er felt a moment of daze and suddenly remembered an old acquaintance.
Lei Dongyi.