After a sleepless night of meticulous care, her energy was utterly depleted.
She wanted to go upstairs, but her body felt impossibly heavy, not her own.
Su Qi lay back down, curling into a ball, and settled directly onto the floor.
She felt so unwell.
Her head was burning, as if a thousand ants were gnawing at it.
She had heard before that colds and fevers were contagious, and now she knew it was true.
Huo Tingyun stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets.
The twilight outside stretched his shadow into a long, thin line.
Inside, the room was plunged into complete darkness.
He remained standing.
She continued to lie there.
Lying on the cold floor.
He watched her indifferently, making no move to help.
After lying there for a while, Su Qi regained some strength and managed to push herself up again.
Sensing his gaze, Su Qi looked up.
Seeing Huo Tingyun, she thought it was an illusion and froze, stunned.
She had thought she was hearing things, but it really was him.
Why had he returned?
It seemed her fever had completely subsided.
"Your acting skills are truly superb."
The man applauded sarcastically.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Instantly, blood rushed to her head.
Su Qi finally understood what it meant to be so angry you could spit blood.
She had painstakingly cared for him all night.
She didn't ask for his help, but at least he could refrain from making sarcastic remarks!
"Indeed, there's a difference between people. Xu Linchuan wouldn't be so ungentlemanly... kicking someone when they're down!"
Su Qi gritted her teeth and spat out the words, then turned to go upstairs.
*Slap—*
Her wrist was grabbed.
Su Qi's body was already weak, and with Huo Tingyun's sudden pull, she stumbled, her body lurching directly towards the stair railing. *Thump!*
Her forehead crashed directly into the railing.
A bloody gash instantly opened.
She could no longer feel the pain in her body.
Warm blood flowed down from her forehead, blurring her vision.
Su Qi managed to steady herself.
"You've gone to such lengths to gain sympathy..."
The man's cold, mocking voice echoed.
Once, she had found his voice so pleasant.
Magnetic, deep.
Even devoid of emotion, so frigid, it had captivated her.
Su Qi realized with a jolt that she had come to despise this voice.
So much so that hearing it made her want to vomit.
Without a word, she no longer argued with Huo Tingyun. Stumbling, she walked towards the door.
"Su Qi! Where are you going!"
Where to?
Anywhere as long as it was away from him. Even back to the Huo family.
Unsure who else to ask for help, she felt she had no one to rely on.
Opening her phone, it seemed the only person she could contact was him.
Xu Linchuan arrived in less than five minutes.
A silver Volvo stopped outside the villa.
Xu Linchuan got out of the car and saw Su Qi walking out of the villa.
He gasped, his heart clenching painfully, and rushed forward, pulling Su Qi into his embrace.
"What happened to you? You're covered in blood..."
Xu Linchuan's eyes turned red.
Su Qi's head was bleeding, her frail body swaying precariously as she walked.
"I'll take you to the hospital..."
Su Qi's other side was gripped by a pair of hands.
"Su Qi is my wife."
The dazed Su Qi blinked, and the blood seemed to melt into her eyes.
She shook off Huo Tingyun's hand, her voice faint.
"Let's get a divorce, Huo Tingyun. Let me go, I'm begging you."
Huo Tingyun's body stiffened, as if frozen in place.
Xu Linchuan glanced at Huo Tingyun, then scooped Su Qi into his arms. "I'll take you to the hospital." He turned and got into the car.
The Volvo sped away.
A lingering fever still pulsed in his head, and his mind suddenly felt like it was exploding.
A splitting headache.
Su Qi's words echoed repeatedly in his ears.
Had she really said that?
Where had the girl who once looked at him with stars and love in her eyes gone?
Why—
Huo Tingyun drove back to Juyuan, parking the car near a pharmacy downstairs.
"I need painkillers."
"Coming right up."
The shop owner went to get the painkillers for Huo Tingyun. While checking him out, he asked, "Are you feeling better from your fever?"
"How did you know?"
"Your girlfriend came to buy medicine last night, very late. You have such a good girlfriend, you should cherish her! Don't regret it when she's gone!" The owner chuckled as he completed the transaction.
"Girlfriend?" Huo Tingyun frowned.
"Yes, the young lady was dressed simply, but it couldn't hide her natural beauty. She was truly stunning..."
Xu Linyun came from a prestigious family; simplicity was not in her vocabulary. Even for a casual stroll, she carried the most expensive handbag.
Was it her?
How could that be possible?!
Huo Tingyun paid, leaving the painkillers behind, and strode out of the pharmacy.
"Hey, young man, your painkillers—"
The owner chased after him, only to see the man get into his car. The sports car sped off instantly, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
A warm towel landed on her forehead, gently wiping it. It was soft and warm, cleaning her forehead.
Because it had been too long, the blood on her forehead had scabbed over, sticking some of her stray hairs together.
Su Qi had a low fever. As she was pregnant, she couldn't take ordinary medication.
Xu Linchuan used some ancient methods to reduce the fever.
After stopping the bleeding, he applied a bandage to Su Qi, then a cooling patch, and administered some glucose.
Xu Linchuan, without even time to wipe the sweat from his brow, turned to cook porridge as Su Qi showed signs of waking.
When Su Qi opened her eyes, she was surprised to find her body not as uncomfortable as she expected, but rather feeling somewhat at ease.
She raised her hand and touched her forehead.
Expecting to feel a scab, she instead felt a bandage and a cooling patch.
Where was she...
Looking around, she saw a clean, single apartment.
This was not a hospital.
Su Qi pulled back the thin blanket covering her, intending to get out of bed.
Before her feet could touch the ground, a man's gentle, smiling voice sounded from above.
"If you want to protect the baby, just lie down."
Su Qi obediently lay back down.
Seeing this, Xu Linchuan couldn't help but smile.
Having spent so much time in hospitals, he understood the weaknesses of patients; mention something they cared about, and they would immediately become compliant.
"Thank you," Su Qi said softly.
Xu Linchuan was Xu Linyun's brother. Su Qi detested Xu Linyun to the extreme, but the fact that Xu Linchuan had saved her was undeniable.
And he was even going to help her protect her baby.
Su Qi raised her eyes and looked closely at the smiling man. "Aren't you afraid that if this child stays, it will affect your sister's relationship with her husband?"
"More than that, I hope you can take good care of yourself."
"Why are you helping me so much?"
Su Qi couldn't understand. It couldn't be love at first sight; she wasn't that charming.
"Do you believe me if I say I love you?"
Su Qi fell silent.
Xu Linchuan was clearly avoiding the question and teasing her. Of course, she didn't believe him.
How could someone she had only met a few times fall in love with her?
The man outside the door appeared agitated. After knocking for less than a minute and receiving no answer, he resorted to kicking the door.
Su Qi pulled the quilt closer, covering half her face.