Meng Jingwei was not a good sleeper, tossing and turning in bed. As a result, she ended up pressing on her injured arm.
"It hurts... it hurts so much..."
She mumbled, and turned over again.
Qing Muye couldn't stand it. Fearing she would injure her arm again, he got up, lay on his side next to her, and pulled her into his arms, carefully taking care of her to prevent her from hurting herself further.
Leaning against him, the familiar scent that wafted towards her was exceptionally comforting for Meng Jingwei. She nestled into his embrace, her injured hand wrapped around his waist, her legs resting on his. She slept soundly and comfortably.
She, however, was comfortable, but Qing Muye was in a miserable state.
To avoid pressing her injured arm, Qing Muye's left hand was kept behind his back, resting beside her, not daring to move at all.
It wasn't until she recovered from her fever that it was six in the morning.
Qing Muye, stiff and numb all over, finally got up and stretched his joints to prevent further numbness.
"Why are you up so early?"
Within minutes, Meng Jingwei, who was in bed, woke up.
She lay weakly on the bed, watching Qing Muye pace around the room. "Don't you need to sleep?"
"Did I disturb you?"
Qing Muye's voice was gentle, completely devoid of the sharpness from the previous day.
Meng Jingwei shook her head. "No, I usually wake up around six-thirty every day."
"How are you feeling? Better?"
The man walked up to her and placed his hand on her forehead. Finding she no longer had a fever, his hanging heart finally settled.
"I had a fever last night?"
"Just a low-grade fever."
"Oh."
Meng Jingwei responded with an "oh" and looked at him with complicated eyes. "Qing Muye?"
"Mm?"
The man responded softly, sitting on the companion chair by the bed. His stern face seemed to have melted under the warm sun of March, his expression as gentle as water.
"Although you're being good to me all because of Grandma Qing, I should still thank you."
Whether Qing Muye was using her or feigning concern was irrelevant.
He had undeniably saved her and looked after her all night.
Meng Jingwei was grateful.
Naturally, her dislike for him had lessened.
As for the initial debt of him sleeping with her, she decided to consider it settled.
As long as he didn't touch her again, it would all fade away, forgotten.
Her words, perhaps, were better left unsaid.
To Qing Muye, they sounded exceptionally jarring.
However, he couldn't bring himself to argue with the little woman. "What do you want to eat?"
"I've been lying down all night. I want to go for a walk with you."
"No. The doctor said you need to rest properly."
"Alright. Then buy me another portion of porridge, the same one as yesterday."
"You really like porridge?"
"Yes. I really like porridge and rice, but I don't like noodles." Meng Jingwei smiled, but her pale complexion gave her a fragile, delicate appearance that evoked pity.
"When we get home, I'll make porridge for you."
"Hahaha, okay. You only know how to make porridge, and I love porridge, how perfect."
Meng Jingwei mumbled, then suddenly shook her head. "Forget it. Your porridge is too expensive, three hundred yuan a portion. I won't eat it."
Damn it, working delivery all day made her feel like a dog, and it only paid three hundred yuan.
Qing Muye, making porridge for breakfast, charged three hundred yuan. She couldn't afford that!
"If you behave well, I'll consider not charging you."
"Really?"
"Mm."
"Then from now on, you'll make breakfast for me, and I'll clean the house. How about that?"
"Okay."
"That's great! I'll save on rent and utility fees, and also on breakfast money."
Meng Jingwei was calculating her savings. At least two thousand yuan a month, and twenty-four thousand a year.
Tsk tsk, twenty-four thousand.
With bank interest, she'd earn a few hundred yuan more. How wonderful!
Qing Muye left the ward to buy breakfast for Meng Jingwei.
A few days later, Meng Jingwei was finally discharged from the hospital and flew back to Lancheng with Qing Muye.
Emerging from Lancheng Airport, she stood outside the terminal, slowly closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh air. She sighed, "Finally back. Even the air in Lancheng feels so fresh."
"Get in the car."
Qing Muye walked past her, cupped the back of her head with his large hand, and guided her into the car.
Bang. The car door closed, and Song Ci started the engine, driving away slowly.
Meng Jingwei leaned back against the car seat, tilted her head, and glanced at Qing Muye. "Where are we going?"
"The old residence."
"Oh, okay."
Meng Jingwei replied, though her face showed little joy.
As expected, all the kindness Qing Muye showed her was merely to cultivate a useful pawn, to get her to build a good relationship with his grandmother.
"Miss Meng, this is the phone the boss asked me to buy for you. The SIM card has been replaced."
Song Ci, who was driving, handed a mobile phone to Meng Jingwei.
She took the phone and thanked him.
As she turned it on, the phone buzzed with notifications, mostly unimportant messages and calls.
When she went to Liangchuan, she had called her adoptive parents, telling them she was representing the company at a charity event and specifically mentioning that there was no signal in Liangchuan, fearing they would worry too much.
Passing a supermarket, Meng Jingwei asked Qing Muye for money and bought a few nutritional supplements.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Qing family's old residence.
However, as soon as Meng Jingwei stepped out of the car, Qing Muye's phone rang.
He took out his phone and answered. "What's wrong?"
Meng Jingwei couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying, but she sensed Qing Muye's expression darken. "Okay, I'll be there immediately."
He hung up, walked up to Meng Jingwei, and said, "I have something urgent to attend to. You go in by yourself; I won't accompany you."
For some reason, Meng Jingwei felt that Qing Muye was incredibly hypocritical at this moment, but she didn't say anything.
She had agreed to become Madam Qing's god-granddaughter because she wanted to rely on the Qing family's influence; he was using her, getting her to appease his grandmother, all so she could become a useful pawn in the future.
Each pursuing their own interests, it was merely a transaction.
"Alright." Meng Jingwei nodded slightly.
Song Ci carried the items out. With a look from Qing Muye, Song Ci handed the keys to Qing Muye.
Qing Muye drove away, and Song Ci accompanied Meng Jingwei into the old residence.
In the old residence's reception hall, Meng Jingwei met Madam Qing.
"Grandma?"
She called out.
Upon hearing the voice, Madam Qing looked up and saw Meng Jingwei, her face immediately breaking into a delighted smile. "Oh, Jingwei girl is back?"
She stood up and walked over, standing before Meng Jingwei, a happy smile on her kindly face. "Come, come, let me see. It's been a month, and you've gotten thinner."
"It's fine, I'll gain the weight back with some nourishment." Meng Jingwei smiled and walked forward, giving Grandma a hug. "Grandma, I've missed you so much."
Although she had intended to leverage the Qing family's influence, Meng Jingwei genuinely liked Madam Qing.
"Haha, Grandma missed you too."
Madam Qing hugged Meng Jingwei back. Perhaps not knowing she was injured, she accidentally bumped her wound, causing Meng Jingwei to gasp in pain.