He paused with his hand on the doorknob, for some reason slowing his movements, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his throat in the next second.
He turned the door open and stepped inside, only to hear Shi Ran's voice, "Is the baby really okay?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. You should rest well. Oh, speaking of which, you're truly blessed to be having triplets. So many people can't even wish for it." The nurse was busy giving Shi Ran an IV drip while chatting with her.
Shi Ran placed her hand on her abdomen, a smile blooming on her lips. "Yes, heaven has been good to me."
"Why are you here alone in the middle of the night? Where's your husband?" the nurse asked again.
"He... he..." The abrupt question left Shi Ran truly unsure how to answer.
Tang Si, standing at the corner, suddenly walked out. "Apologies, I was held up with work and just rushed over," he said.
Appearing in the dead of night, the two people in the ward were startled and looked up.
Seeing Tang Si, the young nurse muttered, "Even if you're busy, you should still accompany your wife. Your wife having triplets must be very tough; someone should be with her at all times."
Tang Si wore a mask, covering half his face.
He had been a doctor and would often appear in various hospitals, fearing that being recognized would cause significant trouble.
"Yes, you're right," he nodded, but his gaze was fixed on Shi Ran, who was also staring at him with immense surprise.
"The needle is in."
Just then, the nurse got up to tidy her things and said as she turned to leave the ward, "You two are really strange, wearing masks in the middle of the night. Is there something you can't let people see..."
As she spoke, the nurse sized them up with a peculiar look, and words like 'mistress,' 'other woman,' and 'marital infidelity' flashed through her mind.
She closed the door and left.
In the ward, the two met each other's gaze. Neither of them had noticed the nurse's last, 'meaningful' remark.
Lying on the hospital bed, seeing Tang Si appear, Shi Ran's heart involuntarily sped up. She felt an inexplicable nervousness and anxiety. "Why... why are you here?"
Tang Si walked to the bedside, his eyes fixed on Shi Ran. His thin lips parted slightly. "Why have you lost so much weight?"
Earlier, he had been filled with worry and desperation, but after entering the ward and hearing the nurse's words, the anxiety in his heart had finally subsided.
The familiar voice was the one that lingered in her mind during countless nights of restless dreams.
For an unknown length of time, she had hoped, yearned, and thought about him, longing to see him, longing to have him by her side.
But all her longing and anticipation had ultimately been met with only herself.
Now, hospitalized, he had appeared quietly, like a deity descending from the heavens, making her heart pound. Amidst her unease, she was filled with joy.
"Why are you here?"
She countered with a question instead of answering.
Tang Si took off his mask, casually moved a companion chair to the bedside, looked at her hand with the IV drip, and gently took her slender, fair, and slightly cool fingers.
As his warm palm touched Shi Ran's fingers, she instinctively flinched back. Tang Si firmly grasped her hand. "Don't move, you're getting an IV."
His tone was filled with tenderness and concern.
This was precisely what Shi Ran had wanted.
Upon seeing, hearing, and feeling it all, the area around her nose suddenly stung. Her bright eyes were veiled with a misty haze. She pursed her red lips, unsure of what to say.
"I'm sorry, Ran Bao'er, I'm late." Tang Si reached out and removed the mask from her face, revealing her delicate features, along with a hideous, terrifying scar.
The man placed his palm on her cheek, his fingertips gently caressing her flawless skin, feeling the warmth on her face, and comforting her, "You've suffered."