Qin He rarely saw Gu Qishen's eyes up close. His incredibly handsome face was so near that she felt herself falling into it, her gaze lost in his pupils, which seemed like a star-filled sky.
In an instant, she realized her mind might be playing tricks on her.
She looked to the side. Two maids from country L were chatting nearby, and a doctor with blond hair and blue eyes was administering an IV drip.
Qin He eyed the bottle warily. "What is this?"
The doctor replied very politely and respectfully, "Madam, you must be suffering from acclimatization discomfort. This is to replenish your strength."
Qin He frowned. She rarely allowed anyone to give her an IV drip when she was out.
But seeing Gu Qishen by her side, her heart gradually calmed.
However, her head still ached severely, and she soon fell asleep again.
By noon, Qin He woke up again, feeling weak and listless.
Gu Qishen had the maids bring lunch to her room. He sat by her bedside and spoon-fed her.
Qin He reached out to snatch the spoon.
Gu Qishen's hand was exceptionally firm. "You're sick now. Once you're better, I certainly won't feed you."
Qin He glared at him, but her weakness made her back break out in a sweat.
Biting her lip, she found her wrist felt feeble. She stopped arguing with Gu Qishen and opened her mouth to swallow the food he offered.
After lunch, Qin He looked around the room. "Where is Di Shishi?"
"She and Yu Jing have gone to prepare gifts."
"What gifts?" Qin He shifted her body. She felt sticky all over and didn't even have the strength to go to the bathroom.
Qin He rubbed her forehead. Why was acclimatization so severe? Perhaps it was also due to pregnancy?
"They are for Liu Xingan in the future," Gu Qishen said.
Qin He's stomach churned, and she covered her mouth, gagging.
Their eyes met, and she awkwardly turned her face away.
The skin of one's face, it always thickens with use.
Qin He deeply understood this as she threw up into the toilet for the third time.
As she opened the door, Gu Qishen walked in.
He seemed not to notice the odor in the air, carefully helped Qin He up, and guided her to the washbasin in the outer room.
Qin He was settled onto a chair that had just been brought beside the washbasin. Gu Qishen rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of his strong arm.
He took a towel, washed it, and filled it with warm water. Wringing it out to the right temperature, he brought the towel to Qin He's lips.
"Wipe yourself."
Qin He weakly raised her hand to take the towel. Before she could even reach it, Gu Qishen saw that she still lacked strength.
Qin He glared, and Gu Qishen cupped her head with one hand.
"Hey, Gu Qishen—"
The man was already gently wiping her face with the towel.
Qin He's face fell. In her daze, after being haphazardly cared for, she widened her eyes. "Gu Qishen, I can do it myself!"
Gu Qishen's lips curved slightly for a moment. He washed the towel and handed it to Qin He.
Qin He held the towel, gritted her teeth, and looked at the man's nonchalant demeanor, as if she were the one overthinking things.
She had initially thought acclimatization would only last a day.
But she ended up confined to bed for three whole days.
When Qin Yun called, she was afraid her brother would worry, so she didn't dare to say she was sick. Mustering her strength, she claimed she was negotiating with Liu Xingan.
In the small villa.
Two maids stood outside the kitchen downstairs, watching Gu Qishen at work. They chatted in the language of country L.
"Miss Qin is so fortunate to have a man as thoughtful and handsome as Mr. Gu."
In the kitchen, Gu Qishen held his phone in one hand, flipping through a recipe.
Earlier, when Qin He had been groggy, she had mentioned wanting to eat a specific type of green vegetable noodles, a specialty of Qingcheng.
The maids here didn't know how to make it, so he decided to cook it himself for Qin He.
This was, of course, Gu Qishen's first time cooking.
He poured cold oil into the wok and turned on the heat. He glanced at the recipe for a moment, then tossed in the chopped scallions. Splattering oil flew everywhere!
The two maids outside rushed in. "Mr. Gu, are you alright?!"
Gu Qishen shook his head with a cold expression. He calmly wiped the oil splatters from his hand. The burning sensation lingered.
However, he always worked meticulously. By this time, he had finished reading the recipe. He discarded the burnt oil and scallions, then added oil again, this time with more practiced movements.
Following the steps one by one, ten minutes later, Gu Qishen gazed at the bowl of noodles before him. It looked and smelled appetizing.
He took a taste, and his brows furrowed. The taste was off; he had likely put in too much salt.
He poured away the bowl of noodles and started over. The two maids wanted to help, but he refused.
After repeatedly trying for an hour and a half, Gu Qishen produced a bowl of green vegetable noodles that rivaled the picture in the recipe. He placed it on a small tray.
A maid approached. "Mr. Gu, shall we take it up to Miss Qin?"
Gu Qishen shook his head. "You just clean up here."
Over the past three days, he had instructed Yu Jing and Di Shishi to procure gifts daily. Some items even had to be purchased from the countryside near the capital of country L.
So, for these three days, he had been taking care of Qin He himself, attending to every detail.
He could feel that Qin He's attitude towards him had improved significantly. At least the wariness and defensiveness from before had completely disappeared.
She no longer resisted his proximity.
This was already significant progress.
He needed to press on!
In Qin He's bedroom on the second floor, she leaned against her headboard, holding her phone.
Today, Qin He felt much better. Although there was still a slight ache at the back of her head, it was within bearable limits.
They had been in country L for three days, and too much time had been wasted. Qin He looked at the date and searched for routes online, planning to visit the Vinson family's ancient castle tomorrow.
The bedroom door opened, and Qin He put down her phone and looked up.
Gu Qishen walked in with a bowl of noodles. He placed it on the small table in front of her.
Qin He stared at the bowl of noodles with surprise.
"This is—" She looked up at Gu Qishen. She vaguely remembered mentioning wanting green vegetable noodles when she was groggy. She hadn't expected him to remember.
The green vegetable noodles looked exceptionally appetizing. Qin He now had the strength to eat by herself. She picked up a strand of noodles with her chopsticks and took a bite.
The rich aroma mingled with the freshness of the vegetables, filling her senses. Qin He's eyes narrowed in satisfaction. Eating food from home in a foreign land was the greatest happiness.
"Who made these noodles? They're so authentic!" Qin He looked up, her eyes shining with a smile.
Gu Qishen's expression was calm, a hint of a smile flitting across it.
Qin He blinked. "It couldn't have been you, could it?"
Gu Qishen responded with a noncommittal hum, his demeanor nonchalant. "It's very simple." His tone carried a faint hint of pride.