Lin Zhuyin's message was ultimately not sent. She and Shen Liubai were divorced, and he had already begun a new life. It would be inexcusable for her to get involved with him again.
As for everything he had done for her, she would simply consider it a moment of kindness.
Following this, Lin Zhuyin became busy again. Ever since Liu Xiaoxia attended Gao Ruolan's banquet, she had been glued to her phone whenever she had free time, appearing to be head over heels in love.
Lin Zhuyin, fearing she might be deceived by some playboy, repeatedly warned her to be cautious and careful, whether she was making friends or dating.
In this society, women always seemed to get the short end of the stick compared to men.
Liu Xiaoxia would outwardly agree, but Lin Zhuyin didn't know if she was truly listening.
Meanwhile, Shen Liubai had been waiting for Lin Zhuyin's call. However, not only did she not call, but she didn't even send a WeChat message.
Despite feeling angry about this, Shen Liubai wasn't surprised.
Lin Zhuyin, outwardly appearing cool and detached, as if she could handle anything the world threw at her, was in reality a real coward.
Shen Liubai spent a day weaving a large net, waiting for Lin Zhuyin to walk right into it.
Then, he would trap her, ensuring she could never leave again.
Shen Keqin had also been quite troubled lately. Ever since her conversation with Han Yunuo, whenever she had a moment of free time, she couldn't help but wonder if Jian Mubai liked her.
Both siblings were troubled by matters of the heart. Shen Zhengcheng and Xi Ruxue saw their distress and felt it deeply.
Xi Ruxue opened her mouth several times, wanting to say something, but Shen Zhengcheng stopped her.
"The children are grown now. They need to experience matters of the heart themselves. No matter how much we say, it will only add to their worries and serve no other purpose. We just need to silently support every choice they make from behind the scenes."
Life is short, and even parents cannot predict the path of the future.
Whether it's the right choice or the wrong one, it needs to be experienced firsthand.
Just like Song Qinian and Shen Chi Yan, who were misunderstood for so many years, only to end up together after many twists and turns.
Those who love each other will never be separated, no matter what happens.
Xi Ruxue found his words sensible and remained silent.
Shen Keqin hadn't visited the hospital for two days. She was still contemplating her relationship with Jian Mubai and its future direction.
She couldn't figure it out, and the frustration made her unsure how to face him.
Lying in bed that night, she couldn't sleep. Her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw it was a WeChat message from Jian Mubai.
She abruptly sat up. Hadn't she blocked Jian Mubai before? How could he still message her?
Perhaps WeChat had a bug?
Her heart inexplicably began to race. She took a deep breath and opened the message. It contained only three words: "Are you asleep?"
Shen Keqin: "..."
He was messaging her late at night and only asked this?
Just as she was hesitating whether to reply, another WeChat message from Jian Mubai came through: "I can't sleep."
A few seconds later, another message arrived: "My wound hurts."
Shen Keqin's mind immediately conjured an image of Jian Mubai enduring pain and struggling to send her a message.
Jian Mubai was a blockhead. Normally, no matter how much pain he was in, he wouldn't even groan. For him to say he was hurting this time, he must have been in unbearable pain.
Just as she was about to type a reply, she saw Jian Mubai recall the message "My wound hurts."
This made Shen Keqin feel even more strongly that he was truly proud, and that recalling the message was his way of not showing his vulnerability in front of her.
No longer dwelling on it, she directly made a voice call. It rang only once before he answered.
"Qinqin..."
Shen Keqin pretended not to see his recalled message and calmly asked, "Why are you messaging so late at night?"
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
Hearing Jian Mubai's apologetic tone, Shen Keqin's heart softened. "Not really."
"Um... why aren't you asleep yet?"
Shen Keqin would never admit she couldn't sleep because of him. She casually lied, "I was watching videos of handsome guys online."
Jian Mubai was silent for a few seconds, then responded with a simple, "Mm," a single syllable that conveyed no discernible emotion.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence between them grew, and Shen Keqin, unable to bear it, spoke first. "I blocked you, didn't I? How can I still receive your messages? Did you do something to my phone?"
Jian Mubai didn't deny it. He readily admitted, "Yes."
"Hmph... you're quite honest. When did you do it?"
"The last time at the hospital, when you were sleeping in my hospital bed."
Shen Keqin: "..."
The memory of that time made her face involuntarily flush.
It was the first time in her life she had shared a bed with a man, and it was in a hospital.
Before Shen Keqin could speak, Jian Mubai's deep, resonant voice came through again, "Can you please not block me anymore?"
It was rare to hear Jian Mubai sound so submissive. Shen Keqin replied haughtily, "It depends on my mood."
"Then I wish you happiness every day."
Shen Keqin couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "Pfft."
"Qinqin, are you laughing?"
"No! What's so funny about a voice call with you?"
"Sorry..."
Hearing his apology, Shen Keqin's mood soured instantly. She hadn't scolded him, so why apologize?
Thinking of something, she frowned and said, "If you're feeling unwell or in pain, you can ask the doctor for painkillers. Don't try to tough it out yourself."
Realizing her tone sounded overly concerned, she added, "Don't overthink it. I'm not trying to care about you. The sooner you recover and are discharged, the sooner I can be free."
"Okay..."
"Then that's it. I'm going to sleep..."
"Wait..."
"Is there something else?"
"Are you... are you busy lately?"
"Is there something?"
Jian Mubai seemed hesitant, as if struggling. Just as Shen Keqin thought he would say, "Can you come to the hospital to see me?" he sighed softly. "Never mind, it's nothing."
Shen Keqin angrily hung up the phone.
If it was nothing, why did he ask if she was busy?
And then he gave up!
Was he crazy?
That voice call made Shen Keqin even more unable to sleep, her mind filled with Jian Mubai.
As a result, the next morning, Shen Keqin woke up with very prominent dark circles under her eyes.
After working at the company for half the day, she felt utterly exhausted. Finally, she angrily went to the person responsible for her insomnia.
As soon as Shen Keqin arrived at the hospital, she ran into Ye Jingqiu, who was on rounds. Seeing Ye Jingqiu, she felt a bit awkward.
Conversely, Ye Jingqiu smiled when he saw her. "You're here."
His tone was as familiar as could be. Shen Keqin smiled back, "Yes, thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard work. This is what I should be doing."
Watching the two of them exchange pleasantries, Jian Mubai's gaze was extremely cold.
Ye Jingqiu, sensing the sharp, piercing gaze, showed no fear. Instead, he deliberately said to Shen Keqin, "Want to step out and chat?"
Shen Keqin glanced at Jian Mubai. A nurse was changing his dressing, and his wounds looked much better, but they were still quite gruesome, making her feel uneasy.
She really wanted to know how Jian Mubai was doing, so she nodded and followed Ye Jingqiu outside.
Jian Mubai watched her retreating figure, his expression as grim as it could be.