In Shen Keqin's memory, Jian Mubai was a person who could endure a great deal.
When she was fifteen, she almost got into a car accident while walking, and it was Jian Mubai who rushed to save her.
That time, Jian Mubai was seriously injured. His arm was scraped raw on the ground, gravel embedded deep into the flesh, a bloody mess.
The wound didn't look too severe, but as it was being cleaned, Shen Keqin felt the pain just looking at it. Yet, he didn't even groan, instead comforting her not to be afraid.
Today, as they walked out of the garden, he kept letting out muffled groans of pain. Every step he took was met with a hiss. Shen Keqin's brows furrowed, her expression quite grim.
Shen Keqin had initially planned to take him out of the garden and leave, but with Jian Mubai in this state, he would likely collapse on the way back to his room.
Sigh. Since she had started helping, she might as well see it through. It was only a few steps, so she might as well escort him back.
Once they entered the elevator, Shen Keqin quickly let go of Jian Mubai. Jian Mubai, caught off guard, almost fell. She quickly steadied him.
"When did you become so weak?"
"I'm sorry..."
Those three words gave Shen Keqin a heart attack. She didn't know what to say for a moment.
After a difficult journey to the room, Shen Keqin helped him to the bed and said coldly, "If you need anything, call the doctor. Don't try to be a hero. Don't you want to recover and go home soon? Are you addicted to staying in the hospital?"
Sensing that Shen Keqin was still concerned about him, Jian Mubai's mood brightened considerably. He nodded obediently, "Okay."
"Then I'm leaving."
Shen Keqin turned to go, but Jian Mubai suddenly called out, "Wait..."
Shen Keqin shot him a grim glare. "What else is there?"
"You've got a lot of dirt and leaves on you. Clean yourself up before you go back."
Shen Keqin looked down, her face darkening.
She was wearing a white thin sweater today. After the commotion in the garden, dried leaves had stuck to it. They wouldn't shake off; she'd have to pick them off one by one.
If she returned looking like this, her parents would surely think something had happened to her, worry themselves sick, and bombard her with questions.
Watching Shen Keqin pick leaves off her sweater with a dark expression, Jian Mubai's eyes, usually dim, were filled with tenderness.
Seeing Shen Keqin grow increasingly agitated, he immediately said, "Come closer, I'll pick them off for you."
"I! Don't! Need! It!"
Two minutes later, Shen Keqin, with a blackened face, walked up to Jian Mubai. "You better clean me up properly. If I find even a speck left, you're dead."
"Okay."
Jian Mubai, fearing Shen Keqin would tire of standing, asked her to sit on the bed.
Initially, Shen Keqin was filled with regret and self-recrimination, unsure how things had come to this.
But soon.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the day's events, or perhaps it was Jian Mubai's presence, but drowsiness set in. She yawned several times in a row.
"Alright, I'm done picking. I'm tired, I'm going home to sleep."
As Shen Keqin got up to leave, Jian Mubai gently pressed her shoulder, making her sit back down on the bed.
"There's just a little bit left. It'll be done in less than a minute."
"Then hurry up..."
Shen Keqin yawned again, her eyelids heavy with fatigue.
Before a minute had passed, her body slowly slumped. Jian Mubai reached out to support her. Seeing her stir instinctively, he whispered in her ear, "There, there, sleep."
Shen Keqin mumbled a reply and then fell into a deep sleep.
Jian Mubai, enduring the pain in his arm, carried her to the bed. Looking at her sleeping face, he let out a soft sigh. "With you so unguarded, how can I ever entrust you to someone else."
Perhaps feeling a bit cold, Shen Keqin instinctively snuggled towards the source of warmth, burrowing into Jian Mubai's embrace.
She even hugged him tightly, treating him like a bolster pillow.
Jian Mubai smiled, holding her close. He lowered his head and kissed her smooth, beautiful forehead, then let out a contented sigh.
Holding Shen Keqin, he felt as though he were holding his entire world. His long-standing confusion and indecision seemed to clear like fog parting the clouds, finally realizing what he wanted.
He wanted her.
Thinking of something, he took out Shen Keqin's phone, unlocked it, and imitating Shen Keqin's tone, sent a WeChat message to Xi Ruxue.
"Mom, Miaozi says she's bored and wants me to stay with her tonight, so I won't be home. You guys get some rest early, muah."
He also sent a "Love you" emoji.
Afterward, he turned off Shen Keqin's phone and, holding her, drifted off to sleep.
During this period, Jian Mubai often suffered from insomnia, staying awake all night. He knew he needed rest for his injury to heal faster.
But unless his medicine contained a sleeping agent, he simply couldn't sleep.
The moment he closed his eyes, all he saw were images of Shen Keqin crying, which plagued him with nightmares night after night.
Today, holding the girl he loved in his arms, he closed his eyes and had a sweet, long, and peaceful dream.
The next day.
Shen Keqin woke up feeling warm. Before she even opened her eyes, she felt something holding her in place. She stirred instinctively, and the embrace tightened.
She opened her eyes uncomfortably, and a man's enlarged face filled her vision.
Jian Mubai! Who was it!
"Ah..."
She startled, sitting up abruptly. Upon seeing her surroundings, she felt a wave of despair.
This was madness!
She had slept in Jian Mubai's hospital room last night, and they had shared a bed!
At this moment, Jian Mubai seemed to be awakened by Shen Keqin's cry and slowly opened his eyes.
As their eyes met, Shen Keqin, blushing, preempted him. "Jian Mubai, you bastard! I helped you find your necklace, and you repaid me by making me sleep in your bed."
Jian Mubai sat up, gazing intently at the agitated Shen Keqin. "When I was picking leaves off you, you fell asleep. I tried to wake you for a long time, but you wouldn't wake up. You even said if I kept bothering you, you'd beat me to death."
Shen Keqin: "..."
Alright, that did sound like something she would say. After all, she hated being disturbed while sleeping the most.
Wait a minute!
"Even if I said I'd beat you, you should have woken me up! And besides, if you had called me to go home, I definitely wouldn't have hit you. But now, forget hitting you, I feel like killing you."
Early in the morning, Shen Keqin was furious, her face darkened.
"Cough cough..."
Jian Mubai suddenly coughed a few times, his complexion looking very unwell.
But Shen Keqin, in a fit of anger, couldn't be bothered with that. She quickly got out of bed, wanting only to escape this place of trouble. She never wanted to see this man again.
As she put on her shoes and opened the door, she suddenly heard the voices of Ye Jingqiu and Miao Ziai.
"Miss Miao, your recovery is progressing well. You can be discharged in a few more days."
"That's wonderful. Thank you, Dr. Ye, and everyone for your care and attention. I won't forget you after I'm discharged."
Ye Jingqiu smiled. "Then rest well."
Shen Keqin's heart tightened. Oh no, Ye Jingqiu was here for rounds.