June 20th, Monday – 6th day
Zhuo Jingren woke up to the sound of heavy snoring that wasn’t his own. He blinked his eyes and gazed at the familiar ceiling before turning his head towards the source of the heavy snoring. Lily’s beautiful face came into his view which greatly surprised him.
Lily was curled up on the couch just next to his bed. Zhuo Jingren’s eyes immediately turned gentle as he watched the woman sleeping soundly, unguarded and sending snores his way. He slowly sat up on his bed and checked his limbs.
‘Nothing missing’ He was glad that did not lose any limbs.
Zhuo Jingren let out a small chuckle before he slowly got down from the bed, dragging along his IV drip stand as he made his way to Lily. He bent down to pick up a blanket that was sprawled on the floor and covered Lily with it. Then, his lips lifted into a small smile as memories from that night flooded his mind and how Lily agreed to marry him before he lost his consciousness.
Zhuo Jingren chided himself for losing his consciousness at the most critical moment. How embarrassing! Of course, he could easily explain that it was because he lost too much blood. It wouldn’t be the complete truth but it wouldn’t be considered as lying either.
“Your snores are too loud,” he said softly as he stroked her cheeks. “How can a small girl like you snore so loudly?”
Even though he had spoken softly, it still woke Lily up.
Lily’s eyes shot wide open without any warning. Before her was a man with handsome features, and her eyes couldn’t help but linger on his face for a few seconds. Then, realizing how awkward the situation was, she suddenly jolted up. Her movements were so fast that her head collided with his.
“Aw!” Lily said while massaging her forehead. “How could you startle me like that?” she grumbled when she felt Zhuo Jingren’s hands gently stroking her forehead as well.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
“Of course it does! Your head is too hard ah!” Lily said before she froze. Then she comically turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren as realization hit her. “You’re awake!”
“Hmn.” He nodded, still stroking her head. “How is it? Still painful?”
Lily stared at the man in disbelief. Why was he acting like she was the patient? “I’m fine,” she said before getting up from the couch. “Why are you out of your bed? Go and lie back down. What if you faint again?”
“I feel like I’ve been asleep for too long. My legs need some stretching,” he answered.
“Zhuo Jingren, don’t act like a child! Go back to your bed now. I will go and call the doctor in.” Lily was about to walk away but Zhuo Jingren held her back.
“Don’t leave. Just use my phone to call Go Jichen,” he said as he walked towards his bed, pulling Lily along with him. “I am still lightheaded. What if I faint when you are not around?”
Lily was about to rebut the man but thought that he also made sense. What if something happens to him while she was away? Of course, it never crossed Lily’s mind that Zhuo Jingren might be faking it just so that she could stay with him. After all, a big man in his thirties won’t act needy and weak in front of a woman right?
With that in mind, Lily used the phone in the room to call Secretary Go. In less than a minute, a large group of people entered Zhuo Jingren’s room. The team of doctors that Lily had requested had arrived early in the morning and they quickly got to work, examining Zhuo Jingren and running some tests on him. Secretary Go, Yang Mi, Doctor Ikeda, Akane and Riku followed shortly after. As the doctors were examining Zhuo Jingren, he held onto Lily’s hand and refused to let go, so she was forced to sit next to him on the bed.
The doctors looked at the two in confusion. Even Yang Mi and Secretary Go were left speechless. It was just a simple check-up, why was Zhuo Jingren acting like a spoiled child? Still, Lily obliged without a complaint. After all, she was the reason why Zhuo Jingren got hurt in the first place.
After a series of examination and making sure that his body was functioning normally, Zhuo Jingren’s IV was removed and the doctors left.
“How long was I asleep for?” Zhuo Jingren asked Lily, ignoring the other people in the room.
“We arrived here yesterday morning. So… You have slept for more than twenty-four hours,” she calculated. “You must be hungry. I will get someone to cook something for you.”
“Miss Lily, I have made some porridge for Mr. Zhuo. It’s his favorite porridge. I will ask someone to get it for…”
“No need. He doesn’t like porridge,” Lily interrupted Akane, shaking off Zhuo Jingren’s hand. She then rose from the bed and looked at Akane before eyeing Zhuo Jingren. “I will personally cook for him. I’m sure he will eat whatever I serve him. Isn’t that right?”
“Of course… Of course… My Lily is right,” Zhuo Jingren agreed in a heartbeat, flashing a million-watt smile that blinded everyone in the room. Lily would be cooking for him? It was a dream come true!
“But… Mr. Zhuo loves to eat porridge…”
“When I said he doesn’t like it… I meant that he doesn’t like the person who made it. How can I let my fiancé eat something made by a stranger?” Lily’s tone was sweet, but her words packed a punch and there was disdain in her eyes.
Akane’s face immediately turned ugly at Lily’s words. This ‘fiancé’ and ‘stranger’ thing again! Lily was intentionally rubbing some salt into her already wounded heart ah. However, she still harbored hope that Zhuo Jingren would not reject her goodwill. But when she looked at Zhuo Jingren again, what she saw only made her heart sink even more.
Zhuo Jingren was smiling like a fool, nodding at Lily like a yes-man and a henpecked husband. Seeing Zhuo Jingren acting like this instantly caused tears to well up in Akane’s eyes. It was as if someone had stomped on her already broken heart into pieces.
How cruel.
….
Editor: Swaning
