coobybook Chapter 909 Thank you, nurse
Chapter 909 Thank you, nurse
In the corridors of the First People's Hospital's inpatient department, the scent of disinfectant permeated every corner like an invisible film, enveloping the morning coolness. The door to a regular ward on the third floor was ajar, revealing the whiteness within—white walls, white sheets, white coats. Only a bouquet of sunflowers, bought from a street vendor, on the bedside table offered a vibrant burst of yellow amidst the monotony.
Deng Zhouyi lay in his hospital bed, his brows still slightly furrowed, as if he were still battling someone in a dream. His complexion looked better than it had been in the rental apartment, but still tinged with a sickly red, and his lips were dry and chapped. An IV needle was stuck in the back of his left hand, and droplets of transparent liquid trickled down the tube, refracting tiny glints of light in the sunlight, as if counting the seconds.
Yu Qianqian sat on a plastic chair beside the bed, leaning forward slightly, her gaze fixed on the IV tube. She had barely slept the night before, and now her eyes were a faint dark hue, yet she dared not relax even a little. The nurse had just instructed her to ring the bell when the bottle of fluid was almost finished, and she was afraid she might miss it if she was distracted. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, creating deep wrinkles in the fabric.
On the bedside table sat a thermos, still warm, containing the millet porridge she'd bought from the hospital cafeteria that morning. Next to it, a plastic bag held freshly washed strawberries, vibrant red, which she'd spent half a day picking at the fruit stall outside the hospital. These items, laid out here like silent coordinates, marked the sudden encounter between her and this man.
She quietly raised her eyes to examine Deng Zhouyi. When he slept, his usual sharpness and impatience faded, his profile softened. His eyelashes were long, casting a light shadow beneath his eyes. She recalled what she had seen last night in the rental apartment—he had emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, water droplets sliding down his neck into the fabric, outlining his toned shoulders and back. Yet, he was curled up on the sofa, hugging a pillow and sleeping like a child. The contrast still made her heart race.
The first time she met him was in the Xingteng Restaurant office. He was dressed in a crisp black suit, sitting behind a large desk, twirling a pen between his fingers, his eyes sharp and scrutinizing. She was delivering a document, her palms sweating with nervousness. As she handed him the folder, he grabbed her wrist. His kiss was quick and fierce, with an undeniable force, but he released her just as she was about to gasp, whispering to her, "You're blushing like a tomato!"
At the time, she thought he was bullying her by relying on his status, and she was angry and afraid. However, in subsequent interactions, she discovered the attentiveness behind his assertiveness. She remembered one time when she worked overtime late at night and a rainstorm washed out the road home. He drove the long way around to drop her off at the gate of the residential complex. Before leaving, he tossed her a black umbrella and said in a stern tone, "Return the umbrella tomorrow. Don't try to get out of your debt."
It turns out that even the most powerful people have moments of weakness. Yu Qianqian looked at the needle marks on his arm, feeling a pang of pain in her heart. She reached out to help him pull up the slipped corner of the quilt. As her fingertips touched the fabric, Deng Zhouyi suddenly moved, his Adam's apple rolled, and he uttered a vague mutter.
"…Did you find it?"
The voice was soft, with a heavy nasal tone, as if asking someone. Yu Qianqian paused in mid-air, then gently withdrew her hand and sat up straight again. She knew what he was looking for—the man named Qi Haoyu, and the truth hidden in the dark. But at this moment, all of this should be put aside for the time being.
Just as the IV line was running low, a nurse arrived, pushing a treatment cart. "Is your family here?" the nurse smiled and nodded. She deftly removed the needle and pressed the needle hole with a cotton swab. "Press it for five minutes. Don't rub it. His fever is almost gone. One more day of observation. If there's no recurrence, he can be discharged."
"Thank you, nurse," Yu Qianqian responded quickly, reaching out to press the back of Deng Zhouyi's hand. His skin was hot, lingering with the warmth of a recently subsided fever, yet his palm felt a bit cool. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his fingers, and Deng Zhouyi seemed startled, his fingers curling slightly, but he didn't wake up.
After the nurse left, the ward returned to silence. The sunlight outside the window climbed over the windowsill and fell on Deng Zhouyi's face. His brows gradually relaxed, and his breathing became much more stable. Yu Qianqian let go of her hand and looked at the light red on the back of his hand. Suddenly, she remembered that he drank up the half cup of milk tea she had left last night in the rental house.
She was just about to say, "I drank that," when she saw him throw his head back and drink it all up. The way his Adam's apple rolled made her heart skip a beat. Later, when his stomach growled with hunger and his cheeks flushed, she suddenly remembered the stubborn little boy next door when she was a child. He clearly wanted candy, but insisted on saying, "Who cares?"
She stood up, poured a glass of warm water, and wet his lips with a cotton swab. His eyelashes trembled, and he finally slowly opened his eyes.
"Water..." His voice was so hoarse, as if it had been sandpapered.
Yu Qianqian quickly brought the water cup over, carefully supported his shoulders to help him sit up, and passed the cup to his mouth. He took two sips, and his eyes gradually cleared. He was stunned for a moment when he looked at her, as if wondering why he was there.
"I……"
"Your fever is 39.8 degrees Celsius and you're unconscious." Yu Qianqian took the cup of water and put it aside, trying to speak calmly, "I've taken you to the hospital."
Deng Zhouyi frowned, looking down at the needle marks on the back of his hand. He glanced around the ward before slowly remembering what happened last night. He remembered falling asleep on her sofa, but his memory of the rest was hazy. "Thank you for your help," he said, his voice still a little weak, yet with a touch of uneasy stiffness.
"It's okay." Yu Qianqian shook her head and took out a strawberry from the plastic bag. "The doctor said you need to supplement some vitamins. Eat this?"
Deng Zhouyi looked at the strawberry she handed him. It was bright red, with fresh green on the stem. He didn't take it, but just looked at her: "Where's my phone?"
"It's charging on the bedside table." Yu Qianqian pointed over there. "It rang several times last night, but I didn't dare answer it."
Deng Zhouyi struggled to sit up, and Yu Qianqian quickly helped him up. He picked up his phone, and the screen showed more than a dozen missed calls, all from Teng Zijing. His heart skipped a beat, and just as he was about to call back, Yu Qianqian grabbed his wrist.
"The doctor said you need to rest well and not get too tired." She said with a hint of insistence, "If there's anything, can you wait until you feel better before telling me?"
Deng Zhouyi saw the worry in her eyes and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He was silent for a few seconds, but finally put his phone back on the bedside table. "Porridge... did you buy it?" He glanced at the thermos and changed the subject.
"Yes, millet porridge from the cafeteria, warm." Yu Qianqian opened the thermos, filled a small bowl and handed it to him, "You haven't eaten properly for two days, drink some to fill your stomach."
Deng Zhouyi took the bowl. The aroma of the porridge, mixed with the faint fragrance of rice, wafted into his nose, surprisingly warming his stomach. He scooped a mouthful with his spoon, and the warm porridge slid down his throat, with a slightly sweet taste. He rarely ate such light meals, but at this moment, it felt more comforting than any other delicacies.
"You..." He was about to say something when his phone rang again. It was Teng Zijing again.
This time he didn't hesitate and picked up the phone. "Master Jing."
"Where the hell have you been?!" Teng Zijing's voice, suppressed with anger, came from the receiver. The sea breeze seemed to whistle in the background. "You're not answering the phone, and you can't find me. Don't you want to do this anymore?"
"I've been hospitalized with a fever and just woke up." Deng Zhouyi's voice was still hoarse, but it revealed an unquestionable calmness. "Is there any new progress at the resort?"
"Bullshit progress!" Teng Zijing cursed, but his tone softened a bit. "Which hospital are you in?"
"First People's Hospital, third floor ward."
"Wait." Teng Zijing said and hung up the phone.
Deng Zhouyi put down his phone and looked at Yu Qianqian, who was looking down, not knowing what she was thinking. "My boss is coming over soon, and he might be a little..." He wanted to say "bad temper", but felt it was inappropriate, so he could only say vaguely, "If you have something to do, go back first."
Yu Qianqian raised her head, a subtle hint of disappointment flashed across her eyes, but she still smiled: "It's okay, I don't have anything else to do. Your boss is here, and I just want to thank him for letting you rest for so long."
Deng Zhouyi knew she was joking, but he didn't argue. He lowered his head and continued to drink his porridge. The bowl gradually emptied, and a warm feeling spread from his stomach to his heart. He suddenly remembered last night in the rental house, when she covered him with the quilt, so gently, as if afraid to break anything. And when she threw his clothes into the washing machine, she looked so serious, as if she was doing something important.
These tiny moments, like pebbles dropped into a lake, sent ripples through his heart. He had always considered himself a man of steel, accustomed to charging into battle, accustomed to hiding all his emotions beneath a hard shell. He had never imagined that when he was sick, having someone offer him a glass of water or tuck him in could make him feel so... reassured.
When the ward door opened, Teng Zijing walked in, a chill in his presence. He was wearing a black windbreaker, his hair a bit messy from the wind. His sharp eyes swept across the ward, finally landing on Deng Zhouyi. "What's so amazing about you? You didn't even say anything when you were sick?" His tone was still tinged with anger, but when he saw Deng Zhouyi's pale face, he slowed his pace.
"It's just a minor cold, nothing serious." Deng Zhouyi wanted to get out of bed, but was held down by Teng Zijing.
"Lie down." Teng Zijing walked to the bedside, his eyes sweeping over the bowl of porridge and strawberries on the bedside table, and finally landing on Yu Qianqian, his eyes scrutinizing, "Who is this?"
"My name is Yu Qianqian, I am..." Yu Qianqian was about to introduce herself when she was interrupted by Deng Zhouyi.
"A friend." He said it simply, but with unquestionable certainty. "She brought me to the hospital last night."
Teng Zijing raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any more questions. He looked at Deng Zhouyi and said, "We've changed three groups of people at the resort, but we still haven't found Qi Haoyu. There's no movement at Changhai River either. It's like he's disappeared from the face of the earth."
Deng Zhouyi's brow furrowed again. "Are you sure the car was abandoned near the resort? Did you check the blind spots of the surveillance cameras along the way?"
"I checked. There are too many alleys in that old city area that don't have surveillance cameras, so it's impossible to track him." Teng Zijing paced around the ward. "An Yu... asked me for a three-year agreement."
Deng Zhouyi was stunned for a moment, then he understood what he meant. "Master Jing, Miss An is just..."
"I know what she's thinking." Teng Zijing interrupted him, his tone a little tired, "But Qi Haoyu must be found, otherwise An Tai's matter will not be resolved, and her three years will only be more difficult."
The ward fell silent, and the smell of disinfectant seemed even stronger. Yu Qianqian quietly stood up and picked up the thermos cup: "You guys chat, I'll go wash the cup."
She walked out of the ward, gently closing the door behind her, leaving the heaviness inside behind her. People were bustling in the corridor: nurses hurried by pushing a treatment cart, family members cradled their children, whispering comforting words. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the floor, bright enough to be blinding.
She leaned against the wall in the corridor, looking towards the ward door, her heart filled with something. She didn't know how complicated the things Deng Zhouyi and Teng Zijing had talked about were, nor did she know how many secrets the man named Qi Haoyu was hiding. She only knew that the man who always spoke stubbornly and seemed to be omnipotent was lying in there at this moment, needing care.
She recalled the look in Deng Zhouyi's eyes when he'd said "friend," so firm it seemed as if he were declaring something. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, and she turned and walked towards the bathroom, her steps brisk as if she were walking on the wind.
In the ward, Teng Zijing looked at Deng Zhouyi. "Take good care of yourself. I'll keep an eye on this place. Oh, by the way," he seemed to suddenly remember something. "Dongheng Community... why did you go there?"
Deng Zhouyi's cheeks flushed slightly, and he avoided his gaze: "A friend I knew before lives there, so I stopped by to take a look."
Teng Zijing raised his eyebrows, but didn't ask any more questions. He just patted his shoulder and said, "Call me anytime if you have anything. Don't force yourself."
After he left, the ward returned to silence. Deng Zhouyi leaned against the headboard, looking out the window at the clear blue sky. He remembered Yu Qianqian's expression when she'd handed him the strawberries, and how she'd held his wrist to prevent him from answering the phone. He suddenly felt that this sudden high fever might not be such a bad thing.
When Yu Qianqian came back from washing the cups, she saw Deng Zhouyi looking out the window and smiling, his eyes softer than she had ever seen before. She froze for a moment, then walked over and put the cups on the bedside table. "What are you thinking about?"
Deng Zhouyi turned his head and looked at her. The sunlight fell into his eyes, shining like stars. "Nothing." He picked up a strawberry and handed it to her mouth. "Here you go."
Yu Qianqian was stunned for a moment and subconsciously opened her mouth. The sweetness of strawberry spread on the tip of her tongue, with a slightly sour taste, just like her chaotic heartbeat at the moment.
The white of the ward remained monotonous, but thanks to the two eyes smiling at each other, it was tinged with a touch of warmth. The liquid in the IV tube continued to drip slowly, but this time, it seemed that what was being counted was no longer time, but the quietly growing, inexplicable emotions.