"I am Shen Wuyou," Shen Wuyou nodded to Qin Ningyi, introducing himself.
"I know," Qin Ningyi had heard his name from An'an when she came to find him. Looking at him now, he seemed to be related to the Shen family, a renowned medical lineage in Yuchang City.
"Then, you are?" Shen Wuyou's eyes held a sharpness that was incongruous with his gentle demeanor, fixing directly on Qin Ningyi.
"Qin Ningyi."
Shen Wuyou's family was in Yuchang City, so of course, he had heard of Qin Ningyi's great name, the youngest head of the Qin Corporation, calm and restrained yet carrying a ruthless edge. His legends were numerous.
"A pleasure," Shen Wuyou withdrew his gaze, lowering his head to pick up hand sanitizer from the table, meticulously rubbing every joint.
"Uncle Shen," An'an returned with Xiao Yuda, struggled for a moment, and then obediently sat beside Shen Wuyou. "What were those medicines you prescribed earlier? Were they bitter? Will they help Mommy?"
An'an bombarded him with questions. Shen Wuyou squeezed some hand sanitizer onto his hand as well. An'an rubbed his hands carelessly, still looking at him eagerly.
Shen Wuyou frowned at his perfunctory hand-washing technique. Ultimately, he couldn't overcome his internal hesitation and took An'an's hands, meticulously rubbing them for him.
"Traditional Chinese medicine, not for drinking, but for a medicinal bath," Shen Wuyou patiently replied while carefully washing An'an's hands. "Don't worry, it's not medicine that will taste bitter for your mother."
Hearing he wouldn't have to take medicine, An'an breathed a sigh of relief, then became anxious again. "Will she get better without taking medicine?"
"Yes, just be good and let her rest easy," Shen Wuyou finished washing An'an's hands and squeezed another dollop of hand sanitizer for himself, starting another meticulous cleaning.
"An'an is very good," An'an said with a soft, milky voice, nodding. "An'an will take good care of Mommy from now on."
"Yes, a good child," Shen Wuyou's brows relaxed, and he praised An'an with a smile.
Qin Ningyi watched from afar as An'an and Shen Wuyou conversed back and forth, their "father-son bond" looking so harmonious!
His son, his and Huo Rou's son.
Qin Ningyi admitted that from the moment Shen Wuyou walked in, he felt displeased, a knot in his stomach.
It wasn't because of Shen Wuyou's handsome appearance, but his gentle and elegant demeanor, including the way he spoke to An'an now, all reminded him so much of Huo Rou.
It was as if he, Shen Wuyou, and Huo Rou were the ones who were most in sync with each other.
He felt stifled, but he could do nothing, say nothing. Huo Rou was suffering so much, and all they could rely on was Shen Wuyou's medical skills.
The medicinal bath was ready, and a nurse helped Huo Rou into the private bathroom in the ward.
As the bathroom door closed, Shen Wuyou, standing outside, gave Qin Ningyi a gentle smile. "We should probably go out. It's not appropriate to stay here."
"It's fine for me to be here," Qin Ningyi's eyes slanted, clearly not planning to leave.
Shen Wuyou's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at An'an and then said, "It's lunchtime. If you don't eat, An'an must be hungry too."
An'an was worried about Huo Rou and didn't really want to eat, but meeting Shen Wuyou's unarguable gaze, he immediately nodded. "Daddy, let's go eat."
Qin Ningyi looked down at him. An'an lowered his head, patting his stomach, and said, "An'an is hungry."
Qin Ningyi's eyelids twitched. His fingers clenched and then relaxed. Whose child was this, really?
Shen Wuyou looked at him with a smile.
Under their gaze, Qin Ningyi nodded and followed them out of the ward.
If he refused any longer, his son would be snatched away by someone else.
He walked on An'an's other side, watching out of the corner of his eye as An'an held Shen Wuyou's hand very naturally.
Qin Ningyi snorted inwardly. Wasn't this the same child who had been calling him "Daddy" with such conviction before?
After eating, Shen Wuyou took An'an for a walk to aid digestion, and also invited Qin Ningyi along.
"Daddy, walking after a meal helps you live to ninety-nine!" An'an looked at Qin Ningyi's indifferent face, thinking he was unwilling to walk, and advised, "We need to stay healthy so we can take good care of Mommy!"
What a well-spoken remark. Qin Ningyi's expression softened slightly. Just as he was about to nod, An'an turned and asked, "Uncle Shen, right?"
"Yes," Shen Wuyou extended his hand for An'an to hold, smiling faintly. "An'an is right."
"It's Uncle Shen who is right," An'an pursed his lips and smiled.
After strolling around the hospital's back garden several times with An'an and Shen Wuyou, Qin Ningyi couldn't stand this scene of "fatherly love and filial piety." He turned and walked back with a dark expression.
Back in the ward, Huo Rou had finished her medicinal bath and was sitting on the sofa, eating dinner.
"You're back?" Huo Rou smiled, greeting the three who had returned.
Qin Ningyi stared into her eyes, carefully discerning her condition. The fatigue in her eyes had faded, and her cheeks were no longer so pale.
She was indeed...
Remarkable.
Shen Wuyou moved past Qin Ningyi to Huo Rou's side and felt her pulse. His handsome brows relaxed. "We should have researched this earlier."
Huo Rou withdrew her hand and patted his shoulder. "It's alright, it's just a cold. Only you, a divine doctor, would make a special research project out of it."
Qin Ningyi's gaze fixed on Huo Rou's hand. Huo Rou, sensing his gaze, looked up and couldn't help but find the situation both amusing and exasperating. What was with that possessive look?
Under Qin Ningyi's icy stare, she slowly withdrew her hand, and the air began to flow normally again.
He could be jealous? Huo Rou realized belatedly.
Shen Wuyou glanced sideways at the spot Huo Rou had patted, his eyes filled with an almost overflowing tenderness.
The medicinal bath was very effective. A cold that usually took seven days to recover from was now resolved in three.
During these three days, Shen Wuyou also learned about Huo Rou's recent experiences and that she had moved to Yuchang City. Hearing An'an recount it all, he broke into a smile that outshone the green bamboo outside the window.
Qin Ningyi commuted between his company and the hospital every day, sleeping on the sofa at night, guarding against Shen Wuyou very tightly.
Even though Shen Wuyou would leave the ward precisely at nine every night, he still came to watch over them every evening.
Huo Rou's stay in the hospital had been agonizing for him each day, as if the fruit from his own tree had been placed in someone else's territory and could be snatched away at any moment.
The "guarding his food" Qin Ningyi was finally relieved on the day Huo Rou was discharged. He scooped Huo Rou into his arms and carried her unceremoniously from the hospital bed all the way to the car.
His pitiable son lagged behind, holding Shen Wuyou's hand and asking with a face full of confusion, "Why is Daddy walking so fast? Is someone chasing him?"
Shen Wuyou watched Qin Ningyi openly carry Huo Rou away. A flicker of loneliness crossed his eyes. He stared at their receding figures, lost in thought for a moment.
For how many days Qin Ningyi had guarded against him, for that many days he had been envious.
He couldn't quite articulate it, but he could sense that Huo Rou was different when she faced Qin Ningyi.