"Jianyi, is there anything you’d like to eat? Just tell mom, and I’ll have the chef prepare it for you," Mrs. Qi said softly, holding her daughter’s hand as she gently brushed her hair.
Qi Jianyi, still sitting dazedly on her bed, turned her head toward her mother upon hearing her voice. She forced a faint smile and shook her head slightly.
"It’s okay, mom. I’m not craving anything right now," she replied quietly.
Her gaze dropped to her mother’s hand, which had been holding hers since she woke up two days ago.
It was clear her sudden fainting spell and coughing up blood had caused a great deal of panic in her family.
Even her father, Mr. Qi, had yet to return to work or attend any etings, choosing instead to stay by her side in the hospital room.
His constant presence made Qi Jianyi feel a little suffocated, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him to leave.
She longed for solitude, yet her family refused to leave her alone.
"If you need anything, just let us know, okay? Your dad and I are here for you," Mrs. Qi reassured her, smiling gently.
Mr. Qi remained silent, sitting on the other side of the bed, his eyes fixed on his daughter’s pale face with a quiet intensity.
When Qi Jianyi fainted a week ago, her brother Qi Jinlu had been the only one with her. He had described how she suddenly began coughing uncontrollably, spitting up blood before collapsing.
It took Qi Jinlu a full minute to process what was happening before he started shouting for her to wake up.
His panicked cries were loud enough to reach Mrs. Qi, who was about to call her children in for lunch from the garden.
Seeing her daughter lying unconscious in a white dress stained with blood while her son froze in place, clutching her, Mrs. Qi felt as though the sky had collapsed.
Her vision blurred montarily, but she quickly steadied herself, knowing she couldn’t fall apart in front of her distraught son.
She imdiately called the driver and rushed Qi Jianyi to the hospital, with the twins insisting on accompanying them.
anwhile, Mr. Qi had been in the middle of an important eting. His phone rang repeatedly, but because it was on silent, he didn’t notice the calls.
It wasn’t until his secretary received a frantic ssage from the family driver that Mr. Qi learned of the ergency.
While the family worried anxiously over Qi Jianyi, her other brother, Qi Jinli, discreetly made a phone call to Song Chengfeng, soone he believed had a right to know about her condition.
The call was answered after a single ring and ended after a single sentence.
Since that call, Song Chengfeng had remained by Qi Jianyi’s side in the hospital. He only left occasionally to change clothes before returning promptly.
The doctors who examined her admitted they couldn’t identify the cause of her illness, a confession that made Mr. Qi lose his temper and lash out at them for their incompetence.
A week of unconsciousness had felt like only a fleeting mont to Qi Jianyi. In her mind, the ti she spent speaking to her real mother seed no longer than an hour, yet an entire week had passed before she regained consciousness. Perhaps her body had been healing, which explained her prolonged state of fainting.
When she woke up for the second ti, both Mr. and Mrs. Qi looked at her nervously, their eyes filled with worry.
They were terrified that she might not recognize them, especially since she hadn’t responded to their presence when she first woke up.
Qi Jianyi had initially planned to feign ignorance, pretending not to notice them. However, upon seeing their deeply concerned faces, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Despite everything, they were her parents in this world. Their worry reminded her of how her real parents used to look at her whenever she cried.
Watching their expressions—so similar to those of her real parents—Qi Jianyi felt her resentnt toward them begin to dissolve.
It was love. Their overwhelming, unconditional love stirred sothing within her, making it impossible for her to despise them. She forced a tired smile despite her inner turmoil and weariness with this world.
Her siblings were no different. The twins stood at the edge of her bed like dutiful bodyguards. Their big, dark eyes lit up when she smiled, as if their greatest wish was to see her happy and never crying.
"Mom, I’m fine," Qi Jianyi said softly, trying to reassure her parents. "It’s you and Dad who need to rest. You’ve been here for days without going ho."
She tried to convince them to leave, but her words were t with simultaneous headshakes from both Mr. and Mrs. Qi.
"No, we’re fine. We’ll stay until the doctor says you’re well enough to go ho," Mrs. Qi replied firmly.
Qi Jianyi frowned slightly and adopted a mock stern tone. "Fine? Look at the two of you! You both look older than you should. Mom, I promise I’m really okay. You and Dad are the ones who need rest. Go ho, get so sleep, and co back tomorrow. I’ll call you if I need anything, I swear."
Shifting her attention to her father, Qi Jianyi decided to appeal to him instead. Mr. Qi hesitated under the weight of her pleading gaze. It was clear her imploring expression was his weakness.
"You promise you’ll call if you need anything?" he asked softly, his voice wavering.
"Jingxuan!" Mrs. Qi scolded, glaring at her husband. "You’re too easily swayed!"
But Mr. Qi turned to her with reasoned insistence. "Jianyi is right. You haven’t been sleeping properly for days, Ling’er. Let’s go ho, rest, and co back tomorrow."
Though visibly reluctant, Mrs. Qi eventually relented. She grumbled her discontent but didn’t resist as her husband’s logic sank in. She turned to her daughter with a stern look.
"You, Jianyi, don’t overexert yourself. Don’t use your phone too much, and don’t go anywhere alone. Always make sure soone is with you," she instructed, standing up from her seat.
Qi Jianyi smiled obediently and nodded. "I understand, Mom. And please take the twins with you, okay?" she added in a near-whisper, almost pleading.
This ti, Mr. Qi objected. "No. The twins should stay here to look after you. You cannot be left alone."
The twins eagerly chid in, taking their father’s cue. "Yes, Sister, we’ll stay and take care of you," Qi Jinlu said, patting his chest as if to promise reliability.
Qi Jianyi rolled her eyes playfully. "No. I don’t need you here," she retorted lightly.
"Why not?" Qi Jinli asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Because you two keep looking at like I’m about to die, and I don’t want to see that. Go ho, rest, and co back tomorrow. Stop treating like I’m so fragile glass doll," she teased, though a hint of frustration seeped into her voice.
Mrs. Qi interjected, cutting short the siblings’ banter. "But Jianyi, you can’t be alone. What if you suddenly get sick again and no one is here to call the doctor?"
Her mother’s words struck a chord. Qi Jianyi wanted to argue but realised she couldn’t. What if she did have another episode? What if the ergency button didn’t work?
Just as she was struggling for a solution, a deep voice interrupted from the doorway. "It’s fine. I’ll take care of her."
Startled, Qi Jianyi turned toward the voice. It was Song Chengfeng, the man who had been by her side for days.
Mr. Qi’s expression darkened at his sudden appearance. While he still harbored reservations about Song Chengfeng, his disapproval had softened after witnessing the young man’s genuine concern for his daughter.
Though he hadn’t officially approved of their relationship, he no longer outright rejected the idea.
"No, it’s okay. You don’t have to," Qi Jianyi protested quickly.
The last thing she wanted was more company. She craved solitude, and just as she was close to convincing her family to leave, another problem appeared.
Mrs. Qi, sensing her daughter’s reluctance, spoke up. "Then choose, Jianyi. Do you want the twins to stay, or would you rather Song Chengfeng stay?"
Qi Jianyi bit her lip, glancing between the twins and Song Chengfeng.
Finally, with a resigned sigh, she nodded toward Song Chengfeng. "Fine. Let him stay. But take the twins ho."
Her decision was not made lightly. She wanted to distance herself from the emotional entanglents of this world—her family in particular. Song Chengfeng, as an outsider, didn’t require her to pretend.
Though guilt tugged at her for sending the twins away, she ultimately stood by her choice.
The twins glared at Song Chengfeng with thinly veiled resentnt, while he barely suppressed a victorious smile at being chosen.
Mrs. Qi observed the scene with mild amusent, shaking her head at Song Chengfeng’s obvious delight.
Mr. Qi, on the other hand, shot him a look of disgust, as if convinced the young man had never experienced success with won before.
"Let’s go," Mrs. Qi said to her husband and sons, grabbing her handbag. She turned back to her daughter one last ti. "Take care of yourself and call if you need anything—anything at all."
"I will," Qi Jianyi promised with a gentle smile.
The twins looked at their sister with mournful expressions before reluctantly following their mother out. Mr. Qi trailed behind but paused beside Song Chengfeng on his way out.
"Don’t try anything funny, young man," he warned, his tone sharp.
"Yes, Uncle. I won’t," Song Chengfeng replied earnestly.
It wasn’t in his nature to harm any woman, let alone the one he loved.
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