Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The young nurse took careful breaths, fearing any disturbance might break the room's delicate ambiance.

Ning Yuyi was the first to burst into laughter, initially in soft chuckles, then leaning into Fan Zhongchuan, laughing so hard his body shook.

Fan Zhongchuan affectionately held Ning Yuyi close.

The nurse watched, entranced, as they embraced unabashedly, her inner voice exclaiming, "So sweet!"

She suddenly remembered the once-popular shipping of Xie Yiezhou and Ning Yuyi. However, after a major Weibo incident, most of the shippers dispersed. The few remaining wouldn't openly ship real-life brothers. They'd discuss it in their private circles.

But the couple in front of her now—they were genuinely in love!

Nobody knows yet that Ning Yuyi is currently dating the head of the Fan Group!

Could she be the pioneer of this ship?!

The nurse quickly left the doctor's office and, finding herself with a spare moment at her workstation, opened Weibo.

A colleague glanced over and teased, "Oh? Digging into fandom discussions, huh? Stumbled upon any obscure ships lately?"

The nurse looked at her colleague with a knowing smile, "You might think this ship isn’t trending now, but soon, everyone will be talking about it."

……

With Ning Yuyi's results all clear, after Xie Yiezhou fetched the prescribed anti-inflammatory medication, they all left the hospital.

Ning Yuyi was bundled up, cradled in Fan Zhongchuan's arms. As they exited the hospital, Xie Yiezhou draped a coat over him to shield his face.

"I can walk, really," Ning Yuyi protested from Fan Zhongchuan's embrace, his face exuding innocence, "It's just two tiny marks; they didn't even bleed."

Without a word, Fan Zhongchuan dismissed Ning Yuyi's plea, carrying him to the car.

Xie Yiezhou took on the role of driver, leaving the back seat for Ning Yuyi and Fan Zhongchuan, even considerately raising the privacy screen for them.

He then dialed Xie Yinan.

"Hey, bro, where are you now?"

"No need to come to the hospital. We're heading back to Qing'an tonight. The director granted us a few days off."

"We're on our way home. The results were clear—no venom."

In the back seat, Ning Yuyi rolled down the window, letting the cool night breeze caress his face and chase away his drowsiness.

After all the commotion, he felt the effects of dinner wear off.

"I'm craving barbecue," Ning Yuyi exclaimed, spotting a sign for a late-night barbecue joint, his hunger intensifying.

"No," Fan Zhongchuan, not indulging Ning Yuyi this time, said, "Wait until your wound heals."

Ning Yuyi widened his eyes, propping his injured foot on Fan Zhongchuan's lap, "You call this a wound?"

Fan Zhongchuan gazed at the slender ankle, which he could encircle with one hand, and mentally noted it.

"Opt for something light, avoid spicy food," Fan Zhongchuan advised.

Ning Yuyi's face fell, "Whine... you don't love me anymore."

Fan Zhongchuan: ...

Ning Yuyi fake-cried for a moment, stopping when he heard the privacy screen being lowered.

"If only you'd put some genuine emotion into that act, Fan Zhongchuan might have relented," Xie Yiezhou said with a chuckle.

"Ugh, I just want barbeque," Without prodding Fan Zhongchuan further, Ning Yuyi grabbed his phone and launched the food delivery app, "I'll order it myself."

It's not like he's broke!

Most of Qing'an's barbeque customers hail from the nearby upscale districts, making the prices quite affordable.

Ning Yuyi ordered a fair amount of BBQ and beverages for himself, punched in the Qing'an villa address, and happily started humming as he placed the order.

"Enjoying yourself?" Fan Zhongchuan inquired in a languid tone.

"Of course! My heart and soul are set on that BBQ right now," Ning Yuyi exclaimed gleefully, pulling up the delivery route, "Ah, the rider's already at the shop awaiting the order. So quick!"

Fan Zhongchuan spoke calmly, "Does Ningning know that Qing'an was developed by the Fan family?"

"She knows... Oh." Ning Yuyi suddenly became alert, crossing her arms defensively, "What do you intend to do with my takeout?"

Fan Zhongchuan: "One kiss, and I'll hand it over."

Without a second thought, Ning Yuyi lunged forward, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

Xie Yiezhou, who was driving, saw the situation in the back seat from the rear-view mirror and discreetly raised the partition.

……

By the time they reached Qing'an, the takeout had just arrived at the entrance.

The delivery person handed the barbecue to Ning Yuyi and after asking for a positive review, left.

Holding the fragrant barbecue, Ning Yuyi stood by the door, waiting for Xie Yiezhou and Fan Zhongchuan.

"That's a lot of food, isn't it?" Xie Yiezhou was no stranger to barbecue, having often dined on it during industry gatherings, "Don't eat too much, Big Brother will be joining us."

"Big Brother's coming too?" Ning Yuyi had already pulled out a skewer of beef from the bag and started munching.

"Yes, he's coming to check on your injury."

Fan Zhongchuan trailed a step behind Xie Yiezhou, draping over his arm the jacket that Ning Yuyi had worn when leaving the hospital.

In the distance, headlights illuminated, and Xie Yiezhou squinted, "He's here."

The moment Xie Yienan got out of the car, he rushed to Ning Yuyi's side, crouching down to examine the wound, "Are we certain it's not poisoned?"

"Don't worry, Big Brother, the hospital already ran the tests."

Wanting to enjoy their late-night snacks, everyone moved to a small balcony on the second floor, laying out the barbecue and drinks on the table.

Ning Yuyi also carried her pet, Tiantian, up to the balcony. To prevent it from falling, she put it on a leash and let it run to its full length, tying it to a table leg.

Attracted by the aroma, Tiantian tried jumping onto the table with a little push from its hind legs. Just as it was about to sniff the barbecue, Ning Yuyi scooped it down.

Ning Yuyi opened a can for it, letting it eat its snack peacefully on the side.

"Now, it's my time to revel." Ning Yuyi took a couple of photos with a click, posting them on Weibo to show off to her fans, even tagging the three of them.

Ning Yuyi's Weibo post: "Late night celebration (fangdu), and Tiantian is having its extra meal too~ [picture][picture][picture]"

[Why post photos when posting on Weibo? Trying to lose weight here! The cat cries so sadly.]

[Salivating uncontrollably, I opened Eleme (a food delivery app). BBQ, here I come. I'll take photos when my food arrives and post them for my fans too, hehe.]

[Tiantian is so cute! Ning Zai is cute too! (And to those before, that was just heartless!!!)]

[Can only have a tomato to curb the hunger. Stay strong, dieters! Another day to shed some fat.]

[Fans of Xie Yezhou coming uninvited, why isn't our Zhou Zhou active? Every day, you come here to admire his beauty!]

[Admiring Zhou Zhou under Ning Zai's Weibo post, hehe, the joy of being a fan of both.]

[To the ones above, are you looking down on our Tiantian? Tiantian is a big star too, sought after for commercials! Include it, and you can enjoy being a fan of all three!!!]

……

After eating, all I want to do is sleep.

After the late-night feast, Ning Yuyi leaned against the couch, drowsy. Tiantian jumped onto Ning Yuyi's lap and fell asleep.

Xie Yezhou and Xie Yinan drove back to the Xie residence, leaving only Fan Zhongchuan and Ning Yuyi in the large villa.

Fan Zhongchuan sat beside Ning Yuyi, tracing the contours of her face with his gaze.

He took Ning Yuyi's hand, holding it close to his heart. Only in this way could he truly feel that Ning Yuyi was still there.

When Ning Yuyi woke up, she was in bed, covered snugly with a blanket, and a pair of slippers neatly placed beside the bed.

"Last night, did someone carry me back to bed?" Ning Yuyi scratched her head, then went to check on the cats.

Tiantian was sharpening its claws on the scratching board. Hearing the door open, it ran over to rub against her foot.

"Easy there, don't rub here." Fearing Tiantian's fur might stick to her wound, Ning Yuyi moved it aside, played with it using a cat wand for a while, and then left.

The ground floor was quiet. The maid, since Ning Yuyi started a new project, no longer stayed in Qing'an and only came twice a day to take care of the cats and feed them.

A delicate bird perched on a flower in the garden outside the window, chirping animatedly, adding a lively atmosphere to the yard.

The sound of the door lock turning caught Ning Yuyi's attention.

Fan Zhongchuan, dressed casually, entered with a breakfast bag in hand.

"Awake?" Fan Zhongchuan placed the breakfast bag on the dining table, "Come have breakfast."

Ning Yuyi dashed to the dining table and sat down, "Why didn't you go to work?"

"I took a day off to spend time with my boyfriend." Fan Zhongchuan spread out all the food containers from the breakfast bag, "Let's start with some porridge to soothe your stomach, considering the spicy meal we had last night."

"Oh."

The porridge was simple plain rice porridge, sprinkled with a layer of specially prepared tiny shrimp and crushed seaweed, making it deliciously savory when mixed in.

Ning Yuyi had half a bowl of porridge and a few shrimp dumplings.

After eating, the two sat in the living room, watching a foreign movie that won this year's Oscar.

Foreign films tend to be more liberal than domestic ones. As the protagonists spoke, they started embracing and kissing, eventually leading to a bedroom scene.

Ning Yuyi was keenly studying the plot's development and the subtle shifts in the main character's expressions, when suddenly her vision went dark.

"Why are you covering my eyes?" Ning Yuyi tried to pry Fan Zhongchuan's hand away.

"Is he better looking than me?" Fan Zhongchuan's voice had a hint of coldness.

And a touch of jealousy.

Ning Yuyi chuckled, "I'm just analyzing the male lead's acting. He won the Oscar for Best Actor this year, you know."

Fan Zhongchuan remained silent, but still refused to let go.

Ning Yuyi sniffed dramatically, "Let me see... oh, the scent of vinegar! Whose jar spilled over?"

Fan Zhongchuan rolled his eyes, released her, then pushed her back onto the couch, holding her by the throat.

"Yours."

Instinctively, Ning Yuyi tilted her chin upwards, muffling a sound that almost escaped her lips.

……

By the time Ning Yuyi sat back up, the romantic scene had passed, and the film had moved to an action sequence.

The male lead, in an effort to save the female protagonist, fights aliens using research from a lab.

As Ning Yuyi admired the defined abs of the male lead, she drooled, "An eight-pack, every man's ultimate goal."

Fan Zhongchuan: ...

He turned Ning Yuyi around, making her sit facing away from the TV and onto his lap. He then lifted his shirt to reveal his own abs, "Touch."

Now, Ning Yuyi was truly salivating. The abs on the screen were untouchable, but the ones right in front of her were very much real.

As Ning Yuyi felt the lean and powerful muscles beneath her fingers, she could sense the raw strength underneath. Debating with Fan Zhongchuan now seemed irrelevant.

After a while, Ning Yuyi noticed an odd sensation beneath her.

A familiar touch, a familiar warmth.

Ning Yuyi glanced at the sun outside and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Mornings really are when one's energy peaks, aren't they?"