Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Early the next morning, as expected, Sheng Lian was nowhere to be seen. Only a steaming breakfast sat by his side, along with several messages quietly waiting in their chat window.

Sheng Lian: "Don't forget to eat breakfast. All three thermoses are filled with water. The doctor said you should drink more—it helps flush out the medication faster."

Sheng Lian: "If you go out, bring someone along. Everything's arranged—just tell Uncle Li."

Sheng Lian: "I'll come home to make you lunch. I’ll have Aunt Wang prepare a meal too. The doctor said the nausea could ease up any time. If my cooking's no good, don't push yourself. If you need to vomit, just let it out."

Sheng Lian: "..."

He covered every little thing, as if texting whatever popped into his head, yet he didn't miss a single detail.

So annoying.

Despite thinking this, a small smile tugged at Lin Qingshi’s eyes. He put away his phone and slowly opened the thermal lunchbox Sheng Lian had left behind.

Even the burnt, mystery blob inside seemed a little more endearing now. In an unusually good mood, Lin Qingshi found himself with an appetite and managed a few more bites than usual.

Nearby, Uncle Li excitedly reported the good news to Sheng Lian.

Not noticing Uncle Li texting discreetly, Lin Qingshi lounged in bed a while after breakfast, idly rubbing his still-flat belly before heading downstairs for some air.

As he got out of bed, his eyes landed on the small table by the bedside—where several delicate teacups sat, looking strangely familiar.

Remembering Sheng Lian's words from the day before, Lin Qingshi’s usually cold expression softened. He ambled over slowly, picking one up—it was a copy of his favorite set.

Sheng Lian’s imitation was decent but imperfect—too thick, the patterns not fine enough, the color too dark, missing the original's refinement.

He noted several imperfections, but his fingers traced the cup’s surface. He studied it for a long while before finally telling Uncle Li calmly, "Put these away. I shouldn't drink tea now, and I don't want them getting broken."

After a pause, he added, "Just return them to the home tea room."

Uncle Li was confused by their back-and-forth—one had delivered the set at dawn, and now the other wanted it returned.

But Uncle Li knew better than to question his employers and just nodded obediently.

With this belated peace offering settled, Lin Qingshi left the room with a small smile. "Let’s go for a walk."

He was actually looking forward to seeing Sheng Lian at noon.

*

While Lin Qingshi strolled leisurely around the hospital, Sheng Lian slumped at his office desk, chin in hand, gloomily texting Qiao Yunping.

Sheng Lian: "When is quitting time?"

Sheng Lian: "I want to go back, I want to go back. Two whole hours without seeing Qing Shi."

Sheng Lian: "What if Jin Ze tries to cozy up to Qing Shi while I'm gone? I already talked to Elder Ding, but I don’t know if he’ll help keep him away."

Fresh off finishing work when the message barrage hit, Qiao Yunping wanted to scream. "Spare me the PDA, please. If you want to go back, just go! You’re the boss—no one's clocking your hours."

He regretted ever telling Sheng Lian to go back—who'd have thought that after all their arguing, Sheng Lian would suddenly go full simp mode? Now he had to gush about Lin Qingshi daily, or it was like he couldn’t function.

When he was with Lin Qingshi, it was fine—naturally, Lin Qingshi kept his attention occupied. But now that Lin Qingshi had kicked him back to work, Sheng Lian was taking it out on him.

Honestly, Qiao Yunping darkly thought, it might’ve been better if he’d just been dumped.

Still, for the sake of their years-long friendship, he took a deep breath. "Instead of wasting time texting me, why don’t you text your precious Lin Qingshi? Since you’re not being stubborn anymore, treat him properly. Stop making him angry all the time."

Then, cautiously, he added, "You were such a jerk before—do you think it’s too late to change? Does Lin Qingshi even give you the time of day now?"

Not that he wanted to discourage his friend, but from an outsider’s perspective, Sheng Lian’s past behavior had been downright insufferable—like a grade-schooler with a crush, pulling pigtails just to get attention, grinning even when he annoyed the other person.

As the saying went, the onlooker sees most of the game. Qiao Yunping had long suspected Sheng Lian was in denial—obsessed with Lin Qingshi to the point of memorizing his likes and dislikes, yet claiming it was all just to mess with him. Now that he’d finally wised up, was it too late?

What was that phrase again? "The enemy of my enemy is my wife"?

Shaking off the absurd thought, Qiao Yunping checked Sheng Lian’s reply.

Sheng Lian deflated instantly.

Sheng Lian: "You think I’d have time to text you if he hadn’t kicked me out? He’s already annoyed with me—if I spam him now, he’ll block me for sure."

As for whether Lin Qingshi treated him kindly… Sheng Lian thought back. Not really.

Ever since that emotional breakdown a month ago when Lin Qingshi first learned about the pregnancy, Sheng Lian had realized just how much resentment the other man had been harboring.

Now, Sheng Lian didn’t dare act up anymore. He’d reformed earnestly, trying to appear mature and dependable in front of Lin Qingshi, doing everything he could to ease the anxiety that had lingered since the pregnancy.

Most of the time, Lin Qingshi would tersely order him around—no more guessing games, but also no smiles. The polite facade Lin Qingshi showed outsiders was gone; now, he rarely even looked Sheng Lian in the eye.

Of course, Sheng Lian was more than willing to serve Lin Qingshi hand and foot. But… it was still disheartening.

What if Lin Qingshi never accepted him? Would they really divorce after two years?

After listening to Sheng Lian’s venting, Qiao Yunping was torn between frustration and amazement.

Even the ever-confident Sheng Lian could be reduced to such insecurity—love really was the great equalizer.

First, he took a screenshot, preserving this rare moment of Sheng Lian’s defeat.

Then, he offered advice: "Stop overthinking. Just keep sticking to him like glue. Confessing can wait, but don’t you dare back off now."

Sheng Lian: "He’s already annoyed enough to kick me out. Wouldn’t crowding him make it worse? You’re not messing with me, are you?"

Qiao Yunping: "You’re scared of annoying him? Buddy, I hate to break it to you, but could you possibly be more annoying than before?"

After that jab, he got serious. "Think about it—even when you were at your most insufferable, he still let you get close. You share a bed, right? What does that tell you? At the very least, he doesn’t physically recoil from you. Might even like your body. So you’re not hopeless."

"Besides, his coldness makes sense. Remember his background? The kind of people he grew up around? He’s strict with himself! And you? You’ve got that delinquent vibe—no offense, but outside formal settings, you’re kind of a mess. If I didn’t know you, I’d cross the street to avoid you."

"And yet you picked fights with him. I get it—you liked him, couldn’t handle being looked down on by your crush, especially when he initiated the marriage deal. Felt like he was rubbing it in, right? But it was a business arrangement. Tell me, haven’t you benefited too? Now that you want more, you can’t keep score."

"Even so, all he does is kick you out occasionally. You still live together, see each other daily. Just keep proving you’ve changed—that you’re not that childish brat anymore. You’ve got this! Channel that same relentless energy from when you started your company. I’d bet on you."

Qiao Yunping’s earnest, brotherly advice was something he’d never bother with for anyone else. Normally, his stance was simple: just break up.

But he was something of a success in love himself—three years of long-distance with his girlfriend, still going strong, about to marry. He’d thought he’d beat Sheng Lian to the altar, but then Sheng Lian had blindsided everyone with this marriage-of-convenience-turned-obsession.

Too bad his heartfelt speech was wasted.

Sheng Lian: "I'll observe a bit more and follow Qing Shi’s lead for now. I won’t hover over him so much. Uncle Li just mentioned that Qing Shi was in a great mood today and even ate a couple more bites of food when I wasn't around."

Sheng Lian: "lights-cigarette.jpg"

Qiao Yunping: ...

Fine, don’t listen to him. He’ll regret it when Sheng Lian files for divorce.

*

Uncle Li never actually connected "Sheng Lian’s absence" with "the boss was in such high spirits that he ate more."

Lin Qingshi took a short walk before returning to the hospital room.

Usually, Sheng Lian would be right beside him, hovering around him. Today, he was alone—Uncle Li and the others kept their distance, not daring to get too close. With so many people coming and going, Lin Qingshi felt uneasy, and when he grew tired, there was no one to support him.

Compared to the cold wheelchair, a living crutch was clearly much more comfortable.

The walk was lifeless, and even his usual reading time left him agitated.

Without Sheng Lian bustling around, nagging him to hydrate or rest, the hospital room seemed unnervingly quiet. The rustling of pages irritated him as he mindlessly flipped through the book, only realizing belatedly that he hadn’t absorbed a single word. He closed the book and stared blankly at the falling leaves outside the window.

His thoughts drifted back to last night.

It hit him belatedly that Sheng Lian might have had a thing for him from the very beginning, and this threw him off.

Admittedly, Sheng Lian’s recent behavior had impressed him. Unavoidably, he noticed that he’d begun relying on Sheng Lian’s care—otherwise, why would he feel so unsettled all morning?

Without Sheng Lian’s meticulous attention, everything that morning felt just a little wrong.

Lin Qingshi recalled his pre-marriage investigation of Sheng Lian. There was no doubt Sheng Lian was an outstanding individual. Given their partnership, his shift in attitude and acceptance of Sheng Lian were understandable.

But… the initial misunderstanding had made him put up walls. Would Sheng Lian’s feelings still be the same as before?

He knew he might be a little dense about feelings. What if last night was a misunderstanding? What if Sheng Lian’s recent care was just obligation?

Lin Qingshi wasn’t one to dwell on unnecessary worries.

Apart from the brief panic when he first learned of the pregnancy, he tackled problems head-on.

After some thought, Lin Qingshi asked Uncle Li to prepare the car—he was going out.

Since he couldn’t stay still anyway, he might as well get some fresh air. As for the destination… Sheng Lian’s office it was.

He sent Sheng Lian a message: "No need to come back at noon. Stay at the company."