Chapter 83: Looking Much Better

Chapter 83: You Look Much Better

Huang Qiuyan's face stiffened, somewhat embarrassed. "Well, then, you two go on in."

Zhao Qian lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Lin Qingshi wore a cold expression, looking down at him from above. "I heard someone got his head cracked open for having crazy ideas?"

Zhao Qian gave him a faint glance, then grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his face.

"What are you hiding from? Weren't you just saying we had a great relationship? Weren't you trying to become my dad?"

Jiang Huaizhi couldn't help but laugh from the side. "Stop giving Brother Qian a hard time, he's injured."

"His head's messed up, but he's still got a smart mouth."

"Baby." Jiang Huaizhi tugged at his arm and gave it a shake.

"Fine, fine, I hear you."

Lin Qingshi stood by the bed, pulled the blanket off Zhao Qian's face, and checked that his head was fully wrapped and nothing was showing before letting go.

Lin Qingshi lazily grabbed a banana from the fruit basket on the table and handed it to Jiang Huaizhi. "Have a bite to tide you over, we'll head home for dinner soon."

Zhao Qian, with his back to Lin Qingshi, suddenly spoke up.

"She turned me down."

Lin Qingshi: "Well, no surprise there."

"I like your mom."

"Obviously, my mom's awesome, who wouldn't like her?"

"I've liked her for years."

"Say that one more time and I'll punch you."

"Would you be okay with me being your dad?"

"I swear I'll hit you!"

The door slowly opened. Huang Qiuyan, her face slightly flushed, walked in carrying a thermos. She cleared her throat. "You guys eaten yet?"

"Nah, we'll eat when we get home." Lin Qingshi shook his head.

They'd just gotten home that evening when they heard about what happened that afternoon, and they were too worried to stay put.

Lin Qingshi had ridden his bike over with Jiang Huaizhi, and they happened to walk in right as Zhao Qian was getting rejected.

On the way back, Jiang Huaizhi sat on the back seat and suddenly poked Lin Qingshi's back. "Are you mad? Isn't Brother Qian a good guy?"

"Nah, just surprised."

"I think he's great. Brother Qian is solid and dependable—someone you could really trust with your life."

"Ha, you little kid, what do you know about being steady? Trusting your life to someone." Lin Qingshi let out a cold laugh.

"Well, he's not like you, that's for sure." Jiang Huaizhi pinched his waist.

"Do you think you're actually gonna have a new dad? It'd be so weird calling Brother Qian 'Dad'." Jiang Huaizhi shuddered at the thought.

Lin Qingshi pedaled hard, the wheels whirring loudly. "My mom's not gonna go for it."

"What if she does? Where there's a will, there's a way."

"There's no 'what if.' Unless you marry me—then my mom can marry Brother Qian."

Back in the hospital room, Huang Qiuyan poured a cup of water and set it on the table. With no one else around now, she felt awkward no matter if she stood or sat.

But Zhao Qian got hurt because of her, and she couldn't let Aunt Mei—who's blind—come over late at night to take care of him.

"He needs to stay overnight for observation. I told Aunt Mei you had something going on today and wouldn't be back, so she wouldn't worry."

Zhao Qian sat propped up on the bed, his head wrapped in bandages, his face all tense, looking a bit out of it.

Huang Qiuyan noticed the dried blood on his neck and fought the urge to wipe it off. "Is your head still hurting?"

"It hurts."

"Still dizzy?"

"Dizzy."

"Hungry?"

"Hungry."

Huang Qiuyan let out a soft sigh. "The dizziness is normal. The doctor said you've got a mild concussion. I'll go get you some porridge. You can eat a little, but you might feel nauseous."

"Sister Qiuyan, you should head back. Don't worry about me."

"I'll be fine here on my own."

"Alright, lie down. I'll be right back."

Huang Qiuyan went to the little restaurant downstairs at the hospital and bought a bowl of porridge. After a moment's thought, she grabbed two buns too, just in case Zhao Qian was still hungry.

When she got back to the room, Zhao Qian was leaning against the pillow, already asleep, eyes closed. His face looked a bit pale—maybe from blood loss, maybe not.

"Qian." Huang Qiuyan nudged him. "Get up, have some porridge."

Zhao Qian jolted, his eyes flying open. When he saw it was her, he relaxed. "Sister Qiuyan."

"Yeah, sit up and eat a little." Huang Qiuyan set the porridge on the bedside table and helped Zhao Qian sit up.

Zhao Qian took the spoon himself and took a few bites. The first couple bites were fine, but the next one brought a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea.

He turned away from Huang Qiuyan, who was standing by the bed, and dry-heaved a couple times, bent over halfway.

"You okay?" Huang Qiuyan didn't even think—she just instinctively patted his back. "Want some water? Maybe hold off on the porridge."

"I'm fine, I'll just lie down a bit." Zhao Qian closed his eyes and leaned back against the bed, taking a moment to recover.

He glanced at the clock on the wall—it was almost 10 p.m. "Not going back today?"

"Someone needs to stay and watch over you."

"Then where will you sleep?"

Huang Qiuyan looked at the small bed beside her and felt awkward, the realization dawning on her a beat too late.

If they'd shared a room before, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but now that she knew Zhao Qian's feelings, she felt all awkward and flustered instead.

"Sister Qiuyan, you should go back. I'll be fine." Zhao Qian caught her hesitation and said, being considerate.

Huang Qiuyan shot him a glare. Whose fault was it, really? He just had to blurt that out of nowhere, spilling the beans like that, and now it was just awkward.

"Little Qian, let's talk, for real."

Huang Qiuyan sat down on the bed nearby, looking like she was settling in for a long heart-to-heart.

Zhao Qian silently turned over and curled up under the blanket. "Ugh, I'm beat. Going to sleep."

"I'll pay you back that money, don't worry. As for anything else, let's just drop it. Family lasts longer than any of that messy romantic stuff. I've been there—those other feelings just don't hold up. I'm your sister, and I'll be your sister till the day I die."

"If you were my wife, you'd be my wife for life, period." Zhao Qian didn't talk much, but when he did, he blew Huang Qiuyan's mind.

"Zhao Qian, how are you talking like this all of a sudden?" Huang Qiuyan felt like this wasn't the same quiet, shy, easygoing Zhao Qian she knew before.

"I was scared before."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that you'd find out I liked you."

"And now?"

"You already know. Nothing to be scared of anymore."

"Zhao Qian." Huang Qiuyan suddenly felt a strange sense of helplessness. The Zhao Qian in front of her now felt impossible to deal with—she couldn't just brush him off, but she couldn't get too involved either.

"Sister Qiuyan, it's fine. I'm not asking you to accept me. Liking you is my own thing." Zhao Qian said considerately.

"Don't worry about paying me back. All these years, my mom spent her days over at your place, and I never gave anything in return."

"I'll be living right across the hall from you now. I'll be counting on you."

Huang Qiuyan frowned. "What's that got to do with it? Aunt Mei's helped out a ton at home too."

"Let's drop it. It's nothing. Can't you find someone decent to like? Otherwise, I—"

Before she could finish, Zhao Qian cut her off flat. "Sister Qiuyan, I'm going to sleep."

"Oh. Okay... then get some sleep."

Zhao Qian rolled onto his side, careful not to hit the wound on the back of his head. Huang Qiuyan headed to the public bathroom to splash some water on her face.

Thinking about the blood on Zhao Qian, she wet the towel anyway and brought it back. She figured sleeping all night with dried blood on him would be miserable.

On the hospital bed, Zhao Qian's breathing was steady, like he was already asleep. Huang Qiuyan hesitated for a moment, then looked at the bloodstains on his cheek and neck, stepped up and gently wiped them away for him.

As for the blood on his clothes—forget it, he could change when he got home tomorrow.

If she'd leaned in a little closer, she might've heard Zhao Qian's heart thumping like a drum.

He wasn't asleep, but he didn't want to hear Huang Qiuyan turn him down again.

Everything was out in the open now, and suddenly he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He'd been rejected anyway.

Huang Qiuyan's breath was right by his ear, the towel brushing softly against his skin. Somehow, he thought of the things Huang Qiuyan had said before.

Be bolder, be more assertive, strike while the iron's hot.

He knew Sister Qiuyan always saw him as a little brother, but little brothers don't go around kissing their sisters, right?

Before his brain could catch up, his lips were already on Huang Qiuyan's cheek, letting out a soft smack.

The air froze for a second, then came a sharp slap. Zhao Qian's head tilted to the side, a red handprint slowly blooming on his cheek.

Huang Qiuyan took a deep breath. At least Zhao Qian's face had some color in it now.

Huang Qiuyan: "Your face looks better. Go to sleep."

Zhao Qian: "Mm."

That night, no one in the small hospital room could sleep—one heart racing with excitement, the other tossing and turning restlessly.

.........................................................

(That's it for Sister Qiuyan's romantic storyline. The level of discussion this topic generated was something I never expected at first.

Dexian is great, but he probably doesn't have time for a relationship.

As for Zhao Qian, the love of youth is the most fervent, carrying the courage to give everything. After years of secret longing, I still hoped his feelings would find their home, so I ended it here.

There will be a tiny bit more woven in later, and maybe I'll write it in a side story. The main focus remains on our Fenfen and Xiaohuai.

For those who shipped the wrong couple, don't be upset—it's all my fault. If there are more couples later, I'll definitely give a heads-up in advance.

Love you all ⚈₃⚈)