Gu Zixuan’s eyelashes trembled as she gazed into the air, and said, "No." "If he gives in to the pressure and can’t marry you, still no?" Perhaps the question was too piercing for Gu Zixuan’s thoughts, and she didn’t notice He Qimo’s unusually profound and abnormal gaze for a moment. She shook her head and said, "No, at worst, we just won’t get married. It’s just a formality anyway, as long as... he treats me well, that’s enough." The response was too calm, without a moment of hesitation. It made He Qimo understand why Gu Zixuan knew about the rumors of "affair" but still stayed with Feng Chengjin. Some decisions she had already made. For some people, those eight years were endless torment. For them, it was the start of a kind of happiness. At that moment, there was a self-mocking deepness in He Qimo’s eyes, as deep as the sea, spinning inside him for a long time, yet never able to reach a profoundness. He looked at Gu Zixuan deeply, as if wanting to take one more look, then another. Then he paused and nodded, with a half-smile, "Oh, I see." And closed his eyes to sleep. It was when Gu Zixuan came to her senses that she realized this time it was He Qimo who brought up Feng Chengjin. Yet, she didn’t know if it was because of the pain that drained him or he was just casually asking, there wasn’t much reaction on his face. He held her hand with the same strength, gentle yet firm. It was like the best times during their school days, besides occasionally holding hands or hugging, there were no more overt actions in peace. So, Gu Zixuan didn’t think much, she raised her hand to adjust his IV drip, then stroked his slender cheek, with a trace of heartache. Her thoughts darkened, recalling what Feng Chengjin’s father said, she gazed at the window with distant and heart-wrenching eyes. Gu Zixuan took the initiative to call Feng Chengjin. As soon as the call connected, she curved her lips into a "smile," "Chengjin, Qimo’s condition is not very good, I want to stay overnight at the hospital for a couple of nights, is that okay?" Feng Chengjin rubbed his forehead, feeling irritable about bringing Gu Zixuan back and frustrated with blocking out all her surroundings. Hearing this, he asked in confusion, "What’s wrong? Is it serious?" Gu Zixuan shook her head, "It’s a bit serious, but more serious is that his emotions are not good, I... do you disagree?" Her tone was calm, hiding all her emotions well. Feng Chengjin’s eyes dimmed slightly as he paused. Although his tone was somewhat reluctant, leaving Gu Zixuan to her ex-husband’s care was indeed a bit... But he still smiled and gently said, "Okay, you look after him first, I’ll come and keep you company when I’m free." "Hmm." Knowing that Feng Chengjin’s mood at this moment was to keep things from her for a while longer, Gu Zixuan nodded, "Then don’t be too busy, take care of yourself and get some rest early." Feng Chengjin smiled and said, "Okay." A rich sweetness swirled through the phone’s atmosphere. Both were silent for a moment. Then they laughed and chatted for a few more sentences. And hung up the phone. But after coming out of the bathroom, seeing he had taken a nap and woke up inexplicably starting one cigarette after another. The nurses, doctors, all came to warn him, he paid them no mind. This led to the nurses and doctors thinking maybe she did something to provoke him, they were so furious saying if this continued, they wouldn’t treat him anymore, it didn’t matter how well-connected at the hospital He Qimo was. Gu Zixuan could only once more step forward, take his cigarette butt, and stub it out in the ashtray. Then quietly looked at him, meeting those equally dark and profound eyes, "He Qimo, stop smoking..." Perhaps this time, her eyes were too serious. He Qimo finally looked at her deeply for a couple of seconds, nodded, and didn’t reach for the cigarettes again. Only, that distant gaze out the window, pondering over who knows what, made Gu Zixuan feel that he seemed even more emotionally distant than she was... Like brewing some sort of sadness she couldn’t understand. Finally, facing Gu Zixuan’s eye signals. Liang Xi nervously and tensely looked at the cigarette pack and lighter, quickly took them away, revealing hidden gratitude and excitement. He Qimo curved his lips, but there was no smile, ultimately he didn’t ask for a cigarette again but folded his hands behind his head and turned his head, gazing at the moonlight outside the window in a daze... In the next two days, Gu Zixuan did not leave the hospital, except for necessary changes of clothes. She stayed with He Qimo at the hospital. He Qimo was transferred from the intensive care unit to a private VIP ward. The comfortable environment, along with an extra-large, soft hospital bed unlike any other rooms, sometimes made Gu Zixuan sleep on the other half of the bed when she got tired. The bed was very large, and she and He Qimo each had half. Alternatively, she would rest on the chaise lounge beside it. In any case, this feeling was very much like the eight years of their marriage in the past. Gu Zixuan was used to sharing a bed but not a pillow with He Qimo. He Qimo, however, looking at Gu Zixuan in front of him who never understood the dangers of men, couldn’t tell if it was bitterness or comfort, or perhaps a kind of helplessness. In any case, it was extremely distant... He Qimo almost stopped speaking. Because he was inherently reticent, Gu Zixuan, although finding it dull, didn’t pay much attention. Except occasionally when she turned back and met He Qimo’s deep gaze fixed on her, unblinking. Seeing her looking at him, then slightly averting his eyes. Confused in thought, sinking again, "..." Also, perhaps it was that strange sixth sense of hers at work, it always felt like the current He Qimo had something very deep and unsettling in his heart. But he wouldn’t say, and she couldn’t ask. She could only look at the seemingly "normal" He Qimo. Speaking little in a deep voice, she was attentive, and tried to be better to him. For just this reason. He Qimo, in the end, didn’t continue tormenting his body while ill as he used to. He stopped smoking, and if he really wanted to, Gu Zixuan would forcefully give him chewing gum. He would frown at first but then take it and chew. He also ate on time; although mostly liquid food, his appetite wasn’t great, but facing Gu Zixuan’s persistence, he still managed to eat a normal portion. The doctors all heaved a sigh of relief and glanced deeply at Gu Zixuan. Liang Xi, having watched their interaction over the past two days, would occasionally look at her with eyes that hinted at some moist hope. Gu Zixuan understood what they meant but could only smile back with a hint of bitterness, not answering, turning her head away. At the same time, feeling an even deeper unease, the sixth sense seemed to suggest He Qimo was deliberately quiet for a few days to set her mind at ease. This made her feel even more anxious... Time passed until the afternoon of the next day. Not sure if it was after finishing their tasks, or just wanting to see if Gu Zixuan knew about this, unable to let it rest. Yu Yuanshen and Feng Chengjin arrived at the hospital at almost the same time. The relationship between Yu Yuanshen and He Qimo was fine, despite their different positions causing some distance, perhaps because Yu Yuanshen always appeared by Gu Zixuan’s side as a brother, never harming her. Get full chapters from N0v3l.Fiɾe.net Although He Qimo was displeased and cold, he still respected him. It was just that when Feng Chengjin and He Qimo’s eyes met at that moment. Not sure if it was Gu Zixuan’s illusion, it always seemed that there was an undertone in their eyes stronger than any emotion. Like calmness, yet charged with turbulent waves, as if on the verge of a confrontation. Like hatred, yet so deep it was unreadable, as if nonexistent. After a pause, it was Feng Chengjin who first noticed Gu Zixuan’s gaze, withdrawing his eyes, he smiled gently at her and turned away, interrupting the moment. Moreover, given the subtle relationship among the four, the eldest and most mature Feng Chengjin didn’t make any overly intimate gestures towards her. He didn’t even speak and just sat on the sofa, instructing Qin Nuo who came with him to place some imported stomach-care health products for the patient in the cabinet, then replied to a message on his phone. This thoughtfulness moved Gu Zixuan slightly, even though he hadn’t seen her for an unprecedented two days, acting as if ignoring her. But it only made her feel warm-hearted. Her eyelashes trembled as she gazed at the temporarily frozen atmosphere in the ward. Gu Zixuan didn’t let the awkwardness continue; she picked up the fruit basket that Brother Yu had brought earlier and said with a smile, "I’ll go wash some fruit." Instead of using the bathroom in the ward, she went to the shared area of the hospital’s VIP floor outside. Liang Xi and Qin Nuo exchanged a glance, then said, "I’ll help you." For a moment, the ward was left with only He Qimo, Yu Yuanshen, and Feng Chengjin...