Chapter 19

The emergency room was brightly lit in the early morning.

The hospital bed in the emergency ward was full of patients, and the sounds of medical devices echoed in the quiet night. After a round of emergency treatment, the large ward finally quieted down.

The observation area for IV drips was separated from the emergency room by just one door. Behind the curtain, Fu Cheng sat on a chair while Youyi lay in his arms, her head resting on his lap, supported by one of his hands.

She had an IV in her hand, with more than half of the saline still remaining. Fu Cheng held her hand gently in his palm as the IV fluid quietly dripped into her vein.

The cold liquid flowed into her bloodstream, sending a chill through her body.

They had just finished the examinations, including an ultrasound and a blood test, all of which came back normal.

The doctor said it was likely a drug reaction causing excessive menstrual bleeding, nothing serious. He prescribed some painkillers and IV fluids.

There weren’t enough beds in the emergency room, and since her condition didn’t require close monitoring, she could only stay in the observation area for the IV.

After the pain subsided, sleepiness crept in. Exhausted, Youyi could barely keep her eyes open.

The chair in the observation area wasn’t comfortable for sleeping, so Fu Cheng let her lie on him.

It was much more comfortable in his arms.

Youyi fell asleep while Fu Cheng remained still, keeping an eye on the IV fluid.

He was like a huge wall, shielding her from the outside world, allowing her to sleep peacefully even in an unfamiliar place.

A wall that could block all the wind and rain.

At around three in the morning, the IV fluid finished. The nurse came to remove the needle. The slight pain on her hand woke Youyi up from her drowsy state.

Throughout the IV, Fu Cheng had been holding her hand. After the needle was removed, he helped press down on the cotton ball to stop the bleeding.

Fu Cheng asked, “Does it still hurt?”

Youyi shook her head.

Earlier, the pain had been so intense it felt like her internal organs were being ripped apart. She tossed and turned in bed, gritting her teeth and refusing to make a sound, until she accidentally fell off the bed.

She had never felt pain like that before.

Compared to then, she now felt nothing at all.

It was like she had narrowly escaped death.

That’s how she would describe it.

Fu Cheng’s face was dark, and in a low voice, he asked, “Would you rather suffer in silence than call for me?”

The pain had been going on for a while, and he hadn’t heard anything, which meant she deliberately didn’t want him to hear.

Youyi sat up and simply replied, “I didn’t want to trouble you.”

She could feel the rush of blood again, like a dam breaking, but she didn’t expect it to be this serious.

She thought she might bleed out completely.

Fu Cheng remained silent, but his hand instinctively moved to cover her lower abdomen again.

His palm was warm, and the heat seemed to seep into her body, making her feel much more comfortable.

After a long pause, Fu Cheng asked, “So you don’t trust me at all?”

Not even enough to ask him for help when she was in pain.

After the Du Li incident, she had become less afraid of him, and their relationship had improved significantly. They had been getting along well, especially after returning from the training base. He thought, at the very least, he had earned her trust by now.

Building a relationship takes time and effort, and he had been trying to nurture theirs.

But it seemed like all his efforts were in vain.

“Do you really not trust me at all?” Fu Cheng asked again, his voice even lower, rough like it was grinding against stone.

Youyi awkwardly kept her head down. After the intense pain had subsided, she felt completely drained. Her voice was muffled as she explained, “I just didn’t want to bother you all the time.”

With that one sentence, their relationship seemed to return to an icy distance.

“What kind of relationship do we have that you feel like you can’t ask me for help?” Fu Cheng questioned. What did she think of their relationship? Did she believe they were just two people who could share a bed but nothing more?

Youyi didn’t respond.

Her face was still pale, and there wasn’t a trace of color on her lips.

“Ding Youyi, what do you think I am to you?” His voice was cold and devoid of emotion, as if his feelings had faded to the extreme. Seeing her silence, Fu Cheng’s expression darkened.

“Perhaps I was never anything to begin with.”

The silence around them was suffocating.

Youyi lowered her head, remaining quiet.

After a pause, Fu Cheng held her a little tighter, suppressing all his emotions. He said, “If you’re tired, you can sleep a bit more. I’m here.”

He was seven or eight years older than her, and he shouldn’t be keeping score.

Many things can’t be forced right away.

Just like her silence now.

*

Youyi couldn’t fall asleep at all.

The observation period lasted until six in the morning. Her condition was stable, and there were no further abnormalities.

The doctor said she could go home.

Fu Cheng carried her from the emergency room to the car, gently placing her inside. He bent down to fasten her seatbelt.

Every action he took was gentle. Once settled, he asked, “What would you like for breakfast?”

She must be very hungry since she hadn’t eaten for a while.

Youyi shook her head, saying she wasn’t hungry.

Fu Cheng didn’t press further, just reminding her to “sit tight” before driving off.

By the time they got home, it was already bright outside.

Fu Cheng carried her up the stairs, his strong hands and arms supporting her. Although she was still weak, she felt an inexplicable pang of emotion, realizing she had started to rely on the security he brought.

Was this… a bad thing?

“Home now,” Fu Cheng said softly as he placed her on the bed. “You can sleep well now that we’re home.”

Her clothes were dirty, and she was draped in his coat, which reached almost to her knees. Fu Cheng changed her into clean pajamas, and drew the curtains to help her sleep comfortably.

She slept soundly.

When she woke up, sunlight was streaming through the curtain gaps, casting a golden hue. Youyi sniffed, catching a delicious aroma.

She got out of bed and went to the kitchen, where Fu Cheng was cooking porridge.

His cooking skills were still a bit rusty. The first attempt at porridge didn’t turn out well due to the water ratio, so he made it again.

He hadn’t rested all night and was still busy.

Seeing Youyi come out, he served her a bowl of porridge, a plate of egg pancakes, and a cup of red sugar water.

“Time for breakfast,” Fu Cheng said calmly, as if nothing unpleasant had happened between them.

Youyi sat down at the table.

The last time she had eaten was the previous afternoon in the school cafeteria. Now, her empty stomach growled at the sight of the food.

Fu Cheng added two spoonfuls of sugar to the porridge, stirred it to cool it down a bit, and cut the egg pancakes into bite-sized pieces.

He set the bowl and chopsticks in front of her and waited quietly.

Youyi was surprised by how considerate Fu Cheng was.

She hadn’t expected him to be so meticulous.

She took a spoonful of the porridge, which was sweet and fragrant with purple sweet potato and black rice. The rich aroma of the rice mixed with the sweet taste spread across her tongue.

She remembered mentioning a few days ago that she wanted to eat purple sweet potato black rice porridge.

The egg pancakes had no scallions, which she disliked.

The red sugar water also contained red dates and ginger slices, known for their warming properties.

The red dates were well-soaked.

Youyi looked up at Fu Cheng, slightly stunned.

Seeing her still not eating, Fu Cheng asked, “Do you not like it?”

“What would you prefer?”

Youyi shook her head.

She didn’t dislike it.

She was simply touched by how Fu Cheng seemed to be genuinely considerate towards her.

Despite the few words he spoke, his actions showed his true care.

And after her unreasonable irritability, his silent compromise was a rare and precious quality in human relationships.

She lowered her head and continued eating.

The amount of food was just right for her. She ate slowly but finished everything, including the cup of red sugar water.

“Do you want more?” Fu Cheng asked.

“I’m full,” Youyi replied.

Fu Cheng then began to clear the table.

“There’s still porridge in the pot, kept warm. You can eat it anytime.”

“I’ve taken the morning off for you. Rest well at home.”

Fu Cheng looked at Youyi, his eyes deep and dark, like a vast, tranquil pond where even a stone’s drop would barely cause ripples.

Calm, yet one couldn’t tell what storms might lie beneath that calm.

“Do you still not want to see me?” Fu Cheng asked, knowing she was in a bad mood but not probing further into its cause.

Her silence was an acknowledgment.

“I’ll be going now. Call me if you need anything.”

He turned to leave but paused, seemingly remembering something.

“Don’t be afraid to trouble me.”

The implication was that he didn’t mind doing these things for her, and she didn’t need to hold back due to mistrust.

The pain was hers alone.

After Fu Cheng left, Youyi returned to bed.

Her room had been left a bit messy from the night before, but she wasn’t sure when Fu Cheng had cleaned it. She buried herself in the blankets, letting the quiet scene from the night before settle in her mind.

The habitual low mood, sadness and anger during menstruation is caused by the secretion of physiological hormones. Youyi scatters her emotions, but she also knows that her unhappiness does not only come from this.

When she was still brooding over it and cared about it.

She might have to, seriously, start looking at their relationship.