Chapter 45: Gu Yuchen End Up In The Hospital

…

Recalling the events of the previous night, Wen Zhixian silently pulled the blanket over her head.

Qi Yanjing might be skilled at using small, teasing gestures when he kissed her, but when it came to actual practice, he wasn’t much better than she was.

Even without much technique, his stamina was something else…

She had to admit, Qi Yanjing was a fast learner. Besides, men seem to have a natural aptitude for these things—gradually mastering it as they go along.

But she wasn’t so lucky!

And he kept coaxing her, saying, just one last time.

It felt like she was being used as his experimental guinea pig!

Moving her sore body, she grumbled a little internally.

Finally ready to get up, she felt her legs go weak as soon as she stood. Slowly, she got out of bed, freshened up, and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

Heading to the freezer, she pulled out some dumplings her mother had made, planning to cook a few for breakfast.

Just as she opened the pot lid, the doorbell rang.

Setting her things aside, she walked to the door. Looking at the surveillance screen, she saw a delivery driver standing outside.

But she hadn’t ordered any food…

Opening the door, she accepted the delivery and inspected it carefully. Among the items in the dim sum box was a serving of crystal shrimp dumplings.

Thinking back, she remembered that Qi Yanjing had asked her this morning if she wanted shrimp dumplings.

At the time, she was too sleepy and had just turned over without answering him.

So it must have been Qi Yanjing who ordered them for her.

How thoughtful.

She put the frozen dumplings back in the freezer and sat down to eat her breakfast.

Taking out her phone, she saw a message from Qin Zhaoli.

When she opened it, her eyebrows arched slightly in surprise.

Qin Zhaoli: I never thought Gu Yuchen would actually end up in the hospital.

Qin Zhaoli: It’s already 8 a.m., and you still haven’t replied. You only sleep in when you’re upset. Did you and Qi Yanjing have a fight? Or is it because of Gu Yuchen?

She immediately replied: Wen Zhixian: Neither. I just went to bed a little late last night.

After sending the message, there was no immediate response from Qin Zhaoli. She was likely already busy with work.

Setting her phone down, Wen Zhixian thought about it—Gu Yuchen was hospitalized?

Ha, is he really that fragile? Just one slap and he ends up in the hospital?

Back then, when he slapped her, it had taken more than half a month for the bruise to heal completely.

Serves him right.

Not wanting to waste any more thought on him, she felt her temper flare at the very memory of him.

Continuing her breakfast, she noticed that Qi Yanjing had ordered quite a bit for her. There was a variety of items, and she was full after eating just half of it.

After cleaning up, she headed to her café.

…

Not long after she arrived at the café, one of the employees walked up to her, standing in front of her. “Boss.”

Wen Zhixian looked up. The girl’s last name was Bai, and she had always been called “Xiao Bai.” A senior in college, Xiao Bai had started working part-time at the café two years ago.

“What’s up, Xiao Bai?” Wen Zhixian asked.

The girl wrung her hands nervously. “Boss, I won’t be coming in starting next week. I’m going to intern next semester, and I want to study more to prepare for the civil service exams. I’m hoping to stay in this city.”

Wen Zhixian smiled. “That’s great, Xiao Bai. Good luck with your exams, and go after everything you want to achieve.”

Xiao Bai nodded firmly. “Thank you, Boss.”

She gave Wen Zhixian a bright smile. “I’ll get back to work now.”

Wen Zhixian waved her off.

Watching her walk away, Wen Zhixian began to think about what gift to prepare.

For employees who had worked at the café for more than two years, she always gave a small farewell gift.

As she pondered this, Yue Qi, a lively and carefree staff member, finished his tasks and sat across from her. Lowering his voice, he asked with a grin, “Boss, what did Xiao Bai say just now?”

“He said she wants to focus on her exams and won’t be coming back next week,” Wen Zhixian explained with a smile as she looked at Yue Qi. “So, we’ll be short-staffed. Until we find someone new, you’ll need to work even harder as a full-timer, okay?”

Yue Qi chuckled awkwardly. “No problem, as long as there aren’t any extra massive orders to deal with.”

Then his tone shifted, and he sighed. “But honestly, Xiao Bai’s situation is pretty sad.”

“Hmm?” Wen Zhixian raised her head to look at him. She knew the general background of her employees, but not the deeper details.

“She’s never talked about it, but I overheard her once while she was on the phone in the restroom—probably with her mom,” he said, adding quickly, “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop; it was just a coincidence.”

For Yue Qi, it always seemed to be “a coincidence.” Somehow, gossip naturally gravitated toward him.

“Anyway, from what I heard, her mom wants her to come back home after graduation. Apparently, they’ve already found her a ‘good’ job close to home. But Xiao Bai suspects the real reason is to get her back for marriage—probably has blind dates lined up already. The kicker? She’s got a younger brother, and her family likely wants her close by to help support him financially.”

Yue Qi clicked his tongue in disapproval, looking rather sympathetic.

“Xiao Bai’s full name is Bai Yin’er. When she first joined, she told everyone to just call her Xiao Bai. I thought her name was interesting at the time—‘Bai Yin’ with an extra ‘er,’ like a bit of a flourish. But later, I realized it’s probably not that poetic—more like her family values boys over girls.”

Wen Zhixian was silent for a moment. “No wonder she wants to stay in this city.”

“If it were me,” Yue Qi huffed, “I’d block the family’s number, cut ties with them, and just run away. Thankfully, my family environment is great. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Maybe I should drop her some hints—not to let her life be drained away for others, especially since she hasn’t even used her family’s money.”

Wen Zhixian sighed quietly to herself, hoping Xiao Bai could achieve her dreams.

Her phone buzzed.

She picked it up and saw a message from Qin Zhaoli: “Good to hear. I just finished a meeting.”

Wen Zhixian sent a reply: “I went to check on Gu Yuchen this morning.”

Typing out “Gu Yuchen” felt strangely uneventful now. She casually asked: “What happened to him?”

Qin Zhaoli: “Last night, Song Kairui and I took him home. But he did it to himself—got drunk and went crazy, sitting on the balcony in the rain. This morning, Song Kairui passed by to check on him and found him unconscious at home.”

Wen Zhixian: …

Sometimes, she couldn’t understand why Gu Yuchen acted the way he did. Was it a flaw in his nature? Why did he always wait until someone gave up on him to start playing the “deeply devoted” act?

It always made it seem like she was the one at fault.

She replied: “He’s not going to blame this on me, is he?”

Qin Zhaoli laughed: “He’s running a high fever. When I left, he still hadn’t woken up.”

She remembered what Song Kairui had teased when she was at the hospital: “Yuchen’s really something. Trying to tough out a high fever—is he hoping to burn away his memories and start fresh?”

While chatting with Qin Zhaoli, an incoming call interrupted her.

It was from Aunt Zhao.

Wen Zhixian stared at the screen for a few seconds, suspecting that Aunt Zhao wanted her to visit Gu Yuchen. He’d probably pulled another dramatic stunt.

She answered the call and greeted, “Aunt Zhao.”

Aunt Zhao sounded anxious. “Zhixian, I know you don’t want anything to do with Yuchen anymore, but he just woke up, and now he’s not eating or drinking—he’s completely lifeless. Auntie is begging you to come and see him. Please, just this once.”