Chapter 15: Hospitalization

After arriving at the hospital, Gu Qingci opened the car door, picked up the third baby from Jiang Banyue’s arms, and rushed into the hospital. Jiang Banyue, carrying the other two children on her back, followed behind.

The doctor placed the baby on the bed for an examination, took the temperature, and found a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius. The doctor looked up at Gu Qingci.

“Father, come over and hold the baby. I’ll give him a fever-reducing shot.”

“Huh? I…”

Gu Qingci froze for a moment when he heard the term “father.” The doctor impatiently called again.

“Father, hurry up, what are you waiting for!”

“Okay!”

Gu Qingci quickly walked forward and picked up the third baby. The doctor filled the syringe with medication and swiftly gave the baby an injection in the bottom. The third baby cried loudly, struggling in pain.

Gu Qingci held her tightly, lowered his head, and gently reassured her.

“Baby, be good, it’ll be better after the shot.”

Jiang Banyue, feeling heartbroken, patted the third baby, tears once again falling.

“Baby, Mommy’s here, don’t cry…”

Jiang Huaijin looked worriedly at his younger sister. She was especially delicate and afraid of pain. She would cry for a while after getting this shot. Sure enough, after the shot, the third baby continued to cry with a sniffle. The doctor advised them to stay in the hospital overnight for observation.

Back in the hospital room, Gu Qingci took the two babies from Jiang Banyue’s back, holding them in his arms and comforting them, allowing her to focus on soothing the sick third baby. The second baby, already exhausted, had fallen asleep. Gu Qingci placed him on the bed, tucked him in with a blanket. The eldest, still wide awake, kept staring at him and wouldn’t sleep.

“Baby, why aren’t you sleeping? Are you worried about your sister? Be good, sleep now. I’m here with you. I’ll take care of Mommy and your sister.”

Jiang Huaijin moved his lips slightly, silently whispering a thank you in his heart, before finally giving in to his drowsiness and falling asleep.

Gu Qingci comforted the eldest child to sleep, placing him and the second child side by side on the bed. When he turned around, he saw Jiang Banyue holding the third baby, wearing thin clothes and slippers. He frowned in concern, quickly taking off his black coat and draping it over her.

“You don’t have to…” A strong masculine scent overwhelmed her, and Jiang Banyue, startled, stepped back a little.

“Listen to me, put it on. It’s chilly tonight. If you get sick too, who will take care of the children?”

“Thank you.” Jiang Banyue tried to hold back her embarrassment and wrapped the coat tighter around herself, feeling instantly warmer.

“It’s nothing. Just give me the baby, you go lie down for a bit.”

“No need. I’m fine, I can watch over them. You’ve already done so much by bringing us to the hospital.”

“Ban Yue, don’t be so polite with me.” Gu Qingci gently took the sleeping third baby from her arms, making sure she was wrapped up warmly in the blanket.

“Taking care of you and the kids is something I willingly do.”

Jiang Banyue’s mind was in a whirl, her heart racing with his near confession. She felt embarrassed and flustered. She had lived two lives, and this was the first time someone had confessed to her, and it was from such an outstanding man. At this rate, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

Looking back at the children on the bed, her thoughts suddenly cleared up. She lowered her head, feeling deeply ashamed. What was she thinking? She was already married and had three children. How could she even consider remarrying? Her priority now was to take care of the children well.

Jiang Banyue walked over to Gu Qingci’s side, reaching out her hands to take the third baby.

“The baby is asleep. I’ll put her on the bed to watch over her.”

“Okay, I’ll place her down.”

Gu Qingci placed the third child on another bed, stood up, and looked at Jiang Banyue.

“It’s almost 3 AM. You should go to bed and get some sleep.”

“Thank you, but you should go home now. I’ve already troubled you enough tonight.”

Hearing these words, Gu Qingci felt a bit frustrated. Tonight, the word “thank you” had been spoken to him the most. Looking at the children on the bed and the exhausted woman, he knew this wasn’t the time for conversation, so he suppressed his agitation.

“Rest well. I’m leaving now.”

Gu Qingci left the hospital room, gently closing the door behind him. He walked to his car, opened the door, sat inside, and closed his eyes for a moment to rest.

Inside the hospital room, after the man left, Jiang Banyue stared blankly at the closed door, sighed, and removed the coat, placing it on the bed. She lay beside the third baby and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

At around 5 AM, the sound of birds chirping in the trees woke Gu Qingci, who had been sleeping in the car. He opened his eyes, seeing the sky slowly brighten. He rubbed his face with his large hand, opened the car door, and stepped out.

He walked to a breakfast shop across from the hospital, bought a basket of meat buns, six pieces of fried dough, two bags of soy milk, and three bags of milk. He carried them toward the hospital room.

Gently opening the door, he saw the mother and children sleeping soundly. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Gu Qingci walked quietly into the room, placing the breakfast on the table, then bent down to touch the third baby’s forehead. It was cool to the touch. He let out a relieved breath— the baby’s fever had gone down.

Gu Qingci looked at Jiang Banyue, who was lying beside the baby, her head resting on the child’s chest. She looked flushed and had messy hair stuck to her face. Unable to resist, he reached out and gently pushed her hair aside. Jiang Banyue’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and Gu Qingci hastily pulled his hand back, awkwardly twirling his fingers. He walked to the window, pretending to be calm as he stared blankly at the large tree outside.

A little while later, around 6 AM, the hospital started to become lively. Jiang Banyue woke up groggily and reached out to touch the third baby’s forehead.

“The fever’s finally gone down.”

Gu Qingci smiled, lowering his voice.

“Ban Yue, are you hungry? I brought breakfast. Get up and eat something.”

Jiang Banyue looked up and saw Gu Qingci. Surprised, she gasped, “You didn’t leave last night?”

“I left, but I was worried you’d be hungry, and with three kids, you couldn’t go out to buy breakfast, so I came back.”

Gu Qingci walked over to the table and took out the soy milk and buns.

“Come eat quickly, the buns are still warm.”

Jiang Banyue grabbed the bedsheet beneath her. She had already realized that Gu Qingci liked her and was pursuing her. But she was a divorced woman with three kids— how could she be worthy of him?

“Gu, I…”

“Eat first, they’ll get cold.”

Gu Qingci interrupted her, knowing exactly what she was about to say. Jiang Banyue swallowed her words and sat down at the table.

“Sit down and eat with me.”

“Okay.” Gu Qingci sat opposite her, picked up a bun with his chopsticks, and lowered his head to eat.

“I bought milk for the kids, it’s heated. They can drink it when they wake up.”

“Thank you. Let me pay you.”

Jiang Banyue put down the bun she was holding and reached for her money. Gu Qingci placed his large hand firmly on hers, his tone slightly irritated.

“Sit down and eat!”

Jiang Banyue saw the dark expression on his face and nervously sat back down to eat. A man as excellent as him liked her, and in her previous life, she would have accepted him without hesitation. But now, she was divorced with children— she didn’t want to burden him.