Chapter 9

Qi Ye glanced at Yun Yin before averting his gaze. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m a little dizzy,” Yun Yin said, pointing to her throat. “And my throat feels like it’s burning.”

“Open your mouth. Let me take a look,” Qi Ye instructed.

Yun Yin obediently opened her mouth.

“You have a slight fever, but it’s not serious. A shot followed by some medication should do the trick,” Qi Ye said gently, reading the thermometer. “Also, your constitution is rather weak. You need to be extra careful during seasonal transitions.”

“A shot?” Yun Yin repeated hesitantly.

During her previous hospital stay, she had endured countless injections, leaving her hands bruised and purple. Her veins were notoriously difficult to find, making each injection a painful ordeal.

She had grown accustomed to it, but the thought of another shot still stirred a flicker of resistance.

Qi Ye noticed her reluctance and paused. “We can skip the injection and rely on medication. However, with the seasonal transition and flu season approaching, a shot would boost your immunity.”

Yun Yin knew the doctor meant well, but she truly didn’t want an injection. As she hesitated, Pei Yu made the decision for her.

“Qi Ye, give her the injection.”

Yun Yin coughed softly again, her eyelids drooping and her mind drifting. But Pei Yu’s words snapped her back to reality, and she made up her mind instantly. “Doctor, I don’t want the injection. Medicine will be enough,” she said weakly.

Qi Ye glanced at the two of them before ultimately deciding to respect the patient’s wishes. The injection was merely to speed up recovery and prevent complications, not strictly necessary.

“Alright then. Just remember to take these medications on time.”

“Okay, thank you, Dr. Qi,” Yun Yin replied, her voice still hoarse.

They say that prolonged illness makes one a doctor. Yun Yin had a rough understanding of her own condition, and she knew the injection wasn’t essential.

Though she was accustomed to pain, that didn’t mean she felt nothing.

After all, she didn’t have much time left. The original owner of this body had suffered from the same illness. While her current condition was slightly better, it wouldn’t make much difference. Without surgery, her heart would rapidly fail within a few years.

She held no hope for surgery anyway. After all, she had died on the operating table before transmigrating into this book.

“You look terrible. You’re severely deficient in both qi and blood. You need to get some exercise instead of staying cooped up in your room all the time. Your immune system will weaken if you keep this up.” Having finished his instructions, Qi Ye packed his medical kit and prepared to leave.

“Qi Ye.”

Qi Ye paused before standing up as Pei Yu called out to him. “Give her the injection.”

Qi Ye stopped what he was doing, momentarily confused.

Since when has Pei Yu cared so much about anyone?

Yun Yin buried the lower half of her face in her coat, frowning in protest. “I don’t want an injection.”

“Yun Yin.”

Pei Yu called her name, his expression darkening. “I haven’t signed the contract for the Capital Suburb Project yet.”

Yun Yin lifted her head, her peach blossom eyes wide with shock.

Does he even realize who all of this is for?

But she knew that if she refused the injection today, Pei Yu would genuinely refuse to sign the Capital Suburb Project contract, rendering all her efforts futile.

The thought soured her already foul mood. Her bloodshot eyes glared at him, her hoarse voice dripping with accusation. “Pei Yu, is this how you pursue someone you care about?”

Qi Ye: “!”

He felt like he’d just overheard something scandalous.

Pei Yu: “……”

Seeing how sick and uncomfortable she was, he decided to cut to the chase. “If you get the shot, I’ll sign the contract tomorrow.”

With Pei Yu putting it that way, Yun Yin had no choice but to reluctantly extend her arm.

Seeing this, Qi Ye immediately retrieved a syringe and medication from the medical kit.

The moment Yun Yin saw the needle approaching her skin, she instinctively grabbed the hem of Pei Yu’s shirt.

Pei Yu glanced down at her pale fingers clutching his fabric, his brow twitching slightly. She thought she was gripping tightly, but for him, it would have been effortless to shake off.

Pei Yu loathed physical contact, yet he didn’t pull away, letting Yun Yin keep her grip on his shirt.

Qi Ye was skilled; the injection was quick, and the pain faded almost instantly. Before Yun Yin could even blink, it was over.

With the shot administered, the medical visit finally concluded. Qi Ye could now pack up and leave.

Exhausted from the ordeal, Yun Yin’s body couldn’t take any more. After taking her medicine, she just wanted to go upstairs and sleep.

—

Pei Yu didn’t leave Cloud Lake that night.

After finishing the email from Lu Lin, he glanced out the window and noticed the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The light drizzle had transformed into a fierce storm, and soon torrential rain was pouring down.

If I leave the flowers in the garden unattended, tomorrow the courtyard will be littered with their shattered remains.

Such delicate beauty requires careful protection.

Pei Yu slowly withdrew his gaze, the thought drifting through his mind.

A few minutes later, his phone rang.

“How have you been lately?” Xu Jingyi asked familiarly.

A faint smile touched Pei Yu’s lips, his tone uncharacteristically relaxed. “Not bad.”

Xu Jingyi burst into laughter. “I heard you’re chasing someone these days?”

Pei Yu’s expression remained unchanged. “Qi Ye told you.”

The moment Xu Jingyi spoke, Pei Yu knew Qi Ye must be the source.

The four of them—Pei Yu, Xu Jingyi, Qi Ye, and Lu Lin—had been college classmates.

After graduation, Lu Lin joined Pei Yu in starting a business. Xu Jingyi, born into wealth, hailed from one of Beijing’s prominent families. Yet he had no interest in inheriting the family business, choosing instead to pursue his photography dreams abroad.

Qi Ye, after studying finance for only a year, switched to clinical medicine.

Pei Yu remembered how, in his previous life, during Yu Jiang’s bankruptcy proceedings, everyone had scrambled to distance themselves. But Xu Jingyi, upon hearing the news, had rushed back from overseas, leveraging his family’s resources to help.

Still, the Capital Suburb Project’s financial black hole proved too deep to fill, and Yu Jiang ultimately went bankrupt.

Xu Jingyi continued, “Never mind who told me. Just tell me if it’s true.”

“False,” Pei Yu replied, his tone unchanging and icily indifferent.

Xu Jingyi sighed dramatically. “I thought I’d witness a thousand-year-old iron tree bloom. I heard Miss Yun of the Yun Family is exceptionally beautiful. What a pity.”

Pei Yu’s hand, holding the phone, paused. Yun Yin’s face involuntarily surfaced in his mind—her delicate features and those captivating, peach-blossom eyes. Even illness couldn’t dim her radiant beauty; she truly was stunning.

After a few seconds, sensing Pei Yu’s silence and knowing his temperament well, Xu Jingyi said with waning enthusiasm, “I knew Qi Ye’s words were always half-truths. Never mind. A workaholic like you is destined to die alone. I’m hanging up.”

Xu Jingyi ended the call, shaking his head inwardly. If Pei Yu ever genuinely pursued someone, that would be truly unbelievable. As for the rumors about his true nature, they were merely tools to achieve his goals.

The next day, after finishing his work, Pei Yu hesitated for a moment before driving to Cloud Lake.

Aunt Lin was surprised to see him. Mr. Pei had been visiting more frequently in the past few days than he usually did in an entire month.

“Mr. Pei.”

Pei Yu glanced around the empty living room and frowned. “Where is she?”

Aunt Lin paused, then quickly realized who he meant. “Miss Yun is resting in her room.”

“How has she been today?” Pei Yu asked.

“Miss Yun has stayed in her room all day,” Aunt Lin replied. “She hasn’t come downstairs at all.”

Pei Yu’s expression darkened. After a few seconds, he strode upstairs and stopped before a door on the second floor, knocking.

No one answered.

After a moment, Pei Yu pressed the handle and pushed the door open.

The bedroom curtains were tightly drawn, plunging the room into dimness. The only light came from a bedside lamp, casting a soft, amber glow.

Even in the gloom, the rise and fall of the blanket on the bed was visible.

Yun Yin was still asleep.

It was already 7 p.m., and according to Aunt Lin, she hadn’t eaten anything all day.

He switched on the main light, flooding the room with brightness.

Pei Yu approached the bed and noticed medicine and a glass of cold water on the nightstand.

Not only had she skipped her meal, but she hadn’t taken her medicine either. Pei Yu’s frown deepened.

The person on the bed was curled up small and huddled in the soft, fluffy quilt, her head almost buried beneath it, leaving only the crown of her dark hair visible.

Pei Yu approached and gently pulled the quilt down a little, revealing Yun Yin’s face.

Her hair was scattered messily across her cheeks, and her usually pale face was flushed from the heat. Her lips were slightly pursed, giving her an inexplicably endearing look.

He instinctively reached out to brush the strands of hair behind her ear, but before he could move, Yun Yin suddenly opened her eyes.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face as she saw him. Her voice muffled by the quilt, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

Pei Yu withdrew his hand, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against his palm. “Come downstairs for dinner.”

Yun Yin burrowed deeper into the quilt. “I’m not hungry.”

“That’s not an option.”

Still feeling unwell, Yun Yin stubbornly replied, “I don’t want to. I just want to sleep.” With that, she pulled the quilt completely over herself, ignoring the person outside.

Pei Yu stared at the cocooned figure before him. Without hesitation, he yanked the quilt away, dragging her out from beneath it.

He gripped Yun Yin’s excessively slender wrist, his tone leaving no room for refusal. “Finish your meal before going back to sleep.”

Interrupted repeatedly, Yun Yin’s rare temper flared. “I told you I don’t want to eat! You’re so annoying!”

Due to her delicate health, Yun Yin had long suppressed her temper, cultivating a mild and indifferent demeanor over time.

But even the most placid souls have their little quirks.

Yun Yin, for instance, was notoriously grumpy upon waking and loathed being disturbed while sleeping.

Not even the great villain was exempt from her wrath.

Anger flushed her face crimson, even tinting the rims of her eyes a faint pink.

Pei Yu stared at her, a half-amused expression on his face. “Am I annoying?”

After all the commotion, Yun Yin’s drowsiness had completely vanished, her groggy mind now somewhat clearer.

She shook her arm, ignoring his question, and murmured, “You’re hurting me.”

Pei Yu involuntarily glanced at the spot where he held her wrist. He released his grip, noticing a faint blush already blooming there.

Had he really used that much force?

So delicate.

Yun Yin flexed her wrist, then looked up and unexpectedly caught a flicker of awkwardness in the man’s eyes. Suddenly intrigued, she thought, The great villain actually feels guilty?