Chapter 10

A kiss, light as a dragonfly skimming the water, instantly made Ji Nuannuan’s face flush red.

“What are you doing? You scared me.” Ji Nuannuan pouted as she tugged playfully at Fu Jinghan’s sleeve.

“Oh? Who was the one trying to sneak a kiss from me?” Fu Jinghan teased with a mischievous grin, feigning innocence.

“You’re so annoying! Stop saying that.”

Ji Nuannuan was dying of embarrassment, especially with Ye Fan sitting right in front, driving the car.

At that moment, Ye Fan stared intently at the road ahead, afraid that if he even glanced sideways, he might see something he really shouldn’t.

For the first time in his life, Ye Fan felt that having good hearing wasn’t such a great thing after all.

Ji Nuannuan leaned against Fu Jinghan’s chest again, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. She could tell—his heartbeat was faster than it had been just moments ago.

Her closeness reignited the fire Fu Jinghan had only just managed to suppress.

His eyes were full of affection, and his voice grew hoarse as he whispered,
“Nuannuan, don’t tease me…”

“I can’t hold back.”

The atmosphere grew thick with tension, the moment turning more intimate by the second.

Just when it felt like something was about to happen—

Suddenly, Fu Jinghan groaned in pain.

Startled, Ji Nuannuan looked up at him and saw that his brow was furrowed in discomfort, his expression full of pain.

Panic filled her voice as she asked urgently, “Fu Jinghan, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

She adjusted her position in a hurry and instinctively gripped his hand tightly.

Ye Fan, still driving, glanced over at Fu Jinghan and his expression darkened.

“Master Fu’s stomach condition is acting up,” he explained.

“What? A stomach issue?” Ji Nuannuan had no idea Fu Jinghan had a chronic problem.

“What do we do? Let’s go to the hospital!” she said anxiously.

Ye Fan quickly called the family doctor and briefly explained the situation over the phone.

As he continued driving, he tried to calm her down.
“Master Fu’s had this condition for a long time. His personal doctor takes care of it. I’ve already contacted him—we’re heading home.”

“For a long time…? But I didn’t know he had stomach problems…” Ji Nuannuan looked at Fu Jinghan’s furrowed brows, guilt creeping in.

Ye Fan, unbothered by tact, muttered his complaint while driving.

“You never cared about Master Fu’s health before. No wonder you didn’t know. Honestly, you probably used to wish he’d just drop dead.”

“Ye Fan!”

Even in his weakened state, Fu Jinghan’s voice carried weight, silencing Ye Fan instantly.

“Don’t be scared, Nuannuan. I’m okay,” Fu Jinghan reassured her weakly.

They arrived at Four Seasons Warm Garden in record time. Ji Nuannuan quickly got out to help him out of the car.

His face was pale as paper, and sweat beaded his forehead—he looked incredibly fragile.

The family doctor was already waiting and immediately began examining and treating Fu Jinghan.

Ji Nuannuan stood by, anxiously watching, unable to do anything to help.

She held his hand tightly and asked softly, “Doctor, how is he? Is it serious?”

The doctor replied,
“Master Fu’s had stomach problems for a long time. He’s taken so much medicine that his body’s built up a resistance.”

“Over time, the effectiveness of treatment drops. It’s best to avoid flare-ups entirely—too many episodes will make recovery harder.”

“This time, it was likely caused by diet or alcohol. It’s not too serious—he just needs some medicine and proper rest. But absolutely no more alcohol in the near future.”

Hearing this, Ji Nuannuan finally let out a breath of relief.

Looking at Fu Jinghan lying in bed, she gently said,
“Did you hear that? The doctor said no more drinking from now on!”

After taking the medicine, Fu Jinghan looked a little better, though his voice was still weak:
“Nuannuan, I’ve got stomach problems, not hearing problems.”

“So the doctor really said I can’t drink again?”

Ji Nuannuan raised her chin with righteous confidence:
“Yes, that’s what he said. Problem?”

Fu Jinghan smiled indulgently:
“No problem. I’ll do whatever Nuannuan says.”

But the moment he turned to the doctor, his face darkened:
“Don’t scare her. I’m fine.”

The doctor stared at Fu Jinghan, who was clearly threatening him, and could only sigh inwardly:
“You nobles sure are something. If you’re fine, why call me out in the middle of the night?”

As the two bickered in the bedroom, no one noticed the puzzled expression on the doctor’s face as he left.

He was thinking:
“Strange… I’ve seen Master Fu suffer worse episodes than this before, and he never looked that weak…”

He just couldn’t figure it out.

Back in the bedroom—

Now that they were alone, Fu Jinghan, who had been lying there pretending to be frail, suddenly felt something wet falling onto his hand—the hand Ji Nuannuan was holding.

Startled, he opened his eyes to see her tear-filled gaze staring back at him.

“Nuannuan, why are you crying?” he asked, his voice laced with worry and tenderness.

“I was so scared,” she choked out. “I was really worried about you.”

Fu Jinghan quickly tried to comfort her:
“I’m fine, it’s just a little discomfort. I’ll be okay soon.”

But his words didn’t help—Ji Nuannuan only cried harder.

Fu Jinghan couldn’t stay lying anymore. He sat up and pulled the teary little woman into his arms:
“I swear I’m okay. It’s just my old problem acting up. I promise I’ll stop drinking, alright?”

“Really?” Ji Nuannuan looked up at him, her tear-filled eyes shining with hope.

“Really. I promise. I won’t let you worry anymore.”

She leaned into his embrace and, through sobs, said softly:
“I’m sorry, Fu Jinghan.”

He kissed her lightly on the forehead, puzzled.
“Nuannuan, why are you apologizing?”

She looked at him, guilt written all over her face, and whispered:
“If I hadn’t been so unreasonable before, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, wouldn’t have lost trust in me. And if you hadn’t lost faith in me, you wouldn’t have gone drinking and triggered your condition.”

Looking at her guilt-ridden expression, Fu Jinghan felt a bit guilty himself.

“Nuannuan… actually, I wasn’t that sick. I might’ve exaggerated a little.”

Afraid she’d get mad, the usually overbearing Fu Jinghan quickly added:
“I just… wanted a little attention from you.”

“Seeing you so worried made me really happy. Because it showed me you actually care about me.” He smiled at her as he spoke.

But to Ji Nuannuan, those words felt like a knife to the heart.

The word actually hit her hard.

Her eyes reddened again as she said:
“Fu Jinghan, I’ve always cared about you. From now on, I’ll care even more. So please… don’t hurt yourself just to test how true my feelings are.”

“Okay, I promise,” he said softly. “But Nuannuan, promise me something too—don’t ever hurt yourself for anyone again, okay?”

As he said this, his gaze lingered on her wrist, his tone turning bitter.

At that moment, Ji Nuannuan couldn’t help but think—

Why did I have to be reborn after this part of the story?

This kind of situation—seriously, trying to coax this man is way too hard!