Chapter 22

Two days later, Chi Zhihan realized that the problem she was facing might not be solved just by staring at the back of Qi Cheng’s head. She might, in fact, be doomed to fail now that they had met in person.

The Qi Cheng she met in person had nothing to do with words like “soft,” “cute,” “gentle,” or “warm.” Instead, he was cold. The part of him that had once moved her sympathy—his eagerness to seek help—had disappeared.

He still cooperated with Chi Zhihan.

When she said the curtains should be opened during the day, he nodded. When she said he shouldn’t move his hand while on an IV, he nodded. When she said fasting and water restriction would make him weak and he should sleep more, he also nodded.

His quiet compliance made Chi Zhihan feel like he was silently withering away.

Sometimes she felt that Qi Cheng was also, in his own way, letting their relationship die now that they had met…

“Do you want to read a book?” After two days of heaviness, Chi Zhihan tirelessly tried to start another conversation.

Qi Cheng looked up, then glanced down at the book he was already holding.

…

This was their problem now. She often asked these inexplicable, thoughtless questions, and he, every time, cooperated.

Including this time. He put down the book he was holding and nodded at her.

Chi Zhihan bit her lower lip, wanting to just pick up the book he had set down and put it back in his hands. She would rather see him frown from the burning sensation of physical contact than see him now, expressionless and unreadable.

“Qi Cheng…” She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

There was a rift between them, and both of them knew it. After meeting in person, they couldn’t connect the way they had before. Chi Zhihan often had no idea what Qi Cheng was thinking.

She knew her problem: Qi Cheng’s appearance made her feel deceived.

It was a subtle emotion. Before, Qi Cheng had just been a shadow. She had guessed he might be mute, imagined he was older, and eventually thought he must be a frail young man.

Not this—a man with an almost alluring appearance, composed in his movements, behaving like a perfectly normal person, the second son of the Qi family.

It gave her the subtle feeling that the person she wanted to help didn’t actually need her help at all.

So she was being stubborn, and this stubbornness became more pronounced because of Qi Cheng’s silent protest.

Especially now, as he patiently looked at her with those dark, beautiful eyes—more captivating than any woman’s—she felt an inexplicable frustration.

“Read this one first!” Without even looking, she tossed the book next to her to Qi Cheng, then pulled out her phone to check several unread WeChat messages.

They were all from Xi Qing, and all voice messages.

Frowning, she called back immediately, instinctively wanting to stand up and move away from Qi Cheng. But then she remembered the initial cause of Qi Cheng’s illness and, after a moment’s silence, decided to stay put.

“Why did you go back to the Qi family again?” Xi Qing’s voice was loud, hitting her the moment the call connected.

Chi Zhihan sniffled, glancing at Qi Cheng, who was diligently flipping through the book she had given him, his expression and movements showing no signs of discomfort.

“Mm,” she responded softly.

“Is it not a good time to talk?” After all, they were long-time friends. Xi Qing immediately lowered her voice.

“No, go ahead,” Chi Zhihan replied, relieved, and looked back at Qi Cheng. He was still reading the book.

…What had she even given him? Why did it seem like he was reading it so quickly?

“Nothing much, just worried that the Qi family is forcing you to save someone again,” Xi Qing paused, “But Lin Jingwu said you went voluntarily. Why?”

“The pay is good?” Chi Zhihan laughed, finally noticing the title of the book she had handed to Qi Cheng. The corner of her mouth twitched.

«The Domineering Prince and the Clever Maid»…

It was something she had planned to read during her night shift when she was bored…

Good grief, why was he reading it so seriously?

“You really can’t talk right now, can you?” Xi Qing snorted. “I’ll hang up. Call me when it’s convenient.”

“Okay,” Chi Zhihan replied, her mind already drifting away from the call.

“You’re not really pulling a ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ are you?” Xi Qing couldn’t help but ask before hanging up. “I told you, that was just a joke. That’s a fairy tale. In the real world, different species can’t be together.”

…

“If we’re going by looks, I’m more like the beast,” Chi Zhihan blurted out, her mind preoccupied with trying to remember how much explicit content was in that book. Then she fell silent.

Qi Cheng finally stopped reading «The Clever Maid». He looked up, expressionless, and glanced at her.

Chi Zhihan hung up the phone, calmly put it away, took two steps forward, and bent down to take the book from Qi Cheng’s hands.

Qi Cheng broke out in a cold sweat as she approached, crystal clear beads of moisture glistening on his forehead.

Chi Zhihan’s hand hesitated, both because of the sweat and because he was gripping the book tightly.

“…This is my book,” Chi Zhihan straightened up, retreating to a safe distance, and stared reluctantly at the book he was clutching.

Qi Cheng, despite his cold sweat, calmly looked down, flipped back to the page he had been reading, and continued without a word.

…

Was this his way of protesting?

It must be…

In the past two days, the most human-like thing Qi Cheng had done was steal her racy novel.

Would this help with his treatment?

As someone who knew nothing about psychological therapy, paired with a patient who was practically an expert in it, the only instruction the doctor had given her was to be sincere and try to be herself.

If she were to sincerely be herself…

“If you like this kind of book, there are a few more over there. If that’s not enough, I have some website links…” She was being sincere enough. After saying it, she felt a sense of joy, like sharing a stash with a roommate.

…

Qi Cheng finally stopped flipping through the book, set it down, and looked at her again.

This look was similar to the one he gave her when she said she looked more like the beast. Chi Zhihan sensed something akin to speechlessness in his eyes.

She couldn’t help but feel judged.

But at least it lightened the mood a little. This kind of interaction was better than nothing.

However, after that glance, Qi Cheng picked up the book he had been reading earlier—a hefty tome in some foreign language, filled with diagrams of character analyses that she couldn’t understand.

Chi Zhihan had sneaked a peek at it once while Qi Cheng was asleep and quickly given up.

“What are you reading?” Not wanting the atmosphere to revert to its previous lifeless state, Chi Zhihan tried to keep the conversation going.

“Manga,” Qi Cheng replied without looking up.

Honestly, when he didn’t look up, his voice alone was incredibly alluring. After two days of fasting and water restriction, his voice had a particularly sexy hoarseness to it.

But the moment he looked up, Chi Zhihan’s enthusiasm waned. He was too good-looking, which somehow made him less intriguing.

“Manga?” She swallowed hard, determined to keep the conversation alive.

“It’s a book explaining manga character proportions and movement analysis.” Qi Cheng elaborated.

All Chi Zhihan could manage was an “Oh,” feeling awkward.

“Do you like manga?” She changed the subject.

“Mm,” Qi Cheng replied softly.

Chi Zhihan, who knew nothing about manga, could only scratch her head and finally gave up on continuing the conversation. She glanced at «The Domineering Prince», which Qi Cheng had set aside, took two steps forward, and reached out to grab it.

Then she met Qi Cheng’s eyes.

His eyes were pitch black, the corners slightly elongated and upturned. For a patient, they were unusually bright.

He looked at her steadily, some emotion flickering in his eyes. When he spoke, his tone finally carried a hint of resignation: “The IV is empty.”

“Huh?” Chi Zhihan didn’t understand immediately.

She didn’t get why, before they met, she had been the proactive one, but after meeting him, she had started to feel stupid while he seemed to grow stronger.

Was he using his looks to overwhelm her?

How shameless.

“The IV,” Qi Cheng shook his arm.

“Oh!” Chi Zhihan’s face turned red, and she quickly retreated, pressing the call button by the bed.

The nurse arrived quickly. During Qi Cheng’s fasting period, the place where Chi Zhihan had previously worked as a private chef had been converted into a temporary nurse’s station, staffed 24/7.

She also finally found out what was behind the locked door on the third floor across the hall. All the equipment used for Qi Cheng’s examination that night was stored there.

A small, fully equipped clinic, capable of handling minor surgeries.

“It’s to deal with Qi Cheng’s suicide attempts,” Dr. Zhao had explained when he saw Chi Zhihan’s amazed expression.

This statement had weighed heavily on her, making her anxious every time she saw the nurses rush in.

At night, she preferred to sleep on the couch in Qi Cheng’s living room rather than squeeze in with the nurses.

It always reminded her of the time she spent watching over her father in the hospital.

“Good thing you’re not actually staying in a hospital,” Chi Zhihan said with relief after the nurse changed the IV bag.

“Are you afraid of hospitals?” Qi Cheng was more sensitive to the nurses than to Chi Zhihan. Every time they came, he would turn away, and by the time he turned back, he’d be drenched in sweat.

“Mm,” Chi Zhihan handed him a towel, familiar with the routine.

“Me too,” Qi Cheng said softly as he wiped his sweat, then cautiously glanced at Chi Zhihan, almost as if seeking approval.

…

That look made Chi Zhihan’s heart twist even more, and she suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation.

“You should sleep,” she made up an excuse, took the book from the bed, and sat back down in her spot.

Qi Cheng remained in the same position.

Used to his quiet compliance, Chi Zhihan looked up, puzzled.

“Did my appearance scare you?” Qi Cheng seemed to muster a lot of courage to ask this question. His ears were slightly red, and he didn’t look at Chi Zhihan as he spoke.

…

Strictly speaking, yes, that was true.

Chi Zhihan silently admitted it.

Qi Cheng lay back down, but this time, unlike the past two days, he silently pulled the blanket over his entire body.

…

The “scare” he was talking about and the “scare” she meant seemed to be two different things.

Chi Zhihan finally realized what was happening and looked at the man who was trying to hide his face again in disbelief. “I was scared because you really don’t look like a patient.”

Was he talking about being literally scary?

Did he think his looks were frightening?!

This was just… infuriating!