Chapter 18: Do You Need Me to Stay with You?

Huo Beiqing paused multiple times as he listened to the noises coming from the bathroom while drying his hair.

By the time Xia Ruanruan finally emerged, he glanced at her.

Xia Ruanruan rubbed her stomach with a relaxed expression. “Finally, I feel better.”

“I’m going to take a shower now!”

After grabbing her clothes, she darted back into the bathroom. Only inside did she finally let loose, stomping her feet. “That was so embarrassing!”

When she finished her shower, she noticed a cup of water and a small note on the bedside table.

Xia Ruanruan didn’t think much of it.

But Huo Beiqing pointed at the table. “Drink it when it cools down.”

Xia Ruanruan: A midnight snack?

She moved closer. “What is it?”

“Medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“Why do I need medicine?”

Xia Ruanruan, holding her towel against her chest, looked wary, as if she were on guard against an assassination attempt.

Huo Beiqing leaned against the bed. “Judging by your condition, it looks like enteritis. Take the medicine early to avoid suffering later.”

Earlier, the noises from the bathroom had been quite dramatic.

Xia Ruanruan: “……”

Alright, for the sake of making it look real, she had put on quite the vocal performance in there… but…

Xia Ruanruan: “I… I think I’m fine now. Maybe… maybe I just ate too much at dinner.”

“Yeah, it was the soup. I drank too much of that soup.”

“Maybe it was too greasy, and my stomach couldn’t handle it, so that’s why. I really… don’t need medicine.”

She genuinely didn’t want to take it, and Huo Beiqing could tell.

So, he simply lay down. “Suit yourself.”

He had done his duty as a husband. Whether she took it or not wasn’t his concern anymore.

At least, that’s what he told himself. But even after Xia Ruanruan had been sleeping soundly for hours, Huo Beiqing still hadn’t fallen asleep.

He turned on his side and looked toward where she was lying.

She hadn’t moved a single bit since lying down. She seemed… completely fine.

Listening to her steady breathing deep into the night, Huo Beiqing finally let himself drift off to sleep.

If she hadn’t gotten up after three hours to rush to the bathroom, then maybe it really was just a temporary stomach issue.

The next day was her final hospital visit, so Xia Ruanruan got up early.

When she went downstairs, Huo Beiqing and Dean Huo were still having breakfast.

Huo Yuanyuan was there too.

The moment Huo Yuanyuan saw Xia Ruanruan, she immediately said, “I’m full. I’m leaving now.”

After speaking, no one paid her any attention.

Instead, her own mother turned to Xia Ruanruan with concern. “Ruanruan, do you still need to go to the hospital today?”

Xia Ruanruan glanced at Huo Beiqing, who was sitting at the table. Before she could answer, Huo Beiqing responded for her. “She still needs to go today.”

Hearing that, Lin Wei said, “Then you should take her along. No need for her to take the bus alone.”

While the family chatted, Huo Yuanyuan stomped her foot at the door, then shut it and left.

Xia Ruanruan waved her hands. “No need, no need. The bus stop is just at the corner, it’s really convenient.”

Dean Huo assumed she was just being polite, so he said, “Your mom is right. There’s enough time, and it saves you the trouble of catching the bus.”

Since even her father-in-law had spoken up, Xia Ruanruan could only nod. “Alright… I’ll hurry up and eat, then.”

She quickly stuffed a bun into her mouth, cheeks puffed out as she stirred her porridge.

Huo Beiqing had already put down his spoon. Sitting there, he leisurely observed his little wife eating.

Xia Ruanruan suddenly felt like the bun was a little hard to swallow.

Noticing her discomfort, Huo Beiqing nudged the bowl of porridge slightly closer to her.

Xia Ruanruan, cheeks still stuffed, struggled to say, “Thanks.”

Huo Beiqing just smiled without saying anything.

Dean Huo and Lin Wei exchanged a glance and smiled too.

Although their son’s marriage to Xia Ruanruan wasn’t exactly romantic, they still hoped the two could build a good life together.

After all, divorce wasn’t very common in this era.

Xia Ruanruan gulped down the porridge, wiped her mouth, and said, “I’m done. Let’s go!”

She obediently followed behind Huo Beiqing as they headed out.

When they reached the car, Xia Ruanruan instinctively went toward the back seat.

Meanwhile, Huo Beiqing opened the passenger door.

Xia Ruanruan had just raised her hand when she saw Huo Beiqing lift his chin at her.

She pointed at herself, then at the passenger seat.

Huo Beiqing nodded.

Dean Huo smiled and got into the back seat from the other side.

Lowering her head, Xia Ruanruan slid into the passenger seat.

Bang—Huo Beiqing closed the car door for her.

As he got into the driver’s seat, Xia Ruanruan reached for the seatbelt but quickly retracted her hand as if electrocuted.

She belatedly realized that the original owner of this body was a rural girl who had just moved to the city, someone who hadn’t even taken a bus before.

How could she possibly know how to fasten a seatbelt?

And just now, when she reached for the car door…

Thankfully, Huo Beiqing had chivalrously opened it for her. Otherwise, that would have been another suspicious slip-up!

Xia Ruanruan silently reflected on her mistakes.

Then, when she looked up again, Huo Beiqing’s strikingly handsome face was suddenly right in front of hers.

For a moment, Xia Ruanruan’s breath caught.

Huo Beiqing leaned toward her, pulling the seatbelt from her side and fastening it carefully before returning to his seat.

The whole process was silent—his expression indifferent and utterly unbothered.

But inside, Xia Ruanruan was in turmoil. If not for the seatbelt holding her down, she felt like her heart might have jumped out of her chest.

Damn, she just got unintentionally seduced by this man.

She had no idea where they passed through or how long the drive took—only that when she snapped out of it, Huo Beiqing was already calling her to get out of the car.

Huo Beiqing even thoughtfully unfastened her seatbelt.

Xia Ruanruan, who had finally calmed her heartbeat, felt it start pounding again.

Clutching her chest, she thought she might need a check-up—she seemed to have a heart condition.

Huo Beiqing, tall and long-legged, took a step and noticed his wife lagging far behind. His brows furrowed slightly.

When Xia Ruanruan realized he was waiting for her, she quickly jogged to catch up.

This time, Huo Beiqing slowed his pace.

Dean Huo had already taken the internal passage into the hospital. As the hospital director, he had many matters to attend to, so he left first.

Huo Beiqing led Xia Ruanruan to his office.

The bandage was removed, and after another round of disinfection, the wound was revealed—a faint pink mark.

Huo Beiqing handed her a tube of ointment. Xia Ruanruan looked at it expectantly. “Is this for scar removal?”

Huo Beiqing nodded. Xia Ruanruan’s smile grew wider.

Looking at her beaming face, Huo Beiqing asked, “You’re going to school tomorrow. Do you need me to accompany you?”

Without even lifting her head, Xia Ruanruan shook it vigorously. “No, no need! You’re so busy, and I’m a grown-up. I don’t need someone to take me to school.”

“No need. I can manage on my own.”

With that, Xia Ruanruan got up. “I’ll be going then. I won’t bother you anymore!”

Without looking back, she walked out.

The words on the tip of Huo Beiqing’s tongue were swallowed back down.

His wife really didn’t seem to expect him to fulfill any husbandly duties.

Just as this thought settled, a head popped back in at the office door.