Chapter 31

The neighborhood was silent in the dead of night.

The streetlights had long since gone out, leaving the area between buildings cloaked in darkness, with only a few scattered rooms still lit.

Cheng Li leaned against his chest, half-asleep, hearing a rhythmic thumping sound.

It resonated powerfully, even through his chest cavity.

It was the sound of his heartbeat.

Rong Qi carried her all the way to the car. Ideally, he should have placed her in the backseat so she could lie down more comfortably.

But since he had to drive alone, he couldn’t help worrying.

In the end, he settled her in the front passenger seat and reclined the seat back as far as it would go.

When he walked around to the driver’s side and got in, he saw the figure curled up on the passenger seat, writhing in pain. Dressed in fuzzy pajamas, she looked like a soft, docile short-haired cat.

Rong Qi started the car and sped toward the hospital.

The car roared through the empty late-night streets of Shanghai, leaving only a trail of exhaust and the fading hum of the engine.

Before long, the car’s built-in phone rang.

It was his assistant, He Zhuoyuan, calling.

Rong Qi answered, and He Zhuoyuan’s voice echoed in the cabin: “President Rong, I’ve arranged everything with the hospital. The doctor is waiting in the emergency room. Are you alright?”

He Zhuoyuan had been startled awake by Rong Qi’s call in the middle of the night.

As Rong Qi’s personal assistant, he managed all the details of Rong Qi’s schedule and personal matters.

But Rong Qi wasn’t the type of boss who ignored boundaries or expected 24/7 availability.

Calls at this hour were exceedingly rare.

The last time this happened, it was due to Rong Qi’s grandmother falling ill while he was out of town.

This time, though, things were different.

A faint, delicate voice, tinged with sobs, suddenly cried out, “It hurts so much.”

Cheng Li was writhing on the passenger seat in pain.

If the space were large enough, she would probably have rolled around.

Her fluffy white slippers had fallen off her feet, and her bare toes pressed against the edge of the leather seat, their tension visible.

With one hand on the steering wheel, Rong Qi reached over with the other and held her hand. “Hang on, we’re almost at the hospital.”

On the other end of the line, He Zhuoyuan felt a shiver run down his spine at Rong Qi’s gentle tone.

He suddenly realized he might have stumbled upon something he wasn’t supposed to know.

“It hurts too much,” Cheng Li whimpered. She swore she wasn’t usually this fragile, but her abdomen felt like it had been twisted into knots, tied off cruelly with a bow.

Rong Qi comforted her in a low voice, “I know. It’ll stop hurting soon.”

Cheng Li, tears brimming in her eyes, snapped back, “How could you know? You’re not the one in pain!”

Rong Qi surrendered, “Alright, I don’t know.”

When someone’s sick, they’re always right.

Meanwhile, He Zhuoyuan was still on the call, uncertain whether to hang up quietly or speak up.

Suddenly, Rong Qi asked, “You’re still on the line?”

He wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose!

He Zhuoyuan stammered, “President Rong, do you need me to come over now?”

How tactful of him.

“No need. Go back to sleep,” Rong Qi said, then added, “Hang up. I’m busy here.”

He Zhuoyuan quickly agreed, “Understood, understood.”

As the call ended, He Zhuoyuan stared at his phone, the sound of Rong Qi’s gentle tone replaying in his mind.

Although Rong Qi wasn’t exactly a tyrant at work, it was still hard to imagine the same man coaxing a girl with such tenderness.

The emergency room wasn’t particularly busy at this late hour.

By the time Rong Qi’s car arrived, a nurse was already waiting with a wheelchair at the entrance.

This private hospital was known for its excellent service.

Rong Qi’s tech company, Qiyu Technology, collaborated with this hospital, providing its big data systems, and the annual staff health checkups were conducted here as well.

So when He Zhuoyuan called, the hospital staff took it seriously and sent someone to wait at the entrance.

As soon as the car stopped, Rong Qi stepped out and carried Cheng Li in his arms.

Leaning against his chest, Cheng Li seemed to restrain herself, perhaps because of the presence of others, suppressing her cries of pain.

The nurse pushed the wheelchair over, but Rong Qi shook his head. “I’ll carry her.”

The nurse hesitated. “It’ll be inconvenient during the tests, moving between floors.”

“She’s not heavy.”

Seeing this, the nurse could only nod and turn back toward the emergency room with the empty wheelchair.

Rong Qi followed behind, holding Cheng Li steadily, his steps light yet firm.

At the hospital, they had to go through a series of tests before getting any treatment.

After X-rays and bloodwork, the diagnosis was clear: food poisoning had caused acute gastroenteritis.

While a nurse set up an IV drip for Cheng Li, she stared at the bottle above her head, sniffling pitifully. “If you keep testing me, I’ll probably be cured by the time you’re done.”

The nurse chuckled at her comment.

Sitting beside her, Rong Qi asked, “Do you want to lean on me for a bit? Rest for a while.”

After being carried around by him all night, Cheng Li had grown used to the faint, woody scent on him. Instinctively, she nestled into his arms.

“Close your eyes and get some rest,” Rong Qi said, his voice soft and slightly lazy, yet deeply reassuring.

The nurse finished setting up the IV and reminded him to monitor the drip rate.

Rong Qi nodded, then gently brushed a stray lock of hair from Cheng Li’s face, tucking it behind her ear.

Back at the nurse’s station, the staff couldn’t help but gossip. “Did you see that VIP just now? Do you know how gentle he was?”

“What happened?”

“He brought his wife to the hospital in the middle of the night, and during all the tests, he carried her the entire time.”

“Must be pretty strong.”

The nurses, accustomed to seeing patients and their families, noted that many men struggled even to hold their own children for extended periods.

“And he was carrying her in a bridal style.”

“That’s some serious boyfriend material. Wait, is it him over there? Oh my god, how is he this handsome?”

“Mm-hmm, and his wife is incredibly pretty too. Even though she’s sick, her face is so small and fair.”

“I love seeing couples like this—talented man, beautiful woman.”

“Same here. Sometimes, when I see a beauty paired with someone who looks awful, it’s just frustrating.”

Although Cheng Li had no idea about the nurses’ discussion nearby, her abdominal pain still persisted. Compared to the earlier sharp pain, this was now the kind of dull, gnawing ache that settled deep into her bones.

The only comfort was lying in Rong Qi’s embrace.

His warm chest and the familiar scent surrounding her helped her slowly drift into sleep.

*

When Cheng Li woke up again, she was met with a wash of white, with faint mist hanging in the air.

The hazy, smoke-like white space surrounded her.

She blinked, wondering if eating seafood and getting food poisoning had somehow sent her straight to heaven.

Then she turned her head slightly and noticed someone sitting by the window.

Before him sat a laptop. His black shirt sleeves were casually rolled up to his wrists. The half-open window behind him let a few rays of light stream in, refracting through the misty room, giving the scene an ethereal filter. He looked so breathtakingly handsome, it felt like a scene straight out of a movie.

Indeed, good-looking people could simply sit there and make everything around them look cinematic.

“Ah-hem,” Cheng Li coughed twice, drawing his attention.

Rong Qi looked up, and their eyes met.

“Why are you coughing?” Rong Qi frowned, studying her carefully. He immediately said, “I’ll call the doctor to check on you.”

“No,” Cheng Li quickly stopped him.

Rong Qi glanced down at her, his tone firm. “Don’t make a fuss.”

“It’s not that I mind the trouble,” Cheng Li explained, then surveyed the room, pointing something out. “Don’t you think this room is a bit too misty?”

Her gaze fell on the humidifier in the corner.

Why on earth was someone running a humidifier at full blast in this season in Shanghai?

“I’ll turn it off,” Rong Qi said, walking over and shutting it off with a click.

He frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, “Why does this thing make so much fog? Isn’t it supposed to purify the air?”

Cheng Li fell silent for a moment.

After two seconds, she responded, “Maybe what you’re thinking of is called an air purifier?”

Rong Qi turned to look at her.

For the first time, Cheng Li saw a hint of innocent confusion, like that of a startled fawn, in his usually deep and enigmatic black eyes.

This time, she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Once she’d laughed enough, Rong Qi looked at her and asked, “Are you hungry?”

To be honest, she was.

Cheng Li rubbed her stomach and nodded. “I’m starving. I want soup dumplings, the kind filled with broth.”

Just the thought of it made her mouth water.

In ancient times, they spoke of quenching thirst by thinking of plums. Now, Cheng Li was quelling her hunger by fantasizing about dumplings.

“There aren’t any. The doctor said you can only have porridge for the next couple of days,” Rong Qi replied, standing at the foot of the bed. His tone carried a hint of amusement as he slowly added, “Plain porridge.”

Not long after, Cheng Li stared at the delicate porcelain bowl placed on the small tray over her hospital bed.

Inside was a bowl of plain, white, and almost translucent porridge.

This was! Definitely! Revenge!

He was absolutely retaliating for her laughing at him earlier.

Rong Qi handed her a spoon. Cheng Li looked up at him, confused, and asked, “Are you really Rong Qi?”

He raised an eyebrow slightly at her question.

“Then last night, that wasn’t Rong Qi,” Cheng Li muttered as she took the spoon and scooped up a big mouthful, stuffing it into her mouth. “Last night, he was so gentle.”

Although she had been dazed from the pain last night, she hadn’t forgotten.

Rong Qi had rushed to her side in the middle of the night, carried her to the hospital, held her through every examination, and even let her lie in his arms while she received an IV.

The person standing before her now was a completely different man.

At this moment, Cheng Li finally identified Rong Qi’s “trait.”

Stubborn! Tsundere!

Suddenly, Cheng Li looked down at her plain porridge. She stirred it with her spoon and slowly said, “Do you remember high school biology, the classification of plants?”

Rong Qi cast her a casual glance, sensing she was up to something.

Cheng Li smiled slyly at him. “Take this porridge I’m eating now. It comes from rice, which belongs to the class Monocotyledoneae, the family Poaceae, and the genus Oryza.”

Rong Qi remained silent.

“So, do you know what your classification is?” Cheng Li took a sip of porridge and looked up at him.

Finally, Rong Qi spoke, his tone low and indifferent. “What is it?”

Cheng Li’s triumphant grin spread across her face. “You belong to the class Tsundere, the family Stubbornmouth.”

Rong Qi’s gaze landed on her, calm and unruffled, without the slightest sign of irritation.

Her cheerful laughter suddenly felt a little less satisfying.

Then Rong Qi spoke again, unexpectedly. “And what about you?”

Cheng Li paused, momentarily puzzled.

Her?

She thought of herself as a normal human being, unlike someone whose mouth was as hard as his heart was soft.

Rong Qi glanced at her lazily, his tone tinged with amusement. “You belong to the class Heartless, the family Carefree.”

“I’m not,” Cheng Li said.

Rong Qi chuckled lightly but didn’t voice the thought: How is that not the case?

“I’m someone who knows how to repay kindness,” Cheng Li said, sitting on the bed. She tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes gleaming as she smiled at him. “Thank you for coming last night without hesitation, even so late.”

She was sitting on the bed, her long hair loosely tied at the back, revealing a flawless, clean face.

At that moment, her face was tilted up slightly, her full attention on him.

He could even see the light in her eyes, vibrant and sparkling. With just a subtle blink, it illuminated a part of his heart, like spring sunlight making grass grow and birds sing.

“Is it this room?”

A knock came from the door.

Rong Qi snapped back to reality, immediately turning to walk to the door.

Cheng Li watched him hasten to open the door, somewhat amazed. So even a man like Rong Qi had to put in effort to please his mother-in-law.

From the voice just now, she instantly recognized it was Teacher Ling.

When Ling Shuanghua and Cheng Dingbo entered, they both glanced around the room. One couldn’t deny it—a single-person private hospital room really was different. Not only was it fully equipped, but it was also warmly decorated.

“There are even flowers. The hospital is quite thoughtful,” Ling Shuanghua remarked, glancing at the flowers on the table.

Cheng Li, sitting on the bed, said helplessly, “Shouldn’t you ask about my condition first? It wouldn’t be too late to care about the flowers after that.”

“Rong Qi already told us about your situation,” Ling Shuanghua said, casting a glance at her. “You just ate something bad, didn’t you?”

Cheng Li: “…”

She was now certain. This was indeed her biological mother.

Cheng Dingbo, after arranging the fruits they’d brought, sat by the bed and looked her over, his expression full of concern. “Food poisoning can be serious or minor, don’t dismiss it so casually.”

Hearing this, Cheng Li pouted and whined, “Exactly.”

“A twenty-eight-year-old woman, still whining,” Ling Shuanghua glanced at her disapprovingly.

Suddenly, Cheng Li remembered something—work!

“Oh no! I haven’t taken leave yet!”

She had slept until nearly noon and hadn’t gone to the office all morning, nor had she called in to request leave.

“I already took care of that this morning,” Rong Qi suddenly said.

Cheng Li fell silent.

After a long pause, she asked cautiously, “How did you take care of it?”

Rong Qi replied calmly, “Remember the summit forum? I exchanged business cards with your company’s Mr. Ren back then.”

Cheng Li felt a headache creeping in, but she forced herself to ask, “Under what pretense did you request leave for me?”

Just imagining the scene was enough to make her want to scream.

Ren Kuang must have been utterly baffled.

Receiving a call from Rong Qi early in the morning, he likely thought it was something important.

Only to find out it was a leave request on her behalf.

“Keeping the hidden marriage under wraps again?” Ling Shuanghua suddenly added nonchalantly from the side, fanning the flames.

Cheng Li took a deep breath. “Mom.”

Ling Shuanghua: “Why are you looking at me like that? Getting married and keeping it so secretive, like some underground resistance movement. Honestly, if I’d known about your acting skills earlier, I should’ve signed you up for the Shanghai Theatre Academy.”

Cheng Li: “…”

For the first time, Cheng Li realized how sharp her mother’s sarcastic remarks could be.

Turning her head to Rong Qi, she saw the corners of his mouth lift in amusement.

“You’re laughing at me too,” Cheng Li muttered, feeling like they were teaming up against her.

Ling Shuanghua glanced at Rong Qi and asked, “Have you had lunch?”

“Not yet. What about you two?” Rong Qi replied politely.

“We ate at home already. You should go eat; she just has food poisoning, not paralysis. She doesn’t need someone by her side every second,” Ling Shuanghua said bluntly.

Cheng Li: “…”

After Rong Qi left, Cheng Li said, “Mom, can’t you let me save some face?”

“I’m saying this for your own good,” Ling Shuanghua replied, glancing at her.

For her own good?

Ling Shuanghua explained, “You’re pretty, no doubt about that. But in a marriage, looks only go so far. Maybe Rong Qi still sees you through rose-colored glasses, but I want to help him break that illusion early, so neither of you harbors false expectations.”

Cheng Li protested, “Am I really that bad?”

“Picky eater, hard to please. You may seem gentle, but deep down, you’re as stubborn as your dad. Once you’ve made up your mind about something, not even eight horses could pull you back.”

Cheng Dingbo interjected at the perfect moment, “That’s how it was when I decided on your mom. No one could change my mind.”

Cheng Li was dumbfounded. Was now the time to feed her dog food?

“So, have you made up your mind about him?” Ling Shuanghua asked, looking at her intently. “What if one day you realize this marriage isn’t what you want, or you meet someone better—someone you truly, wholeheartedly love? What will you do then?”

Meanwhile, Rong Qi, who had walked halfway to the cafeteria, realized he’d forgotten his phone and returned to the room. Just as he reached the door, he overheard the conversation inside.

The hospital doors were thin and not soundproof.

His hand, raised to knock, paused mid-air and then slowly lowered.

Rong Qi stood at the door, his head slightly bowed.

His hand hung by his side, gradually curling into a fist.

It was as if he was waiting for a verdict.

Because inside, Cheng Li, after hearing the question, had remained silent.

Her silence was like a blade poised to cut into his heart at any moment.

“I think… I won’t face any of those scenarios,” Cheng Li’s voice finally came through, soft but steady.

“Because I’ll do my best to make our marriage into what both he and I want.”