Jingjing helped Ning Qiuzhi into Zhan Qingyue’s room.

Although Ning Qiuxui was inwardly cursing, she obediently lay down on Zhan Qingyue’s bed—after all, her own room was across the hall, and she could return there later.

Zhan Qingyuan was still trailing behind them, maintaining his loving brother image.

Despite his quarrel with Ji Weiliang, he didn’t go to comfort his girlfriend but instead followed them into Zhan Qingyue’s room, likely harboring a grudge against Ning Qiuxui for disrupting his plans and planning to settle scores.

Zhan Qingyue’s bed was large but not very soft, probably to avoid causing harm if he lay on it for too long.

Beds of long-term sick patients often carry a slight odor, but Zhan Qingyue’s bed didn’t.

The sheets had a faint fragrance of gardenias, which was quite soothing.

This was Ning Qiuxui’s first time lying on someone else’s bed since marrying into the Zhan family.

As soon as she lay down, she could feel the residual warmth from the person who had used the bed before her, transmitted through his thin pajamas.

At the same time, a shiver of electricity passed through her, making her whole body tremble with sensitivity.

The feeling was too subtle, and Ning Qiuxui was sure she didn’t have romantic feelings for him, but she couldn’t understand why she was experiencing this sensation.

Perhaps it was loneliness?

Isn’t it said that after being single for a long time, even a dog can seem charming? And Zhan Qingyue was undeniably handsome.

Ning Qiuxui comforted herself with this thought and quickly convinced herself, settling comfortably into the bed.

“She’s reeking of alcohol, and you’re putting her on my brother’s bed?” Zhan Qingyuan said as Jingjing covered Ning Qiuxui with a blanket.

“Reeking of alcohol?” Jingjing honestly leaned in to smell her and said, “There’s no smell of alcohol.”

“There is a bit,” Zhan Qingyuan criticized, “Is this how you usually take care of my brother?”

Jingjing protested, “This is unfair! My care for Mr. Zhan is beyond reproach, witnessed by heaven and earth, and I am a five-star rated, professional caregiver! If you’re not satisfied, I’ll immediately take Miss Ning back to her room.”

“…… Forget it,” Zhan Qingyuan was just being picky.

He took a deep breath, scanned the room, and his peripheral vision caught sight of a yellow talisman under the bed.

He bent down, picked it up, examined it, then waved it at Jingjing and frowned, “Why is there a talisman in my brother’s room?”

Although Ning Qiuxiu didn’t see what Zhan Qingyuan picked up, she had a very bad feeling about it.

“Huh?” she heard Jingjing say, “A talisman? How did it fall on the floor?”

“A talisman? What kind of superstitious nonsense is this?”

“Don’t say that. This is a safety talisman Miss Ning gave to the young master, hoping he would wake up soon. Miss Ning went to a lot of trouble to get it from the temple.

They say she knelt every three steps, bowed every five steps, and kowtowed every seven steps.

Even if it’s a bit superstitious, her sincerity is clear. It shows how much Miss Ning cares about the young master.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

When did she ever kneel every three steps, bow every five steps, and kowtow every seven steps for a talisman for Zhan Qingyue?

Jingjing, your imagination is wasted if you don’t become a scriptwriter.

Zhan Qingyuan didn’t believe in the three-step kneeling story, but it was undeniable that Ning Qiuxiu had brought the talisman for Zhan Qingyue.

If she was just putting on a show, she wouldn’t go to such lengths.

It could only mean that Ning Qiuqiu was genuinely committed.

Although Zhan Qingyuan didn’t like Ning Qiuxiu, he understood her a bit since their families were old friends.

He knew she was somewhat naive and sweet, not someone with deep scheming abilities.

So, did she really like his brother?

For the first time, Zhan Qingyuan, who never believed that Ning Qiuxiu genuinely liked his brother, felt a bit embarrassed.

…

Zhan Qingyuan and Jingjing didn’t stay long and soon turned off the lights and left.

The room fell silent.

Ning Qiuxiu stayed curled up in bed for a while.

Once she was sure everything was quiet outside, she got up, turned on the bedside lamp, and found the talisman Jingjing had folded and tucked under Zhan Qingyue’s pillow.

It wasn’t a safety talisman but a “Strength Talisman” that could temporarily grant immense strength, enough to take down five thugs barehanded.

Since Ning Qiuxiu currently had no magical abilities and her original body was delicate, she needed such talismans for protection.

After checking the talisman under Zhan Qingyue’s pillow and finding it intact, she sighed in relief.

The fallen talisman must have been an accident—perhaps she hadn’t tucked it properly, or it had slipped out without her noticing.

Luckily, Jingjing had cleverly covered for her.

Ning Qiuxiu mentally gave this drama-queen caretaker a thumbs up and decided to give her a raise.

Having money is so liberating!

After tidying up the talisman and adjusting Zhan Qingyue’s blanket, Ning Qiuxui looked at the person on the bed.

He remained still in the same position, the warm yellow light from the bedside lamp casting a soft glow over him, like a delicate filter making his already handsome face appear even more radiant.

Thinking about the strange electrical sensation she felt when she was close to him, Ning Qiuxui sighed and said, “Mr. Zhan, if you don’t wake up soon, I might really have to follow my mother’s advice and force myself on you.”

However, she had a new question: “Can a coma patient even… perform?”

Realizing she wanted to look it up on her phone, she searched for it but remembered her phone was in her bag.

And her bag—she had been pretending to be drunk and hanging it on her arm, which had slipped down.

Jingjing had taken it and asked Zhan Qingyuan to help carry it. It seemed… the butler had taken it and left it on the first floor.

The phone was one thing—it wouldn’t be a problem not using it for a night.

After all, she had survived seven years in the cultivation world without one. But her room key was in the bag!

Ning Qiuxui was worried that the housemaids might enter her room to clean or do something else.

She always locked her door when she left, otherwise, with all the talismans and the cultivation techniques she practiced, they might get discovered.

She planned to use these techniques to impress people or even sell them for some money in case of bankruptcy.

If discovered, it would be hard to explain to Old Master Zhan, so Ning Qiuxui had the habit of locking her door every time she went out.

She had no choice but to go downstairs to get it.

As she walked down the hallway, she noticed the lights were still on in the living room.

It was already past ten, and the old master would be asleep.

The servants had either gone home or returned to their rooms.

The only one likely still in the living room would be… Zhan Qingyuan.

After pretending to be drunk for so long, going downstairs now would only be offering her face to be slapped.

Zhan Qingyuan had just been embarrassed by her earlier, so he was probably very upset and waiting to catch her making a mistake.

In the novel, Ning Qiuxui often criticized Ji Weiliang as a scheming white lotus, but from the original female lead’s perspective, it didn’t seem that way.

Instead, she felt Ning Qiuxui was quite despicable.

Now, standing in Ning Qiuxui’s shoes, she did feel that Ji Weiliang was quite the white lotus.

Ning Qiuxiu knew that Ji Weiliang had such a strong reaction today because, upon learning the truth, she realized that her so-called talent was still reliant on wealth.

Previously, Ning Qiuxiu had used her money to oust Ji Weiliang from a talent show, leading to Ji Weiliang’s resentment towards the wealthy.

That was why Ji Weiliang exploded with anger so quickly today.

Ning Qiuxiu wasn’t as noble.

She hoped that Ji Weiliang would become disheartened and no longer want to play the female lead, giving Ning Qiuxiu a chance to take her place.

Moreover, in the novel, it was mentioned that Ji Weiliang initially got together with Zhan Qingyuan to get back at Ning Qiuxiu.

Now that Ning Qiuxiu had married Zhan Qingyue, the idea of revenge was baseless.

Yet, Ji Weiliang and Zhan Qingyuan hadn’t broken up.

Was Zhan Qingyuan too infatuated, or had Ji Weiliang developed real feelings for him?

Oh well, the male and female leads’ issues had nothing to do with her, a supporting character.

Wisely, Ning Qiuxiu chose not to go downstairs.

After all, she was just sleeping in Zhan Qingyue’s bed for one night.

Since they were already married, sharing a bed for one night wasn’t a crime.

So, Ning Qiuxiu returned to Zhan Qingyue’s room and locked the door.

She decided to take a bath first, but she didn’t have a change of clothes.

She had to look through Zhan Qingyue’s wardrobe.

Zhan Qingyue’s wardrobe was quite distinctive.

The most accessible section was filled with various soft pajamas and loose casual wear, likely added after he became a vegetative state for ease of sleep and for outings in the sun.

The second section contained his old clothes: neatly ironed shirts, both casual and business suits, filling an entire wardrobe.

The third section had his old casual clothes, a dazzling array of high-end brands.

The wealth of the rich! His wardrobe almost rivaled Ning Qiuxiu’s.

It was clear that Zhan Qingyue must have been quite vain…

Among the wardrobe filled with masculine clothing, Ning Qiuxiu modestly picked out a set of pajamas and went to the bathroom.

She couldn’t remove her makeup properly, so she washed her face twice with Zhan Qingyue’s facial cleanser.

Fortunately, her young skin could handle it.

After bathing and putting on Zhan Qingyue’s pajamas, Ning Qiuqiu discovered an unfortunate fact: the pants were too long.

The pajama pants’ legs were so long that she could tie them in a knot…

Ning Qiuxui had no choice but to roll up her pajama pants and step out in the oversized nightgown that was loose on her.

Suddenly, she thought, “This scene feels oddly familiar.”

Wearing a man’s clothes, lying on his bed, and the clothes being loose—wasn’t this the kind of scene often depicted in those risqué novels?

…Ahem.

“Luckily, I’m not in one of those novels.”

Ning Qiuxui was relieved, and as she lay back down on Zhan Qingyue’s bed, the electric sensation was gone.

Instead, she felt a sense of peacefulness, like time stood still.

“Good night,” Ning Qiuxui said softly as she turned off the bedside lamp.

She thought she might have trouble sleeping, but in reality, she had overestimated herself.

As soon as her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep like a log.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning.

Upon waking up, Ning Qiuxui’s mind was still a bit foggy, and she didn’t immediately realize she was in Zhan Qingyue’s bed.

The warmth of the covers felt particularly comforting, and she instinctively buried her head deeper into the blanket.

However, she found the bed to be a bit uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable?!

Suddenly, Ning Qiuxui’s mind cleared up, and she realized—at some point, she had ended up tangled up with Zhan Qingyue.

Her head was nestled into his neck, her body pressed against his thin frame, and she was being poked by his bones.

It would be strange if it wasn’t uncomfortable.

If someone walked in at that moment, they would definitely call her a pervert for not even sparing a coma patient.

“…”

Ning Qiuxui quickly sat up, frantically straightening Zhan Qingyue’s wrinkled clothes.

She touched her flushed face and was once again grateful that Zhan Qingyue was a coma patient—otherwise, she might not see the light of day today.

…

During the day, the Zhan family had another visitor.

“Grandpa,” the visitor exclaimed as soon as she saw Old Master Zhan, rushing over to hug him, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Little girl,” Old Master Zhan replied with a cheerful smile, affectionately patting his granddaughter’s back.

Old Master Zhan had a son and a daughter. His youngest daughter married into the prestigious Lin family.

The visitor was his granddaughter, Lin Xitian.

“I’m already 20! How am I still a little girl?” Lin Xitian pouted playfully.

“In Grandpa’s eyes, you’ll always be a little kid.”

As Ning Qiuxui came downstairs, she happened to witness this scene.

However, her attention was drawn to another young woman who had arrived with Lin Xitian.

This woman was dressed elegantly and behaved with refined manners.

Clearly, she was a high-society lady.

But what caught Ning Qiuxui’s attention was her identity—she was a minor supporting character in the novel, even more of a background figure than Ning Qiuxui herself.

The woman’s name was Jia Qing.

It was quite interesting; back when Zhan Qingyue was still the head of the Zhan family, Jia Qing was deeply infatuated with him.

Her pursuit of him was as fervent, if not more so, than the original protagonist’s infatuation with Zhan Qingyuan.

She had even confessed her feelings to Zhan Qingyue multiple times.

After Zhan Qingyue’s accident, Jia Qing remained steadfast in her feelings, expressing her willingness to wait for him to wake up.

However, after waiting for a year or two and seeing no sign of his recovery, she probably felt hopeless.

With her feelings unfulfilled, she shifted her affections to someone else.

And that new object of her affections? Naturally, it was the male lead, Zhan Qingyuan…

How intriguing.