The atmosphere was extremely awkward.

“You, you’re awake!” Ning Qiuxiu stared in shock for a moment before speaking in a somewhat dreamy voice.

She even secretly bit her tongue to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“Ouch!” It really hurt—this wasn’t a dream!

Zhan Qingyue had truly woken up!

His eyes were still a bit dull, and he moved his gaze toward her.

There was a cotton ball stuck in his nostril from Ning Qiuxiu’s clumsy mistake.

The water absorbed by the cotton ball had leaked out, trailing down his face and into his neck.

It looked like he was leaking some kind of liquid…

The “Sleeping Beauty” image was completely gone.

Ning Qiuxiu frantically removed the cotton ball from his nostril and wiped away the water with tissues. “Sorry, I was so shocked to see you wake up that I slipped and poked you. Did I hurt you?”

Zhan Qingyue just stared at her without speaking.

No, she should call the doctor now!

Ning Qiuxiu belatedly realized this and hurriedly pressed the nurse’s call button.

She also poured the remaining special water back into the thermos and closed it.

News of Zhan Qingyue waking up spread quickly, and soon everyone—Old Master Zhan, Zhan Qingyuan, Lin Xitian, and her own parents—arrived.

Even Mrs. Ning came to see her “son-in-law” fresh out of recovery.

“How is he? He’s really awake?” While everyone crowded around Zhan Qingyue, Wen Ling pulled Ning Qiuxiu aside and asked.

“I don’t know. He’s awake, but we’ll have to wait for the doctor’s examination results to know more.”

“Well, at least he’s awake,” Wen Ling said, folding her hands in thanks. “Thank God, my daughter’s luck is truly remarkable. This gamble paid off.”

Ning Qiuxiu found it both amusing and exasperating to see the others so happy as if they had just found an excellent son-in-law.

She wasn’t sure what Zhan Qingyue’s reaction would be if he discovered he had a new “wife” out of the blue.

She hoped it wouldn’t make him faint again from anger.

The doctor’s test results came out quickly, confirming that Zhan Qingyue had indeed awakened, not just showing signs of minor consciousness like some severe coma patients.

This news lifted everyone’s spirits, especially Old Master Zhan and Lin Xitian, who couldn’t hold back their tears of joy.

Since Zhan Qingyue had been declared a vegetable, they had lost hope for his recovery, just hoping he would live, even if it meant lying in bed for the rest of his life.

Alive was better than not being here.

Now that he had woken up, it was the biggest surprise for them.

It had been two years since Zhan Qingyue’s accident.

The journey from full hope to utter despair was filled with pain that only those who had experienced it could understand.

Seeing them cry, Ning Qiuxiu, the “great contributor,” wondered if she should shed a few crocodile tears to match the mood, since she was also quite excited.

However, despite her excitement, she just couldn’t bring herself to cry.

What she really hoped for now was that Zhan Qingyue wouldn’t hold a grudge.

Their first meeting had not been pleasant, and it was even quite awkward—Zhan Qingyue still had a red mark from where she had poked him with tweezers.

It was… really awkward.

Zhan Qingyue couldn’t speak yet and seemed still somewhat confused.

But when he saw his family, his eyes clearly softened, and there was even a glimmer of light in them.

He tried to lift his hand, but it was difficult due to his long period of immobility.

Old Master Zhan quickly took his hand and said, “Don’t move yet. Your body still needs time to recover.”

Zhan Qingyue was holding onto his hand and remained still as instructed.

The only part of him that was very active was his eyes.

He slowly scanned the room full of people surrounding his bed, and finally… his gaze settled on Ning Qiuxiu.

“…” Ning Qiuxiu felt a chill run down her spine from his intense stare.

It felt like there was some misunderstanding between them!

“That’s Ning’s daughter, Qiuxiu. You used to know her,” Old Master Zhan said, following Zhan Qingyue’s gaze and introducing her.

He didn’t directly mention that Ning Qiuxiu was Zhan Qingyue’s wife.

It wasn’t that he had anything against her, but he was concerned about startling Zhan Qingyue, who wasn’t in a state to handle too much stimulation.

Aside from the matter of good fortune, Old Master Zhan had a good impression of Ning Qiuxiu after spending time with her.

He hoped that Zhan Qingyue would also like her and they could happily spend their lives together.

Otherwise, if Zhan Qingyue didn’t like Ning Qiuxiu, it would be very cruel for her.

However, Mrs. Ning wasn’t so nuanced.

Hearing Old Master Zhan’s introduction, she thought they were going to deny knowing each other and was about to correct things for her daughter.

Before she could speak, Ning Qiuxiu quickly placed a “silencing charm” on her back, leaving her speechless in an instant.

“…” Mrs. Ning opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Ning Qiuzhu smiled harmlessly and waved at Zhan Qingyuan. “Hi, Brother Qingyue, long time no see.”

Zhan Qingyue: “…”

Zhan Qingyue turned his gaze away and looked at Zhan Qingyuan.

Zhan Qingyuan had just arrived from the company, dressed in a formal suit that concealed his remaining traces of a young master’s demeanor, looking very much like a professional elite.

Two years ago, when Zhan Qingyue had his accident, Zhan Qingyuan had just graduated from college.

Coming from a wealthy family with an excellent elder brother handling the family business, he had nothing to worry about and spent his time living extravagantly, becoming a notorious playboy.

He was completely different from who he was now.

“Brother.”

Zhan Qingyuan knelt by the bedside.

Unlike others who showed their emotions openly, he kept his feelings more reserved.

However, seeing Zhan Qingyue awake made him genuinely happy and emotional.

Zhan Qingyue’s eyes moved slightly.

While it was hard to tell his emotions just from his gaze, it was clear he felt some relief seeing how much Zhan Qingyuan had changed.

Zhan Qingyue’s condition was still weak; he fell back asleep after being awake for a short while.

The doctor said that Zhan Qingyue would need a long time to recover, so while everyone was relieved to see him awake, they had other things to attend to and decided to leave the hospital.

Except for Old Master Zhan, who insisted on staying to accompany his eldest grandson, the rest of them left.

Ning Qiuxiu would go to the crew tomorrow and stayed at the hospital today to accompany them.

She was sending Ning’s mother out, who was still upset about not speaking up for Ning Qiuxiu earlier.

“You should have just told Zhan Qingyue you’re his wife. With Old Master Zhan’s attitude, it seems like he might try to avoid responsibility,” Ning’s mother said, stamping her foot. “I tried to speak up for you, but somehow my voice went hoarse. I was so frustrated.”

“If your voice went hoarse, it might be because of heat,” Ning Qiuxiu said nonchalantly. “We’ll get the kitchen to make some herbal tea for you.”

Wen Ling added, “Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself. Back then, you should have just had him sleep with you. Now that he won’t admit it, you can’t do anything about it.”

“……” Ning Qiuxiu was annoyed by this recurring issue.

“Anyway, I won’t let this go,” Wen Ling continued. “If the Zhan family dares to act like they don’t recognize your marriage with Qingyue, I’ll knock Zhan Qingyue out and make him stay unconscious for another two years.”

Ning Qiuxiu was both amused and helpless at her mother’s words.

She laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Mom. You should trust your daughter’s looks and skills. I’ll make sure Zhan Qingyue behaves. If he doesn’t, I might take advantage of his condition and handle it myself. Is that okay?”

“That’s better,” Mrs. Ning said, satisfied. “I’ll head back now. Since he just woke up, you should stay with him every day, taking care of him without leaving his side. He’ll be deeply moved.”

“I know, Mom,” Ning Qiuxiu said, quickly opening the car door for her mother. “Hurry back before the rush hour hits. It’ll be a traffic jam.”

After finally sending Mrs. Ning away, Ning Qiuxiu shook her head.

Although Wen Ling had an unconventional way of thinking and didn’t always use her head, she was genuinely concerned for her and wanted her to have a good marriage and not be wronged.

That was enough.

Even though Zhan Qingyue was awake, he couldn’t escape the fate of receiving Ning Qiuxiu’s special water.

After Old Master Zhan went to rest and Jingjing was sent away, Ning Qiuxiu seized the opportunity to feed him again.

Although the special water was just plain water with a bit of ritual ash, Zhan Qingyue seemed to resist it.

He pursed his lips and didn’t want to be fed, though he remained unconscious, only showing physical resistance.

Ning Qiuxiu, undeterred, boldly pinched his chin to open his mouth and fed him a bellyful of the special water.

Ning Qiuxiu imagined that when Zhan Qingyuan could talk again, his first words might be a furious demand: “Stop feeding me that special water!”

Thinking about that scene, she couldn’t help but laugh, but quickly composed herself, pretending nothing happened—after all, if Zhan Qingyue was aware, she didn’t want him to think she was crazy.

The next day, Ning Qiuxiu continued filming.

The shooting location was in the suburbs, and driving from the hospital to the set took about an hour and a half on elevated roads with no traffic lights, so it was usually free of traffic jams.

Even though many actors lived in City A, the crew had arranged for them to stay at a hotel nearby.

Sometimes they had to film at night or were too tired from shooting to go home.

Ning Qiuxiu had a night shoot that day.

After finishing her work around 4 PM, she was free and wanted to rest at the hotel for a bit before preparing for the evening’s shoot, especially since she hadn’t slept well the night before.

Just as Fang Jinran finished his business, the two of them headed back to the hotel together.

When they reached the steps at the hotel entrance, Fang Jinran wasn’t watching where he was stepping and almost tripped.

Fortunately, Ning Qiuxiu quickly grabbed him, preventing him from falling.

Ning Qiuxiu steadied him and teased with a smile, “Saving the hero, Brother Ran, did you accidentally take the female lead’s script?”

“Ran Ran’s here!”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, Brother Ran!”

“Brother Ran, look here!”

Before Fang Jinran could respond, several girls rushed out from the side, holding cameras and phones, looking excited.

They surrounded them, startling the two of them.

They were paparazzi fans.

The assistant quickly moved in front of them to block the fans and prevent any overzealous behavior.