Zhan Qingyue ignored her and said slowly but clearly, “Staying and eating at my home for so long, can’t you… do something?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

She hadn’t been freeloading!

Besides, how did Zhan Qingyue know she was staying at his home?!

Probably… it was something Old Mr. Zhan or Jingjing, the gossiping creature, had mentioned.

Ning Qiuxiu reassured herself to stay calm and not lose her composure.

“I’ll do it, Miss Jia.” Ning Qiuxiu walked over.

Even though Jia Qing had a thick face, she couldn’t insist on feeding him after he said so and could only hand the bowl to Ning Qiuxiu.

Ning Qiuxiu sat by the bedside, carefully blowing on a spoonful of soup to cool it before feeding it to Zhan Qingyue.

He drank it without hesitation.

After a few feedings, Ning Qiuxiu had become quite adept at it.

The soup was the perfect temperature, and not a drop was spilled.

Chen Yi took the initiative to step aside, and Jia Qing observed silently for a moment before speaking up. “I heard that the Ning family’s shares have dropped significantly recently. Is Miss Ning staying with the Zhan family related to this?”

Ning Qiuxiu, while blowing on the soup, paused just slightly.

According to the situation, the Ning family was indeed on the brink of bankruptcy, and various issues were coming to light, so a drop in their shares wasn’t surprising.

However, she didn’t know much about these matters, and her family only reported good news, not the problems.

She knew less than Jia Qing did.

Even if she knew more, she wouldn’t be able to help.

What she could do was give her father a talisman to protect his business and work hard to earn more money, so that if bankruptcy did happen, she wouldn’t be burdened with too much debt.

Prepare for the worst.

“Miss Jia, you’re overthinking. I don’t involve myself in family business matters. There are other reasons for staying with the Zhan family.”

“Is that so,” Jia Qing sighed, “I really envy you, Miss Ning, for being able to freely pursue your dreams. But, aren’t you an only child? Doesn’t Mr. Ning expect you to inherit the business?”

Another topic of conversation.

It seemed Jia Qing was really intent on showing off her strong, independent side.

“I’m naturally dull and not cut out for this,” Ning Qiuxiu said self-deprecatingly. “My dad doesn’t expect much from me; he’s hoping I’ll marry a business genius to take over his business.”

As she spoke, she offered a spoonful of soup to Zhan Qingyue, meeting his inquisitive gaze.

Ahem…

A business genius husband, and this person in front of her seems to fit the bill for both a business genius and a husband…

Thinking this, Ning Qiuxiu playfully winked at him.

“……” Zhan Qingyue looked down and drank the soup.

Jia Qing, not noticing their exchange, continued to project her strong-willed persona and said, “I think girls should have a sense of career ambition to stand shoulder to shoulder with better men.”

“Hmm? With my acting fee of 300,000 per episode, and the possibility of filming 50 episodes in three months, not including endorsements and commercial appearances, it’s only going to increase in the future. How excellent does a man need to be to match up to me?”

Jia Qing: “……”

It’s just about who makes more money; who can’t do that?

Don’t you know that being an actor is like having an income cheat code?!

“Isn’t that right, Mr. Zhan?”

Ning Qiuxiu deliberately asked Zhan Qingyue, looking up and meeting his smiling eyes.

！！！

This was the first time Ning Qiuxiu had seen him smile since he woke up.

Before, due to the difficulty in controlling facial muscles, Zhan Qingyue had always been expressionless.

Zhan Qingyue nodded and said, “The soup is cold; change it.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

Is this even a real conversation?

It seemed like Jia Qing was getting a bit too persistent.

Ning Qiuxiu thought about it but went to add more hot soup to the bowl anyway.

Jia Qing was embarrassed by Ning Qiuxiu’s comment.

Their company’s profit was just tens of millions over three months, which was considered good, but someone was making that much money individually.

She felt her pride was hurt.

“Miss Ning, you’re truly exceptional. You’ll definitely marry someone wealthy in the future,” Jia Qing put on a polite smile again and said, “I came here today mainly for one thing. My grandfather had a stroke in the past and got to know a very skilled rehabilitation therapist who is quite authoritative in the field. Since Mr. Zhan will need rehabilitation, I can recommend them. Once Mr. Zhan is in better shape, he can transfer to their rehabilitation center. What do you think?”

Zhan Qingyue slowly swallowed the soup and, with difficulty, said, “Food… silence.”

“……” Jia Qing paused for a moment and then gave a bitter smile. “I’ve waited for you for two years, hoping you would wake up. I didn’t expect you to still be so indifferent. Was I just delusional, thinking waiting could touch your heart?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Jia Qing seemed to be the type who would always get slapped in the face, no matter where she went, given her personality.

She was like a flag fluttering in the wind, overly extroverted and enthusiastic.

Ning Qiuxiu waited quietly for Zhan Qingyue’s reaction.

He seemed to be sticking to his principle of silence during meals.

After a long wait and seeing Ning Qiuxiu’s gossip-filled expression, he finally spoke: “Soup.”

“……” Jia Qing couldn’t take it anymore, covered her mouth, and left. It was unclear if she was crying.

Ning Qiuxiu sighed in relief.

Jia Qing was really no fun.

She had been so eager to be around Zhan Qingyue when he was unconscious, but now that he was awake, she still wanted to chase after him.

The problem was that Jia Qing wasn’t genuinely interested in Zhan Qingyue anymore.

She preferred high-status, successful men, but Zhan Qingyue currently had nothing.

His family business wasn’t his, and his company was managed by Zhan Qingyue’s brother, Zhan Qingyue was sick and would need a long time for rehabilitation.

Given Jia Qing’s practical nature, it was unlikely she would remain deeply affectionate towards someone in Zhan Qingyue’s current situation.

“Focus.” Ning Qiuxiu, lost in her thoughts, accidentally forgot to blow on the soup and brought it to Zhan Qingyue’s mouth.

He turned his head to avoid it and said：“Soup.”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Ning Qiuxiu quickly took the soup back to blow on it again, wondering why Zhan Qingyue’s act of turning his face away was oddly cute (???).

After feeding him the soup and some soft, cooked rice noodles, Zhan Qingyue was full.

Adhering to the principle of Mr. Zhan’s “food silence, sleep silence” policy, Ning Qiuxiu quietly finished feeding him.

Seeing that he was in good spirits today, she couldn’t help but ask, feigning ignorance: “Miss Jia is so capable and has waited for you so devotedly. Aren’t you at all moved?”

Zhan Qingyue looked up at her and asked, “You… very concerned?”

Coughing a bit, Ning Qiuxiu felt a little guilty. “I’m just… a bit curious. You see, I’m taking such good care of you, so it’s only natural for me to care about your feelings, right?”

With Zhan Qingyue able to speak, Ning Qiuxiu’s words finally flowed more smoothly.

The reason was likely because she wasn’t awkwardly trying to make conversation alone anymore.

“Care?” Zhan Qingyue focused on the key point, “Reason?”

Zhan Qingyue’s question was about why she was taking care of him.

Although he struggled to articulate, Ning Qiuxiu understood it was because she had married him.

However, she wasn’t ready to be honest about that yet.

It wasn’t the right time for such a revelation, especially when he was still struggling with his speech.

Even though she felt Zhan Qingyue might be picking up on something.

Ning Qiuxiu chatted idly, “Well, since you said it, I’ve been eating and drinking for free at your place, so it’s only natural that I should contribute something. But since I can’t carry things or do heavy lifting, I can only take care of you.”

Zhan Qingyue listened and only gave her a half-smile without refuting her logic.

It wasn’t clear if he couldn’t refute due to difficulty speaking or if he was simply observing her ramble.

Either way, Ning Qiuxiu felt a bit uneasy.

She thought this man seemed… a bit frightening!

Unlike his harmless and gentle demeanor when he was unconscious, he had once shouldered the entire Zhan family when he was young.

He was clearly not someone easily taken advantage of.

After a while, the doctor came to help Zhan Qingyue with his daily rehabilitation exercises—a monotonous and demanding task.

Ning Qiuqiu watched for a bit and then went outside to get some water.

She had been busy all day and was exhausted.

With Jia Qing and Lin Xitian already gone, and Old Master Zhan inside watching the rehabilitation, Ning Qiuxiu took advantage of the absence of others to stretch out in an ungraceful manner.

She let out a sigh of relief, but while stretching, she pulled her back slightly.

“Ouch.” Ning Qiuxiu held her back, feeling a bit targeted.

“Hey, Qiuxiu, what’s wrong? Is your back hurting? Are you on your period?” The person who came in was Lin Xitian, who had left earlier.

Seeing Ning Qiuxiu frowning and holding her back, she asked.

“No, I just pulled my back a bit, it’s fine,” Ning Qiuxiu said, sitting down.

She thought that if Madam Ning or Jingjing saw her, they might imagine some steamy scene between her and the newly awakened Zhan Qingyue. “I thought you had left.”

“I wasn’t leaving so soon. I haven’t had a chance to chat with my cousin yet. I just took Sister Qingqing downstairs. She was so upset. My cousin… Well, he just doesn’t like her, and there’s nothing to be done about it. Even if she waits for ten years, she won’t move my cousin.”

Oh, even Lin Xitian, who was usually a naive romantic, said it this way, which really showed how resolute Zhan Qingyue was in his disinterest towards Jia Qing.

Ning Qiuxiu became interested and asked, “Hey, Xitian, what kind of person is your cousin? Since I’m staying at their house, I think it’s important to know, just in case I accidentally offend him.”

Ning Qiuxiu had always wanted to understand Zhan Qingyue better, but when she asked Grandpa Zhan, he described his grandson from a grandfather’s perspective: “He’s capable, much steadier than Zhan Qingyuan, reliable in his work, and has a calm temperament.”

This wasn’t very helpful.

Jingjing, the caregiver hired after Zhan Qingyue’s coma, also didn’t know much.

The Zhan family’s butler and servants were trained not to comment on their employers.

When asked, they would only say the master was very good and kind.

“My cousin?” Lin Xitian said, “Don’t worry, he’s much easier to get along with than my arrogant second cousin. He’s quite serious.”

“Serious?”

“Yes, like seriously serious. But even though he can seem aloof sometimes, he’s not hard to get along with. The key is, he’s also quite scheming. Be careful, he might try to trick you. He’s tricked me several times before—sly and sneaky.”

At least he wasn’t excessively serious, so she wouldn’t have to deal with a troublemaker.

“Does he hold grudges?” Ning Qiuxiu asked.

“He does! Sometimes he’s really resentful and will quietly look for chances to get back at you!”

Ning Qiuxiu shivered a bit.