From this angle, Xiang Wan's eyes drifted to her grandmother lying on the hospital bed.
As if doing something incredibly rebellious, her heart pounded like thunder. She desperately turned her head, trying to evade his impertinence.
But Lu Mingzhe's strength was immense, pinning her head until it felt numb, completely unable to escape.
It was a nurse, who suddenly burst in, that jolted him back to reality.
The nurse, never expecting to witness such a steamy scene in the ward, was so embarrassed she nearly petrified.
With just one glance, she hastily turned and apologized to them before quickly leaving the room.
Xiang Wan finally seized the opportunity to push Lu Mingzhe away.
She didn't need a mirror to guess what she looked like.
Her lips felt numb and tingly, likely red and swollen.
He was truly shameless!
"I'm not a three-year-old child who can be easily fooled by a few words."
"If you truly like me as you say, and want to give Nian Nian a home, then go back and get a divorce now. Until you have that divorce certificate, I'll treat you as if you're three. I warn you, Lu Mingzhe, if you dare to be so forceful with me again, I won't be polite!"
Though her tone was fierce, her posture was one of coquettish defiance.
Her flushed face and mouth, looking shyly at him, only made Lu Mingzhe want to get closer.
"If I weren't worried about you taking care of everything alone, I'd really want to go back to Nancheng right now..."
As the two were playfully bickering in a somewhat intimate manner, Nian Nian, who had been napping, also woke up.
Propping herself up on her chubby arms, she poked out her small head, her large eyes looking towards them.
She mumbled, "Mama... Dada..."
Xiang Wan quickly moved past him to pick up her daughter.
Lu Mingzhe followed her, feigning innocence, and coaxed softly.
"I hate seeing you with him, which is why I acted rashly just now. I'm sorry."
"I promise I won't do that to you again until I get the divorce certificate. Don't be angry with me."
Xiang Wan recalled the scene, unable to articulate her feelings. She didn't speak, lowering her head to adjust Nian Nian's clothes.
Nian Nian gazed at Lu Mingzhe with her beautiful big eyes and smiled.
As she smiled, suddenly, *poof*, she farted again.
Xiang Wan covered her nose, disgusted, but Lu Mingzhe showed no disdain.
"Did she poop again? I'll change her diaper."
He had never changed a diaper before, but since he was Nian Nian's father, it was good to indulge him.
Xiang Wan laid Nian Nian down on the bed and directed Lu Mingzhe.
Soon, Nian Nian was refreshed and invigorated.
Lu Mingzhe happily played with his daughter, who he found more pleasing the more he looked at her. As he stepped outside, he noticed his grandmother had also woken up.
He quickly turned back and called for Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan rushed to her grandmother's bedside and gently called out to her. Her grandmother opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word, saliva dribbling down her chin.
Unexpectedly, her condition was so severe, and it was unlikely she would recover, Xiang Wan felt immensely guilty.
She wiped the saliva from her chin with her bare hands and asked if anything was uncomfortable. Her grandmother shook her head and her eyes drifted towards Lu Mingzhe again.
Lu Mingzhe quickly went over to her side, holding Nian Nian.
Grandmother tried her best to speak, but only gurgled, and the two couldn't understand her.
Xiang Wan advised her to rest her voice, "We'll take you for a check-up later. The doctor has a plan for you, and we'll treat it properly. You'll be better in a couple of days."
"Tell me whatever you need to say after you're better. Don't rush."
Grandmother shook her head again, appearing impatient, her murmurs becoming more urgent.
Xiang Wan had no choice but to lean her ear close to her mouth, straining to decipher her words.
After a long while, she finally grasped the general meaning.
She wanted to go home.
Xiang Wan understood what she was thinking.
Before Xiang Wan was born, Grandmother had spent over seventy years in their hometown.
Her husband and her son were there.
The people she cared about most in her life were there. Now that her health was failing, how could she allow herself to die in a foreign land?
Returning to one's roots was the wish of every elder, but Xiang Wan did not want to indulge her.
"What nonsense are you talking about? It's not a serious illness, it can be cured. It's not that bad yet, don't overthink things."
"Stop talking. I'm taking you for a check-up now. We'll go back once you're feeling better."
"We'll call Xiangyang too, and Nian Nian. Our whole family will go back!"
Grandmother looked at her, then at Lu Mingzhe, seeming to want to know their current situation.
Before Xiang Wan could answer, Lu Mingzhe chimed in, "Me too, I'll accompany you."
Grandmother seemed relieved, shaking her head and gesturing for Xiang Wan not to tell Xiangyang.
Xiang Wan understood; she was afraid of disrupting Xiangyang's studies.
"Don't worry, I haven't told him. We'll tell him after you recover and we return to Nancheng. It's not easy for him being there alone, I understand."
With Xiang Wan's encouragement, Grandmother finally agreed to the examination.
Lu Mingzhe, holding Nian Nian, waited outside and finally remembered to call Chen Jiaojiao.
Upon receiving his call, Chen Jiaojiao naturally knew what it was about, her voice sounding weary.
"We've broken up. We haven't contacted each other for two days. Don't worry, I won't pester him."
"..."
Lu Mingzhe was speechless for two seconds before asking Chen Jiaojiao if she had discussed the schooling with him.
Chen Jiaojiao, in a moment of agitation that day, to avoid delaying his future and to ensure a smooth breakup, had lied to Xiangyang, claiming she had a new boyfriend.
Schooling had been completely forgotten.
Now, she couldn't possibly go back to him.
"Didn't you say you would arrange someone? Why do I have to be responsible for his schooling?"
"He dropped out of school for you. If you don't take care of it, who will? Didn't you say anything?"
Chen Jiaojiao sighed, "This is it, don't pressure me anymore. The breakup was quite messy, I forgot to mention it. You tell him yourself."
Lu Mingzhe was speechless again for two seconds before hanging up.
He called his friends, asking them to contact Xiangyang proactively. His friends were amused.
"This is the first time I've seen such a big shot. We have to beg him to come to school. Who is he to you that you're so concerned?"
"My brother-in-law. He's at a rebellious age, please bear with him."
"So that's how it is. Alright, consider it handled."
Grandmother's underlying health was quite good. After a series of examinations, she could be treated according to the doctor's plan.
Various instruments were connected, and treatment began. Grandmother again started to feel drowsy.
As lunchtime approached, Lu Mingzhe had taken a nap, and the afternoon was spent with examinations and getting results. Neither he nor Xiang Wan had eaten lunch.
Now that Grandmother was asleep again, and looking at the time, it should be dinner. He asked Xiang Wan what she wanted to eat.
Xiang Wan said she wasn't hungry and didn't want to eat anything.
"Taking care of the elderly, taking care of the child, and working, and you don't eat properly all day. You think you're still young and your body is in great shape?"
Lu Mingzhe didn't know what authority he was using to lecture her.
"No, you have to eat. If your health collapses, what about this family?"
Xiang Wan knew he had a point. She glared at him but didn't argue.
Lu Mingzhe went to pull her out.