"You can't drink anymore. Mr. Huo's health is already very poor; his five senses and internal organs have become extremely weak. If he continues to smoke and drink..."
The doctor packed up his medical equipment and prescribed herbal medicine for his recovery.
Lin Te saw the doctor out and returned to the mansion, instructing the servants to brew the herbal medicine overnight. Just as he was about to turn inside, he saw a car stop at the entrance of the Huo residence and Li Caiyi step out. Li Caiyi was wearing a coat over her loungewear. As she got out of the car, she saw Lin Te and hurried forward, "Lin Te, wait!"
She took a few steps forward.
"I heard Tingyun drank a lot, and I'm worried about him. I want to come and take care of him. Please, I'm begging you."
Seeing Li Caiyi's sincerity, Lin Te couldn't refuse. "Sir is unconscious right now. You should rest."
Li Caiyi shook her head. "I'm fine, but I want to stay with Tingyun."
Even though all of this was a deception, Huo Tingyun's kindness towards her was real. Even if it wasn't meant for her from the start. Li Caiyi's heart softened, and she didn't want to see Huo Tingyun in trouble.
A servant brewed the hangover soup, and Li Caiyi slowly fed it to Huo Tingyun. The man was unconscious, and he only managed to drink two-tenths of the soup before vomiting the remaining eight-tenths. Su Qi only learned about Huo Tingyun's situation in the morning. She frowned and told the driver to turn the car around and head to the Huo residence. By the time they arrived, it was past nine o'clock. Su Qi got out of the car and walked directly into the Huo residence. She wanted to see if that scoundrel Huo Tingyun was dead.
Upon entering, she saw Huo Tingyun sitting in the dining room eating breakfast with a fever patch on his forehead. Li Caiyi sat beside Huo Tingyun, and even while eating breakfast, their hands were clasped together. What a loving scene. It was just as she had imagined. How could the great devil Huo Tingyun die so easily? It seemed she had worried for nothing.
"Sister Su Qi? You're here! Have you had breakfast? Come and join us!" Li Caiyi was pleasantly surprised to see Su Qi. She knew that Huo Tingyun wanted to see Su Qi. With Su Qi here, Huo Tingyun could spare himself some trouble and take better care of his body.
"I'm here to collect some of Aunt Qin's clothes to take to the temple. I've already eaten, thank you." Su Qi greeted them politely and courteously before heading upstairs. She was indeed here to pack some of Qin Xue's clothes to take with her. Temples usually involved hand-washing clothes. Although Qin Xue had brought many personal items last time, winter was getting colder, and she still needed some clothes.
Su Qi entered Qin Xue's room, opened the wardrobe, and packed some winter clothes. The suitcase was full. Since it only contained clothes, it wasn't particularly heavy, but because the suitcase was large, it still had some weight. Although Su Qi wasn't very strong, she wasn't weak either, and she wasn't that delicate. Carrying the suitcase was no problem for her.
The stairs in the Huo residence were very long. Su Qi was carrying the suitcase down the last step when, because the suitcase was too large, her foot slipped, and the suitcase rolled onto the floor. She almost fell, but thankfully she grabbed the handrail, managing to steady herself. However, her stomach was slightly bumped, and a faint pain quickly spread.
"Sister Su Qi! Are you alright?" Li Caiyi cried out and stepped forward to help Su Qi.
"I'm fine, thank you." Su Qi smiled and looked up, only to see the man standing a few steps away. He was just watching her motionlessly, his eyes full of indifference. Su Qi felt a slight sting in her heart, which was strange but didn't hurt. She knew Huo Tingyun didn't love her. She was accustomed to this feeling. The difference from before was that she no longer loved him, so she didn't feel heartbroken.
Li Caiyi helped Su Qi pick up the suitcase. "Sister Su Qi, be careful. The baby is already five months old; you can't bump or bruise yourself." Even if she didn't know if Li Caiyi's intentions were genuine or feigned, her words were pleasant to hear. Su Qi took the suitcase from Li Caiyi's hand. "Thank you. I hope you live a happy life too. I will attend your wedding. I hope you two have a long and happy life together."
Li Caiyi wanted to say thank you, but thinking of the man standing behind her, what came to her lips was, "Sister Su Qi, if you have time, please come back to the Huo residence more often. I'm very happy to see you." It wasn't that she was happy to see Su Qi, but rather that the man beside her would be happy to see Su Qi. Even if Huo Tingyun pretended to be cold, his eyes wouldn't lie. Su Qi glanced at the man behind Li Caiyi and chuckled. "My greatest strength in life is being able to let go and hold on, and to keep my word. I also don't like being disliked. If you like me, you can come find me to play, but there's no need for me to come here. Take care." With that, Su Qi grabbed the handle of the suitcase and walked towards the main door, disappearing from sight in an instant.
After Su Qi left, Li Caiyi blinked a couple of times before looking at the man in front of her. Huo Tingyun stood motionless, then walked over and took her hand. "Let's go." The man's body temperature was very high, and he still had a slight fever, but when he touched her, his hands were ice-cold. Li Caiyi couldn't feel any warmth.
"Wait, Tingyun, I want to ask you a question... Do you still love Sister Su Qi?" The man had his back to her. Li Caiyi was only one meter sixty tall. From this angle, she had to look up to see his broad shoulders and the back of his head. Such a tall, handsome, and outstanding man was about to become her husband. Two years ago, she was still a waitress in a restaurant owned by the Huo family, serving dishes. In the blink of an eye, she was about to become the young madam of the Huo family, living a life of luxury and silk, it was like a dream. The man in front of her was the one who gave her all of this. She was very happy to have met Huo Tingyun. Even if this happiness didn't belong to her. She had understood a principle since childhood: things that don't belong to her will eventually be lost. Therefore, she cherished their time together. If Huo Tingyun ever found out she wasn't that girl, at least she would have a period of happy memories.
"Let's go." The man seemed not to have heard her question. He just walked forward, neither denying nor admitting, remaining noncommittal. In this world, love or not love only had two answers: no, or yes. Not denying was tantamount to admitting. Li Caiyi's eyes felt warm, and she followed the man, taking his hand. "Tingyun, what am I to you? Am I Li Caiyi, or Little Rose? Am I the current me, or the little girl from the past?"
"Silly girl, you will always be my Little Rose." Although it was the answer she expected, Li Caiyi's heart ached. Huo Tingyun didn't love her, but that distant girl. If only that girl were her, but she wasn't.
"Tingyun..." Li Caiyi desperately wanted to tell Huo Tingyun the truth, but she opened her mouth and found that she couldn't say anything at all. She didn't even know how to start telling Huo Tingyun the truth.