The moment the door closed, Su He slowly opened her eyes.
In reality, she had woken up when Lu Yanbei carried her back to the room. She had pretended to be asleep to avoid awkwardness. He had an engagement that night, and he carried a faint scent of alcohol, his chest also slightly warm, a comforting heat against her.
The way he held her was so gentle, as if he were cradling something fragile, giving Su He a fleeting illusion that Lu Yanbei felt differently about her.
Especially when he placed her on the bed but didn't leave immediately. He leaned over, gazing at her, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek, a warm tickle that made her think Lu Yanbei might kiss her.
She was so nervous that her palms were sweating, her heart pounding like a drum, almost breaking her pretense.
Fortunately, he didn't.
Su He clutched the corner of the quilt, sighing in relief. "Su He, Su He, what are you expecting... With all the beautiful women surrounding Young Master Yan, what kind of stunning beauties are there? Would he be interested in a plain girl like you?"
"He must have thought you slept terribly, an eyesore, and that's why he sent you back to your room!"
"Yes, that must be it!"
Su He tried to convince herself.
Just then, her stomach let out an untimely rumble. She glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table; it was already ten o'clock at night. She had only eaten some bread and milk in the morning before leaving, and hadn't had a drop of water since then. No wonder her stomach was hungry!
Su He forced herself to sit up, enduring the ache in her body, and decided to go to the kitchen to make herself a bowl of noodles.
Clattering out of the bedroom in her slippers, Su He noticed that the study light was still on. Through the gap in the door, she could clearly see the silhouette of the man engrossed in his work.
"It's so late and he's still working overtime... No wonder Lu Corporation could grow so large and strong..." Su He admired his dedication with deep respect.
Compared to him, Su He felt utterly lazy.
Su He collected her thoughts and turned into the kitchen.
While the water was boiling, Su He found a tea set from the cupboard, planning to brew a cup of tea for Boss Lu later. After all, she was here to repay a debt; doing nothing seemed uncalled for. If he became happy, perhaps he wouldn't make her repay the debt?
Su He thought to herself with a smug smile.
Ten minutes later, Su He knocked on the study door, holding a cup of fragrant green tea.
"Come in," Lu Yanbei replied coolly, leaning back in his chair.
"I brewed some tea to refresh you. Would you like a cup?" Su He approached with the cup.
As she stood beside him, she was startled by his pale complexion. "What's wrong with you?"
Lu Yanbei placed a hand on his abdomen, his voice several degrees lower than usual. "My stomach problem has flared up. Go to the living room and get the first-aid kit."
Su He was worried and quickly put down the cup, rushing out. It took her quite some time to return with the medicine box. "There are a lot of medicines in here. Which one should I take?"
Lu Yanbei pushed himself up and rummaged through the box, but couldn't find the familiar blue container. "It seems to be finished. It's okay, I'll just take two painkillers."
Su He, however, pushed his hand away. "You can't just take painkillers casually."
She moved the medicine box aside and decisively helped him up, heading for the door. "You look very unwell. I'll take you to the hospital."
The room was maintained at a constant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, yet Lu Yanbei's forehead was beaded with sweat, indicating how severe the pain was. Su He knew what stomach pain felt like and dared not be careless.
Lu Yanbei stared at the hand on his arm for a long moment before allowing her to help him towards the door.
While Lu Yanbei changed his shoes, Su He ran to the kitchen to turn off the stove and grabbed her phone and wallet. Half an hour later, they arrived at the emergency room of a nearby private hospital.
By the time they completed a series of examinations and started the IV drip, it was already past midnight.
Su He stood by the bedside, looking at Lu Yanbei with a needle in the back of his hand, unable to snap out of it for a long time. In her memory, Lu Yanbei had always been the epitome of dominance and power, so upright, so lofty, a figure admired by the world. She never imagined he had a vulnerable side. Just like now, he lay on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, his brow furrowed in pain, completely devoid of his usual coolness.
The room was quiet, and Su He dared not make the slightest sound, afraid of waking him.
However, having not eaten all day, her internal organs were crying out with hunger, involuntarily singing a song of emptiness.
Gurgle, gurgle, Su He covered her stomach in embarrassment.
"You haven't eaten yet?" Lu Yanbei suddenly spoke.
Su He mumbled an excuse, explaining, "I was just too tired. I slept right through until evening when I got back, and didn't have time to eat..."
"It so happens that I haven't eaten enough either. Go buy some food." Lu Yanbei instructed and then closed his eyes again.
Su He looked at the IV bag, estimating the time. "Then I'll be quick. If you need to change the drip, remember to press the call button."
She placed a button from the bedside table next to his pillow.
Lu Yanbei let out a weak "Mm" in response.
Su He dared not delay, and left the room with her phone.
Many shops were closed.
Su He walked a long distance before finding a breakfast stall in a small alley. She ordered a bowl of lean meat congee, a small basket of steamed buns, and two tea eggs.
When she returned to the room, the IV had already been changed.
The nurse saw her enter and couldn't help but scold her, "How do you take care of a patient? The drip finished and you didn't call us. The blood has even flowed back..."
Su He was panting, still catching her breath.
At this moment, Lu Yanbei suddenly opened his eyes and said to the nurse, "I thought that in a private hospital like yours, the service would be very thorough, with room checks every fifteen minutes."
This implied that it was the nurse's duty, and she shouldn't shift the responsibility to the family.
As expected, the moment he spoke, the nurse's face immediately flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, I..."
"Get out." Lu Yanbei didn't want to hear her explanation and impatiently dismissed her.
The nurse's eyes turned red with grievance.
As she passed Su He, she even shot her a venomous glare.
Su He looked innocent.
"What are you standing around for? Eat," Lu Yanbei said impatiently when he saw her still dazed.
Su He finally came to her senses. "Your stomach is uncomfortable. The doctor said you can only eat congee..."
Lu Yanbei extended his hand towards her. "Help me up."
Su He made two "oh" sounds, stepped forward to lend a hand, and also placed a pillow behind him to make him more comfortable.
Lu Yanbei enjoyed her care, and the furrow in his brow gradually smoothed out.
Since he had an IV drip, Lu Yanbei couldn't hold the bowl himself, so Su He decided to see it through and fed him spoonful by spoonful, blowing on it to cool it down.
"Ah," she coaxed patiently, as if treating a child.
Lu Yanbei opened his mouth, chewed slowly for a few moments, and swallowed. The warm food went down his esophagus, bringing comfort. His stomach instantly felt much better.
With Su He's meticulous service, the bowl of congee was soon finished.
By the time Lu Yanbei finished eating, Su He's steamed buns had already gone cold.
However, the environment of the private hospital was indeed very good, decorated like a hotel suite, with a 1.5-meter bed, a small kitchen, a television, a washing machine, and so on, very convenient.
Su He put the buns into the microwave and set it for two minutes.
As the timer counted down, Su He suddenly heard a rustling sound from behind her.
She turned to look, and Lu Yanbei was actually sitting up, about to get out of bed.
"You can just call me if you need anything. Why are you getting out of bed yourself?" Su He quickly went to stop him.
Lu Yanbei held it in for a moment, then said, "To go to the restroom."