Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

When the door to the ward was pushed open, Lin Qingmian was leaning against the headboard, holding her phone in her left hand, aimlessly scrolling through the screen.

Hearing the noise, she looked up, her gaze passing over Ji Xingqing's shoulder and landing on the man standing behind her.

A black overcoat, a white shirt, no tie at the collar, the top button undone, revealing a small section of collarbone.

He stood at the door of the ward, backlit by the corridor lights, his expression hidden in the shadows.

Lin Qingmian's brows furrowed involuntarily: "Why are you here?"

"Ji Xingqing has been drinking." Ji Linzhou stepped into the ward, his voice indifferent. "I'm worried about driving her."

Ji Xingqing followed in and, upon hearing this, couldn't help but lower her head and sniff her sleeve again.

It still doesn't taste like alcohol.

She raised her arm to her nose, sniffing thoroughly to make sure there was no smell of alcohol, before looking up at Ji Linzhou: "Uncle, is there something wrong with me or with you?"

"Why do you keep saying I've been drinking? I don't smell of alcohol at all!"

As she spoke, she stretched her wrist out in front of Ji Linzhou: "Smell it, smell it!"

Ji Linzhou didn't even look at her, turning away to avoid her wrist: "Is your nose broken? You can't even smell such a strong smell of alcohol."

"My nose is fine!" Ji Xingqing stomped her foot indignantly.

"Go to the ENT department and make an appointment to have a doctor examine you." Ji Linzhou's voice brooked no argument: "Go now."

Ji Xingqing's eyes widened: "I'm not going! I have no problem with it!"

The man stopped looking at her and instead looked past Ji Xingqing and onto Lin Qingmian on the hospital bed.

His gaze lingered for a moment on her right arm, which was in a cast, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, before he spoke softly, "Lin Qingmian, can you smell the alcohol on her?"

Lin Qingmian met his gaze and was taken aback for a moment.

She understood what he meant.

He wanted to get Ji Xingqing away.

Coincidentally, she also had something she wanted to say to him.

So she nodded, her voice weak but earnest: "Xingqing, you do smell of alcohol."

"Go register and get checked out, it'll put your mind at ease."

Ji Xingqing was completely dumbfounded.

She looked at Ji Linzhou, then at Lin Qingmian, and then at her own clean sleeves, and fell into deep self-doubt.

Could it be... that there's something wrong with her sense of smell?

"Alright, alright." She sighed, turned and walked out. "I'll go register. Wait for me a bit."

With a "bang," the ward door slammed shut.

The sound of Ji Xingqing's footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor, soon disappearing in the direction of the elevator.

The ward fell silent.

Ji Linzhou turned around, pressed the lock on the ward door, and then walked to Lin Qingmian's bedside.

The man's gaze lingered heavily on her right arm, which was in a cast, his voice tinged with suppressed emotion: "Why didn't you contact me directly after something this serious happened?"

Lin Qingmian lowered her eyes and gripped her phone tightly: "You're very busy."

"That's not a reason."

Ji Linzhou's voice turned colder, carrying an unusual, almost impatient tone: "Lin Qingmian, I am your husband."

"I gave you that emergency dial number so you can use it if something happens."

Lin Qingmian raised her head and met his gaze.

Her eyes were slightly red, and her voice carried a hint of grievance and stubbornness: "I called you."

"It was Su Tingwan who answered."

She paused, then spoke even softer: "She said you were taking a shower."

Ji Linzhou's brows furrowed deeply.

He glanced down at his phone, opened the call log, and scrolled to the missed calls section.

empty.

There are no records of Lin Qingmian calling.

The man's eyes darkened, and his voice was low: "She deleted it."

Lin Qingmian was taken aback.

"I'm at the Ji family's old house tonight." Ji Linzhou turned off his phone and looked up at her. "I'll play chess with the old man, and Su Tingwan will watch Korean dramas with the old lady."

"I got my clothes wet in the middle, went to the bathroom to take care of it, and left my phone on the coffee table."

His voice was calm, yet carried a rare patience: "It took less than ten minutes in total."

"They didn't spend time alone together, and they didn't shower."

"And none of the things you imagine are true."

Lin Qingmian's fingers unconsciously clenched the bed sheet.

She recalled Su Tingwan's intimate tone on the phone, the ambiguous "He's taking a shower," and the clenched pain in her heart at that moment.

It turns out... she misunderstood.

"I see."

She lowered her head, her voice muffled: "I misunderstood you."

The night breeze blew in through the half-open window, causing the curtains to sway slightly.

The ward was quiet, with only the sound of the IV dripping medicine.

Looking at her pitiful appearance with her head down, Ji Linzhou's suppressed anger suddenly dissipated.

He walked to the bedside and looked down at her.

The woman's long hair was spread out on the pillow, her face was pale, her lips were almost bloodless, and her right arm was in a thick cast. She was curled up in the quilt like a wounded little animal.

He raised his hand and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Don't you want to show some sincerity in your apology?"

Lin Qingmian's heart suddenly started pounding wildly.

He was too close to her.

She was so close that she could smell his cool, refreshing scent and see her own reflection in his eyes.

Her face flushed uncontrollably, her ears burned, and she felt as if she were being roasted over a fire.

"I……"

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Then, she closed her eyes, leaned slightly forward, and gently kissed his lips.

It was very light and shallow, like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings.

But this one action caused Ji Linzhou's eyes to darken suddenly.

The man held the back of her head, and in the instant she tried to pull away, he deepened the kiss.

Lin Qingmian was caught off guard and was pulled into his arms.

His kiss carried a long-suppressed, almost uncontrollable heat, prying open her teeth and swallowing her breath.

She could only cling to his shoulders, tilting her head back to endure his advances.

The medicine was still dripping from the IV tube, and the moonlight from outside the window shone in, casting a silvery glow on the floor.

After a long while, the man finally released her.

Both of them were breathing heavily, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling.

Ji Linzhou gently stroked her jawline with his fingertips, his voice low and husky: "I'll let you off this time."

"If anything happens next time, just call me."

"You're not allowed to date anyone else."

Lin Qingmian's heart was still pounding, and her cheeks were burning hot.

She nodded slightly, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum: "I understand."

The man finally released her with satisfaction, straightened up, and pulled up a chair to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Lie down, I'll stay with you."

Lin Qingmian was taken aback: "Aren't you going back?"

"No rush." ​​Ji Linzhou leaned back in his chair, crossed his long legs, and closed his eyes. "Let's talk about it when Ji Xingqing comes back."

The ward fell silent again.

Lin Qingmian lay on the hospital bed, secretly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

The man had his eyes closed, his jawline was sharp and smooth, his nose was high and straight, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyelids.

His breathing gradually calmed down, as if he really intended to stay here with her for the night.

Her heart was still beating very fast, as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

She quickly closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any longer.