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

When Ji Xingqing returned, the atmosphere in the ward had returned to its cold and unfamiliar state.

Ji Linzhou leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed, holding his phone in his hand, his gaze indifferently fixed on the screen, as if the person sitting in front of him was just a stranger.

Lin Qingmian lay quietly on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. There was an entire room's worth of air between them, and they were as unfamiliar as fellow patients who had just been assigned to the same ward.

Ji Xingqing pushed open the door and saw this scene, her heart skipped a beat.

She recalled the rumors circulating online a few days ago about Lin Qingmian harassing Ji Linzhou, and then she remembered the cold look on her uncle's face when he agreed to come to the hospital tonight. A sense of worry suddenly welled up in her heart.

What if my uncle holds Mianmian accountable for his past mistakes and makes things difficult for her when she's not around?

Thinking of this, she quickly walked up to Ji Linzhou, her face apologetic, her voice tinged with a hint of flattery: "Uncle, please don't hold it against Mianmian, it was all a misunderstanding before."

"Mianmian is my friend, and also your junior."

She blinked, trying to emphasize Lin Qingmian's "junior" status in front of Ji Linzhou, hoping he would go easy on her: "Please show some consideration for the younger generation, okay?"

Ji Linzhou raised his eyes, his gaze passing over Ji Xingqing and landing on Lin Qingmian on the hospital bed.

He smiled slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I will take good care of the younger generation."

He deliberately slowed down his speech for the last four words, enunciating them clearly.

Lin Qingmian's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly turned her face away, not daring to look at him.

Ji Xingqing didn't understand the deeper meaning behind those words. She thought her uncle was letting Lin Qingmian off the hook because of her, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she suddenly remembered something, turned around and glared at Ji Linzhou: "Oh right, Uncle, you guys teamed up to trick me!"

"I didn't smell of alcohol at all! I went to an ENT specialist, and the doctor said I had no problem!"

Ji Linzhou remained unfazed: "Oh, maybe I smelled it wrong."

Ji Xingqing stomped her foot in anger: "You..."

"It's getting late," Ji Linzhou interrupted her, his voice indifferent. "You should go back."

"I'm not going back!" Ji Xingqing stubbornly walked to the bedside and grabbed Lin Qingmian's hand that wasn't in a cast. "I'm going to stay and take care of Mianmian!"

"What are you doing here?" Ji Linzhou frowned. "Do you even know how to take care of people?"

"I……"

"Go back." The man's voice grew even colder, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Ji Xingqing shrank back at his glare, and her stubbornness vanished instantly.

She reluctantly released Lin Qingmian's hand and muttered softly, "Okay, okay, I'll leave..."

She walked to the door, then turned back to look at Lin Qingmian one last time, still worried: "Mianmian, I'll come see you first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Okay." Lin Qingmian smiled at her. "Be careful on the road."

Ji Xingqing then left the ward, turning back to look at herself every few steps.

After the door closed, only two people remained in the ward.

Ji Linzhou got up, walked to the bedside, bent down and tucked the blanket around Lin Qingmian. His movements were natural and practiced, as if he had done it countless times.

"Go to sleep." His voice was flat, revealing no emotion. "I'll stay with you."

Lin Qingmian lay in the quilt he had just made, and her heart began to race uncontrollably again.

He was very close to her, close enough that she could smell the crisp scent of cedar on him, mixed with a faint hint of tobacco.

The scent inexplicably made her feel at ease, yet also inexplicably made her want to get closer.

She closed her eyes, but all she could think about was his meaningful smile and the words, "Take good care of the younger generation."

Her heart was beating so fast that she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Then, as if possessed, she reached out her left hand, wrapped it around the man's waist, and buried her face in his waist.

Ji Linzhou's body visibly stiffened.

He looked down at the fluffy head in his arms, his voice tinged with surprise: "What's wrong?"

Lin Qingmian didn't speak, but simply buried her face even deeper.

She just wanted to hug him.

Just give me a hug.

But at that moment, the door to the ward was pushed open again.

"My bag! I forgot my bag!"

Ji Xingqing's voice came from the doorway, sounding hurried and anxious.

Then, her voice abruptly stopped.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the two people embracing in the hospital room. Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then from shock to anger.

"Lin Qingmian!"

Ji Xingqing rushed over in a flash, forcefully pulling Lin Qingmian's hand away from Ji Linzhou: "What are you doing!?"

Her voice trembled with anger: "I was just speaking well of you in front of my uncle! And you...you actually have such feelings for him?!"

"How could you do this to me!?"

Lin Qingmian's face turned pale instantly.

She opened her mouth, but found that she had no idea how to explain it.

"Uncle and Sister Tingwan just made up, you can't ruin their relationship!"

Ji Xingqing's voice carried a hint of disappointed disappointment: "Mianmian, wake up!"

Ji Linzhou frowned deeply. He stepped forward, blocking Lin Qingmian's path, and said in a low voice, "Actually, she is yours..."

"sorry."

Lin Qingmian interrupted him, her voice hoarse: "I wasn't thinking clearly for a moment, and I mistook him for someone else."

Ji Xingqing was stunned.

She stared at Lin Qingmian for a long time, her anger gradually turning into a complex expression, tinged with heartache.

She thought of Ji Xingye.

Thinking of Lin Qingmian and Ji Xingye's twenty-year relationship, and her words, "I will never forgive her in this lifetime."

It turns out that although she said she wouldn't forgive him, she still missed him in her heart.

That's why, when she was injured and weak, she treated her uncle as a substitute for Ji Xingye.

"you……"

Ji Xingqing sighed, her tone softening with a hint of helplessness and heartache: "Mianmian, you say you don't love Ji Xingye anymore, but you still can't let go of him, right?"

Lin Qingmian neither denied nor admitted it.

She simply lowered her head and remained silent.

Ji Xingqing sighed again, turned and walked to the door, calling out into the corridor, "Nurse! Could you please call a caregiver?"

Then she turned around, strode back to Ji Linzhou, and grabbed his wrist: "Uncle, come with me."

"You can't stay here today, to avoid further misunderstandings."

Ji Linzhou frowned even more deeply, his gaze falling on Lin Qingmian's lowered head, as if he wanted to say something.

But Lin Qingmian kept her head down and didn't look at him.

Finally, the man remained silent for a moment, then let Ji Xingqing lead him out of the ward.

The ward door closed again, and the sound of Ji Xingqing's hurried footsteps and Ji Linzhou's steady footsteps echoed in the corridor.

They gradually faded into the distance.

Lin Qingmian lay alone on the hospital bed, staring at the incandescent light on the ceiling, her eyes stinging from the glare.

She raised her left hand, covered her eyes, and took a deep breath.

In the corridor, Ji Xingqing pulled Ji Linzhou for a distance before letting go of his hand.

She took out her phone, found Ji Xingye's number, and dialed it.

When the call connected, Ji Xingqing's voice was urgent: "Ji Xingye, please come back soon."

"Mianmian...she's even hallucinating from missing you so much."