After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

Lin Qingqing cried so hard she could barely breathe, burying her face in Gu Qiangying's arms, her tears and snot smearing all over his chest.

Her crying was weak; her shoulders trembled slightly, like a frightened little animal, and even her fingertips were cold.

Gu Qiangying didn't dodge or complain about the dirt. She simply held the person firmly in her hand and gently stroked the back of her head with her palm. The movement was very light, with an almost stubborn patience.

"Just cry it out," he whispered. "Don't hold it in."

Lin Qingqing raised her face, her eyelashes wet with tears, clumped together, and the tip of her nose was terribly red.

"Am I particularly useless?" Her voice was hoarse, and her words trembled. "My legs go weak as soon as I see that wound... my hands shake, and my mind goes blank."

Gu Qiangying raised her hand to wipe her face, her fingertips wiping from the corner of her eye to her cheek. The movements were not fancy, but very steady.

"It's no wonder my legs went weak when I saw this kind of injury for the first time."

He looked at her, his tone calm but not at all perfunctory, "You didn't run away or cause any trouble today. You got whatever I asked you to get. That's not being useless; that's holding on."

Lin Qingqing's tears were still falling, as if she couldn't stop them. Gu Qiangying lowered his head, his lips gently touching the corner of her eye, kissing away the salty tears little by little.

He moved it left and right, as if to comfort her or to calm her nerves.

Her breathing became erratic, and her hands instinctively gripped the hem of his shirt. The thin fabric creased under her grip, and her knuckles turned white.

Gu Qiangying looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up.

Lin Qingqing was stunned for a moment. Before she could speak, she saw him walk to the front hall, raise his hand to bolt the main door, and then lock the side door.

The latch clicked shut, immediately cutting off the faint sounds of people outside.

He drew half of the curtain down, and the light immediately softened, as if the entire consultation room was enveloped in a dim, quiet shell.

After doing all that, he turned around and reached out to her.

"Come."

Lin Qingqing was still in a daze when he bent down and picked her up.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her face against the side of his neck, and could feel his steady and strong pulse beneath his skin.

Gu Qiangying placed her beside the examination bed, sat down herself, first took her hand, pried open her tightly curled fingers one by one, and then warmed her icy knuckles in her palm.

"Look at me, inhale."

Lin Qingqing did as instructed, but she inhaled too quickly, causing her chest to heave violently, which only made her more flustered.

"Slow down." Gu Qiangying placed his palm on her back, his voice low and rhythmic, "Follow me, inhale... hold for two seconds... then exhale."

She did it once, and then again.

The third time, the sour feeling in my throat eased a little, and my breathing became easier.

"Relax your shoulders," he said.

"I can't relax..." she said, her eyes closed and her voice weak.

"Then I'll help you."

He pulled her into his arms, his palms massaging her from her shoulders and neck down, the pressure light but each touch landing precisely on the tightest spot.

She had just relaxed a little when her muscles instinctively tensed up again, so he leaned down and kissed her forehead before continuing to massage.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "You're safe now."

Lin Qingqing rested her forehead on his shoulder, her eyelids burning, her breath still ragged from crying. She still clung to his sleeve, as if she would fall if she let go.

Gu Qiangying simply pulled her onto his lap, letting her press her whole body against him, and slowly stroked her back with his palms, moving down to her waist. The warmth seeped in little by little through the thin fabric, finally warming her cold limbs.

"Is it still shaking?"

"...A little."

"Let's do it one more time."

He whispered the beat in her ear, each beat steady like a drumbeat. Whenever she lost her rhythm, he would hold the back of her neck, gently pull her back into his arms, and release her once she caught up.

After several rounds, her heartbeat, which had been pounding wildly in her chest, finally calmed down, and her temples stopped feeling numb and throbbing.

She looked up at him; her eyes were still red, but the panic and disorientation in them were no longer there.

Gu Qiangying brushed her lips with his thumb and then lowered his head to kiss her.

The kiss wasn't rushed.

He first touched her gently, as if testing the waters, or perhaps to comfort her;

Only after she stopped dodging did the passion gradually deepen.

Lin Qingqing was still panting slightly after sobbing, but soon she was kissed until she was weak and her hand slid from his sleeve to his shoulder, her fingertips burning hot.

When Gu Qiangying left a little while later, her lips were wet, her breathing was disordered, but her eyes finally softened.

"Feeling better?"

Lin Qingqing nodded, then whispered, "My heart is still beating very fast."

Gu Qiangying chuckled softly and pressed her lower back with her fingertips.

"It's fast. A fast heartbeat in a living person means the soul has returned."

He amused her so much that her voice trembled with laughter, and her tears finally stopped falling.

Gu Qiangying pulled her closer to the bed, leaned down, and gently massaged her back inch by inch with his palm, like slowly releasing a taut string. She would occasionally tremble slightly, and he would stop, kiss her forehead, kiss the tip of her nose, and then continue.

"Qingqing, listen to me."

"Um……"

"You weren't a hindrance today." He looked at her, each word clear and distinct. "You're my right-hand woman."

Lin Qingqing froze, her throat tightening.

"real?"

"Really." Gu Qiangying's voice was steady. "Next time there's an emergency, you'll still stand next to me."

Her eyes welled up again, but this time it wasn't from fear. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck, her voice muffled:

"Third Brother, you were so fierce just now that it made my heart tremble."

"I'm mean to you because I'm afraid you'll panic." Gu Qiangying kissed the top of her head. "I'm mean to others because I'm afraid they'll cause trouble."

"Then next time, say something nice first..."

"Okay." He smiled as he touched the corner of her lips. "I'll praise you first, then scold you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he kissed her again. This kiss was a little deeper than the last, still restrained, but with an added force that wouldn't let her escape.

Lin Qingqing was trapped in his arms, her fingertips gripping his shoulders, her breath and heartbeat gradually synchronized with his. The chilling, tingling sensation she had felt earlier finally began to subside.

Occasionally, someone would pass by outside the window, their footsteps muffled by the door.

The only sounds in the room were the fan running and the two people breathing in sync.

Gu Qiangying didn't rush to do anything else, but just stroked her back gently, patiently to the point of being obsessive.

Once her shoulders and neck were completely relaxed and her fingers stopped trembling, he released her slightly and raised his hand to tidy her hair, which was wet with tears.

"Sit still," he said.

He wrung out some warm water from the sink, brought back a clean towel, and first wiped her face. He was very gentle, wiping from the corners of her eyes to her chin, even the tip of her nose, as if afraid of hurting her. After wiping her face, he poured her half a cup of warm sugar water and helped her drink it slowly.

As the sweet taste entered her throat, Lin Qingqing felt as if she had truly come back to life, and her hands and feet gradually warmed up.

Are you still dizzy?

"A little."

"It's normal, people are like this after being frightened." Gu Qiangying placed the back of her hand on her forehead to test her temperature. "Don't stay up late tonight, I'll make you some calming soup later."

Lin Qingqing looked at him, then suddenly reached out and gently tugged at his collar.

"Don't go."

Gu Qiangying lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"I'm not leaving," he said. "The door's bolted, where can I go?"

She finally breathed a sigh of relief, but still refused to let go.

Gu Qiangying simply took off his white coat and draped it over the back of the chair, then sat back on the edge of the bed, pulled her onto his lap, and let her sit sideways against his chest.

Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and she could hear his heartbeat, steady and clear, each beat tapping against her eardrums, giving her a strange sense of peace.

He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her ear.

"You were so scared just now, but you still dared to bravely hand me the equipment."

Lin Qingqing closed her eyes and muttered softly, "If you call me, I'll do it... I don't want to hold you back."

Gu Qiangying's eyes darkened, and his palm tightened around her waist.

"I've remembered," he said in a lower voice, "You standing beside me isn't a burden, it's a source of confidence."

Lin Qingqing felt a scalding sensation in her heart and looked up at him. They were very close, close enough to see the suppressed emotions behind his glasses.

She gently touched his chin, as if testing him, or perhaps coaxing him: "Third Brother, you've praised me twice today."

"Hmm." Gu Qiangying looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Good performance, worthy of praise."

She couldn't help but laugh, her eyes still reddening, but her smile was soft and gentle.

Gu Qiangying felt a tickle in his heart from her gaze, and lowered his head to kiss her again.

This time it wasn't just comforting; the kisses carried a burning possessiveness. But whenever she couldn't catch her breath, he would pause for a moment, whisper a comforting word against her lips, and then continue.

His kisses traveled from her lips to her cheeks, then to behind her ears, delicate and restrained, as if to confirm that she had truly emerged from her fear before gradually pulling her into his arms.

Lin Qingqing's eyelashes trembled as she was kissed, her fingers clinging to his shoulders, her voice soft and wet, barely forming coherent sentences:

"Don't...it tickles."

Gu Qiangying chuckled softly, his breath hot against her ear:

"You were shaking like that just now, but you still have the energy to complain about itching. It seems you've really recovered."

Her face flushed, and she raised her hand to cover his mouth, but he grabbed her wrist and pressed it against his chest.

The pulse beneath his palm was steady and powerful, carrying a scorching heat.

"You felt it?" he asked in a low voice. "I'm here."

Lin Qingqing hummed in agreement and slowly rested her forehead back on his shoulder.

Gu Qiangying embraced her, gently stroking the back of her neck with his fingertips, no longer teasing her, just quietly holding her. Time seemed to slow down, like a white cloth drying in the hot wind, smoothing out inch by inch.

After an unknown amount of time, her breathing finally became long and even, and she went limp in his arms.

Gu Qiangying leaned down, whispered in her ear, and called her name almost in a sigh:

"Qingqing".

She gave a muffled reply, her hand still clutching the hem of his clothes, but no longer with force.

A sliver of sunlight peeked through the curtains, landing on their clasped hands. The silence was so profound that even the dust seemed to settle slowly.