Jian Yiyi returned to where she was staying, a hotel right next to the hospital.
It was only a three-minute walk from the hospital, making it very convenient to visit her sister and brother-in-law in the ward.
Song Xinya had booked separate rooms for Jian Yiyi and Jin Ruizhi at this hotel.
Their rooms were right next to each other.
Song Xinya figured she wouldn't feel at ease with Jian Yiyi staying in a hotel all by herself, so she had Jin Ruizhi stay next door so the two kids could look out for each other.
In reality, she was having Jin Ruizhi act as Jian Yiyi's bodyguard.
If a bad guy were to knock on Jian Yiyi's door, Jin Ruizhi would undoubtedly be the first to rush out and protect her without any hesitation.
Teenage love might seem foolish and naive to adults, but it is also the purest and most passionate emotion one can experience in a lifetime—
Devoid of any ulterior motives or weighing of pros and cons, liking someone meant offering up one's entire heart. It was incredibly foolish, truly fatal, yet he was willing to risk his life for a girl.
Jian Yiyi stood at her door, swiped her card, and just as she pushed the door open to step inside, she glanced at the room next door.
Jin Ruizhi had left earlier, so he should be back by now.
Jian Yiyi withdrew her gaze, walked into the room, and closed the door.
The moment her figure disappeared behind the door, Jin Ruizhi walked out from around the corner, his lean and tall figure standing in the middle of the corridor.
He, who had left first, arrived after her.
That was because he had been following behind her, hiding in the crowd and the shadows, silently protecting her.
The hotel was very close to the hospital, but who could guarantee that no accidents would happen in that short distance? He had to see her safely enter her room to feel at ease.
Inside the room, Jian Yiyi turned on the TV and switched to the education channel. The timing was perfect; the masterclass was about to begin.
She took out her pen and notebook, sat up straight on a small stool, and prepared to study.
Suddenly, a knock came from outside. Knock, knock, knock—three taps, the force perfectly controlled, neither too light nor too heavy.
Hearing this familiar knock, Jian Yiyi guessed who was at the door.
She didn't make a sound, waiting for the person outside to speak first.
"Jian Yiyi, I know you're in there."
Jian Yiyi stood up to open the door.
The moment the door opened, Jin Ruizhi held up a newly bought copy of Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams.
"There's a question I don't know how to solve. I'd like to ask for your help."
Jian Yiyi stepped aside. "Come in."
Jin Ruizhi entered the room.
The two of them sat by the table, both sitting properly with the distance of one person between them.
Jian Yiyi asked, "Which question are you stuck on?"
At this time, the voice of the teacher lecturing on the TV rang out.
Jin Ruizhi said, "Listen to the class first. Don't let me delay your studies."
Jian Yiyi gave a soft hum of agreement, picked up her pen, and focused intently on the TV, beginning to study seriously.
A class lasted forty minutes, and throughout the entire session, Jin Ruizhi was also completely engrossed.
This made Jian Yiyi look at him in a new light.
She had originally thought he was using studying as an excuse to get close to her.
During the commercial break between the two classes, Jian Yiyi leaned toward Jin Ruizhi and asked, "Which question do you not understand? I'll explain it to you."
Jin Ruizhi opened the workbook and pointed to a math problem. "This one."
Jian Yiyi looked at the problem. "This is a concept we learned in the first year of middle school."
Jin Ruizhi's expression was open and candid, his eyes devoid of any evasion or embarrassment. He spoke frankly, "Because I didn't study hard before, I don't even know the concepts from the first year of high school. But it's okay, there's still time. It's not too late. From now on, I will study seriously and make up for all the wasted time."
Jian Yiyi clapped her hands, producing a crisp applause. "Good! Waiting is always too late, but as long as you start, it's never too late. Today's actions are gifts for the future. Jin Ruizhi, the moment you take that first step, you are already ahead of all the onlookers."
The young girl's voice was soft and sweet. "I'll explain the problem to you, so you have to listen carefully."
Jin Ruizhi smiled and said, "Okay."
She began to explain the concepts to him. Her voice was clear, gentle, and sweet without being overly cloying, like fresh mountain spring water falling into his ears, refreshing to the soul.
She held a pen and made marks on the scratch paper in front of him, her slender, white, and tender little hand catching his eye.
Her fingers were long and even, her nails trimmed neatly and smoothly. Her skin was delicate and translucent, glowing white as if bathed in moonlight.
The small hand was fair and tender, but the knuckles were a rosy pink.
Jin Ruizhi had never seen such a beautiful girl's hand. Jian Yiyi, with her head down explaining the problem, didn't realize how close she was to Jin Ruizhi at this moment.
The distance of one person that had originally separated them had long been closed by the two young bodies gradually drawing near.
The warm, sweet fragrance unique to the young girl drifted into the boy's nose.
Her writing arm occasionally brushed against his.
The touch was smooth, soft, and silky as it brushed against the boy's skin.
Jin Ruizhi's mind began to wander.
He gritted his teeth, biting down hard to force those restless thoughts out of his head.
He didn't want to ruin the close and friendly relationship he had finally managed to build with Jian Yiyi.
In the past, he had tried every way to get close to her—inviting her to the amusement park, treating her to ice cream, taking her on a beach vacation—only to be coldly rejected every time.
She used to resist everything he did.
She used to deeply despise him.
Sitting at the same table like this, peaceful, friendly, chatting, and studying together, was something the old Jin Ruizhi wouldn't have even dared to dream of.
He couldn't do anything to destroy their friendly relationship.
Jin Ruizhi steadied his mind and focused his attention on studying.
Jian Yiyi liked the Jin Ruizhi who studied seriously.
So Jin Ruizhi would be the Jin Ruizhi who studied seriously.
For the whole day, the two didn't leave the room; they stayed inside and studied the entire time.
Jin Ruizhi ordered takeout for lunch and dinner.
The takeout ordered by the young master was, naturally, not some cheap budget meal combo, but exquisite delicacies prepared by a five-star hotel chef—freshly made, freshly cooked, and freshly delivered.
The food was packed in beautifully crafted sandalwood boxes, the spoons were exquisite white porcelain engraved with patterns, and the soup bowls were stunningly colored pink lotus-shaped cups.
Jian Yiyi loved pretty things, and eating with such exquisite tableware made her appetite even better.
Jin Ruizhi sat next to her, seemingly focused on the food in front of him, but in reality, he was deducing her taste preferences based on how much of each dish she took, memorizing every single dish she loved.
That way, the next time he ordered food, he would order all her favorites so she could eat even more happily.
...
In the hospital ward, Song Xinya and Qin Yuhe were also eating.
Old Master Qin and Old Madam Qin had gone to the fresh food supermarket today and bought a bunch of fresh, expensive ingredients. With a hired master chef cooking, the resulting dishes naturally tasted phenomenal.
The table was packed full, and the four of them enjoyed a massive feast right there in the hospital ward.
Old Madam Qin: "Yaya, call your sister and that handsome little blond boy over. The two kids are at the age where they are growing and need nutrients. Let them come over for dinner. Eating well will make their brains sharper."
Song Xinya made the call, and Jian Yiyi replied, "Sister, Jin Ruizhi and I have already eaten."
Song Xinya: "Come have a little more?"
Jian Yiyi: "I already ate a lot for dinner. My stomach is so full and round, it's turned into a big watermelon."
"Alright," Song Xinya asked, "You didn't come to the hospital all day today. What have you and Young Master Jin been busy with?"
Jian Yiyi: "Listening to my sister, studying hard, and making progress every day."
Song Xinya: "Young Master Jin is studying hard too?"
Jian Yiyi turned her head to look at Jin Ruizhi, who was buried in his workbook next to her: "Yeah, he's studying even harder than I am."
After dinner, she felt a bit lazy, so she sprawled on the desk playing with her phone, while Jin Ruizhi kept his pen in hand, continuously doing practice problems.
Song Xinya asked, "Do you two have any problems you don't know how to solve?"
Jian Yiyi: "Yes, I've marked them all. I'll ask you tomorrow when I go to the hospital ward."
Song Xinya: "Okay, I'll teach you when you come."
Jian Yiyi: "Sister, I'm going back to study. Go eat, or the food will get cold."
Hanging up the phone, Song Xinya picked up a piece of braised abalone with her chopsticks and fed it to Qin Yuhe.
Qin Yuhe chewed slowly, swallowed the food, and asked, "Are you comfortable leaving the two of them alone together?"
Song Xinya fed him a piece of sea cucumber and replied, "I'm not worried. My sister is a very obedient and well-behaved girl; her mind is entirely on her studies. As for Jin Ruizhi, although he might have some wild ideas, they are just thoughts. He wouldn't do anything to my sister."
"Overall, these two kids are quite worry-free."
Old Madam Qin chimed in at the right moment to praise her granddaughter-in-law, "Yaya is excellent herself, so the younger siblings she guides are naturally exceptional too. Having such an outstanding and capable granddaughter-in-law makes Grandma so proud."
Song Xinya: "Compared to you, my excellent Grandma, I still have a long way to go."
Old Madam Qin couldn't stop smiling: "Grandma is just average."
Song Xinya: "Grandma's 'average' is already an excellent level that we couldn't achieve even if we strived for a lifetime."
Old Madam Qin smiled even more happily; the corners of her mouth were turned up throughout the meal.
Chatting with someone who knows how to speak well is truly addictive.
After dinner, Old Madam Qin held onto Song Xinya's hand, reluctant to let go, chatting with her granddaughter-in-law about everything under the sun.
Qin Yuhe looked at his watch. "Grandma, it's already ten at night."
Old Madam Qin: "It's still early. I always go to bed at 11:59 PM."
Qin Yuhe shot Old Master Qin a look: "Ahem."
Old Master Qin forcibly pressed the pause button on Old Madam Qin, half-dragging and half-coaxing the old lady away.
Song Xinya walked the two elders out and closed the door behind her.
Qin Yuhe said, "Lock it."
Song Xinya: "Why lock it? Ward doors are usually unlocked because doctors and nurses come in for rounds."
Qin Yuhe: "Song Xuanli and the other two haven't returned to Jingbei yet. They might come over tomorrow morning and push the door open only to see us sleeping in each other's arms again."
A little light bulb went off in Song Xinya's head: "I have a great idea. We just won't sleep in each other's arms, problem solved."
Qin Yuhe stared at her intently with his dark eyes and said, "Song Xinya, I'm in pain."
Song Xinya nervously ran over, held his hands in hers, and asked with extreme worry, "Does your burn hurt again?"
Qin Yuhe: "You made me so mad my chest hurts."
Song Xinya: "..."
"How did I make you mad?"
Qin Yuhe: "You said you wouldn't sleep with me."
Song Xinya: "..."
"Just because of that?"
Qin Yuhe: "Isn't that serious enough? We are newlyweds, yet my wife wants to sleep separately. Before I could even properly enjoy the bliss of being a newlywed, my marriage is already on the rocks."
Song Xinya: "Alright, alright, I'll sleep with you tonight."
Qin Yuhe's tongue poked his inner cheek, and he gestured toward the door with his chin: "Lock it."
Song Xinya jogged over to lock the door, then jogged back to his side, looking at him with bright, watery eyes: "Is there anything else you need me to do?"
Qin Yuhe: "Help me to the bathroom."
Song Xinya leaned into his arms, wrapping her hands around his waist to help him sit up.
She supported his arm and walked toward the bathroom.
The two stood in front of the toilet. She reached toward his waist to untie the drawstring.
Practice makes perfect; now, Song Xinya was already quite skilled at taking off Qin Yuhe's pants.
The drawstring was untied, and the pants slipped down, pooling at his ankles.
Song Xinya cast a glance at his middle, then turned around.
When the strong, steady sound of water stopped, she pulled a piece of toilet paper to wipe him, then crouched between his legs to pull up his pants.
The entire sequence of movements was smooth and fluid.
As she pulled the waistband of his pants up to his lean, muscular thighs, she glanced at his middle again.
Qin Yuhe looked down at Song Xinya, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, and his deep, magnetic voice hit her ears from above:
"Looking so intently, do you have some ideas about it?"
Song Xinya raised her head, looking up at him without any dirty thoughts in her eyes, and said seriously, "The tip is a bit red. I was worried you might have gotten a urinary tract infection."
"..." Qin Yuhe: "Your husband doesn't have a urinary tract infection. It got irritated and red when that male nurse pulled out the catheter too forcefully."
Song Xinya let out a long sigh of relief, her warm, sweet breath brushing against the inner side of Qin Yuhe's thigh: "That's good."
Then, she continued to help him pull his pants up.
With both hands, she tied the drawstring around his waist into a large, symmetrical bow.
Qin Yuhe raised an eyebrow, staring at the bow, but didn't say anything.
After tying the waistband, she helped him walk back to the hospital bed.
Song Xinya: "I'm going to take a shower. If you're tired, go ahead and sleep first."
When she came out from her shower, she saw him sitting up against the wall.
Song Xinya: "Why haven't you gone to sleep yet?"
Qin Yuhe: "Waiting to sleep together with you."
His gaze swept over her. The woman had flawless, jade-like skin, as white and smooth as milk, her slender waist so delicate it looked as if it could snap with a pinch, and her long legs were straight and slender.
Having just bathed, her eyelashes were dampened with fine mist, her eyes soft and hazy. Surrounded by a moist vapor, she exuded a plump, supple, and rosy tenderness.
The nightgown she wore wasn't a sexy slip dress, but a sweeter V-neck style, with lace and frills detailing the hem and cuffs.
Qin Yuhe's gaze slid down to Song Xinya's chest. Through the thin fabric of the nightgown, he could clearly see the silhouette supported by her bra.
Song Xinya lay down on the makeshift double bed formed by pushing the single beds together. Immediately, Qin Yuhe buried his face in her neck.
Using his nimble tongue, he nudged aside the long hair clinging to her neck.
He kissed her slender, beautiful swan-like neck, and kissed her delicate, dainty earlobes.
His hot, soft lips pressed against her ear as he whispered, "Take off your lingerie... I want to kiss you."
