CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: I LIKE SOMEONE

Upon hearing footsteps, Du Qin looked towards the door.

The figures of Jiang Chenglin and Tong Yan appeared one after the other.

Before Tong Yan could call out "Mom," Du Qin stood up straight and hurriedly said, "Chenglin, could you please take care of Zhizhi for a moment?"

With that, she swiftly led Tong Yan out of the ward.

The sound of hurried footsteps gradually faded away. In Su Lingzhi’s vision, there was nothing but darkness as she asked blankly, "Why is my mom in such a rush? Where did she go?"

Jiang Chenglin set down the breakfast and lied, "The doctor called for her."

Su Lingzhi fell silent.

Jiang Chenglin glanced at her, leisurely scooped half a bowl of porridge, sat by the bed, and gently stirred it.

Scooping a half spoonful, he blew on it lightly, and only when he was sure of the right temperature did he bring it to her lips.

"Open your mouth."

Su Lingzhi faced him but made no move.

Jiang Chenglin said patiently, "Looking at you like this makes you easier to bully than before. If you don’t behave, I have ways to make you comply."

"You..."

Just as she opened her mouth, the ceramic spoon was gently inserted, forcing Su Lingzhi to swallow a mouthful of porridge.

She clenched her fist and angrily muttered, "Too much."

Jiang Chenglin was indifferent, instead quite liking her stubborn streak. It indirectly showed that she was vibrant and optimistic, with no signs of sadness from her blindness.

After cooling the porridge, he continued to feed her another spoonful.

Su Lingzhi bit her lips, fumbling to snatch the spoon from his hand, "I’ll do it myself."

Jiang Chenglin tried to stop her, "Don’t be difficult."

But, ultimately, he couldn’t stop her, indulging her in taking the spoon.

Jiang Chenglin, holding the bowl, watched over her, reminding, "Careful, it’s hot."

She ate slowly, and because she couldn’t see and wasn’t precise, the spoon would occasionally bump into his hand.

His palm and sleeves were all marked by her efforts, stained with sticky porridge.

Jiang Chenglin wasn’t annoyed, patiently served her until she finished eating, and in the end only wiped off roughly with a napkin.

With a glance down, he sat again, took a tissue, and raised his hand to wipe the remnants from her lips.

Su Lingzhi instinctively turned her face away to avoid him.

"Why are you dodging? Embarrassed?"

"Am I embarrassed? I just have a physiological aversion and repulsion towards you."

Jiang Chenglin chuckled lightly, "It’s okay, in time I’ll make you physiologically accept and like me."

Su Lingzhi gritted her teeth, "Are you hoping that my eyes will never see again?"

Jiang Chenglin furrowed his eyebrows tightly, looking at her sternly, suppressing his initial anger, "No matter what physical flaws you might have, I will never abandon you."

A vow akin to those made during a wedding ceremony, it was truly heartfelt from Jiang Chenglin.

However, in Su Lingzhi’s ears, it made no waves in her heart, eliciting no emotion, but rather annoyance, "Do you think I would believe that?"

"Believe it or not."

"I have someone I like."

Jiang Chenglin ignored her words, again moving forward to use a wet wipe to clean her mouth.

In the ward, only the two of them were left, as a doctor came in for rounds.

Jiang Chenglin held her hand and said, "The doctor is here."

"Just finished breakfast?"

"Mm."

The doctor came beside Su Lingzhi, concerned, "Does your head still hurt?"

Su Lingzhi nodded slightly.

"You just had surgery yesterday, the anesthesia has worn off, it’s normal for your head to hurt, bear with it and it will pass."

"Okay."

Then, the doctor used various instruments to check her heart rate, blood pressure, and other metrics...

"All indicators are normal. A little while later, you’ll have an anti-inflammatory drip. It’s best for family to stay close by since the patient can’t see, don’t leave them alone."

"Okay." Jiang Chenglin replied, watching the doctor leave.

In the quiet atmosphere, he looked at the person reclining in bed, and asked tenderly, "Why didn’t you tell me your head hurt just now?"

Su Lingzhi placed her hands on the blanket, "If you leave this room, my headache will ease a bit."

Knowing she was throwing a tantrum, but to spare her some distress, Jiang Chenglin didn’t bicker or say anything to upset her further.

"The doctor just said that you shouldn’t be without someone by your side," he said, unconsciously lowering his voice.

Su Lingzhi asked, "Where is my mom?"

"She probably had something to attend to."

Soon after, the nurse brought in the medicine, asked for the patient’s name, and inserted a needle into her hand, instructing, "While the drip is still going, it’s best for family to keep an eye on her, don’t leave the patient."

"Okay."

Jiang Chenglin responded, then sat down by the bed, silently keeping watch.

Not long after the nurse left, Su Lingzhi frowned and complained of pain.

"Where does it hurt?"

"The whole hand."

Jiang Chenglin was at a loss, promptly pressing the call button, "The nurse will be right here."

While waiting, his heart seemed to be in a battle, sweat coating his palms.

The nurse came quickly, adjusted the drip speed, and comforted, "It’s because your body is a bit sensitive to this anti-inflammatory medication, causing some pain. Is it feeling better now?"

Su Lingzhi nodded, "Much better."

Jiang Chenglin frowned and questioned, "Why wasn’t this checked earlier?"

"I’m sorry, that was my mistake."

"I don’t want such errors to happen to her again, understood?"

"Understood."

The nurse nodded and slipped away.

Not to mention, they were in a VIP ward, and the head nurse had specifically mentioned that a bigwig was staying here. Any mishaps, and the entire department would be in trouble.

At this moment, Du Qin returned, just as the nurse left. Noticing Jiang Chenglin’s tense expression, she asked with concern, "What happened?"

Jiang Chenglin’s strained expression softened, "It’s nothing now."

As he spoke, he gave way, saying, "Auntie, why don’t you have some breakfast first?"

Du Qin glanced at the person lying on the bed, hesitated a bit, then called Jiang Chenglin outside.

"Chenglin, Yanyan is upset with me. Could you please help take care of Zhizhi for now?" Du Qin frowned, pleading, "Zhizhi’s condition can’t handle any shocks, and I don’t want her to know about Yanyan’s real family background yet. Could you please help me keep it a secret?"

"Don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll take good care of her."

"Thank you. Then I’ll leave Zhizhi to you for now. Her father will come by later."

"Okay."

With that, Du Qin returned to the ward and bid farewell to Su Lingzhi.

Once she left, Jiang Chenglin tidied up the table and sat down silently.

At this moment, she no longer had the fierce energy from earlier, quietly lying on the hospital bed, so gentle that it tugged at one’s heartstrings.

"Is my mom hiding something from me?" Su Lingzhi asked.

Although she couldn’t see, her perceptiveness wasn’t lacking. Perhaps because she couldn’t see, her thoughts were more sensitive due to a lack of security.

Jiang Chenglin spoke softly, "Focus on recovering, don’t overthink."