Chapter 10: Hospital

The team-building event was set for three days. On the second day, the administrative team organized a group itinerary, and everyone went to a large lawn near the hotel at noon to play games and have a barbecue.

Jiang Nai wasn’t keen on these kinds of games. To avoid being pulled into them, she stayed near the grill, focusing on barbecuing the meat.

Dinner was free to arrange, and after returning to the hotel, Yao Qi mentioned how much she enjoyed yesterday’s seafood feast and wanted to have it again. So, Jiang Nai accompanied her to the hotel’s seafood restaurant for another meal.

“Everyone wants to go sing later. Come with us,” Yao Qi said as they walked back to their rooms, full and satisfied.

Jiang Nai replied, “I don’t sing. You go ahead, I’ll stay back.”

“Come on, join us! What’s fun about being alone in your room?”

“I’m a bit tired and want to rest, Yao Qi. You all go ahead and have fun,” Jiang Nai said.

Seeing that Jiang Nai really wasn’t interested, Yao Qi didn’t insist further. She returned to her room, touched up her makeup, and went to find Wang Wenbo and the others with excitement. Jiang Nai took a shower and sat on the lounge chair on the balcony, gazing at the mountains in the distance, now completely enveloped in darkness.

In truth, compared to social situations with many people, she preferred moments like this alone. It was relaxing, with no need to think about engaging with others.

While lying there, she dozed off.

Later, she was awakened by a sudden and inexplicable stomachache. Jiang Nai got up and returned to her room, lying on the bed, but the discomfort did not subside. Instead, it grew more intense. As she wondered if she had eaten something bad, a wave of nausea surged up. She rushed to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet.

The sensation of vomiting was unpleasant, especially on a full stomach. It felt as though everything in her stomach was churning up, irritating her throat, both sour and painful. But after throwing up, her stomach felt somewhat relieved. Jiang Nai thought it must be a reaction from eating too much seafood.

Her digestive system had had issues before, but since she hadn’t felt discomfort in a long time, she took a chance this time, thinking it would be fine to eat a bit more.

Turns out, the consequences came fast…

Jiang Nai rinsed her mouth and poured herself a glass of warm water.

Since she felt somewhat better, she didn’t want to disturb anyone, so she drank some warm water and planned to lie down until the discomfort passed. Unexpectedly, she soon felt nauseous again. This time, the accompanying abdominal pain came on fiercely. Jiang Nai sat in the bathroom with a pale face, almost unable to stand.

Realizing something was wrong, she struggled to move outside and grabbed her phone to call Yao Qi.

But Yao Qi was probably too caught up in singing to notice her phone.

Jiang Nai wasn’t that close with the other team members and didn’t want to trouble them or ruin their fun.

So she endured the pain and reached for the bedside phone to call the front desk.

“Hello, how can I help you?” the receptionist answered.

“Sorry, do you have any basic medicine? My stomach is hurting a bit…” Jiang Nai paused and continued, “It might be a digestive issue. Or, is there a pharmacy nearby?”

The receptionist replied, “We do have some basic medication, ma’am. Please hold on, I’ll send someone right over.”

“Alright…”

After hanging up, Jiang Nai felt she could barely hold on, curling up on the edge of the bed, breaking out in a cold sweat. Dazed and unsure how much time had passed, she heard the sound of the door being swiped open.

Jiang Nai barely lifted her gaze and saw several people enter quickly. The one leading them was… Li Qingji.

But she didn’t have the energy to wonder why Li Qingji was there. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

“Li Qingji, my stomach hurts…”

Her face was pale, lips devoid of color, sweat on her brow, her gaze unfocused.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Nai’s condition to be this severe.

If it weren’t for Chen Min, whom he had sent to the front desk for something else and who happened to encounter Jiang Nai’s call, he wouldn’t be here now.

“Hang in there. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

He knelt and prepared to lift her off the floor.

“Wait, wait a minute…”

Li Qingji frowned. “What?”

Jiang Nai groaned softly, her voice weak as she said, “Maybe… let him carry me?” 

She was referring to Zhao Siyuan, the male assistant standing behind Li Qingji.

Xiao Zhao was startled and immediately glanced at his boss’s expression. Li Qingji’s eyes narrowed slightly, quickly discerning what Jiang Nai was worried about—it was just her concern about being seen in his arms.

With a hint of sarcasm, he said, “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about that? Your life isn’t important?”

Jiang Nai: “…”

Li Qingji directly scooped her up in his arms. “Xiao Zhao, start the car. Chen Min, contact the hospital.”

“Got it!”

“Understood.”

Most people had gone to the entertainment area for singing and partying that night. The few who hadn’t were in their rooms like Jiang Nai, so they didn’t encounter any colleagues on their way down. Jiang Nai didn’t have the energy to worry about that anymore. She unconsciously clutched at Li Qingji’s clothes, half-dazed from the pain.

Xiao Zhao quickly drove the car to the front of the hotel, and Chen Min opened the door. Li Qingji settled into the car with Jiang Nai in his arms. Once the car started moving, Li Qingji glanced at his wrinkled shirt and considered setting Jiang Nai down beside him. However, as soon as he shifted slightly, her brow furrowed more deeply.

“It hurts…”

She let out a faint whimper, pitiful and frail.

Li Qingji paused, then chose not to move her, looking down at her. “What did you eat to end up like this?”

Jiang Nai: “…Seafood.”

Li Qingji: “Weren’t you all eating barbecue earlier?”

“We had seafood again after getting back… but Yao Qi is fine. It’s just that my stomach isn’t good…” Jiang Nai winced as a sudden sharp pain struck her abdomen, letting out a pained moan and instinctively leaning into Li Qingji’s embrace.

Li Qingji was momentarily stunned. After a brief silence, he reached out and supported her shoulder to keep her from slipping.

“Stay still, hold on a bit longer.”

“Mm… it hurts so much…”

Li Qingji’s tone carried a hint of sternness. “If you know it’ll hurt, don’t overeat like that.”

“I didn’t know it would hurt this much…”

“Overestimating yourself.”

“…”

Jiang Nai didn’t remember exactly when she arrived at the hospital. She vaguely felt herself lying on a hospital bed as a doctor examined her, administered medicine, and inserted an IV. When she woke up again, there was still a needle in the back of her hand, attached to a transparent tube that stretched upward, with the IV drip steadily releasing its liquid.

Her stomach no longer hurt. As she became more alert, Jiang Nai noticed that someone was sitting not far away on a small sofa by the bed.

Li Qingji was leaning on one hand, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

He didn’t leave?

Jiang Nai found it hard to believe and felt a bit uneasy.

The disbelief stemmed from her understanding of Li Qingji—she didn’t think he would be this considerate. The unease came from years of being unaccustomed to waking up to someone sitting by her bed when she was ill. Jiang Nai stared at him for a while before trying to reach for her phone on the side table.

However, Li Qingji was not deeply asleep. The slight movement woke him.

“What are you doing?” His voice was still husky from just waking up, deep and magnetic in the quiet hospital room.

“I wanted to check the time.” Jiang Nai looked at his furrowed brows, feeling a bit nervous. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I wasn’t asleep.” Li Qingji rubbed his brow, got up, and walked over to hand her the phone. “Are you still in pain?”

Jiang Nai took the phone and shook her head. “No, I’m okay now.”

“Good. Once this drip finishes, we’ll go home.”

The phone displayed 11:00 p.m.

Jiang Nai felt a little guilty for being a burden. “Thank you for all this. You really didn’t have to wait here. You could’ve gone back to your work.”

Li Qingji was about to sit back down when he turned and looked at her.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, Jiang Nai looked away. “I can go back by myself later.”

“In legal terms, I’m still responsible for you,” Li Qingji said.

Jiang Nai froze.

He added, “Or have you forgotten that we’re married?”

Jiang Nai: “…I haven’t forgotten.”

“Good.” Li Qingji sat back on the sofa and said calmly, “Get some more rest. I’ll take you home when you’re ready.”

“Okay…”

—

Jiang Nai only remembered to return Yao Qi’s call when she was almost home. An hour earlier, Yao Qi had returned to her room, found Jiang Nai missing, and learned from the front desk that she’d been taken to the hospital due to sudden stomach pain.

“Are you sure you’re okay? It’s my fault for getting too caught up in singing and not checking my phone.”

“I’m sure I’m fine. The IV is done, and I’m heading home now.”

Yao Qi: “That’s a relief. By the way, the front desk said it was the boss who took you?”

Jiang Nai glanced at Li Qingji, who was sitting next to her. “Um… yeah.”

“The boss is so nice! He didn’t ask a colleague to take you but went himself!” Yao Qi paused for half a second, then added, “Is he…”

“He just happened to be heading out, so I was taken along to the hospital!”

Jiang Nai’s sudden raised voice caught Li Qingji’s attention. He glanced at her and chuckled, though she couldn’t tell why.

Jiang Nai immediately shifted away, covering the phone’s speaker. “Anyway, I’m fine now. Don’t worry.”

“Will you be coming tomorrow?”

“No… You guys are going back tomorrow night anyway.”

“Alright then, take care and rest up. See you Monday at the office.”

“Mm.”

After ending the call, Xiao Zhao drove the car into the garage.

Jiang Nai followed Li Qingji into the elevator. Just as the elevator doors were closing, her phone rang again, displaying a call from her colleague Xu Xiao.

Ding—

The elevator arrived at their floor and the doors opened.

Jiang Nai answered, “Hello, Xu Xiao?”

Walking ahead, Li Qingji paused momentarily at the sound.

Unaware, Jiang Nai continued behind him.

On the other end of the line, Xu Xiao sounded anxious. “Jiang Nai, are you okay? I heard from Yao Qi that you got food poisoning and were taken to the hospital. Which hospital are you at? We… we wanted to come see you.”

“No need, no need to come. I’m fine. I’ve been discharged and am back home,” Jiang Nai reassured him. “Thanks, though.”

“I thought it was odd when you didn’t come to the singing event tonight. I was going to call and check on you but didn’t want to disturb you…”

The fingerprint lock clicked open, and the door swung inward.

Li Qingji stepped inside, looking down as he changed his shoes.

Jiang Nai followed, still on the phone and not changing her shoes.

“At that time, I wasn’t feeling unwell; I just didn’t feel like going. Yes… don’t worry, I’m fine now. Enjoy yourselves…” Jiang Nai wanted to wrap up the call, reaching down to find her slippers. However, Li Qingji stood right in front of her slippers.

Unable to speak to him directly, she reached out and tugged on his sleeve.

It didn’t budge.

Confused, she glanced up to find Li Qingji already looking back at her, eyes cast down. The entryway light poured over him, casting his gaze into deep shadow.

Jiang Nai froze for a moment before he reached out and took her phone—not completely, but enough to hold it in front of her.

Instinctively, she reached to take it back, but he raised it slightly out of her grasp.

“…?”

“Hang up.”

He mouthed the two words clearly.

“Jiang Nai? Jiang Nai?” Xu Xiao’s puzzled voice came through the receiver.

Jiang Nai snapped out of her daze, leaning in, “I’m home now, so I’ll talk to you later. Hanging up now.”

Xu Xiao: “Alright then. If you feel unwell again, make sure to go to the hospital.”

“I will. Goodbye.”

The call was disconnected.

Jiang Nai looked at Li Qingji in confusion: “Give me back my phone…”

Li Qingji said, “What I mentioned at the hospital earlier, do you remember?”

“What?”

“We’re in a marriage now, not only with responsibilities but also obligations.”

Jiang Nai was even more puzzled: “I know that.”

Li Qingji’s brow lifted slightly: “Since you know, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to talk about love with someone else in front of me?”

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