Chapter 23: Trying to catch by letting go is useless

Wen Ling opened her eyes slightly; all she saw was white.

She tilted her head slightly and saw Aunt Zhou sitting on the sofa beside the bed, looking at her worriedly.

"Aunt Zhou." She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse.

Aunt Zhou responded, reached out to move Wen Ling's hair aside, and said helplessly, "You're harming yourself like this; if Wen Laoxiansheng finds out, he'll surely be angry and worried."

Wen Ling pressed her lips, about to reach out, but Aunt Zhou held her down.

"Don't move, you're still getting an IV."

Wen Ling had no choice but to stay still honestly, and softly said, "I want to go back to M Country."

"We'll go back once you're better." Aunt Zhou gently touched Wen Ling's forehead and said softly.

Wen Ling hummed in agreement and closed her eyes.

She didn't know what was wrong with herself, becoming so fragile that a single sentence made her want to retreat.

When she woke up, the sky was just turning light; Wen Ling slowly got out of bed, went to the window and pulled open the curtains, and the rising sun made her squint.

After a night's sleep, her mood had improved a lot; at least she wouldn't feel sad, and she was calm and peaceful.

Aunt Zhou said she couldn't leave the hospital yet, so Wen Ling stayed there honestly, playing games when bored, otherwise sleeping.

She could also go to the nurse station to listen to the nurses gossip; Wen Ling's mind was full of the scandal about the man in the end ward, and the messy affairs of the wealthy old lady two doors over.

Aunt Zhou had been somewhat worried, but seeing that Wen Ling was doing okay each day, she also relaxed.

Since that day, Zhou Yinhe hadn't seen Wen Ling again, feeling full of regret, and unconsciously held his tongue so as not to argue with his close friends.

Jiang Jibai and the others felt somewhat surprised to be favored, and even not being scolded by him left them feeling a little restless.

"Xiao Wu, have you recently changed your ways?"

Upon hearing that, Zhou Yinhe lifted his eyes and gave him a bland glance, his gaze as calm as a still lake with no ripples; as he withdrew his sight, his fingers holding the knife and fork continued to eat.

Ke Chengyu, knowing the inside story, placed his fingers by his mouth and smirked.

Qi Zhan walked in, glanced at Zhou Yinhe, and said to the other two, "Guess who I just saw at the hospital?"

Qi Zhan's mother had undergone a minor operation a few days ago and was now hospitalized in the most authoritative private hospital in Sijiucheng; running into an acquaintance there was not surprising.

But Ke Chengyu still responded, "Who?"

Qi Zhan sat opposite Zhou Yinhe, took a sip of juice, and said, "Wen Ling."

Zhou Yinhe suddenly lifted his head, his eyes filled with turbulent ripples, staring fixedly at Qi Zhan; Qi Zhan pretended not to notice and said to the other two, "She was chatting with the nurses at the nurse station in the VIP area; I happened to see her passing by, still wearing her hospital gown."

Zhou Yinhe only heard a buzz in his mind; when he came to, he had already stood up, his chair scraping the floor loudly due to his sudden movement.

He pressed his lips, sat back down, and said to Qi Zhan, "When are you going to the hospital to see Aunt? I'm going too."

Qi Zhan curled his lips: "Sure, let's go after we finish eating."

Jiang Jibai and Ke Chengyu exchanged a glance, signaling each other.

After finishing lunch in the room, Wen Ling carried the fruit Aunt Zhou had prepared for her to the nurse station, intending to offer it to the nurses; outside the nurse station she encountered a noble lady in a hospital gown whose aristocratic aura was hard to conceal.

She sensed Wen Ling's curious gaze and friendly nodded at her.

Wen Ling smiled, handed her the fruit, and said softly, "Auntie, would you like some fruit?"

The noble lady was taken aback; seeing such a pretty little girl, she instinctively softened and reached out to pinch a grape.

"Thank you."

Wen Ling shook her head, walked into the nurse station, sat on the small stool prepared for her by the nurses, and obediently waited while the nurses and the noble lady chatted about hospitalization.

Qi Zhan hadn't finished his meal when Zhou Yinhe pulled him up; he had Cheng Yu prepare the gifts and wait at the restaurant entrance, and as soon as they got in the car, the driver floored it straight to the hospital.

Qi Zhan complained the whole way.

"Are you here to see my mother or to see Wen Ling?"

"No matter who you're seeing, at least wait for me to finish eating, okay?"

"Speak up, have you gone mute?"

Zhou Yinhe strode toward the elevator, ignoring him completely.

Cheng Yu looked helplessly at Qi Zhan, grabbed the gifts, and jogged after them.

Upon reaching the VIP floor, as soon as they exited the elevator they saw Madame Qi standing at the nurse station talking to the nurses.

Zhou Yinhe strode forward and called out, "Madame Qi: Aunt."

Madame Qi turned her head, saw Zhou Yinhe, and smiled warmly: "Oh my, Xiao Wu, why did you come?"

Wen Ling was blocked by the nurse station counter; at that moment she was engrossed in a TV show on her phone, completely unaware of the noble lady's movements.

Until Zhou Yinhe approached the counter, Wen Ling, with one hand stuffing grapes into her mouth and the other lifting her head, froze in surprise upon seeing him.

Zhou Yinhe was still speaking to the noble lady: "Auntie, knowing you were hospitalized for surgery, I came to check on you."

Madame Qi smiled kindly: "Didn't Qi Zhan tell you I'm being discharged tomorrow? It's just a minor operation; observe a bit then go home to rest—no need for you to make another trip."

Qi Zhan rolled his eyes from not far away, while Zhou Yinhe said, "It's only right."

He instinctively looked for Wen Ling's whereabouts, and turning his head he saw her sitting dazedly on the small stool.

Seeing her hospital gown and the IV patch on her hand, his brows furrowed even tighter.

Wen Ling felt his gaze, pressed her lips and quickly turned away; a faint discomfort rose in her chest, having been deliberately ignored by her.

Zhou Yinhe also felt uneasy, but with Madame Qi before him he could only withdraw his gaze.

After seeing Madame Qi back to her ward, he made an excuse to leave and went to the nurse station, where a nurse curiously asked, "Sir, is there something you need?"

Zhou Yinhe stared at Wen Ling, and upon hearing that he shook his head.

Wen Ling knew he was looking at her; she didn't want to see Zhou Yinhe right now, so she simply continued to calmly watch the TV show playing on her phone.

Who would have thought Zhou Yinhe seemed unable to notice her resistance, walked up to her, crouched down, and said in a low voice, "Are you sick?"

Wen Ling neither answered nor looked at him.

Zhou Yinhe pressed his lips and continued, "When did this happen?"

Wen Ling still ignored.

"I know that what I said that day was a bit excessive, but Wen Ling, it's because you deceived and played with me that I got so angry." Zhou Yinhe subconsciously made an excuse for himself.

Wen Ling finally looked at him and said softly: "Zhou Yinhe, once I recover I'll go back. I do miss you, but from now on I won't bother you anymore, so you don't need to get angry because of me."

Zhou Yinhe felt something lodged in his throat, his fingertips trembling slightly; after a long while he said: "Alright, take good care of your illness."

He stood up and left; Wen Ling, after a while, gritted her teeth and said: "Bastard, this doesn't move me at all."

Over the past few days she had watched many romance dramas and novels, learning quite a bit from them, but she hadn't expected this first move to fail.

Wen Ling drew a cross after the first entry she had noted in her little mental notebook.

Playing hard to get — it didn't work.