Chapter 966: Nightmare

Her chest heaved violently due to her rapid breathing. Despite being wrapped in a thick quilt, Shen Ci felt her hands and feet were cold, and the chill seeped into her bones from every limb and bone.

"What's wrong, baby?"

Gao Zhan, by her side, immediately noticed her abnormality and propped himself up to lean over. In the night, his well-defined side profile was tinged with a bit of worry: "You're sweating so much; did you have a nightmare?"

Shen Ci remained silent for a long time before slowly pulling herself out of that bone-chillingly realistic dream, her voice trembling: "Yeah."

Gao Zhan turned to switch on the bedside lamp, and warm yellow light spread out. He reached out worriedly and covered her forehead gently, letting out a sigh of relief only after confirming she didn't have a fever: "Why did you suddenly have a nightmare? What did you dream about?"

Shen Ci didn't want to recall it at all, because she knew that everything in that nightmare was something she had truly experienced in her past life.

"I don't remember. I'm going to take a shower."

After saying this, she hurriedly got up and quickly hid in the bathroom.

Hot steam rose up, blurring the entire glass and slowly pulling Shen Ci's scattered consciousness back. She hugged herself tightly, standing under the showerhead, letting the warm water wash away the cold sweat all over her body.

Her fingertips subconsciously brushed over her forearm—the skin was smooth and delicate, without any flaws.

But in her past life, there had been a scar here that would never fade.

It was when Lin Biqi swung a hot curling iron at her face; she had used all her strength to free one hand and blocked it at the very last moment. Her face was saved, but that burn was etched for a lifetime, itching faintly every time it rained, reminding her of that unbearable past.

Since being reborn, it wasn't as if she hadn't had such nightmares. It was just that as her inner self grew stronger, the frequency became lower and lower; the last time she had been awakened like this was a long time ago.

Shen Ci didn't want to wallow in the pain of the past, and before long, she dried herself off and walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe.

The sheets and quilt cover on the bed had already been changed by Gao Zhan to a clean and fresh set, and there were faint movements coming from the living room.

She walked over and saw Gao Zhan, wearing only boxer shorts, standing at the coffee corner, quietly brewing tea with a tea boiler. The clock on the wall pointed to 2:30 AM.

"Finished washing?"

Seeing her come out, Gao Zhan immediately greeted her, his palm gently pressing against her cheek: "Are you cold?"

Shen Ci pursed her lips and smiled, shaking her head gently.

"As long as you're not cold. It's the change of seasons, and I'm afraid you'll get sick." Gao Zhan pulled her to sit on the sofa and casually pulled over a blanket, carefully draping it over her shoulders. "Wait for me; I brewed some calming tea for you. Drink a little before sleeping; it will be much more peaceful."

As a doctor, he always kept these things at home.

The tea brewed was as clear as water, yet it drifted with a light and peaceful fragrance that made one feel calm just by smelling it.

Gao Zhan blew on it gently before placing it in front of her: "It's a bit hot; wait a while before drinking."

He was always like this, reminding her over and over that eating or drinking things that were too hot would hurt her esophagus.

Shen Ci looked at his perfect physique right before her eyes and couldn't help but smile: "Why aren't you wearing pajamas? On purpose?"

Gao Zhan looked down at himself, then looked up at her, nodding honestly and directly: "Yeah, didn't you say I'm the sexiest like this?"

Shen Ci had indeed said that.

Gao Zhan had two looks that made her heart beat the fastest—

One was when he wore a white coat, calm and professional, ascetic and charming; the other was right now, casual and extremely tense.

So it's said that men sometimes play little tricks to gain a girl's attention.

And Gao Zhan's actions were clumsy and cute, which she liked.

Gao Zhan sat down beside her, holding the teacup in one hand and naturally pulling her into his arms with the other. Shen Ci shared half the blanket with him, afraid he would catch a cold, but her fingers were restless, causing trouble under the blanket.

Gao Zhan's lips curled slightly, still patiently blowing on the tea, letting her mess around.

Until the temperature was just right, he handed the teacup to her: "It's okay now, drink slowly."

Shen Ci wasn't shy at all, taking the tea and drinking it slowly. The water temperature was just right, the tea fragrance was peaceful, and her mind soon settled down; the cup was empty in no time.

She put down the cup and lay down, resting directly on Gao Zhan's lap.

Before he could speak, Shen Ci's voice was soft and calm: "I want to lie like this for a while."

Gao Zhan looked down at the top of her head, his fingertips gently stroking her hair, saying nothing more, just accompanying her quietly.

Perhaps that cup of calming tea really had a miraculous effect, or perhaps his legs were more reassuring than a pillow; Shen Ci didn't lie for long before falling into a deep sleep.

Gao Zhan sat on the sofa all night without moving, and eventually fell asleep as well.

This sleep was peaceful and dreamless.

Until the morning sun spilled down the next day, Shen Ci's eyelashes trembled slightly in her sleep, and in her daze, she felt a pair of large hands supporting her neck.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up, meeting Gao Zhan's gentle, smiling eyes in the morning light.

"Awake?"

"Yeah..." Shen Ci responded in a murmur, stretching her body like a kitten, feeling refreshed.

"Looks like you slept very well; my cup of calming tea worked." But before he could finish, Gao Zhan suddenly gasped: "Hiss... no, baby, you get up first; my leg is numb, I'm going to get a cramp."

Shen Ci hurriedly sat up. Looking at Gao Zhan's face, she couldn't help but feel moved: "You're something else; if I was asleep, you should have just woken me up. Why sit on the sofa all night?"

"You had a nightmare in the first half of the night; if I woke you up in the second half, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to rest well all night." Gao Zhan said, standing up and gently kneading the numb part of his leg, acting as if it didn't matter: "It's fine, it'll be better in a moment. Are you hungry? Should I go get you some breakfast?"

Shen Ci glanced at the time and shook her head gently: "No, I'll go to the hospital with you; it's just right to go for a physical checkup on an empty stomach."

She would have a comprehensive physical checkup every two or three months, which had now become a habit. Not only herself, but she also required her family to have regular checkups.

Military Second Hospital Inpatient Department.

In the VIP ward, Li Wanchang's irritable complaints could be heard early in the morning: "I told you yesterday to hurry up and handle the discharge procedures, but you just had to dilly-dally."

Mrs. Li didn't feel she had done anything wrong at all: "The doctor said you should be discharged today; are you really missing this one night? Listen to the doctor; Xiao Zai and I can rest easy, right?"

Li Wanchang stared, perhaps stifled by being in this ward for so many days, his temper becoming increasingly irritable.

Seeing his parents about to argue again, Li Xiao hurriedly tried to persuade them: "Alright, Dad, aren't we leaving soon? Mom is also worried about you; she doesn't understand anything, so she can only listen to the doctor."

"Exactly..." Mrs. Li muttered softly.

Li Wanchang stared and suppressed his temper, finally letting out a cold snort. ===== CHAPTER 967 =====