Chapter 2

Qingcheng People’s Hospital.

As soon as the doctor finished her examination and stepped out of the room, Mu Shengsheng and Zhao Minghui surrounded her. “Doctor Zheng.” After glancing at the name badge on her uniform, Mu Shengsheng asked impatiently, “How is she?”

“Her fever has come down. There’s nothing seriously wrong.” Zheng Yiru spoke calmly, but the moment she saw Mu Shengsheng, she stopped in her tracks.

“That’s good. That’s good.” Mu Shengsheng completely failed to notice this subtle change. She patted her chest, still shaken by the ordeal.

“Which of you is the patient’s family member?” Zheng Yiru asked them.

“I am.” Mu Shengsheng glanced at Zhao Minghui before timidly raising her hand.

“Come to my office first.” Zheng Yiru spoke as she walked. Mu Shengsheng followed behind her, and Zhao Minghui followed as well.

“What is your relationship with the patient?” Zheng Yiru asked after pulling out a ​Read on BaiLianTales​chair and sitting down.

Her girlfriend? Her kept woman? Her sugar mommy? After her thoughts descended into chaos, Mu Shengsheng said, “I’m her older sister.” The scumbag top was probably older than Xia Hanying, right? She had not paid much attention to that! Zhao Minghui stood silently behind her, seemingly tacitly accepting her explanation.

Mu Shengsheng then looked nervously at Doctor Zheng, terrified that she would ask more questions. Her behavior was far too suspicious. Yet Doctor Zheng seemed not to notice her hesitation at all and casually flipped through the file. “Forgive me for asking, but the gentleman behind you is…”

“I’m Miss Mu’s butler,” Zhao Minghui quickly answered when the question turned to him.

After briefly learning the situation, Zheng Yiru adjusted her glasses and followed the proper medical procedure, explaining the patient’s physical condition and the cause of her illness.

“It’s that serious?” Mu Shengsheng exclaimed.

“Yes.” Zheng Yiru nodded calmly. She had admittedly embellished certain details and made them sound somewhat more serious, but if things continued this way, these were indeed conditions the patient would eventually develop.

“I hope her family will take this seriously. After spending so long in the rain, catching a cold and developing a fever are normal. What’s more important is the patient’s diet and daily routine…”

Mu Shengsheng listened attentively to every word the doctor said. “Doctor Zheng, how should she recuperate afterward? Do Read on BaiLianTales you have any recommendations?”

“If you want to know the patient’s precise physical condition, she’ll need further examinations.” Zheng Yiru swiftly added several notes to the medical record.

“All right, all right.” Mu Shengsheng hurriedly agreed. In truth, even if Doctor Zheng had not mentioned it, she would still have arranged some examinations for Xia Hanying.

“You don’t need to worry too much, either.” Zheng Yiru rubbed her nose, feeling slightly guilty. Yet when she saw the woman before her taking every word to heart, she could not help finding it amusing.

“Then I’ll leave you to your work, Doctor Zheng.”

“Mm.” After replying, Doctor Zheng continued looking through the other medical records. Mu Shengsheng quietly closed the door and left.

The person inside laughed the moment the door closed. “Interesting. Did she develop feelings during the term of their contract?”

“President Mu.” Seeing that it was already nine in the evening, Zhao Minghui suggested, “Why don’t I find a caregiver to look after Miss Xia? That way, you can also—”

“No need.” Mu Shengsheng refused outright. “Brother Minghui, go bailiantales.com handle her hospital admission first.”

“I’ll go right away.” The first time was unfamiliar, but the second made it easier. After hearing her call him that twice, Zhao Minghui no longer found it strange and immediately went to complete the admission procedures.

After asking a young nurse for directions, Mu Shengsheng quietly entered the room. Someone lay peacefully on the hospital bed, looking frail, though her breathing was steady and relaxed. A large IV bag hung above her, its contents slowly flowing into her body.

“President Mu.” After several minutes had passed, Zhao Minghui appeared in the ward again.

Mu Shengsheng gestured for him to speak outside. Zhao Minghui immediately retreated with light steps, and the two found a stairwell where they could talk.

“President Mu, Miss Xia’s hospital admission has been completed.” However, President Mu had just refused to hire a caregiver, so who would look after Miss Xia?

“I can do it myself,” Mu Shengsheng said. “Brother Minghui, go back and see if Auntie Chen is home. Ask her to find me some clothes to change into. As for Miss Xia, prepare one or two sets of new clothes for her as well. We’ll also need toiletries. I’ll have to trouble you to buy all of them, Brother Minghui.”

Zhao Minghui was overwhelmed by the unexpected courtesy. “Those things are no trouble at all, but President Mu, are you certain you intend to care for Miss Xia personally?”

What else was she supposed to do? Xia Hanying had stood in the rain for so long because of read the original at bailiantales.comher—bah, because of the original scumbag top! No matter what, she could not simply abandon her now, could she? There was no way to justify that from any perspective!

“By the way, Brother Minghui, call my secretary later. Tell her to cancel whatever engagements can be canceled tomorrow and over the next few days. Postpone those that can’t be canceled. Anything requiring my review and signature should be delivered before dinner every evening.”

“All right.” Zhao Minghui noted everything down one by one.

When Mu Shengsheng entered the ward again, the person on the bed was still sleeping peacefully. Mu Shengsheng sat beside her for half an hour. When the IV bag was nearly empty, she reached for the call button but then withdrew her hand. She turned down the flow rate instead, then left the room to find the nurse on duty.

After the needle was removed, Mu Shengsheng pressed the cotton swab against the puncture site for a while. Once she saw that no blood was seeping out, she threw the cotton swab away and carefully pulled the blanket a little higher over Xia Hanying. The person on the bed was sleeping deeply. She had not reacted to Mu Shengsheng’s movements, nor had she shown the slightest awareness when the needle was removed.

The rain outside had stopped long ago. After the storm, people came and went, accompanied by the occasional honking of car horns, cries of street vendors, and children’s sobs…

Mu Shengsheng slowly walked to the window and drew each curtain closed. The nurse had already adjusted the temperature inside the room. It was neither too cold nor too warm, just right for a patient.

Once everything had been settled, Mu Shengsheng finally relaxed completely. Only then did she take her first proper look at Xia Hanying’s face.

As expected of a protagonist. Although she knew Xia Hanying should be beautiful, seeing [unauthorized copy]that face still compelled her to marvel.

Her brows and eyes, her nose, her lips—any more would have been excessive, while any less would have left something lacking. Her skin was smooth and delicate, brimming with collagen. As she lay there quietly, even Sleeping Beauty could hardly have looked more enchanting. It truly made Mu Shengsheng curious about how she would look with her eyes open, lively and active.

Mu Shengsheng spent a full ten minutes staring at her while letting her imagination wander. This could not be blamed on her. She had been obsessed with beautiful faces since childhood and could never resist taking a few more glances whenever she encountered someone attractive.

Besides, this person was now her girlfriend. Although she could not share the scumbag top’s feelings, she could still experience some resonance through her memories…

Mu Shengsheng! What are you even thinking? After inwardly berating herself, Mu Shengsheng suddenly remembered that she should not look bad either. Oh, right. She could be considered half a protagonist during the early part of the story, so surely she could not be unattractive, could she?

At that thought, Mu Shengsheng could no longer sit still. She left the room, only to freeze the moment she stood before the restroom mirror. Thoroughly disappointed, she returned to the ward. She could hardly believe it. How could she have been cast from the same mold in both lifetimes? Could she not have gotten at least a little variation?!

The same name and the same appearance—it truly made her wonder whether this person might actually be another version of herself.

No, no. She was not such a scumbag! She had never even dated before. She was a pure and innocent young beauty who knew nothing except studying hard and improving every day!

The door to the ward opened again. Mu Shengsheng looked toward the entrance and saw a middle-aged woman in a floral-print dress enter carrying an insulated food bailiantales.comcontainer. The woman was slightly plump and had a kind face. Mu Shengsheng quickly realized that she was Auntie Chen, who had cared for the original Mu Shengsheng since childhood.

“Auntie Chen.” Mu Shengsheng walked several steps toward the door. Auntie Chen set down the insulated food container and followed her outside. As she did, she glanced at the hospital bed and felt considerably reassured.

“Why did you come here?” Judging by the time, Zhao Minghui should not have reached home yet, right?

“I heard about it from the people at home,” Auntie Chen said. “So I hurriedly cooked some porridge and brought it over.”

“Thank you, Auntie Chen,” Mu Shengsheng said somewhat stiffly. After all, this was someone who had been with the original Mu Shengsheng since childhood, so she could not help feeling nervous.

“Has Miss finally come to her senses?” Auntie Chen asked with a smile concealed behind pursed lips.

“Huh?” Unable to follow what she meant at all, Mu Shengsheng froze.

“I heard Butler Zhao say that Miss plans to care for Miss Xia personally. I won’t disturb you, then. I’ll return home and pack everything now, so Butler Zhao can deliver all the necessary items together.”

Before Mu Shengsheng could say anything else, Auntie Chen pushed her back inside, [unauthorized copy]not forgetting to remind her, “Take good care of Miss Xia.”

It had all happened rather suddenly. Although Mu Shengsheng had known from the beginning that Auntie Chen treated Xia Hanying well, she had still not expected this. Just as the book had said, Auntie Chen truly supported the two of them being together.

In the original novel, the scumbag top had fallen asleep and only woken up that evening. Xia Hanying had gone from standing in the rain to kneeling there in a half-conscious state. In the end, Auntie Chen returned from an errand and forcibly took her to the hospital.

Xia Hanying’s condition had been far more serious then. One could say that she had nearly lost half her life. When the scumbag top heard what had happened, she felt a moment of anxiety and hastily invented an excuse to visit the hospital, only to find Xia Hanying seemingly perfectly fine.

How could Xia Hanying possibly have allowed her to see that she was unwell? Yet the scumbag top knew nothing about that and assumed Xia Hanying had conspired with Auntie Chen to deceive her. Her anger instantly flared. By sheer coincidence, she also ran into Yu Ruibing, who had come to visit a friend at the hospital and happened to be one of the original Mu Shengsheng’s ambiguous romantic interests. One could easily imagine the scene that followed.

After that incident, half of Xia Hanying’s love for the original Mu Shengsheng died. Of course, when she learned about something else later, she became even more devastated, overwhelmed by pain and plunged into utter despair.

Sigh. What a pity. The scumbag top had failed to cherish her when she should have, only to regret everything and try to make her stay after hurting Xia Hanying so thoroughly. What use was that?

Xia Hanying did not wake up. Mu Shengsheng drank some porridge herself, and by the time Zhao Minghui brought the daily necessities over, it was already eleven at night.

“Miss Xia still hasn’t woken up?”

“The doctor said she should get plenty of rest. She’s doing quite well now,” Mu Shengsheng said. “Brother Minghui, you should go home. I can manage by myself.”

“All right.” Zhao Minghui said nothing more.

There was a sofa in the ward, so Mu Shengsheng decided to make do with it for the night. Only after checking the room once more did she finally fall asleep with peace of mind.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she vaguely heard something moving. When Mu Shengsheng opened her eyes, the sky outside was already bright. Who had opened the curtains? She turned toward the bed. Where was she?

Rustling sounds came from the restroom. Mu Shengsheng hurried over just as the door opened. “You’re awake?” she exclaimed delightedly when she saw the person before her.