Ten minutes later, Chi Yu returned to the hospital ward.
When Jiang Zhirou saw that he was alone, there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. She craned her neck to look behind him.
Seeing this, Chi Yu quickly explained, "Grandpa Jiang had something urgent to attend to, so he left first."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the disappointment on Jiang Zhirou's face was clearly visible.
They had just met, and now he was gone.
Chi Yu didn't miss the disappointed look on her face. He took two steps forward and consoled her, "There's still plenty of time. We don't have to rush this one day."
Jiang Zhirou looked at Chi Yu and nodded slightly.
There was indeed still a lot of time, but that was on the premise that she remained unrecognized.
If her identity were to be exposed, what would her grandfather's attitude be?
She didn't know.
She also didn't want to think too much about things that hadn't happened yet.
Her top priority now was to solve the urgent matter at hand.
"Brother Chi Yu, let Mianbao stay at my place for a few days," Lu Wenxi suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this, Chi Yu turned to look at Jiang Zhirou. "Do you want to stay with Wenxi?"
Jiang Zhirou nodded.
She was the one who had proposed this in the first place, so of course she wanted to. However, she had only meant for tonight. She didn't expect Lu Wenxi to extend the stay for a few more days.
This was even better. It would give her more opportunities to act alone.
She had been struggling with how to conduct a secret investigation under Chi Yu's nose. Now, Lu Wenxi was her perfect cover.
Seeing the person on the hospital bed nodding like a bobblehead, Chi Yu smiled. He instructed Jiang Zhirou like he would a child, "When you get to Wenxi's place, don't be lazy and sleep in. Remember to greet Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu. Cover yourself well at night. Be careful not to kick the covers off and catch a cold."
Hearing this, Lu Wenxi couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Brother Chi Yu, Mianbao is your girlfriend, not your daughter. The way you're talking sounds like you're teaching your daughter."
Lu Wenxi had spoken without much thought, but Chi Yu took it to heart.
Hearing her words, Chi Yu was momentarily stunned. He began to reflect.
It did seem that way. He always seemed to treat Qingmian like a child.
But she was already 23 years old. She wasn't a child anymore.
Thinking of this, Chi Yu subconsciously glanced at "Qingmian" on the hospital bed. There wasn't much of an expression on her face. It seemed like she hadn't paid much attention to his words.
Chi Yu was startled by his own chaotic thoughts and didn't say much more.
He turned to look at Lu Wenxi and joked, "Take good care of my baby these few days. If she comes back skinny, I'll come after you."
Hearing this, Lu Wenxi got goosebumps all over. She waved her hand at Chi Yu. "Okay, okay, I know. I really can't stand how lovey-dovey you two are."
Jiang Zhirou tugged at Chi Yu's衣角 and made a phone call gesture at him. Only then did Chi Yu realize and put "Qingmian"'s phone in her hand.
As soon as Jiang Zhirou got the phone, she immediately opened the memo.
Soon, she turned the screen towards Chi Yu.
"Even when I'm not home, remember to eat well. Don't work overtime too much. Remember to give Xiaoju a can of cat food every day."
Lu Wenxi also curiously leaned over to take a look.
When she saw the words on the screen, she looked at Jiang Zhirou. "Mianbao, you're only staying at my place for a few days. Why do you make it sound like it's a life-and-death separation? You've been with Brother Chi Yu for too long. You've even been infected by his nagging."
Looking at the words of concern on the screen, Chi Yu felt warm inside. He stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "Have a good time. I'll be waiting for you at home."
Chi Yu's voice came from above her head. Jiang Zhirou rested her head on his chest and nodded seriously.
Not long after, Jiang Zhirou put the phone in her pocket and broke free from Chi Yu's embrace. She took the medicine from his hand.
The three of them went to the parking lot. After Chi Yu helped "Qingmian" into the car, he nagged for a while before reluctantly letting her go.
It wasn't until Lu Wenxi's car disappeared from sight that Chi Yu retracted his gaze and got into his own car.
...
...
The red Ferrari sped down the broad avenue.
Inside the car, Lu Wenxi glanced at "Qingmian" in the passenger seat.
Since getting in the car, she had been lowering her head and concentrating on something.
"Mianbao, what are you looking at so intently?"
Hearing the voice, Jiang Zhirou silently exited the page and casually opened a shopping app.
Just as she was about to speak, Lu Wenxi's voice rang out again.
"Oh, I forgot. You still can't talk right now."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhirou turned to look at her. She couldn't help but think that Chen Qingmian was actually quite lucky.
Compared to her, Chen Qingmian had a lot.
She had friends, family, and a lover.
Jiang Zhirou had nothing.
Come to think of it, Si Moshen was probably just as miserable as her. They had nothing.
No friends, no family, and no lover.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhirou felt a little better.
At least she wasn't the most miserable. Si Moshen was just as miserable despite being so rich.
...
The car soon drove into the Lu family's villa.
Jiang Zhirou had underestimated how popular Chen Qingmian was in the Lu family.
As soon as the car drove into the parking lot and before she could even get out, she heard an excited male voice.
"Sister's here!"
The voice cracked. It sounded a bit like a monkey's cry.
As Jiang Zhirou was thinking this, Lu Wenxuan had already appeared in front of her.
Before she could recover from Lu Wenxuan's enthusiastic welcome, Mrs. Lu's voice followed.
"Qingmian's here."
As she spoke, the woman walked up to Jiang Zhirou. The next second, she reached out and linked her arm with Jiang Zhirou's. "I heard from Wenxi that you're coming to stay for a few days. I specifically asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of your favorite dishes. Your taste hasn't changed, has it?"
Fu Huiyi held Jiang Zhirou's hand and kept talking enthusiastically.
Jiang Zhirou wasn't used to this kind of enthusiasm. She instinctively wanted to pull her hand away, but when she saw the smile on Fu Huiyi's face, her hand suddenly stopped.
She had never seen such an expression before.
This kind of expression that showed happiness because of her arrival was something she was seeing for the first time.
When she was a child, Jiang Yuezhong had been cold to her. She had never seen such an expression on his face.
And her biological mother, Jiang Yan, rarely showed such strong emotions because of the psychiatric drugs. So she had never seen this expression on Jiang Yan's face either.
But today, she saw it on a strange woman's face.
Jiang Zhirou stared blankly at the bright and happy smile on Fu Huiyi's face. She didn't hear what Fu Huiyi was saying. She just saw her mouth opening and closing, and the smile on her face never faded.
"Mom, Mianbao still can't talk. Her throat hasn't recovered yet," Lu Wenxi's voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing this, the smile on Fu Huiyi's face faded a little.
The original happiness turned into worry. She stopped walking, and her brows were full of concern.
"It's okay, Qingmian. Auntie will make you some throat-moistening soup tonight. Auntie's soup is the most effective. Drink it, and your throat will be better right away."
Looking at the woman's expression in front of her, Jiang Zhirou nodded vigorously.
She suddenly felt a bit lucky that she couldn't speak right now. This way, she could hold back the soreness in her throat and nose.