Chapter 61: So Handsome

Seeing the man staring at her continuously, An Ling felt a little embarrassed and looked away.

Suddenly turning back and returning, it was indeed a bit strange.

Fortunately, she had already thought of an excuse.

"I came to bring you dinner. Auntie Cheng cooked some fresh millet porridge for you. The one Secretary Chen brought was too bland. I also cut up some fruit."

After speaking, she lifted the insulated food jar beside her to show him.

The man didn't speak, still staring at her blankly. A few seconds later, he blinked abruptly, then flusteredly lowered his eyes, his thin lips pressed together.

An Ling blinked at his reaction.

She couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. Glancing at the untouched white porridge on the floor, she tilted her head and leaned in, "Do you want to eat? I haven't eaten either, shall we eat together?"

Shen Linyan looked up, meeting the laughter in the woman's eyes. His gaze flickered slightly, and he slowly nodded, his voice a bit hoarse: "Okay."

An Ling took out the porridge. In fact, she had already eaten at home, but eating together would make things less awkward.

After portioning a little out for herself, she gave the rest to Shen Linyan.

Watching him lower his head and eat quietly, she stared for a while and suddenly spoke up, "Has your fever gone down a bit now?"

As she spoke, she naturally reached out to feel the man's forehead, then pulled the blanket up a bit higher, chattering away.

"It doesn't seem as hot as it was at first. Are you still dizzy? I heard that when you have a fever, you feel cold, so I specifically asked Secretary Chen to bring a blanket over. You need to stay covered. Speaking of which, why did you let Secretary Chen leave? Such a grand chairman, sick here with no one to look after you, so pitiful."

When she ran into Secretary Chen downstairs at the hospital earlier, she still held onto a sliver of hope, guessing that he might just be going home to fetch something.

But Secretary Chen said Chairman Shen told him to just go back.

Hearing those words at the time, An Ling felt a sense of "I knew it" in her heart.

Shen Linyan didn't like to trouble others, so he would definitely send Secretary Chen away.

The moment the woman's palm pressed against his forehead, Shen Linyan's movements froze. He turned his head to watch her speak.

A few seconds later, he put down the food jar, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "Thank you..."

An Ling paused for a moment, then her eyes curved into a smile.

Propping up her chin, she seriously raised her index finger and wagged it. "What are you thanking me for? When you recover, remember to transfer me a nursing fee. I'm not free, you know. Hmm... I'll give Chairman Shen a discount. How about a hundred bucks? I'll just charge you for the cab fare."

Under the light, the woman's long, dark hair was casually tied up, with a few strands falling by her ears. Her beautiful eyes looked at him with a smile, and her long, curled eyelashes were like little fans, gently sweeping across his heart.

Noticing his gaze, she blinked blankly and touched her own face.

"Why are you looking at me? Is a hundred bucks too much? Then fifty?"

The man lowered his head and chuckled softly, his voice very light: "Okay."

An Ling hummed a laugh. "Then it's a deal. Remember to transfer it to me. You rest now, I'll keep an eye on your IV drip for you."

She packed away the food jar and took out her earphones from her bag, intending to watch some shows.

With so much time to kill, she had to find something to do.

Just as she was about to put them on, she glanced at the man beside her, hesitated for a moment, and offered one earphone. "Do you want to watch?"

The man nodded, shifting the blanket a little more toward her side.

An Ling didn't refuse, moving the phone to the middle.

These past few days, for the sake of studying, An Ling had been watching other variety shows of the same genre.

She slightly raised her head, lowered her voice, and said with a smile, "The variety show Shen Fuyuan is going to film is also this kind."

It was Shen Linyan's first time watching something like this. Hearing her words, his eyes curved.

"With her temper, it seems it will be very hard to edit."

"Exactly." An Ling laughed out loud.

Even her own brother agreed; if Shen Fuyuan knew, she would probably get mad again.

Recalling Nan Zhechuan's words from that day, she also grew somewhat interested. She leaned close to the man's ear and whispered, "If we end up bringing hate to Chairman Shen's sister, will Chairman Shen make our show get taken down?"

The warm breath exhaled by the woman brushed against his ear, enveloped in a unique fragrance. Her smiling voice carried a hint of teasing, like a tiny hook.

Shen Linyan's body stiffened slightly, but he quickly recovered. Curving his lips, he said gently, "Having public discussion and heat is a good thing for your show. Sacrificing Shen Fuyuan alone isn't a loss."

An Ling held the phone and froze for a moment. After snapping back to reality, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"You said it yourself, no taking it back! If the show gets popular, you can't take our show down."

Shen Linyan nodded lightly. "Mm, I said it. I won't take it back."

An Ling smiled and shifted her gaze back to the phone screen, saying meaningfully, "Then I've just obtained a get-out-of-jail-free card."

The two watched for a while longer, occasionally chatting about the content of the variety show.

An Ling completely forgot she was there to study, getting caught up in discussing the content with Shen Linyan.

Looking at the scenes on the phone, she couldn't help but chuckle softly. Just as she was about to turn her head and share it with Shen Linyan, her shoulder suddenly felt heavy.

Turning her head to look, she saw that Shen Linyan had fallen asleep with his eyes closed at some point.

The man's brows and eyes carried traces of exhaustion, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes. It seemed he hadn't slept well these past few days.

His soft hair gently brushed against the side of her neck. His breathing was steady, the hot breath spilling onto her skin.

An Ling silently muted her phone.

A nurse came over right on time to change the IV bottle. Seeing An Ling sitting there, she couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

Noticing that Shen Linyan was asleep, she didn't speak either, quietly replacing the IV bottle.

After the nurse left, An Ling watched the variety show for a little while longer, but found she couldn't really get into it. Finally, she turned off her phone.

She leaned against the back of the chair, staring at the clock on the wall. The longer she stared, the sleepier she got. She yawned out of boredom and twirled her phone in her hands.

Having stayed up too late last night, not resting all day, and repeatedly watching videos at work, she was actually getting a bit sleepy now too.

To distract herself, An Ling lowered her head, her gaze circling the man's face before she nodded in approval.

She had to admit, no matter how many times she looked at Shen Linyan's face, she would never get tired of it.

So handsome.

While marveling at this, she tilted her head back, squinting at the IV bottle above.

This bottle is so big, it feels like it'll be dripping for a long time. The nurse should be keeping an eye on it too, right?

Earlier, she hadn't even called for the nurse, and the nurse had come over on her own.

Just in case, she yawned and set a vibrating alarm for twenty minutes later. Then, she leaned back against the chair and gently closed her eyes.

Not long after closing her eyes and falling asleep, she suddenly felt the weight on her shoulder lift. She groggily opened her eyes, "Hmm?"

The next second, someone gently covered her eyes.

The man's gentle, deep voice sounded by her ear.

"It's okay, go to sleep. I'll watch the IV drip."

Catching the keyword "IV drip," the man's warm palm and familiar cedar scent made An Ling instantly drop her guard. She nodded sleepily, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.

Shen Linyan lowered his eyes, gently rested her head on his shoulder, and picked up the blanket to cover her.

He lowered his head, his gaze soft. His nose gently brushed against the hair on top of the woman's head, the corners of his lips curling up in an imperceptible arc.

His gaze slowly fell on the woman's hand resting on her lap. After a moment of silence, he slowly reached out his hand.

His movements were gentle yet restrained. His fingertips brushed against hers first, and only after making sure she didn't react did he softly hook his fingers around hers.

Just like that night in the garage, it was his way of coaxing his angry wife.

But this gesture, once so incredibly ordinary, would no longer belong to him.