Song Jinzhi was right, the soup Gu Sijiu wanted was not only far away but also required a long wait once she arrived. If she hadn't placed an order in advance, Song Jinzhi would have had to stand outside with the crowd for one or two hours in the cool autumn gloom. Even so, the round trip still took three hours. By the time Song Jinzhi returned, Gu Sijiu had already drifted off to sleep on the bed.
As Song Jinzhi pushed the door open and saw Gu Sijiu asleep in the room, she immediately lightened her movements and footsteps. She placed the porridge and soup she had bought on the table and walked slowly inside. Perhaps because her wounds were hurting again, Gu Sijiu had her hand resting on her side, and even in her sleep, her brow was tightly furrowed. On her way to buy the soup, Song Jinzhi had asked Shan Ni'er for Gu Sijiu's combat recorder.
This was a common tool installed on mechs by the military, specifically used to record details and incidents during combat. Generally, ordinary individuals like Song Jinzhi didn't have the authority or qualifications to access such information. However, being Gu Sijiu's fiancée and with Gu Sijiu being a major general, Song Jinzhi was granted access to the backup by Shan Ni'er.
Before watching it, Song Jinzhi had already mentally prepared herself, but when she saw Gu Sijiu's mech suddenly stop and get pierced by a long spear from another mech, her heart lurched. She watched as Gu Sijiu sustained serious injuries and struggled helplessly under the debris. A few hours later, she saw her being pulled out by rescuers, covered in blo.od.
Song Jinzhi's heart raced, especially when she saw that blo.od. The physiological discomfort felt like a lump in her chest, making her feel anxious. During the hours of waiting, she fast-forwarded the recordings, but her eyes still turned red at that moment. She could hardly imagine how Gu Sijiu had endured those hours with such injuries.
Although the video couldn't convey the emotions, Song Jinzhi felt despair and fear from the meager footage. On the way back from the restaurant, Song Jinzhi activated the autopilot at full speed, eager to see Gu Sijiu as soon as possible, otherwise, her anxious heart wouldn't find peace. Standing by the bed with red eyes, she knew her hands were cold, so she warmed them in her pockets before reaching out to touch Gu Sijiu's face.
She was very gentle, carefully brushing her fingers against Gu Sijiu's delicate cheek. Her skin was warm, a living body. It was absurd. In the past, Song Jinzhi had wished more than once for the scu.mbag Gu Sijiu to disappear from the world. Now, she feared Gu Sijiu putting herself in danger again. She didn't want to see her lying weakly in bed or being carried out of a mech in a critical state.
"Gu Sijiu, what am I going to do with you?" Song Jinzhi sighed helplessly, lightly patting Gu Sijiu's shoulder, intending to wake her. She had been asleep for a long time without eating anything. While rest was important, the hot soup that was brought back should be consumed while still warm. Gu Sijiu was sound asleep, so much so that it took Song Jinzhi quite a while of calling her before she groggily woke up.
"You're back." Gu Sijiu had just woken up, her mind still groggy. Seeing Song Jinzhi's face so close, she couldn't help but smile, her bright red eyes filled with affection and warmth. Her voice was soft and light, with a cheerful lilt at the end, sounding genuinely happy. Song Jinzhi felt that Gu Sijiu wasn't just saying "back" but rather "here," yet the cheerful tone made it sound almost like a cheer.
Song Jinzhi was captivated by Gu Sijiu's appearance at that moment. She even thought, if she became Gu Sijiu's girlfriend, would she get to be looked at like this every day and hear such a lighthearted tone? If it could last forever, it would truly be an addictive and enjoyable experience. Lost in thought, she forgot to withdraw her hand resting on Gu Sijiu's shoulder until Gu Sijiu frowned at her, prompting Song Jinzhi to snap back to reality.
"I bought the soup you wanted, as well as some porridge. You should eat it while it's hot." Song Jinzhi said as she returned with the purchased items, and Gu Sijiu was slightly displeased by the unintended inti.macy she had displayed. She looked at Song Jinzhi with a stern and cold expression, a look that could scare a child.
"Is it the flavor I wanted? If it's not what I asked for, I won't eat it." Gu Sijiu said stubbornly. Song Jinzhi nodded in response, first serving a small bowl of porridge and sitting at the edge of the bed holding it. Gu Sijiu wanted to eat by herself, but she lacked the strength and also wanted to tease Song Jinzhi a bit, enjoying the feeling of being cared for. She leaned back against the bed, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth, waiting to be fed.
"Ah, it's too hot. Don't you know how to blow on it? What if you burn my tongue?" Gu Sijiu touched the porridge, deliberately finding fault. Song Jinzhi knew the porridge wasn't too hot and was just right for eating, but since Gu Sijiu said so, she had no choice but to blow on it repeatedly before feeding her.
"Ah, now it's too cold. The doctor said I can't eat anything that are too cold." Gu Sijiu continued to look for trouble, and Song Jinzhi complied, wishing she could find a hundred different ways to feed her a single spoonful of porridge. Seeing her submissive demeanor only made Gu Sijiu feel more displeased. She thought it was unfair that Song Jinzhi only acted this way at times like these, and it was only then that she cared about her. Clearly not liking her, yet being so compliant—it made Gu Sijiu angry at Song Jinzhi, and also at herself for not being able to truly vent her anger.
"I don't want to eat anymore." Gu Sijiu had only eaten a few bites of porridge and hadn't even touched the soup before wanting to lie down. Noticing her pale expression, Song Jinzhi understood what was going on. She regretted the previous period of distance that had turned their relationship into what it was now.
"Gu Sijiu, I know you're upset with me, and I admit I've done some very wrong things. My previous actions caused you distress, and I sincerely apologize for that. I was just afraid... During your time in the hospital, I didn't want to worry about anything else, I just wanted to take good care of you. You can take it out on me, but please don't take it out on your own body."
Song Jinzhi hesitated for a moment, unable to voice the words hidden in her heart. Her feelings were still tangled, and all she wanted was to set aside those entanglements and focus entirely on taking care of Gu Sijiu. Song Jinzhi's softening approach seemed to work. Gu Sijiu, upon hearing her, stopped throwing a tantrum, obediently finished a bowl of porridge, drank half a bowl of soup, and then lay down.
After Song Jinzhi finished her tasks, she ate the remaining porridge and soup to fill her stomach. Gu Sijiu noticed her fatigue and wanted her to rest for a bit. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Gu Sijiu held them back. Why should she care about Song Jinzhi? She wasn't a lapdog, let her do as she pleased. With this thought, Gu Sijiu glanced at Song Jinzhi and spoke harshly.
"Hey, can you stop sitting at the edge of the bed and staring at me? With you staring like that, who can sleep well? There's a sofa over there, go lie down on that." Gu Sijiu waved her hands at Song Jinzhi like swatting flies. Song Jinzhi hadn't realized that her sitting there was bothering her. With no choice, she moved to the sofa. After sitting for a while, Song Jinzhi began to feel sleepy. She hadn't had proper rest these past few days, and upon encountering the soft sofa, she fell asleep instantly. Gu Sijiu lay in bed, seeing that she was sleeping even more soundly than herself, and curled her lips in a smile before closing her eyes.
The two of them slept deeply, and when Song Jinzhi woke up again, the sky had turned from light to dark. She received a call from the hospital front desk, saying that a person claiming to be Gu Sijiu's friend wanted to visit. The news of Gu Sijiu's injury hadn't spread, and most of her friends were unaware. Song Jinzhi didn't know where this friend came from, but just then, Gu Sijiu also woke up, so she asked her directly.
"A lady named Evie wants to visit you. Do you know her?" Gu Sijiu hadn't expected Evie to be so well-informed and to come see her. She instantly felt happy and urged Song Jinzhi to let her in. The two of them waited quietly, and the sound of high heels tapping in the corridor indicated that it was undoubtedly the flashy Evie.
Song Jinzhi stood at the door waiting. When the other party pushed the door open, a familiar sweet scent of fruit wine wafted into her nose. Song Jinzhi was taken aback, she was familiar with this scent, having smelled it countless times on Gu Sijiu. Every time Gu Sijiu returned from a bar, she would surely carry this scent. This time, Song Jinzhi finally saw the owner of this pheromone.
Evie had always liked extravagant and glamorous attire, even when visiting a patient. She was dressed in limited edition designer clothes, holding a just-purchased limited edition handbag. Song Jinzhi, who was knowledgeable about such things, could tell that the value of Evie's outfit lay not in the clothes themselves but in the fact that they were not just purchasable with money. Evie's background was extraordinary.
"Hello, I'm Evie." Evie greeted Song Jinzhi with a smile upon seeing her at the door, pretending to be casual while appraising her from head to toe, lingering slightly longer on her bre.ast and hips. Her appraisal was discreet and did not come off as offensive, and Song Jinzhi didn't notice.
"Hello, I'm Song Jinzhi, Gu Sijiu's fiancée." When Evie extended her hand, Song Jinzhi smiled and introduced herself, voluntarily adding the detail of being Gu Sijiu's fiancée. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to emphasize that, the words just slipped out before she could think.
"Oh? I've heard Gu Sijiu mention Miss Song before. It's truly a pleasure to meet you today." Evie said with a smile, before entering with Song Jinzhi to see Gu Sijiu. The two were used to teasing each other, and if Song Jinzhi hadn't been there, Evie would definitely have hugged the poor Gu Sijiu. But now that the legitimate fiancée was beside her, Evie naturally had to hold back a bit.
"How's your body? Is everything alright?" Evie asked seriously while standing by the bed.
Gu Sijiu smiled and replied, "I won't die."
Evie came empty-handed and didn't bring any gifts, just gave Gu Sijiu a card. When Gu Sijiu took it, she found it was a card for a winery. This winery has branches on various planets, and any bottle from there is globally limited edition. Gu Sijiu didn't expect Evie to be so generous, and... giving a winery card as a get-well gift is something only Evie would do.
"Hey, you have good taste. Your Miss Song, I'd give her a score of 99, deducting one point to avoid making you jealous." Evie suddenly whispered in Gu Sijiu's ear after chatting for a while. This small detail didn't escape Song Jinzhi's notice, and she frowned slightly, feeling an indescribable sense of loss. She could see the harmonious atmosphere between Gu Sijiu and Evie, and Gu Sijiu enjoyed spending time with her.
Seeing the inti.mate chat between the two, even flirting in front of her, the fiancée, Song Jinzhi felt uncomfortable in her heart. She stepped out in silence, leaving the space to Evie and Gu Sijiu. Although out of sight, her heart remained inside the room, not leaving with her. Song Jinzhi was aware that her current behavior was quite petty, repeatedly avoiding Gu Sijiu, yet feeling uncomfortable seeing her being close with another Omega.
Fortunately, Evie didn't stay long and soon left Gu Sijiu's hospital room. Before leaving, she shot a flirtatious smile at Song Jinzhi. As a fellow Omega, Song Jinzhi interpreted that smile as a provocation. She returned to the hospital room with a cold expression, seeing Gu Sijiu smiling at the winery card in her hand, feeling a mix of emotions.
Evie, of course, had no idea her presence would cause such a misunderstanding. She exited the hospital and opened her communicator.
"Lan Lan, are you at home?" Evie spoke, but there was no immediate response from the other end of the line, as if digesting the use of the name "Lan Lan."
"Yeah, I'm at home."
"Oh, I see. I'll come over now."
"It's late... maybe you should..."
Before Wen Qiulan could finish her sentence, Evie had already ended the call. She stood in place, thinking about the name "Lan Lan," feeling a flush of warmth in her ears.
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