Chapter 28

The rain was pouring heavily, and the doctor couldn't come for a while. Yan Yunyang hung up the phone and looked down at the bundled up Zuo Mingran on the couch. "You..."

Before he could say another word, Zuo Mingran looked up in confusion, and their eyes met. The second half of Yan Yunyang's sentence got stuck in his throat.

The power was still out, so Yan Yunyang turned on the flashlight on his phone and placed it on the table, illuminating a small area in the dark for easier movement.

The flashlight's light was slightly bleak, but Zuo Mingran's face had an abnormal redness, probably due to difficulty breathing. She slightly opened her mouth, and her damp eyes looked at him innocently with her small face.

Yan Yunyang frowned and thought about the temperature he felt when he carried her over. He reached out to touch her forehead.

The temperature was much higher than he imagined, and Yan Yunyang furrowed his brows. "Why didn't you call when you were this sick?"

If he hadn't come back halfway, he didn't know how she would have turned out at home.

His hands were a bit cold, and Zuo Mingran instinctively leaned into his touch. She looked up with a hoarse voice and said, "Yan Yunyang, I want water."

Yan Yunyang calmly withdrew his hand and put the ice pack on her exposed ankle. In this short time, the twisted area had already swelled up, and compared to her still slender leg, it looked particularly alarming.

The cold and hard ice pack landed on her ankle, causing Zuo Mingran to unconsciously draw her leg back, inadvertently aggravating the sprain.

Zuo Mingran's face immediately turned pale from the pain, and Yan Yunyang glanced at her. Even though she was clearly in pain, she clenched her lips tightly and didn't make a sound. Her lower lip turned white from her biting, and Yan Yunyang squeezed her cheek. "Open your mouth and let it out if it hurts."

Following his instructions, Zuo Mingran released her clenched teeth and pursed her lips, but didn't utter a word of pain.

Yan Yunyang gently pulled her foot back and placed a pillow under it, but didn't put the ice pack back on. Instead, he got up and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water, and then grabbed a towel.

Wrapping the ice pack in the towel slightly alleviated the direct cold sensation on the skin and also provided just the right amount of relief for the pain in her foot.

Zuo Mingran let out a sigh of relief and tentatively moved her toes. Yan Yunyang watched her cautious movements and said, "Tomorrow, let the assistant take you to the hospital."

Zuo Mingran mumbled a vague response, holding the glass of water that was handed to her.

The cup contained hot water, but it seemed to be lukewarm compared to her body temperature. Being sick made her irritable, and with a frowning face, Zuo Mingran said, "I want ice water."

Her head still felt heavy, and she couldn't quite gather her energy. Although she knew clearly that the person in front of her was Yan Yunyang, being sick had lowered her psychological defenses without her realizing it, and her words carried a hint of coquettishness.

Yan Yunyang sat on the couch, tending to her sprained foot while saying, "No, when you're sick, you should drink more hot water."

Unsuccessful in her request, Zuo Mingran mumbled under her breath, "Straight male answer."

Yan Yunyang chuckled helplessly, thinking about how she was still alone despite being so ill. He couldn't help but lower his voice and say, "Drink this glass of water first, and I'll get you some ice water."

Zuo Mingran gave him a resentful look and grumbled, "You're lying."

Yan Yunyang: "..."

Although she said it like that, Zuo Mingran knew that she was probably sick. She obediently finished the glass of hot water and turned the cup around 180 degrees, holding it up to Yan Yunyang to indicate that she had finished.

Yan Yunyang had never seen such an obedient Zuo Mingran before. It was completely different from the person described online. He made a sound of agreement and took the cup from her, asking, "Where is the medical kit in the house?"

Zuo Mingran clutched the blanket and shook her head honestly, "I don't know."

She hadn't lived here for long, and most of the things in the house were arranged by Maomao for her. Unless it was something essential, she didn't know where everything was. Even the various kitchen utensils were only known to her after Yan Yunyang brought them in.

Yan Yunyang let out a silent sigh and turned his head to look outside the window. It was pouring rain, with occasional flashes of lightning and thunder. It didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.

Their place wasn't remote, but the nearest hospital was still a half-hour drive away. There was a lot of water on the road when he came back earlier, and now it would be even deeper. The car might not be able to make it through.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Yunyang got up and said, "Forget it, I'll take you to the hospital."

Hearing the word "hospital," Zuo Mingran made a disgusted expression. "No, I can't walk."

Yan Yunyang bent down to pick her up, but Zuo Mingran shrank back into the couch, refusing to come out. She used her actions to show her aversion to the hospital.

Yan Yunyang couldn't help but laugh at her frustration. He supported the back of the couch with both hands, effectively holding her in his arms from behind and leaned in closer. "If you're sick and won't go to the hospital, are you a three-year-old child? Hmm?"

His voice was slightly hoarse, not very obvious, but it became deeper when he spoke. Zuo Mingran blushed slightly and retorted with a stiff neck, "There is no law stating that only children are unwilling to go to the hospital."

Her eyes were still red, and when she looked over, there was a hint of grievance. Yan Yunyang paused, recalling her appearance when she came downstairs just now, clearly looking like she had just woken up, and tentatively asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Zuo Mingran's face changed immediately, immediately recalling the dream she had.

The two were close together, and Yan Yunyang immediately noticed the subtle change in her expression and couldn't help but pat her head, smiling as he said, "You're already an adult, yet you still cry because of nightmares?"

Zuo Mingran turned her head awkwardly and pushed him away. "So what?"

Yan Yunyang chuckled, "Nothing. Get up, we're going to the hospital."

Just as they were about to leave, Shuang Xia, who had been squatting upstairs for a while, finally showed her presence.

After all, Zuo Mingran wasn't an ordinary person. If they casually went to the hospital, they would likely be surrounded by the media within half an hour. It would then cause a congestion at the hospital, leading to another round of hot searches.

During their time upstairs, Shuang Xia had already called Mao Mao. She made a bit of noise first and then pretended to have just woken up as she came downstairs. It didn't take long for her to find the location of the medicine box and took out a box of fever-reducing medicine.

"Take this first." Shuang Xia looked at the instructions and took out two pills to give to Zuo Mingran. "Probably because of catching a cold from falling into the water."

Yan Yunyang keenly noticed that something was off. "Falling into the water?"

Before Shuang Xia could speak, Zuo Mingran interrupted, "It's nothing. It's just a scene where I fell into a swimming pool while filming, and I accidentally had multiple failed takes."

Yan Yunyang looked at her deeply for a moment but didn't probe further. Instead, he brought a glass of water and handed it to her, "Take the medicine first. If it doesn't work within half an hour, we'll go to the hospital."

The reason why Zuo Mingran didn't want to go to the hospital was because she was afraid of injections. Since the problem could be solved by taking medicine now, she naturally agreed wholeheartedly and took the medicine from his hand.

Yan Yunyang watched her quick movements helplessly, pinching his brow. Meanwhile, Zuo Mingran held the blanket and revealed a triumphant smile.

There was no guest room on the first floor, and Zuo Mingran still had injuries on her feet, so it was still Yan Yunyang who carried her upstairs.

Zuo Mingran wrapped her arms around his neck, and her hot breath from the fever fell on his neck. For a rare moment, Yan Yunyang became flustered and unconsciously quickened his pace.

So, Shuang Xia, who was holding the phone as a flashlight, watched as he quickly went upstairs as if someone was chasing after him with a knife.

Shuang Xia: "..."

What's going on?

To prevent any more incidents at night, Shuang Xia didn't return to her guest room but instead slept on the same bed as Zuo Mingran.

Shuang Xia kept looking in Yan Yunyang's direction as she spoke, but Yan Yunyang didn't react at all. He just thanked her and went back to his own room.

Left alone, Shuang Xia held her curiosity in her heart. She had countless questions, but she didn't dare ask or say anything.

Watching Zuo Mingran sleeping soundly on the bed, Shuang Xia wanted to wake her up, pull her off the bed, and ask her directly about her relationship with Yan Yunyang.

The rain outside was loud and the fever-reducing medicine contained ingredients that helped with sleep. In the latter part of the night, Zuo Mingran slept deeply, and the scene in her dream changed to her life here.

She saw Yan Yunyang appear in front of her and asked her who she really was. She didn't know how to answer, she was Zuo Mingran, but which Zuo Mingran was she?

More and more people gathered around her, waiting for her to give an answer. But at this moment, Yan Yunyang stood in front of her, shielding her from the scrutiny of everyone.

"I believe in you. It's okay," he said.

After the rain, the sun shone through the cracks in the curtains. Zuo Mingran stretched lazily, still with her eyes closed. She slowly opened them.

Anqi was by her bedside and handed her a cup of warm water. "Mingran, how do you feel now? Do you have a headache? Quickly check your temperature to see if you still have a fever. Is your foot still hurting? Do you feel any other discomfort?"

Zuo Mingran listened to her grumbles, but it went in one ear and out the other. She lazily said, "Anqi, I've noticed that you have the potential to be a nagging old lady. Mao Mao doesn't talk this much even when she's with me. Where did you learn to be so chatterbox-like?"

Anqi became upset and coincidentally, Mao Mao heard the sound and came in from outside. Anqi immediately grabbed her and complained, "Mao Mao, you can hear it now. Mingran is already starting to dislike me."

Mao Mao laughed as she watched the two arguing. She took the thermometer and glanced at it. Fever caused by catching a cold usually subsides easily after a good sleep. Zuo Mingran's temperature had already returned to the normal range.

The family doctor had already made a visit, but Zuo Mingran was still sleeping at the time, so she wasn't disturbed. The doctor briefly checked and prescribed some medication before leaving.

Feeling sticky from sweating, Zuo Mingran reached out her hand to signal Anqi to help her get up and asked, "Where's Xia Jie?"

Mao Mao slapped her forehead and quickly said, "Xia Jie took an early morning flight and has already returned to Ancheng. But she asked us to call her when you wake up."

Zuo Mingran dismissively said, "It's not a big deal, there's no need to rush and call her..."

Before she could finish her sentence, her facial expression suddenly changed dramatically.

Anqi, who was helping her get up, saw her sudden stillness and asked in confusion, "Mingran, what happened?"

Zuo Mingran swallowed and asked cautiously, "Um, when you all arrived, did you see Yan Yunyang?"