Chapter Three

After Su Xia and Yu Nan sat down in the meeting room, the editor-in-chief walked in, and everyone stood up automatically. The editor nodded to everyone, and after they sat down, they waited for him to speak, not daring to make a sound.

The editor looked around and said, "Li Fei, your topic this time is not very ideal. What's going on? The public's feedback is not good. Explain."

Li Fei rambled on, and the editor nodded while listening, writing something with his pen, but it was unclear what. To Yu Nan, it was all nonsense. He gestured to Su Xia, indicating not to speak, to endure it and let it pass.

After the meeting, everyone left. The editor called Su Xia. Yu Nan gave her a sympathetic look and followed everyone out.

The editor stopped what he was doing and looked up, saying, "Su Xia, go to Chen Lao's place again this afternoon to wrap up the interview. It's about to be published in a few days."

Su Xia quickly replied, "Yes, editor. I'll contact Chen Lao now and go to his place this afternoon."

The editor nodded, "Okay, go ahead. Be careful on the way."

Su Xia went to her workstation, found Chen Lao's contact information, arranged the specific time and place with him, and then began to work on her tasks.

At noon, while Su Xia was eating, she received a call from the hospital saying that the patient had been transferred to a regular ward and needed to renew his fee. Su Xia quickly said, "I'll come over this afternoon."

After hanging up, Yu Nan asked, "Are you going to Chen Lao's place this afternoon?" Su Xia nodded and smiled at Yu Nan, "Yes! I'm going to listen to more stories this afternoon and tell you when I come back, okay!"

In the afternoon, Su Xia drove to the hospital first to renew the fee, feeling a bit sorry when she looked at the consumption information on her phone. Su Xia thought, "It's okay, I can earn this money back. As long as he's okay, that's all that matters."

Su Xia first went to the attending doctor to understand the specific situation. The doctor said, "There is a blood clot in his brain, which may be absorbed by the body in the future. He may also need to undergo a craniotomy. The specific situation depends on his recovery. We should try to avoid the craniotomy, as it is dangerous for the patient."

She then went to the nurse station to find out which bed he was in and went to see him. This was the first time Su Xia had seen him up close in the past few days.

He lay on the bed by the window, his face pale, and his thin lips slightly dry. His nose was high and angular, and his jawline was defined, with a hint of stubble. His long eyelashes were scattered on his eyelids.

The golden sunlight shone on him, and his white and slender fingers held a heart rate monitor. Su Xia turned to look at his dry lips, then turned and left to the nurse station to ask for a cotton swab and water.

She gently wiped his dry lips with the damp cotton swab, staring at his face intently. Even with his eyes closed, he looked so good. Su Xia wondered if he would look even better with his eyes open. Her face blushed, her heart beating faster. She put her hand on her face, secretly looking up at the patient's family in the same ward, relieved that they didn't notice her. Su Xia, you're so shy. She thought to herself.

Soon, Su Xia looked at the watch on her wrist. It was almost time for her appointment with Chen Lao. As she was about to leave, she noticed that his lips were dry again. Su Xia opened her bag, took out her lip balm, dipped a bit with a cotton swab, and gently applied it to his lips. "Okay, they won't be dry this time," she said, then leaned over to his ear and said, "I'm leaving. I hope you can wake up. I'll come back after I'm done with my work."

Su Xia walked out without looking back. Just as she was about to leave, the man lying on the bed trembled his eyelashes.

She arrived at Chen Lao's house and found him leisurely drinking tea in the courtyard. "Chen Lao, sorry to bother you again today," Su Xia said leisurely.

Chen Lao always maintained a peaceful and tranquil demeanor, smiling and saying, "No need to be too formal. We should consider ourselves old friends. Try the tea I brewed today and see if it's different from usual."

Su Xia sat beside the tea table, picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and tasted the lingering tea fragrance in her mouth. "I don't know much about tea, so why don't you tell me about it? I'll listen attentively," Su Xia said with a sweet smile.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Chen Lao said, his gaze wandering.

Su Xia listened intently as Chen Lao talked about tea, his family, the days before he left home, and how he and his love had gone from acquaintance to commitment. Su Xia had already turned on her recorder, capturing each story.

After bidding farewell to Chen Lao, Su Xia drove to the hospital. Passing by the nurse station, she received some good news from one of the nurses. While the nurse was giving him an IV drip, his fingers moved slightly.

With a smile on her lips, Su Xia walked towards the ward, greeted other patients' families, and quietly approached him, carefully examining his still-closed but perfectly handsome face.

"Is he waking up?" Su Xia muttered to herself, reaching out and gently poking his face. She withdrew her hand and observed his face again, then lowered her head to look at his hand. After a while with no response, she felt somewhat disappointed.

The hospital's air conditioning was really strong. Su Xia felt cold, so she turned off her recorder and closed her laptop. She looked at her wrist and saw that it was already past nine in the evening. She packed up her things and put her backpack on the small table against the wall. She stood up, stretched, and walked lightly to his side. She carefully examined his hand again, ensuring there was no movement, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "The nurse said your hand moved today. Are you waking up? Do you want to wake up? Well, it's late. I'll leave now. I might come later tomorrow."

Turning to leave, she bent down again, leaned close to his ear, and whispered softly, "Wake up soon. It's been several days, and I haven't been able to contact your family. They must be very worried."

After saying this, she picked up her laptop bag and walked out of the hospital.