Chapter 104: Admitting Fault

The curled lashes cast a delicate shadow over her eyelids. Her once-plump lips had grown slightly dry. He was about to reach out and smooth the strands of hair贴ing to her face when he saw her brow tighten faintly. His hand froze in midair, then slowly drew back.

His heart clenched with hers.

He sat there a long while more. Only when his wife’s breathing had grown steady again did he finally turn back to the bedroom and lie down to sleep.

The next morning, he rose very early, took the metal lunchbox from home, and went personally to the canteen for breakfast.

He brought back noodles, steamed buns, eggs, and soy milk.

The logistics staff were greatly surprised. “Engineer Lu, you’re still ill. Just have someone send it over if you need anything.”

Lu Yan’s meals were specially taken care of; someone delivered them on time every day. Why had he come so early himself?

“It’s all right. There’s no need to bring it anymore. I’ll come myself from now on.” His wife was still asleep, and the staff who delivered breakfast always knocked very loudly.

When Lu Yan returned, he pushed the door open gently, set the breakfast on the table, then glanced at his watch. It was only half past six. He went back to the room, sat down at the desk, and continued working.

An An woke and gave a few soft hums. Lu Yan turned at once and made a shushing gesture. “Mommy is still sleeping. We’ll eat breakfast a little later.”

With that, he placed a book in front of his son.

An An obediently took the book Lu Yan handed him and sat to the side, turning the pages.

Perhaps because of the severe motion sickness she had suffered the day before, Shen Qingyi slept until eight. When she got up, she saw breakfast already laid out on the table.

She called out, “Lu Yan, An An!”

An An put down the book and darted out of the room. “Mommy, you’re finally awake. I’m starving.”

Lu Yan also came out after him. “I put your towels and toothbrushes in the bathroom.”

Shen Qingyi nodded. “All right. You two eat first. I’ll wash up.”

After breakfast, around nine o’clock, the doctor came carrying his medical bag.

Seeing Shen Qingyi and An An, he immediately guessed who they were.

Shen Qingyi greeted him politely. The doctor smiled and asked, “Is Comrade Lu Yan still working in his room?”

“Yes. Please take a look.”

The doctor went into the room, placed two fingers on Lu Yan’s pulse, and his brow furrowed deeply. “You stayed up late again yesterday?”

Lu Yan said nothing. The doctor sighed, took the IV stand beside him, and began to set the needle.

When the needle entered Lu Yan’s hand, his brow did not even twitch.

Then he checked Lu Yan’s medicine box. “You didn’t take yesterday’s medicine again?”

“I forgot.”

The doctor let out another sigh, took the medicine, and handed it to Shen Qingyi, instructing her, “Three times a day, two pills each time, after meals. Please keep an eye on him. He mustn’t stay up late at night, and if he sits for too long, remind him to rest properly.”

“I’ve noted it. Thank you, Doctor.”

After the doctor left, Shen Qingyi’s gaze fell on Lu Yan. It was hard to believe this man was afraid of taking medicine. He was even worse than An An.

Lu Yan looked up and met her eyes. “I really just forgot.”

Shen Qingyi said nothing more. She told An An, “Come out. Don’t disturb Daddy’s work.”

“I’m not disturbing him. Just let An An sit here, and you shouldn’t be busy either. There’s no need to cook...” Lu Yan paused, then added, “When the IV is nearly finished, help me call someone.”

Shen Qingyi froze. Did he mean for her to stay beside him and keep watch?

She glanced at Lu Yan and saw that he had already resumed calculating with his pen. The manuscript paper was covered with dense lines of writing.

“I’ll tidy the living room. I won’t go anywhere else.”

Lu Yan stopped writing and was about to speak when she had already turned and left.

He had clearly cleaned the living room yesterday.

Shen Qingyi wiped the telephone, the coffee table, and the sofa spotless.

Checking the time on her wrist, she judged it about right, then went into the room and glanced at the fluid in the IV bottle. “I’ll go call Doctor Zhao.”

Before leaving, Doctor Zhao had told her where the clinic was.

After Doctor Zhao had been in the room for quite a while, Lu Yan still had not seen Shen Qingyi and immediately grew anxious. “My wife didn’t come over with you?”

Seeing the tension in his face, Doctor Zhao was a little surprised. “When she came back, she said she wanted to walk around nearby and get to know the area. She asked me to come first and said she’d be here soon.”

He had thought that apart from work, Lu Yan cared about nothing at all. It seemed their leader understood him best after all.

Doctor Zhao was an old physician in his fifties and had treated many high-ranking officials. A difficult patient like Lu Yan was the first of his kind.

It was obviously only a minor illness, yet after dragging on for a whole week without improvement, it had even been reported to the Capital Research Institute.

Now it seemed the real ailment was in the heart.

The doctor removed the needle. “Rest well.”

“Mm.” Lu Yan answered absently.

As soon as the doctor left, Lu Yan said to An An, “Daddy will take you out for a walk.”

An An was absorbed in the pictures in his book. “I want to read.”

“Then can An An promise not to go anywhere?”

An An nodded. “Okay!”

Lu Yan stepped out of the room. As soon as he reached the living room, everything seemed brighter. The windows and floor were spotless, and even the glass jar that had once held orange preserves had been wiped until it shone.

Even the small objects he had never used before were arranged neatly. The living room, which had previously meant nothing to him, was now filled with the warm, lived-in atmosphere of his wife.

She liked cleanliness.

Just as he was about to leave, Shen Qingyi returned. The moment she stepped in from the doorway, backlit by the sun, her dark hair wrapped in a scarf and braided into a thick plait over her chest, her red polka-dot blouse tucked into a blue knee-length skirt, and a bundle of wildflowers in her hands, she looked as beautiful as a painting.

Lu Yan stood still for a moment, dazed.

Shen Qingyi came in and lifted the flowers slightly. “I saw a lot of wildflowers growing by the road when I came back just now. They smelled quite nice.”

“Mm.”

Shen Qingyi placed the flowers into the glass jar and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Feeling the gaze behind her, she turned and saw Lu Yan still standing where he was, looking at her. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere... I just wanted to take a walk.” Lu Yan suddenly looked a little flustered.

“Alone?”

“Mm. An An said he wanted to stay home and read.”

Shen Qingyi frowned and said seriously, “From now on, no matter where you go, you must not leave An An alone at home before he is six.”

Lu Yan was patient and careful with the child, but he was also far too careless.

If he was like this, how could she ever feel at ease leaving An An with him in the future?

Lu Yan lowered his eyes and nodded. “Understood. It won’t happen again.”

Seeing his expression, Shen Qingyi suddenly found it rather amusing.

When Lu Yan saw the corners of her mouth lift, he took a few steps closer. “What are you laughing at?”

“Were you admitting you were wrong just now?”

He was exactly like their son, awkwardly yielding while trying to pretend otherwise.

“Mm.” From childhood to adulthood, Lu Yan had almost never admitted fault to anyone. Yet his wife saw through him at a glance.

“Do you still want to go for a walk?”

“No, I’ll go back to the room and work.”

After saying that, Lu Yan glanced at his wife. Seeing that her mood seemed to have improved, he turned and went back into the room.

A little while later, Shen Qingyi checked the time on her watch, poured a glass of water, and took it into the room. She handed the cup to Lu Yan. “Take your medicine.”