In the room…


  Gu Yan checked Jun Li’s pulse, tucking away Jun Li’s hand under the thin blanket once he was done.

  Qin Shu hurriedly asked, “How is he?”


  Her hands gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, revealing her fear and anxiety for her good friend.

  Gu Yan frowned. “It’s more serious than I expected. He ingested a potent curative. Though it is quick to take effect, its side effects are considerable, causing greater harm to his weakened body. It is the reason he fainted so soon after waking up the first time.”


  Qin Shu regarded Jun Li’s unconscious form. He looked like he had gone for a nap rather than being in a coma. Turning to Gu Yan, she implored desperately, “Is there no way to save him?”


  “The poison has entered his lungs, and his body’s functions are deteriorating by the day. The potent drug he consumed is not doing much to stabilise his condition. His body is failing because his constitution is too weak…”


  Hesitantly, Gu Yan said, “If I continue to adjust the prescription I’ve given him, there’s a chance I can extend how long he’ll live.”


  Gu Yan shook his head helplessly and sighed, “His time is short. There’s nothing much I can do but postpone the inevitable.”


  Gu Yan’s words tolled the solemn sentence of Jun Li’s death.

  Qin Shu sat there, numb to the world, upon hearing Gu Yan’s verdict.

  It was not until Ji Fei was ready that Gu Yan began Jun Li’s acupuncture. Qin Shu had no choice but to wait outside while the procedure was taking place.

  Ji Fei closed the door, isolating the room from the rest of the world.

  With nowhere to go and nothing she could do, Qin Shu made her way to the living room and sat down on the sofa, her head in her hands. She ate very little for dinner. She could not muster her appetite, sick with worry that she was over Jun Li’s fate.

  At this moment, her phone suddenly rang. She scrambled for her phone to answer the call.

  Fu Tingyu’s magnetic voice sounded from the other end of the line. “Babe, have you eaten?”


  “I’ve already eaten. How about you?”


  “Don’t worry; I’ve eaten. You need to eat more… Not just for yourself but for our child too.” A short period of silence ensued before he asked, “How is he?”


  “Jun Li is still in a coma. Gu Yan said that there’s not much he can do.” Qin Shu could not conceal the tremor in her voice or how choked up she got when talking about Jun Li’s condition.

  Fu Tingyu paused. He could hear how hoarse Qin Shu’s voice had become. “Babe…”


  Qin Shu tried her best to control her emotions so that Fu Tingyu would not worry. “I-I’m fine. I just… I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help him…”


  “Babe, leave these things to Gu Yan. It’s pointless for you to dwell on things outside of your control. You’ve done your best; it is now up to fate whether he overcomes this ordeal.”


  Fu Tingyu was not very good at comforting people. It was a pity that he was not by her side. Otherwise, he would have hugged her.

  Qin Shu stared at her feet. “I know… Go and finish your work… I’ll text you later before I go to bed.”


  After hanging up, Qin Shu picked up the glass of warm water on the coffee table and took a sip.

  Lan Qi was sitting on another sofa close by, staring at Qin Shu. He wanted to say something but did not dare to.

  Qin Shu put away her phone and met Lan Qi’s eye. Seeing that he had something to say, she inquired softly, “Is there something you would like to say to me?”


  Startled out of his hesitation, Lan Qi responded with a question of his own, “How do you know that I have something to say?”


  “You’ve been staring at me for a while now with your mouth open and closing like a goldfish. What else could you have had on your mind? There’s something that has been bothering me… How did we meet before, and how do you know what I was called back then?” Qin Shu asked.

  “If you don’t even remember, then it won’t mean much even if I were to say it out loud. I’ll tell you when you remember it.” Lan Qi seemed firm with his decision not to share with Qin Shu details regarding their shared history.

  Qin Shu could not help but roll her eyes. “Would I need you to tell me if I remembered it?”


  Ugh!

  It made sense…


  Lan Qi eyed Qin Shu, his gaze falling on her stomach. It was a curious sight no matter how long he looked.

  “Tell me, were Jun Li and I acquainted in the past?” Qin Shu pressed her advantage, seeing Lan Qi falter.

  Qin Shu asked for two reasons. The first was her memory loss, and the second was Lan Qi’s familiarity with Jun Li and President Ba. It all pointed to some foreknowledge she ought to have had if not for her missing memories.

  Lan Qi looked away. Recalling Jun Li’s warning, there was not much he could say. “I don’t know. When Jun Li wakes up, you should ask him.”


  Jun Li became the unwitting target of the hot potato on Lan Qi’s lap. Whether Jun Li decided to tell Qin Shu anything was up to him; it was not any of his business.

  In the past, Lan Qi often threw tantrums because of Jun Li’s calm poise. Although he, too, had been searching for Xiao Bao, he did not come close to Jun Li’s obsession. There was no doubt in his mind that Jun Li had secrets only he knew.

  It was the reason he chose to leave three years ago.

  Interrupting their conversation was Gu Yan, who stepped out of Jun Li’s. He took the seat opposite Qin Shu and plopped himself onto the sofa, exhausted.

  He poured himself a cup of warm water and drank a few mouthfuls to moisten his throat.

  When Gu Yan put down the glass in his hand, Qin Shu asked, “Is he awake?”


  “I’ve managed to stabilise his condition, but he is still weak. He should wake up tomorrow. Don’t worry; the worse is over, for now. You should rest. It’s getting late.” Gu Yan reassured. “You should not sleep so late, or else Tingyu might do something rash.”


  Gu Yan’s reminder was not lost on Qin Shu.

  Qin Shu nodded, submitting to Gu Yan’s suggestion. “Thank you for your concern. I shall do as you’ve advised. I must apologise for troubling you – you’ve been so busy, yet you’re still looking out for me. You should get some rest too.”


  “Hmm. It’s best not to jump to conclusions. Leave the treatment to me. I’ll do my best and snatch however much of Jun Li’s life back from the jaws of death.”


  Several words were left unsaid.

  Once Qin Shu excused herself for the evening, Lan Qi heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at Gu Yan. “Is Jun Li very ill?”


  Gu Yan studied the young man before him over his steepled fingers. The young lad was in the springtime of his youth; Two limpid orbs set into his handsome face, like jewels sparkling under the first rays of dawn.

  He nodded. “Yes.”


  Lan Qi pursed his lips. He knew Jun Li was ill, but he had never imagined it would be this bad. Jun Li never mentioned it.

  Qin Shu’s room was also on the second floor, next to Jun Li’s, and Gu Yan’s next to her.

  After taking a shower, she went to bed in her pyjamas. She picked up her phone and sent a message to Fu Tingyu before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

  Sleep was vital but more so for pregnant women. Not only could it alleviate a pregnant woman’s fatigue, but it also promoted the healthy development of a baby.

  No matter how worried or anxious, Qin Shu always tried her best to sleep as much as she could.

  –


  Jiangcheng, Bright Garden

  Fu Tingyu stared at the message flashing on the screen of his phone. It was from Qin Shu.

  [Bao’er:

  I’m going to bed with our baby. You should sleep soon too. I love you… ]

  Fu Tingyu could not keep his eyes off Qin Shu’s message, the words replaying in his mind like a broken record. On his table sat a photo of him with Qin Shu on his back.

  An unbearable longing gripped him.

  Abruptly, he kissed Qin Shu’s profile picture displayed on his phone. She had not been gone for long, and already, he missed her so much.

  No sooner had he performed this impulsive act of love than did he shake off his trance-like state. For a man who prided himself as the master of his life, this impromptu gesture of affection shocked him. Qin Shu’s charming smile, on her profile picture, exposed her cute canines. She was a picture of angelic beauty.

  –


  Meanwhile…


  The Imperial Capital, Qi Zhuang, Jun Li’s private villa…


  Breakfast was a quiet affair. No one spoke at the dining table, each ruminating over Jun Li’s condition.

  After breakfast, Qin Shu and Gu Yan went to Jun Li’s room to see him.

  Gu Yan wanted to take the opportunity to check Jun Li’s pulse again.

  They knocked on the door gently before entering, one after another.

  Su Ying had personally cleaned Jun Li’s room.

  As soon as they stepped over the threshold, they smelled a faint fragrance, not unlike a green apple.