Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  The IV drip was completed, and Yu Lili had lain awake for some time. When they returned home, she fell back into a deep slumber. It was obvious that she was in terrible discomfort.

  After sleeping for a while, she suddenly got up and turned to look at Ou Ming, who was sitting by her bed, and asked, “Have you had your breakfast? You should grab a bite. What time is it now?”


  “It’s past 11,” he said. “Are you hungry?”


  Yu Lili shook her head. She was in too much discomfort to feel any hunger.

  “Go back to sleep then,” Ou Ming said. “Call me when you’re hungry.”


  Yu Lili nodded her head. She closed her eyes and quickly fell back asleep.

  Ou Ming had specially applied for a marital leave that spanned the next few days. With Yu Lili in her current state, there was nothing much for Ou Ming to do. So, he had Xu Cheng courier the critical documents from the company to the villa and sorted them out at home.

  A phone call from his mother arrived before the documents did. A look at the clock revealed that wasn’t yet noon. Ou Ming uttered an expletive before answering the call.

  Jiao Ziqing voice came through the phone very quickly. She yelled angrily, “Why aren’t you here yet? Didn’t you say that you were coming home today?”


  Ou Ming thought for a moment and replied, “Mom, I’m not feeling too well today. I forgot to give you a call.”


  As expected, the moment Jiao Ziqing heard that, her anger dissipated and voice softened drastically. She asked in concern, “What happened? What’s wrong? Is your hand acting up again? Have you gone to the hospital yet?”


  “Yeah. I went. It’s nothing serious. Yu Lili is taking care of me at the moment. I’m already feeling much better.” Ou Ming lied without batting an eyelid.

  When Jiao Ziqing heard that, her concern grew. She exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, where are you now?”


  “I’m at home,” Ou Ming said.

  “How can that do?” his mother asked. “That woman doesn’t look much older than a child herself! She’s still so young, so how would she know how to look after a person? Where are you? I’ll come over to take care of you.”


  “That’s not necessary. I have a bit of a headache, so I’m hanging up the phone.” Without waiting for Jiao Ziqing to reply, Ou Ming disconnected the call.

  Jiao Ziqing looked at her cell phone in panic and redialed Ou Ming’s number. He refused to pick up the call.

  Ou Ming did feel a headache coming on as he witnessed his phone ringing incessantly. He couldn’t allow her to come. If she found out that it was in fact Yu Lili who was ill, and he was looking after her, his mother’s prejudices would only increase.

  His documents soon arrived. Before long, it was close to 3 p.m., and he was starving. He went up to the bedroom and found Yu Lili still fast asleep.

  Ou Ming reached out to touch her forehead. Perhaps it was because she was under the covers, but her temperature was a little high. Fortunately, she wasn’t in a chill any longer.

  “Yu Lili, wake up and eat something,” Ou Ming said in a loud yet gentle whisper.

  Yu Lili’s eyes opened immediately. “What time is it now?”


  “It’s after 2 p.m.,” he replied.

  “Why don’t we head over to your mother’s now?” Yu Lili suggested. “I’m feeling very uneasy. Have you given your mom a call yet?”


  “I have. I already told her everything. It’s fine,” Ou Ming said. “What do you feel like eating? I’ll have it delivered.”


  Yu Lili didn’t know how much of what he said to believe and asked, “Are you sure?”


  “Of course,” Ou Ming said. “Why would I lie to you? Would you like some porridge?”


  Yu Lili felt reassured and nodded her head. “Alright then. OK.”


  The food arrived almost an hour later. However, appearing together with the delivery guy was someone none of them expected to see.

  When Ou Ming opened the door and saw Jiao Ziqing, his heart almost stopped. “Mom, how did you find out about this place?”