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Published at 21st of April 2023 05:30:00 AM


Chapter 56

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Chapter 56: Can't Afford

Hearing the sound of coughing on the phone, Qi Yan's brain trembled, and her temples twitched. She frowned, hung up the phone immediately, and ran out of 901 without looking back.

Today, during the holiday, she got up late, made breakfast at home, and felt bored staying alone, so she wanted to find Lu Zhiqiao. But Niu Niu was the only one at home, and she asked the little girl where her mother had gone. The child only knew that she was out of the house, but she didn't know where she went.

She called Lu Zhiqiao, but it was always busy, and when she finally got through, her heart ached.

The woman is sick, but she went to the hospital alone.

These simple words flashed through her mind, and Qi Yan immediately felt suffocated, ran home like a gust of wind, took out clothes and pants from the cabinet, changed hurriedly, picked up her bag and was about to go out.

Suddenly remembering that she forgot to ask which hospital she was in, she dialed the number again in a hurry, walked to the kitchen while waiting, took out a thermos cup, filled it with hot water, and held it in her hand.

It's "busy" again.

What happened?

Screened? Diverted? Or is she really on the phone? Who can she have so many calls with?

Qi Yan was so anxious that she rushed to the elevator and pressed the button a few times blindly. When the elevator came up and opened, she ducked in, pressed the first floor, and continued to make calls with her eyes fixed on the phone screen.

After stepping out of the elevator, her call finally got through.

"Qiao Qiao, which hospital are you in?"

"Don't come, I'm fine...cough..." The cough became softer, and the nasal sound became more serious.

Qi Yan felt like a cat was scratching her head, she couldn't listen to the persuasion, and unlocked her car and got in. While fastening her seat belt, she couldn't help saying: "Can I go to the hospital if I have nothing to do? Tell me quickly."

After a moment of silence on the phone, she said softly, "The Second Annex Clinic, the infusion room."

There was a faint grievance in her tone, Qi Yan was like an ant on a hot pot at the moment, she didn't pay attention, immediately hung up the phone, put the phone aside, put away the thermos cup, and drove out of the basement of the complex.

It was raining outside, with strong gusts of wind, the sky was foggy and gray, and the road was wet and slippery. Pedestrians were wrapped in cotton clothes and walked hard in the wind. The branches of the landscape trees were blown to tremble, and the leaves fell to the ground.

The climate in Jiangcheng is like this. Sometimes there are four seasons in one day, and sometimes there are only two seasons in a year. The weather is often unpredictable, either extremely cold or extremely hot.

The road is slippery on rainy days, Qi Yan didn't dare to drive too fast, the Second Annex is not far from the complex, and she was lucky all the way, didn't encounter too many red lights, and got to the hospital smoothly.

There were many people in the infusion room, and Qi Yan saw Lu Zhiqiao sitting in the corner on the phone at a glance. She had a long infusion tube attached to the back of her left hand.

Qi Yan frowned, her face darkened, walking quickly to the empty seat beside Lu Zhiqiao and sat down, looking at her silently.

"There is no way for people to make concessions on things that involve core interests. If you're asked anything, you should answer it in a targeted manner... Ahem... Just like we are waiting for the freight forwarder's quotation, I am waiting to give my customer a quotation...  Cough...you're telling me how your company has advantages and how perfect the service is...cough cough...I think you are wasting our time and are very unprofessional..."

Lu Zhiqiao's voice was low and hoarse, and she was in the middle of speaking, when she caught a glimpse of a figure approaching from the corner of her eye, she subconsciously turned her head to look, and was stunned.

Their eyes collided, and the woman's eyes were full of worry, eagerness, and a trace of complaint.

Lu Zhiqiao moved her lips, looked away guiltily as if she had done something wrong, whispered a few words to the phone, hung up, looked down at the ground, and held the phone silently.

A hand rested on her forehead.

Qi Yan's hand was warm, but it felt cold compared to this woman's hot forehead, and her palm felt a burning sensation, and the center of her brows became tighter. She took off her hand, opened the thermos cup, poured some hot water into the lid, and approached Lu Zhiqiao's lips and said: "Be careful it's hot."

Lu Zhiqiao glanced at her sideways, put the phone on her lap, blew on the lid, and took a sip of water.

She has a sore throat and was really thirsty, and it was inconvenient to walk around alone when she came for the IV. She originally thought to endure it for a while, and then she could go back in two or three hours without making a sound. But now, Qi Yan is by her side.

She didn't want Qi Yan to know and let her come here, she didn't want Qi Yan to see her like this.

It's inevitable to look fragile when sick but she can carry it on her own. She always feels that she is too psychologically dependent on Qi Yan, and she should quit as soon as possible. This kind of time is a good opportunity. It's just that she really didn't live up to it. When she heard Qi Yan's voice on the first phone call, she was so happy that she didn't realize it.

She knew that Qi Yan would definitely come, she couldn't stop her.

Qi Yan looked at her without saying a word, and when the water in the lid was empty, she took it back, poured some and handed it over again. She repeated three or four times, then picked up the pillow in her arms and stuffed it around her waist. Afterwards, said softly: "Go, close your eyes and stop making calls."

The chairs in the infusion room were hard and cold, making it uncomfortable to sit on. Qi Yan took a half-person-high pillow from her car, and attracted attention all the way through the hospital gate.

Lu Zhiqiao froze, her heart suddenly warmed up, and she leaned back obediently.

The pillow was very soft, and it was really comfortable to lean on. Her shoulders and back felt so sore, and it was relieved when she completely relaxed. She was about to close her eyes when her phone vibrated again, and she suddenly wanted to sit up.

Qi Yan frowned, stretched out her hand in front of her, stopped her from moving, and then took the phone away.

The caller ID is Manager Sun. She doesn't know who it is, but it is probably about work.

"...give me back my phone." Lu Zhiqiao was a little anxious.

Lu Zhiqiao has been busy recently, Qi Yan knows it and understands the importance, but no matter how important it is, it is not as important as her body. Does this group of subordinates not know how to be considerate of sick people? Was there no sound on the phone when they were calling? Then she thought about it, except for her and Niu Niu, who would really care about whether her voice sounds fine or not, and whether she was in a good state?

Of course, only those who care about her will care the most.

The phone kept vibrating, Qi Yan's face turned ugly, and she didn't want to give it to her, but seeing Lu Zhiqiao's anxious look, she couldn't bear it, so she had to give her the phone.

Lu Zhiqiao hurriedly connected as if holding a baby.

She didn't want to let the assistant do all the things that could be entrusted to the assistant, and there was really no way to entrust the things that could not be entrusted.

Fortunately, this call was just a report. She closed her eyes and hummed a few times. Just as she hung up, the phone was snatched away.

"I'll answer any more calls, and tell them to call back in an hour." Qi Yan said carefully, with an irresistible tone. In the end she gave in half a step. Since it can't be completely ignored, it's best to rest for a while, without a pause.

Lu Zhiqiao looked at her silently, hummed softly, her quiet eyes were rippling with subtle waves, reflecting her cold and beautiful face, and she couldn't get enough of it.

When she is weak, anyone's kindness could leave ripples in her heart, let alone Qi Yan. She has already stirred up waves in her heart.

She could feel her heart throbbing, feeling like she was getting sucked into the vortex. Falling a little bit more, the more she was like this, the more panicked she became. No one told her what to do, how to return the same feelings, or how to maintain it.

She isn't prepared, it was impossible for her to stumble into a relationship like this and switch identities.

She can't afford what Qi Yan is giving her.

Feeling tired, her eyes slowly closed...

The surroundings were not quiet, and she couldn't fall asleep even if she wanted to sleep. She could only close her eyes and rest her mind. After sitting quietly for a long time, she felt colder and colder. Lu Zhiqiao shrank her body, frowned slightly, and curled her fingers involuntarily.

Suddenly, the fingers were wrapped in a piece of warmth.

She opened her eyes.

Qi Yan wrapped her left knuckles with both hands, caressing them gently, then grabbed her other hand and wrapped them up. Seeing her eyes open in a daze, she smiled and coaxed: "Your hands are so cold, let me cover them and close your eyes."

"Ask the nurse for a hot pack...cough...your hands will get cold later..." Lu Zhiqiao said in a hoarse voice, staring at Qi Yan's hand worriedly.

Qi Yan shook her head and smiled softly: "It's okay, my hands are warmer than hot packs."

Lu Zhiqiao's heart trembled, and she raised her eyes to see the tenderness in the depths of Qi Yan's eyes. Her nose became a little sore, and so were her eyes. Afraid that she would not be able to hold back her embarrassment, she curled her lips into a smile, leaned back, and closed her eyes.

The warm water stains flooded under her eyelids, and it took a while to subside.

After closing her eyes and resting her mind for a moment, Lu Zhiqiao heard Qi Yan's voice answering the phone. She wanted to open her eyes and take the call herself, but she was afraid that Qi Yan would be unhappy, because she agreed to rest for at least an hour, so she gave up.

"Hello?"

"I'm her friend. She's not feeling well and she's resting. If there's anything else you can tell me, or call back in an hour."

"Alright, no worries."

Lu Zhiqiao listened to the same words four or five times with her eyes closed, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up into a shallow arc.

A friend.

If they could only be friends, she would not have many troubles.

….

It was already noon when they returned home after the injection.

Lu Zhiqiao's forehead was still a little hot, and she was hungry, but she didn't have much appetite to eat. Qi Yan fed her cold medicine, helped her lie down on the bed, set her phone to airplane mode, and went out to make lunch for her "daughter".

Lu Wei was hungry, and her mother didn't get up to make breakfast in the morning. She thought she was tired and wanted to sleep more, so she didn't bother her. She made milk by herself and ate some small bread, and practiced the piano obediently.

The small bread snacks left at home were eaten for breakfast, and there was nothing else to eat. It was taking a long time for her mother to come back, and she didn't know how to cook. So she waited and waited until her mother came back, she wanted to go out to eat. After a while, she saw her mother being helped back by Teacher Qi.

Fear suddenly replaced hunger.

"Teacher Qi..." Lu Wei watched Qi Yan enter the kitchen, and followed her in a hurry.

Qi Yan picked up the apron and put it on. Hearing the sound, she turned around and saw the little girl worried, so she hurriedly stepped forward to hug her to comfort her: "It's okay, Niu Niu, your mom has a cold, she just needs to rest for a few days. What do you want to eat for lunch, hm?”

"I'll eat whatever you do." Lu Wei said seriously.

Qi Yan smiled and pinched her face: "Okay, go watch TV first."

Lu Wei didn't proceed to watch TV, she lingered at the door of the master bedroom for a while, opened the door and entered carefully. The curtains in the room were drawn tightly, and she approached the bed lightly, looking at her mother who was lying quietly with her round eyes, and called softly, "Mom?"

Lu Zhiqiao was just laying down, she was a light sleeper, she slowly opened her eyes when she heard the sound, her daughter's worried face was seen in her sight, she stretched out one hand from the bed: "Baby..."

The little girl's eyes were wet, she hurriedly pressed her face to her palm, and asked in a low voice: "Teacher Qi said you just have a cold, you're not  lying to me, are you?"

The last time her mother was bitten by a snake, Teacher Qi lied.

"I'm not lying to you, silly." Lu Zhiqiao said distressingly, touching her daughter's face with a smile, "I have a little fever, I'll just have some sleep after the injection and I'll be fine. You also need to wear more clothes or else you'll also catch a cold, understand?"

Lu Wei nodded, and said obediently: "Then go to bed, I won't disturb you anymore." She grabbed Lu Zhiqiao's hand, stuffed it back into the bed, and tucked her tightly in the quilt.

Just like a little adult.

….

For lunch, Qi Yan stir-fried two dishes, remembering that Lu Zhiqiao didn't eat anything, she cooked some porridge and warmed it in the cooker. After lunch, she played games with Niu Niu for a while, and asked her to do homework.

Nearly two o'clock in the afternoon, the rain stopped outside, and thick dark clouds floated in the sky like cotton wool, pressing down very low, and the light suddenly brightened.

It looked like there was still heavy rain to fall.

Qi Yan went back and closed the window of her balcony. After a few minutes of work, she returned to 901 and found that the door of the master bedroom was opened at some time.  She walked to the door out of curiosity, and saw Lu Zhiqiao sitting in front of the dressing table, with a change of clothes, painting her eyebrows meticulously.

"Where are you going?" She closed the door with her backhand and took a few steps forward.

Lu Zhiqiao was taken aback, the hand holding the eyebrow pencil trembled, she accidentally traced it crookedly, she hurriedly turned her head, her lips moved: "There is a meeting at three o'clock, I have to go."

Her face was still reddish, and she didn't seem to be in a good mood. After speaking, she coughed twice, her voice sounding hoarse. She dipped a cotton swab in makeup remover, gently wiped off the crooked part of her eye brow, pressed it with a cotton pad, swept some loose powder, picked up the eyebrow pencil and continued to draw.

Qi Yan was taken aback, and went over to touch her forehead. It was not so hot, but it was still warmer than the temperature of the palm of her hand, so she frowned: "Your fever hasn't completely subsided..."

"It's okay, I'm much better, it would be just an hour." Lu Zhiqiao interrupted softly, finished drawing her eyebrows in two or three strokes, and stood up.

She stood up too quickly and got dizzy for a moment, and her body swayed.

Qi Yan saw this and quickly hugged her, her heart was aching, "What's wrong with you? What if..."

"I'm going to be late, let go—" She broke free anxiously, staggered back two steps, leaned on the wall to stabilize her body, then stuffed her phone into her bag and hurried to leave.

"Lu Zhiqiao!"

The footsteps stopped.

Qi Yan's face turned sullen, her eyes dimmed, looking coldly at her: "Can't the meeting be postponed? Can't it be remote? Wouldn't it affect efficiency if you force yourself like this? Will you let everyone watch you cough? Listen to your nasal voice? Or worry that you could faint at any moment?"

Qi Yan was angry and anxious in her heart, her tone was inevitably rushed, cold and harsh.

Lu Zhiqiao stared at her, clenched her teeth, and tightened her fingers holding the strap of her bag. Suddenly, the suffocating sourness forced up her throat, stuffed her nose and she almost could not breathe.

She opened her lips slightly, took a deep breath, her eyes reddening.

Author's Note:

Ying ying ying~(cute)*

*onomatopoeia that means crying in a pouty and cute way




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