Chapter 173: Taking a Nap Together

After finishing the meal prepared with love by Jiang Ce, Ruan Mianmian’s spirits recovered more and more.

"What have you been busy with these past couple of days?"

Once she finished eating, Ruan Mianmian leaned back against the hospital bed, crossing one leg over the other, and stared at Jiang Ce with a leisurely expression.

Ever since she was out of danger, Jiang Ce had also started getting busy with other matters over the last two days.

At first, Ruan Mianmian felt so weak and uncomfortable that she spent the better part of the day sleeping. Initially, every time she opened her eyes, the first person she always saw was without a doubt Jiang Ce.

However, over the past two days, the situation had clearly changed.

It was either Old Man Zhang, A-Kuan, or sometimes Chen Ci from next door taking turns to look after her. She had no idea what Jiang Ce was actually busy with.

Jiang Ce looked at Ruan Mianmian, slowly sat down on the resting chair beside the hospital bed, and said calmly, "You just focus on recovering, why are you asking about so many things?"

Hearing this, Ruan Mianmian immediately sat up straight in bed, arguing with full justification, "Of course I have to ask! Every day I'm stuck with a face I can't even stand looking at myself; if you run away, where am I supposed to find you?"

Seeing Ruan Mianmian’s animated reaction, Jiang Ce couldn’t help chuckling twice.

"Alright, if I were going to run, I would have run long ago. I wouldn't wait until you recovered your strength before leaving."

Jiang Ce cast a teasing glance at Ruan Mianmian and asked, "Do you want some fruit?"

Ruan Mianmian touched her bulging stomach and shook her head. Her greatest amount of physical exertion every day was walking from her room to the next-door room to visit Xiang Kui; there was simply no need to keep eating all the time.

During her days in the hospital, Ruan Mianmian didn't really have much of an appetite. Even when she ate a fair amount, it was mostly for Jiang Ce's sake.

Ruan Mianmian then fished the mirror out from under her pillow, carefully inspecting her face in minute detail, and said with a worried expression, "My face isn't going to be ruined like this, is it?"

Jiang Ce curled the corners of his lips into a smile and said, "It doesn't matter even if it is ruined. Someone will support you anyway."

"Pfft!"

Ruan Mianmian shot Jiang Ce a sideways glance and continued, "I am, after all, a flower of a maiden; I don't want to turn into a twisted cruller."

Teasing her and seeing her display such a lively and spirited expression, Jiang Ce felt a weight lift from his heart as well.

"Don't worry, the doctor said it's nothing serious. Just take good care of yourself and it will heal."

In the end, Jiang Ce uttered these comforting words to put Ruan Mianmian at ease.

Ruan Mianmian paused her movements and asked, "Did the doctor mention when I can be discharged?"

"What's wrong? Want to go home?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Ruan Mianmian nodded and said, "Who wants to stay in the hospital every single day!"

"Alright."

Jiang Ce nodded and continued, "I can arrange for a family doctor. If everything is fine, I'll take you home to recuperate."

With that, Jiang Ce raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Ruan Mianmian noticed the dark circles under Jiang Ce's eyes; she imagined he hadn't slept a single peaceful night during these days.

"Jiang Ce, have you eaten?"

Jiang Ce raised his eyelids slightly and smiled, "I have. I ate at home before coming over."

Then, Ruan Mianmian shifted to one side of the bed, clearing up plenty of empty space, and smiled, "Then let's take a nap together?"

Jiang Ce glanced at the spot beside Ruan Mianmian and nodded.

He took off his suit jacket, placed it on the chair nearby, and gently climbed onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Ruan Mianmian as he closed his eyes to rest.

During these past few days, Jiang Ce had been so busy taking care of Ruan Mianmian that he had barely managed to close his eyes. Afterward, once Ruan Mianmian was out of danger, Jiang Ce had to split his focus, carving out time to look into Fang Xiaoyan's situation. In short, every day was a whirlwind of activity.

Ruan Mianmian stayed securely in Jiang Ce's arms for a while. Actually, she didn't feel particularly sleepy; she just wanted to use this as an excuse to let Jiang Ce get some rest. She could tell that Jiang Ce must have been extremely busy during this period, and coupled with her own matters, he was probably stretched too thin.

Ruan Mianmian stole a glance at Jiang Ce, then tucked herself back into his embrace of her own accord.

"Can't sleep?"

Jiang Ce easily sensed Ruan Mianmian's restless little movements. He asked gently in a soft voice.

Ruan Mianmian nodded faintly and asked slowly, "I heard that Fang Xiaoyan has disappeared again?"

As her voice trailed off, Jiang Ce abruptly opened his eyes, looking at Ruan Mianmian with a hint of surprise, as if he hadn't expected her to know already.

"Who told you?"

Ruan Mianmian bit the tip of her tongue and continued, "Never mind who told me. I know you did it so I could recover in peace, keeping them from disturbing me, but I was just too bored and asked around casually."

"..."

Jiang Ce let out a long sigh and said, "I underestimated that bunch."

"How so?"

Ruan Mianmian wore a look of astonishment and continued to ask, "Could it be that someone took Fang Xiaoyan away from Starfish Bay?"

"Not quite."

Jiang Ce said calmly, "They don't have the guts to break into Starfish Bay."

He then explained, "The night I discovered you had a fever, I immediately brought you to the hospital. Afterward, Chen Ci also noticed that something was wrong with Xiang Kui. Fang Xiaoyan took advantage of that exact window of opportunity to slip out. Later, when they checked the surveillance footage, they discovered that someone had actually been keeping watch outside Starfish Bay all this time, and simultaneously, Fang Xiaoyan was taken away by another group of people."

When he finished speaking, Ruan Mianmian fell silent for a long moment.

This Fang Xiaoyan was truly somewhat baffling. Just what kind of force was backing her up? And what was their objective?

Ruan Mianmian simply couldn't guess the answers to these questions. Judging by Jiang Ce's expression, he probably didn't have much of a clue either.

"How strange."

Ruan Mianmian suddenly chuckled and continued, "I feel like those people's target should be you, right? Why is it always me who has bad luck? Xiang Kui said she came to take the hit for me, but it looks like I came to take the hit for you instead."

Hearing this, the arm Jiang Ce had around Ruan Mianmian tightened slightly. He blamed himself, saying, "It's my fault for not protecting you well."

"It's fine, you just didn't expect her to target me. Fortunately, it's nothing too major, and these rashes will heal."

Ruan Mianmian couldn't bear to see Jiang Ce looking so full of guilt; in truth, it couldn't really be pinned on him.

"Rest assured, this time I certainly won't let them off easily."

A cold glint gathered in the depths of Jiang Ce's eyes.

Just like that, Ruan Mianmian and Xiang Kui recuperated in the hospital for over half a month. The rashes on Ruan Mianmian's face were already fading; aside from tiny speckled dark marks, almost no other red rashes were visible. Xiang Kui's symptoms were somewhat more severe, but fortunately, she was also slowly recovering.

The two of them couldn't bear staying in the hospital any longer, so they decided together to prepare for discharge. Chen Ci was uneasy, and ultimately, upon Jiang Ce's suggestion, Ruan Mianmian and Xiang Kui neatly moved into the Beishan Sanatorium under Li Zheng's name.

Although it was a sanatorium, the place was much more interesting than a hospital. Ruan Mianmian and Xiang Kui immediately agreed.