Embarrassed, Qiao An wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole.
“If you don’t mind, I can help you bathe,” Li Xiaoran said.
Qiao An’s face instantly turned as red as a monkey’s butt.
She shook her head vigorously, as if her head, which had been properly fixed, was about to be flung out.
Li Xiaoran said helplessly, “Then let Li Zecheng help you.”
Qiao An burst out, “No.”
Li Xiaoran looked puzzled. “He’s your husband. Shouldn’t the two of you be honest with each other?”
“Get me a nurse!”
“I’m sorry, but it’s Women’s Day today, and all the female caretakers are off. Are male caretakers okay?”
Qiao An nearly choked.
“No way.”
“Then choose between me and Li Zecheng?”
Qiao An turned green and looked at Li Xiaoran. “Can it be tomorrow?” She hoped that the nurse would help her clean up after work.
Li Xiaoran said, “Qiao An, I’m a clean freak. It’s not easy for me to endure the humiliation for so long.”
Qiao An thought about the number of times he’d checked her wounds in the last few days. In any case, he’d seen and felt every part of her body. She’d let him give her a sponge bath and think of it that way.
He was the one who couldn’t stand her.
After all, how could she accept Li Zecheng being intimate with her?
“Then… thank you, Dr. Li,” Jo Ann blurted out awkwardly.
Li Xiaoran smiled brightly. “With pleasure.”
Qiao An was already mentally prepared, but when Li Xiaoran walked over with water, she panicked.
Li Xiaoran’s actions were very gentle, like he was protecting fragile porcelain. It was as if the scar in Qiao An’s heart had been repaired. At least she didn’t feel embarrassed.
She secretly thought that Li Xiaoran was actually still very cultured. Although he sometimes spoke nonsense, he did things very warmly. No wonder many girls liked such a boy.
“Qiao An,” Li Xiaoran suddenly called out to her.
She might have misheard, but she thought his voice was mixed with sadness and hoarseness.
She turned to look at him. Li Xiaoran quickly adjusted his emotions and returned to his unruly appearance. “Look, I haven’t slept well for more than ten days in order to take care of you. Can you treat yourself well in the future? Be good to yourself? Think about us poor medical workers. Can you not add to my burden?”
Qiao An looked at Li Xiaoran’s haggard face and nodded silently. She said firmly, “Don’t worry, I won’t fall into the same trap again.”
Li Xiaoran nodded in relief. “There’s some hope for you after all.”
After wiping her body, Li Xiaoran wanted to say something but hesitated.
When he reached the door, he said to Qiao An, “Qiao An, I’m taking tomorrow off. Is that okay?”
Qiao An stared at him blankly…
Did he have to tell her if he was taking leave or not?
Li Xiaoran suddenly felt that he was being superfluous. He explained, “You’re my patient. A patient is the god of doctors. You have the right to ask me not to take leave or take a short leave.”
Qiao An actually had the idea of awarding Li Xiaoran with a certificate of benevolence. “Li Xiaoran, after I’m discharged, I’ll give you a silk banner.”
Qiao An sincerely thought so.
Li Xiaoran’s handsome face froze.
Scowling, he turned to leave.
The next day, Qiao An woke to pain.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the nurse cleaning her wound. Her movements were rough, and it hurt so much that tears welled up in her eyes.
She gritted her teeth. At this moment, she missed Li Xiaoran’s consideration for his patients.
“Where’s Dr. Li?” she asked involuntarily.
The female nurse answered her, “In order to save you, Dr. Li hasn’t left the hospital for ten days. You had countless surgeries all over your body, all of which were performed by Dr. Li himself. He almost collapsed on the operating table from exhaustion. Therefore, your life was exchanged with his. Yesterday, the director ordered him to go home and rest.”
Qiao An was appalled.
She was shocked by Li Xiaoran’s dedication to his patients.
She did not expect Li Xiaoran to be so serious and responsible when he worked.
The female nurse continued, “A week is already Dr. Li’s shortest vacation. In the past, he was only responsible for operating on patients. When it was your turn, he took on all the missions. Dr. Li said that he treated you as the subject of his new scientific topic. You were a critical patient, and he wanted to restore your health in the shortest time possible. It seems that Dr. Li has succeeded. In the future, he shouldn’t have to continue to pay attention to you.”
After the garrulous nurse left, Qiao An felt strangely bereft.
The nurse said that Li Xiaoran would not continue to pay attention to her medical records in the future. Then she would have to face the awkward situation of being seen and touched again.
During Li Xiaoran’s leave, Qiao An’s world became extremely quiet.
This made her think of when she was held hostage by the kidnappers. She thought of how she had asked Li Zecheng for help countless times, but he had not responded at all. She thought of how Li Zecheng had become anxious when it was Wei Xin and ran to the ruins in a panic. She thought of how Wei Xin had begged for comfort in his arms. She thought of how Li Zecheng had chosen to save Wei Xin and left her to be ruined by the kidnappers… Her heart felt like it was being pierced by countless needles.
She knew that her marriage with Li Zecheng was already riddled with holes. It was just that she had been too careless to notice it.
That day, Loco came to visit her at the hospital.
Seeing Qiao An lying in the hospital in a withered state, Loco was stunned. Then, her eyes turned red as she pounced on Qiao An and sobbed, “An’an, if I had known that Li Zecheng was a man with a beast’s heart, I wouldn’t have encouraged you to marry him in the first place.”
Qiao An’s eyes narrowed slightly. In the past, Li Zecheng was an excellent man with good looks, talent and character in Loco’s eyes. Now, he was described as a man with a beast’s heart. She must have discovered Li Zecheng’s secret.
Carefully, Loco pulled her phone from her pocket and swiped out a photo of the tie clip and the purchase records.
Locke said indignantly, “Fortunately, I have some relationship with the manager of that mall. She helped me find the buyer of this limited edition tie clip. You’re right. Wei Xin bought it for Li Zecheng. And the symbolism behind this tie clip is to accompany one’s love.”
Qiao An felt a chill in her heart and clenched her fists ruthlessly.
Loco looked at Qiao An worriedly and said, “Li Zecheng cheating on you with Wei Xin is most likely the case. Qiao An, have you thought about your next move?”
Qiao An said calmly, “I’ve requested for divorce.”
Locke pulled up a stool, sat in front of Jo Ann, and started lecturing her. “You asked Li Zecheng to get his brains checked. In my opinion, you’re the one who should do so.”
Qiao An scowled at her. Because her neck was secured, she had to make awkward movements to adjust the direction of her vision. It actually made her look a little more alive.