The baby slapped me, and I said, "Sit on my lap and slap me."

After finishing her last tutoring session, Su Qingyao took the subway directly to the city's central hospital.

The familiar smell of disinfectant filled the corridor.

She walked confidently to Su's mother's ward, pushed open the door, and saw Aunt Zhou turning Su's mother over inside.

"Yaoyao is here!"

Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up when she saw her. After flipping through the book, she quickly walked over, took her hand, and looked her up and down.

"You've lost weight again! Have you been eating poorly? No matter how busy you are with schoolwork, you still need to take care of your health..."

Su Qingyao smiled and let her nag, feeling a warm glow in her heart.

Although Aunt Zhou was the caregiver she hired, she always cared for her like an elder, never complaining about the delayed wages, and took care of her mother wholeheartedly.

"I'm fine, Aunt Zhou, don't worry."

"How can I not worry? You're a girl, you have to go to school, work, and go to the hospital every other day..."

Aunt Zhou sighed and patted her hand affectionately.

"Alright, I won't nag anymore. You two have a good talk. I'll go get some hot water."

After Aunt Zhou left, the ward became quiet.

Su Qingyao walked to the bedside and looked at her mother's peaceful sleeping face.

Time seemed to stand still on Su's mother; she remained the same as she remembered, only thinner and with a perpetually pale complexion.

As usual, Su Qingyao took out a basin and towel from the cabinet and went to the bathroom to get warm water.

She wrung out the towel, sat on the chair by the bed, and gently wiped Su's mother's cheeks, neck, and arms.

After wiping her body, she poured some skin care oil into her palms, rubbed it to warm it, and massaged Su's mother's arms and legs to promote blood circulation.

More than an hour later, Su Qingyao stopped what she was doing and tidied up her things.

She sat back down on the edge of the bed, gently took her mother's slightly cool hand, and, as she had done countless weekends before, began to murmur about the week's events.

"There aren't many classes this week, but the physics lab report is a bit difficult to write... Miaoke is still the same as always, so loud and boisterous. Yesterday she even dragged me to watch a basketball game..."

Her voice was soft, with a gentle smile.

As she was speaking, she suddenly paused.

He hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice lowered as if he were sharing a secret.

"Mom, I... met someone."

The sunlight streaming in through the window cast delicate shadows on her eyelashes. "His appearance... was an accident for me."

She paused, as if searching for the most suitable words.

"At first, I thought it was a terrible thing, but now that I think about it, maybe... it's not that bad."

She looked up and gazed at her mother's peaceful face.

"I haven't figured out what to do yet, but sometimes I think, maybe... it wouldn't be a bad thing to give it a try."

She lowered her eyes, her fingertips tracing the back of her mother's hand, her voice even softer.

"I wrote an IOU, and I'll treat this money as a loan. I'll pay him back slowly when I have a stable income in the future."

Her throat suddenly felt a little congested, and she sniffed.

"Mom, it's been a long time since I've felt like someone cherishes me."

Silence spread quietly in the ward, with only the regular, cold ticking of the monitoring equipment.

She raised her other hand and gently stroked Su's mother's thin but still gentle face, her fingertips trembling.

"If only you and Dad were still here with me."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, landing on the pristine white sheets and spreading a small patch of dark color.

She buried her face deeply in her mother's cool palms, her shoulders trembling slightly, her voice choked with emotion.

"Mom...please wake up soon..."

"I miss you so much……"

As dusk settled outside the window, it bathed the ward in a gentle orange hue.

The girl's suppressed sobs mingled with the cold ticking of the medical equipment, becoming the softest yet heaviest thought of this twilight.

-

The soft "ding" of a cell phone abruptly broke the somber mood in the hospital room.

Su Qingyao was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand to gently wipe away the tears on her face, and childishly sniffed.

"Mom, look at me," she whispered to her sleeping mother, her voice still slightly hoarse from crying.

"She cried again... Isn't Yaoyao very weak?"

She gently shook Su's mother's hand, as if seeking strength, her voice gradually becoming firmer.

"But it's okay, Yao Yao is trying her best to live well, and things will get better, right?"

Su Qingyao took a deep breath, trying to calm her surging emotions, before taking her phone out of her bag.

The screen lights up, and the lock screen displays several unread messages, all from the same name.

She clicked on it, and the latest item was a photo and a video.

In the photo, Wen Yu's injured ankle is covered with an ice pack, and the ointment is applied evenly and carefully.

He did indeed follow the doctor's orders obediently.

She pursed her lips, tapped her fingertip, and opened the video.

In the video, Wen Yu's face is very close, almost filling the entire screen.

His brows furrowed slightly, his lips pursed in a wronged manner, and his teary eyes stared at the camera as if he were accusing her.

"My baby just disappeared after attending a tutoring class? If he doesn't reply to my messages soon, my husband is going to call the police."

In stark contrast to his aggrieved tone was the almost transparent black silk shirt he was wearing.

The fabric was as thin as a cicada's wing, clinging tightly to the lines of his bulging pectoral muscles. The outline of his abdominal muscles was clearly visible in the dim light, and one could even see the dark color bulging slightly under the fabric, carrying a certain aggressive implication.

Su Qingyao felt her eyelids burning after just one glance.

But what followed was a small gasp of surprise.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, smooth and powerful muscle lines, he looks...so strong.

Realizing what she was thinking, her cheeks flushed instantly, and even the roots of her ears turned crimson.

Wen Yu! He clearly dressed like this on purpose to show her!

And I... I was actually led astray by him, my thoughts completely lost!

Her fingertips trembled involuntarily as she typed rapidly with shaking hands.

Yao Yao: "You! You pervert!! Why aren't you dressed properly!"

Wen Yu replied instantly.

My dear husband: "Baby finally decided to talk to me! I've been messaging you all day."

Then another one followed.

My dear husband: "Baby really likes my big pecs~ I pinched them last time, and they replied as soon as they saw the video this time."

Yao Yao: "No way! I've been too busy to check my messages..."

My dear husband: "Does it look good?"

My dear husband: "Should we...see it in person?"

My dear husband: "Touching is fine, doing anything else is also okay~"

Su Qingyao gripped her phone, her face growing increasingly hot, and even her breathing became unnatural.

Just then, the ward door was gently pushed open, and Aunt Zhou walked in carrying a kettle of hot water.

"Qingyao, why is your face so red?"

Aunt Zhou was startled and quickly put down the kettle and came over, reaching out to touch her forehead.

"Do you have a fever? Or are you feeling unwell?"

Su Qingyao quickly locked the screen like a thief, hid the phone behind her back, and shook her head repeatedly, her voice filled with panic.

"No, no! It's just... it's a bit stuffy, and the room is a bit hot..."

She stood up hastily, grabbed her bag, and spoke rapidly.

"Aunt Zhou, thank you for continuing to take care of Mom. I... I'll come again tomorrow!"

"Huh? You're leaving already? Won't you stay a little longer..."

"No, no! Goodbye, Aunt Zhou!"

She fled the ward as if escaping, her footsteps echoing clearly in the empty corridor.

Aunt Zhou stood at the door, watching her figure disappear hurriedly at the end of the corridor, and then looked back at the air conditioner working quietly in the center of the ward.

The display screen clearly showed: 25℃.

"It's only the end of May..." she muttered to herself, her brows furrowing slightly.

"It's not like the child's face is turning red from the heat..."

Inside the elevator, Su Qingyao leaned against the cold metal wall, covering her burning cheeks with her hands.

But his mind kept replaying the powerful body that was faintly visible under the thin veil in the video, and his last words that left much to the imagination.

...This Wenyu!

She bit her lip, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.