They surrounded me right after the breakup.

The next day.

When Xia Yutong woke up, the morning light was seeping in through the gap in the curtains.

She stared at the ceiling for a while before remembering that she was in the hospital.

The monitor emitted a very faint electrical hum.

The IV needle is still stuck in the back of my hand; it feels a bit cold.

The bruise on my palm has faded a bit.

It completely changed from bluish-purple to light yellow.

Then Xia Yutong saw Jiang Han.

Leaning against the sofa beside the bed, her two long legs stretched out straight.

With eyes closed, breathing very lightly.

This man actually stayed with him in the hospital room all night!

Xia Yutong turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

She couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth.

All the hard work and effort were worth it!

"Get up and eat breakfast when you're awake, don't pretend to be asleep."

Xia Yutong lifted half of her face from under the pillow.

I wasn't pretending to be asleep.

Jiang Han stood up, picked up his coat from the sofa, and draped it over the back of the chair.

"Your mouth is practically stretched to your ears. What dream did you have to be laughing like that?"

Lin Yaoyao pushed open the door and came in, carrying an insulated bag.

She placed the insulated bag on the bedside table and unzipped it.

A light, pleasant aroma of rice wafted out.

White porridge.

The yam was steamed until soft and glutinous.

A few goji berries floated on the surface of the porridge.

Next to it was a small dish of boiled shredded chicken and a few pieces of chopped steamed pumpkin.

"I've asked the doctor, and this is the only food you can eat right now."

Avoid greasy and spicy foods.

"No seasoning was added at all."

Xia Yutong took the spoon.

"What time did you get up to do this?"

"It's 6 o'clock, and the porridge needs to be cooked for an hour and a half."

Xia Yutong lowered her head and finished her porridge, then stuffed the last bite of pumpkin into her mouth.

Put the empty bowl back on the bedside table.

Jiang Han reached out to collect the bowl.

She snatched the bowl back.

"I'll do it myself."

Shen Qingning then pushed open the door and came in, holding a bouquet of white lilies.

She placed the flowers on the bedside table and nodded to Lin Yaoyao.

He glanced at Xia Yutong again.

That look in his eyes was different from Lin Yaoyao's.

Lin Yaoyao sees Xia Yutong as someone she cares for like sisters.

When Shen Qingning looked at Xia Yutong, a smile that only she knew was on her lips.

She had seen the handwritten bet in the Star Moon Media office.

She knew what the "at will" clause Xia Yutong signed after Nezha's box office surpassed 4 billion yuan meant.

Shen Qingning said nothing and unwrapped the lily.

They inserted the flowers one by one into the glass vase borrowed from the nurses' station.

The flower stem was shortened by two inches.

Six white petals, in full bloom, were just visible at the mouth of the bottle.

"Get some rest," she said.

After nine o'clock in the morning, people began to come to visit the sick in waves.

The first to arrive were colleagues from Junhe Law Firm.

Old Qian brought a box of American ginseng slices, saying it was a token of appreciation from all the partners in the firm.

Then there are the middle and senior management of Xingyue Media.

Fang Chongwen brought a fruit basket.

Tingting and Ajie were carrying albums signed by Mao Buyi.

Fang Chongwen stood at the door without going inside, exchanged a few words of greeting, and then took his leave.

Next came representatives from other companies in the entertainment industry.

The vice president of Huace brought donkey-hide gelatin.

The producer from Enlight Media gifted them bird's nest.

King's Prince Fokwen sent flowers with a card wishing him a speedy recovery.

Then, Xia Yutong didn't recognize any of the people who came next.

Someone claimed to be the vice president of a real estate company.

A partner in an investment fund.

Some people didn't even bother to clearly state their identity.

The first thing he said when he came in was, "Thank you for your hard work, Attorney Xia."

He stuffed a thick red envelope into the hand and turned to leave.

Xia Yutong looked at the ever-growing pile of red envelopes and gift boxes on her bedside table.

I was completely stunned.

She looked up at Shen Qingning.

Shen Qingning was leaning back on the sofa scrolling through her phone, a knowing smile on her lips.

"who are they?"

"I don't know any of the ones you don't know either."

Shen Qingning turned her phone over; the screen showed her WeChat friend request list.

This morning, there were more than 40 additional verification messages.

"But they know you."

"Or rather, you know the man lying on the sofa in your hospital room."

"If a person of high status has a family member who is sick and hospitalized, a child who is admitted to university, or an elderly person who is celebrating a birthday, all sorts of people will come to congratulate them."

"They didn't come to see you; they came to see the Jianghan Plain."

"These red envelopes are the passport to social etiquette."

"In their eyes, we may not need it, but they cannot refuse to give it to us."

"But I..."

"Aren't you his family?"

Shen Qingning tilted her head and asked in return.

"You fainted in front of the courthouse after overturning a case that had been on his side for over a decade."

"In everyone's eyes, you already are."

Xia Yutong placed the bowl on the bedside table and looked at the red envelopes and gift boxes.

She was used to being the lawyer representing her client.

Collect commission fees, sign agency agreements, and fight for the best interests of clients in court.

But these people weren't giving legal fees; they were giving favors.

Jiang Han stood at the door, having just seen off a man who claimed to be the liaison for the Jiang family's liquidation team stationed in Jingzhou.

She was clutching the red envelope that the man had forced upon her.

He already nodded and shook hands like this this morning.

It was repeated at least dozens of times.

At first, I was patient.

After all, they came to visit Xia Yutong.

But gradually, the people who came became more and more outrageous.

A regional manager of a certain brand wanted to take the opportunity of visiting someone in the hospital to discuss the supply of building materials for the film and television city.

They were intercepted by the Jianghan River.

A middle-aged man, whom I don't know at all, is standing at the door of the ward.

Even Xia Yutong's name was mispronounced, and she even tried to stuff a red envelope into Xia Guodong's hand.

Jiang Han was completely fed up.

"Old Zheng, from now on, no one except family members is allowed to enter this ward."

Old Zheng stood at the door and stopped all the people who came to visit him.

Fengxing's security personnel stood at both ends of the corridor, dressed in black.

Jiang Han closed the ward door and casually tossed the red envelope onto the sofa.

He sat down on the edge of the bed.

The morning light outside the window had turned into midday sunlight, streaming in through the curtains.

The ward was quiet.

There were no more footsteps in the corridor.

Old Zheng stood outside the door, shutting out all the noise into another world.

Lin Yaoyao stood up from the sofa and opened her phone's memo app.

"I'm a professional when it comes to health and wellness."

"Yutong, you need to take good care of yourself after being discharged from the hospital!"

"By the way, if you want to try to conceive in the future, you can contact me."

"How to take folic acid, how to calculate ovulation period, what supplements to take based on your body type..."

"I'm an expert! I'll explain everything clearly to you!"

Xia Yutong's ears started burning at a visible speed.

That touch of red spread from the nape of the neck all the way down to the collarbone.

She glanced at Jiang Han out of the corner of her eye, then quickly looked away.

"I didn't..."

"They didn't talk about now, they talked about later!"

Lin Yaoyao's fingers flew across the memo.

"Let's create a file for you first, starting with regulating your Qi and blood."

"Your blood sugar was low this time, and you were overworked, so you've really damaged your foundation. You need to make up for it."

Shen Qingning stood up from the sofa, walked to the bedside, and moved the bouquet of lilies to the middle of the bedside table.

"Once Yao Yao's health record is created, it cannot be deleted."

"Be prepared."

She looked down at Xia Yutong's flushed face, and her smile deepened.

Xia Yutong shyly slid under the covers, leaving only her forehead and eyes exposed.

A girl's soft, coquettish voice came from under the covers.

"I'm going to sleep!"