Slow to mature after marriage

Mu Siwan was stunned.

The light on the other end of the screen was too dim, and only his blurry outline was visible. He was very close to the camera, his eyebrows and eyes hidden in the gloom, the shadows of his eyelashes falling on his eyelids. His shirt collar was loose, revealing a small patch of skin above his collarbone.

The tie hung crookedly around his neck.

She stared at the tie for a few seconds.

What's the point of telling her my crooked tie when I'm far away in London?

She couldn't fly over to help him straighten up.

"Do you want Assistant Wang to help you?"

Bo Yan frowned.

"He's an idiot."

His tone was lazy, with a hint of impatience.

Mu Siwan looked away.

"Then... why don't you try tying it yourself?"

"Won't."

Mu Siwan opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

The other person didn't speak again.

The only sound on the screen was the man's soft, deep breathing.

He leaned back in his chair, his whole being enveloped in darkness, only his eyes shining, fixed on her face through the screen.

She felt inexplicably uneasy under that gaze.

People were coming and going in the hospital, and nurses could come in at any time. She was afraid of being exposed, so she wanted to hang up the phone.

Just as he was about to speak, he spoke at the same time.

"……you."

"……I."

Stop.

Bo Yan's Adam's apple bobbed.

"You go first."

As Mu Siwan stared into the man's slightly hazy, narrow eyes, a guess slowly emerged.

Are you drunk?

He hummed in agreement.

The sound was very low, rolling out from his throat, and a little hoarse.

No wonder they suddenly called.

He even inexplicably claimed that his tie was crooked.

"Well... if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"Don't hang up."

Bo Yan lowered his eyes, staring at the impatient look on her face.

Do you really not want to see him?

With a disgruntled snort, Bo Yan spoke.

"I want to see that stupid snake in my house."

Mu Siwan paused.

She looked around—the white walls of the ward, the IV drip, the medicine box on the bedside table.

Where can she find Grace?

I'm not home right now.

"Where are you now?"

Mu Siwan is likely to remain calm.

"Of course...at the testing center."

Bo Yan narrowed his eyes, not missing the fleeting look of guilt on her face.

"you--"

Before the words were finished, the ward door was pushed open.

The nurse walked in carrying a tray and began to speak.

"Ms. Mu, it's time to change the dressing."

Mu Siwan froze, her fingers almost dropping the phone. She quickly pressed the hang-up button, and the screen went black instantly.

The ward fell silent.

The nurse was stunned as she watched her series of fluid movements.

"Excuse me, am I...?"

"fine."

She put her phone aside, lay back down, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Bo Yan, you probably didn't hear that.

-

On the other end of London, Bo Yan stared at the blacked-out screen.

Change the dressing?

The woman hung up the phone, but those two words clearly reached her ears.

The man leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed deeply, and his face darkened.

Was she injured?

Bo Yan picked up his phone and made a call.

The call was connected quickly.

"President Bo?"

Wang Jin's voice was hoarse from being woken up, and somewhat bewildered.

"Book me the earliest flight back to China, and be quick."

"Yes, Mr. Bo."

The phone hangs up.

Bo Yan stared at the chat box with Mu Siwan, which was empty and made no mention of his injury.

A sense of restlessness welled up inside me.

The crooked tie was still hanging around his neck. He raised his hand and tugged hard, but couldn't pull it off.

He wanted to call again.

Ask her what happened, which hospital she's in, and how badly she's injured.

Also, why didn't you tell him immediately?

My fingertip hovers over the screen, pausing for a moment.

Finally, scroll down and dial Aunt Chen's number.

-

At noon, Aunt Chen pushed open the door and came in, carrying a thermos.

Mu Siwan was leaning against the bed, staring blankly out the window. Hearing the noise, she turned her head.

"Madam, dinner is ready."

Aunt Chen placed the thermos on the bedside table, opened the lid, and the aroma of food wafted out. She ladled out a bowl of soup and handed it to her.

Mu Siwan took it and lowered her head to take a sip.

Aunt Chen stood to the side, glancing at her a few times as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Madam," she finally spoke, "just now, my husband called me."

Mu Siwan paused, her hand holding the spoon still.

"He asked where you were, and I couldn't hide it from him." Aunt Chen looked at her. "After he found out you were injured, the way he spoke... it didn't sound good."

Mu Siwan lowered her eyes.

Bo Yan found out anyway.

She didn't say anything, but he still found out.

The spoon remained in the bowl, the steam from the soup rising and blurring the view.

"What did he say?"

"She didn't say anything, just asked where you were." Aunt Chen paused, "and I told her the truth."

Mu Siwan nodded.

Continue drinking the soup.

Bo Yan's tone was not very good.

It's probably because he felt that she was bothering him.

She frowned slightly.

But she didn't want to bother him.

He was the one who called first.

-

As evening fell, the light outside the window dimmed, and the lights in the ward came on.

Mu Siwan leaned against the bed, staring at her phone screen.

The dialog box is still showing the record of yesterday's video call.

She typed a few words, then deleted them.

They hit him again.

Deleted again.

After going back and forth several times, only a simple line remained in the end.

[Mu Siwan]: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you.

send.

She placed her phone face down on her lap, staring at the twilight gradually settling outside the window.

My foot is still throbbing.

The message was sent, but it disappeared without a trace.

Bo Yan did not reply to her.

Mu Siwan didn't sleep well that night.

The pain in her ankle became especially pronounced at night, coming in waves, as if someone were slowly twisting the bone. She turned over several times, each time aggravating the injury and causing her to gasp in pain.

Later, I simply stopped turning over and just lay flat on my back, staring at the ceiling.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and light shone through—it was the yellow glow of the streetlights, flickering intermittently.

She picked up her phone and glanced at it.

The dialog box was still showing the message she had sent.

No reply.

Mu Siwan put the phone back and closed her eyes.

She drifted off to sleep, not knowing what time it was. In her dream, it seemed like someone pushed the door open and came in, and she felt a gentle touch on her forehead. She opened her eyes, and the doorway was empty, with only the hallway light on.

She fell asleep again.

When I woke up again, it was already daylight.

-

There was a knock on the ward door, and Mu Siwan said, "Please come in."

The door opened, and Meng Qing stood in the doorway, holding a paper bag in his hand.

She turned her head, saw it was him, and froze.

"Why are you here so early?"

Meng Qing walked in and placed the paper bag on the bedside table.

"I brought you breakfast."

She propped herself up on her arms and sat up against the headboard.

"Thanks."

He paused, then continued.

"Actually, you don't need to come here specially; someone will deliver it to you."

Meng Qing paused for a moment, then looked up and spoke casually.

"Oh, this... I didn't buy it specifically for you," he explained. "A colleague of mine is also in the hospital, and I was just bringing him breakfast, so I brought you one too."

"You know, injuries are common in our line of work."