Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband

Chapter 72: Captivating

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Captivating

When sick, people become much more fragile.

Ji Zeqiu, who usually faced Lin Xu’s fierce temper, now acted much more obediently. He lay in bed, quietly glancing at Lin Xu beside him; she was confirming his medication with the nurse. The sunshine outside the window spilled onto her cheeks, making even the fine fuzz on her face visible, bathed in the sunlight.

It was a sight that made it hard to look away.

Feeling the gaze upon her, Lin Xu turned to look and met Ji Zeqiu’s eyes.

He quickly turned his head away, pretending to look up at the IV drip hanging above, counting how much time was left until it was finished.

Lin Xu’s eyes curved, and after listening to the nurse’s instructions, she stepped forward to pat his head.

“My hairstyle is all messed up,” Ji Zeqiu muttered quietly, yet unusually, he did not resist, and a blush silently crept up to his ears hidden under the blanket.

“Your hair looks handsome even when it’s messy,” Lin Xu laughed.

Ji Zeqiu humphed, visibly happier on his face.

That expression made Lin Xu momentarily envision him at the tender age of four or five, cute and well-behaved.

Perhaps because Xiao Zeqiu often accompanied her shopping for clothes, he had developed a bit of a fashion sense.

“Today my hairstyle got blown messy, not handsome anymore, Mommy won’t like me now,” Xiao Zeqiu covered his face with his hands, lying sadly on the couch with his little bottom sticking up in the air.

Lin Xu lifted him from the couch and kissed his chubby cheeks, “Even with messy hair, you’re still handsome, and you’re always Mommy’s favorite little darling.”

Xiao Zeqiu, holding onto her neck, giggled non-stop.

It was unexpected that he would remain so vain as he grew up.

During the days of his hospital stay, the manager also came to visit occasionally, sometimes taking turns with Lin Xu to watch over him.

Originally, Ji Zeqiu had intended to call his manager, but that day the pain was so severe that he accidentally dialed the wrong number.

At first, when he saw Lin Xu, he thought about having his manager come over instead.

Now that the manager was here, he felt distracted, looking towards the door of the ward from time to time.

“If you find me annoying, I’ll just leave,” the manager said with a heartbroken expression.

“I, I don’t, I was just looking to see why the nurse hasn’t come to change the IV drip,” Ji Zeqiu retorted.

The manager rolled his eyes, pointing to the more than half-full IV bag overhead, “This bag hasn’t even finished yet, what are you talking about changing it, you don’t even make an effort to lie convincingly.”

“…” Ji Zeqiu closed his mouth, choosing to remain silent.

In the afternoon, the manager had to leave due to some work, and Lin Xu took over his place to care for Ji Zeqiu.

“Zeqiu has been looking forward to you all day, now that you’re here, he finally doesn’t have to keep craning his neck to look at the door,” the manager teased.

A flicker of surprise passed through Lin Xu’s eyes.

“You, you, don’t get the wrong idea, I, I wasn’t waiting for you, Brother Zhao is just talking nonsense,” Ji Zeqiu stuttered.

Ji Zeqiu didn’t know whether she believed him, but after hearing her acknowledge with a word, he felt relieved.

Ji Zeqiu’s recovery went well; he should be able to leave the hospital in two or three days.

“The doctor said you need to eat lightly for a while, and also have meals on time. I need to remind the housekeeper about this. Ah, never mind, it would be better to find a nutritionist and have a diet plan made.”

Lin Xu and Ji Zeqiu returned to the apartment, and she kept rambling the whole way, enough to make his ears grow callous.

Even though his ears found it annoying, there was an odd sense of warmth in his heart.

Ji Zeqiu responded noncommittally, while opening the door to the apartment and walking in.

“Zeqiu!”

As soon as he entered, a joyous voice sounded, and Wen Li hurriedly ran to the vestibule to greet him.

“I heard you were sick and wanted to visit you at the hospital, but Miss Lin wouldn’t tell me which ward you were in… so I couldn’t go…” Her expression was a bit aggrieved, and as she spoke, she sneakily glanced at Lin Xu.

Lin Xu couldn’t even be bothered to spare her a sidelong glance, treating her like air as she walked past her into the house.

“Hmm,” Ji Zeqiu responded curtly, without any further reaction.

Wen Li’s face stiffened, but she immediately smiled again and said, “Fortunately, you’re discharged and fully healed now. Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you tonight.”

“There’s no need, you were so badly injured in the last car accident, and your body hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Ji Zeqiu said.

Hearing his concern, Wen Li nodded happily.

As evening approached, Lin Xu got the menu from the nutritionist and went to the kitchen to talk with the nanny.

Ji Zeqiu was holding a remote control, continuously flipping through television channels, seemingly choosing a program. However, his attention wasn’t on the TV at all, as his line of sight kept sneaking peeks toward the kitchen.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, a sharp scream came from nearby, disrupting his thoughts.

Wen Li accidentally hit her calf against a chair. Her cheek paled from pain as she clutched her leg and gasped sharply.

Ji Zeqiu abruptly stood up as if spurred by years of habit, intending to show concern for her.

However, after only a step, he came to his senses and instinctively looked toward the kitchen.

Lin Xu also noticed the commotion outside and turned her head to look, her gaze meeting Ji Zeqiu’s.

For some reason, Ji Zeqiu felt guilty. Knowing that Lin Xu disliked Wen Li, he withdrew his step and didn’t go forward to help Wen Li.

“Hiss, it hurts so much.” Wen Li’s face twisted with pain, and as she lifted her trouser leg, she found a bruised patch on her calf, “Zeqiu, do you have any medicine at home?”

Ji Zeqiu sat upright on the couch, staring straight at the TV without looking away, and pointed to the cabinet below, “The medicine box is here.”

Wen Li waited for a moment, realizing he had no intention of helping her get it. She paused in surprise and then tiptoed to get it herself.

The antiseptic spray caused a sharp, scratching pain on her calf.

She looked up at Ji Zeqiu, still sitting on the couch, and felt an inexplicable sourness in her heart.

After a while, Lin Xu and the nanny brought out dinner from the kitchen.

Five or six dishes, almost entirely vegetarian, with not even a shadow of minced meat—although the doctor had advised a bland diet, this seemed too bland.

Ji Zeqiu seldom ate vegetables, and his face stiffened when he saw the all-vegetarian meal.

“Come on, eat more vegetables,” Lin Xu said, adding a piece of greens to his bowl.

Ji Zeqiu didn’t like vegetables, something Wen Li was aware of, so she immediately spoke up, “Ji Zeqiu doesn’t like these. I’ll go make him something else.”

“Even if he doesn’t like them, he needs to eat them so he can recover quickly,” Lin Xu warned as she tapped the rim of his bowl with her chopsticks, “No being picky.”

Ji Zeqiu looked at Lin Xu, saw her determined expression, and his brows suddenly furrowed.

He looked at the greens in his bowl, his face carrying a serious and weighty expression, as though making a monumental decision.

After a long pause, he finally prepared himself mentally, picked up his chopsticks, and ate the greens.

Wen Li opened her mouth, shock written all over her face.

Why…