CHAPTER 105

"The doctor said you have basically recovered now, and your body is healthy with no other issues." Ye Lianyin raised her hand and gently tidied Qin Zhaoci's long hair, her expression gentle.

Qin Zhaoci pulled Ye Lianyin out of the restroom and asked, "Yinyin, do you still want to eat?"

Ye Lianyin looked at the table full of dishes and shook her head with some difficulty. "I don't really feel like eating. There's still a taste in my mouth."

"In that case, I won't eat either." Qin Zhaoci said, preparing to close the lids on the dishes.

Ye Lianyin grabbed her hand and shook her head. "You should eat. I'll watch you eat. The food won't taste good if it gets cold, and didn't you say we shouldn't waste food?"

"So, I should eat?" Qin Zhaoci tentatively looked at the dishes on the table.

"Yes, you should eat." Ye Lianyin watched Qin Zhaoci's cautious expression and felt a little sad. She began to reflect on whether she had been too harsh on Qin Zhaoci in the past.

After hearing that, Qin Zhaoci sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating quickly.

Ye Lianyin sat on the side, watching her with a smile. In her beautiful peach blossom eyes, there was a mixture of longing and tenderness.

Only heaven knew how many times this month she had replayed the image of Qin Zhaoci coming out of the kitchen wearing an apron and eating together with her.

What used to feel ordinary and unremarkable became so precious after losing it.

"Hurp!" Because Ye Lianyin was staring at her like that, Qin Zhaoci's heart raced, causing her to eat too quickly and choke.

Just as Ye Lianyin was about to pour her a glass of water, Qin Zhaoci picked up the soup spoon and drank some soup, swallowing the food.

After swallowing, Qin Zhaoci turned to look at Ye Lianyin and blinked innocently. "Yinyin, do you want some soup? You're watching me eat so intently, and it's making me nervous."

"What?" Ye Lianyin raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Really," Qin Zhaoci hugged Ye Lianyin's arm and shook it playfully. "You've never looked at me with this expression before, and I'm not used to it. In the past, if you heard me say this, you would have just pinched me."

Ye Lianyin fell silent instantly after hearing that. So, Qin Zhaoci's cautiousness just now was because she was being too gentle with her?

Thinking about it, Ye Lianyin couldn't help but feel a bit amused and exasperated. After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke up, "Don't you like me being gentle with you?"

"Well..." Qin Zhaoci hesitated for a moment. "Appropriate tenderness is certainly acceptable, of course, but I still prefer your previous self—more lively, more charismatic, and more carefree."

"Alright." Ye Lianyin smiled somewhat helplessly. "This month, I've been regretting not being gentler with you before, not having a better attitude. I thought that if you could safely come back, I would be more gentle with you. But I didn't expect you to prefer me being like I used to be with you."

After hearing these words, Qin Zhaoci understood that her recent accident had truly caused great trauma and insecurity to Ye Lianyin. She didn't seem as vibrant as before.

In order to reassure Ye Lianyin, Qin Zhaoci shook her head, her expression serious and solemn. "Yinyin, I've never thought there was anything wrong with the way you were before. Every time I say you're fierce, it's just playful banter filled with happiness. I really like you that way, it makes me feel like we're intimate companions."

"Every time you're willing to express your true emotions in front of me, I feel happy. And your previous teasing and playfulness towards me were just part of the fun as wives. We were so happy together, how could I possibly complain."

Ye Lianyin's eyes shimmered slightly. "Is that so? I always thought deep down you didn't really like it, that you were always silent even when you were angry."

Qin Zhaoci blinked guiltily. "I'm just afraid of my wife, afraid of making you angry."

Ye Lianyin's eyes welled up with a hint of redness, and she struggled to control her emotions, feeling like crying.

Seeing her reaction, Qin Zhaoci reached out and covered Ye Lianyin's lips with her hand, planting a kiss through her own hand. "So, Yinyin, please continue to treat me as you did before. You don't know, even your fierce appearance is adorable, especially when you scold me. It feels like I'm being protected, and I love it."

Ye Lianyin didn't expect Qin Zhaoci to think this way. She lifted her hand and pulled down Qin Zhaoci's hand, pinching her palm slightly, nodding with a mix of tears and laughter. "Alright, I promise you. Let's eat quickly."

"Then you should have a bowl of soup too." Qin Zhaoci picked up a small bowl and filled it with winter melon and pork rib soup for Ye Lianyin.

The soup looks quite light. Ye Lianyin took a sip and thought it was not bad, so she slowly finished it.

After eating and drinking to her heart's content, a nurse came in and took Qin Zhaoci for a few basic physical examinations. When Qin Zhaoci returned to the ward, Ye Lianyin was already lying on her bed fast asleep.

The hospital bed was not spacious to begin with, and Ye Lianyin was still groggy, completely forgot to save a spot for Qin Zhaoci.

Qin Zhaoci helplessly looked at the hospital gown on herself and then glanced at the folding bed next to her. She obediently lay down on it to sleep.

The next morning at 8 o'clock, Qin Zhaoci woke up, got up, and freshened up. Ye Lianyin was still asleep, seeming to be deeply affected by Qin Zhaoci's comforting words from the previous night. She slept soundly, and her complexion had become rosy.

Qin Zhaoci didn't have the heart to wake her up and quietly went to find the nurse for the morning check-up.

After the examination, when she returned to the ward, it was already 9 o'clock in the morning, and Ye Lianyin was slowly waking up.

"Did I fall asleep?" Ye Lianyin mumbled as she sat up from the bed, noticing the unfolded blanket on the folding bed beside her.

She frowned and said, "Why didn't you wake me up? The folding bed is uncomfortable to sleep on."

Qin Zhaoci smiled and shook her head. "You were sleeping so deeply, I wanted you to have a good rest. I've been sleeping every day this month, I've had enough sleep, so you don't have to worry."

"Have you finished the examination?" Ye Lianyin glanced at the time and realized it was already late.

"Yes, just finished the examination." Qin Zhaoci nodded with a smile. "The results will be available in about half an hour. If everything is fine, I'll be able to be discharged soon."

"Okay." Ye Lianyin got off the bed and put on her slippers. "I'll go brush my teeth and wash up."

Qin Zhaoci nodded and obediently sat on the sofa, waiting for Ye Lianyin to finish her morning routine.

Before Ye Lianyin came out of the bathroom, Rao Antong and Qin Zhongying arrived at the ward. After looking around, they asked, "Why don't we see Yinyin?"

"She just went in to freshen up," Qin Zhaoci pointed to the bathroom and then stood up, facing Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong seriously, she suddenly bowed to them.

Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong were startled, and they subconsciously glanced at each other, about to ask Qin Zhaoci what was going on.

But then they heard Qin Zhaoci speak, "Thank you, Mother, Mom. Thank you for not giving up on finding me. I'm sorry for making you worry this month."

Rao Antong didn't expect Qin Zhaoci to say such words. The sadness she had been holding back for days suddenly burst out, and she immediately hugged Qin Zhaoci, tears streaming down her face.

Qin Zhongying's eyes also turned red, and she fought back the tears, looking outside the window to prevent them from falling.

Qin Zhaoci observed their reactions and felt a deep sense of guilt. Until now, she hadn't mustered the courage to tell them that she was no longer the same Qin Zhaoci as before, fearing that it would be too much for her two mothers to bear.

But the guilt in her heart was almost overwhelming, making Qin Zhaoci feel suffocated and uncomfortable. She could only raise her hand and pat Rao Antong's back to comfort her.

When the mothers and daughter were tightly embracing each other, Ye Lianyin finished freshening up and came out of the bathroom. Seeing this touching scene, she quietly sat down on the side without interrupting.

After a moment, Rao Antong composed herself, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned to look at Ye Lianyin. Her voice still carried a hoarseness from crying, "Yinyin, I've come to apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Ye Lianyin blinked in confusion. "Why do you need to apologize?"

Rao Antong looked guilty. "After Xiaoci had the accident, when I heard that you taught her how to fly the aircraft, I said some really harsh words. At that time, my mind was completely overwhelmed by emotions, and I couldn't resist finding an outlet for my frustrations."

"This incident shouldn't be blamed on you at all. It was an accident. I'm sorry, Yinyin. After we found Xiaoci, my emotions improved. But when I think about this incident, I feel really sorry. Your worries were no less than ours."

Ye Lianyin didn't expect Rao Antong to apologize to her for this matter. She was surprised and remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. "Mom, I don't blame you for this. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to control my emotions either. Our intentions were the same—to worry about Ah Ci. So, I don't mind, and you don't have to feel guilty."

Rao Antong finally breathed a sigh of relief. With her rationality restored, she had been afraid that her words would leave a psychological impact on Ye Lianyin. "I'm glad you don't blame me."

Qin Zhaoci, upon hearing this, only then learned about the incident and looked at Ye Lianyin with a gaze filled with tenderness.

Ye Lianyin also noticed Qin Zhaoci's gradually reddening eyes and the pouting corners of her lips. She looked at Rao Antong and Qin Zhongying and asked, "Mother, Mom, has Ah Ci's test report come out?"

"Oh, we haven't asked yet." Qin Zhongying snapped back to attention and held Rao Antong's hand. "Let's go to the doctor and ask. We'll be back in a little while."

"Okay." Ye Lianyin nodded. She watched Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong leave and then looked at Qin Zhaoci, who was on the verge of tears, feeling both amused and exasperated.

She helplessly tilted her head and crossed her arms. "Qin Zhaoci, why are you crying like an Omega? You're such a crybaby. I've never seen an Alpha who cries and acts spoiled more than you."

Qin Zhaoci furrowed her brows in defiance after hearing that. "You're discriminating against my gender! Why can't Alphas cry? I'm really sad right now. Can't you come over and give me a kiss or comfort me a little?"

"Alright, alright." Ye Lianyin approached, sat down on the couch, and leaned in to give Qin Zhaoci a kiss and a hug.

Qin Zhaoci was easily appeased and quickly stopped feeling aggrieved. She lifted her hand to stroke Ye Lianyin's hair and said with tender eyes, "I'm sorry for making you suffer."

"After you came back, all of this doesn't matter anymore." Ye Lianyin said earnestly, shaking her head. After a moment, she bit her lip. "But, in the future, please don't fly the aircraft again. It's not just Mom who has a psychological shadow, I have one too. We can't bear two accidents in a row."

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