Nian Suian blinked her eyes, staring blankly as Gu Junxing went about his tasks.
Once the room had warmed up completely, Gu Junxing reached out and pulled the blanket off Nian Suian.
"You... you... you’re not going to change my clothes, are you?!"
Nian Suian clutched the collar of her shirt, looking at Gu Junxing in alarm.
"It’s just changing clothes. Last time you fell asleep in the bathtub, I was the one who..."
"Get out, I’ll do it myself." Nian Suian quickly interrupted him. Last time, after their "exercise," she had fallen asleep halfway through her bath and didn’t wake up until morning.
But that was because she had fallen asleep. Now, she was just sick with a cold, not unconscious. How could she let Gu Junxing change her clothes?
...
"Do we really have to go to the hospital?"
After coming downstairs, Nian Suian caught a whiff of something delicious. Remembering the spicy hotpot she hadn’t yet eaten, she was reluctant to go to the hospital.
"I haven’t even had a bite of Nanny Zhang’s spicy hotpot yet," Nian Suian said wistfully, glancing toward the kitchen.
"We’ll eat it when we get back," Gu Junxing said softly, holding his wife close.
But Nian Suian was in no mood to be consoled. The unresolved matter weighing on her heart, combined with the discomfort of being sick, had left her feeling particularly fragile.
Hungry and with the spicy hotpot right within reach, yet forbidden to eat it, she opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, tears began to fall.
"Why are you crying now?" Gu Junxing quickly pulled her into his arms, wiping away her tears.
But the more he wiped, the more tears fell.
"Waaaaah, I just want to eat the spicy hotpot! Why won’t you let me eat it?"
"I married you, and now I can’t even have spicy hotpot, waaaaah!"
Nian Suian sobbed in Gu Junxing’s arms, her tears soaking his clothes.
Her crying caught the attention of Nanny Zhang, who was busy in the kitchen.
"Why is she crying? Boss, your wife is sick. Can’t you be a little more considerate?"
"Nanny Zhang, is the spicy hotpot ready? Bring a bowl over."
Gu Junxing wasn’t good at comforting people, so he picked Nian Suian up and carried her to the dining table, sitting her down and using tissues to wipe her tears.
"We’ll eat first, then go. Stop crying, okay?"
Nanny Zhang came out with a bowl. "Madam, the broth is made from pork bones and ham, and the meatballs and fish balls are handmade."
When Nian Suian saw Gu Junxing pick up the bowl to feed her, she quickly refused. "I can eat by myself."
"My wife is sick, and it hurts me to see her like this. Let me feed her; it’ll make me feel better."
Gu Junxing knew exactly how to handle Nian Suian. Sure enough, as soon as he said that, she opened her mouth and ate.
"I’m sorry about earlier. I was being unreasonable," Nian Suian apologized during a break in her meal.
Her outburst had been entirely emotional, and she didn’t even know why she had started crying. Thinking back on it now, she felt embarrassed.
"When were you being unreasonable? I didn’t notice," Gu Junxing played dumb. Nian Suian, chewing on a bouncy fish ball, didn’t respond.
"It wasn’t unreasonable. I never thought that. Weren’t you just being a little spoiled earlier?"
Nian Suian gave him a look that said, "Are you serious?" Her earlier crying, complete with snot and tears, had nothing to do with being spoiled.
"You have a unique taste," she muttered.
After all the fuss, they ended up not going to the hospital. What the fever medicine couldn’t accomplish, the spicy hotpot did.
After eating, they took her temperature again and found it had dropped significantly, and her headache was gone too.
After the meal, Nian Suian went back to her room to rest. Gu Junxing changed into home clothes and joined her, climbing into her bed and naturally pulling her into his arms.
"I have a cold," Nian Suian reminded him.
"I know," Gu Junxing said, but made no move to let go.
"Stay away from me, or you’ll catch it."
"I’m strong. I’m not afraid of catching it."
"Suit yourself," Nian Suian said, feeling she had done her part in warning him. If he wanted to risk it, that was his choice.
"Why were you crying earlier? Is something bothering you?"
Nian Suian hesitated, unsure whether to bring up the matter. His question left her silent.
"Talk to me?" Gu Junxing lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. The kiss was devoid of desire, filled only with comfort.
"There’s something I want to tell you. It might sound absolutely absurd, but... just hear me out first."
"Okay, go ahead."
Nian Suian paused, gathering her thoughts before speaking.
"I’m not the Nian Suian from this world." As soon as she said this, she felt his arms tighten around her.
Once the first sentence was out, the rest came more easily. Nian Suian explained how she had come here, where the original Nian Suian had gone, and how she had felt after arriving. She told him everything.
After saying it all, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and even the discomfort from her cold seemed to lessen.
"Isn’t it unbelievable? Something like this, unless you’ve experienced it yourself, who would believe it? But..." Before she could finish, Gu Junxing leaned in and wrapped both arms tightly around her.
"What’s wrong?"
"Will you go back to your original world?"
Nian Suian was surprised that Gu Junxing had believed her so quickly. She answered honestly, "Probably not. She appeared in my dream and told me I could stay here forever. Besides, going back would be pointless. I used to earn only five thousand a month. Isn’t that just tragic?"
"Don’t go back. I’ll invest in a few more companies, okay? I’ll make even more money, all for you."
Nian Suian hadn’t expected her casual complaint about her past life to spark such a reaction. She patted Gu Junxing’s back, reassuring him, "That’s not necessary. We already have more than enough money to last a lifetime."
There was still one thing that puzzled her. "This is such an unbelievable story. Why did you believe me so easily?"
"You’re different from how you used to be." Although they had only met once at her parents’ house before the wedding, the girl he had seen back then had eyes filled with indifference, as if she were ready to leave this world at any moment.
After they got married, he had gone on a business trip. When he returned, the Nian Suian he saw had lively, vibrant eyes, completely different from before.
At the time, he hadn’t thought of something as far-fetched as time travel. He had assumed her earlier demeanor was due to her parents’ passing. He hadn’t known her before, so he had no idea what her original personality was like.
Thinking of this, Gu Junxing said to Nian Suian, "Suian, the person I’ve been with all along, the person who has been with Zhijing, Chen Shu, Liu Jian, Qin Wei, Xu Jiasong, Qu Zizhou, Qi Anlu, Chu Mingyan, Zhijing’s classmates, Jiang Yun, Sheng Xia, Jiaojiao, and Xin Yuchun—it’s all been you.
Suian, you’re not a lonely soul from another world. You’re the real Nian Suian, living in this world with a husband, a son, and friends."