Chapter 469

Xu Jiamu lay spread out by the bedside . As for Qiao Anxia and the assistant, one was on the sofa, while the other was on the chair .

Lu Jinnian tried not to disturb them when he gently placed the things he’d bought on the table . Then he walked over to Qiao Anhao’s bedside and stroked her forehead to find that she still had a fever .

He walked softly into the bathroom, where he grabbed a towel and ran it under cold water . When he squeezed it dry, he walked back into the room again and placed it on Qiao Anhao's forehead .

The cold soothed her a little, and her furrowed brows began to slowly relax .

Lu Jinnian didn't leave her bedside, whilst he stared at her with soft eyes . After quite some time, he stretched out his hand and stroked her head .

After he returned with the wet towel, he hadn't dried his hands of cold water . With her high temperature and his freezing touch, she couldn't help but to give in to the cold, wet palm of his hands .

At her sweet, obedient look, Lu Jinnian couldn't help but slowly curve the corner of his lips into a slight smile . With his thumb, he gently stroked her cheeks a little, but then, he glanced over at Xu Jiamu, who was spread out at her bedside, fast asleep . His eyes twitched a little, and he pulled his arm back and walked away .

Xu Jiamu, Qiao Anxia, and the assistant didn't wake up until the nurse came around to give them food .

Whilst they ate, the nurse used that time to check Qiao Anhao's temperature . She still had a fever, and so the nurse put her on another drip .

It was already eight in the evening when they finished their dinner . When Xu Jiamu saw Qiao Anxia's fatigued, sleepy face and the cramped hospital room, he said, "How about you guys find a hotel to get some rest, and I'll be fine here . "

Lu Jinnian wanted to stay here so bad, but Xu Jiamu was around . What gave him the right to take care of her?

He stared at Qiao Anhao in bed with a serene look on his face, then after a long a while gave a light nod and said, "All right . "

Before he left, Lu Jinnian pointed at the bag he had brought in the afternoon . "Those are clothes for her . "

"Mm . " Xu Jiamu nodded and said, "Got it . "

Lu Jinnian glanced over again at Qiao Anhao in deep sleep, then strode out the door .

–

The assistant found a hotel near the hospital and made reservations for three rooms .

Lu Jinnian stood in front of the window and smoked around three cigarettes before realizing that he'd finished the pack . He laid down on the bed, but no matter what he did, he couldn't fall asleep . In the end, he changed clothes and walked out the room .

He went to the convenience store by the hotel and bought a pack of cigarettes . As he came out the store, he lit one up . Standing in the unfamiliar street of the town, he took two deep drags .

The night breeze blew past and fused with the dry summer heat . Nights in the little town seemed notably peaceful . There were practically no cars on the street, and even the shops on both sides of the road were closed for the night . Every now and then, one or two motorbikes would speed through the street .

Lu Jinnian stood there for a while, but in the end, he strode all the way to the hospital .

When he reached the in-patient's block, he put out the cigarette in his hand .

The corridor was very quiet . All that Lu Jinnian could hear was the sound of his own footsteps echoing in the long corridor .

He stopped outside Qiao Anhao's room but didn't enter . He leaned against the wall and, through the glass window, stared at Xu Jiamu overlooking Qiao Anhao . There he was, sitting by her bedside, raising his arm to adjust the IV drip .

Lu Jinnian couldn't help but lift his head up at the lights above him that made his eyes dry and obscured his vision . An irrepressible bitterness tossed around in his chest .