Chapter 55

Before the operation, Lin Jinshen called in a plastic surgeon from a cosmetic hospital to handle the stitching, minimizing any chance of scarring.
After all, comfort is just words, it doesn't actually change anything.
In the morning, the nurse came in and asked her to change into the hospital gown. Lu Yi followed every pre-op instruction, then lay down and was wheeled into the operating room. The surgical suite was freezing; they set up the IV, hooked up the heart monitor, and as the anesthesia filled her lungs, everything blurred. She drifted out of consciousness.
Lin Jinshen waited anxiously outside the operating room.
About an hour later, they wheeled Lu Yi back out and returned her to her room.
She woke up in a different suite, this one large enough for Lin Jinshen to stay with her, so he wouldn’t have to squeeze onto her bed. Not that he’d complain, but after surgery, they had to be extra careful.
Lu Yi's face was covered by an oxygen mask, her finger clipped to a post-op monitor, the IV still running.
The anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off; she couldn’t feel her body yet.
The first thing she saw was Lin Jinshen, crouched at her bedside, leaning in close to ask, his voice gentle, “Are you in pain?”
He was right there, his sharp features magnified by the proximity. That high-bridged nose like an elegant slope, she had the urge to reach out, but her hands were numb. All she could do was stare.
Up close like this, he was almost in her face, and still stupidly handsome.
Lu Yi’s brain was lagging, her gaze fixed on him like she didn’t recognize the guy. After a long moment, she finally asked, “Who are you?”
Her voice came out rough, scratchy, with a hint of pain.
Lin Jinshen froze.
Before he could answer, Lu Yi mumbled, “But you’re really good-looking.”
She blinked slowly, her eyes drifting leisurely from his eyes down to his mouth. Lin Jinshen kept perfectly still, letting her examine him, patient as a statue.
Lu Yi smiled, curving her lips politely. “So… are you my husband?”
“Yeah.” Lin Jinshen nodded.
Lu Yi looked very satisfied. “Wow, I really hit the jackpot.”
Her tone was soft, airy, tinged with warmth.
Lin Jinshen’s eyes never left her, his voice amused as he asked, "You think you'll remember any of this when you’re fully awake?"
“Maybe not.” Lu Yi’s lashes fluttered; a playful glint flashed in her eyes.
Lin Jinshen hummed thoughtfully. “Good thing I recorded it.”
“You recorded it?!” Lu Yi’s eyes widened in outrage. Half these things she’d only dared to blurt out under anesthesia, once it wore off, anything she’d said didn't count. If she didn’t remember, it never happened.
Startled, her body tensed, and for a second it felt like her incision hurt all over again. She grit her teeth.
“Kidding.” Lin Jinshen propped his chin in his hands, gaze intent and extraordinarily gentle. “But you seem pretty lucid now, so you can’t claim you were out of it.”
Lu Yi: “…”
What a sneaky bastard.
As the anesthesia faded, feeling slowly returned, and so did the pain at the wound.
The doctor said she had to stay awake for three hours, so Lin Jinshen kept her company and talked with her. He’d never spoken so much to anyone in his life; he used up a lifetime’s supply of words in that one stretch.
The memories of surgery day came and went in a haze, IV drips, fitful sleep, the world blurring in and out.
She only clearly remembered this: every time she opened her eyes, Lin Jinshen was there by her side. It was comforting. The moment she confirmed it, she’d close her eyes and let herself fall back to sleep.
The second day after surgery, she had to get up and walk a little, to prevent the incision from sticking.
The wound still throbbed sharply. Lu Yi leaned on Lin Jinshen, wincing after only a couple steps. She thought she could tough it out, but her eyes grew wet despite herself.
The worst part was going to the bathroom.
The pain lingered, she hadn’t eaten anything since surgery, her body felt hollow, running on IV nutrients. Just sitting down on the toilet felt exhausting.
Lin Jinshen stayed with her the whole time.
Lu Yi felt nothing but awkward; she half wanted to hand him a pair of earplugs.
She’d never been this much of a mess, not since she could remember. At first, it was just teary eyes. When the real tears started coming, she couldn’t stop. The more she thought about it, the more pitiful and miserable she felt.
Lin Jinshen kept his gaze politely averted, but when he heard her sniffling, he realized she was crying for real.
He crouched beside her; at the moment their eyes met, her tears started pouring. Being ill really did make you drop all your defenses, and recovering from surgery meant surrendering some pride, too.
“Does it hurt a lot?” Lin Jinshen wiped her cheeks, his touch achingly gentle.
It was the first time he’d seen her cry.
The feeling was complicated. There was nothing he could do to ease her pain.
Lu Yi shook her head.
A female nurse wouldn’t have made it better. She’d just feel more embarrassed in front of a stranger; she’d always been like this.
“So… is it that you can’t pee?” Lin Jinshen asked after a moment’s hesitation.
He just had to say it straight out, didn’t he? Lu Yi felt even worse, but it was true, and all she could do was nod ever so slightly.
Pain and humiliation, punched together.
Lin Jinshen got it. “It’s because I’m here, right?”
Yes and no. Lu Yi’s misery didn’t let up, and she didn’t want to talk.
“Well, just imagine, what if we switched places? What if I was stuck in this hospital gown, couldn’t take care of myself, and needed your help? Wouldn’t you help me out?”
Lu Yi pictured it. Honestly, she’d have a hard time with it too… But if he really needed her, she’d do it.
She nodded, still uncertain. The tears had slowed; they weren't so dramatic anymore.
Lin Jinshen gently wiped them away. His palm brushed her cheek, it was soaked.
“Hang on.”
One hand still steadying her shoulder, he turned on the faucet in the sink, water gushing noisily. He glanced back. “How about now?”
Lu Yi: “…”
The sound of running water was embarrassingly obvious, but at least it helped a bit with the discomfort. She sniffled. Lin Jinshen handed her a tissue.
“Better?” he asked.
Lu Yi nodded again. The rims of her eyes were still red, damp with unshed tears.
Lin Jinshen said, “It’s really nothing, you know? If you need anything later, just let me know. No being shy and holding it in, okay?”
Nothing to feel awkward about, they were husband and wife.
This kind of intimacy was as it should be.
He looked at her with an earnest, unwavering gaze.
“Okay.”
“Could you turn around for a sec? I need to pull my pants up.” Lu Yi’s voice was barely more than a whisper, as if she was shielding her fragile, hurting heart from breaking all over again.
Lin Jinshen let out a helpless laugh. “Alright.”
After her good cry, Lu Yi felt much lighter. She managed to follow the nurse’s instructions and carefully get out of bed, walking a few slow laps. By afternoon, most of the pain had faded. Peeling back her hospital gown, she eyed the bandage on her side, if she squinted, it looked a bit like a war hero’s medal.
She could eat by now, but was still stuck on a liquid diet. Millet porridge was all she was allowed.
Lin Jinshen ate with her, savoring a bowl of the same porridge at leisure. For him, eating was more about keeping his vitals going than any real pleasure, so, really, anything worked.
After their meal, he had to get back to work. As for Lu Yi, there was no hiding her surgery any longer. She called Madam Xu and confessed everything.
Madam Xu was furious on the phone: “Why didn’t you call us right away? ‘It’s nothing’, does nothing require surgery?”
“Now. Send me the address and your ward number. Immediately.”
“You really don’t put your father and me in your heart at all. We’re on our way right now.”
Whenever Madam Xu got anxious, she started speaking in her hometown dialect, twice as deadly as her normal tongue.
Lu Yi had to hold the phone away, letting Madam Xu get it all out before hanging up. She sighed. Well, time to face her mother’s incoming hurricane.
Lin Jinshen asked, “You got chewed out?”
“Oh yeah. She really let me have it.” Lu Yi pressed her aching forehead. “She’s never scolded me like that before. She’ll be here in half an hour tops. Brace yourself, you might take some shrapnel.”
Lin Jinshen just agreed, unconcerned. “Better me than you.”
“What a bro,” Lu Yi blurted out without thinking.
Lin Jinshen: “…”
Thirty minutes later, Madam Xu and Lu Kangcheng arrived at the hospital room.
“Dad.”
“Mom.”
Lin Jinshen got up to greet them.
The couple both nodded in reply.
Madam Xu, who’d been tearing into Lu Yi over the phone earlier, softened instantly at the sight of her pale-faced daughter lying in bed. She hurried over, her voice thick with concern: was she in pain? How was she feeling now?
The worst part was over. If it had been yesterday, with tubes and a breathing machine, Madam Xu might’ve passed out on the spot. Lu Yi spread her hands and joked, “See? I’m already bouncing all over again.”
Madam Xu frowned. “Oh? Then get down and show me.”
Lu Yi: “…”
She gripped her covers and took her lecture like a model daughter.
Lu Kangcheng chuckled. “Hear your mom joking? Her voice was trembling the whole way over.”
Madam Xu shot back, “As if you did any better! Nearly ran a red light! I’m not even going to start on you.”
Lu Yi hugged her blanket, trying to reassure them all over again. “Which is why I didn’t say anything. Seriously, it was just a minor laparoscopic procedure. I’ll be discharged in a couple of days. No big deal.”
“Surgery is surgery, minor or not.”
This made Madam Xu turn her complaints on Lin Jinshen: “Lu Yi didn’t want to worry us, but you, how could you go along with this? You kept it secret and let her go through the operation?”
Lin Jinshen: “It was wrong of me. Sorry.”
Lu Yi pressed her lips together, she knew this would happen, but at least she’d warned Jinshen beforehand.
“As long as you’re alright. Now that you’ve had the surgery, rest up.” Lu Kangcheng glanced around, spotting the suite setup, computer, documents, the works. Clearly, Lin Jinshen had turned the place into his office while looking after her.
Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a more attentive son-in-law.
Soon after, Madam Qin and Lin Zheng arrived as well.
Suddenly there were four adults squeezed into one room, all eyes locked onto Lu Yi. She shot a help-me look toward Lin Jinshen.
He caught on and spoke up: “Dad, Mom, you should all head home, it’s late. I’ll be here with her, everything will be fine.”
Madam Xu insisted, “I’ll stay tonight. The nurse said you stayed here two nights already, I’ll take over. You go home and rest.”
She’d been planning this the whole way over. No matter how good Lin Jinshen was, nobody looked after a daughter like her own mother.
Lin Jinshen replied, “It’s alright. I can look after her just fine here, and still rest.”
Lu Kangcheng nodded along: “That’s right. Let Jinshen stay. If you’re worried, just come tomorrow.”
Madam Xu sighed, “Alright, fine.”
Still, as she left, she said anxiously, “If anything comes up, call us right away.”
“Got it.”
Once her parents were gone, the ward finally quieted down.
Lin Jinshen grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower. When he returned, fresh and relaxed in his pajamas, Lu Yi was suddenly all too aware that she hadn’t bathed in two days. Though she’d been inside the chilly hospital all along, now she felt grimy by comparison.
Lu Yi looked at him, not hiding her envy. “I want a shower too.”
“You’ve got stitches. No water for you.” Lin Jinshen shot her down, all business.
But she was truly uncomfortable. With a dramatic sigh, she begged, “C’mon, I really, really want to wash up. Smell me, don’t I reek?”
Lin Jinshen walked over, lowering his head until his sharp nose nearly brushed her cheek, so close she could make out the fresh scent of his shower.
“You don’t stink. You smell good.”
He said it with perfect seriousness.
Lu Yi eyed him with suspicion. “Liar.”
“No lies.” Lin Jinshen was earnest. “But if you’re uncomfortable, I can help you wipe down.”
He stood at her bedside, framed by the overhead light, his silhouette outlined in crisp relief, looking so steady and real.
Lu Yi craved that feeling of freshness. Besides, after everything, intimacy like this didn’t seem so daunting anymore.
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “...Okay.”
Lin Jinshen locked the door. He’d already prepared a fresh towel; now he took the basin of warm water, soaked the cloth, and wrung it out. Lu Yi hid under the covers, only her head peeking out, watching his slender, clean fingers soften and redden a little in the heat.
“Ready?”
Lu Yi murmured a yes.
At her request, Lin Jinshen switched off the light and lifted the blanket. She lay flat, stiff as a board, arms and legs unsure where to go.
“Try to relax,” he coaxed.
He undid the first button, his fingertips brushing her skin with a cautious gentleness, a sensation as clinical and precise as a scalpel, but far more intimate. Her body shuddered involuntarily; his reminder to relax only made her more tense.
Lin Jinshen held the towel with the precision of a surgeon wielding a scalpel, groping through the darkness to perform his work. He moved carefully around her wound, completely focused, not allowing the slightest distraction.
He started at her neck and meticulously wiped her clean, not missing a single spot.
Lu Yi had gone quiet. The ache in her wound flared up when she tensed too much, and then she’d instinctively relax again. Her eyes were closed, but she could sense and hear every movement.
Each time the towel cooled, he’d soak it again, wring it out. Droplets of water fell with a crisp, delicate sound.
Then the warm towel would press gently against her skin. His touch was impossibly light, like the gentlest, contactless massage. He changed the water in the basin three times, always checking it was the perfect temperature.
When he finally finished, Lu Yi felt a little disappointed. She almost wanted to ask for an extension.
The lights came back on, flooding the room with brightness. Lu Yi bowed her head, inhaling, she couldn’t really smell anything, but psychologically, she felt clean. No more trace of that sickbed staleness.
Lin Jinshen walked over, casting a shadow over the bed.
He braced his hands on the guardrail, leaned down, and pressed a feather-light kiss to her lips, a quick, testing taste. Her lashes fluttered like butterfly wings as his mouth brushed past her cheek, down along her jaw until he reached her neck. He buried his head there and didn’t move for a long moment.
"Hmm?"
Lu Yi waited and waited. He still hadn’t straightened up.
As if addicted to her scent, drinking her in until it filled his lungs and he couldn’t give her up. Lin Jinshen spoke low against her skin: "Just conducting a quality check on my hard work."
Lu Yi smiled. "Well? Did I pass?"
"Full marks."
Lu Yi’s smile deepened. She reached up and hugged him with her other arm, her voice soft. "Thank you."
Thank you for showing up when I needed you most.
And thank you for staying here with me.
Lin Jinshen’s lips pressed to her neck, feeling the wild beat of her pulse. He answered low, "My pleasure."
By the third day, her hospital room had turned lively.
Her parents came by, so Lin Jinshen headed back to the office for a bit.
Aunt Fang stopped in, bringing a pot of congee and some small dishes she’d made at home. In a day or two, she’d bring strengthening soup, she promised. Everything at home was fine, Puff was perfectly content, Lu Yi didn’t need to worry.
Gan Li still dropped by during her lunch break, delivering a fruit basket and that day’s fresh bouquet ordered by Lin Jinshen, wishing Lu Yi a swift recovery.
On her way out, she ran into Jiang Xun, who was there to drop off a change of clothes. Both were assistants, both low-key shipping the same couple, and they immediately exchanged contacts, if either had news, they’d keep each other in the loop.
Jiang Xun promised, "Relax, you can count on me. If anything happens on Lin’s end, you’ll be the first to know."
Yu Yin and Wu Sidong arrived one after the other to check in on Lu Yi. Once they’d confirmed she was truly on the mend, they started clowning around. Everything Lu Yi wasn’t allowed to eat ended up on their plates instead, and even lunch, they just ate with her in the room.
The difference was clear, her meal was a bland health bowl, theirs was spicy, greasy, and aromatic, the smell filling the whole room.
Lu Yi sniffed the air, tempted to kick them both out. "Guys, weren’t you supposed to cheer up the sick, not torture her? How about a little emotional support here?"
"We are supporting you. My heart hurts!" Wu Sidong clutched his chest, hamming it up to the point of overacting.
Yu Yin added, "It’s called the 'smell it to fill up' therapy. You may not get to eat, but smelling it is almost like eating, right?"
Lu Yi stared down at her hospital food, which felt even more bland in comparison. Still, she was starving and forced herself to swallow every bite.
But with everyone chatting, lying in bed wasn’t so boring after all.
Yu Yin was curious if Lin Jinshen really had been by her side non-stop since she was admitted. When Lu Yi confirmed it, Yu Yin nodded, suddenly approving: "Our President Lin is seriously a hidden gem."
Her nickname for him had evolved from "strong bro" to "our President Lin."
Yu Yin used to think Lin Jinshen was uptight and boring. She couldn’t imagine ever living with a guy like that, but people really did surprise you.
Wu Sidong said, "With Lu Yi’s taste, any guy you date in the future will have to clear our screening first."
One of them could spot good men, the other could sniff out scumbags, the perfect defense.
Yu Yin grinned. "Deal, your job."
Wu Sidong threw up his hands in surrender. "Oh hell no. You know I’m a renowned scumbag."
Just as those words left his mouth, Madam Xu walked in, looking like she wanted to say something, then couldn’t hold back: "Xiao Wu, being a scumbag isn’t a good thing."
Wu Sidong flushed scarlet in embarrassment and rushed to explain, "Auntie, you heard wrong, we were just kidding. I’m not a scumbag, I’m a perfectly upstanding young man!"
Yu Yin and Lu Yi struggled to contain their laughter, hands over their mouths.
Madam Xu still gave Wu Sidong a proper lecture. As a man, he should respect women, stay loyal, or else karma would come for him.
"Yes, Auntie," Wu Sidong replied earnestly, "Lesson learned, I swear."
Time to wrap up, Yu Yin and Wu Sidong got ready to leave. Before going, they made sure to snap a group photo with Lu Yi in the middle. In just three days, she already looked thinner.
They both immediately posted the photo to their Moments feed.
Thanks to that post, mutual friends quickly caught on. Messages started pouring in, asking why Lu Yi was in the hospital. Once they heard it was for an appendectomy, everyone sent their best wishes.
Lu Yi couldn’t keep up with all the replies, so she posted a general thank-you to her feed.
Word eventually made its way to Li Xian.
Li Xian saw the picture in their feed, clicked to enlarge it, and for a moment, felt almost dazed seeing Lu Yi’s face.
Back when they were still dating abroad, Lu Yi once came down with a serious cold. Medical care there was a hassle. She toughed it out alone in her apartment, popping pills, until one day he couldn’t reach her by phone and realized something was wrong. By the time he rushed over, she was already recovering.
Li Xian had asked, "Why didn’t you tell me?"
Lu Yi had said, "It’s fine, it wasn’t that bad."
There were countless moments like that. She was just used to handling everything herself, always taking care of her problems before he even got involved. He’d offered many times, she could lean on him and let him help, he could actually do something as a boyfriend should.
Lu Yi told him, "But I can handle it. There’s no need to involve you. It saves you the trouble, isn’t that better?"
Is it really better?
Li Xian wasn’t sure. None of his friends’ relationships functioned like this.
Their relationship had always lingered at that step, like something invisible was in the way.
Li Xian snapped back to himself, grabbed his jacket, and headed out, bumping into Ning Jia on the way. “Something urgent came up. Can we deal with this when I’m back?” he said.
“What’s so urgent?” Ning Jia asked.
But Li Xian was already striding away, leaving nothing but his retreating figure behind.
By the time he got downstairs, night had already fallen. Most flower shops were closed, just a handful had their lights still on. He looked around, finally picking out a bouquet of sunflowers.
The florist, noticing his sharp features and air of urgency, smiled and asked, “For your girlfriend?”
Li Xian neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Then sunflowers are perfect,” the shopkeeper said, expertly wrapping up the bouquet. “Sunflowers mean silent love and loyalty. I bet your girlfriend will adore them.”
“Thank you.”
He paid and left, flowers in his arms.
Driving to the hospital, Li Xian’s mind was still unsettled. He wasn’t sure if Lin Jinshen would be there. He hoped not. But even if he was, it was just an old friend coming to visit, nothing out of line.
He took the elevator up, following the floor and room number a friend had mentioned. After explaining his visit to the nurse, she pointed down the corridor: “Straight ahead.”
Li Xian, clutching the flowers, walked in.
The nurse was used to the steady stream of visitors, from morning until night, there was always someone coming by.
Still, she couldn’t help but notice Li Xian’s nervous habit of tidying his clothes just now. He didn’t look like he was here to see just a friend, though she wouldn’t dare say that out loud. With President Lin around, surely nothing could get out of hand.
Reaching the room, Li Xian raised his hand to knock. Just then, the door swung open, Lin Jinshen stepped out, and the two froze face to face.
The surprise flickered through Lin Jinshen’s eyes, gone almost as soon as it appeared. He spoke first: “Mr. Li?”
Tall and imposing, he stood in the doorway, blocking the view behind him like an insurmountable mountain. After a beat, he stepped fully out and closed the door behind him.
Li Xian’s face grew stiff, he struggled to name what he was feeling, forcing a strained smile. “President Lin.”
He continued, “I heard from an old classmate that Lu Yi was in the hospital for surgery. Operations take a toll… Lu Yi always liked sunflowers. Maybe these will help her recover.
Lin Jinshen’s gaze dropped to the sunflowers in his arms, his tone cool and distant: “I’m afraid these flowers from outside might carry germs or pollution that could affect her recovery. The doctors say they can’t come in.”
“That’s fine, I’ll just leave them outside,” Li Xian said.
Lin Jinshen replied, “Mr. Li, you must have been abroad a long time. Maybe you don’t know, leaving flowers at the door here means something else.”
Li Xian instantly thought of cemeteries. Bad omen. He offered a quick apology, “Slipped my mind.”
Now the bouquet felt less like a gift and more like a burden. He couldn’t bring himself to toss them, so he just stood there awkwardly holding them.
Li Xian asked, “How’s Lu Yi?”
“Just fell asleep,” Lin Jinshen glanced at him, his voice carrying a hint of complaint, “Otherwise I wouldn’t have come out. Ever since her surgery, she’s been as clingy as a kid.”
He lips quirked up. “Can’t help it, she wakes up and starts calling for me. If I’m slow to answer, she gets mad.”
Li Xian’s smile grew even tighter, but he didn’t forget why he’d come. He asked, “Is it alright if I go in and see her?”
Lin Jinshen’s expression iced over, his eyes cold as obsidian. “I told you, she just went to sleep. You think it’s a good time for company?”