Chen Ming looked at her expression and couldn’t quite understand why she was unhappy.

Wasn’t it clear that she didn’t care about him?

He wouldn’t naively think that one meeting tonight would change anything. He was a pragmatic man, and once something was declared impossible, he wouldn’t force it.

Song Jia watched him place that photo in his pocket, close to his body, looking particularly intimate. She felt very uncomfortable, but she couldn’t understand why.

Over there, Zhou Yunchen finished his call and came over, "Duoduo, stay here and take care of Chen Ming. I’m worried about your sister-in-law being home alone. The household staff is on leave tonight."

Song Jia immediately offered, "I’ll go back with you."

Zhou Yunchen smiled slightly and then spoke, "Chen Ming might need someone to take care of him here. Just bear with it for one night, his mother should be here by tomorrow morning."

Song Jia thought of that drama queen and felt a headache coming on.

At this point, Zhou Yunchen picked up his car keys, said goodbye to Chen Ming, and left. Song Jia wanted to call out to him but held back. Meanwhile, Chen Ming leaned against the hospital bed, smiled, and said, "Actually, it wouldn’t matter if you went back."

Song Jia walked to the sofa and sat down, "My brother has already left."

Having said that, she grabbed a cushion, patted it down, as if preparing to sleep. Chen Ming watched her quietly for a while, "You and Mr. Zhou have a good relationship?"

Song Jia pressed her lips together, turning her face toward the window, "It’s good, but I’ve forgotten all about the past. I only know he’s my brother by blood."

Originally, she kept him tonight because she felt a bit lonely and wanted someone to have a drink with and talk about these things. Chen Ming refused, and unexpectedly, he got into a car accident, and they ended up chatting in the hospital.

It was kind of a situation that made her laugh and cry.

As she spoke, she half-lay on the couch and pulled a small blanket over herself, taking good care of herself.

Chen Ming watched with some envy. After all, he’s a man, and having been intimate with her before, being alone together wouldn’t leave him indifferent. But he could only watch; Song Jia was like a rose, beautiful but prickly.

His voice was hoarse, "But Mr. Zhou remembers all of these past things."

Song Jia laughed lightly, "Yes, my brother remembers."

After saying that, she let her hair down, burying her face in the cushion as if she were about to sleep. Chen Ming was a bit speechless. Clearly, he’s the patient, and didn’t she say she was going to take care of him? And now she’s asleep?

He stared at her for a while and sighed, getting out of bed.

At the slightest movement, Song Jia immediately woke up and turned her head to ask, "What’s wrong?"

"Going to the bathroom," Chen Ming said gruffly.

Song Jia acknowledged it with a sound and then asked him, "Need help?"

"No, my hands are fine," Chen Ming looked at her with a rather strange gaze, and Song Jia didn’t say anything further, leaning back, wanting to sleep.

Chen Ming quietly went to the bathroom, returned afterward, and saw she was already asleep, a bit of the small blanket having been kicked aside due to the warmth.

He chuckled silently, thinking how tired she must be.

He was also very tired, but at this point, he didn’t feel sleepy at all, just staring at her.

She was indeed very beautiful, and Chen Ming wouldn’t deny that he cared about looks to some extent, but any normal man would, right?

After staring for a long time, Song Jia’s muted voice floated over, "You’re not going to sleep?"

Chen Ming was taken aback, looking at her again, her head was still buried, hair covering it.

Suddenly, he realized Song Jia was also a trained individual; she could fall asleep in a second but would probably wake up at the slightest noise. Out of consideration, he smiled lightly, "Did I wake you?"

"Not at all." Her voice bore a sleepy tone, so Chen Ming quietly lay down.

Once lying down, he felt uncomfortable, but mindful of her presence, he didn’t turn over.

It went on like this for a long time, and he thought, indeed, he should have let her go back. This was simply tormenting him, the patient!

Fortunately, later, sleepiness overcame him, and he finally drifted off.

By the early morning, around six o’clock, Chen Ming woke up on time.

The sky was dimly lit, and the lights in the hospital room were off, enveloping the space in a misty ambiance.

Song Jia was still there, clutching the blanket tightly with both hands.

Chen Ming smiled, got up, sat over, and gently pried her hands open, tucking them under the blanket.

Just as he intended to pull away, she grabbed his hand, moving herself closer to him, leaning against his leg, looking soft and something else.

Chen Ming was stunned.

He wanted to leave, but she simply hugged his waist directly, making escape impossible.

He tried to convince himself that she might think he was a pillow in her dream, but given her sensitivity, she must have been awake for a while, just pretending to sleep, and knew it was him she was holding. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

He didn’t understand why she was acting this way.

Chen Ming’s voice, hoarse, broke the silence: "I’m not a casual man."

She said nothing, just leaned against him.

Until Chen Ming couldn’t take it anymore, he lifted her hair to look at her pretty face, finally unable to resist leaning down...

A hand stopped at his lips, fingers soft like smooth tofu.

Chen Ming’s voice was even more hoarse than before, "What’s the matter?"

Song Jia was laughing.

She laughed so happily, her shoulders shaking, then she lifted her head, reached out, and took that photo from his pocket, chuckling softly, "Is this your loyalty?"

Chen Ming’s body froze; he frowned, "Are you toying with me?"

She moved back a bit, then leaned against the sofa, flicking her hair, "It’s not a joke; it’s a test."

Chen Ming stared at her for a long time, voice tight, "What conclusion did you reach?"

Before she could answer, he added, "Song Jia, if you find it amusing, feel free to find someone else to play with. I’m not the right person for it."

He held up the photo: "Yes, I’m old-fashioned, conservative. You can laugh at me for saying one thing and feeling another, but besides being conservative, I’m still a normal man. There’s nothing to ridicule. If I don’t suit your tastes, I apologize."

Song Jia was a bit dumbfounded.

This was the first time Chen Ming had said so much in one breath, showing he was truly angry.

Can’t I just joke around?

But with Chen Ming, the answer was no.

She didn’t want to be with him, so why toy with him?

He got up; she instinctively wanted to grab him, but he pulled away from her grasp, lay back in his bed, and closed his eyes slightly, "It’s dawn. You can take a cab back or have your driver pick you up. I don’t need taking care of here, thank you, Miss Song."

Her care was something he couldn’t enjoy either...