He carefully closed the bedroom door, fearing that the chill would further bother his wife who was sick in bed.
"Mother-in-law," Yixuan just prepared a table full of dishes, "you and a few fathers-in-law go ahead and eat. I’ll take care of my wife here."
The Dong’s parents didn’t want to leave, but they couldn’t win against Liang Zhichen’s persuasive words.
In the end, the Dong’s parents were persuaded to leave, and the sly Er Yuan also took Little Brother Sannian with her.
They thought this was the couple’s private world, one they, as a sister and brother, shouldn’t intrude upon by being the third wheel here.
Dong Huiying tried to get up, but Liang Zhichen pressed her back into bed.
He sat by the bed, gently holding her hand, "How do you feel, are you still unwell?"
"It’s like I’ve had a serious illness. My body is okay for the most part, just a bit weak."
"You know," he began, as if to scold her, yet reluctant to blame her. "I just went out for a while, and when I came back, you were sick. I know what you’re thinking; you might feel that things are moving too fast. It’s my fault, I pressured you."
His thoughts aligned with his younger brother’s; his wife had become "addicted," and it seemed right to leave her alone for a while. He had assumed his other brothers would seize the opportunity, but who knew, they were all slower on the uptake than he’d expected.
Dong Huiying held his hand. Although she had just awakened not long ago, she looked somewhat weary, not yet fully recovered.
She gently tugged at him, "Come up, lay with me for a while?"
He took off his shoes and lay beside her, enveloping her along with the blankets into his embrace.
She stretched out a small hand, lightly touching the corners of his eyes, "Did you not sleep well?" the dark circles under his eyes were evident, clearly a result of insufficient sleep.
He curved his lips slightly, "It’s alright."
After that, he drew closer, gently kissing the top of her head, then patted her back, asking, "Still sleepy? If so, sleep a little longer."
She indeed felt a bit drowsy.
With a gentle struggle of her small arm, she made him release her, then pulled off the blanket covering her.
"Come on, let’s sleep together for a while."
Seeing this, Liang Zhichen couldn’t help but chuckle, then swiftly and smoothly responded with a "good," crawled into her covers, hugging her petite body as they both closed their eyes.
When Dong Huiying woke up again, the man who had been lying beside her had been replaced by another.
As soon as she moved, the other person immediately opened his eyes. "Awake?" Shujun’s eyes creased with a smile as he tenderly rearranged her hair at her temples, then, as if he couldn’t get enough, stroked her face over and over.
"Mm..." She looked around, "Where’s Zhi Chen?"
Shujun’s motion stiffened, then he narrowed his eyes slightly. He pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him. "At least at times , keep me alone in your heart, don’t think of anyone else, okay?" Even if that "anyone else" was his own elder brother, his heart soured at the thought.
She paused, "...Okay." His childishness could sometimes be quite amusing to her.
Shujun snuggled into her embrace, rubbing his head against her chest as if he were utterly wronged, "You really had me worried sick. I should have never left you."
She extended her hand and wrapped it around his neck, her fingers threading through his waterfall-like soft hair again and again.
She seemed distracted, obviously thinking about something else.
"Xiao Hui?" He lifted his head from her embrace and pursed his lips, "Who are you thinking of now?"