When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 217: Take Action

"Zhong Yuan."

"How can I help you?"

Jiang Shuyao looked listlessly at him, "Can I use your phone for a moment?"

"To call Pei Yan?"

"Yes."

Zhong Yuan tilted his chin to signal her, "Take your medicine first, lie down afterward, and think of nothing. I’ll call him."

"That won’t do." Jiang Shuyao hurriedly got up, inadvertently tugging at her IV and causing her wound to ache miserably, gazing pitifully at Zhong Yuan, "He mustn’t know I’m in the hospital."

"How will you explain tonight, then?"

"I’ll just say..." Jiang Shuyao paused, momentarily at a loss for a good excuse.

Seeing her distress, Zhong Yuan averted his gaze indifferently and stood by the bedside for two minutes before picking up the phone from the cabinet and walking out without expression.

"Zhong Yuan?"

"Get some rest, I’ll be watching outside."

The door opened and then closed, completely isolating her in the small hospital room.

Zhong Yuan didn’t say he would call Pei Yan, so he probably wouldn’t.

Thinking this, Jiang Shuyao felt the medication slowly take effect, her body relaxed, and she soon fell asleep.

At eleven o’clock at night, Pei Yan arrived at the hospital with a grim face.

A thin figure stood at the entrance to the ward, looking from a distance like a stone sculpture.

At this hour, the corridor was eerily quiet, with only the sound of footsteps bringing a sense of oppression closer and closer.

Zhong Yuan lifted his eyelids, looking at the man before him, but before he could speak, his collar was viciously seized by a strong hand.

"Didn’t I warn you to stay away from her?"

Pei Yan lashed out at a woman for the first time, showing no courtesy, flinging him away like refuse.

Zhong Yuan’s shoulder hit the wall, letting out a muffled grunt.

She didn’t fight back, just stared with indifferent eyes at the madman.

A nurse passed by, casting a curious look at the two men, and reminded, "Patient in Bed 12 has another round of IVs at midnight, please ring the bell when it’s done."

This timely comment diffused the tension.

Pei Yan’s clenched fist at his side slowly relaxed, and the malevolence in his eyes regained some calm.

He turned to push the door, and Zhong Yuan let out an inexplicable laugh, caught off guard.

"Such a sweet and sensible girl like her, yet she prefers our type, don’t you find it strange?"

Pei Yan’s hand paused on the door handle, the veins on the back of his hand bulging slightly.

The person behind him, with no apparent fear, moved his shoulders and said indifferently, "I’m sorry about tonight."

So that blow she had just received was nothing to fuss over.

But next time.

Zhong Yuan’s gaze turned cold, and he sneered, "A word of advice, treat your Princess kindly. If she ever runs to my studio crying because you’ve mistreated her, I’ll definitely open the door for her."

"Are you fucking asking for it?" Pei Yan swung around, his frosty gaze shooting towards the person leaning against the wall.

Zhong Yuan shrugged, "Others might fear you, but that doesn’t mean I have to."

Finished speaking, he left gracefully.

Just then, the door to the hospital room clicked open, and Jiang Shuyao walked in holding the IV stand with one hand, her face blank and covered in tears.

Pei Yan’s heart tightened, and he reached out to embrace her, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere, should I call the doctor?"

The girl sniffed, muttering, "I had a nightmare."

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here." He kissed the top of her head tenderly, the iceberg within him melting into water.

She rested her head against Pei Yan’s chest, letting the tears dampen the front of his shirt, "I dreamed you and Zhong Yuan were fighting, you with a knife, her with a knife, both of you bleeding so much."

"..."

Pei Yan closed his eyes, wishing he really could finish off that woman with a knife.

Perhaps sensing the sudden drop in his mood, the person in his arms stiffened, cautiously lifting her head to look at him.

The girl’s tear-stained cheeks were red, and her damp eyes brimmed with tension and worry.

Pei Yan sighed in resignation, his large hand guiding her head back against his chest, speaking softly, "Don’t worry, Zhong Yuan left, I won’t go looking for trouble with her."

Whether the nightmare was true or not, everything that happened outside the door had probably been heard by her.

He hadn’t expected that, despite being on guard day and night, Zhong Yuan’s impact on her had grown so significant.

The allergic reaction this time wasn’t too severe, the rash subsiding considerably after the second IV drip.

Jiang Shuyao slept soundly for the rest of the night, whether it was because of his promise not to trouble Zhong Yuan or because of Pei Yan’s constant presence at her side.

In any case, her dreams were peaceful, so serene that not a hint of blood could be detected.

The next day, back at school, she was forcefully ordered to rest for the morning, so that during the C language class, Old Man Jiang was surprised to find the class monitor absent, and in the back corner, the class representative, abandoning his usual lethargy, stood up and said, "Help her ask for leave, don’t dock points, if you have to, dock mine."

The whole class erupted in laughter.

Proclaiming Boss Pei truly manly.

Old Man Jiang snorted through his nose and said nothing, beginning the lesson.

Jiang Shuyao wasn’t there, so naturally, she couldn’t share the joy of the audience at that moment.

At lunchtime, classmate He Shumiao brought back food to the dormitory, thoughtfully bringing her a cup of mango pudding milk tea as well, and vividly described how her boyfriend had heroically defended his wife in class.

Jiang Shuyao listened in silence, eating quietly with a slight smile on her lips, but the first question she asked was about last night.

"Pei Yan knew I went to the hospital for an allergy, did you guys tell him?"

He Shumiao nodded, "We just happened to pass by the base, it was dark, and your guy recognized us immediately, even at first glance. He was wearing a black jacket, taking big strides, and was smoking. Before we could react, he was right in front of us, and then he..."

"Get to the point."

Oh.

He Shumiao cleared her throat and continued, "Fang Wei said you had eaten coriander and had an allergic reaction, probably should be getting medicine or something at the clinic. Oh my god, Pei Yan’s face turned so dark all of a sudden, really scary at that moment."

It was hard to imagine, how a person could instantly turn so cold it felt like turning others into ice.

That’s probably a special skill owned exclusively by the male leads in romance novels, and last night, she and Fang Wei had the honor of witnessing the live version.

Jiang Shuyao frowned, "Why were you guys so sure I was allergic to coriander?"

He Shumiao shrugged, "It was Fang Wei’s guess. She said her childhood friend is allergic to coriander, and the situation was similar to yours, probably the dishes Zhong Yuan prepared were problematic."

It really didn’t concern anyone else; she had chosen to eat, hiding her coriander allergy only because she didn’t want Zhong Yuan to feel guilty.

After understanding the details of last night, Jiang Shuyao breathed a sigh of relief without showing it.

She was also willing to believe that Pei Yan’s not settling scores with her after coming back from the hospital really meant he no longer dwelt on Zhong Yuan’s matter.

That afternoon, the three of them went to find Old Man Jiang with the competition problems and were locked in the office discussing them for quite a while.