Chapter 36 — Who Cares What You’re Doing…
Panting heavily, Cheng Yishu glared furiously at Lin Xiaowen, whose face was filled with confusion. Lin Xiaowen first scrutinized him from head to toe, just about to speak, when Ranran’s timid voice sounded behind her.
“Brother Yishu, you really came?”
Before Lin Xiaowen could turn around, Cheng Yishu had already stepped past her, heading straight toward Ranran.
“Ranran, how are you? Why are you wearing a cooling patch? Are you running a fever?” Cheng Yishu bent down in front of Ranran, his eyes full of concern.
Ranran had been lying on the sofa, but upon hearing that the visitor was Cheng Yishu, she forced herself to climb up despite her discomfort.
“I have a fever…” Ranran looked at Cheng Yishu with a miserable little face. “But I’m happy that you came to see me, Brother Yishu!”
The corners of Ranran’s lips curved into a weak smile, and the sight made Cheng Yishu’s heart ache all over again.
“Be good, Ranran. Lie down properly,” he said, awkwardly helping her settle back and tucking the little blanket around her.
Having never cared for a child before, he truly didn’t know what to do.
“How did you end up here?” Lin Xiaowen’s voice was a bit hoarse, but Cheng Yishu turned to her, frowning slightly.
“Ranran has a fever—why didn’t you take her to see a doctor?”
“It’s fine. I just took her temperature, thirty-eight degrees. Physical cooling at home is enough; I was just about to give her some medicine,” Lin Xiaowen replied calmly.
“Brother Yishu, would you feed me the medicine?” Ranran lay there, speaking softly to Cheng Yishu, flashing him a deliberately sweet smile.
“What’s this? Don’t you want your mother to hold you while you take it?” Lin Xiaowen said, laughing at Cheng Yishu’s little fan.
“Mama holds me, Brother Yishu feeds me!”
The two exchanged a glance, then turned away awkwardly.
What a clever little imp!
In the end, they couldn’t resist Ranran’s persistent pleading. After taking her medicine, Cheng Yishu carried her back to her room, coaxing her gently until she finally fell asleep.
Leaving the bedroom, Cheng Yishu rubbed his aching arm—soothing a child to sleep was definitely a first in his life.
“Sorry about tonight. Ranran’s feeling unwell, so she’s extra clingy and restless… You had to stay up late with us,” Lin Xiaowen apologized, looking at Cheng Yishu.
He paused, still rubbing his arm.
It had only been a few days since they’d last seen each other, yet somehow, the two of them felt more distant and formal than before. He almost missed their old banter, their straightforward way of speaking, which made him feel at ease.
Lin Xiaowen stood opposite him, her face showing an unfamiliar blend of apology and politeness. She herself felt awkward; this wasn’t how they should interact, yet she couldn’t help feeling that their former closeness was no longer so natural.
For a moment, neither spoke.
“By the way, how… did you know Ranran was sick?” Lin Xiaowen broke the silence, asking softly.
Cheng Yishu seemed to find a way in and began to explain.
“It was like this: tonight, my assistant showed me a short video—Ranran had gotten lost in a shopping mall, and someone had filmed it and posted it online. Coincidentally, I was at that mall with my assistant today. When I first saw it, I was startled and immediately tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. So I rushed over to check on you both.”
“You really went to Randong Mall? This afternoon?” Lin Xiaowen suddenly remembered Ranran talking about seeing Brother Yishu.
“Yes, I was negotiating a brand endorsement. I wanted to get a feel for their style, so I went with my assistant to take a look,” Cheng Yishu explained simply.
“No wonder,” Lin Xiaowen sighed. “Ranran said she saw you, so she ran out of the shop.”
“Ranran… got lost because of me?” Cheng Yishu nearly exclaimed, his heart pounding wildly.
“But I was pretty well disguised, how did she still recognize me?” Lin Xiaowen gave a helpless smile. “Isn’t it always her who spots you first? She’s your number one fan!”
“That child… thank goodness nothing happened,” Cheng Yishu breathed a sigh of relief, but then quickly scolded, frowning, “How could you take a child to such a crowded place? You should have kept a closer eye on her—what kind of mother are you?”
“Hey…” Lin Xiaowen retorted immediately, not pleased, “She’s my child—how I look after her is none of your business! Besides, I haven’t even had a chance to blame you yet! If you hadn’t suddenly appeared, would Ranran have gone looking for you? Aren’t you supposed to be busy? What were you doing wandering around a mall?”
“I told you, I was there to research the brand for a potential partnership and—” Cheng Yishu stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something felt off.
The tone and expression of this little woman were clearly accusing him for not contacting her these past few days!
The corner of his mouth curved slightly. He sat back down on the sofa, settling into a comfortable pose and looked at Lin Xiaowen with a gentle smile.
“You’re angry that I haven’t been in touch, aren’t you?”
“What… what nonsense are you spouting?” Lin Xiaowen scratched her chin, her eyes darting away, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her true feelings. She continued, “Who cares what you’re doing? My life’s quieter without you around!”
“Is that really what you think?” Cheng Yishu leaned forward, looking at her.
“Why would I lie?” Lin Xiaowen got up and walked away, turning her back to Cheng Yishu, mumbling, “But Ranran keeps asking why her Brother Yishu hasn’t come to see her…”
No longer teasing her, Cheng Yishu straightened up and explained in a serious tone, “I’ve really been busy lately. Last time, I forgot about work and had a big argument with my manager—he even confiscated my phone! I just got it back today, didn’t even have time to reach out before all this happened.”
Was he… explaining himself to her?
Why?
Lin Xiaowen’s heart beat wildly, yet she answered with a faint, “Oh.”
Cheng Yishu didn’t know why he was telling her so much. He scratched his head awkwardly and continued, “Um, my new drama is about to start filming—we begin tomorrow. It’s a modern story, filmed here in Shanghai, so the management isn’t too strict. If—if Ranran wants to see me, you… can message me anytime. I’ll check my phone and, if there’s time, I’ll reply… to her.”
Stammering and hesitant, he finally got his point across and let out a breath, then added softly, “Should we check if Ranran’s fever has gone down? She took her medicine a while ago; it should be working now.”
With her back still to him, Lin Xiaowen nodded and replied softly, “Then… I’ll go check on her.”
Cheng Yishu nodded in a bashful, awkward silence, “…Alright.”
As Lin Xiaowen darted into the bedroom, Cheng Yishu finally broke into a silent, exaggerated fit of laughter, fiercely and quietly snapping his fingers in triumph.
His victorious smile bloomed in silence, and his heart shouted over and over, “Yes…”