Bai Ran did not sleep that night.
After she had changed into the set of clothes that Luo Wei brought for her, she sat down alone in the empty corridor at a place where she could see her mother’s bed inside the ICU. From time to time, she would peer through the thick glass at her mother, anxious again.
She only felt slightly more at ease after she analyzed the curves on the electrocardiogram.
Luo Wei got someone to bring over a cloak and blanket for Bai Ran to cover up herself with.
“Young Mistress, you can go and take a rest first, you know. Nurses are watching out for her here. Nothing will escape their notice.” Luo Wei rubbed his own shoulders. The hospital was exceptionally cold in the middle of the night.
“…!” Bai Ran did not expect that Luo Wei would begin to address her like this and it made her was slightly embarrassed at that moment. “I’m not… You can just call me Bai Ran.”
“What Young Mistress… I haven’t married Quan Rui yet! Also, those two words don’t fit me—they sound especially awkward.”
Luo Wei quickly shook his head. “Young Mistress, although you haven’t married the Young Master, the Young Master has already made his decision and so, it’ll be better if you get used to it too.
“Furthermore, if I dare to call Young Mistress by your name, I probably won’t live to see another day.”
“Um… Alright then.” Bai Ran knew that it would be useless to keep protesting and so, she asked instead, “Why are you still here? I’ll be fine by myself.”
Luo Wei did not have any family members in the hospital whom he needed to look after and Bai Ran knew that he was only here to accompany her.
“The Young Master gave his orders. If there’s anything that the Young Mistress needs, please feel free to let me know.” Luo Wei stood by the side with his head down and he looked very respectful.
He had remained at the Young Master’s side for quite some time now and he had never once seen the Young Master put in so much effort for a person, especially when that person was a woman.
“The Young Master might say that he only wants to make use of this woman, but since he is making use of her, then she must be of some value to him, and thus, I should still be respectful towards her.”
“Oh… There’s nothing that I need now.” Bai Ran shook her head. When she recalled Quan Rui coming here earlier on, she couldn’t help but be a little curious.
“Has he…left?” Bai Ran recalled that she never saw Quan Rui again after she followed her mother all the way from the operating theatre to the ICU.
“I haven’t seen him for a while now. Has he left already?”
“The Young Master has left quite some time ago,” Luo Wei replied before he secretly looked up and scrutinized the expression on Bai Ran’s face.
“She seems to be very concerned about the Young Master…”
Bai Ran did not ask any more questions for the rest of the night. She sat silently in her chosen chair while Luo Wei went over to an empty ward to take a short nap.
Bai Ran had the entire night to ponder about one thing and one thing only.
“Tonight, if it wasn’t for Quan Rui, perhaps Mum wouldn’t be with me anymore.
“Perhaps all these things that have happened are part of heaven’s will?
“I only got to meet Quan Rui at the Jiang Family’s residence because I insisted on finding the ring.
“I only managed to settle Mum’s medical fees because of Quan Rui’s help.
“And I only got Quan Rui’s help because I sold myself to him.
“I just hope that Mum will regain consciousness quickly… If she doesn’t, it’ll be really lonely living all by myself in that house.”
The night that passed was as cold as water.
The next morning, Quan Rui woke up at 7:00 am and exercised by taking a slow jog for an hour before sitting down for his breakfast at 8:00 am.
Breakfast was a simple affair.
It was a bowl of Yang Chun Noodles.
The noodles were handmade and rushed out by the chef before dawn. It was chewy and tasty.
A clear soup base filled up the spaces between every strand of noodle.
Quan Rui did not have a big appetite. He also did not have a preference for strongly flavored foods.
But before he could put the first mouthful of the luscious noodles into his mouth, he overheard a commotion all the way from the entrance of the manor.
“Miss Jiang! The Young Master is having breakfast now. Please wait for a moment in the living room—
Quan Rui hated being interrupted while he was having his meal.
All his staff was well aware of this, so the maids knew better than to allow anything to disturb him when he ate.