Ye Shuang's Decision

When Chen Qin woke up, she found herself already in a parking lot—she stretched lazily and let out a soft murmur, "Mmm~ Are we here? Let's go watch the movie?"

Ye Shuang gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

However, as Chen Qin stepped out of the car, she realized the parking lot looked oddly familiar, as if she had been here before. Glancing up, she spotted a sign pointing toward an outpatient building.

"Huh? Wait—" Chen Qin frowned in confusion, only to see Ye Shuang stepping out of the car as well. "Let's go. I already booked an appointment for you online."

"Eh?"

"Haven’t you been having stomach problems lately?" Ye Shuang asked, raising his eyes to meet hers before adding with concern, "This isn’t the first time your stomach’s acted up, is it?"

Chen Qin blinked her beautiful eyes, clearly surprised that Ye Shuang had brought her to a hospital. She clasped her hands behind her back and pouted. "Coming to a hospital isn’t exactly romantic, you know."

Ye Shuang replied, "Being healthy is the greatest romance."

"My stomach’s just a minor issue. Even the doctor said so last time," Chen Qin reassured him with a dismissive wave. "Come on, let’s go watch the movie before we miss it."

The thought of enduring another gastroscopy made her shudder—it was unbearable.

"The movie can wait. Let’s get your stomach checked first."

"No, no, no! It hasn’t been that long since the last check-up, and if there was really a problem, they would’ve found it when I got stabbed before."

Seeing Chen Qin’s stubborn resistance, Ye Shuang wordlessly took her hand and pulled her forward. Faced with his firmness, Chen Qin instantly softened, allowing herself to be led like a docile lamb all the way to the outpatient building.

They took a number, waited in line, and then sat in the chairs outside the consultation room.

"No gastroscopy!" Chen Qin declared.

"You have to."

"No way, it’s awful!" She batted her eyelashes, trying to charm her way out. "Shouldn’t you be more considerate? Besides, I still have that wound inside me—what if they poke it by accident?"

Ye Shuang paused, recalling how Zhao Mengyao’s knife had indeed pierced Chen Qin’s intestines that time…

"Fine, no gastroscopy. But at least get some medicine," he conceded, though he made a mental note to insist on a proper examination later.

"Hehe."

After picking up the prescribed medication, Ye Shuang led Chen Qin back to the car.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Ye Shuang fell silent for a moment before speaking up.

"I’m… a little scared."

"Hmm?" Chen Qin turned to him curiously.

"Scared that something might be wrong with your health," he admitted. Ever since An Shiyu’s heart condition, Ye Shuang had become hyper-aware of any health issues among those close to him—so much so that he’d even started brewing herbal teas for the girls more often.

"It’s not that serious," Chen Qin reassured him, thinking he was overreacting.

Ye Shuang simply stared at her without a word.

"Okay, okay, I get it," she mumbled. "But work’s been busy, so sometimes I forget…"

Ye Shuang said, "I’ll help you."

Chen Qin froze for a second before smiling softly. "Okay."

"Not like how I helped at the hospital—I mean, I can take on some of the work at your company."

Chen Qin: "…"

She looked as if she’d heard something unbelievable, staying completely still for a long moment before finally pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Am I… running a fever?"

She never expected Ye Shuang to say something like this.

But then it hit her—after Zhao Mengyao’s memories had vanished, Ye Shuang’s recollection of managing the Zhao family’s business must have blurred as well.

Which meant… he wasn’t as resistant to the idea now.

Honestly, Chen Qin wanted to agree immediately. That way, she could spend every day with Ye Shuang.

Plus, she could trust him with a lot of the company’s operations.

"…"

"What about Bai and the others?" she asked.

"I can visit them once a week," Ye Shuang said. Besides, he wasn’t taking over as CEO—just assisting, so the workload shouldn’t be too bad.

And with Bai Yuyou, Keke, and Taozi together, he felt at ease leaving them.

Ye Shuang loved his job as a school doctor, but seeing Chen Qin’s faint dark circles and how she seized every chance to nap for even ten minutes in the car made him realize he’d been selfish.

Hadn’t he promised Uncle Chen long ago that he’d take care of her?

"…" Chen Qin stayed quiet for a few seconds before smiling gently. "It’s fine, really. I’m used to it. You should take this time to rest properly, Ah Ye."

"I don’t mind."

In the end, her emotions won out. Logically, she should’ve just agreed—then she wouldn’t have to struggle so much alone.

But…

"I mean it." Warmth enveloped her hand as Ye Shuang spoke firmly. "I’m not joking."

Chen Qin lowered her head, then leaned forward slightly, resting her forehead against Ye Shuang’s shoulder.

"Ah Ye… can I really rely on you?"

"Mm." He gently stroked the back of her head.

"Then… you’re not allowed to regret it, okay?" Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.

She had wanted to depend on him for so long.

Who wouldn’t want the man they loved to stand in front of them, shielding them from life’s storms?

…

Evening.

After returning home, Ye Shuang discussed the matter with Bai Yuyou and Keke over dinner.

"Your sister Chen Qin’s been overworking herself to the point of health problems, so I’ve decided to put my school doctor job on hold temporarily and help out at her company."

The moment those words left his mouth, both Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke froze.

"Ye Shuang…" Bai Yuyou suddenly asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Just for a little while," he reassured her. "I’ll still go to the school once a week, and I’ll come back to the apartment every night."

Hearing it was temporary, Bai Yuyou relaxed and went back to eating. "Okay."

"But—but won’t that mean she gets to monopolize you?!" Tang Keke blurted out.

Ye Shuang blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Uh, nothing." Keke quickly shot Bai Yuyou a meaningful look.

After dinner, while Ye Shuang was washing dishes, Tang Keke pulled Bai Yuyou into a corner. "Yuyou, why didn’t you protest?!"

"Protest?" Bai Yuyou didn’t understand.

"Yeah! Brother’s about to switch jobs and run off!" Keke fretted.

Bai Yuyou simply said, "Sister Chen Qin is sick. Helping her is the right thing to do."

That left Keke speechless. "Well… yeah."

If Ye Shuang said Chen Qin was pushing herself too hard, it made sense for him to step in.

"Still… we’ll see him even less now." Bai Yuyou calculated—this meant she wouldn’t even get to see him during lunch breaks anymore.

"It’ll be lonely, but it’s okay. I can still hold Ye Shuang at night." She paused. "And it’s only temporary."

Tang Keke scratched her head.

Both her brother and Yuyou were just too kind—always putting others first.