One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

A Starry Night.

The time was 8:30 PM.

In a VIP single-patient ward of a certain hospital, Su Cheng lay on the hospital bed, his sleeping face serene and peaceful, occasionally murmuring a few words. The room was softly lit, well-ventilated, with the scent of disinfectant mingled with a faint, pleasant fragrance lingering in the air.

Outside the door, a female attendant stood guard, periodically checking through the window to ensure everything was in order before resuming her vigilant watch, scanning the surroundings to prevent any mishaps.

Given that this was a VIP ward, the corridor in this section was exceptionally quiet, with only two or three patients in total. The tranquil environment was why the Ji Family had chosen not to transfer Su Cheng to their private hospital but instead allowed him to rest peacefully here.

"Young Mistress, Su Cheng has woken up."

The attendant at the door noticed Su Cheng sitting on the edge of the bed and immediately reported in a hushed tone.

"Young Master, please leave such matters to us."

After reporting, the attendant quickly opened the door and asked Su Cheng in a respectful and deferential voice, "Do you need anything?"

"I... I just need to use the restroom."

Su Cheng, still groggy from sleep, felt weak in his limbs and parched in his throat. He raised a hand to rub his temple, his voice hoarse and frail as he spoke, struggling to rise from the bed to head to the bathroom.

Hearing this, the attendant moved to support him, but Su Cheng firmly refused. "It's just a few steps. I can manage on my own."

His refusal was resolute—after all, given the difference between men and women, he couldn’t possibly let someone assist him in such a private matter.

The attendant hesitated but didn’t press further, instead watching cautiously as he steadied himself against the wall and made his way to the bathroom inside the ward.

Fortunately, Su Cheng didn’t stumble.

He made it to the bathroom successfully!

A few minutes later.

Su Cheng returned to sit on the bed, and the attendant poured him a cup of warm water.

"Thank you."

Su Cheng accepted the cup and expressed his gratitude politely.

"Don’t mention it. It’s my duty."

The attendant waved it off before adding, "The Young Mistress is on her way. Please wait a little longer."

Su Cheng nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He took a few sips of the warm water to soothe his throat, though his spirits remained visibly low. Holding the cup, he stared blankly at the nightscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling window.

"By the way... where’s my bag?"

Su Cheng suddenly remembered something and asked urgently.

The peony!

The most pressing matter now was to ensure the peony was properly cared for—if it died, all his efforts would be in vain.

"That peony has been placed in the school garden under 24-hour supervision by a dedicated caretaker. If you’d like, I can arrange for it to be brought here immediately."

The attendant quickly explained.

Hearing this, Su Cheng sighed in relief and relaxed, returning to silently gazing at the night view.

Before long, the ward door opened, and Ji Qingyi stepped inside. She had shed her school uniform, now dressed in an elegant white home gown that exuded grace and refinement. In her hands was a food container, as if she were a celestial maiden returning from the moonlit night.

"President."

Su Cheng hurriedly tried to stand up upon seeing her.

"No need for formalities."

Ji Qingyi remained as aloof and composed as ever. She placed the food container on the table, gracefully seating herself on the chair beside Su Cheng’s bed before asking with concern, "How is your recovery?"

"I think I can be discharged tomorrow."

Su Cheng forced a smile, trying to mask the exhaustion and pallor on his face as he answered lightly.

"Discharge is for the doctor to decide."

Ji Qingyi seemed to see right through his pretense. Her tone was calm as she spoke, then opened the food container and took out a bowl of steamed egg custard. She scooped a spoonful and held it out to Su Cheng, her usually indifferent eyes carrying a trace of gentleness.

"I can eat on my own now."

Su Cheng, flustered by the attention, reached for the spoon, but Ji Qingyi shook her head in refusal. "You’re still weak. Don’t overexert yourself," she said plainly.

Though her tone was detached, warmth blossomed in Su Cheng’s heart. He obediently opened his mouth, accepting the spoonful and chewing slowly, savoring the not-so-delicious custard.

For some reason, he noticed Ji Qingyi watching him eat, her eyes holding a faint glimmer of anticipation.

Catching this, Su Cheng was puzzled and instinctively raised a hand to his lips, spitting out a tiny piece of eggshell.

"Huh?"

After a moment of confusion, he looked down at the small fragment in his palm, deep in thought.

Eggshell in the custard.

Well, that made sense...

But wait.

Could it be...? A bold idea struck him, and he couldn’t help but turn to Ji Qingyi.

A faint blush flickered across Ji Qingyi’s face before she quickly composed herself, shaking her head with a reproachful tone. "Someone insisted on showing off their poor cooking skills."

"Did Senior make this custard?"

Ji Qingyi neither confirmed nor denied, simply watching him.

Su Cheng let out a breath of relief, as if suddenly enlightened. "Ah, so it was Senior. I didn’t expect her to be so kind. I’m really grateful to her!"

Ji Qingyi remained silent, only calmly picking up another bowl—this one containing chicken soup—and expertly ladling a spoonful before bringing it to Su Cheng’s lips.

"Drink."

Her lips parted slightly as she spoke in that same composed tone.

"Um... I’d like to move around a bit more."

Su Cheng flicked away the eggshell and reached for the spoon and bowl, attempting to feed himself.

Ji Qingyi frowned slightly at his insistence but didn’t press further, allowing him to eat independently.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she seemed... disappointed?

Probably just his imagination.

As he sipped the soup, Su Cheng stole glances at Ji Qingyi, who had now stood up and turned her back to him.

She picked up an apple, seemingly contemplating something, then reached for a peeler. But it appeared she had no idea how to use it, staring helplessly at the tool and fruit before tossing them both back into the basket.

Of course.

She was the heiress of the Ji Family—why would she know how to peel an apple?

Eventually, she stepped out and spoke to the attendant outside. Shortly after, the attendant returned with an exquisitely arranged fruit platter.

Once Su Cheng had eaten his fill, he lay back down on the bed, utterly drained. Even though his fever had subsided, exhaustion weighed heavily on him, and his head felt like lead.

Yet, in his drowsy state, he faintly sensed Ji Qingyi sitting back down beside him, clumsily attempting to peel an apple.

......

By 9 PM, Ji Qingyi had left.

On the bedside table sat a plate of meticulously peeled and sliced apples, each piece uniformly cut—a testament to knife skills honed to perfection.

At the foot of the bed, the wastebasket held five or six mangled apples and peels, along with a broken peeler—clear evidence of Ji Qingyi’s failed attempts.

Not long after her departure, the attendant quietly entered the room, disposing of the discarded failures before softly closing the door behind her.

Su Cheng’s breathing steadied as he drifted into slumber.

Outside, a drizzling rain began to fall again, its relentless patter shrouding the city in a hazy mist.

The hospital was silent, almost eerily so.

Then, a faint vibration sound came from one of the wards.

It was Su Cheng’s phone receiving messages—not just one, but several in quick succession. His fingers twitched slightly, as if he were on the verge of waking up. But before he could rouse fully, a steward entered and promptly turned off the phone, plunging him back into unconsciousness.

……………………

"Woof! Woof!"

In the quiet hospital ward, the sudden barking of a dog shattered the stillness, jolting Su Cheng awake.

"What the hell is that dog barking for?"

Rubbing his bleary eyes, Su Cheng muttered under his breath before rolling over, intending to go back to sleep. But just as he was about to close his eyes—

A yellow dog appeared at the window, scratching at the glass with its front paws. Even more bizarrely, it was holding a takeout bag in its mouth.

"What the—?!"

Su Cheng bolted upright in bed, startled. But by the time he fully registered what he was seeing, the dog had already vanished.

At the same time, the steward hurried to his bedside. "Young Master, is everything alright?"

"Nothing… just a bad dream, I think," Su Cheng replied, rubbing his eyes again. Convinced he must have imagined it, he burrowed back under the covers.

Yet, once the steward left, sleep eluded him. The dog had looked eerily familiar—like the one Cornelia had once mentioned, a talented performer from the circus named 'Big Yellow.'

The thought wiped away any lingering drowsiness. He sat up, only to see the dog reappear at the window. Before he could react, it left the takeout bag on the windowsill and disappeared again.

Su Cheng froze. After a moment’s hesitation, he crept to the window, retrieved the bag, and cautiously peered outside. The dog was nowhere in sight.

He took a deep breath, catching the rich scent of cake. Glancing down at the order slip, his eyes widened in shock.

The name on the receipt was Cornelia.

Why would a takeout order meant for Cornelia’s villa end up here at the hospital?

Wait—

That wasn’t the real question.

The real question was: Why had a dog delivered it?!

Why would Big Yellow leave this for him?

A flood of questions swirled in Su Cheng’s mind, leaving him utterly bewildered.

"Young Master, please return to bed. You’ll catch a chill," the steward’s voice snapped him back to reality.

"Right, right. Actually, could you bring me my clothes? I’d like to put on a jacket and look outside for a bit."

Since his back was turned, the steward didn’t notice the takeout bag. Nodding, he went to fetch the requested items.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Cheng returned to bed with the bag, racking his brain for anything Cornelia had told him about the dog.

Before long, the steward returned with his freshly dried school uniform. "Your clothes, Young Master."

"Just leave them on the sofa, thanks."

"Of course. Please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything else."

With that, the steward exited, closing the door softly behind him. Silence reclaimed the room.

Su Cheng stared at the takeout bag for a long moment. Then, he reached for his phone on the nightstand, intending to contact Cornelia.

"Huh? Dead battery?"

He pressed the power button, relieved when the screen lit up—19% remaining.

But then, a deluge of notifications erupted: missed calls, texts, social media alerts. The sheer volume stunned him.

Every single one was from Cornelia.

His stomach twisted with dread. He quickly opened the messages, skimming through them with growing unease.

"My mom doesn’t believe me. She even told my dad! Now they both think I’ve lost it—they want to take me back home for 'psychological treatment'!"

"I’m terrified. They might drag me away by force! I told them the truth, but they treat me like a delusional child. I don’t know what to do!"

"Please answer me as soon as you see this. I can’t go back. If they take me, I’ll never be able to return. I don’t want to leave!!!"

"My parents just went to your place looking for you. Thank God you weren’t there. Where the hell are you?!"

"They can’t do anything to me right now because I fought back hard. I’ve locked myself in my room. But you HAVE to help me figure this out!"

"Why aren’t you answering?! I’m freaking out here! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The last message had been sent fifteen minutes ago.

Su Cheng’s expression darkened. He could practically feel Cornelia’s panic and desperation radiating from the screen. Her family refused to believe her, and now the one person she trusted—him—had been unreachable when she needed him most.

Taking a deep breath, he immediately dialed her number.

But the call didn’t go through. Her phone was off.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

Clutching his phone, Su Cheng felt a suffocating weight settle over him.

"Stay calm. I need to stay calm."

He forced himself to think clearly. The situation involved too much—especially the truth about his rebirth. He couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

First, his current predicament: he was under the Ji Family’s surveillance. Barging out wasn’t an option—he had to protect Cornelia’s secret. No one else could know.

Glancing toward the door, he spotted the steward periodically peeking inside.

"Could you turn off the lights for me?"

Su Cheng’s request prompted the steward to step in and switch off the lights before quietly retreating again.

Once alone, Su Cheng considered escaping through the window—only to find it barred.

"Seriously? Since when do hospitals have prison-grade security?"

Grumbling under his breath, he dressed quickly and dialed Liu Qingyue’s number.

Right now, she was his only hope. Ji Qingyi was too domineering; she’d never let him leave.

"Couldn’t sleep, so you’re calling for a bedtime story?" Liu Qingyue’s voice carried a mix of amusement and surprise.

"Senior, I need to go out. Tell those expressionless guards to back off. They’re making me uncomfortable."

"Not happening. If anything goes wrong, the young mistress will skin me alive. I’m not crossing her."

"I don’t care. Figure something out, or I’ll tell her you deliberately hid the fact that I was kissed."

Dead silence followed on the other end.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, faint footsteps and a resigned sigh came through.

"Fine. I’ll give you three minutes. Whether you can slip out or not is up to you."

"Thanks, senior." After hanging up the phone, Su Cheng noticed the attendant at the door had indeed left. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed out and sprinted toward the hospital entrance. Though his body was weak to the point of exhaustion, his willpower burned fiercer than ever. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through until he finally stumbled to a stop just outside the gates.

"Huff… huff…"

Gasping for air, Su Cheng leaned against the wall to steady himself. The frantic run had left his lungs searing with pain, his vision dotted with stars, as if his legs might give out any second.

"Woof! Woof!"

Suddenly, a familiar bark rang out ahead. Su Cheng looked up and saw the golden retriever wagging its tail vigorously while turning its head, as if urging him to glance behind.

Following the dog's gaze, he froze. A taxi's rear door stood wide open, and in the driver's seat, a woman in sunglasses jerked her thumb toward the backseat, saying, "No time to explain. Get in!"