Chapter 124: Does Your Stomach Still Hurt?

The sharp, dragging pain in her lower abdomen came in waves at first, then settled into a long, seemingly endless, twisting agony. It was relentless. By the time her entire body was soaked in cold sweat, Shen Zhaoxi was on the verge of losing consciousness from the pain.

"Shen Zhaoxi."

Lu Yunzhou’s low, husky voice reached her. When he returned with what he had gone to buy, he found her leaning sideways against the edge of the bed. The young woman’s face was deathly pale, her entire body drenched in sweat, her dark hair disheveled. He stepped forward, placed the contents of the black plastic bag on the table, then picked up a disposable thin blanket from nearby, wrapped it around her waist, and leaned down. With his long arms hooked under her, he scooped her up horizontally.

"Does it hurt that much?"

He bowed his head, his cool, clear eyes filled with a trace of worry as he studied her pale face. Her hands were pressed against her abdomen, her brows knitted tightly, her lips pressed shut. She was in too much pain to even make a sound.

"I’m taking you to the hospital."

Lu Yunzhou frowned, whispered something into her ear, and Shen Zhaoxi, with her pale, drawn face, leaned weakly against his chest. Outside, a light rain was falling, a fine drizzle enshrouding the entire town of Jingnan. The rain pattered incessantly. Suddenly, a military vehicle pulled up to the entrance of the hospital, which was bustling with people injured or sick from the floods. Onlookers saw the man in military uniform, his expression cold and stern, his brows furrowed with visible anxiety, carrying the young woman into the building.

Amidst the chaotic noise, Shen Zhaoxi lifted her eyelids to look at the man holding her. Lu Yunzhou’s expression was icy, his fair jawline taut. Looking up from her angle, she could only see his thin, pressed lips and his sharply defined facial contours. Was he worried about her? This man, known for his cold temperament, decisive actions, and calm, wise judgment in military affairs—could he really be thrown into such disarray by a trivial matter like this?

She still remembered how, back in Dongzhou, his dark eyes had looked at her with such intimidating, overbearing pressure. It was as if he had endless ways to make her life a living hell if she didn't provide the answer he wanted. Yet now, he was actually bringing her to the hospital. A self-deprecating smile tugged at the corner of Shen Zhaoxi’s lips.

Just then, in the crowded hospital, a young woman stopped in her tracks, as if she had seen something. She spotted the man in the military uniform, tall and upright, carrying the young girl into the waiting room.

*Isn't he...?* The girl’s eyes shifted slightly. But just as she was about to step forward, an ambulance arrived, and doctors and nurses, their faces tense, rushed a gurney toward the operating room. This abruptly cut the girl off, and in the sea of people, the man’s figure vanished.

Shen Zhaoxi’s forehead was covered in cold sweat; she seemed unable to hold on any longer. Gradually, as she leaned against him, she succumbed to the pain and drifted into unconsciousness. She didn't know which consultation room Lu Yunzhou took her to; she only knew that when she woke up, she was on a hospital bed.

It was called a bed, but it was actually a makeshift cot set up in the lobby, separated by sky-blue privacy curtains, with perhaps over twenty beds squeezed into the hall. After the Jingnan floods, the number of people in the hospital had multiplied, making beds a rare luxury.

The young woman on the bed opened her eyes, her face paler than before. Perhaps due to the IV drip, the dull, stabbing pain in her abdomen had gradually faded, eventually subsiding completely without her noticing. Lu Yunzhou was keeping watch by her side, a bowl of hot porridge placed nearby, clearly bought just for her.

"Awake? Does your stomach still hurt?"

He sat upright, his military uniform damp from the rain, stained with a dark, soaked hue. He sat beside her, blocking the light seeping in from the side of the curtain. With his sleeves rolled up, his knobby fingers pressed the button for the nurse. Lu Yunzhou’s dark eyes were fixed on her, seemingly filled with concern. The young woman on the bed shook her head.

"Then have some porridge?"

He had actually gone to buy her hot porridge. Usually, when menstrual pain became unbearable, drinking hot brown sugar water or tea could help alleviate the symptoms; anything warm had a soothing effect. But how could Lu Yunzhou have thought of this?

"Because we are in a hospital, resources are limited. There might not be anything you particularly like, but drinking some hot porridge will make you feel better."

His eyes were deep and cold, like the ink of a dark night, yet his low voice could not mask his underlying anxiety. As he spoke softly to her, Shen Zhaoxi watched him carefully open the porridge container. He used a tissue to wipe the edges of the box, his long, fair fingers slightly curled. Noticing this small gesture, Shen Zhaoxi’s eyes darkened for a moment. He seemed to be someone with a mild obsession with cleanliness. Yet, how had he been able to tolerate her before?

Just then, the bell stopped, footsteps approached, and a second later, the curtain was drawn back. The harsh hospital lights flooded in. Perhaps because she had been sleeping in the dim light of the curtain, the brightness felt intense, and Shen Zhaoxi instinctively closed her eyes, unable to adjust.

A young nurse entered to change her IV fluid—she didn't know which bottle it was by now. Lu Yunzhou pressed his thin lips together. Seeing the girl frown and lower her gaze, as if the lobby light was stinging her eyes, he shifted slightly in front of her. Suddenly, the man’s broad-shouldered, upright frame blocked the fluorescent light from behind.

Under the shadow of his handsome face, shielded from the glare, the man’s protruding Adam’s apple looked exceptionally alluring. His skin was naturally fair, though his hands were slightly darker than his neck. In this light, his Adam’s apple seemed to glow as he carefully opened the porridge box and handed her the spoon.

"Take note, your girlfriend shouldn't touch cold water these next few days, or else she'll end up in shock from the pain again next time," the nurse said, looking up after changing the empty IV bottle, addressing the man beside the bed.

Shen Zhaoxi: "?"

At that moment, the man in front of her seemed to sense her gaze. He lowered his eyes to meet hers, and the dim environment seemed to freeze for a second as their gazes locked.

"We aren't..." Shen Zhaoxi moved her pale lips, still feeling weak, instinctively wanting to explain.

But she saw the man lift his eyes to meet the nurse’s gaze, and then, in a low, cold voice, he replied politely:

"Thank you."

Shen Zhaoxi’s brows furrowed.