The mention of Lila Wei seemed to cool Hugh Pei's desire a bit.
"You said she's not petty, but no woman is generous in matters of love, unless she doesn't truly love you," I continued to persuade him. "Do you want to see her sad and upset? What would happen if she found out you and I had sex?"
His eyes gradually cleared, as if he were seriously considering my words.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, he kissed me again, as if everything I had just said was nonsense.
I had to admire myself. How could I talk about emotional ethics with a beast?
I don't know how long we went on, but my eyelids were getting heavy. Hugh Pei, however, was still full of energy. I said groggily, "Let me sleep, I was just discharged from the hospital…"
The large hand roaming over my body stopped. Hugh Pei held me from behind and didn't move again. Just before I fell completely asleep, I felt his lips kiss my shoulder.
The consequence of strenuous exercise right after being discharged from the hospital was that my head felt uncomfortable the next day. Hugh Pei was no longer in the room.
The air still held a certain indescribable scent. I couldn't help but hold my head, feeling even worse.
With "health first" as my principle, I didn't even eat breakfast and had Leo Li drive me to the hospital for a check-up.
What a coincidence, it was Evan Yu's shift again.
"Blood pressure check. Roll up your sleeve," he said, acting as if we were strangers, his voice somewhat detached.
I hesitated for a moment, then took off my thick coat, accidentally pulling my scarf off with it. I quickly grabbed the scarf and re-wrapped it, but Evan Yu's gaze had already changed, his eyes fixed on my neck.
It was covered in various marks from where Hugh Pei had bitten me last night, a truly horrible to look at.
I rolled up the sleeve of my inner shirt, placed my arm on the table, and said awkwardly, "Okay, you can measure it now."
I don't know if it was my imagination, but I felt Evan Yu's gaze was even colder than before. He picked up the blood pressure cuff, took my wrist with one hand to adjust my posture, but with such force that I almost thought he wanted to break my arm.
Everything proceeded in silence. After measuring my blood pressure, Evan Yu ruled out that my headache was caused by abnormal blood pressure. Then he asked some questions coldly, wrote me a prescription for some tests, and sent me on my way.
The final result was that I had drunk alcohol and not rested well, which had aggravated my not-yet-fully-healed injury.
"You went out drinking the day after you were discharged. You've got some nerve," Evan Yu said, taking off his mask. His face was cold. His already unapproachable, cool face now looked like the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean.
"A friend came back, I was just happy…" I felt a bit guilty. I really shouldn't have yesterday.
"Deng Yiyang?" Evan Yu naturally knew who Deng Yiyang was.
I nodded.
Then he said something shocking, "Did he make those love bites on your neck?"
I was shocked. "Dr. Yu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."
"Then it was Hugh Pei." This time it was a statement.
"I'm here to see a doctor… why are you so hung up on this?" I was completely bewildered.
Evan Yu paused, seeming to realize the inappropriateness of his questions. He finally composed himself and said in a doctorly manner, "Well, if you don't want to be hospitalized again, get plenty of rest, quit smoking, drinking, and late nights. I'll prescribe some medication for you. Remember to take it on time."
Ten minutes later, I left the hospital with my prescription. Leo Li dutifully drove me home.
Once we arrived, I didn't get out of the car right away. Instead, I asked Leo Li, "Leo Li, you haven't been home for the New Year for the past two years, have you?"
"No, ma'am," Leo Li replied.
"You should go back this year. I'll give you a big red envelope as your year-end bonus. You can leave tomorrow and come back after the Lantern Festival," I said.
"Ma'am, I…" Leo Li was clearly at a loss.
Fearing he would misunderstand, I quickly explained, "I'm not firing you. As I said, you have to come back after the Lantern Festival. You can drive this car back. Just pay for the gas yourself."
With that, I got out of the car, not giving Leo Li a chance to say more.
As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. In my past life, Leo Li had been with me until the very end. Although he couldn't help me much, he was a very dedicated driver. He had even taken care of me for several days when I was hospitalized. I knew he had feelings for me, but because of our different social statuses, he never said anything.
If I remembered correctly, his father passed away during this Spring Festival due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Because they didn't have a car to take him to the hospital in time, he couldn't be saved.
I hoped he could save his father this time.
Just after I finished eating at home, my dad called. He chatted with me for a bit, then asked, "Have you asked Hugh Pei to come over for dinner? Did you forget?"
I had completely forgotten!
"I'll talk to him in the next couple of days. Dad, you know he's very busy at the end of the year," I said, making an excuse.
"That's why you should ask him soon. Tomorrow. Bring him home tomorrow. That's settled!" My dad's attitude towards Hugh Pei had taken a 180-degree turn. After all, Hugh Pei had saved his reputation.
I stared at the disconnected call, a headache coming on. After a few minutes of hesitation, I dialed Hugh Pei's number.
The phone rang a few times before he answered. It was noisy on his end, with the sound of men playing drinking games. He must have been at a dinner party.
"Are you busy? If so, I'll text you," I asked.
"Not busy. Go ahead," Hugh Pei's voice was clear despite the noise.
"Are you free tomorrow?" I asked, wanting to know his schedule first.
Hugh Pei paused, then replied, "I have to go to Erhua."
He was indeed very busy. I was silent for a few seconds, then chose to give up. "I see. It's nothing, just asking."
"Okay." He hung up.
I sighed. With our current awkward relationship, it would be so strange to ask him to my parents' house for dinner. If his relationship with my dad improved now, it would only be more difficult to explain when we divorced.
But how could I refuse my dad? If I said Hugh Pei was busy, he would definitely think it was an excuse. Who couldn't spare time for one meal?
Lost in thought, I remembered Evan Yu's advice to get plenty of rest, and I actually fell asleep.
I didn't know when Hugh Pei came back. I was half-asleep when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind, and I woke up with a start.
"Hugh Pei?" I called out.
"Mm," he sounded sleepy too. "Go back to sleep."
His even breathing sounded in my ear. He seemed to have fallen asleep right after he spoke. I felt a strange sensation in my heart. This posture was like that of a loving couple, but Hugh Pei and I were not.
His embrace was very warm. I hesitated for a moment, then snuggled in closer.