mtl008 Chapter 182 Visiting the patient
Chapter 182 Visiting the patient
Soft lighting illuminated the spacious room, and a faint smell of disinfectant filled the air.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains, falling on the man's long, slender fingers. He sat back on the hospital bed, a soft pillow behind him, a laptop on his lap, the blue light from the screen reflecting on his aloof profile.
The video conference is in progress, with the computer screen divided into more than a dozen sections, and executives from various departments of the company are intently watching the data on the other end.
"I've read the marketing department's quarterly report."
Although Shen Yan's face was slightly pale, his voice was as deep and calm as ever, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the keyboard, bringing up a document.
"The launch date of new projects must be brought forward; the market won't wait for us. In addition, the technical team must resolve user experience feedback issues within three days; I don't want to see any delays."
An executive on the screen nodded hurriedly, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. "Yes, Mr. Shen, we will adjust the schedule immediately."
He nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to another person, still carrying a sense of pressure, and asked, "How is the project progressing in the development zone?"
The person in charge immediately straightened his back and replied respectfully, "President Shen, the project has entered the second phase. Land approval and design planning are proceeding as planned. It's just that some procedures were held up for a few days, but they are now being processed."
"Ignore it and continue."
After the meeting, Shen Yan closed his laptop, rubbed his eyes, and made another phone call. "Make arrangements. I need to meet with people from the Land and Resources Bureau tomorrow."
The door to the ward was gently pushed open, and a nurse came in carrying medicine, followed by two other people.
"Mr. Shen, it's time to take your medicine."
Shen Yan didn't even look up. "Just put it there."
The nurse placed the medicine on the bedside table and left. Shen Yan sensed that there were still people in the room out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw Zhou Panpan and Xie Yan standing there.
"Mr. Shen, I ran into Xie Yan at the company and we chatted for a bit. She knew you were hospitalized and said she wanted to come and see you, so I brought her over."
As Zhou Panpan spoke, she took the bouquet of lilies she had just bought from Xie Yan and placed it by the window.
She spoke casually about the bouquet and fruit Xie Yan had specially chosen for him, but she didn't notice Shen Yan's increasingly sour expression.
Shen Yan glanced casually at his unsightly blue and white hospital gown and his disheveled state of being half-lying on the hospital bed, unable to move. He looked up at Zhou Panpan, his eyes filled with barely perceptible embarrassment and anger.
"It's working hours now. As the marketing manager, are you running around like this because your workload isn't heavy enough? We just had a meeting; are you clear about all the marketing department's tasks?"
Zhou Panpan didn't know what she had done to offend this big shot, but Shen Yan's questions were all reasonable. She really should still be at work at this time. She was silent for two seconds and then asked weakly, "Then can I take a day of annual leave today...?"
Shen Yan did not respond, but simply pursed his lips, looking extremely upset.
Xie Yan, who had been silent, noticed that Shen Yan was in a bad mood and quickly comforted him gently, "President Shen, I asked Manager Zhou to bring me here, please don't blame her."
She gave Zhou Panpan a look, and the two nodded to each other. Zhou Panpan said, "Then I'm going back to work," and left.
Zhou Panpan closed the door behind her, and the ward fell silent. Shen Yan turned his head away from Xie Yan, seemingly angry with someone.
However, his black hair was now washed and hanging down, with his bangs falling smoothly over his forehead, making him look younger than usual, like a college graduate.
Xie Yan's gaze swept over the blanket covering him, unable to see the condition of his legs, and she leaned closer, "Mr. Shen, is your leg because of that night when you saved me...?"
"No." Shen Yan lowered his eyelids and said in a cold tone, "It has nothing to do with you. If you're busy, you can leave. I don't need anyone to take care of me here."
He frowned, his words implying that he wanted to get rid of anyone, as if having anyone around him was a disturbance.
"I'm not busy." Hearing this, Xie Yan pursed her lips and sat down on the stool by the bed.
She had bought a basket of fruit when she arrived, and now she found a bright red apple and started peeling it. After peeling and cored it, she put it in a small bowl and handed it to Shen Yan.
"Have some, Mr. Shen. The apples from this region are very sweet."
Shen Yan turned his face away and closed his eyes. "I don't like apples."
Haha, Xie Yan knows him perfectly well. There's nothing he doesn't like to eat.
She shoved the small bowl into Shen Yan's arms and said, "If you're not going to eat it, I'll throw it away. It's such a waste to throw it away, you might as well eat it."
"..."
Helpless, Shen Yanfu opened his eyes again and finally looked Xie Yan in the eye, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds. "...You changed your glasses."
At this moment, Xie Yan was shaving her second piece of glass. A pair of brown round-framed glasses sat on her clean and delicate face, taking up almost half of her face. Compared to the previous frameless glasses, they looked a bit bulky, but they were also more approachable and down-to-earth, and even a bit cute.
"Well, I couldn't find my glasses the other night, so this is a spare. You can use these for now."
The small fruit knife was exceptionally nimble in Xie Yan's hands. In just a few words, the apples were shaved into plump little rabbit shapes, lying obediently on the plate waiting to be eaten.
Xie Yan handed it over again, saying, "This plate looks nice, why don't you eat this one?"
Shen Yan stared at the plate of rabbit-shaped apples for a long time before finally condescending to eat some.
Seeing that he had finally eaten something, Xie Yan picked up the medicine and hot water from the bedside table, "Take your medicine."
"……Um."
After chatting briefly, Shen Yan said he needed to work and turned on his computer. Xie Yan didn't want to disturb him, but she hadn't even gotten to the main topic yet.
She had asked the nurses when she arrived, and Shen Yan's condition wasn't too serious. He could be discharged in the next couple of days, but the daily maintenance would be a problem, as Shen Yan was reluctant to use a wheelchair.
Xie Yan fell into deep thought, sitting on the sofa and silently searching on her phone for ways to comfort the patient.
Shen Yan, who was "working" not far away, glanced at Xie Yan without leaving a trace, then quickly looked away, looked in the mirror at the black computer screen, and adjusted his slightly long bangs to fully reveal his delicate and three-dimensional eyebrows and eyes.
He frowned, finding his hospital gown an eyesore.
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Zhang Zhihong was carrying a lunchbox prepared by Yang Huiyun and was about to deliver the meal to Shen Yan when he stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached the ward building.
The sound of footsteps rang out, and Zhou Panpan, wearing Doc Martens, came out while talking on the phone. "Dad, I took the afternoon off from work. Let's go eat at that barbecue place in the northern suburbs. I'll go to the Commercial Building to pick up Mom first. Is she at the beauty salon at this time?"
After hearing what was said on the other end of the line, Zhou Panpan gave a sheepish laugh and then started to whine, "Oh, I don't take leave every day. I'm usually very diligent at work. It's rare for me to take leave today, just this once, okay? We haven't gotten together in so long~"
Zhou Panpan is not one to waste time internally. Since she has already taken a day of annual leave, she has no intention of going back to work. She wants to make the most of her day off!
Her steps, like her personality, were hurried and swift as she left.
Watching Zhou Panpan's car drive away, Zhang Zhihong finally emerged from the corner. He stared at the car's rear for a few seconds before turning and going upstairs.
After going upstairs, he learned from the nurse that Mr. Shen's friend was visiting, so he peeked inside through the glass door.
The afternoon sun was gentle, and a girl sat on a dark leather sofa, looking down at her phone. Her eyes were lowered as if she was thinking about something, and the light cast a soft halo around her hair.
The young man on the hospital bed appeared to be holding a computer, but his eyes were actually glued to Xie Yan, and he didn't even notice Zhang Zhihong outside the door.
After thinking it over for a while, he sat down on a chair outside the door and waited, but he ended up sitting there for a long time.
Xie Yan spent the afternoon in the ward. When she said goodbye and went out, she saw Zhang Zhihong. Her eyes then fell on the lunchbox next to him. "Uncle Zhang?"
Zhang Zhihong stood up with a smile, looking like a kind elder. "I came to bring Xiao Yan food. I saw you inside, so I didn't go in to disturb you."
Hearing this, Xie Yan nodded knowingly. She knew that Zhang Zhihong worked at Yang Huiyun's shop, so it was normal for him to help out by running errands.
"This food is probably a bit cold." Zhang Zhihong ran to ask the nurse if there was a microwave, and then busied himself reheating the food. Xie Yan saw that he didn't know how to use the microwave, so she went over to him.
"I'll do it, Uncle Zhang."
The two of them heated up the food and brought it to Shen Yan. Xie Yan looked at Shen Yan eating with his head down and actually felt a bit nostalgic.
She was used to seeing Shen Yan with his hair down, and it was true that he was still the most pleasing to the eye.
As if remembering something, Xie Yan sighed almost inaudibly, then said, "Then Mr. Shen, please eat well. I haven't finished writing the draft for the technology summit yet, I have to go back and work overtime."
Shen Yan lowered his head, his face cold, and did not respond.
"I might be a bit busy tomorrow, so I can only come over for a little while around noon. I'll be going now."
"Ah."
After leaving the ward, Xie Yan glanced at the time; it was already past six in the afternoon. She had actually stayed there for so long.
Zhang Zhihong escorted her downstairs. "Xiao Xie, are you going home? How about I drive you? It's rush hour and it's hard to get a taxi."
Indeed, Xie Yan saw that there were more than a dozen passengers ahead of her in the taxi queue on the app, and she had no other choice. "Okay, thank you, Uncle Zhang, but I have to go back to work overtime. My workplace is near Aunt Yang's shop."
Her main task now is writing articles, which she can do anywhere, so she doesn't need to go back to the Future Technology Research Institute. Her original workplace is actually closer to it.
Zhang Zhihong nodded knowingly, "Oh, I know your company. Let's go then."