Qin Yuchuan placed his phone on the table and gave Feng Qingyi a meaningful look.
Feng Qingyi had just taken a bite of noodles when she met Qin Yuchuan's gaze, feeling somewhat perplexed.
"Aren't you going to use your phone?" she asked.
Qin Yuchuan's face remained cold, and he said nothing, just staring at her.
Feng Qingyi could sense that he was a bit angry, but she wasn't sure what had happened.
Everything had been fine just moments ago, so why did things suddenly feel off?
Feng Qingyi glanced at the phone on the table, realizing that he must have seen something on it that caused this change.
She picked up the phone and opened it to find her WeChat conversation with Shen Hanyue on display.
Scrolling down, Feng Qingyi saw the picture she had just sent.
He must have seen it!
Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Feng Qingyi sneaked a glance at Qin Yuchuan, meeting his eyes.
"...Um, did you see everything?" she asked tentatively.
"Mhm."
"It's just casual chat with a good friend, nothing serious."
She regretted her timing. Of all days to send pictures, why today? And why one showing off eight-pack abs?
"Do you and your friends often discuss which men are more handsome?" Qin Yuchuan inquired.
Feng Qingyi hurriedly ate her noodles, trying to avoid the question.
Qin Yuchuan continued, "So you like young men with eight-pack abs who look slim in clothes but muscular without them?"
"...No, I don't! We were just talking nonsense!"
She needed to change the subject quickly; this felt like a public execution.
Spotting a nearby refrigerator, Feng Qingyi said, "I'm a bit thirsty. I'll go buy some water."
She slowly selected a bottle of water and returned to her seat, quickly finishing her remaining noodles.
Seeing that Qin Yuchuan didn't pursue the topic further, she breathed a sigh of relief, hoping the matter had passed.
After paying the bill, Feng Qingyi led Qin Yuchuan back to the hospital.
She fulfilled her earlier promise to teach him how to use the elevator.
Qin Yuchuan seemed to take an interest in the hospital elevator, and after Feng Qingyi taught him, he eagerly volunteered to press the buttons.
"Your room is on the 13th floor, so just press 13," she instructed.
The elevator stopped on the 13th floor, and Feng Qingyi led Qin Yuchuan out, intending to return to his room.
However, Qin Yuchuan stopped after exiting the elevator.
Confused, Feng Qingyi asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"I want to go down," he replied.
Feng Qingyi looked at Qin Yuchuan, baffled. "We just came up. Why do you want to go down?"
Qin Yuchuan pointed at the elevator. "To try it out."
"Alright then!"
Qin Yuchuan pressed the button, and they waited for the elevator.
Feng Qingyi had thought he meant to ride the elevator twice to get a feel for it.
She hadn't expected him to become almost addicted, going up and down repeatedly between the first and thirteenth floors.
Feng Qingyi felt dizzy from all the elevator rides, and even a bit nauseous.
Thankfully, the hospital wasn't busy, or their behavior would surely have gotten them blacklisted.
"Let's head back to your room and rest a bit," she suggested.
Qin Yuchuan nodded. "Okay."
Back in the hospital room, Feng Qingyi collapsed into a chair.
She had never realized how unpleasant riding an elevator could be; she was almost developing a phobia.
Seeing Feng Qingyi's state, Qin Yuchuan asked, "Qingqing, are you feeling unwell?"
"It's nothing, I'm fine," she replied, thinking to herself that next time she should take him on a drop tower ride for a real thrill.
Feng Qingyi stayed with Qin Yuchuan in the hospital room until evening when it was time for him to rest. Before leaving, she made sure to remind him to stay put and contact her via WeChat if any issues arose.
In the dead of night, Qin Yuchuan returned to Tianqi's military camp.
Yan Chi and Yan Yang, seeing Qin Yuchuan's sudden appearance, were no longer surprised.
After Yan Chi reported the day's events to Qin Yuchuan, he summoned a few trusted advisors to discuss strategies and the next day's battle plans.
When the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, it was already the hour of the Rat (around midnight).
Na Muqi stayed behind specifically to inquire about the clothes Qin Yuchuan was wearing. Qin Yuchuan casually deflected the questions.
Yan Chi, Yan Yang, and Na Muqi left Qin Yuchuan's tent together.
Na Muqi expressed his confusion, "Yan Chi, Yan Yang, I've never seen such attire in Ying City before."
Yan Chi replied, "Every place has its own characteristics. It's understandable that clothing styles might differ."
"It takes several hours to travel from Ying City to here, yet I didn't see the general's horse," Na Muqi observed.
Yan Yang rubbed his ear. "It's already late at night. We should get some rest!"
"That's right, it is getting late," Yan Chi agreed. "Na Muqi, you should rest too. We have a tough battle ahead tomorrow."
Although Na Muqi felt puzzled, seeing that Qin Yuchuan was fine, he didn't think too much about it and returned to his own tent.
Early the next morning, Feng Qingyi got ready and hurried to the hospital.
When she arrived at the hospital room, she found it empty. She quickly took out her phone to call him.
However, the call didn't go through. Feng Qingyi looked around but couldn't find any trace of him.
"Miss, are you looking for the patient from this room?" a nurse asked.
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Yes, do you know where he is?"
"He's been riding that elevator over there. I've seen him go up and down several times already today."
Feng Qingyi replied, "Thank you! I'll go find him."
She thought to herself, "Didn't he get enough of the elevator yesterday? He wants to continue today?"
Feng Qingyi stood by the elevator waiting. Soon enough, she saw Qin Yuchuan.
He was accompanied by a little boy in hospital pajamas, who was tugging at his sleeve as they exited.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in your room and not wander off?" Feng Qingyi said.
Before Qin Yuchuan could respond, the Little Boy spoke up.
"Auntie, why are you being so fierce? I asked uncle to ride the elevator with me!"
"Fierce? Me?" She didn't think she had been fierce at all; her tone had been quite gentle.
The Little Boy continued, "This hospital is so boring. It's thanks to uncle that I have someone to play with. We're planning to go up to the twentieth floor now. Auntie, you can wait for us here."
"..." Feng Qingyi wondered what on earth had happened while she was away.
Had riding the elevator somehow fostered a friendship?
Qin Yuchuan said, "I'll take him back first, then return."
Feng Qingyi waved her hand. "Go ahead, I'll wait for you in the room."
After Qin Yuchuan escorted the Little Boy back, he returned to the hospital room.
Following a series of hospital examinations that confirmed he had no health issues, Feng Qingyi went to handle the discharge procedures.
"You haven't eaten for a whole day, so you must be hungry. However, the doctor just said you can only have some porridge for the next couple of days. Let's eat first before we head back," she said.
Although Qin Yuchuan felt the doctor was exaggerating, faced with Feng Qingyi's caring words, he obediently nodded his head.
