During this period, Shen Nian would only enter when the other members of the Lu family were not around and Li Mingshi was sound asleep.
She didn't do anything particularly touching; she merely tidied the room, arranged the flowers, wiped Li Mingshi's hands, or straightened her slippers.
There was no deliberate attempt to curry favor, no deliberate attempt at compensation. It was just like what a daughter would do for her mother, or a daughter-in-law for her mother-in-law - it was simply what was expected.
Shen Nian was unsure when Li Mingshi fell asleep and was afraid that if she woke and saw her face, it might upset her.
She was ill and should not get agitated.
Shen Nian picked up the basin on the bedside table, preparing to leave.
As she passed by the foot of the bed, she noticed a sunflower painting on the wall, which she hadn't seen before. It must have been hung up in the past couple of days.
At a glance, she knew it was Li Mingshi's own work. She was a painter, and her paintings, like herself, were free, elegant, and romantic.
Li Mingshi painted the most beautiful sunflowers. To bring a smile to his beloved wife's face, Lu Yanhua had renovated the entire second floor of their home into a small family art gallery, displaying Li Mingshi's various artworks. Shen Nian had been fortunate enough to see them a few times before.
Knowing it was Li Mingshi's work, Shen Nian took a closer look, carefully studying it before realizing that Li Mingshi had attached real sunflowers to the painting, adding a special touch of beauty.
Her artistry was as brilliant as ever.
Just as Shen Nian was about to look away, she caught sight of the line of text written in the corner.
The handwriting was small yet graceful.
[My dear, Mom will stay strong.]
Those seven simple words made Shen Nian stare at the first two, lost in thought.
Her memory immediately transported her back to around six years ago when her relationship with Lu Lingrui was at its best, and she was also with Lu Lingchuan.
The Lu family adored her, and Li Mingshi treated her like her own daughter, often taking her and Lu Lingrui out for fun.
After a waiter mistook them for sisters on yet another occasion, Lu Lingrui linked arms with Li Mingshi, looking smug yet complaining playfully.
[Who said we're sisters? We're clearly a devoted mother and daughter, a close mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, two affectionate sisters-in-law. It's all Mom's fault for being so young and beautiful that she's kept Dad mesmerized for so many years. And now she's stealing the spotlight from me and my sister-in-law. Hmph!]
Lu Lingrui was like a little sunflower, clearly proud that her mother was praised for her youthful beauty, yet refusing to admit it directly and pretending to complain instead.
At the time, Li Mingshi was so amused by her daughter that she couldn't stop smiling, tapping her little nose playfully. [Then from now on, whenever someone compliments me, I'll tell them you're my precious daughter and give you all the attention, okay?]
[And what about Nian Nian?] Lu Lingrui let go of Li Mingshi's arm, circled around to Shen Nian's side, and linked arms with her instead, sticking her tongue out at Li Mingshi.
[Nian Nian and I are both your daughters. Nian Nian is the baby, and I'm the elder one. When introducing us to others in the future, just say we're your precious ones! Precious refers to me and Nian Nian!]
For other mothers, such a casual remark would likely be forgotten as soon as it was uttered and not taken to heart. But Li Mingshi doted on her daughter, and from that casual remark, she embraced the term, introducing Lu Lingrui and Shen Nian to others in this way from then on.
[These two are my precious daughters. The one in the sundress is my biological daughter, and the one in the white dress is my eldest son's girlfriend, Nian Nian. She's a sensible, good girl, just like my own daughter. Once they're legally married, she'll be brought into our family!]
From others' lips, "precious" was simply a term of endearment, but for Li Mingshi, "precious" was not just a pet name - it was a collective term for Lu Lingrui and Shen Nian.
...
Shen Nian curled her lips in a faint smile as she stared at those two words.
...
After finishing the tidying, Shen Nian quietly left the sickroom, telling the nurse that only the still-sleeping Li Mingshi remained inside. She asked the nurse to check on her every three minutes, and the nurse nodded in agreement.
Watching Shen Nian leave, the nurse turned toward a certain spot, where a figure emerged from behind the door.
Lu Lingchuan's tall frame demanded attention, his mere presence commanding notice without uttering a word.
The white shirt he wore concealed his well-defined muscles and sensual curves, the sleeves casually rolled up to reveal slender, well-formed wrists.
To accentuate the brightness, the hospital lights were on even during the day, casting Lu Lingchuan in a radiant glow. He stood in the illumination, tall and graceful, exuding an air of refined nobility. A shadow fell across his exquisitely handsome face, accentuating his sharp features.
His dark, narrow eyes fixed straight ahead, even though Shen Nian's figure had long since disappeared from view. Still, his gaze refused to waver, and the nurse tried in vain to follow his line of sight, seeing nothing.
Studying Lu Lingchuan carefully, she realized his deep, pensive gaze seemed to harbor pain and struggle, intermingled with other emotions, a wordless loneliness subtly seeping through.
His peerless, graceful demeanor, coupled with the worry etched on his brow, only added to his allure.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Lu Lingchuan finally averted his gaze and strode into the sickroom.
That evening, after showering, Shen Nian sat on the bed, wrapped in a towel.
Just as she was about to open the bedside drawer, footsteps approached, and Lu Lingchuan pushed open the bedroom door, meeting Shen Nian's gaze unexpectedly.
Shen Nian had just finished showering, her hair tucked into a dry cap, her makeup-free face appearing youthful and soft, her features gentle without being stunningly beautiful.
Her delicate, innocent appearance naturally exuded a warmth.
Not expecting Lu Lingchuan's sudden return, Shen Nian was momentarily dazed, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her face.
Lu Lingchuan's gaze fell directly on her the moment he entered, and upon seeing her confusion, something soft seemed to brush against his heart.
The corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
Shen Nian recovered first, her hand instinctively smoothing the towel as she explained, "I just finished showering."
"Mmm." Lu Lingchuan merely acknowledged her with a sound, saying nothing further before closing the door and heading to the living room.
Watching him leave, Shen Nian finally withdrew her gaze.
She opened the bottom drawer, which was filled with various medications, the labels on the bottles torn off and the boxes discarded, leaving only rows of untaken pills.
Deftly retrieving a few rows, she popped out a couple of pills and tossed them into her mouth, reaching for the cup on the bedside table.
Realizing the cup was empty, she put it back down without drinking any water and swallowed the pills dry.
Selecting a black long-sleeved nightgown from the closet, she changed into it and grabbed a towel specifically for drying her hair, setting the dry cap aside.
The dry cap had already absorbed most of the water from her hair, so she simply patted it dry with the towel, continuing to dry her hair as she exited the bedroom.
Lu Lingchuan was seated in the dining area, with four or five takeout boxes in front of him, their lids open beside them, revealing the exquisite dishes inside.
