HLnovel Chapter 226 Zhou Chiye is becoming less and less like the Zhou of the past.
Chapter 226 Zhou Chiye is becoming less and less like the Zhou of the past.
After Zhou Chiye turned down his work to rest, he came to deliver breakfast to Yunxia early the next morning.
Yunxia looked like she hadn't woken up yet. When she opened the door and saw Zhou Chiye's face, she immediately frowned: "Why are you here again? Don't you have anything better to do? So early in the morning."
Zhou Chiye didn't back down, but handed the two insulated bags he was carrying forward: "I didn't know what you wanted to eat, so I bought a few more kinds. There's pumpkin and millet porridge that you used to like, and freshly steamed sweet corn."
Yunxia glanced down at the bag, then turned her face away, her tone still cold and hard: "I'm not eating it, you can take it back."
Zhou Chiye didn't retract his hand: "I know you've never liked eating breakfast and your stomach isn't good either. From now on, I'll take care of your breakfast. You don't have to get up early to make it or go downstairs to buy it. I'll bring it to you every day."
Yunxia's expression stiffened slightly before she was about to close the door.
He immediately stepped aside to block the door, and put the insulated bag on the cabinet in front of the door inside the room: "Wait, I'll leave after I put it down, it's up to you whether you eat it or not."
He paused, then added, "The porridge won't taste good when it gets cold."
Zhou Chiye glanced at her, put down the breakfast, and took two steps back. Yunxia hesitated for two seconds before closing the door.
The moment the door closed, Yunxia leaned against the door panel and only breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the footsteps outside the door fading into the distance.
She stared at the two bulging insulated bags, her fingertips hovering over the openings for a long time before finally picking them up.
The aroma of pumpkin and millet porridge wafted out, and she picked up the bowl, but had little appetite. She only scooped out two spoonfuls before placing them on the coffee table.
Yunxia stared at the bowl of porridge that had only been touched twice, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of the bowl. Her stomach felt slightly empty, but when she thought of the baby in her belly, she couldn't even swallow this little bit of warmth. So she simply pushed the porridge aside, got up, and walked towards the bedroom.
She glanced at her phone, which showed that she had scheduled surgery for 10 a.m. the next day. She stared at the screen, her fingertips turning white, and suddenly remembered the bloodshot eyes in Zhou Chiye's eyes. A pang of sadness gripped her heart.
Why was Zhou Chiye still clinging to her? She was starting to feel that he wasn't the Zhou Chiye she knew anymore.
That night, Yunxia tossed and turned, unable to sleep well. Just as dawn broke, the doorbell rang again.
She closed her eyes and pretended not to hear, but the ringing persisted, and in the end she gritted her teeth and opened the door.
Zhou Chiye was carrying fresh strawberries, with dew still clinging to the leaves: "I picked these at the morning market this morning. You used to say that the sourness helps to cut through the richness."
He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and his voice softened: "Didn't you sleep well?"
Yunxia didn't take the strawberry. Her gaze fell on his fingers, which were covered in morning dew, and her Adam's apple bobbed. "Zhou Chiye, can you please stop doing this?"
He offered the strawberries forward, his voice low and husky: "I just wanted you to have something you like."
"You like it?" Yunxia suddenly smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes. "Right now, what I want most is for you to never appear in front of me again. Can you do that?"
Zhou Chiye tightened his grip on the strawberry, water droplets dripping from between his fingers onto the ground: "I can't do it."
Yunxia stared at him for a few seconds, then turned her face away to avoid his gaze. Unconsciously, her fingertips tightened around the hem of her clothes, and the feeling of heaviness in her lower abdomen resurfaced, making her heart flutter with panic.
Yunxia suddenly stepped back, bumping against the door with a soft thud. Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to speak: "Do you really have to force me like this?"
Zhou Chiye looked at her pale face and loosened his grip on the strawberry: "I didn't force you, it's just..."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, "I'm afraid that if I back down, I'll really have no chance left."
Yunxia turned her face away, her eyes burning. The heaviness in her lower abdomen felt like a stone pressing down on her. She bit her lip, snatched the strawberry from his hand, and threw it into the house: "Get out, and don't come back!"
The door slammed shut. Zhou Chiye stood outside, the dampness of strawberry leaves still clinging to his fingers. He didn't leave; he just leaned against the wall, his eyes dark and heavy.
After a moment, he returned to his usual self: "There is nothing in this world that I, Zhou Chiye, cannot do. Yunxia, I will definitely win you back."
Yunxia hurriedly placed her hand on her lower abdomen. The argument earlier had made her heart pound, and now the pain was more pronounced than before, as if a hand was gently squeezing her, making it hard for her to breathe.
Strawberries were scattered in the entryway, the bright red berries rolling on the floor, but she didn't care.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She bit her lip, her fingertips gently rubbing her lower abdomen, her voice trembling: "Stop it..."
Even though she had already decided to give up, this sudden wave of discomfort made her nose sting. She curled up her legs, buried her face in her knees, and Zhou Chiye's face flashed through her mind again.
Yunxia curled up on the floor in the entryway, her fingertips lightly touching her lower abdomen. Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying a hint of grievance that she herself didn't realize: "You know I'm sad, don't you? Please stop hurting, okay?"
She paused, her throat tightening: "Actually, I'm not that heartless, it's just... I can't go the distance with him."
Then, the throbbing pain in my lower abdomen suddenly lessened, as if a soft force had quietly released its grip.
Yunxia paused for a moment, then tentatively rubbed it again. This time, there was only a slight feeling of heaviness, and the discomfort from before was gone.
She took a while to catch her breath before she stood up, leaning against the door, and bent down to pick up the scattered strawberries.
As my fingertips touched the cool fruit peel, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket—a surgery notification from the hospital.
Yunxia paused, and the strawberry rolled off her fingers and onto the ground.
She stared at the words on the screen, her throat tightening. The pain that had just disappeared seemed to return, this time gripping her heart and making her eyes burn.
She squatted on the ground, her fingertips gently tracing her lower abdomen, her voice as soft as a sigh: "Zhou Chiye... what would you do if you knew?"
……
When the time came, Yunxia changed her clothes and went to the hospital.
The chairs in the waiting area were chilly, and Yunxia unconsciously curled her fingertips as she sat down.
The electronic screen on the wall scrolled through names, and with each name that appeared, her grip on the medical form tightened, her knuckles turning white.
She lowered her head, her palm gently resting on her lower abdomen. The soft touch, transmitted through the fabric, sent shivers down her spine more than the cold air conditioning in the waiting area.
More than five weeks had passed, and this little life had quietly taken root inside her, but she had to end it herself. Tears welled up in her eyes quickly, and she turned her face away, wiping them rapidly with her fingertips. But she couldn't help herself and gently rubbed her lower abdomen again, her voice so soft as if afraid of disturbing something: "I'm sorry..."
Just then, a voice came: "Yunxia".