The first thing Ji Ran saw when he woke up was Zhao Pingchuan sitting by his bed. The man was on the phone, saying to the person on the other end, "Mm, it's fine. Just come back to work on time."
When he saw Ji Ran open his eyes, he quickly ended the call and explained, "Jiang Ping will be back the day after tomorrow. Just focus on getting better."
Ji Ran nodded obediently. He was finally free of that sharp pain. The anesthetic hadn't worn off yet, so he couldn't feel any pain, only a numbness around the wound.
He said, "President Zhao, I'm really sorry for all the trouble today. I can just hire a caregiver."
Zhao Pingchuan looked helpless, his handsome brows drawing together slightly. "Ji Ran, why are you always so polite?"
So polite that it felt a little distant.
"You're my boss," Ji Ran said with a smile. "Of course I have to treat my boss with the utmost respect."
Zhao Pingchuan laughed and scolded him. "You ungrateful little thing. Am I nothing more than your boss to you?"
Ji Ran didn't answer, only looked at him and smiled.
Zhao Pingchuan really couldn't stay at the hospital all the time. With Jiang Ping away and Ji Ran hospitalized, the company would descend into chaos if he, the boss, didn't go back to work.
After staying with Ji Ran until a bag of IV fluid had finished, he pressed the call button and asked a nurse to come change it. Only then did he stand up. "I'll go find you a caregiver. I'll come see you again when I have time."
Ji Ran nodded, smiling obediently. "Okay."
Only after Zhao Pingchuan left did Ji Ran finally have time to settle down and think about everything that had happened that day.
It had all happened so suddenly that he'd had no time to prepare. Fortunately, Zhao Pingchuan had taken care of everything for him. Ji Ran felt guilty. How could he trouble his boss like that?
He'd thought Zhao Pingchuan had only been saying he'd visit when he had time to be polite, but to his surprise, the man showed up at his hospital room again that evening, bringing Zhao Xiaoran with him.
The girl carried an insulated food container. Making herself right at home, she sat down beside his bed and began laying out the food. "Ji Ran, you need to eat well after surgery. Try my cooking."
Ji Ran tried to sit up, and Zhao Pingchuan came over and helped raise the bed.
Ji Ran said, "I'm so sorry to trouble you. I could have just asked the caregiver to buy me a meal from the cafeteria."
"That would be so sad, being sick with nobody to keep you company," Zhao Xiaoran said without beating around the bush. "Besides, how could cafeteria food be as good as a home-cooked meal?"
She set the food containers down in front of Ji Ran one by one, then handed him a pair of chopsticks and watched him expectantly. "Go on, try it."
Ji Ran took a bite of each dish, then blinked.
Zhao Xiaoran asked, "Well? Is it good?"
Ji Ran nodded. "It's good. Thank you, Xiaoran."
Zhao Pingchuan laughed and bluntly took a jab at Zhao Xiaoran. "It's a miracle it's edible. How do you have the nerve to ask?"
He was the one who usually cooked at home. Zhao Xiaoran's cooking was really quite average; after all these years, the only thing she'd learned to make was cake.
Ji Ran laughed too. The dishes looked, smelled and tasted appealing, but the flavor really was just... edible.
Zhao Xiaoran made a face at her brother and said to Ji Ran, "I was just trying to show I care. Ji Ran, make do with it today. It might taste average, but it's definitely nutritious! Next time, I'll have my brother cook for you. He's a great cook."
How could Ji Ran dare let his direct superior cook for him? He hurriedly said, "No, no need. I'll be discharged in a few days anyway."
"You'll still need to rest at home after you're discharged," Zhao Xiaoran continued, not noticing his embarrassment. "Really, I'm not lying. My brother's a wonderful cook."
At that moment, Zhao Pingchuan spoke up. "All right. I'll cook next time."
Ji Ran abruptly looked up at him and met a pair of gentle, smiling eyes. He didn't dare look for long and quickly turned his gaze away, but the tips of his ears quietly turned red.
Zhao Pingchuan noticed the little movement, and his smile deepened. Teasing Ji Ran was so much fun.
Ji Ran stayed in the hospital for three days before the doctor approved his discharge. During that time, Zhao Pingchuan visited him every day. On the day he was discharged, Jiang Ping happened to return from his vacation and came along.
He looked at Ji Ran lying in the hospital bed, his gaze full of pity. "You poor thing. How did you get sick as soon as I left? Was it from overwork? How am I supposed to live with myself if it was?"
Ji Ran was used to his occasional theatrics. He waved a hand, not even wanting to respond.
Jiang Ping wasn't angry. He simply asked, "Who's going to take care of you when you get home?"
"I'm almost completely better," Ji Ran said. "I can take care of myself."
Jiang Ping disagreed. "You just had surgery. You should be careful. At the very least, someone should be there to keep an eye on you."
He thought for a moment and made a suggestion. "Why don't you come stay at my place?"
Ji Ran raised his eyebrows. "You're newlyweds, and you want a strange man staying in your home?"
Jiang Ping thought it over and agreed that it wasn't appropriate. At once, he was at a loss.
Zhao Pingchuan spoke up. "Come stay at my place. I have a spare room, and Xiaoran lives at school most of the time, so I'm the only one at home."
They could hire a caregiver to look after him during the day, and with Zhao Pingchuan there at night, there would be no need to worry about any accidents.
It really was the best solution for now, but Ji Ran genuinely felt too embarrassed to trouble Zhao Pingchuan again. He raised his hand timidly. "President Zhao, why don't I just go home? This is too much trouble for you."
Zhao Pingchuan raised an eyebrow. "You've troubled me so many times already. I might as well see it through. Didn't I also promise to cook for you?"
Ji Ran hadn't expected him to take that seriously. For some reason, he felt a little anticipation and sweetness. He really did want to see what Zhao Pingchuan's home looked like; it was a detail that had never been mentioned in the book.
Listening to their conversation, Jiang Ping suddenly felt he'd missed a lot. He'd never even tasted Zhao Pingchuan's cooking, though he didn't dare say so.
And so, Ji Ran went home with Zhao Pingchuan.
Given Zhao Pingchuan's wealth, the three-bedroom apartment with two living rooms was fairly modest. But as he'd said, he usually lived alone and had no need for such a large place.
The apartment was decorated simply and warmly. In some places, Zhao Xiaoran's touch was apparent, such as the decorative paintings on the walls and the plush toys in the entryway.
Ji Ran looked around curiously. Zhao Pingchuan showed him where the guest room was, then pointed to another room. "I sleep in here. Call me if you need anything. The master bedroom has a bathroom, so you can use the one out here."
He led Ji Ran into the guest room. The pillows and bedding had already been arranged on the bed, and a towel, a drinking cup and other necessities were neatly laid out on the bedside table.
Zhao Pingchuan said, "I had the housekeeper get it ready yesterday. Take a look and let me know if there's anything else you need."
"Okay." Ji Ran nodded vigorously. "Thank you, President Zhao."
Being called President Zhao at a time like this sounded strange no matter how he heard it. Zhao Pingchuan started to speak, then stopped.
Ji Ran could tell something was off and asked what was wrong. Zhao Pingchuan thought about it. There really wasn't anything else Ji Ran could easily call him, so he decided to leave it at that for now.
As a patient, Ji Ran spent most of his time lying down and resting. Zhao Pingchuan made dinner: three dishes and a soup, not a large amount, just enough for the two of them.
He carried Ji Ran's portion to his room. "You should still keep movement to a minimum, so eat lying down."
Ji Ran was probably the first person to be cared for like this in his boss's home. By now, he'd stopped saying polite things about troubling Zhao Pingchuan and the like. Zhao Pingchuan didn't like hearing them anyway, so he simply did as he was told.
Ji Ran ate with great focus. Zhao Xiaoran hadn't lied this time; Zhao Pingchuan really was an excellent cook. The dishes were on the light side for the patient's sake, but they were still delicious. He ate with great satisfaction, and Zhao Pingchuan was just as satisfied watching him. He liked kids who ate heartily.
In the end, Ji Ran ate every last bit of food on the table. When he looked up, his eyes were sparkling. "President Zhao, your cooking is really, really good."
This time, Zhao Pingchuan couldn't resist reaching out to pat his head. Smiling, he said, "Then I'll cook for you again when I have time."