86: I heard you call.

Han Qing was annoyed.

"Your hands are so soft," Qin Lin said. "Softer than Yuran's or Wanwan's."

Han Qing's fingers stiffened.

She looked up at Qin Lin, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Qin Lin, do you think you can just do whatever you want because you're injured?"

"I'm not."

Qin Lin looked completely innocent.

"I'm just telling the truth. Aunt Qing's hands really are soft; I felt it when I was supporting you in the bathroom that day..."

"Shut up!"

Han Qing's face turned completely red.

She quickly finished the check-up, tucked him in, and turned to leave.

"Aunt Qing, don't go yet."

Qin Lin grabbed her sleeve.

"It's so boring being here all by myself."

"If you're bored, go to sleep."

Han Qing tried to pull her hand away, but Qin Lin held on tight.

"I can't sleep," Qin Lin said, blinking.

"How about you stay and chat with me? Tell me about your time working at the hospital?"

Han Qing looked at him, sighed, and sat back down.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Anything."

The two of them chatted quietly for a while.

"Aunt Qing, that night... I actually don't remember anything."

Han Qing's body stiffened.

"I don't remember the feel of your body, I don't remember your response, I don't remember..."

Qin Lin's voice was very soft.

"Sigh! It's all because I drank too much. Thinking about it now, it's such a pity."

Han Qing jerked her hand back and stood up.

"Qin Lin, you..."

"I'm serious."

Qin Lin looked at her with a sincere gaze.

"If I could do it all over again, I definitely wouldn't drink."

These words were too blunt, too explicit.

Han Qing's face was so red it looked like it might bleed.

She glared at Qin Lin, her lips trembling, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

Finally, she turned and left.

But she stopped when she reached the door.

"You... get some rest."

She spoke with her back to him, then pushed the door open and walked out.

Qin Lin lay on the bed and smiled.

He was becoming more and more infatuated with Han Qing.

It wasn't the green, immature beauty of a young girl, but the unique charm of a mature woman.

Her professionalism, her strength, her contradictions.

The way she looked when she blushed, the way she tried to act calm while her eyes betrayed her panic... every detail fascinated him.

Perhaps this was the charm of a mature woman?

Tempered by life's experiences, knowing what they want.

Unpretentious, real, and vibrant.

In the evening, Su Yuran and Lin Wanwan came to see him together.

"How are you feeling today?"

Su Yuran sat on the edge of the bed and touched his forehead.

"Much better," Qin Lin said. "Aunt Qing said I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow."

"That's good."

Lin Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief.

"You have no idea how scary it was when you came back that day. Your face was as white as paper; we were worried sick."

"I'm sorry for making you worry," Qin Lin said sincerely.

"As long as you know."

Su Yuran pinched his cheek.

"Don't push yourself so hard next time. We can take our time finding crystal stones, but you only have one life."

"Yeah."

The three of them chatted for a while, then Su Yuran and Lin Wanwan prepared to leave.

"By the way,"

Su Yuran reached the door and suddenly turned back.

"Aunt Qing said she'll stay with you tonight, so she told us not to come."

Qin Lin's heart skipped a beat.

"She's... staying with me?"

"Yeah."

Su Yuran smiled.

"She said an injured person might have a sudden emergency at night and needs a doctor on hand at all times."

"So we've already prepared the bedding for her."

After saying that, she and Lin Wanwan shared a smile and left.

Qin Lin lay in bed, a wave of anticipation rising in his heart.

At eight in the evening, Han Qing indeed arrived.

Carrying bedding and a pillow, she made up the other empty bed in the Medical Room.

That bed was originally intended for caregivers, but now it became her temporary spot.

"Aunt Qing, are you really going to sleep here?" Qin Lin asked.

"What else?"

Han Qing didn't even look up.

"You haven't fully recovered from your Hypothermia. If your body temperature drops again at night and no one notices, it will be very dangerous."

She spoke with high-sounding reasons, but Qin Lin noticed that the tips of her ears were a bit red.

After making the bed, Han Qing went to wash up.

When she returned, she had changed into her pajamas.

They weren't her usual silk ones, but a conservative set of cotton long sleeves and pants, wrapping her up tightly.

It was as if she were guarding against something.

"Go to sleep early."

She said, then turned off the main light, leaving only a nightlight.

The Medical Room fell into a soft, half-lit glow.

The two lay in their respective beds, separated by a distance of three meters.

It was quiet for a few minutes.

"Aunt Qing," Qin Lin spoke first.

"Hmm?"

"Are you asleep?"

"...Not yet."

"Then can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

Qin Lin turned on his side, facing her direction.

Although the light was dim, he could see her silhouette and the curves of her figure as she lay on her side.

"Are you still in pain?"

This question made Han Qing's eyes widen, and her body visibly stiffened.

Qin Lin quickly explained, "I mean that day in the bathroom, did it hurt when you fell?"

"...It didn't hurt."

"Liar," Qin Lin said. "I heard you cry out."

"Besides, you've been walking awkwardly for several days; you definitely got hurt."

"Where did you fall? On your backside? Or..."

"Qin Lin!"

Han Qing interrupted him, her voice filled with embarrassed anger.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'm leaving!"

"Fine, fine, I'll stop," Qin Lin said, raising his hands in surrender.

It was quiet again for a while.

But Qin Lin clearly wasn't going to behave.

"Aunt Qing, do you think my injury this time counts as a Workplace injury?"

"...What Workplace injury?"

"The injury I got while looking for crystal stones for the team," Qin Lin said righteously.

"Shouldn't there be some compensation? Like... special nursing care or something?"

Han Qing didn't say anything.

Qin Lin continued, "Look, Yuran is pregnant and needs to be looked after, Wanwan is gentle but not professional enough, and Yu Rou is still growing and needs to rest well."

"Only you, Aunt Qing, are both professional and... ahem, good at taking care of people."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Han Qing's voice came from the darkness, devoid of emotion.

"I want to say,"

Qin Lin's voice was very soft.

"Aunt Qing, you're really good to me."

Those words made Han Qing fall silent.

After a long time, she finally spoke, her voice very soft.

"I'm a doctor; taking care of the injured is my duty."

"Is it just duty?" Qin Lin asked.

Han Qing didn't answer.

But Qin Lin could hear her breathing becoming a bit rapid.

He smiled and stopped pressing her.

Some things are best left at that.

Late at night, Qin Lin woke up once.

He opened his eyes and saw that the nightlight on Han Qing's side was still on.

She was lying on her side, facing him, with her eyes closed.

But her eyelashes were trembling slightly.

She wasn't asleep.

Qin Lin watched her.

In sleep, Han Qing looked very soft, devoid of her daytime seriousness and defensiveness.

Her hair was spread across the pillow, with a few strands clinging to her cheek.

The collar of her pajamas was slightly open, revealing a stretch of fair neck.

She was beautiful.

Qin Lin watched her for a long time before closing his eyes again.

This time, he slept very soundly... Su Yuran woke up very early.

She tiptoed to the door of the Medical Room and looked inside through the glass window.

In the room, Qin Lin was still sleeping, lying on his side with the blanket pulled up to his chest.

And Han Qing... Su Yuran blinked, making sure she wasn't seeing things.