Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

As soon as the morning light filtered through the blinds of the ward, Gu Fanxing was already pacing on the floor in her cotton slippers.

She held a stopwatch in her hand, and the numbers on the dial were beating like her heartbeat - today was the third day that Pei Luonan tried to stand independently. According to the nurse's assessment, in a few days, he would be able to walk by himself with the help of the wall.

"Counting the tiles?" Pei Luonan's voice came from the bed, hoarse from just waking up. He half leaned on the pillow, his eyes fixed on her tense profile, a barely perceptible smile hidden in his eyes.

Gu Fanxing turned abruptly, the stopwatch in her hand clicking to a stop. "The nurse said I can increase my standing time today. I'm trying to figure out the appropriate intervals." She walked to the bedside, her tone deliberately businesslike. "Sit up for five minutes to get used to it. I'll get the blood pressure monitor."

He moved his body cooperatively, but hissed softly when she turned around.

Gu Fanxing stopped in her tracks immediately, and when she turned around, she saw him rubbing his knees with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" She walked back quickly and reached out to lift the quilt to check. "Did you pull the wound when you rolled over last night?"

"It's okay." He grabbed her wrist, the warmth of his palm seeping through the thin sleeves. "It's an old problem. My knees get sore on rainy days."

Only then did Gu Fanxing notice that a drizzle was falling outside the window, and the air was filled with a damp coolness.

"I'll go find the nurse to get the physical therapy device." She pulled her hand back, her tone still firm, but her steps were hurried when she turned around.

When she returned with the therapy device, she saw Pei Luonan standing on one foot by the bed, trying to reach the water glass on the bedside table. His body swayed, like a tree tilted by the wind.

"What are you doing!" Gu Fanxing was so frightened that she put the instrument on the table and rushed over to hold his waist. Under his shirt, through the gauze, she could feel his warm skin and the outline of the scar that had not yet fully healed.

"I want to drink some water." He leaned on her shoulder, his breath brushing her neck, "I don't want to bother you all the time."

"Isn't it my duty to trouble you?" She helped him sit down slowly, a hint of subtle grievance in her tone. "Have you forgotten who said 'at least wait until you can get out of bed'?"

He looked at her red ears and chuckled, "Yes, it's my turn to trouble you. Now, could you please, Miss Gu, pour me a glass of water?"

When Gu Fanxing turned around to pour water, her ears were so hot that they could fry an egg. She knew she shouldn't take it so seriously, but the words "wait until you can get out of bed" were like a lifeline, giving her a fulcrum in her wavering mind - as long as he could walk on his own, she could leave with a clear conscience.

During the afternoon rehabilitation training, the nurse came specifically to guide the movements.

Pei Luonan stood straight against the wall, slightly bent his right leg, and practiced knee flexion according to the doctor's instructions.

Gu Fanxing stood three steps away, holding a notebook in his hand, the tip of his pen hovering over the paper, but he didn't write a single word - his movements were much steadier than yesterday, even the nurse said with a smile, "At this rate, he'll be able to walk independently by the weekend."

"Rest for ten minutes and then practice another set." After the nurse left, Gu Fanxing closed his notebook and spoke in a calm tone.

He turned around, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, but smiled at her: "Welp me wipe the sweat off?"

She pulled a tissue out of the drawer and handed it to him, but he grabbed her wrist. He pressed the tissue into her palm and guided her hand to wipe his forehead: "I don't have the strength."

When her fingertips touched his warm skin, Gu Fanxing retracted her hand as if she was scalded.

The paper towel fell to the ground, and the shadows of the two people overlapped on the wall, cut by the rain outside the window, making them light and dark.

"Wipe it yourself." She turned her head away, her voice tense.

He didn't insist, but when he bent down to pick up the tissue, he deliberately slowed down his movements. His knees made a soft sound when they hit the edge of the bed, and Gu Fanxing immediately turned around to support him: "I told you not to be so stubborn!"

"It seems I still can't leave you." He looked at her panicked eyes, and the smile in his eyes was like cotton soaked in water, soft and heavy.

When Gu Fanxing came back from getting food, she saw Pei Luonan slowly moving his feet, leaning against the wall. One step, two steps, three steps... He actually walked to the window. He really did it, earlier than she expected.

"You..." She opened her mouth, but her throat seemed blocked.

He turned around with a bit of pride on his face: "I just tried it, it doesn't seem that difficult."

Gu Fanxing looked at his hands resting on the wall and suddenly realized that he hadn't held back at all during the practice. The little bit of anticipation she had finally built up was instantly drowned out by an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

"Congratulations." She said in a dry voice.

He walked behind her, his breath falling on the top of her head: "Why are you unhappy?"

"No." She moved to the side to avoid his approach. "If you're better, I can get up earlier..."

"What for breakfast?" he pressed, his tone deliberately knowing the answer.

"Go back to the archaeological team early..." She didn't dare to look into his eyes. She knew that these words were hurtful, but if she didn't say them out loud, she was afraid that she would completely fall.

"I've already requested a long leave from the archaeological team for you." His voice was calm. "The doctor said your old ankle injury requires rehabilitation, and it's convenient to get treatment in the city."

Gu Fanxing turned around suddenly: "You are making decisions on your own again!"

"Kong Haoyu did it. He said you twisted your ankle in Qingchuan County last time and never got proper treatment." He looked at her red eyes and softened his tone. "Just consider it...accompanying me to recover from my injury. That's fair."

She was speechless. He always had this way of using the gentlest tone to set up situations that she couldn't refuse.

At night, Gu Fanxing was awakened by thunder. Seeing Pei Luonan's bed empty, her heart sank.

She grabbed the flashlight beside her pillow and just as she reached the door, she ran into him walking towards the bathroom, holding onto the wall, his steps staggering on the slippery floor.

"Be careful!" She rushed over to support him. The flashlight fell on his face and she saw that he was pale.

"I had a nightmare." His voice was trembling. "I dreamed that a flood swept you away."

Gu Fanxing's heart seemed to be pulled by something.

The next morning, Gu Fanxing was awakened by a slight noise.

She opened her eyes and saw Pei Luonan standing by the bed putting on slippers. Although his movements were still a little stiff, he no longer needed help.

"Good morning." He smiled at her, with a hint of seeking credit in his eyes.

Gu Fanxing looked at him and suddenly remembered what the nurse said, "You will be able to walk independently in two days."

"Today we're practicing wall walking," she said, trying to sound as natural as possible.

"Okay." He responded, but when he turned around, he cried out "Ouch" and fell towards the wardrobe.

Gu Fanxing was so scared that she threw away the quilt and rushed over, holding him before he hit the door.

His weight pressed on her shoulders, with the warmth of his body: "Slippery feet."

She looked down and saw the water stains on the floor, which were the traces of mopping and not wiping them dry. But he had clearly avoided the wet area just now - on purpose.

"Pei Luonan, you did it on purpose!" She pushed him away angrily, but when she saw the scratches on his palms, her anger instantly subsided. They were scratched when he leaned against the wall just now, and fine beads of blood were oozing out.

"I didn't mean to." He watched her take out the iodine cotton swab, his tone a little aggrieved, "I just want to get better quickly so that you... you can rest assured."

Gu Fanxing paused. The cotton swab was suspended above his palm. Looking at the seriousness in his eyes, she suddenly felt that those "deliberate" actions were not so hateful.

She lowered her head and gently treated his wound, her voice so low it sounded like she was talking to herself: "It's okay to go slowly."

He looked at her serious profile, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

The rain outside the window stopped, and the sunlight shone through the clouds and fell on the two people's clasped hands.

He knew she was still waiting, waiting for a reason to leave. But he was not in a hurry, because he had already planted several reasons in her body that she couldn't leave.

In this tug-of-war between recovery and escape, he was destined to be the winner. Not because of calculation, but because the care in her eyes could never be hidden.