The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

Anan walked in and overheard the caregiver she had hired asking Xi Yuanchen a question. She quickly said, "This is the boss. You can go out if there's nothing else."

The caregiver nodded when the person who had hired her introduced the man: "Okay, sir, boss."

Xi Yuanchen sat on the sofa. Yao Yingxi still had a low fever and occasionally had nightmares, but she was no longer crying, struggling, or writhing.

Su Che walked in, followed by a nurse.

After the nurse helped Yao Yingxi change her dressing, Su Che looked at her medical record and checked it for her.

Xi Yuanchen remained seated beside her until Su Che finished his examination, at which point she finally got up from the sofa.

Su Che knew what to ask without him saying a word.

"She has been coughing these past few days because of pneumonia, so we have to keep an eye on her and give her some honey water whenever she wakes up."

Xi Yuanchen nodded, remaining silent.

Su Che walked out.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Yao Yingxi opened her eyes.

The ceiling was pure white, and the air smelled of soda water.

She was stunned for a long time before glancing to the side and seeing the IV drip hanging on her, only then realizing that she was in the hospital.

But who brought her here?

"you're awake."

The caregiver, who was packing up her things, saw Yao Yingxi open her eyes on the hospital bed and quickly put down what she was doing to look at her.

Yao Yingxi's throat was dry and hoarse. She opened her mouth, but it took her a long time to utter a single word: "Water."

The middle-aged caregiver quickly poured water on the table.

Yao Yingxi tried to get out of bed, but found that her body was limp and very weak, with no strength at all.

The caregiver said, "Wait a moment, I'll adjust the bed so you can sit up more comfortably."

Yao Yingxi nodded, watching the caregiver adjust her bed position, the headboard rising little by little.

Yao Yingxi said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

The caregiver quickly returned, picked up the cup, and handed it to Yao Yingxi.

Yao Yingxi held the water glass in front of her, feeling as if she hadn't drunk water in a long time.

Her throat stung a little when she swallowed, and it didn't feel better until she finished the whole glass of water.

"More."

After drinking a glass of water, her throat felt a little better, and she handed the empty glass to the caregiver.

The caregiver quickly poured her another glass of water.

Yao Yingxi felt much better after drinking the medicine. She looked at the caregiver and asked, "Who are you?"

The caregiver was a middle-aged woman with a kind face and a slightly plump figure, but she seemed easy to get along with: "I am the caregiver hired by the boss to take care of you. My surname is Zhang."

Yao Yingxi nodded: "Aunt Zhang, could you please move the bed back to its original position? My head is a little sore."

The caregiver asked, "Miss, are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat."

She had been there since morning and Yao Yingxi hadn't woken up, so she was a little worried.

Yao Yingxi shook her head: "No, thank you Aunt Zhang, just adjust the bed for me."

Aunt Zhang quickly adjusted the height for her.

Yao Yingxi lay on her side, staring at the wall, her thoughts wandering.

She knew that the boss the caregiver was referring to was Xi Yuanchen, and that no one else should know about the apartment's secret except for the two of them.

Yao Yingxi kept her eyes open, her mind a mess. She didn't know how to face Xi Yuanchen, or how to question him about why he lied to her about not having a fiancée.

Because she didn't have that status, she couldn't bring herself to ask.

Just as Yao Yingxi was lost in thought, the ward door was pushed open.

She had her back to the door, so she couldn't see who was coming.

Fearing it might be Xi Yuanchen, she quickly closed her eyes.

Su Che walked to the bedside. Yao Yingxi smelled a scent that wasn't familiar, but rather a faint smell of soda water. She turned back to her side, lay flat on her back, and opened her eyes.

She wasn't surprised when she saw Su Che.

Su Che bent down to check her over: "The fever has gone down."

He stood up straight. Yao Yingxi asked in a hoarse voice, "When can I be discharged from the hospital?"

Su Che chuckled: "Discharged from the hospital? Don't you know your physical condition? You've developed pneumonia from a high fever."

Yao Yingxi froze.

After finishing writing the medical record, Su Che put away the notebook and said, "Take good care of yourself these days."

"If you keep getting pneumonia like this, your health won't improve much."

Without waiting for Yao Yingxi's reply, Su Che left the ward.

Yao Yingxi lay on the bed, drifting in and out of sleep, but soon began to cough violently.

She woke up late at night and looked at the pitch-black night, tears streaming down her face.

I spent a week in the hospital, feeling dazed and confused, with all sorts of random thoughts.

Su Che examined Yao Yingxi and said, "You can be discharged today. I'll have someone take care of the discharge procedures for you."

Yao Yingxi nodded: "Okay, thank you, Dr. Su."

Su Che did not speak.

Yao Yingxi stayed in the hospital for more than a week, and she lost a lot of weight and looked much thinner.

When she returned to her apartment, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Looking at the apartment she had been away from for more than a week, Yao Yingxi felt a lump in her throat.

The things here are as usual, but her state of mind is not the same as the inanimate objects in this room.

After sitting on the sofa for a long time, Yao Yingxi finally went into the kitchen and cooked a bowl of noodles.

After quickly finishing her meal, Yao Yingxi went to the bathroom to take a shower, then sat down in the living room with her laptop.

Around 9 p.m., Xi Yuanchen returned from his business trip and saw Yao Yingxi sitting on the sofa. She looked even thinner than before, and her brows were furrowed.

Upon hearing the noise, Yao Yingxi instinctively went to look.

Upon seeing Xi Yuanchen standing there, she called out softly, "Mr. Xi."

Turning his gaze back to the computer screen, Xi Yuanchen noticed her attitude—that she seemed to be ignoring him—and walked over, clearly displeased.

Yao Yingxi seemed to know he was coming to her sofa, so she quickly closed her laptop and got up.

"Mr. Xi, you must have already eaten, so I won't cook. I'm a little tired today, so I'll go to sleep first."

Although she was speaking to Xi Yuanchen, she didn't look at him.

Even though she had considered how to face Xi Yuanchen during this time, she still didn't know how to face him now.

Xi Yuanchen's face darkened as he saw that she was clearly trying to avoid him.

He stepped forward, grabbed Yao Yingxi's wrist, and pulled her back.

Yao Yingxi, holding the computer, suddenly dropped it on the ground with a 'thud'.

She twisted her hand, thinking of taking it out and squatting down to pick it up.

Xi Yuanchen gripped her wrist tightly, as if he were crushing her bones.

He dragged Yao Yingxi onto the sofa, and Yao Yingxi bounced on the sofa as she was thrown.

She was about to sit up when Xi Yuanchen pressed her down.

He buried his face in Yao Yingxi's neck, kissing her passionately. Yao Yingxi trembled slightly, and Liang Pingyin's words echoed in her mind.

She struggled and resisted, turning her face away to avoid Xi Yuanchen's touch.

Xi Yuanchen looked up, his eyes filled with malice as he gripped Yao Yingxi's neck: "Are you hiding from me?"

Yao Yingxi's eyes reddened, tears welling up, and she spoke with great difficulty, "Don't touch me."

Xi Yuanchen scoffed: "You think you have the right to refuse my request not to touch you?"

"You followed me of your own volition; I didn't force you."

After saying that, he ignored what Yao Yingxi had just said and tore open her clothes.