Under her command, Shang Sheng began to dress her.
Qin Yige squinted, observing the man’s focused gaze on her dressing, his eyes fixed forward as he meticulously helped her. A mischievous thought suddenly surfaced, and she grinned slyly.
She asked in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother Shang Sheng, have you helped anyone else get dressed before?"
"No."
"So, I'm the first?"
"Mm."
"Since you've been so good, shall I give you a reward?"
Shang Sheng glanced at her briefly, remaining silent as he continued his struggle with a row of buttons.
She strained to lift her hand, grabbing his busy one, forcing him to halt his movements.
With a pale face, Qin Yige smiled sweetly. "My stomach doesn't hurt as much now, but I'm having a bit of trouble breathing. Can you check what's wrong?"
As she spoke, she guided his hand to a particular spot.
The man's brows furrowed, a faint flicker of desire coloring his eyes. His breathing grew heavier, a surge of heat coursed through his body, and his deep gaze was riveted to a certain place, unable to tear away.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was already husky, "Qin Yige, I advise you—"
"What?" she nestled lazily in the bed, eyes half-closed, like a kitten.
He forced out the words with difficulty, "Don't play with fire!"
This was precisely the effect Qin Yige had desired, and it turned out even more spectacularly than she had imagined.
Her cheek pressed against the pillow, she blinked, her expression impeccably innocent. "Well then, Brother Shang Sheng, do you like it?"
Shang Sheng nearly lost control. He had been in a position of power for so long; he rarely found himself so passive.
He hadn't expected that this passivity would be brought on by Qin Yige.
And all because of something like this!
His throat felt dry. His large hand exerted a slight pressure, and he stared at her, his voice devoid of emotion, "You're just taking advantage of your discomfort, thinking I wouldn't dare touch you!"
That’s why you’re being so bold!
Qin Yige suppressed the words about to escape her lips, offering him an innocent and slightly pale smile. "Then, why don't you touch me?"
"..." Shang Sheng's gaze burned, intensely fixed on the woman beneath him, as if he intended to ignite a flame and consume her.
"Qin Yige..."
"Don't call me that. You can call me Yige, wife, baby, darling, anything." She was resolutely set on teasing him.
Their breaths intertwined. Veins bulged on Shang Sheng's arms as he braced himself beside her. He tightly gripped her waist with one hand, and his deep, lingering voice whispered in her ear, "Wife?"
It was over. Qin Yige felt as though her ears were going to get pregnant!
Having known Shang Sheng for so long, she was only now discovering that his voice was so captivating it could make one's ears pregnant.
His warm lips met her cherry lips. In this moment, he seemed to have found his breaking point.
Qin Yige was unlucky. Her lips hurt, yet she couldn't resist his passionate and possessive kiss.
The battle was about to begin when she let out a soft groan.
Shang Sheng, lost in the fire, opened his eyes to see the woman beneath him looking unhealthily pale.
He abruptly pulled away, agonizingly adjusting his breathing.
Once his emotions had somewhat settled, he resumed dressing her, warning in a deep voice, "Qin Yige, try this again when you're better!"
Qin Yige's stomach was in agony. This time, she finally lacked the strength to tease Shang Sheng. She let him dress her, and he scooped her up, carrying her out of the residence.
Port City Qiming Medical Center
Upon receiving a call from Shang Sheng's secretary, the doctors were already on standby. They immediately examined Qin Yige, diagnosing her with acute gastroenteritis.
Upon hearing that she needed an IV drip, Qin Yige cried out in pain. Moreover, a skin sensitivity test was required before the infusion.
Following this, many people witnessed a rather amusing scene.
In the VIP ward, the girl shivered and sobbed in the man's arms, looking as if she were about to be abandoned and sold off.
Shang Sheng remained expressionless, without a hint of impatience, placing his arm around her waist and signaling the nurse to proceed.
If Shang Sheng hadn't known how much Qin Yige feared pain, he would have suspected she was deliberately trying to mess with him.
Everyone's tolerance for pain differed, and she was the one who could least endure it. Pain that others might perceive as a two or three on a scale of ten could register as a six or seven for her. Past experiences had proven this, and it wasn't an exaggeration.
As soon as the nurse's hand touched Qin Yige, she instinctively recoiled.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I don't mean to. I'm genuinely afraid of pain, and I know the skin test will hurt even more."
Her reaction left the nurse looking helpless.
Shang Sheng gently brushed Qin Yige's hair from her forehead behind her ear, attempting to negotiate. "It'll only hurt for a moment."
"I know," she replied, "but even that moment is unbearable for me."
Last time she was in the hospital for an infusion, it was slightly better because she had a fever, and her whole body ached. So when the needle went in, she only let out a cry and fell asleep.
"If you keep delaying it, and we can't start the IV, your stomach will keep hurting." She had been moaning all the way here.
"I'll do it," she said, "but I want to wait a little longer."
She wished she could boldly extend her arm to the nurse and say, "Go ahead, do it!"
She also didn't want Shang Sheng, who had once laughed at her for crying from pain and called her overly sensitive, to mock her again.
But... she truly lacked the courage.
The man lowered his head, his gaze towards the woman filled with tenderness. "The head nurse is about to accompany the doctor on rounds. If you continue like this, it will delay her normal work."
"I know," Qin Yige finally showed a slight reaction this time. Her eyes reddened as she extended her arm.
A flicker of admiration crossed Shang Sheng's eyes. He knew this approach would work.
Despite her timidity and fear of pain, Qin Yige disliked causing trouble for others.
The moment the needle pierced her skin, Qin Yige was in so much pain she almost fainted, tears streaming down her face like broken strings of pearls.
She clutched the corner of Shang Sheng's shirt, biting her lower lip so hard her pale lips almost bled.
Thinking of the impending pain of the injection and infusion, Qin Yige wept internally.
By the time everything was settled, it was past seven o'clock.
The girl was listlessly curled up on the hospital bed, an IV drip in one hand. She watched Shang Sheng finish his tasks and sit by the bedside.
Meeting her gaze, Shang Sheng said, "Sleep."
Qin Yige didn't close her eyes, instead looking at him with tear-filled eyes and asking softly, "Why aren't you mocking me this time?"
She remembered that on a previous occasion, when she had cried twice from the pain of an infusion, he had laughed and unceremoniously mocked her, calling her, Miss Qin, exceptionally melodramatic.
Shang Sheng paused, recalling what she was referring to. His expression shifted slightly to one of awkwardness. "I didn't know your pain tolerance back then..." He had no tolerance at all, he said as gently as he could, "Your sensitivity to pain is below average."
Knowing what he meant, she snorted coldly and closed her eyes, no longer wanting to see him.
A single tear traced a path from the corner of her eye, disappearing into her dark hair.
Shang Sheng reached out his large hand, gently wiping away the tear from her eye. His voice was filled with a helpless sigh, "We've known each other for over ten years, Qin Yige, and you're still like a child."