Lily obediently followed him downstairs, not daring to resist.
She stole glances at his profile, feeling the heat rise to her ears.
Her mind was now completely clear, and she remembered what had happened after they left the old house.
He had gotten angry and bullied her in the car.
If he was good at kissing, it was because he was rough and aggressive, almost wanting to swallow her tongue whole.
Yet, if he was bad at it, he could be tender and light, leaving her spine tingling and her mind in a haze until she collapsed against him, breathless.
She felt embarrassed by her own reactions.
Though she was angry at his punishing kiss, she could forgive him.
When Karina mentioned the broken vase, she had felt his muscles tense and stiffen.
That vase, as his mother's possession, must have been significant to him.
Despite the vase shattering, he remained calm and composed, awarding Franklin merit and quietly taking her away.
Sometimes, the unspoken sadness is the most unbearable.
His urgent need to kiss her was not just to punish her disobedience but also to distract himself from the pain he felt over the vase.
She understood because she had felt the same way before.
So, she forgave him.
Due to the injury on Lily's face and the earlier turmoil, Mrs.
Fang specially made a soup with angelica root and red dates for her that evening.
At dinner, Lily mentioned the roses still left in the house.
"It would be a shame to throw away the flowers."
Edmond ladled some soup for her.
"They were all given to you. It's up to you to decide."
Lily did a quick mental calculation.
With all the roses upstairs and downstairs, there must be thousands.
If she were to give them away, it would have to be a large-scale giveaway.
"Let's give them away. We can distribute them to all the tenants on Changhuai Street so they can share in my good fortune and maybe be more prompt with their rent payments."
Edmond's eyebrows raised slightly at the words "good fortune," clearly in a good mood.
"Alright, I'll have Octavian arrange for a car to deliver them in your name.
Should each household get an equal share?"
Lily took a sip of soup and casually replied, "There are too many flowers. If we give too many, they might waste them. Let's give each household a hundred roses, and send the rest to the Shuangxi Flower Shop…"
Her voice trailed off as she suddenly remembered something.
She quickly looked up at Edmond, speaking evenly, "There's no need to trouble Mr.
Pan. I'll contact the owner myself and have him arrange for a car to pick them up."
Edmond's gaze swept over her hand, which was unconsciously gripping the spoon tightly, before returning to her face without giving anything away.
"Alright, you can handle it yourself."
Shuangxi Flower Shop? That name sounded familiar.
---
At Jiangyu Central Hospital, VIP Ward.
Aria was texting Lily when she heard movement from the bed.
Looking up, she saw Alistair trying to sit up by propping himself up with his elbow.
She hurried to stop him.
"Hey, the doctor said you shouldn't move."
Alistair ignored her, continuing to prop himself up despite the pain in his head, legs, and arms.
His movements were slow and unsteady, as if he might pass out at any moment.
Aria put down her phone and pressed his shoulder.
"What do you need? Just tell me, and I'll help you."
One of his hands was bandaged, the other was connected to an IV drip, and his leg was in a sling, making movement impossible.
Alistair was in pain all over.
Even a slight movement made him dizzy.
When she touched his shoulder, he collapsed back onto the bed, closing his eyes to regain his strength before opening them again to look at her.
"Bathroom."
Aria: "…"
"Wait here!"
Five minutes later, Alistair glared at the object in Aria's hand, a vein throbbing in his forehead.
"Take that damn thing away! I don't need it!"
Aria stood her ground.
"The doctor said you shouldn't move.
You can't get out of bed.
You were in a hurry, weren't you?"
"I'd rather burst than use that thing."
Alistair refused, his face stern, scolding her, "Aren't you ashamed, a young woman like you?"
Aria looked at the urinal in her hand that Alistair was vehemently rejecting and sighed.
Ashamed? Of course, she was, but what choice did she have? He was in the hospital because of her.
She couldn't let him burst.
"Don't worry, I won't look. I won't take advantage of you."
She thought it was better to get it over with quickly.
The longer they argued, the more awkward it would be.
Without waiting for Alistair's further refusal, she closed her eyes, stretched out her hand holding the urinal, and with the other hand, she lifted his blanket.
Alistair: "…"
Damn! When Aria closed her eyes, she deliberately turned her head to the side, presenting the back of her head to him.
After a long wait with no movement, she grew impatient.
"Hurry up!"
Alistair looked at her trembling hand, shaking like she was rolling dice, speechless for a moment before grinding his teeth and yelling, "Stop shaking!"
He surrendered to his biological needs because he couldn't hold it any longer.
Damn Edmond.
He called at two and told him to come quickly, sent messages about eight hundred times, and now it was almost six, and there was no sign of him.
Here he was, embarrassing himself, while that bastard was likely snuggling up with his wife, putting friends second to romance.
Sure, having a wife was great, but he better not show up.
He'd definitely end their friendship.
Absolutely end it! Alistair cursed under his breath, finally finishing.
Aria heard the water stop and exhaled a breath she'd been holding.
Then, as if on a brain misfire, she turned around—eyes met, they stared at each other, then looked down simultaneously.
A few seconds of awkward silence filled the room before Aria swallowed and said, trying to stay calm, "I'll go take care of this. You rest." She went to the bathroom, then left the ward, closing the door behind her in one swift motion.
Lily, following Edmond, spotted Aria with her back against the door, her face bright red.
"Aria?"
Hearing her name, Aria turned around as if granted a reprieve and rushed over to drag Lily away.
"I haven't had dinner. Come with me!"
---
In a noodle shop near the hospital, Aria ordered a bowl of beef noodles.
While waiting for her food, she recounted what had just happened, feeling extremely frustrated.
"I didn't mean to. When I didn't hear anything, I thought it was over, so I turned around without thinking. He hadn't had time to pull up his pants."
Her mind was still a mess, the image of what she saw kept popping up uncontrollably.
It was maddening! Absolutely maddening! Lily comforted her, "It's okay.
Alistair is probably more embarrassed than you are.
He's likely banging his head against the wall right now."
Seeing Aria still distressed, Lily quickly changed the subject.
"So, how did you and Alistair end up talking last night, and how did it lead to the hospital?"
When the beef noodles arrived, Aria poked at them with her chopsticks, having no appetite.
How did they end up at the hospital? Aria's thoughts drifted back to last night.
Last night, Alistair drove, first taking Mischa home.
When they arrived at Mischa's place, he even packed a meal for her.
She had stayed in the car, feeling terrible as she watched Alistair escort Mischa upstairs.
She knew there was no point in holding onto Alistair anymore.
Even though he knew Mischa started the trouble at the restaurant, he still cared for her so much.
She waited in the car for half an hour, and when Alistair returned, he looked furious, probably because of a fight with Mischa.
When he asked her what she wanted to eat, she had no appetite at all.
"Just keep driving. Let's go for a ride." That's what she had said, wanting to drive aimlessly in the cold night.
She was indeed crazy.
They eventually stopped by the river, where she curled up from the cold while Alistair smoked beside her.
He said, "Aria, the photos were fake.
Although I don't love you, I haven't wronged you.
During our engagement, I didn't do anything to betray you."
He continued, "Even though Mischa and I can't be lovers, I can't completely let go of her.
I owe her, and if she's in trouble, I can't ignore it.
I might have to take care of her for the rest of my life."
She asked him what he owed Mischa, but he didn't answer.
When they talked about their engagement, she asked if he really didn't want to marry her, and he said yes.
"Fine, then we'll break off the engagement." That's what she had said.
The wind by the river was so cold it could shatter her long-held dreams.
She didn't look at Alistair's expression then.
She felt too suppressed to take his car back.
If she couldn't get a taxi, she planned to call Franklin to pick her up.
Before she could make the call, Alistair caught up and insisted on sending her back.
At that moment, she was so annoyed by him that she couldn't break free from his hand and stepped on him with her high heels.