Gu Mian paused in shock!
She instinctively stopped walking, turned her head toward the direction of the voice, and indeed saw Li Tingshen pushing a wheelchair, heading toward the elevator.
Yin Luoxue sat in the wheelchair, turning her head to gaze at him with tender affection, looking every bit the lovestruck girl, her adoration for him spilling over.
Although it was the height of summer, Gu Mian felt as if she were in an ice cellar, the hand holding the documents trembling uncontrollably!
Was the Capital really so small? Why did it seem that the more she tried to escape and move on, they appeared before her eyes again and again, stabbing her heart mercilessly!
Gu Mian closed her eyes, pushing down the stabbing pain in her heart, withdrew her gaze, and turned to walk into the hospital room.
At the elevator, Li Tingshen turned his head, looking down the empty corridor.
"Tingshen, what is it?" Yin Luoxue asked curiously.
"Nothing," Li Tingshen withdrew his gaze.
"Then can you hold me, please? My back is sore from sitting," Yin Luoxue whined.
"Hang in there, we can get the masseuse to give you a massage when we get home."
Yin Luoxue pouted, "No, I want you to hold me..."
Li Tingshen's forehead furrowed slightly, "This is a public place, if it gets back to grandma, she won't be happy."
Yin Luoxue then fell silent.
...
When Gu Mian arrived at the hospital room, it was empty.
Just as she was about to take a moment to review the documents, she suddenly felt a sharp pain at her waist, as if she'd been poked by something!
"Ah!"
Startled, Gu Mian immediately turned around, only to see a small boy about four or five years old, wearing an Ultraman mask, with his left arm in a cast and a toy sword in his right hand pointed at her.
Seeing the hospital gown on the little boy, she realized what was happening.
She had assumed that the "ancestor" the nurse mentioned was a difficult old man or woman; she hadn't expected a "little ancestor."
"Hello, little friend," Gu Mian squatted down, greeting him with a smile, "I'm your new caregiver, Gu Mian."
Fearing that the little ancestor might attack her with his sword without warning, she considered keeping some distance, but then he threw away the sword and flung himself into her arms.
"Mommy!"
The milky voice, tinged with a hint of excitement, echoed in the spacious hospital room, and Gu Mian was taken aback.
Gu Mian gently patted his back, "Little friend, you've got the wrong person, I'm not your mommy."
"You are my mommy!" The little boy let go of her, took off the Ultraman mask, and looked at her with shining eyes, "Mommy, Xiaobao has missed you so much..."
He had an exceptionally delicate face, and his eyes were bright and spirited like polished obsidian.
Perhaps it was a surge of maternal instinct due to her pregnancy, but Gu Mian's heart instantly softened, and she couldn't resist stroking his adorable little face, "Xiaobao, little friend, I really am not your mommy, my name is Gu Mian."
Xiaobao ignored her, continuing to insist, "Mommy, I'm hungry."
Gu Mian, feeling helpless but too lazy to correct him at the moment, said, "Just wait."
She picked up the documents and read that his name was Pei Xiaobao, five years old, the rest comprised his nearly demanding personal habits and the work routine for the caregiver.
Scanning the notes, Gu Mian noticed a severe pollen allergy, but there didn't seem to be any dietary restrictions.
The VIP ward had its own small kitchen, so Gu Mian made tomato beef noodles and brought them out.
"This smells so good, mommy's cooking is really great!"
Gu Mian: "..."
"Be careful, it's hot."
"Thank you, mommy."
Xiaobao ate with relish.
Gu Mian couldn't help but soften her expression, wondering if her own baby would be as well-behaved and cute as him.
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room opened, and Xiaobao, looking up and seeing who it was, excitedly exclaimed, "Daddy, mommy's back!"
Gu Mian turned her head and saw a young and handsome man in a suit walking in.
Even if Xiaobao hadn't called him daddy, Gu Mian would have known they were father and son, as their features were almost identically carved.
Gu Mian quickly stood up to introduce herself, "Hello, Mr. Pei, I'm Xiaobao's new caregiver, Gu Mian."
"Hello," the man greeted her warmly with a smile, "Pei Jinchuan."
He looked at Xiaobao, "Xiaobao hasn't been this happy in a long time, Miss Gu, thank you."
Gu Mian quickly responded, "Mr. Pei, please don't misunderstand, I didn't teach Xiaobao to call me that."
"I know," Pei Jinchuan corrected his son, "Xiaobao, this is Auntie Gu Mian, not mommy, you can't call her that."
"No, she is mommy!" Xiaobao pursed his lips, looking unhappy, "Daddy, you can go now, it's good if mommy stays with me."
"..."
"..."
Pei Jinchuan massaged his brow, "I'm sorry, Miss Gu, Xiaobao might need some time to adjust, I hope you don't mind."
Gu Mian felt a bit troubled, "Mr. Pei, this is a hospital with people coming and going, and it's easy for others to misunderstand if they overhear it, and Xiaobao's mom would also be upset."
"Miss Gu, can I have a word in private?"
The two of them went to the small lounge before Pei Jinchuan finally spoke, "Xiaobao's mother is no longer with us, that's why he has mistaken you for her. Moreover, Xiaobao suffers from irritability disorder, and I'm afraid it could be too much for him if we correct him forcibly."
"How could this be?" Gu Mian was shocked, "There's nothing about irritability disorder in the files."
"I deliberately concealed it because I don't want Xiaobao to be seen as a patient in others' eyes," Pei Jinchuan said with a look of concern, "But once he has an episode, not even I can control him, and we have to forcibly sedate him to stabilize the situation."
Gu Mian nodded, "I understand, Mr. Pei, I'll do my best to take care of Xiaobao's physical and emotional health."
"Thank you."
Xiaobao was clingy towards Gu Mian, and when it was time to get off work, he still didn't want to let her leave.
Pei Jinchuan had no choice but to ask Gu Mian to stay until the child fell asleep, and correspondingly, her daily wage was increased from two thousand to three thousand.
Gu Mian was delighted, as making money was the most important thing to her at the moment, and taking care of Xiaobao wasn't too exhausting, she could handle it completely.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Gu Mian waited for Xiaobao to fall asleep before she left the hospital.
...
A week flew by, and Li Tingshen had not looked for Gu Mian.
Gu Mian kept herself busy, arriving early and leaving late from the hospital to take care of Xiaobao, and when she returned home, she would shower and fall asleep immediately, restraining herself from thinking about Li Tingshen.
The nurses were all impressed with Gu Mian, not only had she stayed, but the little ancestor even called her "mommy."
How did she manage that?
Could she actually be his real mom?
If that's the case, this family's good looks are simply out of this world!
At noon, after coaxing Xiaobao to nap, Gu Mian tiptoed out of the ward to buy the cake he wanted.
The cake shop required waiting in line, so Gu Mian went to the nurse's station to ask the nurses to keep an eye on Xiaobao.
"You go ahead, I'll take good care of him for you."
Ever since Gu Mian came, the little ancestor's temper had improved a lot, and they truly appreciated her from the bottom of their hearts.
Gu Mian hurried back and forth, and by the time she returned to the hospital, two hours had passed.
As she stepped out of the elevator with the cake, she heard a familiar voice.
"You little brat, what's the matter with you? This is a new bracelet I bought, can you afford to compensate for it?"
It was Yin Luoxue.
The voice came from the direction of Xiaobao's ward.
Gu Mian's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly walked to the ward, only to see Yin Luoxue slapping Xiaobao's face right in the corridor outside the ward!
Xiaobao's eyes turned bloodshot, and after a loud cry, he pulled Yin Luoxue's hand and bit down hard!
"Ah!" Yin Luoxue raged, "You little bastard, how dare you bite me! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
She yanked her hand back and started hitting Xiaobao!
Gu Mian immediately rushed forward to stop her, "Stop it! Let go of him now!"
"Ah——"
Xiaobao's emotions spiraled out of control, he kept screaming while trying to hit Yin Luoxue.
Gu Mian knew, his irritability disorder was acting up!
These past few days, Xiaobao's mood had been very stable, and he hadn't had any episodes.
Gu Mian was both heartbroken and anxious as she held Xiaobao tight, "Xiaobao, don't be scared! Don't be afraid! I'm here, no one can hurt you! Be good, Xiaobao..."
With her gentle and patient consoling, Xiaobao's emotions gradually calmed down.
"Gu Mian?" Yin Luoxue asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
The next second, she heard the little boy shouting, "Mommy, you finally came back!"
Yin Luoxue was stunned for a few seconds before confirming she had neither heard nor seen wrong: the little boy was indeed calling Gu Mian mommy!
Xiaobao complained to Gu Mian with a look of grievance, "Mommy, she hit me!"
"Don't be afraid, it's all over now."
Just as Gu Mian was about to find out what had happened, a deep and cold voice suddenly reached her ears, "Gu Mian, what did he call you?"