Chapter 38

Chapter 38

She placed the cooked congee on the dining table, admiring the creamy grains of rice with hints of green vegetables, making it look truly delicious.

Shu Pan glanced outside and noticed that the sky was starting to brighten.

After a moment of contemplation, she remembered that today she had to visit her father and Auntie Lu in the rented house.

There was also an important matter at hand—she had to go to work. With the baby gradually stabilizing, she needed to work to pay off debts and save money for the baby’s arrival.

Shu Pan was also worried that Gu Shaoting would wake up and see her. She hastily returned to the bedroom, changed her clothes, and quickly left.

She bumped into Sister Zhang at the elevator moments ago and greeted her, “Mr. Gu is still asleep. I cooked porridge. When he wakes up, please make sure to tell him to eat.”

Sister Zhang looked at her hurrying out and paused for a moment before responding, “Okay, Madam.”

Although she didn’t understand why Shu Pan was leaving so early, it was a private matter and not her place to ask. Looking at Shu Pan’s slightly pale complexion, Sister Zhang couldn’t help but say, “Madam, are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine. But Mr. Gu drank last night, and hangovers can be quite uncomfortable. He’ll likely have a headache. Please make him a cup of honey water later. It might make him feel better.”

“Understood, Madam. I’ll remember.” After Sister Zhang replied, she couldn’t help but ask one more question, “Madam, are you going out early because of work?”

It wasn’t because of work. She just didn’t want to face Gu Shaoting. Shu Pan didn’t tell Sister Zhang the truth, simply nodding her head and saying, “Yes.”

Sister Zhang believed it and quickly said, “Madam, go ahead. Is there anything else you want me to do?”

Shu Pan thought for a moment, shook her head, and still somewhat concerned, said, “Take good care of him. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry, Madam.”

Shu Pan lowered her head and remained silent.

Sister Zhang gestured toward the house and said, “I’ll go in then.”

“Okay,” Shu Pan responded. Just as Sister Zhang was about to open the door and go inside, Shu Pan called her back. “Don’t tell him that I cooked the congee.”

Sister Zhang was quite surprised and blurted out, “Why?”

Shu Pan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She tried hard to hide her hidden sadness and loneliness, maintaining a calm tone as if speaking about something unrelated to herself. She casually replied, “Because if he knows, he might not want to eat it. Besides, I’m not a good cook.”

Sister Zhang was momentarily stunned. She thought to herself that it was difficult to meddle in household affairs. Rather than saying anything else, she observed Shu Pan’s composed demeanor. After a simple “thank you,” Shu Pan turned and left.

Not long after Shu Pan left, Gu Shaoting woke up.

Hangovers were truly uncomfortable. His headache was intense. He opened his eyes, forced himself to sit up on the bed, and remained there for a moment before finally getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

After taking a hot shower, Gu Shaoting felt refreshed. He grabbed a set of casual home clothes from the dressing room and put them on before leaving the bedroom.

He couldn’t quite remember how he had made it home. Lately, he had been acting out of character. Normally, he knew his limits when it came to drinking and rarely allowed himself to get drunk. What had happened recently? Whenever he felt frustrated, he ended up drinking more.

He scanned the room, finding the bedsheets and carpet clean and tidy, without a trace of disorder.

Was his alcohol tolerance really that good? He started to doubt it. How did he even get home? Could he have made it back to his room on his own?

Furrowing his brows, he retracted his gaze, opened the door, and walked into the living room.