"Miss Jian, how are you feeling? Is there anywhere you're uncomfortable?"
Seeing Jian Ran wake up, Zhao Meng quickly moved closer, looking at her with concern.
Jian Ran was completely confused. She looked at Zhao Meng, then at Chu Lulin beside her, clearly bewildered by the situation.
She had just gone to sleep—how did she end up in the hospital?
"I..." Jian Ran's voice came out hoarse. "W-what happened to me?"
Zhao Meng saw her trying to sit up and quickly pressed her shoulder. "Miss Jian, you had a fever—nearly 40 degrees Celsius. Please don't move. The doctor said you need plenty of rest."
Jian Ran was stunned. She had felt a little off, but 40 degrees? That serious?!
"Isn't that right? It's all thanks to Xiao Chu—he's so attentive."
Jian Ran instinctively looked at Chu Lulin.
So it was him she'd heard knocking when she was delirious with fever.
"Xiao Chu heard you cough a few times yesterday. Later, when he noticed you hadn't come out for a while, he got worried and knocked on your door first thing this morning. When you didn't answer, he realized something was wrong and had the front desk open the door with the spare key. The doctor said if he'd come any later, it might have turned into pneumonia."
Zhao Meng still sounded shaken as she spoke. Jian Ran had been clearly delirious at the time. Fortunately, Chu Lulin had handled things properly. Anyone else might not have noticed.
Guests who just arrived at the villa usually rested for a few days—they'd just traveled a long distance and needed time to adjust. The staff normally didn't pay too much attention. But Chu Lulin had noticed the details and acted on them. That was truly rare.
Zhao Meng had already been satisfied with Chu Lulin, and after this incident, she was even more impressed. Earlier she'd worried he might not be able to handle Jian Ran, so now she made sure to sing his praises in front of Jian Ran, building up his goodwill.
Jian Ran wasn't stupid. Under Zhao Meng's overly enthusiastic "sales pitch" for Chu Lulin, she quickly caught on.
After all, she was used to it. Whenever she stayed at five-star hotels or high-end restaurants, if she just stood there with a blank expression, the staff would panic, as if she were about to pick a fight.
In Lu Chuchu's words, she looked exactly like the villainous female sidekick in those soap operas.
It seemed her expression yesterday really had been terrible.
Jian Ran felt helpless but didn't bother explaining.
Her temper wasn't particularly good, but she didn't have a habit of making things difficult for others.
Besides, she had a good impression of Chu Lulin. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that he had such perfect lips was enough to earn a lot of credit in her book—not quite a "get out of jail free" card, but close.
Not long after Jian Ran woke up, the doctor came to check on her. Her fever had broken, and she was out of danger for now. But to be safe, she needed to stay in the hospital for one more night of observation.
Zhao Meng had a lot to do back at the villa and couldn't stay. "Miss Jian still needs someone here. Xiao Chu, you'll stay and take care of her."
She shot Chu Lulin a look, signaling him to take this chance to make a good impression.
Jian Ran was about to say there was no need—she could just hire a caregiver. She wasn't short on cash and didn't want to put him out. Besides, this clearly wasn't part of a butler's duties, and she didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
But Zhao Meng didn't give her a chance to speak. After giving her instructions, she left in a flurry, leaving Jian Ran and Chu Lulin staring at each other in the hospital room.
Jian Ran frowned unconsciously, her face darkening even more.
Just then, a nurse came in to change the IV bag. The young girl seemed a bit timid. She looked at Chu Lulin, then at Jian Ran, and asked hesitantly, "...Bed 3? Need a new IV bag?"
Jian Ran glanced up at the nearly empty bag. Zhao Meng had pressed the call bell before leaving.
"Yes," Chu Lulin said. He walked over to the bed, took the almost-empty bag from the IV pole, and handed it to the nurse.
The nurse took it, confirmed the patient's information, and replaced it with a new one.
Chu Lulin accepted the new bag, checked that the name on it was Jian Ran's, and rehung it on the pole.
"Thank you," the nurse said gratefully.
Chu Lulin didn't respond, only gave a faint smile.
The nurse left the room, looking back several times. Before she went out, she shot Chu Lulin a worried glance, as if she was uneasy leaving a little white rabbit in a wolf's den.
Jian Ran stared at the ceiling in speechless exasperation and sighed inwardly.
Prejudice was like a mountain.
Who said that people with a bad expression were necessarily hard to get along with? Maybe—just maybe—they didn't want to be that way either.
"Thank you for today," Jian Ran said to Chu Lulin.
Whatever the case, Zhao Meng had been right. Without Chu Lulin, she might have ended up much worse.
Chu Lulin shook his head, looking a little shy. "You're welcome, Big Sister. It's my duty."
Jian Ran couldn't help but smile. What an honest kid. No wonder Zhao Meng had been so eager to praise him.
"Could you help me hire a caregiver?" she asked, trying to keep her tone gentle to soften her naturally intimidating face.
"You want to hire someone, Big Sister?" Chu Lulin looked confused, a hint of unease in his expression. "Are you worried I won't take good care of you?"
Jian Ran quickly waved her hands. "No, not at all. It's just—given my condition, I might need someone to stay overnight. A guy like you would probably find it inconvenient."
"Oh!" Chu Lulin hesitated. "You might not know this, Big Sister, but this town's hospital is small. It's hard to find caregivers, and..."
"And what?" Jian Ran asked, puzzled.
Chu Lulin's fingers curled slightly. "And they're all local. They don't stay overnight."
Jian Ran: "..."
Was that true?