Xavier stared at her blankly, his expression a mix of shock and hurt.
Serena glanced at him once, then quickly turned her eyes away, not daring to look at him again. "Let's go to the hospital room first. Right now, your health is the most important thing. Everything else can wait."
His handsome face fell, and he opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just sighed and obediently followed her out of the examination room.
VIP respiratory ward.
With the help of the doctor and nurse, Xavier was quickly settled.
Stretching out his arms, frowning, he looked down at the blue and white hospital gown he was wearing, his face written with a thousand unwilling thoughts. "Do I really have to wear this ugly thing?"
Serena sat on the sofa not far from him, propping her chin up with her hand, admiring him while praising, "Tsk, they say 'a man is judged by his clothes, a horse by its saddle,' but I don't think that's true. This plain hospital gown looks quite good on you."
Xavier's face was bitter. "Stop trying to comfort me. Do you think just because you say a few nice words, I'll happily wear this rag?"
Serena smiled helplessly. "I'm not lying to you. I'm telling the truth!"
"Sure, you are!" Xavier twisted uncomfortably. "No way, no way, I can't take this anymore! I have to change this hideous outfit!"
"The hospital has regulations," she said. "All patients, no matter who they are, have to wear the standard hospital gown." She then winked and changed her tone deliberately. "Of course, you're the young master of the Blaze family, wealthy and distinguished. If you really want special treatment, I guess no one here would dare to refuse you. But... if word gets out and it reaches Uncle Blaze's ears, then..."
"Serena!" Xavier looked at her with a long face. "You always bring my dad into everything! Seriously, since we entered the hospital, how many times have you used him to scare me?"
Serena crossed her arms. "I haven't! I just expressed my concern for you reasonably and fairly!"
"Pfft!" Xavier sighed, muttering softly, "Concern? You know, besides you, I'm not afraid of anything! Bringing up my dad, aren't you just blackmailing me?"
Though he seemed very dissatisfied, he reluctantly climbed onto the hospital bed behind him and stopped bringing up the topic of the hospital gown.
Serena looked at him and couldn't help but smile at his frustrated yet helpless expression.
The once domineering Young Master Blaze, and now, he was acting so childishly.
Her mind drifted back to when they were kids. She remembered how he would often follow behind her, calling her 'baby,' puffing his cheeks in anger when other boys showed her attention or when she chatted with someone for a while.
She couldn't remember when he stopped showing his temper so openly.
Even when angry, he now only showed a mischievous smile, full of charm.
"Serena, Serena!" His curious and concerned voice pulled her thoughts back to the present. Serena snapped back to reality, "Huh? What is it?!"
"What are you thinking, so lost in thought?"
Serena smiled gently and replied, "I was thinking of you."
The man's eyes instantly lit up. "Really? You're not lying to me?"
"Yeah!" Serena nodded seriously. "Why would I lie to you?"
"Then... what about me were you thinking of?" Xavier asked, his face full of expectation.
"I was thinking of how silly you were when you were little!" Serena replied with a grin.
"..." His handsome face instantly darkened. "Couldn't you think of something better? After all these years, you finally thought of me, and this is what you're thinking about?"
"There's nothing wrong with it!" Serena said seriously. "I think it's quite fun!"
"Fun?!" Xavier was taken aback. "Come on, that word is for those childish teenagers! I've lived for over twenty years, and I've never had anything to do with the word 'fun.'"
"That's because others have no eye for it and can't see your talent in that area!"
Xavier raised his head, still not entirely convinced by this new description Serena used for him.
Serena didn't argue with him, lowering her head to focus back on the magazine in her hands.
After a while, a young male duty doctor entered the ward. After performing a basic examination on Xavier, he turned to Serena and instructed, "Your family member's pneumonia is quite severe. We need to suppress the inflammation quickly, so the anti-inflammatory drips will need to be given frequently, and continuous treatment is necessary through the night. It will be a long night for you."
Serena smiled and replied in a natural tone, "Taking care of him is the least I can do. Thanks to you and your team for all your hard work."
The doctor, who was already handsome and now even more impressed by her manner, smiled and waved his hand. "Doctors are just doing their job! It's my night shift, so if anything happens at night, just come find me in the duty room."
"Okay, thank you!"
The duty doctor scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "No need to thank me!"
"Cough, cough!" A sudden cough came from the hospital bed.
Both the duty doctor and Serena turned to look at Xavier.
The man, with a sullen face, looked at the doctor with displeasure. "Other patients are still waiting. Once you've given your instructions, you can leave. Don't linger here, acting like you have ulterior motives."
The doctor's expression immediately became awkward. He quickly said, "Uh... I'll leave now. Please continue with the treatment."
Without waiting for Serena to respond, he hurriedly turned and rushed out of the ward.
"Xavier!" Serena stood with her hands on her hips, looking speechlessly at the culprit. "He's the attending doctor! With your attitude, aren't you worried he'll add all sorts of nonsense to your anti-inflammatory medication?!"
"Let him add it!" Xavier sneered. "I'd rather die than watch another man flirting with you right in front of me!"
"You're unbelievable..." Serena was both amused and exasperated, unsure of what to say to him.
Seeing that she seemed genuinely upset, Xavier softened his tone. "Alright, Serena, you have to understand me, I'm just a patient. He actually dared to openly flirt with you in front of me. How could I stand for that?!"
Flirt...
Serena rolled her eyes internally.
Which of his eyes saw the doctor flirting with her?
Who exactly had the wrong understanding of 'flirting' here?!
With a cold scoff, she replied in an unamused tone, "So now you remember you're a patient? Where was this awareness when you were being rude to the doctor?"
***