Elena Shen kept her eyes shut and didn't refuse.
The family doctor arrived swiftly.
But it wasn't Gavin Chen.
Instead, it was the flamboyantly dressed Elliot Song, who strutted up the stairs like he owned the place, trailing behind the butler.
Standing outside the master bedroom, Ethan Jiang frowned at the sight of the uninvited guest holding Gavin's medical kit.
"What are you doing here? Where's Gavin?"
Elliot didn't even bother with formalities. He glanced past Ethan toward the bedroom, about to barge in.
"Gavin went to the hospital. He couldn't make it in time. I'm a better doctor anyway, If Elena's not feeling well, she should've just called me," he declared with his usual flair. "I'm an expert in all rare and complicated ailments."
Inside, Elena faintly heard voices through the door.
Judging by the familiarity of their tone, however, it was hard to be someone close to Ethan.
Since waking up, her head had remained clouded and dizzy—no doubt a side effect from last night's excessive indulgence. Not wanting to stay bedridden all day, she had reluctantly agreed to let the family doctor take a look.
But if it was one of Ethan's friends...
The sheer embarrassment of her current state, coupled with the awkward implications—how could she possibly face them?
Curled under the duvet like a sick kitten, Elena began reconsidering her decision.
Just as she was about to sit up and say she'd changed her mind, the bedroom door swung open.
Elliot strutted ahead, clutching the medical kit like it was a sacred talisman, granting him immunity. Under Ethan's nose, he marched confidently into the room.
Elena, already sitting up in bed, was still tightly wrapped in the duvet, revealing only her porcelain face as she looked toward the doorway.
Her clear, glassy eyes followed the new arrivals.
Elliot Song came from a reputable family and had longstanding ties with the Jiangs. He and Ethan had known each other since childhood and had grown quite close over the years.
Back in the day, he would often accompany his elders to the Jiang estate. Over time, he had grown familiar with the little girl fostered in the Jiang household since she was ten—Elena.
But soon after, his grandfather had packed him off to study abroad. He hadn't returned in years, nor had he visited the Jiangs since. By now, it had been five or six years.
He even returned to Huaihai City after Ethan did.
Still jet-lagged, he'd barely arrived when he heard the astonishing news—Ethan had registered his marriage to that same little girl who once clung to Adrian's side, the one everyone assumed would marry him.
And she was only twenty.
Much younger than Ethan.
Elliot had always been a curious soul. The fact that the most unlikely bachelor in their circle was the first to marry only fueled his interest.
He'd wanted to visit the other night when he heard Elena had a high fever but didn't get the chance. Today, upon overhearing Ethan's call to Gavin, he seized the opportunity—snatched Gavin's medical kit and rushed over.
Elliot entered first, Ethan followed behind.
The moment he stepped inside, Elliot's eyes swept to the bed.
There, huddled in the center, was a delicate girl swathed in red bedding, her features as pristine as a porcelain doll, her complexion pale yet luminous, like a peeled egg shimmering beneath soft light.
And her eyes—
Wet, glistening, fringed with misty lashes. Ethereal, soul-piercing.
Though clearly unwell, her beauty struck like lightning.
Elliot's fingers itched to ruffle her hair like he used to when they were kids. But Ethan's cold gaze kept him in check.
He settled instead for a bright smile, stepping forward to introduce himself with the warmth of an overly enthusiastic relative:
"Elena, do you remember me?"
"I'm Dr. Song—Elliot. You used to call me 'Brother Elliot' when you followed Adrian around."
"I heard from Ethan that you're not feeling well? Perfect timing. I've just returned from advanced training abroad. Let me have a look at you."
Elliot was clearly addicted to self-promotion. He barely paused to breathe.
"Elena, I'm well-versed in both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. Would you prefer pulse diagnosis or a more modern approach? I can do both. Whatever makes you most comfortable."
Elena: "…"
She was silent, unsure how to respond.
Ethan's expression darkened. His tone was icy:
"Elliot, just examine her. If you can't, I'll call Gavin back."
Stung by the jab, Elliot retorted at once, "Of course I can! But I should let her choose how she wants to be diagnosed. Give me a break—I barely get a chance to visit."
Elena: "…"
She quietly swallowed the polite refusal that had been forming, stole a glance at Ethan approaching from her side, and tentatively reached a hand out from under the covers.
"I'm just… a little dizzy. Do you really need to check my pulse?"
Elliot promptly set the kit aside.
Fingers pressed gently against her slender wrist.
"Absolutely. Let's see what's going on."
As he read her pulse and observed her complexion, Elliot subtly tilted his head, casting a sideways glance at Ethan.
His eyes once again held that judgmental gleam—as if staring at a beast.
If Elena weren't in the room, he would've finished what he'd tried to say that night before Ethan hung up the phone.
Soon, he let go of her wrist.
After some deliberation, he pulled two boxes of medicine from Gavin's kit and handed them to Elena with a cheerful grin.
"You've got a low-grade fever, but nothing serious. Just rest a bit more and take two of these after meals."
Elena accepted the medicine and nodded in thanks.
Though Elliot came off flippant, he knew his boundaries. After giving her the meds, he promptly left the room with his medical kit.
Ethan glanced at her and said something before following him out.
Moments later, he returned.
Elliot had already been sent off by the butler.
Ethan picked up the two boxes of medicine and scanned the instructions.
"We'll take these after dinner," he said as he turned to Elena, who had just picked up her phone. "I'll have the meal brought up."
Elena had planned to head downstairs.
But hearing that, she stopped moving.
After eating and taking the medicine, she checked the unread messages in her group chat before drifting back to sleep.
When she woke again, it was already past 4 p.m.
She touched her forehead—no more dizziness, no more pain. Most of the soreness from the night before had faded.
Still, lying in bed all day left her body stiff and aching. She tossed aside the covers to stretch, only to find Ethan seated on the sofa, working on his laptop.
Elena blinked in surprise.
"You didn't go to the office today?"
He glanced up, closed the laptop, and walked over.
"I was worried about leaving you here alone."
He brushed her forehead gently. "Feeling better? Any discomfort left?"
She shook her head. "Much better now."
"Then how about getting up and moving around a bit?" he asked.
She nodded.
After changing, Elena wandered downstairs.
The butler served fresh fruit and juice.
Elena took a stroll in the courtyard before curling up on the living room couch, idly munching fruit and replying to messages on her phone.
Ethan followed her down and sat beside her, checking company emails.
She didn't dare interrupt. When he came over, she lowered the volume on her videos and straightened her posture.
After an hour of revenge-scrolling, Elena was thoroughly bored—eyes sore, back stiff, and not a single interesting clip.
Ethan, still working beside her, noticed her fidgeting. He closed his inbox and glanced at the time.
"Bored?"
She didn't deny it. "A little."
Usually, she would be in the lab or reviewing market analysis in her apartment. But not today. Now that she had nothing to do, boredom came crashing down.
Watching her wrinkle her brow, Ethan unlocked his phone, tapped out a message, then looked up at her.
"I'll take you out for a bit. How does that sound?"