Something had changed. Lu Qingfeng was sure of it. As he looked at his wife, he couldn't see the usual glint of bitterness in her eyes - the one she used to have, as if the world was her enemy and she needed to take control of her life. However, now as he looked at Su Xiaofei, she looked like she was at peace and was not bothered by anything.
He felt like being near death's door could really change a person's heart. What could his wife possibly encounter during her deep sleep that she suddenly had such a change of heart? Lu Qingfeng was certain that she was still the Su Xiaofei he married, but she had changed to the extent that left him baffled.
"I want to see our girls now. How are they?" Su Xiaofei asked, pulling him out of his trance.
"I need to ask Brother Han if it's alright to bring you to them. They are still under observation in the NICU, but I've requested for Brother Han to set up a private room for them at home, where the girls would be better taken care of. What do you think?" Lu Qingfeng responded.
Su Xiaofei pondered for a moment, considering her husband's suggestion. She knew that he was doing this to keep the fact that their family had just welcomed their newborn twins hidden. There weren't many people who were aware of her pregnancy and poisoning, but with their twins needing more time to acclimate to the sudden change in their surroundings, she and Lu Qingfeng needed to be more careful.
"Do what you think is right, dear. You shouldn't have bothered asking me about things like this." She said with an assuring smile.
"That's not possible, Feifei." Lu Qingfeng frowned. "We are husband and wife. Just because you are married to me, doesn't mean that you don't have a say in our children's upbringing. You are my wife, my equal. If anything, I was the one who failed you as your husband. I should have paid more attention to your safety earlier."
Su Xiaofei was stunned by his words, but then remembered what Xi Qian told her before leaving earlier. Xi Qian mentioned that her father, Qiao Fengying, was treating her husband indifferently these days. Lu Qingfeng must be blaming and punishing himself because of it.
She reached out a hand and touched his face, catching Lu Qingfeng off guard. Since she had just woken up, Su Xiaofei felt weak and couldn't move from the bed. Han Zijun also deemed that they needed to observe her for the next forty eight hours to make sure that she was healthy enough to leave the hospital and return home.
"Why are you doing this to yourself, dear?" She asked with such tenderness in her eyes. "I never once doubted your love and devotion for me ever since my rebirth. I know from the moment I chose you that you'll be the last person who'll want me to be hurt, so please don't punish yourself any longer, Lu Qingfeng. I need you to be strong, especially now that we have children to take care of."
Hearing such words, Lu Qingfeng felt like he was given a moment of clarity. Right. How could he forget that he cannot afford to waste his time and energy in self-wallowing? Su Xiaofei wasn't the only one who needed him with a sane mind.
A smile crossed on his lips as he chastised himself inwardly for being foolish. He shouldn't trouble his wife further. He has had enough of his foolish regrets now.
"You're right. If you're okay with my suggestion, then I'll ask someone to prepare our home for you and the girls' return."
Su Xiaofei lowered her hand, pleased with his answer.
"I trust that everything will go smoothly then. I was a bit worried that things would be harder due to my condition." She leaned her back against the massive pillows Lu Qingfeng propped behind her to make her more comfortable.
"It's nothing to be worried about, Feifei. Zhang Ling is doing a great job following your orders. She seeks your mother's advice whenever she isn't certain about how to proceed with certain situations. Although, it's obvious that your partners and business associates are already having suspicion about your long absence. I suppose you'll need to give them a call to assure that everything's fine on your end."
"I guessed as much." Su Xiaofei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to guess how much work was waiting for her upon her return. She couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving a ton of work to the Zhang sisters, although she knew that they were still practically her husband's people.
"Do you think you can lend me people as competent as the Zhangs? I would very much like to give them a few days off for them to enjoy after all of these." She asked her husband. She rubbed her slightly bulging stomach, a little upset that she couldn't go to her daughters now.
As if her husband knew her thoughts, he assured her. "You worry too much, Feifei. I'm sure Brother Han will allow you to see the girls very soon."
"It's just that I didn't even have a chance to see them or hold them when I gave birth to them. It feels unfair to know that all of you have already met them. Did grandpa drop by to see them?"
Lu Qingfeng closed the curtains in her room and sat on the chair next to her bed.
"He came back from his trip as soon as he heard that you've given birth. Actually, he's the one who came up with the idea of setting up a sterile room at home so you three can go home together." He said proudly. "It seems to me that he couldn't wait to spoil those two."
She chuckled at that. "As if you wouldn't."
Lu Qingfeng said nothing, but his smile was enough to let Su Xiaofei know that she was right.
Su Xiaofei was told to stay in the hospital for another week. Furthermore, she was allowed to visit her daughters who were still fighting for their lives in the NICU. She said nothing as she held her daughters' hands for the first time, but her eyes glistened in tears knowing that it was her selfishness that brought them all here.
However, just as she told Lu Qingfeng, it was a waste of time to drown herself in self-wallowing and regretting what had already happened. They could only do what they could at the present, and that was to take care of the girls. Shit had already hit the fan anyway, they could only prevent things from getting worse from here.
"They're so tiny." Su Xiaofei said as she sat on a wheelchair, facing the glass wall that allowed her and Lu Qingfeng to see their daughters from the glass window of the NICU.
"Yet, so beautiful like their mother." Her husband replied, placing a firm hand over her shoulder to assure her that the girls were doing fine. Even their youngest daughter was doing well now.
The twins were growing rapidly and gaining a lot of weight, though they were still connected to tubes that kept them alive and breathing.
Su Xiaofei wished that she could hold them longer than she was allowed to, just like other mothers who were able to nurse their newborns. However, she was aware that her girls needed more time inside those incubators to make up for the time they'd lost in her womb, where they were supposed to be growing.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingfeng wanted to tell her to be patient, that the time would come when she would be able to hold their children at will. However, he also shared the same sentiments as his wife. He couldn't wait for that day to come and see her hold their daughters with a bright smile on her face.
"Grandpa has already started preparing the sterile room for them. If things go according to plan, we will be able to move them this weekend." He assured her. The security back home was tightened and Su Xiaofei expected that they wouldn't be receiving guests for the meantime.
Lu Qingfeng stayed with her at the hospital that night, trying to catch her up with things that happened during her long sleep. Morning came, and Su Xiaofei didn't expect that the first person who would come to see her was Bai Qingyue.
Her husband excused himself, telling her that he would grab something for them to eat and left her with her mother as Bai Qingyue nonchalantly took a seat on the couch.
"Eager to see if I'm dead or alive with your own eyes?" Su Xiaofei chuckled with amusement.
"Don't be silly. If there's anything I know about you, you are no different from me, Xiaofei. You are quite resilient and would never give up without a proper fight."
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