The road ahead was long and arduous.
Tian Mengyao had to navigate the treacherous road conditions, all while bearing the heavy burden on her shoulders.
What's more infuriating was that as Lin Fan slept soundly, the snoring sound beside her ear grew louder and louder.
"If it weren't for your contribution today..."
Tian Mengyao turned her head and glared at Lin Fan: "I'd throw you out!"
It was late at night when the SUV finally reached the entrance of Xiao Fan Medical Clinic.
Tian Mengyao felt as if her right shoulder had gone numb.
She lifted her left hand with effort and patted Lin Fan's head: "We're home, wake up!"
"Hmm?"
Lin Fan grunted and shifted his head, but his eyes remained closed.
"I told you to get up, you're crushing me!"
Tian Mengyao, angered, twisted Lin Fan's ear.
"Ah!"
Lin Fan yelped in pain, finally waking up: "We're home? Then I'm going back."
He fumbled for the car door handle, touching it five or six times before finding it and pushing the door open.
The cold night air swept into the car, making Lin Fan shiver and become even more awake.
After getting out of the car, he smiled apologetically at Tian Mengyao, who was rubbing her shoulder: "Sorry, I was really sleepy on the way."
Tian Mengyao glared at him and chided, "You're the only one who's sleepy and tired. Look at my shoulder, it's probably red from you leaning on it."
Lin Fan chuckled, "Why don't you come in, and I'll give you a massage?"
"No thanks, I need to go home and sleep."
Tian Mengyao refused outright.
Lin Fan gave an awkward smile, thinking to himself, "It's so late, it's really not appropriate to invite her into the clinic."
"We'll talk about it tomorrow then."
Lin Fan waved goodbye, then took out his key, unlocked the gate, and entered the clinic.
Tian Mengyao watched Lin Fan's retreating back, suddenly feeling uneasy.
She had once seen a news report about people who, after falling down drunk, died in their sleep.
If something were to happen to Lin Fan in his current state, she would be unable to escape responsibility.
With this thought, she got out of the car and followed him.
"He really drank too much, he didn't even close the gate."
As she stepped into the courtyard, she heard snoring from inside the house.
Moreover, she noticed that the lights were on and the door was ajar.
Upon entering, she saw Lin Fan sprawled on the sofa, still fully dressed, fast asleep.
"He's really out cold."
Tian Mengyao breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the house was warm, sleeping without changing clothes or being covered would surely lead to a cold tomorrow.
"Wake up, take off your clothes and shoes, and get under the covers."
Tian Mengyao nudged Lin Fan's shoulder.
Lin Fan was sleeping soundly and barely moved.
"I must have owed you something in my past life."
Tian Mengyao had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
She struggled to pull off Lin Fan's travel shoes.
Immediately, a not-too-faint odor wafted out.
Tian Mengyao covered her nose and stumbled back five or six steps.
"Why are your feet so smelly!"
Her words were futile.
Lin Fan was fast asleep and heard nothing.
Tian Mengyao gave Lin Fan a resentful glare, then stepped forward again, using a pair of chopsticks from the coffee table to pull at the socks on Lin Fan's feet.
"I really must have owed you something in my past life."
Tian Mengyao's arms ached from the effort, but she finally managed to pull off Lin Fan's smelly socks.
Then, with a look of disgust, Tian Mengyao kicked the two smelly socks far away, right out of the house.
"You rascal, get up and take off your clothes."
Tian Mengyao once again used her hands to push Lin Fan's shoulder.
This time, Tian Mengyao used almost all her strength and finally managed to shake Lin Fan awake.
"Is that you?"
Lin Fan mumbled drowsily and rolled over, but before he even opened his eyes, he fell asleep again.
"You..."
Tian Mengyao stamped her foot in frustration.
With no other choice, she had to take off Lin Fan's clothes herself.
As she muttered complaints, she nimbly unbuttoned his shirt.
Inadvertently, her delicate hand touched Lin Fan's strong chest.
A strange sensation spread from her fingertips.
It was firm, solid, and exuded a sense of security.
She could even clearly feel a powerful, burgeoning energy.
"Ah?"
Tian Mengyao was startled by her own sensation.
She recoiled and said in a charmingly scolding tone, "You scoundrel, if you don't get up, I'll let you freeze to death!"
Her voice was loud, but Lin Fan still heard nothing.
With no other option, she stepped forward again and, with all her might, pulled the blanket out from under Lin Fan and covered him with it.
After finishing everything, she realized that fine beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.
"You're really getting off easy!"
"Just sleep then, sleep until you die!"
Tian Mengyao complained for a moment, then left the clinic.
She opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat. Suddenly, she remembered a time when her mother complained about her father's snoring at night, which made it difficult to sleep.
At the time, she was young and asked curiously, "Then why did you choose Dad, Mom?"
"Dad isn't very clean, he's seven or eight years older than you, and he snores. Why?"
Her mother replied, "You won't understand until you're older."
Thinking of this, and then thinking of Lin Fan, she felt that perhaps she finally understood.
...
The next morning.
Lin Fan was woken by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
"Is anyone there?"
"Someone's dying, is there a doctor?"
"Doctor, hurry up and come out!"
Lin Fan suddenly sat up and shouted outside, "Who is it?"
With Chinese New Year approaching, fewer people were coming for medical treatment.
Unexpectedly, at just before seven in the morning, someone had arrived, and it sounded like an emergency.
Lin Fan quickly put on his clothes and rushed outside.
"Huh? Why are my socks outside?"
As Lin Fan shuffled out in his slippers, he reached the door and saw his two socks hanging on the doorstep.
"Who threw these out?"
Lin Fan mumbled, then suddenly remembered some things from last night.
This...
Did Tian Mengyao do it?
"Doctor, hurry up, someone's dying, open the door!"
The anxious shouting from outside resumed.
"Coming, coming."
Lin Fan didn't have time to ponder further and ran to open the main gate.
Creak~
The moment the gate opened, Lin Fan became wary.
Because standing outside were two men in their thirties.
These two men, with their shifty looks, didn't appear to be good people.
"Are you here for treatment?"
Lin Fan asked in surprise.
"Isn't that obvious? Who else would come to a place like this so early in the morning?"
One of the shifty-eyed men glared at Lin Fan, then barged into the courtyard.
Lin Fan felt helpless and could only let them in.
He ran a medical clinic; even if they were bad people, he had no reason to turn them away.