Julian stepped out from around the corner, breathing a secret sigh of relief. He had promised Gu Roujia he wouldn't disturb her, and he was terrified of being seen and making her unhappy.

He gave a bitter smile; his current cautious demeanor was truly pathetic.

He never thought he, Julian, would have a day like this, completely defeated at the hands of a woman.

When she heard the light footsteps, she had pretended to be asleep and turned over. In her peripheral vision, she saw the silhouette suddenly shrink back to the side of the window. Gu Roujia’s heart gave a sudden leap—it really was him.

But why did the usually arrogant Julian have such a cautious expression? Was he afraid of being seen by her?

Gu Roujia pushed open the door and called out: "I see you, you don't need to run."

Julian turned around, smiling apologetically, and said: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I disturbed your rest. I’ll leave immediately." He stepped backward, step by step, afraid of startling her. His cautious manner looked somewhat comical. "Don't be angry, I’m going now."

Julian’s eyes were slightly red. "You go back, I'm leaving," Julian said gently. "Go back to sleep, I'm going. Breathing in secondhand smoke is bad for your health."

Gu Roujia didn't say a word and turned back into her room. Her heart was not as calm as her expression. Seeing Gu Roujia return to her room, Julian felt a pain and bitterness in his heart he couldn't explain. He laughed at himself, turned to leave, and couldn't help but look back at Gu Roujia’s room, his eyes full of worry.

Gu Roujia sat on the bed hugging her knees, her mind filled with Julian’s appearance just now—stepping back cautiously, terrified of making her angry, terrified of disturbing her. It was laughable.

This was completely different from the Julian in her memory. Even when he had asked for her forgiveness before, he had never shown such caution; he had been self-righteous.

When did such a proud person become so cautious and humble?

When did such a high-spirited person become so haggard, smoking, with a wrinkled suit and slightly messy hair?

Gu Roujia thought about whether she should talk to Julian again. She hesitated for a long time before pushing the door open, but there was no longer any sign of Julian outside, and the cigarette butts on the floor had been cleaned away entirely.

A nurse walked by, and Gu Roujia grabbed her to ask: "Hello, did you see a tall, handsome man just now?"

The nurse smiled and said: "Are you talking about your husband?" She looked at Gu Roujia with envy. "Your husband is so good to you, guarding you outside every day. I just saw him leave."

Gu Roujia didn't know why her heart felt so lost. She smiled at the nurse and returned to her room. The nurse added: "He should be back in a little while. I heard from the girls on the night shift that he usually guards until three or four in the morning. He probably just went to buy cigarettes..."

Gu Roujia hummed in response and climbed into bed. Julian used to smoke, but not that much; he was a person with extreme self-discipline. But looking at the cigarette butts on the ground earlier, there must have been a whole pack, right?

He guarded outside every day—was it possible that when she was asleep, he was secretly watching her from outside?

He had promised not to disturb her, which was why he came secretly.

Did he actually care about her this much?

Gu Roujia shook her head. This was the kind of treatment only Eva should have received; why was she indulging in wishful thinking again?

Chapter 42: She Hates Him

After that, Gu Roujia never saw Julian appear again. He had remembered his words clearly and never showed up in front of her again, preventing her from seeing him.

Baobao came often, and Gu Roujia would occasionally ask Baobao who brought her, to which Baobao always said it was the assistant.

Then, Julian’s good friend Zhao Feng walked in and said: "Sister-in-law, long time no see."

Gu Roujia gave a polite smile: "Julian and I are not together, I am not your sister-in-law." She continued: "If you want to be a lobbyist for Julian, you don't need to waste your time."

Zhao Feng was Julian’s good friend, a fellow alumnus from university; she had met him several times.

"It’s not that I want to be a lobbyist, it’s just that I think there are some things you might want to know, for example, about Baobao’s health."

Zhao Feng mentioned Baobao’s health, a topic Gu Roujia could not refuse.

"Speak."

Gu Roujia listened quietly until Zhao Feng finished speaking, then remained silent. Zhao Feng said: "Actually, Julian still loves you very much; he was just deceived by Eva."

"So that’s the reason he wanted to marry Eva—because he still loves me?" Gu Roujia didn't believe Julian still loved her. If he loved her, why would he want to marry Eva?

Gu Roujia said: "You say he still loves me, but all of this is just guilt after Julian learned the truth. He only feels guilt."

She didn't know the inside story about the two children. But to say Julian loved her—she dared not believe it.

"Then do you know that the second time you were brought back, he had already postponed his engagement to Eva? He didn't know the whole truth back then," Zhao Feng said.

Gu Roujia remained silent; Zhao Feng was stating facts she couldn't refute.

"You two have come a long way, so many years have passed. You also love Julian, and now Julian has truly repented. You have such a cute child, Baobao. You don't know how much he blamed himself and suffered after your accident. He did many things wrong, but for the sake of the love you once shared, and for the sake of the child, I hope you give him a chance, and give yourself a chance. Please, think about it."

After Zhao Feng left, Gu Roujia fell into deep thought. She hoped everything was true, and yet she hoped it was false. It was a contradictory psychology, but she really didn't know how to handle these feelings.

After experiencing so much, the only thing Gu Roujia knew for sure was that for all these years, Julian had never truly loved her. Otherwise, why, the moment Eva returned, did he go looking for her?

He had decided to give her the labor-induction injection to save Baobao, bringing the child out early to use the umbilical cord blood—that was something she had never understood.

But if Julian had trusted her even a little bit, and laid the truth about Baobao out on the table, she would have certainly accepted the requirement for the induction.

It was just that Julian had never thought about telling her the truth. If she had known the truth, perhaps the child wouldn't have met with disaster.

What kind of damage was this to her?

Later on, she had escaped death several times, not only suffering physical torture and injury, but her spirit had also been stimulated by Eva. Her heart had long been shattered by Julian.

Chapter 43: Did She Accept Him?

"Mommy, how did you meet Daddy?" Baobao asked curiously. Gu Roujia’s gentleness made her feel a warmth she had never experienced before—the kind Julian couldn't provide.

If it weren't for Gu Roujia’s currently frail health, she would take Baobao out to play, giving her everything best to make up for the debts of these past years.

"We met a long time ago..." When Julian was mentioned, the face that had been full of smiles suddenly became quiet. The smart Baobao didn't continue to ask, instead taking out a notebook and drawing tools from her backpack to draw.

Gu Roujia gently held Baobao as she watched her draw. Everything felt so cozy.

Baobao threw herself into Gu Roujia’s arms and said: "Mommy, Baobao misses Daddy."

Gu Roujia gently held Baobao. "You only miss Daddy, not Mommy?"

"Mwah!" Baobao kissed Gu Roujia on the cheek and said: "I miss Mommy too."

Gu Roujia was amused by Baobao, pinching her little face. This clever, mischievous little thing was truly her child, though this playfulness was exactly like Julian when he was a child.

Julian... Gu Roujia suddenly paused. Baobao said she hadn't seen Julian for a few days; had something happened to him? Without realizing it, Gu Roujia occasionally thought of Julian now. She hadn't even noticed it herself.

"Do you really miss Daddy?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I’ll let Daddy come over now."

Baobao jumped and cheered "Long live!" Gu Roujia, with a smile in her eyes, called Julian.

When Julian picked up the phone, he couldn't believe his eyes—Gu Roujia was calling him?

"Roujia, you finally forgave me... thank you!"

He couldn't wait to drive to the hospital. The whole world felt much brighter; the sun was warm, the pedestrians on the road were so lovely. The heavy feelings that had suppressed his heart for many days were dispelled in an instant, turning joyous. As long as Gu Roujia loosened her grip, he believed he could move her eventually; they would be a happy family then.