“Fan Xia!” Rong Xiu panicked and stood up, dragging his clumsy body to grab the hem of her clothes, his gaze anxious and fearful: “Where are you going?”

“Jin Yi has a fever. I’m going to take care of him,” Fan Xia said coldly.

“What about me?” Rong Xiu looked at Fan Xia’s cold eyes with tears, placing her hand on his swollen belly, his voice trembling: “You’re going to take care of him, but what about me and the baby? Fan Xia, feel this, the baby is already moving.”

Fan Xia’s expression softened, but she still hardened her heart and said: “There are servants at home, and a dedicated nutritionist. Even without me, you can live very well. But Jin Yi, thanks to you, is now seriously ill and afraid to go to the hospital. He can’t manage without me.”

“No!” Rong Xiu tightly clutched the hem of her coat. He knew the child was Fan Xia’s weakness, but now even the child couldn’t keep Fan Xia. Rong Xiu was truly scared. He feared that if Fan Xia left this time, she might never come back.

He held onto her clothes tightly, crying and begging: “Fan Xia, don’t go. I’m your husband. I know I was wrong. I’ll clear things up right now. I’ll restore Jin Yi’s reputation. I’ll apologize to Jin Yi, okay? I just beg you not to leave. Look at me and the child.”

“We’ll talk when you’ve actually done it.” Fan Xia shook off his hand and left without looking back.

“Fan Xia—”

Outside, the wind and snow were fierce. The biting sea breeze seemed to have frozen the falling snow into ice, stinging painfully when it hit the face. Rong Xiu, wearing only thin clothes, chased after her. Snow covered his hair, and his exposed skin was frozen red. The sea wind felt like countless knives cutting into his body.

“Go back!” Fan Xia instinctively wrapped her coat around Rong Xiu, her tone somewhat angry, upset at him for mistreating his own body.

“Fan Xia, don’t go. I truly know I was wrong. I was petty and jealous. I’ll change, I promise. I’ll have the trending topic taken down right now. Don’t go, Fan Xia. The child and I can’t live without you.” Rong Xiu cried out, his eyes red-rimmed.

Fan Xia instinctively wanted to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, but thinking of Jin Yi’s ordeal, she withdrew her raised hand: “I said we’ll talk when you’ve actually done it. As for this period of time, I have things to do, so I won’t be coming back.”

“Fan Xia—” Rong Xiu pleaded.

“Don’t follow me anymore.” Fan Xia steeled her heart and whispered in his ear: “If anything happens to the child, I won’t forgive you.”

Rong Xiu’s face turned pale with shock, his thin body trembling as he watched Fan Xia walk further and further away.

The news about clarifying the rumors between Jin Yi and the coach shot to the top of the trending topics, and Jin Yi also received a notice from the basketball team asking him to rejoin.

“Alright, I understand. Thank you, coach… But I caught a cold earlier which led to a fever, and my body hasn’t fully recovered yet, so it might be a while before I can come back,” Jin Yi said, sitting on the sofa wrapped in a thick blanket, holding a cup of steaming mulled wine.

“I see. Well, there’s no rush. Take good care of yourself and come back when you’ve fully recovered. There will always be a place for you on our team,” the coach said.

“Thank you, coach.” Jin Yi took a sip of the mulled wine, his shy gaze turning towards Fan Xia standing on the balcony. This was personally brewed by Sister Fan, a treatment her official husband probably didn’t even get.

Jin Yi secretly rejoiced, savoring this exclusive favor. Even the notice to rejoin the team couldn’t dilute this joy. He deliberately exaggerated his illness to both delay his return and gain more of Fan Xia’s concern and care.

“The basketball team asked you to go back?” Fan Xia sat down beside him after hearing Jin Yi finish the call.

“Mm.” Jin Yi sat with a well-behaved posture and coughed lightly: “But my cold hasn’t fully recovered yet. The coach said it’s okay to rejoin after I’ve recovered.”

Fan Xia nodded: “That’s good. Take this time to rest and recover.”

Jin Yi said: “Sister Fan, you’re really amazing. You resolved those rumors so quickly. Who was that person who slandered me behind my back? I want to meet them and ask face to face why they did this to me.”

Fan Xia’s expression remained unchanged, her smile gentle: “I’ve looked into it. It wasn’t one of your teammates, just the husband of one of your fans. He felt that his wife-master was too infatuated with you, so he took out his anger on you.”

“So that’s what happened.” Jin Yi lowered his head, feeling a bit upset.

Fan Xia managed to fool Jin Yi with just a few words, while also covering up for Rong Xiu’s mistake.

Although Fan Xia was angry at Rong Xiu for doing such a thing, he was still her husband. They could argue all they wanted in private, but in front of others, she would always protect him.

For nearly a month, she hadn’t gone home, focusing on taking care of Jin Yi. Firstly, to make up for Rong Xiu’s mistake, and secondly, to let Rong Xiu reflect on his actions and learn not to go too far.

“Then Sister Fan, to thank you for helping me so much, how about I personally cook a delicious meal for you tonight?” Jin Yi looked at Fan Xia, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

Fan Xia smiled and shook her head: “There’s no need. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, so just rest well.”

“Although my body hasn’t fully recovered, it’s no problem at all to cook a meal for you, Sister Fan.” Jin Yi hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Is it that Sister Fan thinks my cooking isn’t good and doesn’t want to eat what I make?”

“Not at all,” Fan Xia said with a smile. “It’s your brother-in-law. He’s nearly eight months pregnant now and will give birth soon. You know, pregnant men especially need family companionship at this time.”

“…I see.” Jin Yi’s expression darkened slightly. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t compete with the child in Rong Xiu’s belly.

“By the way, I haven’t thought of a name yet for this unborn little nephew of yours. For a boy, the name should be delicate and gentle, don’t you think?” Fan Xia asked.

Jin Yi’s expression became even more peculiar. He bit his lip and said, “I don’t know either. Whatever Sister Fan thinks is good is fine.”

“That’s true. You’re not even married yourself, so it’s indeed a bit difficult for you. Oh right, didn’t your brother-in-law say he wanted to introduce some talented young people to you before?” Fan Xia’s eyes lit up with interest. “As it happens, I know a young lady who just returned from studying abroad. She’s the daughter of a sports brand owner. Since you’re an athlete, you two should have a lot to talk about. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll introduce you to each other.”

Jin Yi gripped his cup tightly. “There’s no need. Thank you for your and Sister Fan’s kind intentions, but I don’t need that right now. My illness hasn’t recovered yet.”

Fan Xia grasped his wrist. The warm temperature made Jin Yi’s fingertips twitch. He looked up to see Fan Xia’s gentle yet meaningful gaze. “Jin Yi, your illness will get better one day. I have your brother-in-law and your unborn little nephew. I can’t always take care of you. An excellent young man like you deserves a better future.”