While Susie was hospitalized, Lawrence visited her daily. Seeing that she seemed to be forgiving him, he became even more attentive.
When there were no urgent matters at the company, he spent his time at the hospital, cheering her up.
Gradually, their relationship began to improve.
"Come on, just one more bite. Mom said this is really good for you!"
Lawrence held a spoonful of something dark and unappetizing to her lips.
"It smells fishy..." Susie turned away, feeling a bit nauseous.
"It doesn't smell fishy at all!" Lawrence sniffed the spoon, puzzled. He had added plenty of ginger to it.
"It does..." Susie pouted in protest.
Lawrence's gaze grew warm. It had been a long time since she acted so playfully with him. Unable to resist, he leaned in to kiss her.
The familiar scent of him made Susie's heart flutter.
Seeing that she didn't pull away, Lawrence was overjoyed.
With one hand holding the bowl, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and kissed her soft, reddening lips.
"Ahem..."
Suddenly, a sound came from the door.
Shawn quickly stopped in his tracks, standing at the entrance and alerting the sweet couple inside, blocking the view for the friends behind him.
Lawrence turned, glaring at Shawn.
Susie's face turned crimson, and she lowered her head, embarrassed to see the visitors.
Leslie nudged Shawn, trying to get inside.
"Hey, Shawn, why are you blocking the door? I want to see Susie!"
"This guy doesn't realize how big he is. Standing there, we can't see a thing," Evan craned his neck, trying to peek inside.
"Am I interrupting something?" Shawn teased, stepping aside to let the others in.
"Susie, are you feeling better?" Holden was the first to rush in, carrying bags of supplements.
They had wanted to visit earlier, but Shawn had stopped them, knowing Susie wasn't in the best mood.
Lawrence blocked Holden, not letting him get too close. "Why are you all here?"
"We heard Susie was feeling better, so we came to see her!" Holden grinned, setting down the bags and glancing between Lawrence and Susie.
"Are you two back together?"
Leslie and Evan glared at him. Who asks such a question outright?
"And then?" Lawrence glowered.
Holden awkwardly scratched his neck, "And then what?"
"Susie, are you feeling better?" Leslie and Evan joined Susie, ignoring Holden's blunder.
"Yes, thank you for coming to see me," Susie smiled.
"No need to thank us. If it weren't for Shawn stopping us, we would have been here earlier!" Leslie said, glancing at Lawrence, who was glaring at them.
"You've seen her, now you can leave. Don't disturb her rest!" Lawrence ordered, his face stern.
"Tsk tsk, I think you're the problem. Susie, don't forgive him so easily. He's a scumbag!" Evan joked, "Dump him and come with me!"
Lawrence shot him a sharp look, but Evan ignored it.
Susie, amused by their antics, found herself smiling more.
Seeing her happiness, Lawrence allowed them to chat with her for a while.
"Hey, are you two really back together?" Shawn nudged Lawrence.
Despite Lawrence's past actions, Shawn couldn't deny his genuine feelings for Susie. As long as he didn't hurt her, Shawn had no objections.
"Sort of," Lawrence admitted, his eyes softening as he watched Susie's bright smile.
Shawn chuckled, teasing, "Susie has a soft heart. If it were me, I'd never let you off the hook."
Lawrence's expression darkened, and Shawn raised an eyebrow before walking over to Susie.
"Susie, I brought you some delicious food. Eat up!"
He opened the containers filled with nutritious dishes and began feeding Susie.
"I'll do it," Lawrence said, taking over the task.
Susie, having struggled with the earlier dark concoction, now found the aroma of these dishes enticing. Under Lawrence's care, she ate heartily.
Leslie and the others stayed for a while, chatting and laughing with Susie before leaving with Lawrence.
"Have you forgiven him?" Shawn asked, sitting by Susie's bed and offering her some fruit.
Susie glanced at him, biting her lip, "Not yet."
Shawn smiled knowingly. "Susie, Lawrence's feelings for you are real. After all these years, you should know that. He hasn't done anything to wrong you, except for the issue with your father's company."
Shawn didn't want them to part and felt he needed to encourage her.
"He's let go of his hatred for your sake, which is why he didn't completely ruin Morris Inc."
Susie lowered her eyes, knowing this to be true.
She had thought a lot over the past few days. Lawrence's careful attention had not gone unnoticed.
Her father also no longer blamed him.
But...
She looked at Shawn, hesitating. "Shawn, is there something you're not telling me?"
Susie couldn't bring herself to ask directly, so she tried to ask subtly.
Shawn froze. "What do you mean?"
Susie bit her lip, hesitant.
"Just ask directly. If I know, I'll tell you," Shawn encouraged, patting her head.
Susie looked at him. That day, he wasn't there, so maybe he didn't know.
She shook her head, unable to ask.
Asking the doctor would be more straightforward, but she lacked the courage.
"Get some rest," Shawn said gently, not pressing her. He then told her some jokes to make her laugh.
