Chapter 5

Leonard had no choice but to turn to the nurse and say, "Call her over here!” A brief moment later, the nurse returned with an honest response, "Ms. Lisa says she’ll only come if you ask politely." Leonard's temples throbbed, and he massaged them when the phone rang. On the other end of the line, Leonard’s older brother, Jeffrey, spoke, “Are you still at the hospital? Your sister-in-law and I will visit you when I get off work.” "Yeah, I’m here." Leonard hung up and narrowed his eyes at the nurse, saying, “Tell her I’m extending an invitation to her.” Lisa was stunned when the nurse delivered the message. However, since Leonard was so polite, Lisa walked over with a half slice of pineapple pizza. Leonard immediately frowned as he covered his nose. He exclaimed, “Who told you to bring that here?! Throw it away!” “You have no taste. You have no idea how delicious this is!” Lisa quickly ate the pizza in a couple of bites since he considered he was a patient that should not be under stress. Her cheeks bulged with crumbs lingering at the corners of her lips. She looked adorable at a glance, but the pineapple pizza smell was unbearable for Leonard. His face contorted in disgust. “Keep your distance from me!” “Why am I here?” Lisa went straight to the point. Leonard said, “My aunt and uncle will be visiting me soon. Be polite, and remember to greet them. Don’t embarrass me, got it?!” "That's it?" Lisa said lightly, "Don't worry. I'm much more polite than you." Afterward, she turned and walked back to her room. Leonard seethed with anger but took a deep breath and smiled coldly. Later that evening, Jeffrey and his wife, Michelle, arrived. The couple brought various gifts for their visit. “Have a seat.” Leonard raised his chin and subtly winked at Lisa, signaling her to approach and welcome the couple. Lisa recognized Jeffrey and Michelle from the wedding reception. However, she rushed through introductions then, and their identities were a blur to her. Lisa walked over and greeted them. “Hello, Aunt and Uncle.” “Pfft!” Jeffrey involuntarily spit the tea he drank and coughed uncontrollably. Michelle frowned and patted her husband’s back. Leonard’s lips twitched as he desperately tried holding back his smile with charming dimples appearing on his cheeks. He felt refreshed and finally emerged victorious since Lily had tested his patience since they met. Meanwhile, Lisa was confused. ‘Did I say something wrong? Leonard said his uncle and aunt were coming over, right?’ Leonard suppressed his laughter and feigned anger. He scolded, “What are you talking about? These are my older brother and sister-in-law!” Lisa and Leonard exchanged glances while Lisa’s eyes hinted at malice. ‘How could he play such a petty trick on me? How shameless.’ She pursed her lips, feeling annoyed. "Didn't you say your uncle and aunt would come over later?" "When did I say that?" Leonard chastised her with a hateful expression, "Can't you use your brain? My parents are in their sixties and seventies. Isn’t it normal to have an older brother in his forties?" Lisa finally understood that Leonard would never admit his fault. ‘He’s quite good at acting.’ Her eyes quickly reddened, and her body trembled. "I'm sorry, dear. It's all my fault for being foolish. Please don't be angry." She quickly lowered her head and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. It made Leonard suspect she graduated from a drama academy. "Don't cry. It's okay. It’s not a big deal." Jeffrey quickly comforted the young lady, saying, "My mother conceived Leonard in her forties. When I visited his school, people often mistook me for his father." Michelle asked disapprovingly, "Didn't you learn the family tree before you married?" "The marriage was quite urgent. I don't know much about it," Lisa sniffled and explained. Michelle sneered. "Your mother urged the Parker family several times, wanting to get you married early. Didn't she tell you?" She referred to Leslie's mother, whom Lisa was unfamiliar with. Lisa felt a pang of guilt and could only lower her head in silence. She knew it would be best to keep quiet, or she would get into more trouble. "Well, Lisa didn't do it intentionally. She’s young, after all." Jeffrey comforted his wife. "Well, if she’s young, then I’m old.” Michelle sneered again as she shook off her husband's hand. The middle-aged woman got up and walked away. "Don't worry about it. Michelle’s been going through menopause recently," Jeffrey said gently before going after his wife. Finally, only two people remained in the ward. Lisa sighed in relief and rolled her eyes at Leonard. "Leonard, I think you’re in the wrong gender." "What do you mean?" Leonard instantly became vigilant, his intuition telling him nothing good would come from her foul mouth. "Have you read any literature? Only women commonly use these tricks of yours," Lisa complained. Leonard's temples twitched, making him look like a toxic person. "Don’t blame me. You’re stupid to believe what I said." Leonard sneered. "Since you have so much free time, eat less pizza and replace that with brain supplements." ‘He has such a cruel and vicious tongue.’ Lisa's face flushed with rage, and her eyes widened. Leonard raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling much better. However, his feeling did not last long because Lisa promptly brought two more slices of pineapple pizza to eat while perched on the edge of his bed. "Dear, this pizza is delicious. Would you like some?" "Then why is it so stinky?" The pineapple smell assaulted Leonard’s nose, only for him to feel a sharp pain in his head and nausea in his throat. He grabbed Lisa and threw up on her with a loud gag. "Ahh!" Lisa’s scream echoed throughout the ward.