Chapter 26 : Responsibility

Cold wind sneaked into the hospital room through the gaps between the two windows, blowing Liang Qingqing’s hair across her face, causing a tickling sensation. She took the opportunity to tuck the stray hairs behind her ear, and inadvertently avoided Fan Yanxing’s somewhat intense gaze.

After a moment of collecting her thoughts, she tried to sound casual and said, “What do you want to say? You go first.”

After she finished speaking, she blinked her long eyelashes, gathered the courage to look at him again but this time he averted his gaze first, seeming unable to maintain his calm facade if he looked at her any longer.

Fan Yanxing stared at the corner of Liang Qingqing’s clothes not far away, noting the dirt on them. Finally, he asked the question he had been wanting to ask earlier, “What happened to you? You don’t look like yourself.”

The Liang Qingqing he usually saw was always neat and clean, dressed with apparent care despite a casual appearance. But today, she looked disheveled and covered in grime with dried mud in her hair.

Fan Yanxing had an answer on the tip of his tongue but he found it hard to believe and tried to joke his way into getting the truth from her.

Noticing his gaze, Liang Qingqing awkwardly tugged at the corner of her clothes, feeling a rare sense of discomfort in front of him. She had planned to use Fan Yanxing’s wakefulness as an opportunity to impress him, to recount how worried she had been upon learning he was buried, how she had expended her physical strength and energy digging him out of the mud and how she had sacrificed her appearance to save him…

In other words, she intended to dramatize everything before telling him.

But when faced with his question, she found herself unable to speak feeling out of place and unsure of what to say.

Why?

Was it because her current appearance was too embarrassing? But this was exactly the image she had planned to convey to make her story more convincing and elicit more sympathy and concern from Fan Yanxing by looking so pitiful and disheveled.

Otherwise, even if she had no clean clothes, she could have used the hospital’s hot water room to clean herself up.

Unable to understand why she felt this way, Liang Qingqing entwined her fingers, her long nails digging into her palms. She raised her voice defensively, “How am I not like myself? I got this way because I went to help with the rescue. You’re lying in bed and can’t move and yet you’re still criticizing me for being dirty?”

After saying this, she bit her lower lip in frustration. Why did she say that?

The situation had completely deviated from her expectations.

“I didn’t mean that.” Hearing Liang Qingqing’s words, Fan Yanxing was momentarily stunned then quickly denied any intention to mock her in this situation. In fact…

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to show concern but I might not have expressed it well, so…”

The issue was that their past interactions had always been prickly, making her think he was mocking her whenever he spoke.

“You’re concerned about me?” Liang Qingqing seized on this key point, her tone rising slightly and her lips curling up into a smile. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“…” He had indeed meant to express that from the beginning.

“My fault.” Fan Yanxing did not want to argue further about whether he had expressed it earlier or not. After acknowledging his mistake, he shifted the topic to follow up on her previous statement asking, “You said you went to help with the rescue? Isn’t it usually the case that women and children aren’t allowed on the front lines in the village?”

“Well, they usually don’t allow women and children to go, but weren’t you buried?” Liang Qingqing blurted out her honest thoughts without thinking, immediately regretting her words. As soon as she finished speaking, she wished she could slap herself for saying that.

On hand, she felt that this statement was too blunt and might make Fan Yanxing think badly of her. If it disrupted their currently harmonious relationship or messed up her plans to win him over, it would be a loss.

On the other hand, she wondered if being straightforward was the best way to handle this situation. If she continued to rely on her often erratic way of speaking, she might never succeed in her efforts.

Feeling conflicted, her expression twisted with indecision.

As expected, after hearing her, Fan Yanxing was silent for a long time before clearing his throat and directly addressing the issue “So, you went to save me?”

Upon hearing this, Liang Qingqing tightened her grip on her palms, avoiding eye contact with Fan Yanxing instead looking at the ceiling or the floor. She didn’t notice that he was fidgeting with the blanket in a similar manner.

Their awkward silence was broken by Liang Junqiang rushing into the room.

“Hurry, the water’s here. Yanxing, drink up.” Liang Junqiang focused on getting water to Fan Yanxing, didn’t notice the changed atmosphere in the room. He gently pushed Liang Qingqing aside and squeezed between them, handing the cup to Fan Yanxing.

Feeling the cold against his lips, Fan Yanxing glanced at Liang Qingqing over Liang Junqiang’s shoulder and saw that she had already turned away. He smiled and said, “Thanks, Brother Junqiang, I’ll take it from here.”

“Don’t be polite. Drink up.” Seeing that Fan Yanxing wasn’t just putting on a brave front, Liang Junqiang handed him the cup.

After a long period without water, Fan Yanxing drank the entire cup in one go, feeling refreshed. At that moment, Liang Qingqing returned with the doctor. “He just woke up. Doctor, please examine him again.”

After a thorough check, the doctor reassured them that fortunately, most of the injuries were superficial. He would need to stay in the hospital for a couple more days for observation, but he could be discharged soon. Liang Qingqing thanked the doctor profusely and saw him to the door before returning to the room.

“Surviving such a disaster means there will be good fortune ahead,” Liang Qingqing said, adjusting her mood and distancing herself from the earlier confusion. She felt much more composed facing Fan Yanxing now.

Liang Junqiang nodded in agreement and then whispered, “Yes, it’s truly a blessing that Yanxing didn’t suffer major injuries after being buried for so long. I heard that one of the first two people rescued had their arm broken and is still bedridden upstairs.”

At this point, Liang Junqiang changed the subject: “But when Yanxing was first dug out, he wasn’t breathing. If it hadn’t been for Qingqing performing mouth-to-mouth…”

Liang Qingqing quickly covered Liang Junqiang’s mouth with her hand. “Brother! The doctor just said to give Fan Yanxing something to eat. Did you see any porridge at the cafeteria?”

“Mouth-to-mouth?” Fan Yanxing instinctively pressed his lips together, repeating Liang Junqiang’s words in confusion.

Seeing Liang Qingqing’s reaction, he immediately understood what had happened.

Earlier, in the capital, he had seen doctors perform emergency procedures on unconscious patients, one of which was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to help the patient breathe.

So, Liang Qingqing had used this method to save him?

As he thought about it, Fan Yanxing’s gaze involuntarily fell on Liang Qingqing’s lips as they opened and closed.

Their color, a pinkish hue reminiscent of water-soaked peaches,

Their shape, soft and full,

He found it hard to imagine what it would feel like to have such lips pressed against his.

The more he thought about it, the faster his heartbeat became, soon losing its normal rhythm and causing his breathing to become rapid, even making his palms sweat.

Fan Yanxing took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm his unusually intense reaction but his body seemed to have a mind of its own. The imagined sensation of lips touching which he had no memory of, now filled his mind causing his body temperature to rise rapidly, his ears turning bright red and spreading to his neck.

“It seems like they have porridge for sale.” Liang Junqiang’s comment interrupted his thoughts as he began to remember if he had seen any porridge at the cafeteria.

Seeing that he had successfully been distracted, Liang Qingqing let out a sigh of relief. “Do you want to go check again?”

“Okay, I’ll go get some and also pick up our dinner.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No need, it’s raining outside. I’ll go by myself.”

After saying this, Liang Junqiang said goodbye to Fan Yanxing and quickly left. The room was left with only the two of them again. In the quiet room, their eyes met across the space, like two sparks colliding in the dark, creating a dangerous yet captivating tension.

“Thank you for saving me.” Fan Yanxing turned his head. The hospital room was still dim and the faint light from outside highlighted the thin flush on his face. His usually composed eyes were now disarrayed, showing a hint of embarrassment.

Liang Qingqing found his reaction particularly intriguing and realized that he was feeling shy.

This thank you indicated that Fan Yanxing understood that the reason for the mouth-to-mouth was to save him, not for any other reason. Despite knowing that the “kiss” had no other meaning, he still felt shy.

Could she interpret this as him not being opposed to their accidental intimacy?

If that was the case, then she should take advantage of his shyness, continue to pursue him and it would surely be more effective.

But why was she feeling shy too? How could she, the hunter, feel embarrassed?

Liang Qingqing pressed her rapidly beating heart. Her behavior in this hospital room had been extremely unusual today. Actually, it had been strange from the moment she learned that Fan Yanxing was buried.

Why was this happening? What was wrong with her?

After thinking it over, Liang Qingqing with no experience in romance, could only conclude that her happiness felt threatened, causing her to overthink. If something happened to Fan Yanxing, her carefully planned future would be ruined.

She couldn’t let it continue like this. The most important thing now was to stay clear-headed and keep moving towards her goal. Everything else could wait!

Understanding this, Liang Qingqing set aside her confusing emotions, put on a smile, and took a few steps toward Fan Yanxing, sitting down on the chair beside his bed. She softened her voice and said, “No need to thank me. About that incident… don’t worry about it. It’s what I should have done. After all, you saved me before, didn’t you?”

Her thoughtful response would surely make Fan Yanxing even more touched!

“Don’t worry about it?” Fan Yanxing’s eyelashes fluttered as he hesitated for a moment before voicing what he had most wanted to say since learning about the incident, “But no matter what, in front of so many people, we… I need to be responsible for you.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Qingqing almost nodded in agreement, but she realized that responsibility obtained through moral coercion would not last long. What she wanted was for Fan Yanxing to willingly choose her, to provide her with a comfortable life for the rest of his days, not just a temporary solution.

This required a foundation of genuine affection. Fishing for a big catch requires patience, so she swallowed the agreement that was on the tip of her tongue and, half-jokingly, waved her hand. “Really, you don’t need to be responsible. By your logic, if a doctor saves a patient once, they’d need to be responsible for them every time. Wouldn’t that mean they’d never be able to marry anyone?”

In theory, he should be relieved to hear this. After all, marriage is no trifling matter and he didn’t want to rashly decide on his lifelong partner. As for saving a life, material compensation could be a solution.

However, at this moment Fan Yanxing felt as if he had a lump in his throat and a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes, though his expression remained unchanged. He managed a faint smile. “You do have a point.”

“Exactly. It makes perfect sense.” Liang Qingqing, feeling she had given Fan Yanxing an out, changed the subject. “Your health is the most important thing. The main priority now is to get better. Everything else is secondary.”

Fan Yanxing suddenly didn’t want to continue discussing this topic. He abruptly shifted the conversation. “I don’t have any cash on me right now. Once we get back to the village…”

“That’s minor. We can discuss it later.”

“…” Fan Yanxing nodded and then remembered something important. “How will you get back to the village tonight?”

At this time, there were no more rides back to the village. It was unrealistic to walk back after dark and with Liang Qingqing’s current state, she would likely be exhausted halfway through.

“We’re not going back today. Tonight, we’ll see if we can borrow a bed from the hospital. Besides, you can’t be left alone. My brother and I will be here to take care of you.” Liang Qingqing had already planned this out. In times of trouble, true feelings are revealed. She was determined to stay by Fan Yanxing’s side.

“You’ve done a lot for me.” Fan Yanxing was lying in the hospital bed for the first time, being taken care of by others and he felt a bit embarrassed. He nodded in thanks to Liang Qingqing.

“If you recover quickly, the trouble will be worth it.” Liang Qingqing propped her arms on her knees, cradled her chin in her hands and gazed at Fan Yanxing with a charming, crescent-shaped smile.

Fan Yanxing’s heart skipped a beat but then he remembered Liang Qingqing’s earlier rejection. His emotions were complex and he almost instinctively closed his eyes, as if escaping from the situation. “I, I’m a bit tired. I’d like to rest for a while.”

“Then you should sleep for a bit. When my brother comes back, I’ll wake you up to eat something before you sleep again.” Liang Qingqing, being considerate thought Fan Yanxing was still groggy from just waking up. She carefully adjusted his blankets for him.

Feeling her small hands moving over the blankets on his chest, Fan Yanxing’s throat tightened and his hand hidden under the covers clenched into a fist.

“Achoo.”

Not long after, a muffled sneeze was heard, followed by the sound of footsteps leaving. The door to the room opened and closed, and when he was alone, Fan Yanxing slowly opened his eyes, his worried gaze fixed on the door.

Was she alright?