Chapter 20.2

The light was dimmed, and the room darkened. Ruan Mingfu, not accustomed to the darkness, quickly closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but in her groggy state, a pitch-black snake coiled around her legs.

Ruan Mingfu was terrified out of her wits.

In this vast grassland with no one around to save her, Ruan Mingfu was consumed by fear, tears quickly filling her beautiful eyes.

She struggled to free herself from the snake’s entanglement and ran forward desperately.

The snake, however, relentlessly pursued her.

The grass was mixed with stones, and she stumbled several times, with the snake getting closer each time.

Shaking with fear, she accidentally looked into the snake’s eyes.

What a pair of eyes…

Ferocious, full of hatred, and with a familiar sinister glare. Ruan Mingfu couldn’t quite place it but knew she had to keep running.

After tripping once more, the snake caught up with her.

Its cold scales brushed against Ruan Mingfu’s calves, making her both angry and scared.

“Go away! You ugly creature, don’t touch me! Go away… quickly, go!”

“Mingfu… Mingfu…”

Faintly, Ruan Mingfu heard someone calling her name. She opened her eyes wide and realized she was still in the hospital, and the person calling her was Xie Yanzhao.

He was half-sitting by Ruan Mingfu’s bed, his brow tightly furrowed.

His deep black eyes showed a hint of concern.

As Ruan Mingfu became fully awake, the fear and hurt overwhelmed her, and she threw herself into Xie Yanzhao’s arms, crying.

His deep voice murmured in her ear, “It was just a nightmare, there’s no need to be afraid.”

Perhaps it was late at night, but Xie Yanzhao’s voice was softer now.

Ruan Mingfu’s fear gradually subsided.

The ward remained dark.

Xie Yanzhao rushed over as soon as he heard Ruan Mingfu’s voice, without even turning on the light. It was a good thing the room was dark; otherwise, Ruan Mingfu might have seen his flustered expression.

Ruan Mingfu’s tears had dampened a small patch on Xie Yanzhao’s chest.

But due to the darkness, neither of them noticed.

Xie Yanzhao patted her head with a big hand. “It’s all right. Go back to sleep.”

Ruan Mingfu sniffled, still gripping his clothes.

“But… I’m scared.”

“I’m right here in the room, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

Ruan Mingfu pouted.

He was in the room before too, and she still had nightmares?

Ruan Mingfu clung to his clothes, “No, you need to stay with me.”

Xie Yanzhao: “… How do I stay with you?”

“Just watch me sleep,” Ruan Mingfu nestled deeper into the blanket. “Wait until I fall asleep, then you can go.”

It was already late at night, and even the dogs outside had stopped barking.

“I’ll stay here with you,” Xie Yanzhao hesitated before saying, “Go to sleep.”

Ruan Mingfu’s sleeping posture was very standard, with her hands sticking out from the blanket, and resting on her abdomen. It was more obedient than usual, compared to her lively wakefulness.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, brightening the ward.

Xie Yanzhao, with his sharp eyes, took in Ruan Mingfu’s appearance.

She lay in bed, her eyes still glistening with the tears from earlier. Her hair spread out on the pillow, making her face look even smaller.

Xie Yanzhao curiously compared her face with his hand.

Her face was actually smaller than his hand!

Xie Yanzhao then noticed that, with her eyes closed, the usually bright and vibrant Ruan Mingfu had an ethereal, otherworldly quality.

His gaze inevitably fell on Ruan Mingfu’s lips.

Her lips were beautifully shaped and the color was lovely.

Xie Yanzhao remembered the unknown flowers he encountered during his mission. They looked like weeds but had beautiful, butterfly-like flowers with vivid colors.

One notable feature of these flowers was that they were edible.

Pluck them, remove the calyx, and a gentle sip will let you taste the sweetest thing in the world.

Thinking of this, Xie Yanzhao’s throat involuntarily moved. He quickly turned his head away, not daring to look at the person on the bed.

Xie Yanzhao felt awkward yet inexplicably excited. He wanted to look at Ruan Mingfu one more time but was met with her large, dark, beautiful eyes.

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

“I can’t sleep~”

Ruan Mingfu’s voice was hoarse, lacking any clear softness, but Xie Yanzhao could sense a hint of dependence.

“… Go to sleep.”

Why was she still awake at this hour?

Ruan Mingfu turned her head, pouting slightly, “Can you not watch me? If you look at me, I won’t be able to sleep.”

Xie Yanzhao’s throat bobbed even more.

He awkwardly shifted his gaze, “… I won’t look. Go to sleep.”

Ruan Mingfu agreed and closed her eyes again.

Seeing her like this, Xie Yanzhao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He stopped observing Ruan Mingfu and instead looked out the window.

After a long while, long enough for the moon outside to shift positions, Xie Yanzhao looked at Ruan Mingfu, who was lying on the bed with a peaceful expression, and let out a slow sigh of relief. He moved his stiff limbs and then returned to his own bed.

However, it wasn’t long before:

“Xie Yanzhao, I want some water…”

“Xie Yanzhao, I need to use the bathroom…”

“Xie Yanzhao…”

The sounds of heavy objects being moved came from Ruan Mingfu’s ears, followed by the feeling of being restrained by a large hand.

It turned out that Xie Yanzhao had moved his bed over, merging it with Ruan Mingfu’s to form a double bed. Xie Yanzhao’s leg pressed down on her, trapping her in the blankets.

“No, you don’t want to!”

Ruan Mingfu even detected a tone of gritted teeth in those words.

She pulled her neck back and obediently closed her eyes again.

Strangely, this time she fell asleep immediately without dreaming and slept straight through until dawn.

When she woke up, the room had already been tidied up. Xie Yanzhao’s bed from last night had been neatly arranged, with no wrinkles on the sheets. If she didn’t recall what had happened last night, Ruan Mingfu might have thought he hadn’t slept on the bed at all.

Xie Yanzhao entered the room carrying a thermos and immediately met Ruan Mingfu’s awake eyes.

“Go wash up. I brought you some congee.”

Ruan Mingfu’s injury was on her neck, and the doctor had advised numerous restrictions. To be safe, she should stick to eating congee for a while.

After a night’s rest, although her throat felt much better, the marks on it looked even more severe.

Especially since Ruan Mingfu’s skin was pale, the injury looked even more alarming.

After she finished the congee, Xie Yanzhao took out a tube of ointment and began applying it to her injury.

The ointment was cool and soothing when applied to the wound.

Ruan Mingfu squinted her eyes, like a lazy cat, and curiously asked, “Is this what the doctor prescribed too? Why wasn’t it used yesterday?”

The medicine prescribed by the doctor yesterday had a strong odor and was like lard. It was very uncomfortable to apply to her neck.

She had used it all night and felt very distressed.

This new ointment was much better.

It was like jelly and had a pleasant fragrance.

Xie Yanzhao didn’t respond but placed the ointment on the bedside table. “Apply it three times a day. If I’m not back by noon, have someone help you apply it.”

“What do you mean you might not be back?” Ruan Mingfu asked in confusion.

“What’s going on? Is it the Zhou family causing trouble for you?” Ruan Mingfu’s anger flared at the mention of Zhou Peng. “What did the police say?”

Zhou Peng had almost choked her to death, and Ruan Mingfu, who wasn’t one to suffer in silence, certainly wouldn’t let him off easily.

After being admitted to the hospital, Xu Zhu reported the case to the police.

No matter how powerful Zhou Xiaohu was, she didn’t believe he could protect a murderer.

If he couldn’t bear to part with his nephew, he and his nephew could both be locked up.

“This is not just about this incident, there are personal matters as well,” Xie Yanzhao said, tidying up his things. “I’ve arranged for someone to take care of you. If you need anything, just ask Sister Zhou.”

Ruan Mingfu nodded.

She could manage on her own; her injury was on her neck, not her limbs.

“The police might come to understand the situation today. Just tell them the truth and don’t be afraid.”

Xie Yanzhao had only learned about this early this morning.

Mother Zhou had taken Zhou Peng to the hospital, but due to his severe injuries, the county hospital was unwilling to treat him. In the end, it was Zhou Xiaohu who arranged for a car to take him to the city hospital.

According to the news he heard, Zhou Peng’s condition wasn’t good.

Zhou Dahu was furious and went to the city hospital overnight.

“I know all that. You can go now.”

Ruan Mingfu waved her hand dismissively.

Zhou Peng was not a joke, he truly intended to kill her. Ruan Mingfu felt no sympathy for him and only thought that his death had come too slowly.

…..

Gu Yilin arrived at the hospital with some items.

After getting her aunt’s permission, she went out early in the morning to find someone. To her surprise, Ruan Mingfu wasn’t there and had gone to the hospital.

Sigh!

Her best friend was really in a bad situation.

Just a few days ago, she was perfectly fine, and now she had ended up in the hospital.

Gu Yilin decided that when she saw Ruan Mingfu, she would definitely mock her!

She walked into the hospital and, upon arriving at the entrance, brushed past someone. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly turned around to see a military-green figure.

Even though she didn’t see the person’s face, Gu Yilin knew this man was definitely striking.

Tall and well-built, with strong muscles and robust arms… every part of him hit her aesthetic preferences.

Swish—

Looking at the departing figure, Gu Yilin withdrew her gaze.

She hadn’t lost sight of her purpose for today!