Around 3 a.m., in the hospital ward, Zhou He stared blankly at Xia Zimu lying on the bed, feeling no drowsiness. In the end, Zhou He persuaded Qiao Yun and her husband to go back and rest, staying behind to watch over Xia Zimu. Zhou He took Xia Zimu’s hand and placed it against his forehead, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “Mu Mu, wake up soon! And… stop avoiding me, okay?” Thinking about what had happened that night, Zhou He felt a little regretful. He shouldn’t have been so impulsive, forcing Xia Zimu to make a choice. He should have been more patient. Zhou He gently kissed the back of Xia Zimu’s hand, but his gaze was obsessive. “Mu Mu, I will never let you go!”

As if sensing it, Xia Zimu’s fingers twitched slightly. Zhou He’s emotions flared up. Fearing it was just his imagination, he choked up and called out, “Mu Mu, you’re awake?”

Xia Zimu furrowed his brows, unconsciously muttering, “It hurts…” Hearing this, Zhou He felt a pang of pain in his heart. He would rather it were him lying in the bed. If he could, he would take the pain for Mu Mu.

Zhou He anxiously pressed the call button by the bed. The nurse quickly walked in, and Zhou He grabbed her shoulder. “He keeps saying it hurts. Hurry and do something!”

The nurse, recalling what Dr. Chen had instructed her, explained, “Don’t worry too much. This is normal because the anesthetic from the surgery has worn off. The pain is expected.”

Zhou He had no patience to listen to her lengthy explanation. He shouted at her, “Then do something to relieve the pain!”

“Okay.”

Eventually, the nurse followed Dr. Chen’s instructions and gave Xia Zimu a painkiller injection. Slowly, Xia Zimu stopped crying out in pain, and the nurse, seeing he had settled down, left the room. Zhou He gently smoothed the frown that had formed from the pain. “Mu Mu…”

“Water… Water…” Xia Zimu’s voice was faint, like it was coming from a dream, repeatedly asking for water. Zhou He quickly got a cup of warm water from the water dispenser. He carefully lifted Xia Zimu’s head, making sure he could drink comfortably, and gently removed his oxygen mask.

“Mu Mu, the water’s here.”

Xia Zimu’s lips parted slightly, but he could only drink a small amount. Zhou He, seeing how slow it was, became anxious. In the end, he took the water into his mouth, leaned down, and kissed Xia Zimu. Using his tongue, he pried open his lips and slowly passed the water to him. Xia Zimu instinctively drank the water, every sip seemingly relieving his dry throat, unaware that he was being taken advantage of…

After three times, Zhou He stopped. Xia Zimu’s pale lips, now kissed, turned slightly pink. After drinking the water, his brows gradually relaxed, and his breathing became steadier. Zhou He’s gaze never left Xia Zimu. He gently stroked his cheek, feeling a sense of contentment. “Goodnight, Mu Mu.”

…

Xia Zimu felt like he had been sleeping for a long time, having a long dream. In the dream, Zhou He seemed to have “kissed fever,” constantly biting his lips, while he seemed to have lost all energy to resist, only passively enduring the kiss.

The scene changed, and they were at the Wild Racing Club. Xia Zimu wanted to ride a motorcycle, but Zhou He stopped him. Just as they were arguing, a car suddenly came toward them. Xia Zimu felt as if his legs were made of lead and couldn’t move. As the car was about to hit him, Zhou He suddenly pushed him hard. The car ran over Zhou He’s body, leaving a pool of blood. The blinding red made Xia Zimu freeze, shouting, “No, no…”

Qiao Yun was wiping Xia Zimu’s face when she noticed him repeatedly saying “no” in his sleep. Gently shaking him, she called out, “Mu Mu, you’re awake?”

Xia Zimu opened his eyes and was met with Qiao Yun’s concerned gaze. His throat ached, and he could barely speak, almost unable to produce sound. “Mom… why are you here?”

It was just a dream! He was so scared.

Qiao Yun saw him trying to speak but unable to make out the words and was nearly in tears. “You’re finally awake. Do you know how worried your father and I have been?”

Xia Zimu was still in a daze, not yet realizing that he had been in a car accident.

Qiao Yun was pressing the call button while continuously muttering, “If I ever catch you riding a motorcycle again, I’ll…” But when she saw her son’s pale face, she couldn’t bring herself to say those harsh words. At that moment, Xia Zhenyu and Dr. Chen walked in together. Upon seeing his son awake, Xia Zhenyu’s face showed a flash of joy. Xia Zimu looked at Dr. Chen in the white coat and finally realized that he had crashed yesterday…

Dr. Chen carefully examined him, gave Qiao Yun a few instructions, and then asked the nurse to bring him some medication. After Dr. Chen left the room, Xia Zimu tried to move and sit up, only to realize that he couldn’t use his leg and that a sharp, piercing pain occasionally shot through it. While Qiao Yun was getting him a cup of water, she saw Xia Zimu wriggling on the bed like a worm, and she quickly shouted, “Mu Mu, what are you doing? The doctor said you can’t move around yet; you need to rest!”

Xia Zimu hoarsely asked, “What’s wrong with my leg?” Xia Zhenyu cleared his throat and said seriously, “It’s broken.” Xia Zimu’s face instantly went pale.

“But the doctor has fixed it,” Xia Zhenyu added. Xia Zimu’s face softened, and he sighed in relief, glad he wouldn’t be crippled. Then Xia Zhenyu’s tone changed, “But your leg won’t fully heal for at least six months to a year, so don’t even think about riding a motorcycle again!”

“If you touch one again, I’ll break your other leg!” After saying that, Xia Zhenyu gave Xia Zimu a serious look. Xia Zimu stared blankly at the ceiling, certain that his dad was doing this on purpose, making his heart race with anxiety.

At that moment, Qiao Yun couldn’t hold herself back and grabbed Xia Zhenyu’s ear, gritting her teeth as she said, “Try saying that again!”

Xia Zhenyu immediately backed down, “Ah, I’m sorry, honey, I was just trying to make him remember!”

“Go, go get the medication for your son!” Qiao Yun finally released him.

Xia Zhenyu, now freed, quickly disappeared. Xia Zimu watched the couple’s interaction and couldn’t help but laugh. The couple’s dynamics were really entertaining; seeing his dad get scolded was so satisfying!