Chapter 36: Lu Hanxiao’s Outburst of Fury

Jian Xi was transferred from the observation room to a regular ward.

When she woke up, she let out a sharp hiss of pain.

“Damn, sis, you’re finally awake. What Sleeping Beauty act are you pulling? You scared the hell out of me,” Tao Xinglai said, leaning by the bedside, nonstop chatter spilling from his mouth.

Jian Xi furrowed her brows, “Hey, you’re so noisy.”

“Waking you up is an act of kindness. How are you feeling? You look like a bloody mess. Why do you have to be so cool as a girl?” Tao Xinglai kept chattering but softened his tone, whispering, “I was really worried about you.”

Jian Xi managed a faint smile; her spirits were still good.

The IV drip had moved on to the third bottle, slowly dripping into her body.

Her gaze shifted from the bottle to Tao Xinglai’s face, and she softly asked, “Where’s He Ran?”

Tao Xinglai hesitated, opening his mouth but then closing it. Finally, he said, “Mom doesn’t want him to see you.”

Jian Xi’s face paled slightly. After hearing this, she lowered her eyelids, “Mom must be angry.”

“If I were her, I’d be mad too.” Tao Xinglai popped off like corn kernels, “Those people were such brutes, what kind of scum!”

Jian Xi found him too noisy and turned her head away slowly.

Tao Xinglai reined himself in and reported, “Sis, Mom is really furious this time. She gave He Ran a scolding that had him bawling his eyes out in the corridor.”

Though exaggerated, Jian Xi knew her mother’s temperament and understood that He Ran hadn’t been spared.

Tao Xinglai pointed at the ward door, “Our family’s CEO has even called in the company security captain to guard the entrance like a fortress. He Ran can’t get in.”

Jian Xi took a deep breath, “You need to help me.”

“Help with what?”

“Let He Ran in.”

“I can’t do that.”

Tao Xinglai shuddered at the thought, “The security captain was the national Sanda champion. I can’t fight him.”

Jian Xi didn’t speak, looking at him with a pitiful expression.

“Oh come on, don’t look at me like a stray cat. I really can’t fight him.” Tao Xinglai tugged at the two big pom-poms on his sweater, “Besides, you’ve already been dragged down like this, and you’re still thinking of him.”

“Xinglai.” Jian Xi raised her voice slightly, her brows furrowing seriously, “Don’t say anything against him.”

Tao Xinglai cupped his face, feeling not at all happy inside, “Alright, alright, I’ll help you, I’ll help you. I’ll go and die for you right now.”

Fortunately, they were on the first floor, and the large window in the room led directly to the small garden behind. Tao Xinglai thought of letting He Ran climb through the window. He left the ward and searched around twice but couldn’t find He Ran anywhere.

“It’s not that I’m not helping; I genuinely can’t find him.” Tao Xinglai returned to the ward and poured a glass of water for Jian Xi as he spoke.

The doctor had just finished examining her. Jian Xi only had external injuries; apart from a slight fracture in her left pinky finger and a gash on her forehead caused by a studded shoe, everything else was fine. Her skin was bruised here and there, making it look more severe than it was.

Upon hearing that He Ran was missing, Jian Xi disregarded her pain and tried to sit up, “Quick, give me my phone.”

As expected, He Ran didn’t answer. Jian Xi immediately called Lu Hanxiao.

Lu Hanxiao was indulging in the nightlife when he answered, first talking to someone else, “Don’t bother me, my woman is calling—Hello, Xiao Xi, what’s up?”

Jian Xi’s hand hurt badly, making movement difficult. Tao Xinglai quickly snatched the phone and relayed, “Xiao Qiao! I’m furious! My sister got beaten up!”

Jian Xi painfully closed her eyes, cursing silently.

Sure enough, Lu Hanxiao abandoned the revelry, arriving at the hospital within half an hour, kicking the door open and firing off questions:

“Where does it hurt? Is it painful? Is it serious—damn it, who did this?!”

All these answers were written on Jian Xi’s face.

Jian Xi glanced at him, “Don’t shout. I’m not dead yet. Did you find He Ran?”

“People have been sent to look for him.” Lu Hanxiao knew her concerns and reassured her, “There’s only one person with a grudge against him. I’ve got people watching both sides. Nothing will happen.”

Jian Xi feared He Ran would act recklessly. Hearing Lu Hanxiao’s words, she felt somewhat relieved.

She tried to sit up, and Lu Hanxiao quickly stepped forward, “Slowly, slowly, lean on me.” He placed a pillow behind her back, “You and He Ran don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle it.”

Jian Xi winced as her wounds pulled, “How are you going to handle it?”

Lu Hanxiao’s voice seemed as cold as ice, calm like an impending snowstorm. He said, “Whoever hit your hands will lose their arms; whoever kicked your feet will get their legs amputated.”

A chill ran down Jian Xi’s spine, and she stared at Lu Hanxiao, “No reckless actions.”

Lu Hanxiao chuckled lightly, almost imperceptibly.

Jian Xi immediately flared up at him, “Lu Hanxiao, are you listening to me or not?!”

“Hey.” After a long while, he finally let out a deep sigh, “You keep fooling me, and damn it, I fall for it every time. Am I crazy, finding trouble for myself by claiming a sister?”

Jian Xi lowered her brows, focusing on the back of her hand with the IV needle, softly saying, “I’m not sure.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m afraid something will happen to him.”

“Nothing will happen; I’m watching.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Jian Xi raised her head, her confusion and fear no longer concealed, “I’m afraid he’ll never come to see me again.”

Lu Hanxiao was taken aback.

Jian Xi lowered her head again, her unbandaged hand twisting the bedsheet into tight spirals.

________________________________________

He Ran hadn’t gone anywhere; he spent the whole night by the riverside.

It was actually quite far from the hospital to here. He walked the entire way, his legs numb, the wind whistling past his ears, the cold hitting his face, and the biting river breeze slicing through him as he stood by the shore.

Enduring, suffering, until he felt nothing.

Mrs. Tao’s words of reproach in the hospital pierced his heart like arrows, each word stabbing at his very core.

“Mr. He, you two are not suitable.”

“I beg you to leave her, show some pity for a parent’s heart.”

“A man, what gives you the right to fulfill the future you promised?”

He Ran closed his eyes, the cigarette in his hand burning halfway down in one drag.

Their future—if it were to be like this—

Jian Xi quarreling unhappily with her parents, indulging in fleeting pleasures.

Jian Xi facing endless gossip in the hospital because her husband was a thug entangled in debts.

Jian Xi squeezed into a dilapidated house with him, enjoying brief moments of passion, only to wake up to another uncertain day.

Every emotion could be traced back to the word “future,” connecting every point, every possibility into a dense web, suffocating He Ran under its weight.

Jian Xi had restored his faith in life.

And at the moment he saw her lying on the ground, barely alive in the parking lot, He Ran hated himself for the first time.

The winter river surface was like a still silk ribbon, occasionally interrupted by the muffled horn of a cargo ship.

He Ran sat on a wooden bench, hands supporting his forehead, exuding loneliness and desolation, drawing a self-imposed prison.

His phone kept ringing earlier, so he switched it to vibrate, then to silent, and stuffed it into his pocket, pretending not to hear.

Night enveloped the world, the air seemingly slowing its rhythm.

He Ran smoked the last cigarette, biting it between his teeth, the ember dim.

He lit up the screen—WeChat, missed calls, unread messages—over a dozen flooded in.

[Husband, why aren’t you answering my calls?]

[Don’t act rashly, I’m not in pain, really.]

[Lu Hanxiao is being so annoying, come and chase him away for me.]

[He Ran, come see me, please.]

Each word from Jian Xi carried emotion. He Ran’s throat tightened, his rationality and emotions wrestling inside him, reliving every bitter-sweet moment.

The final image froze on Jian Xi, covered in blood, hugging his neck and moaning in pain: “...it hurts.”

The glowing screen suddenly went black. He Ran didn’t hesitate anymore and lit it up again.

He said: Jian Xi, maybe we should,

just call it quits.

________________________________________

In the ward, the person who had been gripping the phone tightly finally received this decision.

Jian Xi was momentarily stunned. Once she realized, she hurriedly called He Ran.

The mechanical female voice repeated the prompt “Please try again later”—

His phone was off.

The shock and turmoil quietly formed a fuse in the silent ward. He Ran’s message ignited it, causing a sudden explosion.

Jian Xi pulled out the IV needle still dripping fluid, ignoring the blood oozing from the puncture on her hand, and rushed to the door wearing slippers.

The security guard arranged by Mrs. Tao stopped her, “Hey! Miss Jian!”

Jian Xi struggled to break free, her face sorrowful as she desperately pleaded.

Mrs. Tao arrived on the scene just in time to see this. She quickly stepped forward, “Xiao Xi! What are you doing?!”

“I want to go out.”

“You’re sick,” Mrs. Tao raised her voice, “If you keep acting like this, how will you get better?”

Jian Xi seemed to snap back to reality, her grief and sadness sinking completely. Her face was pale with illness, her eyes misted with tears.

Looking at her mother, Jian Xi’s eyes gradually reddened, “I won’t get better.”

Mrs. Tao didn’t hear clearly, “What did you say?”

Jian Xi choked up, “From today on, I won’t ever get better.”

This time she heard clearly. Mrs. Tao was startled, her daughter’s tears falling silently, the despair in her eyes making her feel as if she had returned to her own past.

Mrs. Tao suddenly realized that Jian Xi now was exactly like her younger self.

While Tao Xinglai was fetching cotton swabs from the nurse’s station, so much heart-wrenching drama had unfolded. He felt regretful and rushed over, “What’s going on?! Mom, you’ve bullied my sister again! Look, she’s crying her eyes out!”

Tao Xinglai quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around Jian Xi, “Sis, don’t be afraid. I’m on your side, regardless of age. Whoever is wrong, we confront them! I am the Light Bringer.”

Jian Xi firmly said, “I want to find He Ran.”

“Let’s go! Find him!” Tao Xinglai supported her, heading straight for the elevator, declaring fiercely, “Whoever dares to stop my sister will have to step over my dead body. Mom, find me a plot of land; I want to be buried.”

The Sanda champion security captain looked troubled, “Madam Tao, this...”

Mrs. Tao remained motionless for several seconds, then finally, “Let’s go.”

Feeling as if granted amnesty, the siblings took the elevator to the first floor.

Tao Xinglai was extremely worried, “Don’t run, for heaven’s sake. Your finger is fractured; do you still want to be a doctor?!”

Jian Xi was in too much pain to speak. Tao Xinglai stamped his foot, “Love is terrifying. I won’t date until I’m weaned. Stay put, I’ll go get the car and drive straight to He Ran’s lair.”

Tao Xinglai disregarded his idol image, sprinting a hundred meters to fetch the car.

Jian Xi didn’t hold much hope, mechanically dialing He Ran’s number again.

“Duu…,” it connected, the ringtone sounding surprisingly clear.

She froze, holding the phone in her right hand, her left hand bandaged and hanging from her neck, unbelievably turning around.

He Ran, wrapped in the night and covered in snow, stood several meters away.

He looked at her, distant and calm.

Jian Xi’s throat instantly filled with blood, thick and choking, caught between her lips.

He Ran’s brow twitched, nearly softening his resolve.

Internally restless, he suppressed the surging emotions, quietly saying, “What are you standing there for? Go back to the ward.”

Jian Xi didn’t speak, taking steps towards him despite the pain. Her leg bruises pulled at her muscles, each step feeling like walking on blades.

“Don’t come over.”

“I won’t.”

“Do you want to get beaten again?” He Ran said, “Being with me, you won’t have a good life.”

Jian Xi wiped her tears hastily, limping, “I’m not afraid.”

Finally reaching He Ran, she heard him say, “Jian Xi, let’s break up.”

“No.”

“Listen to me.”

“No means no!” Jian Xi took a deep breath, meeting his gaze, “It’s not like I don’t love you anymore. Why should we break up?”

He Ran: “I can’t afford to love you.”

“You can, you can.” Jian Xi pretended to be relaxed, urgently assuring him, “I’m not in pain, really, not at all!”

This sentence instantly threw He Ran into boiling oil. Every wound on Jian Xi’s body mockingly questioned the truth of her words.

He Ran, oh He Ran, what right do you have to make such a wonderful woman suffer for you?

After a round of self-questioning, he finally hardened his heart, “You deserve a good life. A man like me, you shouldn’t want anymore.”

Jian Xi collapsed.

“You decide to like me and then decide to discard me! Why does everyone refuse to ask how I feel? The pain in my body can’t compare to the anguish in my heart. What do I need so much money for? I can earn it myself. What do I need such a big house for? I can buy it myself. I believe my man can rise again. I’m willing to give you time, but why won’t you give yourself confidence?”

Jian Xi, red-eyed, softly sobbed, “Husband, won’t you hold me?”

The veins on He Ran’s temples bulged. He clenched his fists tightly, his neatly trimmed nails digging into his flesh, wishing for her safety even if it meant no more pleasure.

Finally, He Ran cleared his throat and painfully opened his mouth, “Go back and recover. We won’t see each other anymore. Be good, okay?”

Jian Xi stood frozen in place as He Ran walked away without looking back.

A taxi cruising near the hospital entrance seized the opportunity. He opened the nearest car door, got in, and told the driver to drive immediately.

The deep winter night breeze seeped through the windows, neon lights dancing along with the car, flickering across the glass and onto him.

The car started moving, slowly at first, then faster.

“He Ran! He Ran!”

Jian Xi limped behind, desperately chasing after the car.

Her hoarse cries dissipated in the wind, each syllable like a sharp knife piercing her heart.

The taxi driver made a surprised sound, “Is that someone you know behind? Did they forget something? Should I stop?”

After waiting for a long while, he didn’t hear a peep from the person in the back seat.

The driver assumed nothing was amiss, whistled, and turned up the radio volume.

The midnight radio was playing a program, just switching to a love song. Originally sung by a woman, it was now covered by a male voice.

“How long have I been lonely and still not okay

“Feels like the whole world is secretly mocking me

“Woke up the sleeping iceberg and escaped calmly”

After hearing a few lines, the driver excitedly chatted, “I know this song! It’s from that celebrity singing show my wife watches every week. What’s it called again? Do you remember, buddy...?”

The driver glanced up, suddenly feeling a jolt in his heart.

The rearview mirror acted like a narrow frame, capturing the man in the backseat, slumped against the seat like soft mud.

The love song reached its climax—

“Clearly you love me too, no reason for us to fail

“As long as you dare not to be a coward, why should we miss out”

As long as you’re not a coward, why should we miss out.

Upon hearing this line, He Ran’s tears could no longer hold on and fell uncontrollably.