Upon seeing that tall and beautiful figure, Lu Lishan involuntarily gripped the armrest of his wheelchair.

Why did you bring her here?

Huo Zhixing said calmly, "You just said that any misunderstandings should be explained as soon as possible, and not dragged on for too long."

“I’m talking about you!” Lu Lishan glared at him.

Huo Zhixing smiled faintly, looked at Jiang Can, and waved gently.

Lin Yuqing walked slowly toward him with heavy steps.

The closer you get, the clearer those memories become in your mind.

Lu Lishan's expression was cold, and he turned his back slightly. However, just as he bent down to support the wheelchair, his movement was a bit too big, and the necklace peeked out from under his hospital gown.

Lin Yuqing's heart tightened.

She also had the exact same one on her neck.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a necklace; it was just a regular chain with a ring on it. The ring wasn't valuable, and the chain wasn't made of any good material either; it had turned black from wear.

Lin Yuqing remembered that this was a gift she had shamelessly given to Lu Lishan. She was sixteen years old that year, and she had saved up her breakfast money for three days to pick out this pair of rings from a small shop across from the school. The girl was just beginning to experience love, but the boy was still a bit clumsy and didn't seem to have any other way to express his affection for the girl he liked except by teasing her even more.

Even though Lin Yuqing was almost brought to tears by his anger, she still stubbornly handed one of the rings to him.

"What does this mean?" The boy blushed, asking the question knowing the answer already.

"It means... from now on you're only allowed to be nice to me, and you're not allowed to bully me!"

"Tch, what a crappy ring... It's not even silver, just two iron rings!"

"Lu Lishan, take it or leave it!"

"I didn't say I didn't want it, something is better than nothing!"

"Um... Lin Yuqing!" Although he was overjoyed inside, the boy still stubbornly insisted, "This one you bought isn't very good! When I make a lot of money in the future, I'll buy you one with diamonds! That's what a ring should be!"

...

Lin Yuqing slowly moved her hand up to her neck, clutching the ring tightly in her hand.

His status is now vastly different from what it used to be, and he has made a lot of money.

But have the promises made back then been forgotten?

Lu Lishan had his back to her, his hands clenched tightly, and he bit his lip hard.

"Lu Lishan." After a long silence, Lin Yuqing spoke softly, "I know you don't want to face me. Since you said you don't want to have any more contact, let's just cut ties cleanly."

Jiang Can was startled and stepped forward to stop her. "Sister Yuqing, what are you saying?"

“Can Can, I understand your feelings.” Lin Yuqing took a deep breath and forced a smile. “But this Mr. Lu… ha, he clearly doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

"No, Sister Yuqing! He..."

He should return my things to me!

Lu Lishan was stunned for a moment, his heart suddenly clenched, and pain gushed out from his chest like fresh blood.

He knew that the "thing of hers" she was referring to was the ring around his neck.

But she didn't know how desperately he had protected that ring for the past ten years. When he went to prison, he felt hopeless about the future, and that ring became the motivation that kept him alive.

Life in prison was tough; he often clashed with other inmates. Even when he was beaten bloody, he would still tightly guard the ring on his chest, protecting it near his heart.

Everyone knew he had such a treasure, and everyone thought he was abnormal, willing to risk his life for something worth less than twenty yuan.

Lu Lishan subconsciously raised his hand to protect the ring, and slowly turned around to look at Lin Yuqing.

"Excuse me, this is mine."

“But I bought it back then.” Lin Yuqing said indifferently.

"You bought it, that's true, but this... this is a gift from you!" Lu Lishan's eyes widened as he tightly protected it. "Once it was given to me, it's mine. Why should you take it back?"

"I'm giving this to the man who's willing to treat me well for the rest of his life! Not you!"

Lin Yuqing glared at him.

She hated his feigned indifference, hated his lack of explanation, hated that he had so many ways to love her, yet he chose the stupidest and most foolish one!

Lu Lishan's heart trembled violently, and his wound began to ache.

Having been under the scorching sun for too long, he was starting to feel weak, his face grew increasingly pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Huo Zhixing's expression changed, and he immediately stepped forward to check on his condition.

The stitches in the wound probably came undone, and the gauze was soaked with blood.

Jiang Can quickly ran to find the nurse.

Lin Yuqing knelt down in front of him anxiously, holding his hand. "Lu Lishan... how are you feeling? Are you... are you seriously injured?"

In fact, knife wounds were nothing to Lu Lishan; he had suffered countless gunshot wounds that were far more serious than this.

What hurt him was what Lin Yuqing said and the way she looked at him.

He didn't know how to defend himself or how to get her forgiveness.

I'm not sure if we can go back to how things were before...

"Lu Lishan!" Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Yuqing thought the situation was critical, and tears streamed down her face.

Jiang Can found a nurse, and the group pushed Lu Lishan into the ward. After a simple treatment and changing his dressing, he was fine.

Throughout the entire process, Lin Yuqing stayed by his side, her gaze never leaving him, and she held his hand tightly.

Huo Zhixing and Jiang Can looked at each other and smiled.

"Honey," Jiang Can whispered, "I don't think Sister Yuqing will leave today. I'll go out and buy her some food and supplies, and then we'll go home together."

Huo Zhixing nodded.

After Jiang Can left, the nurse quietly asked Lin Yuqing, "Are you a family member of the injured person?"

Lin Yuqing was taken aback. Before she could answer, Lu Lishan, who was lying on the bed, nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!