Chapter 217 A Knife to the Heart

Su Youling turned her head and happened to meet his deep, dark eyes, which seemed to be swirling with undercurrents. The complex emotions within them almost drowned her.

She vaguely heard her own heartbeat, "thump thump thump," deafeningly loud.

Li Tingxi held her hand, his gaze still fixed on the ring, and said softly, "I'm not forcing you, I just want to tell you that I long for this day to come soon."

Su Youling was almost overwhelmed by the sudden happiness. What should have been a natural progression felt like a dream to her.

She looked directly at Li Tingxi, who was unusually nervous, and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled and said, "Li Tingxi, I really like the surprise you prepared for me today."

She pursed her lips, leaned forward and whispered in Li Tingxi's ear, a response that was also a promise: "So Li Tingxi, try your best and fulfill your promise as soon as possible."

Su Youling felt she couldn't wait any longer.

Li Tingxi felt a sudden sense of fullness in his heart. After she stepped back, he gently cupped her face and locked his gaze into her eyes.

Their eyes met with a tender, almost lingering gaze, and the kiss that followed was a natural progression.

The sea breeze whistled, a wave crashed over, and the spray splashed against their calves, creating a perfect prelude to their love.

The waves at sea grew larger and larger, so Li Tingxi had no choice but to take Su Youling back to the car.

Li Tingxi's original plan was to have dinner with her at the restaurant they had booked, but things didn't go as planned. When he picked up his phone, he discovered that Shen Cong and his wife had called him dozens of times during that time.

Among them was a message from Shen Xiyue, which was very short but revealed her cautious probing of Tingxi: "Are you very busy today?"

Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Li Tingxi's mood suddenly became heavy.

On the night of the surgery, Shen Xiyue woke up and learned that her right leg was useless and that she might become paralyzed. She broke down emotionally and even contemplated suicide.

Qin He dared not disturb Li Tingxi, so he took it upon himself to release Shen Cong and his wife. The two of them stayed up all night trying to prevent Shen Xiyue from taking her own life.

When Li Tingxi went to the hospital the next day, Shen Cong and his wife were extremely resentful. They hugged Shen Xiyue and cried and made a scene for a long time.

Shen Xiyue remained unusually numb throughout, refusing to eat or drink and only shedding tears. The couple's attempts to persuade her only made her cry more. Only when facing Li Tingxi did she show a slightly different reaction.

Out of guilt, and under pressure from Shen Cong and his wife, Li Tingxi tried his best to spend as much time as possible taking care of and comforting her.

These days, he's not only been overwhelmed with company matters, but he's also spent most of his remaining energy taking care of Shen Xiyue. Today, he finally managed to free up some time to date Su Youling, but now it seems that this rare moment of comfort is about to be taken away from him.

Li Tingxi replied to Shen Xiyue that he would be at the hospital immediately. He turned off his phone, turned to Su Youling, and said apologetically, "Su Su, there's an urgent matter at the company that I have to go back now."

He took Su Youling's hand and gently stroked her fingers a few times. "The restaurant reservation is already made. How about I have Qin He take you there? I'll make time to accompany you next time."

Although Su Youling was a little disappointed, she still smiled and urged him to leave, "Don't bother, I'm a little tired anyway, I want to go back to the hotel to rest first."

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Li Tingxi was worried about her, so he called Qin He to come and take her back to the hotel before going to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, Li Tingxi arrived at the ward. Shen's mother was standing by the bedside with a water glass in her hand, earnestly persuading Shen Xiyue to take her medicine.

Shen Xiyue turned her face away in resistance, but the moment she saw Li Tingxi, a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes, which had been as still as water. "Tingxi, are you done with your work at the company?"

Li Tingxi's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not deny it. He walked to the bedside, saw the medicine that had been put aside, and frowned slightly. "Why don't you take your health seriously?"

Shen Xiyue was stunned for a moment, then a bitter smile appeared on her pale face, "Will taking medicine help? I've already become a useless person."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother's hand holding the water glass trembled slightly, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Yueyue, how could you say that about yourself? You're stabbing me in the heart."

A barely perceptible struggle flashed in Shen Xiyue's eyes, but in the end she pursed her lips in protest.

Seeing her like this, Li Tingxi could only turn to ask Mother Shen, "Wasn't everything fine yesterday? What happened?"

Chen's mother immediately glared at him with red eyes, "You still have the nerve to ask? It's all because of you! How many times have Yueyue's father and I called you? Did you answer?"

Shen Cong just returned from outside at that moment. When he saw Li Tingxi, his gloomy face immediately brightened.

Shen Xiyue has been having great emotional ups and downs these past few days because she can't accept the fact that she is disabled. Especially today, when Li Tingxi didn't come, she looked half-dead and refused to take her medicine.

He went out for some fresh air because he couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere in the ward. Since he couldn't get through to Li Tingxi on the phone, he assumed that Li Tingxi couldn't stand Shen Xiyue and had decided to cut off contact with them.

However, it now seems that things may still turn around.

Shen Cong quickly made up her mind. With a stern face, she entered the ward and, in league with her mother, pointed at Li Tingxi and launched into a tirade: "Li Tingxi, you've ruined my daughter and then disappeared. Are you trying to wash your hands of this? Let me tell you, it's not that simple!"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense and hostile.

After noticing the coldness hidden in Li Tingxi's eyes, Shen Xiyue's heart sank, and she said in a low voice, "Dad, don't say anything. I can't blame Tingxi for how I am now."

As she spoke, she looked at Li Tingxi again, her eyes carrying a hint of pleading, "Tingxi, don't take my dad's words to heart. I've never blamed you from beginning to end."

Hearing her say that, Li Tingxi felt even more guilty.

Shen Cong immediately glared at Shen Xiyue, "You actually took his side! While you're lying in the hospital bed unable to move, he's probably off having a good time somewhere. He doesn't care about you at all!"

Shen Xiyue lowered her eyelashes, her voice a little hoarse, "Dad, Tingxi and I are already divorced, he has no obligation to take care of me."

"How can he have no obligation?" Mother Chen slammed her water glass onto the cabinet in anger. "This is what he owes you. If he didn't feel guilty, why would he have taken such good care of you these past few days?"

The aggressive questioning from her parents made Shen Xiyue hesitant to look directly into Li Tingxi's unfathomable eyes. She was inexplicably concerned about Li Tingxi's opinion of her and didn't want him to think that she thought the same way.

She gripped the sheets tightly, trying to get up but her legs were too weak to support her weight. Frustration made her unconsciously bite her lower lip.