Chapter 57 The blushing ear tips "So sweet."

Li Baidong was unconscious for a whole day, and only gradually regained consciousness the next morning.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Xing Lan standing guard by her bedside, her body thin, her long eyelashes drooping, and her pale face showing obvious signs of exhaustion.

She probably didn't sleep all night while waiting for him to wake up.

Li Baidong's back wound was deep, requiring dozens of stitches during surgery. Even the slightest movement would cause excruciating pain, like flesh being ripped out. But seeing Xing Lan in this state, his heart ached even more than his wound.

“Brother…” he called out softly, his voice hoarse, enduring the pain as he raised a hand and gently stroked Xing Lan’s cheek, a weak smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Xing Lan looked up at him wearily, and when she saw that Li Baidong was awake, her eyes immediately turned red.

The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before Xing Lan lowered her head and pinched her fingertips until they turned white, then spoke first.

"sorry."

"I...I apologize to you on behalf of my father."

"It's nothing." Li Baidong smiled slightly, trying to appear relaxed, and said softly, "I don't feel any pain at all."

Li Baidong is still young. Usually, even a minor scrape would bring tears to his eyes, and he would cling to Xing Lan, sobbing and demanding comfort. But now, despite suffering such a serious injury, he hasn't uttered a single sound, pretending to be completely calm.

Xing Lan felt a heavy weight in her chest. Knowing she had let Li Baidong down, she suddenly raised her hand, lowered her head, and slapped herself hard across the face. The crisp sound of the slap suddenly rang out in the quiet ward.

He paused, intending to strike a second time, but Li Baidong grabbed his wrist tightly and forcefully suppressed him.

Seeing Xing Lan silently hitting himself, Li Baidong's face darkened even more. His dark eyes were fixed on him, and his hoarse voice unconsciously lowered: "Brother, hit me if you want. If you hit me, it won't hurt that much."

Xing Lan pursed her lips, and the hand she was about to raise gradually lowered, a complex sense of helplessness flashing across her face.

Indeed, since Li Baidong has already been injured, no matter how much guilt he feels or how much he punishes himself, it will be of no use.

He pursed his lips and sighed softly.

Let's take care of the person first.

Xing Lan had little experience in taking care of people, and his usually calm and rational mind was unusually at a loss. He thought for a moment, then stammered to Li Baidong, "Are you thirsty? I... I'll go get you a glass of water?"

As he spoke, he tried to stand up, but Li Baidong suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him heavily to his side.

Having not eaten or drunk anything all day, Li Baidong's lips were indeed a little dry, and his stomach was a little hungry. But more than filling his hungry stomach, he wanted Xing Lan to stay by his side right now. Even if they did nothing, just being there quietly would fill the emptiness in his heart.

Li Baidong's eyes darted around, and he suddenly curled his lips into a frown. He glanced at the kettle on the table next to him and said to Xing Lan with a wronged expression, "I want to drink water, but I don't want to drink the water from there."

Xing Lan looked at Li Baidong and asked gently, "Where would you like to drink the water?"

At this point, even if Li Baidong asked for glacial water from Mount Everest, Xing Lan would do everything in her power to get it for him.

Li Baidong blinked, gesturing for Xing Lan to come closer.

Xing Lan did as instructed without hesitation.

However, just as she leaned in, Li Baidong grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her forcefully with his eyes closed.

Li Baidong pressed one hand tightly against Xing Lan's neck, while the other hand naturally slid under his shirt to caress his slender waist.

Xing Lan's breath hitched. He felt that Li Baidong's kiss was extremely fierce, completely unlike the weak and pale patient he had been just moments before. It was domineering and forceful, as if he wanted to take away all the air and moisture from between his lips and teeth.

Li Baidong loved kissing Xing Lan, but most of the time it was just a light peck, sneaking up on her before she could react. This time, he was probably certain that Xing Lan would go along with him, so he kissed her more passionately and intensely than ever before. When they parted, a strand of clear saliva hung between them.

"What I want to drink is the water here." Li Baidong breathed very lightly, his gaze fixed on Xing Lan's wet lips. His cool fingertips moved to Xing Lan's lips, his eyebrows lowered, and he couldn't help but kiss them again, chuckling softly as he sighed, "So sweet."

Xing Lan paused for a moment, and finally realized the meaning behind his words, then slowly turned her head away.

The warm sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his bright red ear tips.

-

Li Baidong was hospitalized for a week. Xing Lan specially postponed her original start date with the company and took care of him around the clock at the hospital these past few days.

Although he wasn't very skilled, he took care of the child with utmost care and attention to detail.

Following the doctor's instructions, Xing Lan would wet a towel and wipe Li Baidong's face every morning, and also give him a quick wipe of his body. At noon, she would personally run two blocks to buy Li Baidong's favorite beef and salted egg yolk rice, and patiently feed him spoonful by spoonful.

Taking advantage of his pitiful patient status, Li Baidong became unusually demanding, pestering Xing Lan to read him bedtime stories every night, like a difficult child to coax. Xing Lan had no choice but to download several very childish children's picture books to her phone and read them to him earnestly.

Although his voice had a touch of coolness, it was pleasant and gentle, making Li Baidong unconsciously fall into it and want to keep listening.

This week has been so wonderful that Li Baidong even secretly wanted to order a new vase on a shopping app behind Xing Lan's back, hoping that Xing Yi could come over and buy it for him again when he had time.

One day at noon, Xing Lan bought lunch from outside as usual and was about to deliver it to Li Baidong when she ran into Xing Yi at the elevator entrance of the hospital.

He paused, intending to turn away silently and wait for the next elevator, but Xing Yi had already heard him and turned to look at him coldly.

Xing Yi's gaze first casually swept over Xing Lan's face, then he lowered his eyes. After seeing the food that Xing Lan was carrying, which he had bought especially for Li Baidong, he snorted disdainfully from his nose, his tone strange and ambiguous: "You treat him quite well, even better than your blood relatives."

Now that he had caught her, Xing Lan stopped hiding and looked directly at Xing Yi, replying calmly, "What does blood relation matter? All I know is that I was almost killed by someone related to me by blood, and he selflessly saved my life. Who do you think I should be good to?"

Xing Yi's expression was cold as he looked at the closed elevator doors, raising his chin as if he still didn't think he had done anything wrong.

"Ding," the elevator doors opened.

"You brought this all on yourself, you have no one to blame but yourself."

Xing Yi straightened his collar, didn't look at Xing Lan again, and stepped into the elevator first.

Xing Lan clenched her fists secretly, and followed closely behind, not to be outdone.

There weren't many people in the elevator at that time, and the spacious elevator contained only the silent father and son. Their expressions were reflected in the clean mirrors around them: one was cold and arrogant, while the other had a furrowed brow and a troubled look.

"What are you doing at the hospital?" Xing Lan turned her head, staring intently at Xing Yi, and warned, "With me here, don't even think about doing anything to him again."

Xing Yi snorted again and said slowly, "I didn't come here to see him. Don't think everyone is like you, treating some random stranger like a treasure."

Xing Lan was about to retort when Xing Yi spoke up immediately: "That man only suffered minor injuries, yet you were busy taking care of him, bringing him food and drink, being so attentive. Your own grandfather fell ill and was hospitalized in critical condition, on the verge of death, but you ignored him completely and didn't even visit him once. Ha, what a filial son you are."

Xing Lan was stunned, her dark pupils suddenly contracted, and she grabbed Xing Yi's arm, asking incredulously, "Grandpa was hospitalized? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

Xing Yi lowered his head, glanced at Xing Lan, and sneered with a mocking tone: "How do you expect me to tell you this? You're unwilling to admit you're a member of the Xing family because of that lousy man. Even if I told you about your grandfather now, you'd probably think it was a waste of your time and would spoil your sweet romance!"

Xing Lan's expression shifted slightly. Suppressing his deep disgust for Xing Yi, he asked as calmly as possible, "Stop talking nonsense. Tell me, which ward is he in?"

Xing Yi remained silent with a sullen face, as if he hadn't heard him.

Xing Lan licked her back teeth with the tip of her tongue, suppressing her anger. When Xing Yi finally stepped out of the elevator, she followed him out.

Before reaching a VIP ward, Xing Yi suddenly stopped.

Xing Lan hurried forward and, sure enough, saw his grandfather's sick body lying on the clean white bed from afar through the small window of the ward.

It had been a long time since I last saw him. His grandfather had become extremely thin and looked more than ten years older than when I last met him. Clearly, the sudden worsening of his condition had had a great impact on him.

His heart skipped a beat. He turned the doorknob, stumbled into the ward, and called out, "Grandpa!"

Grandpa Xing was lying weakly on the hospital bed, but when he heard Xing Lan's voice, he struggled to open his eyes. Even before he could see Xing Lan clearly, a loving smile appeared on his face.

His smile made Xing Lan's heart ache even more, as if it were being squeezed tightly.

With his eyes lowered, he walked to the bedside, tightly grasped his grandfather's hand, and, overcome with guilt and choking back tears, shed warm tears onto the old man's hand, which was covered in brown spots: "Grandpa..."

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come see you."

Grandpa raised his hand to wipe away Xing Lan's tears, his aged voice very gentle: "Lanlan, what's wrong? Don't cry, don't cry... Grandpa is fine."

“I told you not to let your dad tell you. He’s getting old, and his health starts to suffer from minor ailments every now and then. You’re so busy with work, I can’t keep bothering you.”

Xing Yi also walked in from the ward door, his face cold and sullen, and quietly watched the two of them from a distance.

After Xing Lan arrived, Grandpa was noticeably happier than a few days ago, and his spirits gradually recovered. He started chatting with Xing Lan as before.

Xing Lan looked around at the deserted ward and said with great self-reproach, "You must be very lonely here all day long. I will come to keep you company every day from now on."

"Oh dear, I'm not lonely at all!" Grandpa waved his hand, as if remembering something, and pointed to another bed next to him, "Right here, there used to be an old guy lying here, but he was just discharged this morning."

"I play chess with him every day. He's not very smart and loses every game. He must have felt that he could never beat me, so I drove him away, hahaha!"

Xing Lan smiled slightly as she watched her grandfather smile.

Xing Lan peeled an orange for her grandfather, who, while tasting it, casually remarked, "That guy may not be good at chess, but he's incredibly lucky. He's about my age, but his great-grandson is already three! Yesterday, his granddaughter-in-law brought the little one over to visit him while he was sick. The child is chubby and smiles like a little bear; he's so adorable!"

As Grandpa spoke, he excitedly shared several amusing anecdotes about the child, his expression revealing an undisguised envy for that family.

All elderly people hope for many children and a thriving family. Although Grandpa rarely urges Xinglan to get married and have children, he clearly hopes to hold his great-grandchild in the next year or two.

Xing Lan pursed her lips and remained silent, but suddenly heard Xing Yi speak up casually from the side: "Dad, you don't know yet, do you? Our Lanlan has a boyfriend now."

"……What?"

Xing Lan and her grandfather both looked up at Xing Yi, both of them quite surprised by his words. Xing Lan, in particular, widened her eyes slightly in disbelief.

Xing Yi smiled, ignoring the look Xing Lan gave him, and continued slowly to his grandfather, "Your wish to hold your great-grandson is about to come true."