Chapter 68 (Love you, hate you, ask the king...)

Chapter 68

Li Changjing pointed the gun at himself, smiled at her, and said, "Kill me."

"I'll let you go if you can shoot me dead with your own hands."

Wen Yining had genuinely wanted to die here, so when she looked into his eyes, she saw the same emotion in them. Li Changjing wasn't just trying to scare her; he meant it.

"No! No! Li Changjing, let go!" Wen Yining struggled desperately to break free, but Li Changjing suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his chest. Wen Yining was horrified to see the cold, hard black muzzle of a gun pressed directly against Li Changjing's chest.

He placed his finger on Wen Yining's finger, which was on the trigger, and smiled at her, "Shoot, Ningning."

The gun was loaded and the safety was off. The situation was completely different from before. If Li Changjing were to pull the black trigger even slightly, he would surely die.

Wen Yining stared at the finger on the trigger, half her body stiff, afraid that the slightest movement would accidentally touch the trigger and fire the bullet.

Unable to break free, she could only desperately try to tilt the gun, her mind racing: "If you die, you'll never be able to control me again! I'll marry someone else and have children with someone else! I'll be called Mrs. So-and-so, and I'll have nothing to do with you. I'll completely forget you!"

Li Changjing loosened his grip and looked down at her. Wen Yining seized the opportunity to quickly break free of her hand from the trigger. As soon as her hand was off the trigger, she breathed a sigh of relief, her legs went weak, and before she could grab the gun back, Li Changjing tightened his grip on her other hand again.

Li Changjing suddenly turned his head, and the people behind him who were trying to take the opportunity to snatch the gun froze.

A faint glimmer of hope rose in Wen Yining's heart.

Li Changjing looked at the two men and said, “I know you will report everything that happened tonight in detail. Then remember to tell him that I have failed his expectations. I will not live my life according to his arrangements. This is my own choice, and it has nothing to do with anyone else, let alone Wen Yining. Let her go after I die.”

Wen Yining's heart pounded violently. When he heard the last sentence, his heart stopped. His decision to die was still so firm.

Without thinking, she used all her strength with her other hand to grab the gun, but Li Changjing was faster. He stopped forcing her to do it and instead put the trigger on himself. He wasn't trying to scare her; he really intended to die.

All the blood rushed to her head, and Wen Yining's eyes widened in horror. She realized that when fear reached its peak, one couldn't cry. Without thinking, as if afraid of running out of time, she shouted, "I love you! I love you, Li Changjing!"

Li Changjing loosened his grip, raised his head, and stared intently at her.

Then, a "bang" sounded in my ear—a familiar, nightmarish sound.

Everything before her eyes seemed to be in slow motion, and all her senses were magnified infinitely. Wen Yining could clearly feel the cold wind in her ears, the sound of the grass being blown, the feeling of her hair being blown, the force of Li Changjing's relaxation, the momentum that could not be taken back in that instant, and her snatching action, and it was as if she could also hear the sound of bullets piercing flesh.

At the critical moment, due to his carelessness and her swaying movement, the gun barrel moved from his chest and shot into his arm.

The force of the impact sent Li Changjing crashing to the ground, dropping his gun as well.

"Li Changjing!"

"Mr. Li!"

The two men initially thought he was faking it, but they were shocked to find it was real. They rushed forward in alarm, one checking on him while the other urgently reported the incident and requested backup, recounting everything that had happened, including his apparent suicide attempt.

The elderly man on the other end of the line remained silent for a long time. After a while, he suddenly sighed, revealing a rare sign of his age and weariness, and hung up the phone without a word.

The man quickly unbuttoned his clothes, and Wen Yining saw the bleeding hole in his arm. Her vision blurred, and she felt dizzy, almost unable to stand. Unable to help, she could only bite her lower lip tightly, trying to distract the man by remaining silent.

The man examined it and said gravely, "It didn't penetrate, but it's lodged in the bone, which is a bit troublesome! We need to arrange surgery immediately; we must stop the bleeding right now!"

Blood flowed continuously from the muzzle of the gun like a spring, instantly staining Li Changjing's clothes and the withered yellow grass. Blood droplets were scattered on the yellow grass leaves, and the smell of blood was carried on the cold wind.

"Li Changjing!"

Wen Yining knelt on the ground, wanting to hug Li Changjing, but seeing the blood on his body, she dared not touch him, fearing that he would die if she accidentally touched him.

Wen Yining now finally understands the fear Li Changjing spoke of when she was injured. She was truly terrified, extremely terrified.

Her trembling hand, pressed to the ground, was suddenly grasped. Wen Yining looked down and saw Li Changjing holding her hand with his other hand. His hand was always warm and strong, but now it was colder than ever before, as if it had lost all its strength. Even with force, he could only gently hold her fingers.

Wen Yining looked up and saw that Li Changjing's face was completely drained of color, pale as if he were on the verge of death, his eyebrows and eyes appearing exceptionally dark, staring intently at her. She immediately pressed her hand back against his, trying to transfer warmth to him.

Her tears fell onto the back of Li Changjing's hand, making his hand tremble.

"I lied to you! I told you in the hospital that I no longer hated you, and that I wanted to marry you. I just didn't want to ruin your life; I wanted you to have a better future!"

Li Changjing, whose hands were weak and powerless, suddenly found strength and gripped Wen Yining's hand tightly. He sat up and looked intently at Wen Yining in the darkness. "Wen Yining, remember this: your presence is the best life you can have."

As if afraid she wouldn't understand, Li Changjing repeated forcefully, word by word, "Your presence is the best life."

The night wind gently rustled the wild grass beside him. It was the same place and night when they broke up a year ago. He drove straight ahead until he had nowhere to turn. He told her that his family had arranged a blind date for him.

He regretted it after she left, and could only force himself to keep going until he couldn't go on anymore, at which point he turned back to find her.

He spent a year giving a different answer to what happened a year ago.

Li Changjing personally shot everyone present except Wen Yining, including himself. In this situation, they couldn't even drive, nor could they go to the road to find rescue. They could only anxiously wait for the rescue team to arrive as soon as possible.

Wen Yining had always thought that her hospitalization was a big affair, until she saw the helicopter arrive to pick them up and Li Changjing being wheeled into the operating room, she finally understood what a big affair really meant.

This time, it was her turn to wait for him outside. Yue Feng and the others came over and asked her what had happened.

Li Changjing, worried that she would worry, specifically arranged with the doctor before the surgery to go out and report to Wen Yining promptly. He also asked the doctor to instruct Yue Feng and the others to take her out for a meal.

Knowing he was alright, and recalling his behavior, Wen Yining felt a mix of fear, anger, and heartache. She whispered angrily, "Why are you worrying so much when he doesn't even want to live anymore!"

Yue Feng and the others exchanged glances. Apart from Li Changjing, they had never seen Wen Yining lose her temper with anyone else.

Yue Feng, who was closest to Wen Yining, advised, "You know how much your husband worries about you. He must be very concerned about you. There's nothing we can do to help. Go and have some food so your husband won't worry."

Wen Yining stood guard at the door and forced herself to drink some porridge, but she couldn't eat anymore.

The surgery didn't take long, and soon Li Changjing was wheeled into the ward. Everyone else left, leaving only Wen Yining.

When Wen Yining saw the gauze on his arm, she frowned tightly, and her anger dissipated instantly.

Li Changjing leaned against the bed, looking sick but content. He was no longer the madman he had been just moments before. He quietly watched Wen Yining's pained, fearful, and lingering emotions for a while, then smiled and reached out to touch her face.

Afraid that he would pull on her injured arm, Wen Yining could only move closer and bring her face close to his.

He pinched her earlobe and coaxed her in a low voice, "Say what you just said again? Who loves me? Isn't it Wen Ningning?"

Wen Yining buried her face in the crook of his neck, sniffed, and didn't want to talk to him.

Li Changjing smiled, lowered his head and kissed Wen Yining's hair, put his arm around her with his intact arm, and gently stroked her long hair, his eyes gradually becoming deep and mysterious.

"Ningning, remember what I just said? Don't treat me well according to your own ideas."

Li Changjing used to love to gloss over problems and would never bring them up again, even if they weren't resolved. But at some point, he started to become petty and calculating.

"Whether you contact him first or he reaches out to you first, whatever your thoughts were before are in the past. Just remember, staying is the best thing for me."

Wen Yining's eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

He stopped what he was doing, and Li Changjing still held her with one arm, quietly watching the television opposite him. "If he still doesn't agree, will you still leave me for my own good?"

Will it?

Wen Yining was silent for a moment, and just as she was about to answer, there was a knock on the door, and then Yue Feng came in, followed by four or five other people.

"Sir," Yue Feng said, identifying himself.

Wen Yining was startled.

Li Quanguo will be coming over soon.

Li Changjing held Wen Yining's hand without comment, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

After exchanging greetings, two well-trained individuals meticulously inspected the room, offering apologies and even checking under Li Changjing's bed.

Li Changjing seemed used to it.

Wen Yining, however, could not remain as calm as him. The thought of her grandfather coming over later filled her with a surge of emotions.

Li Changjing glanced at Wen Yining's dry lips, asked her to wipe his hands, and then picked up a tangerine from the side and began to peel it for her.

Wen Yining thought he wanted to eat, so she took it from his hand, saying, "You can't eat right now."

The room had been checked. After checking Yue Feng, one of the people walked over to Wen Yining and said, "Hello, ma'am, please cooperate with the inspection and show your identification."

Wen Yining nodded, stood up and was about to speak when Li Changjing grabbed her wrist, his tone cold and unquestionable: "She won't check."

Li Changjing: "Get out."

The man paused, neither speaking nor leaving.

This was the first time Wen Yining had heard Li Changjing curse. There was nothing wrong with getting checked, but since Li Changjing had been protecting her like this, she couldn't possibly contradict him by offering to get checked herself, so she remained silent.

Another person walked over and whispered a few words in the man's ear. The man then nodded and bowed to Li Changjing before walking to a corner.

The door opened quickly, and Wen Yining looked up to see seven or eight people enter the room. She sensed something and her heart started pounding. She sat up abruptly from the stool.

She used to think that Li Changjing had a big entourage when he went out, but now that she saw it, she realized what a big entourage really meant.

Including the people who had come in earlier and were waiting by the window, more than a dozen people crowded the room. Then, surrounded by two people, an elderly man with an extraordinary aura walked in.

Even through a screen or on the phone, you can feel the old man's authority and presence, but face-to-face, that presence is even more imposing.

In real life, Wen Yining noticed that Li Changjing resembled her grandfather in many ways, especially his seemingly gentle yet unassuming and enigmatic demeanor. The old man's slightly drooping eyes concealed his emotions, making him appear even more unfathomable, and standing in front of him gave one the feeling that their thoughts and ideas could be read.

The old man's gaze swept over her, and Wen Yining's breath caught in her throat. She instinctively bowed, but Li Changjing suddenly grabbed her hand, and her uneasy heart immediately settled down.

Li Quanguo seemed not to see their clasped hands, and nodded gently to Wen Yining. Wen Yining couldn't guess his meaning, and subconsciously returned a polite smile.

Someone brought over a stool.

"Everyone, go out. My son and I need to talk."

Wen Yining looked at Li Changjing, who smiled gently at her, "Don't be afraid."

Li Changjing called out to the crowd, "Yue Feng."

Yue Feng walked in.

Li Changjing released her hand and instructed, "Keep an eye on Xiao Wen."

Li Quanguo remained calm and composed, seemingly unaware that his grandson had deliberately done this for him.

Wen Yining nodded slightly to Li Quanguo, then nervously followed Yue Feng and a group of guards out of the house, leaving only the grandfather, granddaughter, and a few guards inside.

Li Quanguo looked at his grandson on the hospital bed and asked gently, with an ambiguous meaning, "Have you thought it through?"

Li Changjing: "I've made up my mind."

Li Quanguo suddenly sneered, "You're just being arrogant!"

Li Changjing showed no fear, saying, "You gave me the confidence."

"You think you're so confident because you dare to threaten me?"

Li Changjing paused for a moment, then looked directly into Li Quanguo's eyes without flinching. "It's a threat, but also a fact."

"That's Xiao Wen outside, right?"

Li Changjing's expression changed instantly.

Li Quanguo sighed, stood up, and patted Li Changjing on the shoulder. At this moment, he shed his public persona and was simply a grandfather facing his grandson. "I've seen her situation. She made her own choice, so she should handle it herself. But we can't let the young lady neglect her studies to take care of you. Don't bother her anymore. She can come to see you when she's free."

"People get old and are not the same as before. Their hearts soften. Qing-ge'er, go back once your injuries have healed."

As Li Quanguo left, all the guards departed one after another.

The grandfather and grandson had been playing a game of strategy for more than half a year, with one gambling with himself and the other gambling with his own interests.

In the end, Li Changjing won.

Li Changjing stared straight ahead.

He won. He got both Wen Yining and power.

He won...

He can be with her openly and honestly, and Wen Yining won't have to suffer so much anymore.

Wen Yining followed Yue Feng out to wait in another empty ward.

I wonder what his grandfather will say to him, and whether he will become stubborn again and be punished.

Wen Yining stared at the darkness before her when suddenly a white dot appeared in the darkness, and then more and more white dots appeared.

It's snowing.

Heavy snow was falling.

Wen Yining was startled and subconsciously reached out to catch it. The icy snowflakes melted instantly in her palm.

She suddenly remembered the question she hadn't had time to answer earlier.

He loved her enough, but she never believed him. She thought she was being good to him, but she ignored her lover's affection. Wasn't that also a kind of cruelty?

After an unknown amount of time, Yue Feng received a phone call and took Wen Yining out.

There were no guards outside, so it seemed the person had left. Wen Yining opened the door and went inside, while Yue Feng stood guard outside.

The room became much quieter than before. Wen Yining walked in and saw Li Changjing. He was wearing a thin hospital gown. Due to excessive blood loss, his pale skin had turned white, and his sharp, handsome features had softened considerably, making him seem less unapproachable.

Li Changjing sat on the bed, lost in thought. Hearing the sound, he glanced at Wen Yining, who also glanced at him. Each lost in their own thoughts, they looked at each other briefly before looking away, neither noticing anything amiss with the other.

Li Changjing withdrew his gaze, suddenly lowered his head, and began to peel a mandarin orange for her with difficulty using one hand.

Only his fingers were trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Overwhelmed by his emotions, he didn't know how to tell her that he needed to calm down.

Wen Yining's heartbeat alternated between slow and fast. All she could hear was the sound of her own suppressed and rapid breathing. Her heart was beating so fast that she could hardly breathe. After looking away, she unconsciously walked to the window.

The snow fell even heavier, and in an instant it seemed to take her back to the winter when she was 18. There was a heavy snowfall, and after dark he took her out to play. Back then, the two of them weren't as close as they are now. He was only 26 years old then, and he didn't love her enough. His personality was also hard to understand. She was only 18 years old, and she always unconsciously felt cautious and infatuated with him.

He simply stood tall and elegant beside her, his eyes unreadable, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips, watching her squat on the ground, excitedly building a snowman.

The scene shifts, and the snow outside is still falling heavily, casting the shadows of the two people on the glass.

Wen Yining took a deep breath, turned to look at the person who was peeling fruit, and said to him:

"Mr. Li, let's get married."

Li Changjing suddenly looked up at Wen Yining.

The bright yellow tangerine slipped from my hand, fell to the ground, and rolled to the edge of the bed.

End of text

Author's Note: I think ending the main story here is best. The remaining parts, like meeting the parents, are more suitable for the epilogue. So, the first epilogue will cover the continuation of the main story and the meeting the parents, followed by Fang Qi's epilogue and the ending. There will also be an epilogue from Li Changjing's perspective, and some slice-of-life content.