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It was pitch black all around, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and so quiet you could only hear the sound of water droplets hitting the ground.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Tap, tap, tap.
Someone walked in, their boots making a hard sound as they stepped on the ground.
What are you doing here?
A voice, extremely weak, rang out in the darkness.
Suddenly, a flame appeared in the newcomer's hand, flickering and illuminating the small area in front of him.
The woman was bound by chains made of icy iron on the cross-shaped gallows, emanating a chilling aura. Her head drooped limply, her body covered in multiple wounds, and the iron chains were stained with blood, a horrifying sight.
"I've heard that every member of the Jiang family of Wushan has a dragon scale on their body."
"Let me guess where it is?"
The man pressed the flames in his hand directly onto the woman's body, burning her inch by inch until he stopped at her heart.
He said in a strange tone, "Found it."
The woman struggled to lift her head, her eyes shining with an astonishing light. Her tone was sarcastic, like a sharp knife.
"Want to take it? Why don't you try killing me?"
-
[Waaaaaah—Host, please don't die!]
Jiang Huali had a very long dream, and when she woke up, she didn't remember much about what happened in the dream.
I felt a splitting headache, my eyelids felt incredibly heavy, I couldn't move my legs, my body ached all over, and my ears were pierced by the constant crying.
【Shut up. 】
[Waaaaah... Waaah?]
The system stopped wiping away its tears with its chubby little hand and hesitantly asked, "Host?"
Before Jiang Huali could answer, it burst into tears again: "Waaah—host, you're finally awake! You have no idea how worried I was about you, sob sob sob."
Jiang Huali softened her tone and said helplessly, "Could you please stop crying in my head? It feels like it's going to flood."
The system stopped crying and said, "Then I won't cry anymore."
Jiang Huali was too weak to open her eyes or move. She could only ask the system in her mind: "How did the car accident happen? How are the driver and Chen Xuan?"
The system replied in detail: [A large truck grazed your car on the highway, hitting it from the right rear. The driver and Chen Xuan are both out of danger and are currently hospitalized, just like you.]
As it spoke, it started to sound aggrieved again. "They're all awake, but you, host, haven't woken up for days."
Jiang Huali breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "Alright, alright, stop crying. I'm not dead yet, am I? Besides, even if I died, your system could still bind to me, right?"
She was bound to the system after she died in a car accident.
The system said hesitantly, "Even though that's what I say, I'm still worried about you."
Jiang Huali didn't speak again; it took her a while to open her eyes.
All she could see was white, and the faint smell of disinfectant filled the air. She tried to move her hand, but felt a strange sensation on her right hand.
It was a little cold; I gently held her fingers.
Jiang Huali turned her head slightly, looked down, and saw Meng Zhiling.
He lay quietly on the edge of the hospital bed, his cold hand gently grasping her fingers. He seemed to be asleep, his face showing obvious signs of fatigue, with dark circles under his eyes.
Jiang Huali moved her fingers slightly, a very small movement.
The person who was sleeping face down woke up.
When Meng Zhiling woke up, he saw Jiang Huali staring at him with her eyes open.
He paused for a moment, then immediately sat up, reaching out to touch her. "You..."
He had meant to say "You're awake," but then withdrew his hand and realized what he meant, saying, "Don't move yet, I'll go call the doctor."
He then went out the door.
Jiang Huali, still not quite understanding: ?
The doctor and nurses came in quickly, and the doctor examined her.
She suffered a broken right leg, internal organ damage, and a concussion. Doctors initially suspected brain nerve damage when she was unconscious, but now that she's awake, it means she's out of danger.
After the examination, the doctor left, and the nurse changed her IV drip and also left.
Only Jiang Huali and Meng Zhiling remained in the ward.
This is a private hospital room with a private bathroom.
Meng Zhiling asked softly, "Are you hungry? I'll have someone bring you some food."
Jiang Huali looked at his slightly reddened eyes and nodded.
Soon someone knocked on the ward door, and Meng Zhiling returned carrying a familiar thermos.
It was the thermos that Meng Zhiling brought when she had a fever and brought her porridge.
The difference this time is that there's also a small bowl and a spoon.
Jiang Huali had an IV drip in her left hand, making it inconvenient for her to move. Meng Zhiling took a small table and placed it on the hospital bed. She bent down and poured the steaming porridge from the thermos into a small bowl, then stirred it with a spoon to cool it down.
Once he felt the temperature was about right, he placed the small bowl on the table and handed the spoon to Jiang Huali.
Jiang Huali's hands were still a little weak, and she trembled slightly when she held the spoon. Seeing this, Meng Zhiling asked, "Do you need my help?"
Jiang Huali looked up, wanting to say "no need," but swallowed the words back down.
It wasn't that she was so weak that she couldn't even drink porridge, but rather that Meng Zhiling looked extremely fragile at that moment, as if she were about to break apart.
Jiang Huali hesitated for a moment, then put down her spoon, nodded, and said, "I feel a little weak in my hands."
Meng Zhiling picked up the bowl and slowly fed the porridge to Jiang Huali.
The two remained very quiet throughout the entire process of drinking the porridge. The porridge was very light, and Jiang Huali lost her appetite after only drinking a small bowl.
Meng Zhiling didn't insist any further. She washed the bowl and spoon, put them away, and closed the lid of the thermos.
Meng Zhiling removed the small table, covered Jiang Huali with a blanket, and checked if the IV drip was finished.
The window in the ward was open. It was evening, and the sunset painted the sky a purplish-red. A cool evening breeze blew in.
Meng Zhiling went over and pulled the curtains closed to prevent the wind from blowing in directly.
After doing all this, he poured Jiang Huali a glass of warm water and placed it aside, then sat quietly by the hospital bed.
Jiang Huali asked, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Why don't you go and get something to eat first? I can stay here by myself."
She slightly raised her left hand, indicating, "I'll call the nurse when the IV is finished."
Meng Zhiling shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry yet."
In fact, he didn't just skip dinner, he also skipped lunch.
To be more precise, he hadn't eaten properly during the days Jiang Huali was in a coma.
"Are you sleepy? Want to sleep a little longer?" he asked.
Jiang Huali nodded, gripped the blanket around her, and slowly closed her eyes.
The surroundings went dark again. She mentally called out to the system, "I have a feeling... something's off about him?"
The system appeared, and the identity of "he" was self-evident. It hesitated and said: [He's probably too worried about you. He's been watching over you here these past few days, hardly leaving, and hasn't rested much at night, getting up every half hour to check on you.]
It takes even better care of it than a system that never needs rest or sleep.
Yes, the system doesn't need to sleep. As long as it has enough energy, it will always remain connected. Sleeping a lot is just one of its little hobbies.
Thinking about this, it felt a little guilty, never expecting that it couldn't even compare to a human in terms of caring for its host.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huali opened her eyes.
Meng Zhiling noticed her movement and asked gently, "Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
Jiang Huali stared at Meng Zhiling for a few seconds, and finally managed to utter only one sentence.
"I need to use the restroom."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhiling helped her up. Her leg was still in a cast, making it difficult for her to move around.
Now it was Meng Zhiling's turn to hesitate. He asked, "Do you want me to help you?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huali's eyes widened slightly. She spoke after a long pause, her voice unusually stammering: "No, no need, just help me over there."
Meng Zhiling was charmed by her tone and smiled for the first time in days, replying, "Okay."
He picked up the cane leaning against the wall and slowly helped Jiang Huali to the bathroom door, handing the cane to her.
"I'll wait for you at the door. Call me if you need anything," he instructed.
Jiang Huali nodded.
She entered the bathroom with her cane and closed the door.
Because of her physical condition, Jiang Huali took a long time to go to the toilet. When she washed her hands and opened the door, Meng Zhiling was standing by the door, waiting for her quietly.
Without saying anything, Meng Zhiling helped her back.
He settled Jiang Huali back into bed and adjusted the height of the bed.
Then he sat back down in the chair next to the hospital bed.
He did look rather haggard, with his hair disheveled, his eyes slightly red, and his face somewhat pale.
Most importantly, his expression gave him a constant sense of unease, making him look excessively pitiful.
Meng Zhiling is still in shock. When he received the call and learned that Jiang Huali had been in a car accident on the highway, his mind went blank.
His heart was beating so fast that it even caused pain. He didn't know how he got to the hospital or how he saw Jiang Huali, covered in blood and unconscious, being wheeled into the operating room.
The operating room lights stayed on for a long time, so long that he almost couldn't bear the panic in his heart.
When Jiang Huali was wheeled out of the operating room by the nurse, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long, finally settled down a little.
She lay there quietly, her face deathly pale.
It seems he almost lost her again without even realizing it.
again?
Why again?
He didn't dwell on this sudden thought.
Meng Zhiling temporarily put all his work aside, and only when he was by Jiang Huali's side and his fingers touched her body temperature could he feel a sense of peace.
It wasn't until Jiang Huali woke up and her gaze fell on him again that his heart finally settled down.
Jiang Huali sighed inwardly.
never mind.
She looked at Meng Zhiling, pointed to the bedside, and gestured for Meng Zhiling to sit down.
Although Meng Zhiling didn't know what she wanted to do, she obediently sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Lower your head."
Meng Zhiling lowered his head, and the distance between the two of them instantly closed.
Jiang Huali's faint aura enveloped him, and Meng Zhiling's eyelashes trembled involuntarily.
A kiss landed gently on his forehead, like a soft feather.
He heard Jiang Huali say, "Don't be afraid."
He looked up at her, and a single, glistening tear suddenly fell.
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