Chapter 9: Thermos
Xia Cheng was taken to a private hospital by Lin Minghe. While she was taking a shower in the ward, her ankle had already swollen up.
"Is it because of the hot water?" Xia Cheng poked her ankle and took a breath.
"Are you done washing?" Lin Minghe knocked on the door.
"Wait a minute, let me blow dry my hair."
Xia Cheng's hair was too long, and it took some effort to blow it all dry. When she came out dry and refreshed, she saw that Lin Minghe had already washed it.
"Where did you wash it?"
"Top floor, Dean's office."
Xia Cheng didn't ask any more questions. She vaguely remembered hearing that Lin Minghe's family was in the medical equipment business. Since they entered the industry early, they were considered leaders in the industry, so it was not surprising that they opened a hospital.
After Lin Minghe made the arrangements, Xia Cheng was pushed in a wheelchair by him to have a CT scan. When the results came out, about an hour or two later, the Xun family arrived.
Xia Cheng was sitting on the bed, biting an apple that Lin Minghe had peeled. The 100-inch TV was broadcasting the day's news. Xia Cheng and Lin Minghe were both in it, but neither of them was watching TV.
When Xun's father and mother arrived, Lin Minghe was imitating Xia Cheng's fighting style.
"Ah, where did you learn this move? Teach me when you have time."
Xia Cheng lifted the quilt, revealing her red and swollen ankle. "My kung fu is only mediocre, so I can only kick a skinny man in the groin. If he were a little stronger, I would break my leg."
"It won't stop, I'm here too!"
"Ahem..." Xun Youdong spoke at the right time, interrupting the conversation.
The two people in the room looked towards the door and said together:
"dad!"
"Uncle Xun!"
As soon as the door opened, He Qing came running over, put down her handbag and yelled:
"You, what's wrong with your leg? Your father and I are so worried!"
Xia Cheng raised her right leg: "I just twisted it."
"What did the doctor say? Is the bone okay?"
"No bones were injured. I prescribed some ointment to reduce the swelling and it will be fine."
"Your mother and I have seen the news." Xun Youdong came to the bed and stared at Xia Cheng's ankle quietly.
"Your courage is commendable, but sometimes you have to think about yourself. That was a very dangerous moment. Next time, you can ask someone for help. After all, you are a girl, and you may not be as strong as a man. That man looks thin, but most people like him do physical labor. You..."
"Okay, okay, you just got here and you're already scolding the child without even caring about him!" He Qing interrupted Xun Youdong dissatisfiedly.
Xun Youdong saw his daughter lowering her head, looking as if she had been scolded. He knew he had gone too far. He rubbed the back of his head, plopped down on the sofa, and began to change the subject:
"Minghe is amazing. That kick was really powerful. You're truly an athlete. If it weren't for you, Chengcheng would have been injured more than just this."
Lin Minghe sat down opposite Xun Youdong and waved his hand:
"No, Xia Cheng is much braver than me. She was the first one to rush over. I went over later. In the end, it was Xia Cheng who grabbed the lighter first. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the courage."
Xia Cheng put the uneaten apple on the bedside and slapped his head:
"Ah, my shopping!"
Lin Minghe then remembered that Xia Cheng had stuffed a bunch of things into his arms. He didn't look carefully and just rushed forward and threw the things away.
"I'll help you find it!"
Lin Minghe was filled with guilt for throwing away other people's things. He ran out despite Xia Cheng's attempt to stop him. Soon his footsteps disappeared.
He Qing sat down on the chair next to the bed:
"The police found you on surveillance footage and called your home to ask you to give a statement. That's how we found out about this. Then your father saw the news. He saw Minghe on TV and guessed you were here. Neither of you answered the phone. I was so worried on the way here!"
Xia Cheng stuck out her tongue and leaned intimately into He Qing's arms. Normally, she would never do such an intimate act, but she was hurt. Thinking this way, she gave herself a reason to get closer: to take this opportunity to improve her relationship with her parents.
On the one hand, it was because of blood ties, and on the other hand, Xia Cheng wanted to make the scales in her parents' hearts tilt slightly towards her.
"My phone was lost and I forgot to pick it up. Lin Minghe's phone seems to have been lost as well. I haven't seen him take it out."
Xun Youdong asked, "Didn't Momo go shopping with Minghe? Why did you and Minghe end up coming to the hospital together? Where's Momo? Is she okay?"
Xia Cheng shook her head:
"Momo should be fine. She was probably frightened and went back. I just happened to run into them, and then this happened."
"No, I have to call home and ask." He Qing stood up and called home. Xia Cheng listened to the beeping sound, and the tenderness that had just emerged in her heart disappeared, and her mood fell to the bottom.
It is normal for parents to care about their children, but Xia Cheng doesn't like the fact that they always openly express their concern for Xun Mo in front of her, and sometimes even favor Xun Mo.
Xun Mo's call didn't go through, so He Qing called home again. When he heard that Xun Mo hadn't returned, he started packing up again:
"Chengcheng, Mommy and Daddy are going to look for Momo. We'll ask your brother to come see you later."
"Be careful on the road."
She smiled slightly and waved her hand to confess, as if she was wearing a mask, and her expression never changed.
After the people left, he stared at the TV screen quietly for a few seconds, and threw the apple he had just not finished eating onto it.
I don’t know if the force was too weak, but the TV was unharmed and the news was still showing what happened this morning.
Seeing herself saving people, Xia Cheng felt extremely nauseous. She lay on the edge of the bed, her black hair hanging to the ground. She didn't even bother to tidy it up. She opened her mouth and retched for a long time before she wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve in a messy manner.
Then, he leaned against the headboard, snuggled in the quilt, and watched the news over and over again until the sour taste in his mouth stopped, and then he closed his bloodshot eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already dark. Xia Cheng realized belatedly that she had fallen asleep while sitting. The air conditioner was humming and she felt a chill. She had just curled up in the quilt and before she could warm her arms, she heard someone talking on the sofa.
"woke up?"
Xia Cheng opened her eyes suddenly, but didn't turn around immediately. She took out her hand from the quilt, rustled her hair, and then slowly sat up.
"elder brother?"
"Um."
Xun Sheng got up and turned on the light. When he came, he saw Xia Cheng sleeping, so he also rested on the sofa for a while. He woke up when he heard her movement.
Seeing Xun Sheng wearing a suit, with his hair oiled and his shoes polished to a shine, Xia Cheng asked:
"Are you from the company?"
"Yeah." Xun Sheng was taciturn. He picked up the thermos from the coffee table and just put it on the bedside table when he saw Xia Cheng raise her head, clasped her hands together, blinking her big eyes, her black eyeballs bright and clear.
"Did Mom do that?"
"Why do you think it was Mom who did it?"
Xia Cheng pursed her lips, looking a little embarrassed, and lowered her head again, the shadow cast by her eyelashes covering her bright eyes:
"My adoptive family, my mother didn't like me and was always arguing with my father. Later, she passed away, and my father and grandmother also passed away. No one would know if I was injured." When she said this, tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice was trembling and a little far-fetched:
"But it's different now! I have a brother and a sister, and my parents are very kind to me. They even make soup for me when they know I'm injured. I'm really happy."
Xun Sheng's throat tightened slightly.
He was a little unsure whether Xia Cheng meant what she said.
His intuition has always been accurate. From the first time he saw Xia Cheng, his intuition told him that this girl was not simple.
But he looked at her, her shoulders hunched, holding the thermos, her face full of happiness, waiting for his answer, just like a puppy picked up from the roadside, who could be tricked into taking home with just a bone.
So I couldn't say the word "no".
He sent his secretary to buy this. The secretary was thoughtful and bought a thermos bucket for fear that he would get cold on the road. He probably didn't even wash the thermos bucket before he brought it here.
Xun Sheng loosened his tie and stopped staring at Xia Cheng's face.
He turned around and poured himself a glass of water, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he greedily swallowed the water.
Then, he replied calmly:
"Yes. Mom did it."
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