37. The Madman
◎Ex-Husband, the Outlaw◎
When Xu Huaihuai woke up, she felt groggy, as if she had slept for a long time, but she was also extremely tired and had no energy at all.
Lin Xu took her temperature; it was 38.2 degrees Celsius. "You have a fever. Let's go to the hospital."
Xu Huaihuai grabbed his hand. "It's okay, the fever isn't high. Just take some fever reducer. Are you sober now?"
"Hmm, did I scare you last night?"
"What are you scared of? It's just a bit of a surprise. I didn't expect you couldn't drink. Okay, okay, I'm fine. I have a fever now, so don't get too close to me. I'm going back to my place for the next few days. Remember to change the sheets and everything later, just in case you get infected."
Lin Xu initially disagreed. He was worried about Xu Huaihuai staying at home. What if she fainted from the fever while sick?
But Xu Huaihuai insisted that she had experience of dealing with fever on her own before. "What's there to worry about? I'm an adult. I just have a fever. How could I not take care of myself?"
Lin Xu finally agreed, and he told Xu Huaihuai, "If you feel unwell or uncomfortable, be sure to call me, and I will definitely come over."
"And then it spreads to each other?"
Xu Huaihuai, a straightforward and clueless woman, returned home. After taking antipyretics, her temperature dropped for a while, but suddenly spiked again at night.
She was awakened by a fever while she was sleeping. She was very sleepy and wanted to sleep, but when she closed her eyes, her eyelids were burning hot, making it difficult to fall asleep. She glanced at the time; it was past one in the morning. Lin Xu should be asleep by now, so she gave up the idea of calling him. She didn't want Lin Xu to worry.
She took her temperature; it was 39.7 degrees Celsius, which was considered a high fever. She touched her burning eyelids with her fingertips. Oral medication was slow to take effect, so she decided to go to the hospital for an IV drip.
She put on her coat, went out, and, barely able to stay awake, hailed a taxi.
Fortunately, there were still drivers available at this time. The driver was a young man who seemed hesitant to speak, seeing her wearing a mask, and appeared a little worried about letting her get in the car. "What's wrong...?"
"I'm sorry, I have a fever."
"Oh, no wonder you're going to the hospital. Fasten your seatbelt, we'll be there in about twenty minutes."
"Hmm." Xu Huaihuai adjusted her coat, leaned back in her seat, and watched the scenery flash by through the car window. The driver was following the navigation route.
After walking for a while, her dry eyes, caused by a fever, blinked repeatedly, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She then closed her eyes, wanting to rest for a while.
She didn't expect her fever to be so high that she actually fell asleep, or rather, fainted from the fever.
When she woke up again, the first thing she saw was an IV drip.
Is she already in the hospital? Then she probably couldn't get a taxi.
With her limbs feeling weak and unable to sit up for a while, she could only quietly watch the IV drip.
Some people were watching her quietly. When they saw that she was awake, they reached out and touched her forehead. "With such a high fever, how could you take a taxi to the hospital alone in the middle of the night and make yourself look so pitiful?"
It was Ling Zhou! Xu Huaihuai gripped the sheets tightly and struggled to sit up. She wanted to ask why he was here, but her throat was too dry and she couldn't say anything.
"You want to ask me why I'm here?" Ling Zhou laughed. "This is my home, or you prefer to hear 'our home'."
It certainly didn't feel like a hospital. Xu Huaihuai tried to reach for her phone but couldn't find it. A somewhat unbelievable yet undeniable thought surfaced in her mind, and she questioned, "You kidnapped me?"
Her voice was terribly hoarse. Ling Zhou poured her a glass of water. "Want some? Don't move around, or the needle will slip."
He held her hand down and brought the rim of the cup to her lips.
"I'll do it myself."
Ling Zhou wouldn't give in, and the two remained locked in a stalemate. Finally, Ling Zhou lost his patience. He turned her face away, and with just a little force, the glass smashed open her lips, making a crisp sound as it clattered against her teeth. Water was roughly poured into her mouth, and once the glass was empty, she choked and coughed incessantly, her eyes red as she glared at him.
That was a very rare expression on her face, like she was looking at an enemy. Shouldn't a small act of kindness be repaid with a great one? Ling Zhou patted her back and deliberately asked, "Want some more?"
Xu Huaihuai avoided his hand and didn't answer his question, "Where's my phone?"
Ling Zhou seemed to have heard something funny. "You're asking me for my phone? Didn't you just say I kidnapped you? How could I possibly give you my phone?"
Xu Huaihuai held back for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, I misspoke just now. Can you give me back my phone now?"
"No, you can't use it now, and you won't use it in the future."
Ling Zhou looked relaxed, seemingly completely unaware of how absurd his words were. Xu Huaihuai stared at him in astonishment, "What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you understand?" Ling Zhou was saddened by her astonishment. "We were meant to be together forever. It's your fate, and it's my fate too."
What a madman! Who's going to play with you!
Xu Huaihuai pulled out the needle, pressed down on the needle hole, and was about to get out of bed. Her feet had barely touched the ground when she felt unsteady on her feet. After a few steps, Ling Zhou grabbed her hand and forcefully dragged her back to bed.
"Let go!"
He let go.
Bang--
Her forehead hit the bedside table, and her vision blurred for a moment, she didn't know if it was from the pain or something else.
A slightly viscous, red liquid trickled down her forehead and dripped onto her clothes and sheets.
Xu Huaihuai couldn't see Ling Zhou's face clearly. She tried to cover her forehead and sit up, but failed. She had no strength in her body, and her eyelids were extremely heavy. In her dazed state, she felt someone holding her body still.
A bright light seemed to shine on her, and she vaguely heard people talking.
“Mr. Ling, she has used sedatives and similar drugs, so she cannot use anesthetic drugs again.”
"……so what?"
"The only solution for the wound on her forehead is to stitch it up directly, what do you think?"
How many stitches?
"2-4 stitches".
...It hurt a lot. When she woke up again, she instinctively touched her forehead and felt a piece of gauze.
Her gaze fell on the bedside table, which had left her with a bloody head, now had rounded corners. Perhaps it had been replaced while she was unconscious. She knew she was still in that room, and her nightmare was not over yet.
She got out of bed and slowly walked to the drawn curtains.
She reached out and pulled back the curtains, but no light came in, and she couldn't see the outside world. There was nothing behind the curtains.
The modified door behind him opened, and there was another isolation door outside the iron fence. After both doors were opened, Ling Zhou brought in the food in the bright light outside. He set the food on the table and gently and considerately greeted Xu Huaihuai, who was standing in the windowless area, "Come and eat."
Xu Huaihuai walked over and slapped him with all her might.
Ling Zhou tilted his head slightly, but he wasn't annoyed. "After you finish eating, I'll give you five minutes to make a call."
She raised her hand and then lowered it again, and she ate in large mouthfuls, almost wolfing it down.
"Is it good? You had three stitches in your forehead, and the doctor said you should eat something light. Auntie spent all morning making these dishes."
She ignored his boastful words and mechanically swallowed her words, preoccupied with the five-minute call.
Ling Zhou didn't say anything more, and stared intently at his "wife".
Xu Huaihuai put down her chopsticks: "I'm finished eating."
"Five minutes. Have you decided who to call?"
"This has nothing to do with you, give me your phone."
"You only have five minutes. After five minutes, there will be no signal."
Ling Zhou chuckled, keeping his word, and returned her phone to her.
Xu Huaihuai immediately dialed Lin Xu's number.
No one answered. Three minutes passed, and Lin Xu's phone still went unanswered.
Ling Zhou saw both her joy at escaping death and her unexpected anxiety. He silently smiled as he watched the countdown tick away, preparing to savor her despair.
Unfortunately, Wan Qing, the head of the medical team he had invited, knocked on the door at that moment.
He only closed one of the iron gates; Wan Qing seemed to have something to say. He glanced at Xu Huaihuai, who was frantically making phone calls and completely oblivious to his own needs, and finally opened the iron gate and went out, but he was very careful and closed it again.
By the fourth minute, reason told Xu Huaihuai that she should call the police, but she still called Lin Xu instead.
Didn't you say that if I felt unwell or uncomfortable, I would definitely call you and you would come over?
I feel very uncomfortable and nauseous right now. The thought of being in the same space as Ling Zhou makes me nauseous.
Lin Xu, what are you doing? Why aren't you answering the phone?
Five minutes later, Lin Xu's call was answered.
Xu Huaihuai almost burst into tears, but managed to hold them back. "Lin Xu, I..." I've been kidnapped by that lunatic Ling Zhou! That outlaw Ling Zhou! He even made me need several stitches!
She desperately wanted to tell him everything, but Lin Xu didn't speak; she could only hear his breathing. Feeling vaguely uneasy, she finally said, "My fever has gone down."
"Um."
Lin Xu only hummed in response, and for some reason, his voice was very soft.
She asked, "What are you doing?"
"It's nothing, it's alright."
He answered quickly, but she felt increasingly uneasy because he had never used such perfunctory words before.
"Don't you have anything else to say to me?" With little time left, she pressed on anxiously.
She heard a muffled thud coming from the other end, and after a while, she heard Lin Xu's somewhat broken voice, "Sister Huai... take care of yourself, don't..."
Five minutes later, the phone lost signal, and the call was forced to end.
"Lin Xu..." Xu Huaihuai's heart suddenly skipped a beat. A chill ran down her spine. Through the iron gate, she saw Ling Zhou talking to a person dressed as a medical worker. She ran towards the iron gate, shaking it desperately, "Did you do something to him?!"
“Mr. Ling, this medicine has significant side effects, so please be careful with the dosage… I have to go now.” Wan Qing’s words were interrupted. He didn’t dare to look at the woman inside the iron gate any longer, handed the briefcase to Ling Zhou, and left in a hurry.
Ling Zhou, carrying his medicine box, looked at her inside the iron gate. "Him? What 'him'? It's just you and me here."
"Did you do something to Lin Xu? Open the door! Open the door! This is illegal!"
"It's only illegal if someone knows about it."
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