“Ningning…”
"...If possible, is there a chance for us to start over?"
This was the first thing Lu Chen said to Tang Ning after waking up from a coma that had lasted for three days and three nights.
At that moment, Tang Ning was sitting by Lu Chen's bedside, carefully washing the hot towel she had just used to wipe his face, as instructed by the doctor at the clinic. As soon as she heard the hoarse voice coming from beside her, her hand trembled slightly, and the white towel fell into the wooden basin in front of her with a thud.
Then, Tang Ning turned around in disbelief and was met with Lu Chen's haggard face and his bright black pupils.
Seeing the uncontrollable joy in Tang Ning's eyes, Lu Chen seemed to be infected as well, his heart overflowing with happiness.
He has been conscious for the past three days. He can vaguely hear many noises outside, but unfortunately he just can't wake up.
But he could feel Tang Ning's meticulous care. Every day, she would carefully wipe his hands and face with a warm towel, and moisten his lips with cotton soaked in hot water. The doctor had told her that he had injured his head and that he needed someone close to him to keep talking to him in order to have a chance to wake him up. So for the past three days, unless necessary, Tang Ning had been by his bedside, talking to him word by word...
It was this gentleness that made him, upon waking up and looking at Tang Ning's profile, which seemed to radiate light in the morning sun, impulsively ask that question.
But all his joy and anticipation were met with Tang Ning's silence as she came to her senses.
Lu Chen watched as Tang Ning bit her lower lip and slowly lowered her head. Because of the angle, he couldn't see what kind of expression she had on her face, but her distress was so obvious. Was there anything he didn't understand?
Almost instantly, Lu Chen gripped the sheet beside him tightly. His obsidian-like pupils quickly disappeared behind his thick eyelashes, the light in his eyes gradually fading, but he still quickly composed himself and flashed Tang Ning a bright smile. "I said, you didn't actually take it seriously, did you? I was just joking. I know you have your difficulties. Before... before I wasn't sincere. It's understandable that you're worried. I think I've been lying in bed for too long, and my brain is all fogged up, which is why I suddenly said that..."
"good."
Just as Lu Chen was rambling incoherently, saying things he himself probably didn't even understand, Tang Ning raised her head and said with a smile.
"It's okay, I understand, I really understand why you refused... What?"
Lu Chen, who only realized what was happening at this moment, widened his eyes and looked at Tang Ning in disbelief.
“Ningning…”
"Okay, I agree. Lu Chen, let's get back together."
Tang Ning repeated it again in a gentle voice.
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen looked at the woman sitting by his bedside, smiling just like Tang Ning five years ago. His lips opened and closed several times, but he couldn't utter a sound.
In that instant, his mind went blank, his limbs felt numb, he couldn't hear anything, and all he could see was Tang Ning.
Compared to her, everything around her seemed empty and insignificant.
By the time Lu Chen realized what was happening, he had already sat up in bed and pulled Tang Ning into a tight embrace.
He could hear Tang Ning's worried admonition in his ear, "No, lie down, lie down quickly. The doctor said you can't move around until the injury on the back of your head has healed. A head injury is no small matter. Listen to me, Lu Chen..."
Before Tang Ning could even utter her next words of advice, Lu Chen, who had been holding her tightly, released her, smiled broadly, and obediently lay down on the bed.
A pair of puppy eyes were shining brightly as he looked at Tang Ning, as if every inch of his flesh and blood was filled with joy and happiness, and he didn't even know what to do.
Seeing Lu Chen like this, Tang Ning couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Seeing her smile, Lu Chen also smiled, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth.
"Silly boy..."
After laughing, Tang Ning cursed in an annoyed tone.
She then turned around and continued to wring out the towel that she had dropped into the wooden basin earlier. She had only wiped Lu Chen's face, but hadn't wiped his neck and hands.
At this moment, Lu Chen was incredibly obedient. He did whatever Tang Ning told him to do, raised his head when told to raise his head, and reached out his hand when told to reach out his hand.
Tang Ning smiled and quickly finished wiping it for him.
After wiping, she was about to pick up the water in the wooden basin and go out to pour it out when, unexpectedly, Lu Chen, who had been smiling happily, suddenly grabbed her wrist, a look of anxiety appearing in his eyes, "Ningning..."
"I'm going out to get some water. Also, you've been sleeping for three days, and there's nothing in your stomach. I've made some porridge; you can drink some later, and then take your medicine. Hmm, I might need to boil some hot water. If you feel uncomfortable later, you can take a short shower, after all..."
Tang Ning felt there was no need to continue the conversation, but Lu Chen still wouldn't let go of her wrist. Instead, he frowned slightly and asked uncertainly, "So, from now on, we're together again, right, Ning Ning?"
Although Tang Ning had already nodded in agreement, for some reason Lu Chen felt uneasy and subconsciously asked the question again.
Upon hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Tang Ning's eyes, then she smiled and nodded, "Yes, from now on, I, Tang Ning, and you, Lu Chen, are together again."
Do you like me?
Tang Ning's smile paused slightly, then she lowered her eyes and gave a soft "hmm".
She quickly looked up again, somewhat helplessly, "...So can I let go now? Holding the wooden basin is so tiring..."
Upon hearing Tang Ning's words, Lu Chen smiled again and obediently let go of her hand. Even after Tang Ning lifted the curtain of the unfamiliar room and walked out, he still craned his neck to watch until Tang Ning's shadow disappeared completely. Only then did he look away with a sense of loss.
After that, every now and then, Tang Ning would bring over porridge and medicine. At Lu Chen's request, she would feed him the porridge and medicine with some embarrassment. During this time, an old doctor named Qin, with gray hair, wearing a long gown and glasses, also came in.
It is said that they are currently renting a small room behind the Qin Family Medical Clinic.
After seeing Doctor Qin off, Tang Ning seemed to remember something and began to explain things to Lu Chen.
"Oh, right, I might need to go out to buy some things in a bit. The doctor said you can eat some things now, but the vegetables grown in this pharmacy are only enough for his family of three, so I'm going to the market to buy some to keep on hand. I've already spoken to the clinic; that young apprentice surnamed Chang should be boiling water now. Once it's done, you can go wash up. We left Lantau Village in such a hurry, so you might need to wear someone else's old clothes, is that alright?"
"OK."
It's just old clothes. He had just come from Haicheng and had even eaten swill when he was down on his luck, so there was nothing to mind.
"That's fine then, I'll be going now..."
When will you be back?
"I'll be back soon, at the latest within half an hour."
As they were talking, Tang Ning had already put on her scarf, hat, and other accessories. She greeted Lu Chen and then walked out.
No sooner had Tang Ning left than Lu Chen spotted a gray bag by the bedside. He picked it up, opened it, and found a silver dollar and a dozen copper coins inside.
Upon seeing the money inside, Lu Chen knew that Tang Ning's old habit of being forgetful had resurfaced. She had always been like this. He wondered how Tang Ning, who had accidentally left her purse here, was going to go grocery shopping. Fortunately, she shouldn't have gone far, and he could still return it to her in time.
Thinking of this, Lu Chen smiled helplessly, put on only a coat, and walked out of the room to deliver the money bag to Tang Ning.
As soon as he left, sure enough, Tang Ning was standing in the corridor not far away, frowning slightly, clearly realizing that she had forgotten her purse.
Lu Chen's smile widened even more. Clutching his money pouch, he was about to call out to Tang Ning when he heard Tang Ning's concerned inquiry from the corner of the wall.
"Dr. Qin, how is my friend's injury? Is it serious? Will it leave any lasting effects?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen paused slightly.
"His injuries are healing well, but your friend was injured in the head. Since ancient times, brain injuries have caused many subsequent symptoms. Even I, Qin, am not knowledgeable enough to explain the reasons. However, as I instructed before, we must not let him suffer any stimulation, and do everything he wants. No matter what he asks for, we should agree to it first. It's always the right thing to do!"
The old doctor's voice was slightly low, probably because he had caught a cold recently. He also had some phlegm in his throat, and occasionally coughed as he spoke.
But his seemingly innocuous words were like a barbed blade, piercing straight into Lu Chen's heart.
The man numbly clutched the money pouch in his hand, his eyes glazed over, and his face suddenly turned pale.
So that's how it is...
Oh, I see.
It turned out that because he had a head injury and couldn't be stimulated, Tang Ning agreed to his unreasonable request after hesitating for so long.
She must have been in a very difficult position before.
Being harassed by an ex-lover she had long forgotten but who was relentlessly pursuing her must have put her in a very difficult position...
The reason she agreed to his request was probably just because she was worried about his illness and acted out of kindness and compassion.
Ha ha ha ha……
It was so embarrassing for him...
He even had the audacity to ask Tang Ning if she liked him. Shouldn't he have known that already?
How did she take care of Xu Sinian, whom she liked, and how did she take care of him?
What were his feelings when he asked that question?
ah?
How could there be such a shameless and brainless person as Lu Chen in this world!
She should have noticed something was wrong a long time ago. After all, Tang Ning had already so clearly rejected him back in Lantau Village, repeatedly using silence to reject him.
What reason could she possibly have to suddenly choose to get back together with him, except for having no other choice but to accept it?
As he kept thinking this, Lu Chen gripped the money pouch tighter and tighter. His head was throbbing with pain, and even though it was already spring, he felt so cold, so incredibly cold. He stiffly lifted his foot, turned around, and walked straight back to the room he had been in before.
Almost as soon as Lu Chen left the corner, Tang Ning, who had just seen off Doctor Qin, looked at the winter plum blossoms that had already bloomed and were emitting a faint fragrance, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Yes, she did it on purpose.
He deliberately left the money pouch behind, deliberately lured Lu Chen over, and deliberately let him hear these words...
Otherwise, what? Does she really want to be with him?
Tsk, she's just beautiful inside and out.
On the other side, Lu Chen had only been sitting down for a short while when he heard someone lift the curtain. He looked up and met the gaze of Tang Ning, who was walking in against the light.
As soon as Tang Ning entered, she saw the money bag in Lu Chen's hand and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, so it really was lost here. You scared me!"
As she got closer, Tang Ning immediately frowned, because she noticed that Lu Chen's expression seemed a little off. "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale? Is your headache back? I'll go find Doctor Qin..."
Before Tang Ning could finish speaking, Lu Chen grabbed her wrist.
Turning around, she found Lu Chen already smiling. "Don't be in such a hurry, it's okay, my head doesn't hurt. Here, take your purse, you're always so forgetful..."
Tang Ning smiled and accepted the money bag.
Just then, she heard Lu Chen suggest, seemingly casually, "Why don't we just not go back to Haicheng? There's no point in going back. Why don't you come with me to Fengcheng? Anyway, you're not exactly a biological daughter of the Tang family. If we go to Fengcheng, the whole city is full of peonies. In March and April, when the flowers bloom, they're very beautiful..."
"You'll definitely like it, so, Ningning, do you want to come to Fengcheng with me?"
As he said this, Lu Chen's hand, which was at his side, suddenly clenched, his knuckles turning bright white and the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Lu Chen's current favorability rating: 90.
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