Chapter 58 I want to kiss you, and I want to...
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Xing's face lit up with undisguised joy, and he immediately looked at Xing Lan with delight: "Really? Lanlan, is what he said true?"
Xing Lan's face stiffened. Just as she was about to explain to her grandfather, she saw Xing Yi strolling towards them unhurriedly, taking out photos from his phone to show her grandfather.
"Really? Would I lie to you about something like this?" Xing Yi said with a smile. "Look, this is the girl, Lin Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu is not only beautiful, but also has a wonderful personality. With her taking care of our Lanlan, you can rest assured."
Xing Lan glanced down and saw that Xing Yi had used AI to create a photo of Xing Lan and Lin Xiaoyu together. Although digital synthesis inevitably leaves some unnatural traces, Grandpa Xing's eyesight was failing due to illness, so he couldn't tell at all.
He carefully held the phone Xing Yi handed him in his aged hands, looked at the photoshopped group photo, and couldn't stop smiling: "It's so good, so good. This girl named Xiaoyu looks like a good person to settle down with."
"I never imagined that at my age, I would be able to witness my eldest grandson getting married, having children, and starting a family. Oh, I am so happy today."
He raised his hand to wipe his blurry eyes, staring at the photo on his phone, his brows furrowed slightly, and murmured, "It's just that my eyes are getting blurry now, I can't see things very clearly in the photo. Lanlan, when can you bring that girl Xiaoyu over so I can see her with my own eyes?"
"Grandpa, actually I..." Xing Lan hesitated, looking at her grandfather's joyful expression, and stopped herself from speaking.
After a long pause, he steeled himself and was about to tell him the truth when Xing Yi glared at him fiercely.
Xing Yi placed one hand on Xing Lan's shoulder, seemingly casually, but in reality, his palm was secretly exerting force, twisting Xing Lan's shoulder as a warning.
"Tomorrow." He raised his voice, his expression nonchalant, and interrupted Xing Lan with a smile, "Dad, I'll have him bring Xiaoyu to see you tomorrow, what do you say?"
"Okay, okay." Grandpa nodded with a smile.
Inside the ward, Grandpa and Xing Yi were all smiles, chatting happily about Xing Lan and the Lin family girl's upcoming marriage, which was still far from being finalized. Only Xing Lan, with mixed feelings, looked stiff, clenched her fists, and kept her head down, saying nothing.
According to Xing Yi, his grandfather had just been transferred out of the intensive care unit two days ago, and his condition was still unstable, so he could not withstand too much stimulation in a short period of time.
The old man looks so happy now. If he suddenly found out that what happened just now was just Xing Yi talking nonsense, he would definitely not be able to accept it.
Xing Lan was concerned about his grandfather's health and struggled with her feelings, finding it difficult to speak.
He tried to remain calm and sat there for a while. When he saw that it was getting late, he got up and hurriedly said goodbye to his grandfather: "Grandpa, I have something to do. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."
Grandpa nodded, raised his hand and reminded him with a smile, "Don't forget to bring Xiaoyu along tomorrow!"
"..."
Although the old man's words were unintentional, they felt like a sharp thorn in Xing Lan's heart, leaving him with a lump in his throat and unsure how to react.
Xing Lan stopped in her tracks, her hand on the doorknob pausing for half a second before she opened the door and left.
Xing Yi stood by the hospital bed, arms crossed, watching with satisfaction as Xing Lan looked helpless and forced to submit, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.
Stepping out of the ward, Xing Lan removed Xing Yi from her blacklist, her brows furrowed in frustration, and sent him a message.
What did you mean just now? I would never go to see Grandpa with that woman surnamed Lin. I have absolutely no relation to her.
A few minutes later, he received Xing Yi's reply.
[You probably don't know your grandfather's condition, do you? Yesterday the doctor told me that his illness is getting worse and he can only be kept alive by machines. I estimate he doesn't have much longer to go.]
The old man wanted to see you get married before he passed away. As his most beloved eldest grandson, are you really so selfish and heartless that you wouldn't even fulfill this simple wish for him?
Are you using my grandfather to blackmail me?
[Think what you want.]
In short, if you don't come tomorrow, I'll go and tell him who your real "lover" is. If he gets so angry that something bad happens to him... it'll all be your fault, you good-for-nothing!
Xing Lan looked at Xing Yi's reply, then angrily turned off her phone and slammed her hand against the wall next to her.
-
Xing Lan had just come from her grandfather's place and, without pausing for a second, hurriedly took the elevator to another floor and entered Li Baidong's ward with practiced ease.
Li Baidong was lying in bed watching TV when he saw him come in. He looked up and asked casually, "Brother, why were you out for so long today?"
Xing Lan put the food she bought down beside her, turned her back to Li Baidong, and began to remove the insulated bag from the food container.
Hearing the boy's question, he paused and stammered, "Uh, there were a lot of people buying food today, and the line was very long."
"Oh, I see..."
Xing Lan wasn't good at lying, and after she finished speaking, she felt a little nervous and couldn't help but glance at Li Baidong guiltily.
Fortunately, Li Baidong's expression remained normal, and he did not seem to suspect anything.
Xing Lan took the packaged beef bibimbap out of the insulated bag and brought it to Li Baidong, who was in the hospital bed. With her eyes lowered, she sat upright by the bedside and fed him with a wooden spoon.
Because he had spent some time at his grandfather's, today's food was a bit cold; the rice grains had become hard, and the beef was dry and had lost its usual aroma. But since Xing Lan had bought it, Li Baidong still ate it all up, bite by bite.
After Li Baidong finished eating, Xing Lan, as usual, helped him clean up the empty boxes on the table. In the process, she accidentally knocked over Li Baidong's dog's water cup.
Although a mug isn't as fragile as a ceramic cup, it still makes a jarring sound when it falls to the ground, giving one a jolt, and the water inside immediately spills all over the floor.
Xing Lan hurriedly tidied up again, went to the bathroom to wash the cup, and then poured Li Baidong another cup of hot water.
He seemed preoccupied today; his complexion was not good, and his cool expression was somewhat unfocused.
Although I'm physically in the hospital, my mind is elsewhere.
Li Baidong glanced at Xing Lan, who was busy beside him, and suddenly reached out and grabbed the corner of his clothes.
Xing Lan stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
"Brother, you've worked so hard these past few days," Li Baidong said sincerely. "Taking care of me every day must be tiring, right?"
"Not tired." Xing Lan pursed her lips, subconsciously adding, "You're easy to take care of."
Li Baidong smiled, took out a small rectangular object from under the pillow, blinked his eyes, and gently placed it in Xing Lan's hand as if presenting a treasure.
Xing Lan looked down and saw it was a tube of ointment.
In the morning, Xing Lan accidentally cut his hand while peeling an apple for Li Baidong. However, the cut was shallow and there was no bleeding, so he didn't pay much attention to it. He just went to the bathroom, rinsed it with water, and then forgot about it.
Unexpectedly, Li Baidong remembered it well and asked her to buy some ointment when the nurses came to check on him at noon.
"I also asked her to buy some sterile bandages. Bro, shall I apply them for you now?"
Li Baidong took Xing Lan's injured left hand and carefully applied ointment to it, his eyes lowered, his expression serious and focused.
A slight coolness came from the wound on his hand. Xing Lan looked at Li Baidong, who was gently and carefully applying medicine to him with his head down. His guilt deepened and his eyes unconsciously darkened.
After applying the ointment, Li Baidong tore open a band-aid and gently wrapped it around Xing Lan's slender left ring finger.
Because the wound was right at the base of his finger, when Li Baidong put on the band-aid, it looked like he was personally putting a ring on his finger.
After applying the band-aid, Li Baidong still didn't want to let go of Xing Lan's hand. He stared at Xing Lan's hand and kissed it.
The kiss was very light, yet Xing Lan felt a tingling sensation at the base of her fingers, as if a faint electric current was passing through them.
He subtly withdrew his hand, his tone a little stiff: "Thank you."
Li Baidong looked at Xing Lan with his dark eyes, a subtle expression flashing across his face, but he quickly returned to normal, still with that smiling, sunny look.
He chuckled lightly twice, narrowed his eyes, and said to Xing Lan, "You're welcome, brother."
-
After a few days in the hospital, Li Baidong's health had improved somewhat, but he still needed Xing Lan's personal assistance every time he took a bath, a complicated process that required him to be careful not to get the wound on his back wet.
The bathroom in the hospital ward is quite small, barely big enough for one person to enter.
Every time Xing Lan helped Li Baidong take a bath, she herself would get completely soaked. Her white shirt became semi-transparent, the fabric clinging tightly to her skin and outlining her obvious waistline.
Li Baidong, without any hesitation, stripped naked except for a loosely tied towel around his lower body. Turning his head, he saw Xing Lan's shirt, which was practically nonexistent, and said with a grin, "Brother, isn't it uncomfortable to have this wet shirt sticking to your body? Why don't you take it off and come in to shower with me?"
Xing Lan politely declined his enthusiastic invitation.
He raised his hand to wipe the warm water from his face. Facing Li Baidong, who was naked in front of him and whose smooth muscle lines were exposed, he remained calm and quick, his movements as smooth and skillful as flowing water, without the slightest shyness or hesitation.
It's more like washing dogs on an assembly line than washing people.
Although Xing Lan has never worked in a pet store, she has raised Little Prince for so many years and has a wealth of experience in washing large dogs.
Compared to the Little Prince, who is naturally afraid of water, Li Baidong, this big dog, is obviously much more obedient and also more human-like.
She raises her hand when told to, and turns around when told to. Apart from her amazing figure, which makes Xing Lan's heart beat a little faster, she has no obvious flaws.
Just as he was finishing his shower, the towel that Li Baidong had casually draped around his waist accidentally slipped off.
Xing Lan was stunned for a moment, then inadvertently lowered her gaze.
I saw everything, things I should have seen and things I shouldn't have seen.
His ears immediately burned bright red. He nervously bit his lip and quickly looked away, trying to cover it up.
The white bath towel had fallen to the ground and was completely soaked by the water underneath; even if it were picked up, it would be unusable.
Xing Lan turned around hastily, took two steps back, and moved to the bathroom door. Her eyes darted around, but she tried to speak calmly, "It's almost done. You can dry yourself off afterwards."
“Brother…” Li Baidong looked at the bath towel that had fallen on the ground and slightly pursed his lips as if he was a little aggrieved.
"My back hurts so much, I can't do anything by myself."
The small bathroom was quiet, with only the soft gurgling of hot water flowing into the drain. Li Baidong, a seriously injured patient, was left there all alone, looking exceptionally pitiful and helpless.
Xing Lan's brow twitched. She composed herself and forced herself to walk towards him again.
Although the person walked over, they deliberately looked away, staring at the wall and the ceiling, but not glancing at Li Baidong beside them.
He grabbed a towel and was about to quickly dry off Li Baidong, who was soaking wet, when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist and pinned him against the damp bathroom wall.
Xing Lan's pupils dilated as she saw Li Baidong's broad back almost getting soaked by the showerhead. She quickly reached out to push him away, stammering, "You... the injury on your back..."
Li Baidong's expression changed.
He was enveloped by the humid air around him, completely immersed in the ambiguous sea of emotions, and had no mind to care about the bloody wound on his back that had been there just a few days ago.
He lowered his head and gently kissed Xing Lan's lips, his voice hoarse, his blood boiling instantly: "It's alright."
"Brother, I feel so bad, I want to kiss you." He swallowed imperceptibly, his Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes deep and dark, unfathomable in the dim light. "Brother, I want more..."
Xing Lan coughed lightly. Although she was also a little dizzy from Li Baidong's overly magnetic voice, she still frowned and barely managed to maintain a sliver of clarity and rationality.
"What are you thinking?" He pushed away Li Baidong, who was endlessly nudging him like a puppy, with his palm, turned off the shower decisively, and calmly said to Li Baidong, "Go out first and put on some clothes."
The dripping sound of water suddenly stopped.
Li Baidong licked his lips, but the fire in his body was still not extinguished. His eyes were still fixed on Xing Lan, as if he wanted to devour him with his gaze.
Xing Lan was worried that Li Baidong would be cold, so she grabbed one of her own coats and put it on him.
Xing Lan's coat was a little small for Li Baidong, but he liked it very much. The coat was full of Xing Lan's pleasant scent because Xing Lan had just worn it that afternoon, and it still retained his body heat.
But after wearing it for a short while, Xing Lan found his own clothes and made him change into them.
Li Baidong shook his head, unwilling to change, and hugged his coat, which was obviously much smaller than his current size, even tighter.
In the past, Xing Lan would most likely have coldly forced him to take off his coat and put his clothes back on properly, but today, he looked at Li Baidong and said nothing, unusually indulging him.
What surprised Li Baidong even more was Xing Lan's next words and actions.
"Are you still feeling unwell?" Xing Lan asked indifferently, her gaze silently falling downwards, inadvertently landing on a certain spot.
"If you're feeling unwell, I can help you."
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