Chapter 59 Sobbing and whining, "Then do you like me?"
The two stayed in the bathroom for a very long time. When they finally came out, Xing Lan's handsome face showed no obvious change in expression, but Li Baidong's face was unusually flushed.
His young, passionate heart pounded wildly, and for a moment it seemed as if the whole world was filled with the sound of his heartbeat.
My steps were unsteady, and my whole body felt light, as if I were walking on clouds.
Li Baidong hadn't caught his breath yet. He lowered his head and couldn't help but keep looking at Xing Lan's hand.
Xing Lan's hands were exceptionally beautiful, as white as his body, with long, slender fingers and a layer of light pink, like cherry blossoms, covering each joint. His skin looked very thin.
The palm is warm and soft, with a smooth and delicate touch.
Although it had been washed, it still seemed to carry a very faint, lingering smell in the air of the ward, which was filled with the scent of disinfectant.
So comfortable.
I wish I could do it all again. Even if it meant paying with my life.
Li Baidong licked his lips, savoring the memory, repeatedly replaying the events in his mind. He was so excited that he barely slept all night. The next morning, deep dark circles appeared under his eyes.
Around nine o'clock, he got out of bed feeling refreshed. He was about to say good morning to Xing Lan in a sweet and affectionate way when he opened his eyes and found that the ward was empty except for him.
A cup of perfectly warm water still sits on the bedside table, and the glass vase next to it remains clean and clear. Several beautiful pink lilies have been carefully trimmed, emitting a warm and pleasant fragrance.
However, Xing Lan, whom he most wanted to see, had disappeared.
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At this moment, Xing Lan stood at the door of another ward with a tense face and a cold expression, giving Xing Yi, who was standing next to her, a cold glance.
Xing Yi curled his lips, pretending not to notice the deep disgust and aversion in his eyes, and pushed the girl in the white dress, who was shyly looking down, closer to him: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and take Xiaoyu inside."
If he could, Xing Lan would love to tear his father to pieces and send him to hell, but that would obviously not be a rational move, and would instead completely ruin his own life.
The girl smiled and approached Xing Lan, tentatively trying to take his hand.
Xing Lan subtly dodged to the side, suppressing his anger, and without glancing at her, pushed open the door and entered the ward first.
The girl took the initiative to make friends but was ignored, which made her a little embarrassed. Her smile froze, and her raised hand fell silently.
However, she quickly composed herself and followed Xing Lan as if nothing had happened.
Once the three of them had entered the ward, Xing Yi immediately introduced her to his grandfather with a big smile: "Dad, look, this is Xiaoyu, she'll soon be Lanlan's fiancée."
After he finished speaking, he winked at Lin Xiaoyu beside him. Lin Xiaoyu nodded in understanding, smiled shyly, and obediently greeted the old man, "Hello, Grandpa."
Grandpa Xing was overjoyed to finally see his long-awaited granddaughter-in-law and nodded repeatedly with delight.
"This Xiaoyu is such a beautiful girl, even more delicate and pretty than in the photos." Grandpa looked at Lin Xiaoyu with a smile, as if he was very satisfied with her, and kept praising her, "I think you and my Lanlan are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."
"Grandpa is so happy that you two have come together... Oh, where's Lanlan? What's wrong? Why is she standing there all by herself?"
As Grandpa spoke, he peeked at Xing Lan and found him standing alone in a dark corner of the ward, head down, seemingly lost in thought.
Although Lin Xiaoyu was Xing Lan's girlfriend, ever since she entered the ward, Xing Lan had intentionally kept his distance from her, and the two didn't seem intimate at all; they were more like strangers who had just met. On the contrary, Xing Yi stood next to her the whole time, chatting and laughing, and they seemed very familiar with each other.
Xing Yi noticed the puzzlement and confusion in his grandfather's eyes, and with a quick thought, he hurriedly explained, "Oh dear, actually Lanlan and Xiaoyu had a fight yesterday. These young people nowadays, they argue and bicker all the time, but then again, their relationship actually gets better the more they fight, hahaha."
Grandpa believed Xing Yi's words, called Xing Lan to his side, took his hand, and said earnestly, "Lanlan, it's not easy for two people to be together. Grandpa knows you're a good boy, but I still want to remind you that you can't take some small things in a relationship too seriously, especially since you're a man. You should be willing to compromise, so that you can have a long and happy life together."
Xing Yi nodded obsequiously beside him, "You're right." He glanced coldly at Xing Lan, "Xiao Yu, a girl, didn't say anything, so why are you putting on airs all the time? Today, we've all come together to see your grandfather, are you so unhappy that you expect us all to put up with your attitude?"
Xing Lan glanced at him expressionlessly. Seeing this, Xing Yi wanted to scold him a few more times, but his grandfather on the hospital bed raised his hand and frowned, interrupting him: "Alright, alright, you should say less."
"I've watched Lanlan grow up since he was a child. He's a smart kid. Although he doesn't talk much, he's actually very perceptive."
After Grandpa finished speaking, he sighed.
He sat up slightly from the hospital bed, facing the two young men standing beside him. He held Xing Lan's hand with one hand and Lin Xiaoyu's hand with the other, and slowly and gently placed their hands together.
Xing Lan paused for a moment, her body stiffened, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand back.
However, when he looked up at his grandfather's unusually old and thin face, which now carried a rare, faint smile of happiness, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bear it.
He forced himself to suppress the slight awkwardness in his heart, and did not pull his hand away. He stiffly turned his face away, letting his grandfather gently place his hand and Lin Xiaoyu's hand together.
Lin Xiaoyu blushed slightly, lowered her head shyly, and giggled twice.
Grandpa looked at their clasped hands with satisfaction, then turned to Xing Yi and laughed, "See? They've made up again, haven't they?"
Xing Yi chuckled twice and complimented, "You really have a way with things."
The hospital room windows weren't closed tightly for ventilation, letting in a chilling draft through the cracks. But Xing Lan wasn't cold at all; instead, she felt restless flames leaping all over her body, especially in her hands.
Lin Xiaoyu's hands, which had been specially manicured in advance, felt like a hot potato, burning him so badly that he just wanted to find an excuse to get rid of them as soon as possible.
After a while, a nurse pushed in a cart, looked at the three people gathered around the bed, and said, "The patient needs to have his/her examination done now. Please leave, family members."
Xing Lan looked at the nurse who came in as if she had seen a savior, and quickly withdrew her hand, her annoyed expression easing slightly.
Upon hearing this, Xing Yi slowly rose from the bedside and said, "Then we'll be going now. Dad, please take care of yourself."
After speaking, Xing Yi and Lin Xiaoyu left the ward first, while Xing Lan was kept behind by her grandfather for a few more words of advice.
He listened to his grandfather's nagging instructions to take good care of Lin Xiaoyu, responding absentmindedly. Unusually, he let his grandfather's words go in one ear and out the other, his only thought being to leave this place as soon as possible and return to Li Baidong's side.
When Grandpa finally finished nagging, Xing Lan turned her head casually and met a pair of familiar, narrow eyes outside the ward.
Li Baidong had secretly followed them here at some point. His eyelashes were drooping, his bright eyes had lost their light, and his expression was one of dejection and sadness that was hard to describe.
Xing Lan was suddenly startled, and her mind went completely blank.
Seeing Li Baidong turn to leave, he rushed out of the ward without even saying goodbye to his grandfather.
Li Baidong's back was the most severely injured part; otherwise, all four of his limbs were intact. He had also been well cared for and recuperated for a period of time. He was able to walk normally without any problems, but then he somehow acquired a pair of crutches.
Li Baidong, using crutches, walked very slowly with a limp. His lonely yet resolute figure looked particularly heartbreaking. Xing Lan quickly caught up with him, hastily grabbing his arm and anxiously calling out, "Li Baidong!"
He seemed a little bewildered, his gaze sweeping over the man in his hospital gown: "You... how did you get out of the ward?"
Upon hearing this, Li Baidong silently stopped his staggering, heartbroken steps, turned his face slightly, and pitifully looked at Xing Lan in the hospital corridor.
Her voice trembled and was hoarse; her uncontrollable sobs revealed a despair that felt like her heart had turned to ashes.
"Does my brother think I shouldn't have come out?"
The tone of this sentence is particularly like that of a pitiful wife condemning a cheating and unscrupulous husband.
Thinking about what had happened in the ward earlier, Xing Lan knew she was in the wrong, so she lowered her head and secretly pinched her knuckles until they turned white.
"sorry……"
He didn't know how long Li Baidong had been watching quietly, or what he had actually seen.
Li Baidong lowered his eyes, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Xing Lan's right hand hanging by her side. A tear slowly slid down his cheek and silently dripped to the ground.
Last night, those fair and beautiful hands clearly belonged entirely to him, imbued with his scent, marked by him, and belonging to him, bringing him joy and pleasure like fireworks. But today, they are being held intimately by someone else.
That person was a woman, a woman who could rightfully stand beside Xing Lan, sweetly link arms with him in front of everyone, and call herself his fiancée.
His expression instantly became even more desolate, and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably due to excessive grief.
Li Baidong sniffed, suddenly dropped the crutches in his hands, and covered his chest with his free hand. His brows furrowed, his handsome face contorted, and he leaned weakly against the wall, as if he was about to faint from the pain.
Xing Lan was startled by his sudden movement, her face turning pale. She quickly went over to support him, pulling the tall yet fragile man into her arms, repeatedly apologizing and comforting him: "I'm sorry, it's really not what you think, she and I are just..."
In her extreme panic, Xing Lan's speech became completely incoherent, stammering and illogical: "Xing Yi yesterday... my grandfather... I had no choice but to..."
A thousand words stuck in my throat, ultimately turning into repeated apologies and sighs of guilt.
"Brother." Li Baidong looked at Xing Lan, tears welling in his eyes, and asked sobbing, "So, do you like her?"
Xing Lan didn't hear clearly and just hummed in response.
Li Baidong pouted and asked again, sobbing and heartbroken.
"I don't like her!" Xing Lan explained anxiously, afraid that Li Baidong wouldn't believe him. "I really don't like her, really. I've only met her a few times. I was with her in the hospital room today... just to put my grandfather at ease."
“Xing Yi lied to my grandfather and said that Lin Xiaoyu was my girlfriend. My grandfather had just been transferred out of the ICU and couldn’t take the shock. I… I had no choice but to play along with them in this charade.”
Xing Lan felt Li Baidong in her arms sobbing, his whole body trembling slightly, like a stray dog abandoned by a bridge on a rainy night, pitiful and shivering from the cold.
Seeing Li Baidong's distraught and sobbing appearance, his heart suddenly ached, and a wave of bitterness washed over him, as if countless needles were piercing his heart.
Xing Lan raised her hand and gently stroked his soft, light-gold hair, promising softly, "I promise you, this is the first and last time. No matter what, I will never have anything to do with her again. I swear."
Li Baidong lowered his eyes pitifully, as if he was thinking about something.
After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Then do you like me?"
Xing Lan paused, as if she hadn't expected him to change the subject so quickly, clenched her fists, and didn't answer for a moment.
Li Baidong turned his head to the side, his dark eyes fixed on Xing Lan, and spoke again with unwavering determination.
"elder brother."
"I've always wanted to know, what you said to Xing Yi that day... was it true, or was it just to spite him?"
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Author's note: My head hurts, I'm taking a break tomorrow TT
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