Chapter 52
Suppress the urge to engage in intimate acts.
Midnight.
The corridor outside the radiology department was deserted, and even the slightest rustling sound was quite disturbing.
Lin Jin sat alone in the rest area, lost in thought, probably still reliving her conversation with Chi Jue.
She did not respond to Chi Jue's refusal, seemingly very persistent in her plan, yet conflicted, she felt a touch of pity.
With a few scattered footsteps, she hurriedly turned her head to look at the other end of the corridor, and the expectation that had just appeared on her face instantly turned into desolation.
Before she even saw the puppy, she received the CT scan results. She was filled with resentment, complaining that the person who was usually so efficient was now dragging his feet when she missed him.
Chi Jue went to the machine next to the consultation desk to get the X-rays, and studied the injury by comparing them with the light. He originally thought it was a bone fracture, but it turned out to be much more serious than he had imagined.
Before long, she returned to Lin Jin's side, smiling meaningfully: "Should I congratulate you? You've finally been admitted to the hospital."
Lin Jin propped one leg up on the chair, and upon hearing Sister Chi's joke, squinted her eyes and sighed, "Misfortune and fortune are intertwined; it's both a bad thing and a good thing."
"You're really thick-skinned; you think it's a good thing even though your ankle is injured like this..."
'Ta-da!'
Just as Chi Jue was about to discuss the next treatment plan, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, interrupting her speech.
Lin Jin watched the little dog come running towards her, and noticing the bags she was carrying, her smile deepened. "Sis, do you think she looked worried about me?"
Chi Jue followed his gaze and saw the person in the distance hurrying along, panting heavily. He couldn't help but laugh and sigh, "They're in such a hurry, who can argue with that?"
Lin Jin kept seeking to know if Cheng Sangluo was worried about her. She was nervous and would ask the puppy directly. Now she wanted to use other people's perspectives to confirm it, as if only when the subjective and objective were consistent could the worry be confirmed as genuine.
Hearing Chi Jue's confident reply, her tense back relaxed slightly, and she murmured to herself, "It's good that she's worried about me..."
Cheng Sangluo finally reached the rest area. Without even taking a breath, she threw down the bag and rushed to Chi Jue, pointing anxiously at the X-ray and asking, "What's the result? Is the injury serious?"
"It's serious." Chi Jue neither exaggerated nor concealed the injury, and said truthfully, "It's a comminuted fracture of the left lateral malleolus, which is more serious than I expected. We'll admit him to the hospital for simple treatment first, and then we can arrange surgery after the hematoma subsides. The plate fixation is not complicated, but the difficulty lies in the rehabilitation treatment in the later stage."
"How could it be so serious?!" Upon hearing the word 'serious,' Cheng Sangluo's heart sank inexplicably, her throat tightening. After hearing the specific details of the injuries, she became panicked and helpless again.
“Human bones are very fragile. Let alone being hit by a baseball bat, even falling on flat ground can cause a fracture. Don’t be too nervous. If you get proper treatment and rehabilitation, you won’t have any lasting effects,” Chi Jue explained calmly, then said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to the inpatient department first.”
"Okay...okay...thank you for your trouble, Dr. Chi." Cheng Sangluo thanked her politely and turned to take care of Lin Jin.
As if it were muscle memory, she picked up two large bags with one hand and held Lin Jin's slender waist with the other, gently instructing, "Hold on tight, be careful not to fall."
Lin Jin nestled softly into the puppy's arms, enjoying the rare tender care while playfully complaining, "Where have you been? You haven't come back for most of the day. I thought you abandoned me and ran away."
"I was buying something. I searched for a while before finding a convenience store, and I didn't know what you needed, so it took me some time to pick things out," Cheng Sangluo answered truthfully, her chin brushing against the crazy woman's soft hair, and she secretly moved closer. "Your feet must hurt a lot, right?"
She could have simply answered Lin Jin's question, but instead, she solemnly explained the cause and effect, as if this would put the injured person at ease, and as if she was trying her best to prove that she was not an irresponsible person.
"It hurts." Lin Jin was more beautiful than a flower at this moment, and her trembling "it hurts" was full of pitifulness, which also made people's hearts itch.
She nuzzled the puppy's chin with her nose, and when she couldn't resist, she secretly gave it a kiss. Feeling that wasn't enough, she became a little more audacious.
After she had tasted the puppy's flavor to her heart's content, her eyes crinkled with laughter, and she said playfully, "I feel like giving you a kiss, and then it won't hurt so much anymore."
"Cough cough—" Cheng Sangluo's face flushed red as she coughed uncontrollably. However, she couldn't hide the shyness emanating from within, and could only shush and warn, "Can you be a little more considerate of the occasion? This is a hospital."
Lin Jin buried her head and bit the puppy's neck hard. "The law doesn't say you can't flirt in a hospital~"
Cheng Sangluo glanced at Chi Jue's back, nodded and gave her a cold look, scolding in a low voice: "Don't you know shame? Behave yourself."
......
Thanks to Chi Jue, Lin Jin was arranged to have a room with no other patients.
After settling her in, Cheng Sangluo rushed to complete the hospital admission procedures. By the time she escorted Chi Jue to the corridor entrance, it was already past 3 a.m.
This man was exhausted. He worked shifts between day and night, had a passionate affair with a crazy woman in a bar, and ended up in a fierce fight. When he finally dragged his weary body back to the ward, he collapsed onto the cot, wishing he could sleep through the night.
But that crazy woman wouldn't stop, and kept finding ways to order her around.
"Little dog, I want some boiled water."
"What did you buy? I'm a little hungry."
"I haven't washed up yet. Can you help me to the bathroom, or help me dry off?"
"It hurts so much... my foot hurts so much..."
"Get up! Don't ignore me! Say something!"
Cheng Sangluo closed her eyes and frowned, feeling as if countless mosquitoes were buzzing incessantly around Lin Jin's head.
I really want to...I really want to...slap him to death!
Unable to bear it any longer, she covered her head, ruffled her hair, and raised her voice: "You've been up all night and you still have so much energy, can't you let me rest for a while?!"
Lin Jin was taken aback by her words, and her expression instantly turned aggrieved. She hugged her pillow, turned to her side, and stopped talking.
Cheng Sangluo realized that her attitude was bad, and quickly became ashen-faced. She sat up helplessly and remained silent for a long time before finally dragging herself to the bedside.
As she rummaged through the shopping bags, she asked softly, "I bought eight-treasure porridge, bread, and potato chips. What would you like to eat?"
Lin Jin left her with the back of her head; no matter what she was asked, she simply wouldn't agree.
"Hey, you..." Cheng Sangluo stammered, feeling that it would be embarrassing to apologize now, but she also felt that she was in the wrong first, so she had no choice but to walk around the hospital bed to the other side.
She crouched down and looked at Lin Jin intently, her expression becoming intriguing.
The madwoman bit her lower lip hard, her nose flushed, and her deep eyes were clearer than usual. Perhaps such an expression was only shown in the loneliness of the dead of night.
Cheng Sangluo tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and coaxed awkwardly, "Okay, let's eat something."
Lin Jin really wanted to stick to her temper and ignore her, after all, someone as arrogant as her was not someone who would be easily forgiven.
But at the last minute, she relented, her voice choked with a low sigh: "You were mean to me."
Cheng Sangluo's body trembled, and he stammered, "I...I didn't..."
She's the type who responds better to gentleness than force; the phrase "crazy woman" alone was enough to hit her where it hurts.
Lin Jin buried half her face under the pillow, her eyes gleaming with grievance, and said in a muffled, plaintive voice, "You are right, but I have a broken bone and you still yell at me."
Yes, she got hurt because I didn't protect her properly.
Cheng Sangluo stared at the pitiful, crazy woman. The other party hadn't even started brainwashing her yet, but she had already thoroughly brainwashed herself.
She got up and sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her outstretched hand hesitating in the air for a few seconds before slowly landing on Lin Jin's eye, as if wiping away the tears that were about to spill out. "Then what do you want me to do?"
Lin Jin placed his hand on the back of her hand to warm it, and squinted his eyes, calling out, "Hug me."
"The hospital bed is only so big, don't you find it cramped?" Cheng Sangluo realized that as long as she softened her heart, she would fall into the trap of the crazy woman. Over time, she had become accustomed to these little tricks.
Despite her verbal resistance, she still leaned close to Lin Jin, stretched out her arms, and pulled him into her embrace. "If you're sleepy, go to sleep."
Perhaps out of fear of crowding the crazy woman, the tall Cheng Sangluo had half of her body hanging off the bed. This position was uncomfortable, but she was used to enduring the discomfort, so she silently maintained the motionless position.
Lin Jin noticed the puppy's discomfort, so she wrapped her arms around its neck and moved back a little. "If you're not feeling well, just say so. I'm very understanding~"
"If you were reasonable, you wouldn't keep making things difficult for me," Cheng Sangluo teased with a smile, but she didn't loosen her grip on Lin Jin's arm at all, as if holding her tightly was something she was addicted to, even though she refused to admit that her feelings for Lin Jin were wavering and that she was infatuated with him.
"Fine, carry me to the bathroom. I can't stand being all sweaty and want to wipe myself off."
"Me?" Cheng Sangluo looked completely bewildered, pointing at herself to confirm again, "Are you sure you want me to help you wipe your body? I'm not a caregiver!"
"You can be~" Lin Jin knew this person would be stubborn, so she simply put her lips close to her ear and tempted her: "We've done everything, we've seen everything, now can't I just wipe my body?"
Seeing the puppy remain completely unfazed, she emphasized again, "Hey, I have a broken bone!!!"
"Yes, yes, you broke your bone, and now you're more important than anything!" Cheng Sangluo rolled her eyes, helpless against the crazy woman, and complained, "Listen to your tone, it's a broken bone, not winning the lottery, what's so exciting about it?"
"It's like winning the lottery!" Lin Jin boasted shamelessly, nibbling the puppy's ear and chiding, "That way I can keep you by my side and make you serve me well!"
Cheng Sangluo finally realized that the crazy woman was clinging to her, and hurriedly replied, "When Sheng He comes tomorrow, I will hand you over to him, and this matter will have nothing to do with me."
"no!"
The puppy bristled: "What do you mean by 'can't' or 'can't'? It's not your decision. Besides, I have to go to work!"
"I don't care, how did I get injured?"
The puppy, still bristling, seemed to say, "Hey, are you starting to nitpick with me now?"
She suddenly bit her tongue, feeling that she was responsible for the whole thing, and with a look of sudden conscience, she muttered, "Okay, I admit it, I didn't protect you well enough."
When the topic of parking garages came up, Lin Jin did not take the opportunity to elaborate.
She pressed her head against the puppy's chest to listen to its heartbeat, murmuring, "I just wanted to stay with you, I didn't mean to blame you, Cheng Sangluo, you've done enough. Actually, you could have just abandoned me, since I'm always the one bullying you."
Cheng Sangluo was speechless, thinking to himself, "Has this madwoman finally had a change of heart?"
She stroked Lin Jin's hair and let out a long sigh: "One thing at a time. I will not abandon you and face danger alone just because you did those terrible things to me. That's true today, and that's true in the future."
"Really?" Lin Jin looked up, her eyes shining with a look of seeking truth. "You really won't abandon me?"
The tenderness at this moment was like a dream, and she wanted to etch the puppy's earnestness deep into her memory, so her eyes welled up with emotion.
"Is that a stupid question?" Cheng Sangluo gave a calm smile. "If I had abandoned you, you would be in the ICU right now, not in a regular ward."
"Well..." Lin Jin drawled, her fingertips slowly sliding down the puppy's chin to the collar of her shirt, deftly unbuttoning two buttons. "...Carry me to the bathroom, okay..."
“Okay.” This time, Cheng Sangluo did not refuse; in fact, she agreed very readily.
She suddenly remembered what Shu Wan had taught her: you can't refuse the same thing twice.
In that instant, Cheng Sang realized belatedly that he seemed to be constantly rejecting the crazy woman, repeatedly rejecting her kindness.
......
In the hospital bathroom, Cheng Sangluo moved a few stools so that Lin Jin could put his injured foot on them, making it more comfortable for him to sit.
Perhaps fearing that the delicate, crazy woman would find it unclean, she stood in front of the washbasin, wrapped the newly bought towel in soap, and scrubbed it back and forth several times.
When she turned around, she paused for a moment, holding the hot towel.
The woman reflected in his eyes had taken off her black gauze dress, and her slender, porcelain-white figure shone brightly in the dimly lit cubicle.
At this moment, Lin Jin let her long hair fall to one side of her shoulder. Even though she was only wearing a set of underwear, she did not appear vulgar in the slightest. She was like a painting from the Renaissance period that emphasized the aesthetics of the human body. Her soft figure was set against the light and shadow, making her more graceful than the willows in spring.
Meeting the puppy's uneasy gaze, she deliberately raised the corner of her eye, puncturing the feigned seriousness, and laughed, "It's not like you've never seen this before, what are you ashamed of?"
Having said that, she flicked a strand of hair with her fingertips, gently pursed it to her lips, and murmured something, a seductive glint in her eyes, as if calling to a puppy: Why aren't you coming to play with me yet?
Cheng Sangluo couldn't answer the question because she herself didn't understand what she was ashamed of.
As for the subtle allure of her body, she wasn't blind to it, nor was she unmoved. She was just afraid that if she became too wild and couldn't control herself, she might hurt the injured madwoman and cause unnecessary trouble. She would feel sorry for the pain.
She suppressed her strong urge to make love, turned her head away from Lin Jin's lustful eyes, and walked behind him with a hint of evasion.
Looking down, Cheng Sangluo stared at the palm-sized scar. No matter how many times she saw it, her heart would inexplicably tighten for a moment whenever she saw this old wound. So she gently covered it with a towel to shield Lin Jin from the embarrassment that she didn't want to show, even though they were the only two people in the room.
Lin Jin could sense the softness beneath the dog's hard heart, and couldn't help but lower her eyes to savor the carefulness in the silent details.
She was content with the peace of the moment, yet not content with just this gentleness, but she knew that her desire was stirring within her.
"Who is Lin Sheng, and why would he send someone to harm you?"
In the bathroom, only the dripping of the faucet could be heard.
Cheng Sangluo's sudden question broke the silence of the room and made the woman, who was originally feeling relaxed and sleepy, stiffen.
She brought up a topic at just the right moment that wouldn't reveal her true intentions, a topic that might yield some extremely useful information.
Cheng Sangluo's curiosity was a mixture of truth and falsehood. She genuinely wanted to know Lin Jin's unknown past, but she was pretending because she already knew the answer to their question about their relationship.
There was only one thing she acted flawlessly.
Lin Jin turned her face slightly to the side, making it impossible to discern her hidden, cunning thoughts in the misty space.
She paused for a moment, her expression a half-smile: "Are you very curious about him?"
[Author's Note]
My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for pre-order. Please add it to your favorites! I'm begging you, I'm practically begging you on my knees!
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