twenty three
I drifted off to sleep again, and when I woke up it was almost dusk. I looked at Hua Hong next to me; he was still sleeping soundly, with no sign of his dark circles fading.
I felt a little thirsty and tried to sit up, but the blanket was pressed down by something. I turned my head and saw Pengpeng, who was fast asleep at the other end of the hospital bed.
I carefully crawled out from under the covers, trying not to disturb them, but my stitched wound started throbbing painfully. I walked to the side, clutching my wound, poured myself a glass of water, and after a few sips, my throat and stomach felt much better.
Walking over to Pengpeng, I carefully examined him. His chin had become sharper, his face thinner, and the deep, dark circles under his eyes clearly told me how hard he had worked these past few days. I couldn't help but touch Pengpeng's outstretched left hand, thinking that I must give him some good nourishment when we got back.
Pengpeng softly hummed in response and slowly woke up. He was startled to see me standing to the side.
"Why did you get out of bed? Does your wound hurt?" he asked anxiously, and quickly lifted the hem of my clothes to examine the bandaged wound closely.
"Don't be nervous, haha, this little injury is nothing, it doesn't hurt at all."
"real?"
Why would I lie to you!
Pengpeng felt relieved, but then looked at the cup in my hand and asked, "Didn't I say to call me if anything happened? You could have just told me if you wanted some water. Why did you get up? What if your wound reopens?"
"It's okay, look at me, I'm fine, aren't I?" I straightened up and twisted my waist from side to side. The pain from the wound made my back break out in a cold sweat, but to reassure Pengpeng, I still smiled easily.
"It's better to be safe than sorry, do you understand?" Pengpeng quickly pulled me back and pressed me down onto the bed.
"Yes, yes, I'll remember that next time."
"You want a next time? Wasn't getting stabbed once enough for you?" Pengpeng glanced at Hua Hong across from him, his eyes slightly red. He lowered his voice and said, "Although I know I shouldn't blame him, I still feel uneasy. If it weren't for him, how could Xiaowen have..."
I reached out and covered Pengpeng's mouth, shaking my head at him. "If you know you shouldn't blame him, then don't say anything. I'm fine now. But you, you haven't rested well these past few days, have you? Look how thin you've become."
Pengpeng grabbed my fingers and kissed them a few times, saying, "Isn't this great? Consider it a way to lose weight. Hehe, I measured my waist, and it's an inch smaller than before."
I pinched Pengpeng's waist and frowned, "You've shrunk an inch... How much do I have to feed you to make up for it? Sigh, you've lost all your feel."
"Get lost!" Pengpeng shook off my hand and ran half a meter away, laughing and cursing, "I think Xiaowen's knife damaged your brain. People say a slim waist is good, but you're such a lunatic, always saying the opposite of what you mean."
I burst out laughing, and the wound throbbed with pain.
"Ouch, stop making me laugh, it hurts there."
Pengpeng saw this and quickly came over. I grabbed him and flipped him over, pinning him to the bed.
"What are you doing? You little brat, you lied to me!" Pengpeng glared at me but didn't sound fierce at all.
"I want to get intimate with you, but you're so far away. How can I, a patient, win you over without using some tricks?" I said, and then kissed him on the cheek. Right now... the wound really hurt.
Pengpeng immediately blushed. He pushed me hard, saying anxiously, "Xia Xiang, don't mess with me! Hua Hong is still here, it wouldn't be good if he saw this!"
I pulled his hand away and shamelessly said, "It's okay, he's sleeping soundly and won't wake up for a while. Cooperate with me and let me kiss you a couple of times before I let go."
Pengpeng lightly slapped me on the face and said, "You're such a scoundrel!"
"Hehe, you agreed?"
"Tch! Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and get to work." With her eyes closed, Pengpeng adopted a submissive posture, as if she were completely at my mercy.
I know Pengpeng is very thin-skinned. Normally, he would have kicked me out, but now that I'm injured, he can't bear to do that to me.
I gently kissed him, once, twice, three times… Gradually, my emotions grew stronger; I had an urge not to stop. Four days had passed. Four days without hugging Pengpeng's shoulders, four days without touching his soft lips, four days without smelling his scent, four days without holding his beautiful fingers as we slept. How could I bear it? How could I bear to face my beloved without showing him how much I need him, how much I love him? I couldn't bear it!
Pengpeng's breathing became rapid, and his eyes welled up with tears, but he still kept pushing me, weak yet persistent.
"No...there are people here."
"It's okay...he won't wake up."
"No, be good... listen to me, let's go home... let's go home..."
"No, I can't... You can touch it if you don't believe me."
I grabbed Pengpeng's hand and guided it towards my lower body. The moment Pengpeng touched me, I had an urge to do something inappropriate. My clothes became my biggest obstacle. I wanted to tear them off, but I couldn't bear to pull my arms away from Pengpeng.
Pengpeng's face turned even redder. He glared at me and said breathlessly, "Are you even a patient...? So energetic... You haven't eaten yet, have you? Weird, weirdo!"
I kissed and nibbled at Pengpeng's neck, and between breaths, I replied, "That's right, I'm a weirdo... My food is you... you... Will you give it to me? Will you?"
Pengpeng excitedly kissed me back, unable to speak, but his hands were still pushing me away.
I pulled his hands away and pressed them to the side, then lowered my head and bit his chest, where three buttons had been undone. He cried out in pain and yelled, "Are you crazy! Doesn't it hurt? Just say you want a beating!"
I chuckled and licked the reddened area, stretched my neck to kiss his face, then pulled back to continue kissing his chest. The skin there was smooth and delicate, it felt especially good.
"I'm injured, you wouldn't have the heart to hit me."
Pengpeng sighed deeply as I listened. I looked up at him and saw a smile on his face. He looked at me and said, "Let go of your hand, and let me hug you too."
Deceived by his smiling face, I obediently let go of his hand. I thought to myself, if he tries to escape, I'll pretend to be dead and trick him back.
Pengpeng really hugged me and buried his head in my neck, deeply inhaling my scent. He said, "Xia Xiang, I really don't want to hit you. But... given your current physical condition, it's best not to do such strenuous exercise."
"But I want to do it, I really want to. You've already touched my brother, haven't you? You should know his current situation very well."
"Don't put on that pitiful look. Listen to me, just bear with it, okay?"
"I can't take it anymore, I'll die if I keep holding it in."
"Bullshit, I've never heard of anyone dying from suffocation because of this."
"Of course I am! I'm almost the first one!"
Pengpeng covered my mouth. "Don't say such nonsense. You and I should both live to be a hundred!"
"Well, I won't say. But... I feel really unwell right now, what should I do?"
"Hehe, be good, bear with it for a while, we'll make it when we get home tonight."
"Go home?" I perked up at the thought. "I can go home? Weren't we supposed to stay here for two more days?"
"Look at you, so energetic, you don't need to be hospitalized at all! I've already talked to the doctor and told him that someone at home can take care of you, and he agreed. Aren't you happy?"
"Great! Haha, let's quickly pack up and go home." I stood up happily, not knowing where to start packing.
"Look how excited you are, hehe, aren't you going to do it anymore?"
Seeing Pengpeng's smug look, I realized what he meant. "Oh... you were trying to distract me, you little rascal. Hehe, I'll deal with you when we get home."
Pengpeng stood up, wrapped her arms around my waist, and said, "Actually, if there was no one else here... I would be willing."
I glanced at Hua Hong, who was still fast asleep, and said to Pengpeng with a smile, "I know you're shy."
After packing my things and changing my clothes, I walked over to Hua Hong and gently nudged him, "Hey, get up."
Hua Hong's eyelashes fluttered, but he didn't respond.
"Get up, we're going home." After a few hard pushes, Hua Hong finally woke up.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" I asked, noticing Hua Hong's red eyes.
Hua Hong turned his head away and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"No, it's probably because I've been too tired these past few days. Hehe, it's okay, I'll be fine after a few more sleeps."
Pengpeng poured a glass of water and handed it to Hua Hong, saying, "Drink some water, wake up."
Hua Hong took the teacup, looked at me, and then tilted his head back to drink the water in one gulp.
"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you. Don't drink like you're having a drinking contest."
Hua Hong stood up, stretched, put down his cup, and laughed. "Why did you get out of bed? Doesn't your wound hurt?"
"Haha, this little injury is nothing, I didn't even care. Pengpeng and I are all packed up and going home right away."
Hua Hong glanced at the bag on the bed and nodded, saying, "It's good to be home, so comfortable."
"Let's go then."
"good."
The three of us left the hospital. Pengpeng and I sat in the back seat, while Hua Hong, as usual, acted as our driver. Along the way, Pengpeng kept taking out the diet plan the doctor had given us and discussing with me what we absolutely had to eat and what we absolutely couldn't be picky about, and what foods were strictly forbidden. Hua Hong was very quiet; I figured he must be very tired, so I didn't talk to him much.
After getting home and tidying up, Pengpeng was about to cook dinner when Hua Hong said, "You don't need to prepare my portion. I'll eat at home tonight."
I knew that Hua Hong had severed ties with his family, so it was quite unexpected to hear him say that.
"Go back? Are you serious?"
Hua Hong smiled, but it seemed a little bitter to me. He said, "Yes, that's my home. I'll have to go back there sooner or later, won't I?"
"..."
"Don't worry, at worst I'll get a few scoldings, they won't kick me out. Besides, I need to think about the future, I can't just keep drifting like this."
“That’s true.” Pengpeng nodded and walked over to Hua Hong, saying, “If they kick you out, come here. Xia Xiang and I are keeping the door open for you.”
"Okay, thank you."
I threw the cushion I was holding at Hua Hong and said, "Why are you being so polite with us? We're all family, don't be so formal. Otherwise, next time just throw a stone at us."
Hua Hong caught the pillow and hugged it tightly to his chest. He looked at me, his eyes sparkling as if he had something to say, but in the end he only said thank you.
Hua Hong left, and Peng Peng closed the door, walked over to me, sat down, and stared blankly at the floor.
I put my arm around his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"
After a long silence, Pengpeng leaned against me, looking very sad. He asked me, "Does Hua Hong like you?"
I paused for a moment, then didn't answer.
“During the days you were lying in bed, he took care of you at the hospital every day. He was so afraid you wouldn't wake up and wouldn't say anything, so he didn't want to leave your bedside for even a moment. These past four days, I've actually been very tired. Several times I wanted to go home and sleep, but seeing his determined look, I told myself I couldn't lose to him. I'm your rightful wife, aren't I? But... but..."
"But what?" I looked at Pengpeng's sad face, soothingly patted his back and gently kissed his cheek.
"But it's really heartbreaking to see him like that. I know he must really like you. I wish I had two Xia Xiangs and could give one to him. But you're all I have, only one. I don't want to share you with anyone else. Xia Xiang, do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand. If you were in my shoes, I wouldn't want to share it with anyone either. Don't be sad, okay?"
Pengpeng shook her head and continued, "How could I not be sad? Looking at Hua Hong, I felt like I hadn't done enough. The day you had that accident, I blamed myself for not going with you. If I had gone, maybe I could have taken that knife for you or beaten Xiaowen down. Why didn't I go?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I'd rather take two more cuts myself than see you suffer. What kind of nonsense is going on in your head? Stop thinking like that, okay? Be good."
"I didn't want to do it with you in the hospital, are you upset with me?"
"Hehe, how could that be? Didn't you say you'd make it up to me when you got home? Haha, I'm still waiting."
Pengpeng looked at me, then suddenly covered her face with her hands. "Xia Xiang, I feel so bad, so bad. Hua Hong is awake. He woke up when you pressed me down, and he saw everything. What should I do... He must be heartbroken. I feel so sorry for him."
I didn't expect Hua Hong to be awake at that time. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have done it. Because it would have hurt him, wouldn't it? The last thing I want to see is someone else being sad, especially since he's someone who's been so good to me.
I patted Pengpeng on the back and comforted him, "Don't think like that. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I know he has feelings for me, but like you just said, you are my only wife, and I am only your husband. Neither of us can live without the other, and we can't fall in love with anyone else. I only feel sorry for him."
"Really?" Pengpeng looked at me expectantly with wide, moist eyes.
"Yes, it's absolutely true."
Pengpeng lowered her head, her right hand gripping the hem of her clothes tightly. "You...don't you like him at all? Not even a little bit?"
"Of course I like him, how could I not? He's kind, a great cook, and so good to me. Haha, why wouldn't I like him?" Seeing Pengpeng's instantly tense expression, I quickly kissed him and said, "But that's not love, it's different from my feelings for you. We still have to be together, right? There's only one person I love, his name is Zhang Peng, and he's sitting right next to me right now."
Pengpeng was very touched. He took my hand and kissed it gently, repeating what I said, "You only love one person, and his name is Zhang Peng. He's sitting right next to you right now. I'm so happy, really happy."
I don't know how long it will take for two people to truly be together, nor do I know how many more trials and tribulations we, in our youth, will have to endure. But I do know that Pengpeng and I will truly be together to the very end, we definitely will be together to the very end.
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