Chapter 17 I Will Never Leave You
When Song Mingli said those words, it was very intimidating. His brow bones were high and his eyes had less black than average. When he looked at people with his eyelids lifted, he always had a sense of intimidation from above.
Ying Shixue paused slowly as she stood up and sat back down.
Song Mingli: "Are you aware that Shan Qi is in a romantic relationship?"
Ying Shixue was startled. Recalling Shan Qi's unusual behavior these past few days, from asking him to conspire to put on a show for Aunt Qian, to his evasiveness on the phone, and knowing that Song Mingli might be at home but still coming here together, a look of realization gradually appeared on her face.
After a moment, he slowly shook his head: "I don't know."
"Oh?" Song Mingli's eyebrows didn't move, but his tone rose slightly at the end: "Didn't he tell you before?"
Ying Shixue's expression remained unchanged: "No."
Song Mingli maintained the same posture, his eyes locked on him. Under the light, dark shadows were cast on his brow and nose, making his face appear even more handsome, stern, and imposing.
That was a look he rarely showed in front of Ying Shixue over the years. Apart from the initial period when he was young and couldn't hide his arrogance well, as he grew older, he learned to deliberately restrain himself when facing Ying Shixue.
Finally, his aura softened, and his voice remained steady: "Shan Qi is sincere, but his mind is not mature enough. At least for now, he is not a suitable partner."
Ying Shixue slowly lowered her eyelashes and remained silent.
After a long while, the person seemed to sigh softly. A slight creaking sound came from the table and chairs scraping against the floor. Suddenly, a warm, large hand covered his head and gently rubbed it.
"Don't be afraid...go to sleep early."
-
In fact, Ying Shixue didn't sleep well that night. As darkness fell, her consciousness slowly drifted away, and in a daze, the scene before her eyes changed. Red lights were flashing rapidly on the stark white walls of the hospital, and ambulances were rushing through the corridors like the wind.
"The patient has been hypothermic for too long under the ice and has entered a brief period of shock!"
"Defibrillator! Defibrillator connected to ventilator!"
Amidst the chaos of war, hurried footsteps echoed incessantly. Though consciousness was still slowly stirring, the body remained completely immobile. Just before being wheeled into the ward, a hoarse, desperate cry seemed to reach her ears.
"Who is calling me?" Ying Shixue thought subconsciously before plunging into complete darkness.
An endless void and space, all the events of the past ten years or so, like fish bubbles, swept past my ears, then splashed out of the water and flew into the sky.
"He's awake! The patient is awake!"
His vision cleared again amidst the swaying, and various instruments were attached to his body, collecting data. He struggled to turn his head amidst the cold equipment and saw the boy looking at him with red eyes.
Even though the movement was still somewhat difficult, he still tried to reach out his hand:
Why are you crying?
You fell into the ice cave and injured your internal organs while trying to save me...
With a still-green face, Song Mingli grasped the hand offered by him and pressed it against his face, saying, "I will never leave you again."
During that period, Song Mingli's protectiveness towards him almost reached a pathological level. He covered every nook and cranny of the ward, removed all sharp objects, and was hostile to everyone who approached him. At its worst, he even had to personally feed him every bite of food.
He had heard the hospital nurses whispering more than once, "Who is that person in the VIP ward? He always looks so fierce every time we go there."
"Sigh, you don't know, do you? We were supposed to go to the snow mountain, but the weather suddenly changed, and the two of us fell into an ice cave together."
"Now that they've all been saved, why is his brother still acting like he's going to die?"
"Shh—" The older nurse lightly slapped the newcomer: "It's said that the weather was bad and there was a collapse at the time. The rescue team was temporarily assembled but didn't have all the equipment and personnel. When they found him, another avalanche was about to happen. The rope could only support one person, and there wasn't time to go down again. The patient had his brother go up."
"Ah!" The nurse covered her mouth. "What happened?"
"It seems that his brother suffered ruptured organs and kept vomiting blood when he fell. By the time he was rescued, he was almost unconscious."
"The weather is so bad, and the patient is so young. Who knows if he can hold on until the avalanche is over and the rescue team comes?"
"His brother was on the verge of a breakdown when he woke up... At least he was still alive."
Back then, winters in Fancheng weren't as cold as they are now. One of Ying Shixue's favorite activities at the hospital was being pushed by Song Mingli to the garden on the first floor to bask in the sun every afternoon. The winter sun was different from that of any other season; it was rare and therefore especially precious.
With the warm sunlight shining on him and a thin blanket covering his legs, he could happily spend the whole afternoon there, and if he got sleepy, he could sleep peacefully.
—Because he knew that no matter what, Song Mingli would always be by his side.
In his entire life, almost no one had ever expressed such a strong need for him, cherished him, or protected him. Ying Shixue looked up slightly at the person standing beside her. Song Mingli's voice was gentle: "It's getting cold. I'll go get another thicker blanket."
Ying Shixue nodded and sat back down in her chair.
However, he did not see Song Mingli return until the sun began to set.
He ran desperately, finally pushing open the door while panting. The door bounced off the wall with a bang. Song Mingli had grown tall and broad-shouldered, pulling a suitcase in his hand.
Where are you going?
"Young Master, the plane to Haizhou is about to take off."
The butler stood respectfully to one side, Song Mingli's face almost unrecognizable in the blinding midday sun.
Didn't you say you'd always be by my side? Didn't you say you'd never leave me alone again?
He staggered and fell to the ground, while Song Mingli had already turned around, boarded the plane, and disappeared into the distance.
--ah!
Ying Shixue suddenly sat up in bed. The morning light stretched a long line across the floor through the gap in the curtains. He glanced at the time; it was 7:30.
The bathroom door was opened, and Ying Shixue splashed water on her face. A pale, bloodless face was reflected in the mirror.
...Why am I dreaming about things from so many years ago again?
He quickly tidied himself up and came downstairs just as Aunt He was setting the last dish on the table. Seeing him come down, she smiled and said, "Young Master, come and have a taste, it's fresh out of the pot and still hot!"
Ying Shixue smiled and nodded, pulled out a chair, took the plate, and started eating the egg pancake.
It has to be said that Aunt He's cooking skills have remained excellent for ten years. The egg pancakes are soft, fluffy, and full of milky aroma. Ying Shixue glanced at the time and quickened her eating speed. Song Mingli, who was sitting opposite her, seemed to notice immediately: "Eat slowly, no need to rush."
Ying Shixue kept her head down and ignored him, but whether it was his words that had some kind of magic or something else, he choked after only a few more bites.
Ying Shixue coughed and choked, subconsciously grabbing a glass of milk to drink, then hissed.
It's so hot.
He put down his cup and fork, used his arm to push the chair slightly away from the table, and was looking down with a frown, waiting for the feeling to pass, when suddenly a glass of warm water was handed to his lips, and a large hand patted him lightly on the back.
Ying Shixue pushed the cup away and coughed twice more. Fortunately, the egg pancake was soft and she didn't really choke. Just as she was about to tell Song Mingli to leave, her chin was suddenly clamped by two fingers and forcefully lifted, and her mouth was slightly parted.
Song Mingli frowned slightly, focusing intently on checking if there were any burns or redness inside her mouth. Ying Shixue was caught off guard and was actually pressed down by him.
The hand on his chin seemed still not satisfied with his mouth being too small to be seen clearly in the backlight. The index finger closest to his face bent up and used a little force to push open his jaw.
The person in front of her gradually overlapped with the figure of the person who left three years ago. Ying Shixue looked at his hateful face that had appeared countless times, and suddenly, as if possessed, she bit down hard on his index finger!
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