Chapter 24: 024 Saying one thing and meaning another
“Chen… Xu…”
In a faint whisper, Chen Xu heard a voice reaching him from an unknown distance.
“Who is calling me?”
He struggled to identify the source of the voice, surrounded by darkness that pressed against him like a tide, making it hard for him to breathe. An instinct told him this voice was crucial to him.
“Chen… Xu…”
The voice rang out again, but it grew fainter, moving away.
...
In a panic, he jerked awake and finally opened his eyes.
“Ugh.”
With a movement, he tugged at his wound, and the sharp pain on his forehead made stars dance before his eyes.
After a while, he caught his breath and finally saw the scene in front of him: a mass of dark clouds.
The snow had stopped, and the sky was dim, not completely dark yet,
so he hadn’t been unconscious for too long.
However, his current situation was not good, with half of his body buried in snow and his limbs numb from the cold. Luckily, he woke up early; if it had been another hour or two, he might have frozen to death.
“Chen… Xu…”
From afar, a voice faintly drifted over, intermittently swallowed by the howling wind, making it hard to hear clearly.
It was Luo Xiyun’s voice.
A surge of indescribable emotion welled up within Chen Xu, urging him to respond.
“I—” As he opened his mouth, his throat felt stuck, and his voice came out hoarse. He tried calling out several times, but no sound could pass through.
No, the voice was too weak; she couldn’t possibly hear him.
What to do?
His mind was in a frenzy, and suddenly, he remembered the alarm in his pocket, a self-defense siren meant for women. His winter gear was filled with various small items for emergencies.
At this moment, his strength had recovered a bit, and his hands were less numb. He painstakingly raised his right hand, bit his glove off using his teeth, and took out the alarm from his pocket.
These everyday simple actions drained nearly all his remaining strength, causing dizziness to blacken his vision.
Gritting his teeth to stay conscious, he bit the alarm switch and tugged it hard.
Whooo—
A piercing alarm went off, so loud at this proximity that Chen Xu felt as if his eardrums would burst. It was unbearable. With the last bit of energy, he tossed the alarm a little further away.
Having done this, he was left with only the strength to breathe, his mind cloudy. Amid the shrill alarm, he barely managed to keep from passing out.
After a while, he vaguely heard the sound of a car engine. Relaxing, he could not hold on any longer, slowly closed his eyes, and the last thing he saw was a staggering figure running towards him.
Then he lost consciousness.
………
“Ugh.”
Who knows how long later, Chen Xu awoke, opening his eyes to stare blankly at the ceiling.
“Where is this?”
His head ached terribly, and when he tried to move, he felt weak all over.
These pains jolted his memory awake.
Was it Luo Xiyun who brought me back?
He glanced down at the blanket covering him and finally recognized the room as Luo Xiyun’s, and he lay on her bed.
Instantly, a wave of indescribable emotion surged within him.
He hadn’t come back all night; she must have been out of her mind with worry.
She drove aimlessly searching for him, with no idea how long she’d been looking.
Last time, when she was trapped by a typhoon, Chen Xu did the same, knowing well the mixed sense of fear, worry, and anxiety that it consumed him.
The sound of a door opening snapped him from his thoughts.
Luo Xiyun entered with a bowl, surprised and happy to see him awake, “You’re up…”
“Water…” Chen Xu croaked, his voice hoarse.
Luo Xiyun quickly set the bowl aside, poured a cup of water, sat by the bed, propped him up with one hand, and brought the cup to his lips.
Chen Xu lay half-leaning against her, gulping down the water.
“Do you want more?” she asked.
Chen Xu nodded. She went to pour another cup.
After drinking two cups of water, Chen Xu finally regained some strength, sitting up against the headboard.
“I made porridge, want some?” Luo Xiyun asked as she picked up the bowl she had brought.
“Yeah.” Looking at her face, Chen Xu let her spoon-feed him porridge, his heart fluttering. Such tenderness he had never felt from his ex-girlfriend.
After finishing the bowl of porridge, Luo Xiyun asked, “Do you want more?”
Chen Xu suddenly asked, “Have you not rested these past two days?”
“What are you doing?”
Luo Xiyun seemed flustered, taking a step back, saying, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m taking care of you because you’re hurt, not for any other reason.”
Looking into her eyes, Chen Xu said, “This brush with death made me think. Our fates are tied together now; neither can do without the other. Why keep arguing? Why not spend the rest of our time lovingly together—”
“Stop dreaming,” Luo Xiyun interrupted, chest heaving angrily. “Even if you die, I will live well. Next time, don’t touch me. Otherwise, I… I’ll not be polite.”
With that, she left the room with the bowl.
Chen Xu disdainfully said, “Such a threat really lacks any deterrence.”
Although he said this, his expression betrayed dissatisfaction. Even after reaching this point, she was still unwilling to accept him?
He lay there, lost in thought for a while, then gradually drifted to sleep.
……
When Chen Xu woke again, he felt much better. He was about to get up when he realized someone was beside him. Turning his head, he saw Luo Xiyun, sitting by the bed, asleep with her upper body leaning on the side and her hand resting on him.
Amused, he thought she’d just been so heartless with her words and now was asleep right beside him.
Truly, her words did not match her actions.
He reached out, brushed aside her fallen hair, and looked at her face.
The more he looked, the more beautiful she seemed.
Thinking of her earlier words, a hint of annoyance lingered in his heart as he softly said, “You can’t escape my grasp.”
“Mmh…”
Luo Xiyun’s long lashes fluttered as she woke up. Seeing him staring at her, she rubbed her eyes, saying, “You’re awake.”
Suddenly she remembered something, checked the time, and exclaimed, “Oh no, how did I sleep so long?” With that, she hurried out.
Curious, Chen Xu pulled the blanket aside, got out of bed, and followed her out, watching her busy in the kitchen. He couldn’t help but smile.