"It’s not the time yet, so I’ll do it myself. You go out first."
"I don’t feel reassured," Xu Qigang insisted.
"Really, you can’t stay, please go out quickly." Sheng Ning’s face turned red with urgency, determined to shoo him away.
Xu Qigang had no other choice but to repeatedly instruct her to take it slow, and told her to call for him if anything happened before he finally went out.
Sheng Ning first went to the bathroom, then washed her face inside. She stood in front of the mirror, lifting her clothes to inspect the wound on her stomach. Her flat abdomen with clearly defined muscles, now wrapped in white gauze, appeared extremely slender.
Medical science wasn’t advanced yet, so a scar was inevitable.
Women love beauty, and thinking of the future scar on her abdomen as well as the unremoved marks on Liu Yilan’s face, she resolutely decided in her heart to find a way to remove the scarring.
Xu Qigang’s hearing was astonishing from outside; he could clearly catch every sound within, and when there was silence for too long, he immediately grew anxious. He feared she might be doing something foolish.
"Xiao Ning, Xiao Ning are you okay?"
Sheng Ning was lost in thought and didn’t pay attention.
"Xiao Ning, are you all right?" In his urgency, Xu Qigang’s body slammed into the door, bursting in.
He caught sight of Sheng Ning holding up her loose hospital gown, revealing an entire body that was shapely, snowy, and delicate.
Xu Qigang’s face subtly flushed with color, he awkwardly turned his head away, and asked with a husky voice, "What are you looking at? Why didn’t you answer when I called?"
Sheng Ning’s eyes widened, and on impulse, she responded, "Can’t I appreciate my own body?"
"Of course, you can! But I think from now on, I should be the only one to appreciate it," a hint of indulgent amusement flashed in his eyes.
Sheng Ning was speechless. Was she being teased by the Living Yama again?
"Xiao Ning." The Living Yama stepped forward, his rough hand gently covering her abdomen that was wrapped in the gauze.
Xu Qigang’s handsome face bore a haunting seriousness as he murmured hoarsely, "Xiao Ning, this place is beautiful, very beautiful, and not ugly at all. Even with a scar, it will still be the most beautiful."
"It’s beautiful, I like it a lot, liked it before and even more now," his voice was deep and suggestive, making Sheng Ning shyly push him away.
She knew he was trying to comfort her; his actions were his way of offering reassurance. To find a man like him in this lifetime, to love and cherish her—what more could she ask for?
Even with a scar, she would be happy and content.
With him by her side, everything was worthwhile.
"Let’s go! Time to eat." Xu Qigang tidied up her clothes, lifted her sideways into his arms, and placed her on the hospital bed, then placed a small table over the bed.
"Your family hasn’t been informed about your injury yet; I’d like to ask for your opinion," Xu Qigang said as he took out food from the insulated lunch box.
"Let’s not tell them. I don’t want them to worry."
"I think they have the right to know. Besides, I’m afraid I might not take good enough care of you," Xu Qigang patiently took out the steaming hot food, placing it on the table with a resigned tone, "If my little wife is the slightest bit wronged, it would break my heart."
Sheng Ning didn’t want a big man fussing over her, "Eh? This doesn’t look like the cafeteria’s food, does it?" She looked at the chicken soup, red date millet porridge, and the finely cut apple and banana on the table.
Every dish was full of color, aroma, and flavor, but most importantly, she saw ginseng whiskers in the chicken soup.