Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Song Qingchen sounded even more heartbroken at the nurse’s words. She kept repeating, “No, no… It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have come back. You two wouldn’t be affected if I wasn’t here… If I knew coming back would be so painful, I would rather have died ten years ago. Brother Ah Ze, sob …”
The nurse got angrier. “Did your girlfriend hit her because she was jealous that this girl is prettier? She could have ruined her face! That’s so vicious…”
Sheng Yize stood there with his arms crossed and listened to all this in silence. His black eyes revealed nothing. He then narrowed his eyes, as if he had seen through everything.
“Songsong, does it hurt that bad?” His long fingers touched Song Qingchen’s cheek and his voice was gentle.
“Brother Ah Ze…” Song Qingchen only went on crying.
She was hooked on the warmth and smell of his fingers and she rubbed her cheek against his palm like a helpless stray cat.
Sheng Yize smiled, but it never reached his eyes.
“Songsong, tell me, do people just stand there when others strike them?” he asked casually. The nurse couldn’t help but interject, “Of course not… No one’s that dumb… It’s human instinct to stay away from harm. People will always dodge or try to shield themselves from an attack…”
Sheng Yize listened to her answer patiently. He then raised Song Qingchen’s chin.
There was an evasive and flustered look in the girl’s bright eyes.
“I believe you when you said Xiaxia hit you. But, I know how much strength Xiaxia has. You would have dodged a second slap and the first strike alone could never have hurt you like this. Unless…” Sheng Yize paused deliberately before going on. “Unless you slapped yourself several times after that.”
Song Qingchen’s face turned pale, which gave her a ghastly look.
“Of course, this is just my wicked theory. However, I can’t help but notice that the symptoms of your last heart attack were awfully similar to what Xiaxia had today… Who was your physician last time? I’d like him to treat Xiaxia as well, so that she can be like you — passing out one day and fully recovered the next.”
He talked slowly, articulating each word carefully. To Song Qingchen, they were as cold as a biting winter wind, which almost scared her to tears.
The nurse was dumbfounded. She faintly realized that the whole thing might not be as simple as this girl said.
She then found an excuse and left the room.
Sheng Yize and Song Qingchen were the only two left in the ward.
“Brother Ah Ze, did you figure it all out?” Song Qingchen asked in a quivering voice.
“I’ve figured out everything I should figure out. As for the rest, I know nothing.” Sheng Yize smiled and stroked Song Qingchen’s hair. “So, promise me not to hurt yourself like this again, alright?”
Despite his gentle and kind voice, cold sweat covered Song Qingchen’s back.
He knew everything! He had actually figured everything out!
She had thought herself so brilliant, but only now did she realize that all her schemes and finesse had been transparent to this teenager.
He had been kind enough not to expose her…
While she was still overwhelmed by the shock, Sheng Yize asked quietly, “Are you her?”
Was she the girl that he had been missing for ten years, the only person that had given him any warmth and hope in this cold and cruel world?
Was she the one that had led him out of his own world, who made him believe in love and happiness, and that loving her was his only way out?
Are you her? Really her?