Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The hospital corridor smelt of antiseptic. Qi Yanxi clenched his fists, then flexed his fingers. After repeating the movement a few times, he finally replied with a quiet “hm.”
He couldn’t lie to An Xiaxia, whose eyes were so clear and pure.
“Are you two a couple now?” An Xiaxia was confused.
“No…” Qi Yanxi looked dispirited. Even his voice had gone hoarse. “It was an accident.”
“Hm… I see… She was in really bad shape. Do talk to her nicely…”
Seeing the bags in her hands, Qi Yanxi changed the subject. “Who are those for?”
“Sheng Yize. He’s having problems with his stomach.” An Xiaxia smiled. “I’ll go check up on him now.”
Qi Yanxi stopped her abruptly before she could walk away.
His voice was low and deep. “Are you two married?”
“Yes.” An Xiaxia didn’t try to keep it from him. “I hope you’ll find the right woman soon~”
Every muscle on Qi Yanxi’s body had tensed up. He gritted his teeth so hard that he could taste blood in his mouth.
“Xiaxia, we’ll never be together, will we?”
His voice was so low that it vanished into the background noise of the hospital.
An Xiaxia frowned. “What was that?”
Qi Yanxi pursed his lips. “Nothing.”
“Oh… Be patient with Mu Li. Pregnant women are usually quite emotional,” An Xiaxia enjoined. Qi Yanxi then gave her an indecipherable look. “I asked her to get an abortion.”
“What?” An Xiaxia was astonished.
She now knew why Mu Li wanted to jump off a building…
The person she loved the most had forced her to go get an abortion. An Xiaxia thought she would probably do the same if it were her…
On second thought, if Qi Yanxi and Mu Li weren’t going to be together, keeping the baby wouldn’t do Mu Li any good.
A single mother was very likely to become the target of malicious accusations and speculation.
“But I’ve changed my mind now.” Qi Yanxi switched to a deliberately casual tone. “I’m a man and I need to take responsibility.”
“You’ve decided to be there for her?” An Xiaxia was delighted at first, but she then asked hesitantly, “Do you… like her?”
Qi Yanxi grinned widely. “Of course I do. She and I grew up together. At first, I didn’t think I liked her, but I was almost frightened to death by what happened today. Only then did I realize how important she was to me…”
He said those words as if he meant them. Maybe his acting was too convincing, and An Xiaxia actually bought it. She was so excited that she almost dropped the bags of food in her hands.
“Wow! You must send me an invitation to your wedding!”
“Sure. Be very generous with your gift money, then, or don’t come.” Qi Yanxi laughed loudly.
An Xiaxia then went back to Sheng Yize happily, carrying the food.
Qi Yanxi stood where he was and smiled self-mockingly.
He watched as An Xiaxia left. After all these years, he seemed to have gotten used to watching her leave.
Because he wanted to keep her safe, he had chosen to stand behind her.
Her ponytail swayed on the back of her head, as if wiping away his youth.
Qi Yanxi suddenly felt that time was as gentle as it was cruel.
He pushed the door to the ward open, knelt down by Mu Li’s bed, and smiled perfectly. “Mu Li, I will marry you.”
The dispirited look on Mu Li’s face was replaced with disbelief.
“Think about what we shall call it, will you?”
Something seemed to have left his life forever.
Did it hurt?
Probably. But what did he care?