Wen Yuhan's pupils contracted, and he raised his hand to grab Yi Li's hand holding the knife. At the same time, he precisely slashed the other man's wrist with the iron sheet in his hand, and then bent his knee to kick him hard in the stomach.
"Ouch!" Yi Li cried out in pain, clutching his stomach, while Wen Yuhan took the opportunity to climb the steps again.
Yi Li grabbed Wen Yuhan's trouser leg and pulled him backward, forcibly dragging Wen Yuhan down two steps. The wound was violently struck by the cold cement steps, and he felt a sharp pain that made his vision go black, unable even to cry out in pain.
Yi Li raised his knife again, but Wen Yuhan dodged it with all her might.
The knife struck the metal railing with a clang, and Wen Yuhan gritted his teeth, pressing down on Yi Li's hand to prevent him from attacking again.
"How long do you think you can keep this up with me?" Yi Li asked, his wrist pinned down by Wen Yuhan, his gaze intense. "I didn't expect that even in this state, Senior Wen is still so skilled. Does Senior Pei like this kind of person?"
Wen Yuhan had no time to pay attention to Yi Li. His arm was trembling uncontrollably, and he felt his remaining strength being rapidly depleted in this standoff.
Normally, even with his rigorous training, Yi Li could easily take on three opponents at once. But now, every exertion accelerated the bleeding from his wounds, and he knew that it wouldn't be long before he either died from blood loss or from Yi Li's blade.
As if sensing Wen Yuhan's strength gradually fading, Yi Li's smile widened.
He abruptly twisted his wrist, swiftly slicing the blade across Wen Yuhan's hand that was restraining him. Then, he raised the knife high, the sharp blade aimed directly at Wen Yuhan's chest, and coldly laughed, "The End—"
The cold, sharp blade rapidly magnified in Wen Yuhan's pupils, and at that moment, he suddenly felt a sense of relief deep inside.
It was just a mundane farce to begin with, so let it end when it's time.
Wen Yuhan closed her eyes, waiting for the end of the story.
One second...
Two seconds...
The expected pain never came.
At the same time, a "drip" was heard, and a drop of hot, viscous liquid fell onto Wen Yuhan's face.
He opened his eyes and saw a hand appear in front of him, firmly gripping Yi Li's blade. Then, in Yi Li's astonishment and panic, a kick flew up, sending him tumbling down the stairs.
Wen Yuhan's eyes flickered, then darkened.
He eventually found him, just as Pei Shaocheng said, no matter where he ran, he could still find him.
In Wen Yuhan's blurred vision, she saw Pei Shaocheng walk down the stairs without saying a word, his tall figure like a demon or monster that had escaped from the deepest hell, step by step approaching Yi Li, whose face was pale and in pain.
Yi Li stared wide-eyed at the other person, only to see that Pei Shaocheng's originally deep features were hidden in the shadows, and when he stood against the light, his whole body exuded a suffocating chill.
Yi Li's lips moved slightly: "Brother Cheng..."
Pei Shaocheng remained silent, his facial features tense, staring coldly at him.
Yi Li felt as if he had been petrified, unable to move. He pressed his body against the cold wall, his eyes trembling with terror.
At this moment, he realized that he was still afraid. He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of Pei Shaocheng looking at him with those eyes. Without any emotion or warmth, it was more hurtful than hatred or loathing.
Suddenly, Yi Li's throat tightened, and Pei Shaocheng lifted his entire body up, suspending him in mid-air.
His legs were kicking haphazardly, but this only intensified the feeling of suffocation.
Yi Li's voice was muffled, his face turning an unnatural red. But Pei Shaocheng showed no sign of stopping, muttering in a low but menacing tone, "You dare hurt him..."
As Pei Shaocheng spoke, he lifted Yi Li up like an eagle snatching a chick, dangling his hand over the railing's handrail, with the sky high below. If he let go, Yi Li would immediately fall, either dead or paralyzed.
Seeing that things were not going well, Wen Yuhan panicked and quickly called out to stop him: "Pei Shaocheng!"
But when the words came out, they were as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
Wen Yuhan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he slammed the metal railing with a piece of sheet metal that had fallen to the side.
After several knocks, Pei Shaocheng finally reacted and looked towards Wen Yuhan.
Wen Yuhan looked into Pei Shaocheng's eyes and shook her head slowly but decisively.
Then another surge of pain hit him. He frowned, clutched his wound, and said in a hoarse voice, "Leave the rest to the police, or are you just going to let me die like this?"
Hearing Wen Yuhan's words, clarity finally returned to Pei Shaocheng's eyes. He quickly withdrew his hand, tossed Yi Li aside, and ran to Wen Yuhan, pulling him into his arms.
Thick blood stuck to Pei Shaocheng's hands. He tore off his shirt sleeve and shredded it into strips to help Wen Yuhan apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
"It'll be alright... Xiaohan... you'll be alright..."
Pei Shaocheng tried to comfort him again and again, but you could tell his voice was trembling.
Wen Yuhan looked at him quietly, feeling his vision growing increasingly blurry. He wanted to tell Pei Shaocheng that there was nothing to be afraid of, at least he wasn't afraid at the moment, but he simply didn't have the strength left.
Suddenly, Wen Yuhan was lifted into the air and carried horizontally by Pei Shaocheng, who quickly ran towards the exit at the end of the stairs.
Wen Yuhan heard sirens in the distance, along with the whistling wind, the cacophony of voices, and a familiar voice softly calling his name...
Minor Cold, Minor Cold...
In his dazed state, Wen Yuhan vaguely wondered why the other person always called him Xiao Han when he was clearly the older one.
but……
When that title came out of that person's mouth again, carrying a long-lost warmth, it was truly... how should I describe it?
...
A note from the author:
I'm back!! Daily updates are back - my little darlings, thank you for waiting...
Chapter 72
Wen Yuhan woke up at dusk one day.
The setting sun cast its last rays across the IV bottle, leaving a patch of orange-red light. The bottle was still half full, slowly flowing into the vein through the transparent tubing.
Wen Yuhan tried to move his wrist, which was covered with tape, and a wave of soreness made him frown slightly.
In less than a month, he has already been on the verge of death twice. If he really dies in the future, who knows if the King of Hell will think he was provoking him for no reason and punish him for disrespect.
Wen Yuhan silently regained his composure and looked down at his hospital gown. It must have been changed frequently; it was very clean and still had a faint smell of laundry detergent. However, he had just had a nightmare and woken up covered in sweat, so he felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Wen Yuhan used the bed frame to gently sit up, intending to go to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water to wipe herself down.
He had just straightened up a little when the ward door was opened. The joy he showed upon seeing Wen Yuhan awake instantly turned into panic when they realized he was about to get out of bed. Wen Yuhan was also startled by the sudden intrusion, and accidentally aggravated his abdominal wound, letting out a short gasp: "Hiss..."
Pei Shaocheng's face darkened, and he quickly stepped forward to support the other man, making him put his strength on him. He then scolded him in a low voice, "What are you doing moving around like that? Don't you know you've been ripped open in the stomach?"
Wen Yuhan gave a slight twitch of her lips and asked indifferently, "Your crazy admirer?"
Pei Shaocheng's eyes trembled as he supported Wen Yuhan's body, which was almost nothing but bones, and felt a dull pain in his heart that was hard to describe.
"I'm sorry..." This is the sentence Pei Shaocheng has said the most recently, and also the only one he has been able to say.
Wen Yuhan didn't press the matter further; after all, she wasn't one to delve into the details. Instead, she asked, "How did you find me?"
Pei Shaocheng paused for a moment: "I heard the ferry whistle on the phone, so I guessed you were probably by the river. Plus, Yi Li's voice had a strong echo, so it must have been a relatively enclosed and open space."
When Pei Shaocheng uttered the words "Yi Li," his eyes darkened again. Looking back now, if Wen Yuhan hadn't stopped him in time, he could hardly imagine what the situation would have become.
"I think I heard police sirens. He's been taken away, hasn't he?" Wen Yuhan turned to look at the twilight outside the window and said softly, "Kidnapping and intentional assault, your circle is probably going to be in for another big uproar."
"Don't think about these things right now, just focus on recovering." Pei Shaocheng hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently covered Wen Yuhan's hand, which was resting on the side of the bed. Seeing that the other did not refuse, he gently stroked the back of Wen Yuhan's hand, which had turned blue from the continuous IV drips, his eyes filled with even more tenderness.
"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
"Help me to the restroom, I want to wipe myself down." Wen Yuhan looked up at the IV drip that was about to finish, tore off the tape to remove the needle, but was stopped by Pei Shaocheng.
"I'll call the nurse to remove it later," Pei Shaocheng said in a deep voice, frowning. "Also, your wound can't get wet."
"I'll be careful." Wen Yuhan continued tearing off the tape without looking up.
Pei Shaocheng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, paused, and said in a softer voice, "Don't move, I'll pull it out."
As he spoke, he gently took Wen Yuhan's hand and quickly and precisely removed the needle with a cotton swab.
Wen Yuhan silently withdrew his hand and lowered his eyes to unbutton his hospital gown. When he had completely taken off his shirt, another layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"You..." Pei Shaocheng was anxious but dared not speak loudly, "Can you please be a little more obedient?"
"I feel unwell." Wen Yuhan glanced at the bandage wrapped around her abdomen, then looked up at Pei Shaocheng. "Could you help me close the curtains? I need to take off my pants."
Pei Shaocheng knew that no matter how he tried to persuade Wen Yuhan, she wouldn't listen now. After letting out a deep sigh, he got up and drew the curtains tightly. He said to Wen Yuhan, "You stay here. I'll go get a basin of water to help you wipe yourself."
"I can do it myself."
Pei Shaocheng stopped talking, went into the bathroom, filled a basin with warm water, and washed and scalded the newly bought towel until he was sure it was clean before bringing it out.
"Hold onto my neck," he whispered.
Wen Yuhan paused for a moment, then finally wrapped his arms around Pei Shaocheng's neck. He had just tried it himself and found it difficult to even take off his clothes; thinking he could wipe himself down was definitely overestimating himself.
After Wen Yuhan wrapped his arms around his neck, Pei Shaocheng supported the other's buttocks with one hand and protected his waist with the other, slowly lifting him up to a sitting position.
Then she removed Wen Yuhan's pants, soaked a towel, wrung it out until it was half dry, and carefully wiped his body.
Wen Yuhan cooperated by raising her hand and tilting her head back. Neither of them said a word; the only sound was the splashing of the towel as it soaked in the basin.
His pale, delicate skin bore numerous purplish-blue bruises from his earlier fight with Yi Li. His elbows and knees, in particular, were raw and raw, the skin gleaming red. Although the doctor had treated them, the sight was still shocking.
Wen Yuhan was in a hurry to escape at the time, so she didn't feel too much pain. Now, looking at these injuries again, the terrible scene from that time reappeared before her eyes.
The thought that Yi Li almost did something even more despicable than death to him made Wen Yuhan purse his lips, a chill running down his spine.
“Pei Shaocheng…” Wen Yuhan’s voice was a little hoarse when he spoke, “Give me a cigarette.”
“No.” Pei Shaocheng interrupted firmly, “You absolutely cannot smoke right now, especially since this is a hospital.”
Seeing that Wen Yuhan hadn't responded for a while, he looked at her with a puzzled expression. He was about to say something to coax her again, but when he saw Wen Yuhan turn her face to the side, her eyes filled with humiliation and self-loathing, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he instinctively felt a tightness in his chest.
Pei Shaocheng gently lifted Wen Yuhan's chin, probing the eyes that could easily captivate him. Then, his previously gentle and mild expression gradually turned cold.
"Yi Li, did he...?" Pei Shaocheng's aura turned chilling and imposing once again, his gloomy eyes filled with a hint of brutal killing intent. It was as if Wen Yuhan's answer was a vermilion pen drawn on the Book of Life and Death, ready to determine the fate of those whose names were written at any moment.
"No." Wen Yuhan knew that if he really told Pei Shaocheng what Yi Li had almost done to him, the situation would definitely spiral out of control. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he chose to swallow the truth, pretending to be nonchalant as he said, "Yi Li is too disgusted with me to have any feelings for me."
Pei Shaocheng continued to stare at him with those all-seeing eyes: "That man has gone mad, I'm worried..."
Wen Yuhan smiled faintly: "Tell me, which of us isn't crazy?" He sighed softly, "Pei Shaocheng, are you planning to freeze me to death?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Shaocheng regained his composure. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the previous gloom and violence in his eyes had been suppressed.
"I'm sorry." Pei Shaocheng covered Wen Yuhan with the blanket, helped him lie back on the bed, and then changed the water basin to wash his feet.
Because she was so thin, Wen Yuhan's fair and beautiful feet now had prominent knuckles, especially her originally rounded ankle bones, which protruded and had an unhealthy, cold white hue. While it was heartbreaking to look at, it also inexplicably possessed a sickly yet alluring beauty.