After the nurse placed the thermometer in Xiao Qiqi's hands, she asked Dr. Yu, who was recording her medical history, "Doctor, I'd like to see my medical records."
Dr. Yu stopped writing and looked at Xiao Qiqi. The pity and helplessness in his eyes made Xiao Qiqi's heart sink little by little. Chen Yuanxing, who had sat up, was holding the big bear. He watched Xiao Qiqi's profile as her delicate eyelashes fluttered. His hand, which was wrapped in gauze, curled up again. He jumped up and greeted Dr. Yu: "Good morning, Dr. Yu. Good morning, Dr. Yu too."
Dr. Yu hummed in agreement and continued to ask Xiao Qiqi, "How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt? How does your stomach feel?"
Xiao Qiqi answered one by one, "My whole body is sore and weak, I have no taste in my mouth, my stomach feels very bitter and uncomfortable, my stomach is bloated and a little painful."
Dr. Yu nodded. "It's a normal reaction. If you have any other discomfort, please tell me immediately. How much bleeding is there?"
Xiao Qiqi blushed slightly and answered in a low voice, "Not many."
"It's good if it's not too much. If there's any heavy bleeding, you have to tell the doctor immediately, okay?"
Xiao Qiqi nodded, and Dr. Yu jotted down a few more notes before turning to Chen Yuanxing and saying, "Young man, did you hear that? If your girlfriend feels unwell, come see a doctor immediately. Also, for the next couple of days, prepare some light food for her, avoiding spicy and greasy foods. Don't let her catch a cold, and try to minimize strenuous exercise." Chen Yuanxing was well aware of the doctor's nagging and nodded hastily. Yu Yao, seeing his obedient demeanor behind Dr. Yu, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
"Doctor, what about my medical records?" Xiao Qiqi asked again when she saw that Dr. Yu had finally stopped talking. Dr. Yu glanced at Chen Yuanxing and said, "Ask your boyfriend later. You young people!" After saying that, she closed the medical record book and went to make her routine rounds in other rooms.
"Doctor," Xiao Qiqi called out again. Doctor Yu turned around and asked, puzzled, "Is there something you need to ask your boyfriend?"
Xiao Qiqi shook her head. "No, doctor, I want to ask you when I can be discharged from the hospital?"
Dr. Yu said, "You are a critically ill patient and need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few more days. You can't be discharged in a hurry."
"But doctor, I feel fine now, my fever has gone down, so... I know I just need to rest more after the miscarriage." Xiao Qiqi had arranged to report to the company on the 3rd, and it's already the 3rd. Jobs are hard to find these days, and she can't give up this opportunity easily.
"Oh, you make it sound so easy. If you were fine, why would you be in the hospital? It's because you don't treat your body like it's your own! Your inflammation is quite serious. We need to see how the inflammation subsides before we can know how your fallopian tubes and uterus are recovering, and only then can we determine if there's any possibility of a cure. Plus, you have alcohol poisoning, a high fever, and postpartum weakness and a low immune system, which makes hospitalization even more necessary." Dr. Yu shook his head again. "You young people!" With that, he and Yu Yao left with a sigh.
Dr. Yu's barbed words completely stunned Xiao Qiqi. Was it really that serious? She felt as if life had been drained from every bone in her body. She had never experienced such humiliation and torment! Chen Yuanxing twisted the fluffy fur of the big bear, unsure of what to say to Xiao Qiqi—comfort, understanding, or avoidance?
"What do you know?" Xiao Qiqi's sudden question startled Chen Yuanxing. Looking around, he saw that everyone had left and he was the only one left. He scratched his head and said, "Well, I don't know either."
“You know,” Xiao Qiqi asked firmly, “don’t I have a very serious problem?”
"No, no!" Chen Yuanxing quickly shook his head. Was he supposed to tell her, "Congratulations, sister! You'll never have to worry about getting pregnant and having an abortion again, because you can't have children at all!" Huh? That's too cruel! "Oh, by the way, you haven't eaten for two days. I'll go buy you some porridge." Chen Yuanxing jumped out of bed and fled the ward as if escaping. Looking back at the door marked 511, he wiped his sweat. Had he suddenly become a thief?
Watching Chen Yuanxing flee as if running away, and pondering the doctor's words, Xiao Qiqi felt her heart sink. The consequences both frightened her and made her want to speculate. Xiao Qiqi stared uncertainly at the white ceiling above her until Chen Yuanxing returned, humming a song, with porridge in his mouth.
Chen Yuanxing tried his best to act nonchalant. "Senior sister, look, I bought porridge, soy milk, milk, and bread. What do you want to eat?" Xiao Qiqi had no appetite and shook her head. "I don't want to eat anything." She unconsciously pinched her palm and then realized that her hand seemed to be wrapped in gauze. When she raised her hand, she saw that even her fingernails were bare. When she opened her palm, there was nothing there except the white gauze wrapped around it. The words that were once engraved on her palm had long since disappeared, and it seemed that she could no longer even feel them.
Seeing Xiao Qiqi staring blankly at her palm, Chen Yuanxing said, "Senior sister, why are you torturing your own hands? Look, you've pinched your palm until it's bleeding. Luckily, this is a hospital, there are plenty of sterile cotton and gauze."
Xiao Qiqi put down her hand and looked at Chen Yuanxing. "Where's my phone?" Chen Yuanxing was taken aback, wondering why she suddenly asked that. He drank his milk, pointed to the bag on the wall, and said vaguely, "It seems to be in there."
"Could you please take it out for me?"
Chen Yuanxing walked over, pulled out the small backpack, and remembered that he had stuffed it there that day. "It's long out of power." He handed it to Xiao Qiqi, who said, "There should be a spare battery. Can you find it for me?"
Chen Yuanxing rummaged around for a while and finally found a battery. He watched Xiao Qiqi change the battery with curiosity, then turned on his phone and asked, "Senior sister, who are you looking for?" He didn't say the unspoken message, but he hoped she would find the "adulterer" or a friend or relative so he could be free.
Xiao Qiqi ignored him and immediately called the company. Hearing her voice, Sister Chen exclaimed, "Oh dear, Xiao Qiqi, why didn't you report to the company?" Xiao Qiqi quickly explained, "Sister Chen, I'm sick. Could you please tell HR I can report a few days later?" Sister Chen seemed relieved. "Oh, you were sick. I thought you weren't coming. Just now, General Manager Zhao came over and said that one of his classmates' sons is graduating this year and seems to be joining the company, but they said they've filled all the positions. Xiao Qiqi, I'm telling you, you have to come quickly. Things change, and things might change any day now." Sister Chen always spoke quickly and decisively, revealing everything in just a few words. Although Xiao Qiqi was frightened by the implication, she had no choice. She pleaded with her a few more times before hanging up the phone with a heavy heart.
Hearing that she had called the company, Chen Yuanxing felt a little discouraged and pulled up a chair by the window to eat bread and drink milk. Xiao Qiqi checked her phone; it was ringing incessantly with a bunch of missed calls and text messages. Her heart leaped into her chest as she read through the messages, most of them from Xia Xuan. The name Xia Xuan burned within her like fire. Hesitantly, Xiao Qiqi finally dialed the number with trembling fingers, her heart filled with bitterness and anticipation, only to be met with the message, "The number you dialed does not exist..." Xiao Qiqi jolted awake. What was she doing? Having already prepared for separation, she shouldn't be weak and afraid at this moment.
Seeing Xiao Qiqi dialing a phone call with an unusual expression, her eyes brimming with tears as if she couldn't bear the weight of it all, Chen Yuanxing chewed on his bread. When he saw Xiao Qiqi put down her phone and close her eyes in sorrow, he couldn't help but say, "If you were looking for that handsome guy, he's probably already gone."
Xiao Qiqi opened her eyes and looked at Chen Yuanxing. Chen Yuanxing shrugged, "Someone saw him leave with a beautiful woman."
Xiao Qiqi stared at Chen Yuanxing for a long time, then laughed. She picked up her phone, pried open the back cover, and put the small, delicate copper piece on top. After looking at it for a while, she casually tossed it out the half-open window.
Seeing this, Chen Yuanxing hurriedly called out, "Hey, senior sister, what are you doing? You threw away your SIM card, how are you going to call your family and friends?"
Xiao Qiqi stubbornly raised her head, "I won't make any phone calls, and I will never contact anyone from this place again."
Chen Yuanxing felt like his head was about to explode. "Then you should at least call your family, right?"
Xiao Qiqi's long eyelashes fluttered, "...They'll worry."
"Ah, they'll worry, then I deserve to be the sucker?" Chen Yuanxing finally couldn't help but spill his heart.
"Huh?" Xiao Qiqi looked at him strangely. Chen Yuanxing sighed, "Senior sister, you really don't understand? It's one thing for everyone to see me as a heartless man, a troublemaker, and an ignorant young man. But you have to understand me, right?"
Xiao Qiqi then understood why Chen Yuanxing had yelled strangely. Thinking about how he must have suffered a lot of embarrassment for sending her to the hospital like this, she felt guilty and said, "I'm sorry."
Seeing her pitiful, downcast expression, Chen Yuanxing's heart softened. He sighed, pulled up a chair, and sat down by the bedside. He brought her the porridge. "Alright, stop looking so gloomy. Drink your porridge." Xiao Qiqi wanted to refuse, but seeing Chen Yuanxing's sullen face, she was afraid he'd hold back his anger, so she quickly reached out her hand. Chen Yuanxing saw that one of her hands was wrapped in gauze and the other had an IV drip attached. He grinned. "I'll feed you. You owe me so much anyway, one more won't make a difference."
Xiao Qiqi knew she couldn't drink the porridge by herself, so she could only let Chen Yuanxing feed her spoonful by spoonful. Several times she frowned, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent. He was being kind, and it would be inconsiderate of her to complain. Chen Yuanxing had never taken care of anyone before; how could he understand? He only knew to feed her large mouthfuls, completely unaware that Xiao Qiqi's appetite was extremely small after her serious illness, her mouth tasted bitter, and her body was weak, making it impossible for her to eat so quickly. After eating half a bowl, Xiao Qiqi couldn't take it anymore and finally said, "I'm really full." Chen Yuanxing still pushed her away, "What are you? Eating so little?" Xiao Qiqi just shook her head.
Chen Yuanxing's phone rang again, finally freeing Xiao Qiqi. Leaning against her pillow, she saw her teddy bear still lying on the bed next to hers, and then noticed her bag against the wall seemed much smaller. She frowned; she remembered stuffing it full, so how did it shrink?
Chen Yuanxing answered his mother's routine phone call, replied with a few perfunctory words. His mother was always a busy person, and her son was just an accessory, so she didn't ask any more questions and hung up after a few words. On the other hand, his aunt, who had watched him grow up, talked a lot. Chen Yuanxing was always close to his aunt, and he sincerely complained for a long time before returning to his ward in a much better mood.
From afar, I saw Yu Yao had changed into a white floral dress with a blue background and was about to go down the stairs. I couldn't help but run over and ask, "Dr. Yu, are you laid off?"
Yu Yao stopped when he saw it was Chen Yuanxing. "Hey, I just said something for nothing, and you remembered it?"
Chen Yuanxing chuckled: "Of course, Dr. Yu, don't forget my encouragement when you become famous overseas."
Yu Yao didn't want to banter with him, and simply asked, "Why aren't you with your girlfriend? What are you doing out here?"
Chen Yuanxing figured that Xiao Qiqi would wake up and call the nurse if anything happened, so he accompanied Yu Yao down the elevator and sighed, "Everyone else is picking up things, and so am I. Why is it that everyone else is picking up pies while I'm picking up bombs?"
Seeing his troubled expression, Yu Yao assumed he was genuinely upset and quickly looked at him cautiously, "You really aren't familiar with Xiao Qiqi?"
Chen Yuanxing nodded, "Yes!"
"...Then why didn't you leave? She's awake and can take care of herself."
Chen Yuanxing was jolted awake by her words, slapping his forehead: "That's right, she's awake, so my responsibility is done. Why should I suffer here?" He smiled broadly, looking at Yu Yao: "Dr. Yu, thank you so much, you're such a lovely girl. Come on, let me take you to a fun place, wanna go?"
Yu Yao had worked the night shift and was planning to go home and get some sleep, but she couldn't bear to refuse Chen Yuanxing's invitation. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded, "Where to?"
"Going to hang out with friends." Chen Yuanxing grabbed Yu Yao and left. "Those guys will be ecstatic to see a pretty girl like you."
"Oh dear, what kind of people are they hanging out with? I'm not going." Yu Yao heard Chen Yuanxing mention some friends and immediately sensed it wasn't anything good, so she refused to leave.
"Come on, it's alright, I won't sell you off. They're all my classmates, they don't want to go home for the holidays, so we're hanging out together. Would I sell you in broad daylight?" Chen Yuanxing tugged at Yu Yao, then took out his phone to call his roommate, the crazy third brother who never went home for holidays. That guy was always smitten with the pretty girls at the medical school, and this time he'd managed to lure one back. Yu Yao could tell from his tone that he was talking to a classmate, and she figured it made sense. They were from the same city, and the medical students knew K University and A University well, so what was she afraid of? In the end, she called another classmate before agreeing to go out.
5. Heartbreak
Xiao Qiqi lay in bed alone, her mind racing with thoughts, but to no avail. Weak and exhausted, she soon drifted off to sleep again, completely oblivious to where Chen Yuanxing had gone or whether he had returned. She was only awakened by the doctor's routine rounds at noon. Seeing Dr. Yu, a kind and approachable older doctor, she couldn't help but ask, "Doctor, could you please look at my medical records? How serious is my condition?"
Seeing Xiao Qiqi's sincere expression, Dr. Yu knew she was genuinely confused, so she asked, "Why are you alone? Where's your boyfriend?" Xiao Qiqi blushed and whispered, "He... he's just a friend, not my boyfriend." Dr. Yu was used to this kind of thing and assumed she was just shy, so she didn't press further. She simply continued along her train of thought, saying, "Girl, you really have to be careful when making friends in the future. Where can you find such an irresponsible young man? He's already in this situation, and he's still left you behind, I don't know where he's gone! Sigh, you won't be able to have children in the future, and there might be some aftereffects. Plus, you're stuck with a man like this. What are you going to do?" Dr. Yu was already quite old, and seeing that Xiao Qiqi was about the same age as her daughter, the emotions in her heart began to stir again, and she couldn't help but start nagging.
Xiao Qiqi heard clearly and sat up straight in confusion. "What? Doctor, you're saying I can't have children anymore?"
Dr. Yu nodded. "Your boyfriend is too scared to tell you, isn't he? Young people are so bold, but they don't dare to take responsibility when they get into trouble. That's what young people are like these days!"
Xiao Qiqi couldn't hear anything Dr. Yu was rambling on about. She only felt a bone-chilling cold. The terrible truth was tearing at her heart like a venomous snake. She let the nurse change her IV drip, take her temperature, and help her lie down. Her palms unconsciously clenched, aggravating her old wounds, but she felt no pain at all. So that's how it is!
Chen Yuanxing, Yu Yao, and Han Yufen, another classmate of Yu Yao's from the medical school, walked towards a sports club not far from the school. Along the way, Chen Yuanxing made Yu Yao and Han Yufen laugh so hard they almost fell over. Han Yufen was rather chubby, with a round face and a round body, making her look like a big, clumsy bear next to the slender and petite Yu Yao. Chen Yuanxing secretly thought to himself that beautiful women always liked to be with less attractive women, and it seemed to be true indeed. Han Yufen covered her mouth and giggled, "Chen Yuanxing, are you serious? Is Kuang Shan really that strange?"
Chen Yuanxing raised his peach blossom eyes and said, "Of course! He's a complete madman. He can ignore everything except doing experiments, but there's one thing: when he sees a pretty doctor or nurse in a white coat, his eyes go wide. You'll see in a bit! I don't even need to tell you that you're medical school beauties; his nose can smell it from several meters away."
Han Yufen feigned surprise, and Yu Yao nudged her with her elbow, giving Chen Yuanxing a disapproving look. "Don't listen to his nonsense!" Chen Yuanxing didn't care about the beautiful woman's disapproval; in fact, he seemed to enjoy it, smiling brightly.
As soon as they entered the club, Chen Yuanxing saw Kuang Shan watching others play with an enthusiastic expression, holding a golf club. He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Look, that hedgehog with hair standing on end, that's Kuang Shan." Yu Yao and Han Yufen looked at Kuang Shan; his hair, seemingly freshly cut, was indeed standing on end. They couldn't help but chuckle. Chen Yuanxing, however, seized the opportunity to give Kuang Shan a wink. Kuang Shan glanced at the beautiful woman beside Chen Yuanxing, his eyes lighting up instantly. He dropped his club and rushed over.
All morning, Kuang Shan didn't show any enthusiasm towards Yu Yao and Han Yufen. Yu Yao, seeing Kuang Shan's medium height and seemingly arrogant demeanor, but actually as a very sincere and simple person, couldn't help but change her initial opinion of him somewhat. However, she still couldn't help but steal glances at Chen Yuanxing, who sat casually on the pool table with his legs crossed, occasionally shouting and chatting nonsense. Even when playing pool, he acted unserious, always smiling and carefree. Kuang Shan, used to this scene, was secretly annoyed and got up to find Chen Yuanxing.
Chen Yuanxing was aiming his cue at a red ball that was at an extremely off angle, but nothing seemed to work. Frustrated, he straightened up and saw Kuang Shan approaching. Just as he was about to speak, a girl in high heels walked in through the door and tripped and fell flat on her face with a thud. She groaned for a while but couldn't get up. Chen Yuanxing's heart skipped a beat. Da Zhi, standing beside him, kept urging, "Young Master, are you going to play or not? You're not going to give up, are you?"
Chen Yuanxing threw down his cue and strode away, saying, "I'm not playing anymore. I have things to do. I'll try again in a few days."
Kuang Shan grabbed him, "Where are you going, young master? Didn't we agree to go out for lunch?"
Chen Yuanxing patted Kuang Shan's shoulder with a grin, "Third Brother, this cushy job of accompanying a beautiful woman to dinner is entrusted to you. Whether you can handle it or not depends on your skills. Don't come back later and accuse me of stealing your beauties!" After saying that, he waved to Yu Yao and Han Yufen and quickly left.
He rushed out in a taxi to the hospital, worriedly thinking, "My senior sister could fall so hard out of nowhere, what if she fell again and can't get up? Sigh, if she really falls, she cries endlessly, won't she?"
Xiao Qiqi didn't cry at this moment, not a single tear. Perhaps when the heart is broken, there are truly no tears left. She actually wanted to cry, but she just couldn't. Trembling, she pulled out the IV drip, slowly climbed out of bed, suppressing the embarrassment of her weak limbs, and moved step by step outwards, supporting herself against the wall. As for what she was going to do or where she was going, she didn't think about it at all, and didn't know. She only wanted to leave this place, to leave this place full of nightmares and sadness.
Chen Yuanxing rushed back to the hospital, pushed open the door of room 511, and saw Xiao Qiqi sitting on the floor, hands supporting her, covered in sweat, slowly inching towards the door. He hurriedly ran in, naturally picked her up, and put her back on the bed. "Senior sister, what are you doing again? I was only gone for half a day, and you've already done this? Oh, you even pulled out your IV? Do you even want to live?"
"You don't want to live anymore." Xiao Qiqi, with a strength she didn't know she came from, pushed Chen Yuanxing away and glared at him hatefully. "Get out!"
Chen Yuanxing took a step back, staring in astonishment at the furious Xiao Qiqi, completely bewildered: "What's going on?"
Xiao Qiqi clutched the pristine white sheets. "Why...why did you save me? Why did you take me to the hospital? I want to leave here, leave H City, immediately! Right now! I don't want to see anyone or anything here anymore, including you. Get out! I don't want you to interfere."
Chen Yuanxing rushed back, worried about her, only to be met with a sudden, inexplicable tirade from her. Young people aren't exactly known for their tempers, and he too couldn't help but frown, saying, "Inexplicable!" He turned and stormed out, yanking open the door. Seeing him truly gone, Xiao Qiqi's abyss of torment seemed to awaken, and tears streamed down her face like rain. She realized crying wasn't so difficult after all!
Chen Yuanxing stepped out the door and looked back at the three red numbers 511, muttering angrily to himself, "I'm really fed up with this woman! Why did I bother sending her here only to have her torment me and yell at me?" He had only taken one step when he heard crying from inside the door. Though she tried to suppress it, it was a heart-wrenching sound of desolation and sorrow. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he stared speechlessly at the white ceiling. "Xiao Qiqi, you woman, did I owe you something in my past life?" Unable to bring himself to say it, he thought for a moment and went to the nurses' office next door. Today, another very young nurse, Lü Hongling, was on duty. Chen Yuanxing knocked on the door and said, "Nurse, could you go check on bed four in 511? Her IV drip accidentally fell out, and she's crying in pain."
The whole floor was abuzz with talk of room 511's boyfriend. Everyone'd discussed it a hundred times over. When Lü Hongling first saw Chen Yuanxing, she couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. He seemed like an extremely cheerful and amiable young man—how could he be so irresponsible? Seeing that she didn't speak but only looked at him, Chen Yuanxing took a step back. It seemed nurses were easier to talk to. Seeing his avoidance, Lü Hongling smiled, picked up the medicine tray, and said, "Is she your girlfriend? Come on, I'll go see her."
With a strange expression, Lü Hongling changed the needle for Xiao Qiqi and reattached the IV drip. Xiao Qiqi just covered herself with the blanket and sobbed without struggling. Chen Yuanxing hid far outside the door until he saw Lü Hongling come out, then smiled and thanked her before coming in.
Xiao Qiqi felt as if her internal organs were all tangled up, unable to tell whether it was despair, embarrassment, or discomfort. She only felt Chen Yuanxing sit on the edge of the bed, pull away the blanket covering her mouth and face so she could barely breathe, and pull her into his arms, patting her back. She heard him mutter, "Alright, alright, it's not like it's the first time I've let you use my clothes as a handkerchief to wipe your nose. I'll lend them to you one more time. Change your clothes if they get dirty. Don't get the hospital bedding dirty, it's all money."
Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but chuckle at his seemingly serious but ultimately nonsensical ramblings. Chen Yuanxing, surprised, pushed her face away. "Huh, you laughed?" Xiao Qiqi's laughter was fleeting; the bitterness in her heart was still overwhelming, and she burst into tears again in an instant. Chen Yuanxing stared wide-eyed at her face in astonishment. "You didn't laugh? Am I hearing things?" He sighed, pulled her into his arms again, reached for a tissue, and wiped her tears, but his words still came out one after another: "I've never seen a woman like you. Who didn't provoke you? Why are you crying? Are you hungry? Are you angry?" Xiao Qiqi ignored him and continued to sob. He said again, "Or maybe you're bursting to pee and feeling uncomfortable?"
"You...you're the one who's bursting to pee!" Xiao Qiqi couldn't stand his nonsense any longer and retorted. Chen Yuanxing secretly made a face above her head, but his voice remained serious, "Then why are you crying? Are you homesick?"
The mere mention of homesickness caused Xiao Qiqi's entire body to ache. Longing, resentment, and pain mingled together, forming an indistinguishable porridge. "...I want to go home."
"Okay, once you're back to your old self, you can go home." Chen Yuanxing looked helplessly at the white ceiling. He missed home too. No one had ever tormented him like this before. He must have owed this woman something in his past life! Every time he saw her, nothing good ever came of it.
"No, I want to leave now." Once Xiao Qiqi was more clear-headed, she didn't want to stay in Chen Yuanxing's arms and struggled to get up. "I can sit by myself."
Seeing that she had stopped crying, Chen Yuanxing felt relieved. He propped up the pillow so she could lean on it. "It's not okay now. The doctor said you're too weak and need to stay in the hospital for treatment."
"So what if I can't have children? What else can I do?" Xiao Qiqi turned her head to look at the ivy that had a few leaves sticking out of the window.
Chen Yuanxing then realized that the reason she was crying so desperately was because of this, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, "You...you knew?"
Xiao Qiqi lowered her eyebrows and after a long while, asked, "Chen Yuanxing, do you think I'm a bad girl?"
"Ah...no, that's not it." Chen Yuanxing shook his head in a panic. He wasn't stupid; this wasn't an easy question to answer.
“I think I am,” Xiao Qiqi murmured. “I feel like I’m a heinous villain, that I killed my own soul.” After saying this, Xiao Qiqi continued to look at the vine leaves and refused to speak again. This was the first and last time Chen Yuanxing heard Xiao Qiqi speak about her opinion on abortion and infertility. Many years later, when Chen Yuanxing recalled this scene, he still felt a chill in his heart, as if the soul Xiao Qiqi spoke of that she had killed was not hers, but his.
Chen Yuanxing also felt a strange melancholy. His feelings for Xiao Qiqi were extremely complex, evolving from initial anger and resentment to pity and sympathy, each feeling deepening gradually. Seeing her gazing out the window, her dark pupils unfocused and pale, his heart softened slightly, and he gently asked, "Are you hungry? I'll buy you something to eat." Xiao Qiqi slowly shook her head. Her heart was dead, she was exhausted from crying, the sky had clouded over, then cleared again. That was all.
Chen Yuanxing laughed exaggeratedly, "Oh, you're not hungry? I'm starving! I'll go buy some food. You lie still and don't move around." He tentatively turned to look directly into Xiao Qiqi's eyes, and Xiao Qiqi blinked her dark eyes, "Then you go, I won't move." Only then did Chen Yuanxing leave to buy food with peace of mind.
VI. Turning against each other
Chen Yuanxing remembered that Doctor Yu had instructed him to eat a light diet. Apart from porridge, he couldn't think of anything else that could be considered light, so he went to Hong Zhuangyuan Porridge and bought a sweet porridge and a savory porridge to take back to the hospital.
He continued feeding her haphazardly, and Xiao Qiqi refused to eat a second bite after the first. Chen Yuanxing asked curiously, "Why aren't you eating? Don't you want meat?" Xiao Qiqi looked at him strangely, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No, I don't like sweets." Chen Yuanxing immediately beamed, "Senior sister, you should have said so earlier! I was worried for so long! I love sweet porridge the most!" He then took a big mouthful with the spoon, as if someone was trying to take it from him. Xiao Qiqi's heart tightened, and she quickly said, "Slow down, no one's taking it from you." But Chen Yuanxing didn't listen, and continued to drink his porridge with great enthusiasm, humming a little tune. His appearance was extremely roguish and strange. Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but laugh, "Why are you acting like a child?"