Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 10

My gaze moved slowly, cautiously, and stiffly. The light wasn't strong, but the beige curtains, the comfortable down mattress, and the wooden floor covered with a plush carpet truly made it our "new home."

"Xu Lie—!!" I cried out and threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly, and choked out, "I thought I would never see you again, I really thought I would never see you again!"

"You woman—!!" Xu Lie yanked me away violently, his face flushed, and shouted angrily, "I've never seen such a shameless woman! We were...we were sleeping together last night! What do you mean I can't see you anymore!"

I wasn't angry when he shook me off. I just smiled foolishly and wiped away my tears, thinking: I'm back! I actually came back like this! I can still see my parents and grandpa, I can still see Xu's parents and grandpa, I can still see Xu Lie, and I can still... treat Yufei. It's so wonderful!

No! Perhaps it was just a dream, a dream so vivid that I believed it to be real.

"I don't know what you're grinning about?" Xu Lie threw the clothes at my face and said coldly, "Change your clothes and come out now!"

I then noticed that he had already changed into a sweater and jeans, and quickly nodded. Remembering what Xu's father had said—that his brother, Liu Yingshi, was a renowned internal medicine and surgical doctor—perhaps, just perhaps, Yufei could be saved.

Suddenly, my expression changed instantly as I stared at my hand. On my wrist, the purple crystal reflected the dim light in the room, flickering on and off. It was none other than the key to time travel—the water chain.

"Lanlan, why do you look so pale?" Mrs. Xu touched my forehead and asked in surprise, "You didn't sleep well last night..."

Her tone suddenly paused, and an ambiguous smile appeared on her face. She glanced at Xu Lie, then at me, and said with a look of relief, "It's okay, it's okay. It's the first time, everyone's like this."

"Pfft—" Xu Lie spat out his entire breakfast, his face flushed and neck red as he shouted, "Mom, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Didn't you two sleep together yesterday?" Mrs. Xu asked.

Xu Lie blushed and couldn't answer, which drew laughter from the table.

I just can't bring myself to laugh. What should I do? Was that time travel real? What if I time travel again and can't come back?

"Girl, what's wrong with your hand?" Xu Lie suddenly grabbed my hand and asked with an annoyed look.

I quickly pulled back and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing, I just bumped into something."

I can't get rid of this amethyst bracelet, no matter how hard I try. Does that mean that my fate is still not in my own hands?

Her wrist was suddenly tightened, and she was dragged up. Looking up, she saw Xu Lie's furious face. She heard him yell angrily upstairs, "Sister Huan, bring the first-aid kit inside!"

I was terrified. Although Xu Lie had been fierce towards me before the crash, it was mostly a chilling coldness, unlike now, which was completely the opposite, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Xu...Xu Lie, aren't we going to the hospital right away? Where are we going..."

"Shut up!" Xu Lie dragged me all the way to our room on the second floor. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut, making my eardrums ring. "If you make another sound, I'll throw you out of here!"

"Throw it again?" I pouted, looking aggrieved, as he haphazardly applied the ointment to my scraped wrist with tremendous force, showing no tenderness whatsoever.

"Ouch—, that hurts!"

They immediately loosened their grip on my hand, and the pressure they applied to the band-aid softened considerably.

“Xu Lie…” Looking at his handsome, sculpted profile, resolute yet with a touch of gentleness, I suddenly felt as if I were bewitched, and asked the question I had kept hidden all night… no, perhaps even longer, “Where is Xue’er?”

Xu Lie's body suddenly stiffened, his face as pale and cold as a human. After a long while, he tore off both ends of the band-aid, threw it into the trash can, and said expressionlessly, "I've gone abroad."

"She went abroad?!" I exclaimed. "Why?! I... Since you knew it was just a show, you should have told her the truth! Shouldn't you two be together? Why did she leave?"

“Now, you are my wife,” he said.

Xu Lie looked at me with his dark eyes, but they seemed to be looking into the unknown distance. After a long while, he spoke with a sorrowful and cold tone: "However, even so, you have no right to interfere in my affairs."

Watching his lonely figure walk away, tears involuntarily streamed down my face. What exactly happened between him and Xue'er back then? But even if something did happen, what does it have to do with me?

No! Because he doesn't love me! So, even though I'm his wife in name only, I'll always be the one who has no right to be his wife.

We didn't exchange a single word until we arrived at the hospital and met Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu looked to be only in his forties or fifties, but I never imagined he was already a professor and expert in internal medicine and surgery at the medical school—that's incredible!

After reviewing all my medical reports, he smiled and said, "The situation is very good, there are no abnormalities. Don't worry, Lie'er, your wife is very healthy."

Xu Lie blushed slightly: "Stop making fun of me every time!"

"Haha..." Uncle Liu laughed happily, "There's nothing I can do, what can I do, Uncle Liu is still a bachelor."

“Um… Dr. Liu.”

Uncle Liu looked at me kindly: "Lanlan, don't be so formal. You're my brother's wife, so just call me Uncle Liu like Lie'er does."

"Okay, Uncle Liu." I swallowed hard and said obediently, "You've checked on my friend's condition too. Is there any chance he'll wake up?"

“Well…” Uncle Liu frowned, his brow furrowing so deeply that my heart tightened. He said uncertainly, “Your friend’s condition is really strange. Logically, if he’s still unconscious, he should have suffered a severe blow to the head, resulting in skull damage or blood pooling in his brain. But I’ve examined him thoroughly several times, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his body. He just won’t wake up. It’s like… he’s just asleep.”

"As if asleep?" I muttered, my brows furrowed.

No, your body in that world won't disappear! It will only fall into a coma, and outwardly appear no different from being asleep...

With a loud bang, I don't know how pale my face was, I only know that no matter how Xu Lie and Uncle Liu called me, I ignored them and rushed out into Yu Fei's ward.

Ignoring his mother's surprised look and strange questions, I walked forward step by step, took his hand, and there was a crystal bracelet there that was exactly the same as the one on my hand, but it was transparent.

I frantically tried to take it off, but it was as if some strong attraction was sticking to his hand and the chain, just like the one on my own hand. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it off.

"Miss Lin, Miss Lin! You're hurting Yufei!" her mother cried anxiously, pulling at me.

"Yufei! Yufei! Wake up! Stop lingering in that world!" I hugged his hand, slowly knelt down, and cried sadly. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be trapped in that strange world, still not knowing whether you're alive or dead... Yufei, please wake up! There are so many people here waiting for you!"

Just as I was on the verge of collapse, someone picked me up. He didn't say a word, and he even seemed a little awkward and clumsy while holding me, but it gave me a strange sense of security.

I buried my face in his chest, my tears soaking his clothes. Yufei, please wake up!

"Is this what caused you to injure your hand?" Xu Lie's clear voice suddenly rang in my ears.

I jolted awake, realizing we were already in the car. Looking into his determined eyes, I nodded helplessly.