Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 201

I walked silently, lost in thought, until my feet touched the muddy ground. Looking up, I realized I had unconsciously wandered into the abandoned building. That abandoned building that had taken Xue'er's life and also robbed Xu Lie of his vitality.

Why did I come here? I asked myself, but my feet kept walking in. The smoke of battle was long gone, as were Shao Junyi's curses, Xue'er's pitiful accusations, and Xu Lie's furious roars.

Nothing...nothing at all!

I turned around, stunned, staring at the silent, abandoned building, feeling only desolation, a desolation utterly profound. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips, and I was about to leave when I suddenly heard a soft call: "Galan..."

That gentle, clear voice, that cautious call—it was so familiar, so deeply ingrained in my bones. Once, this person was my deepest longing; once, this person was the embodiment of all my beautiful love; once—I—loved him so deeply…

I turned my head sharply, only to see a blood-soaked, sinister face smiling at me. There was a hole in its temple from which blood gushed out, and a magic spike protruded from its abdomen, covered with white intestines. Its eyes bulged out, and its pupils reflected my pale, terrified face.

With that terrifying face, Xue'er gave me her most beautiful smile and whispered in my ear, "You can't beat me, you'll never beat me..."

I couldn't even scream; all the fear seemed to be sealed inside my body. I tried to look away, but I couldn't move an inch. I could only watch as that terrifying, grotesque face drew closer and closer to me.

Xu Lie was still softly calling in my ear: "Galan...Galan..."

Thump—I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath in terror. When I looked up, I found there was nothing around me. The quiet, cluttered abandoned building, the damp air, my rapid, disordered breathing—it felt as if I were the only person in the world.

But the feeling from just now was so clear, so clear that I can still clearly remember my face reflected in Xue'er's eyes... I hugged myself tightly with both hands, trembling on the ground, feeling so cold all over, and feeling pain somewhere, a pain that was getting worse little by little.

Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around me. I was so startled that I screamed and my whole body trembled uncontrollably. I was afraid to turn around, even more afraid of being touched in this cold, abandoned building. I desperately tried to escape.

Those hands held me tightly, not allowing me to escape even a fraction. A familiar, gentle voice whispered in my ear, "Galan, it's alright! It's alright! I'm here, I'll never let you get hurt again..."

That voice seemed to have been dormant in my heart for a thousand years, so when it slowly rang out, it didn't just reach my ears, but went straight to my heart. I finally turned around, trembling, and saw Yufei's familiar face, Zimo's brown eyes, and the panic in his eyes.

“Zi…Mo…” I called him, my pale hand gripping his sleeve tightly, so tightly that the veins on it bulged.

Zi Mo hugged me tightly, stood up, and said softly, "It's me! Galan, don't be afraid, I'll take you away from here."

I nodded silently, buried my face in his chest, and choked out, "It hurts so much..."

Zi Mo's hand froze, and his voice suddenly became somewhat flustered: "Galan, where does it hurt?"

I trembled as I looked down, and a glaring red streaks filled my eyes. I said, "My stomach...it hurts so much..."

Then, I knew nothing more. I only vaguely felt Zimo carrying me as we ran, running frantically in the rain. Rainwater dripped down his pointed chin and landed on my face, still warm.

I felt as if I could hear Xu Lie calling me again: "Galan...Galan..."

I could almost see Yihan's hand outstretched towards me, hanging in the air. It felt warm and reassuring. I stretched out my hand desperately, trying my best to get closer to him, but I could never grasp the hand that was waiting for me.

That's how fate is; what you miss, you want to go back to; what you grasp, you're forced to let go.

I slowly opened my eyes, and a series of worried and anxious faces immediately came into view.

My mother's voice choked with emotion as she hugged me tightly, her voice hoarse as she said, "It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake!"

I moistened my chapped lips and silently uttered, "Child..."

"The child is alright!" Mom quickly reassured me, "Lanlan, don't worry, the child is alright."

I smiled weakly, and when I looked up, I saw my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Xu, standing by the bedside. They seemed to have aged considerably all of a sudden. Their brows were furrowed, their hair was gray, and their eyes were filled with sorrow—these were the scars that Xu Lie's death had etched into their hearts, the marks that Xu Lie's death had left on them.

"Galan...Galan..." I clearly heard Xu Lie calling my name again and again in my ear.

But Xu Lie, what have you left in my heart? I never knew you were such a cruel person, so cruel that you etched such a horrific death into my heart.

Uncle Liu, wearing a white coat, pushed through the crowd and sat down next to me. His cool fingers brushed the hair from my forehead, and he sighed softly, "Poor child..."

I saw the bloodshot in his eyes, wondering if it was from the effort he had put into saving me and the baby. His voice was slightly hoarse: "Lanlan, I know you're very sad, but for your own sake and the baby's, you must pull yourself together."

I stared blankly at the white ceiling, only to hear Uncle Liu still saying, "Your health wasn't good to begin with, and on top of that, you've had a miscarriage, so this baby is in great danger. And..."

Uncle Liu paused for a moment, his voice becoming hoarse: "Moreover, you may never be able to conceive again."

I stared at the ceiling, silently, without saying a word.

Mrs. Xu gripped my hand tightly, sobbing, "Lanlan, please, this is the last bloodline of our Xu family, Lie'er's only child, you must save him!"

The mother patted Xu's mother on the back to comfort her: "Don't worry, Lanlan will definitely protect him. After all, this may be Lanlan's only child!"

I heard Xu Lie's gentle, doting voice calling out, each word mingling with the sobs of the two mothers. The father sighed, and Xu's father sighed too; those helpless and sorrowful sighs felt like sharp knives cutting into my heart.

Suddenly, I felt so tired! So incredibly tired! This world, a world more cruel and cold than any nightmare, why am I still here? Why can't I escape to Yihan's side and forget everything here? Why...

"Could I speak with Galan alone for a few minutes?" Zi Mo's clear and indifferent voice suddenly broke the somber atmosphere of the ward, carrying a hint of coldness and impatience, yet remaining exceptionally clear.

Everyone gradually left. Zi Mo walked to the bedside and leaned down to look at me. I finally shifted my gaze from the white ceiling to those brown eyes. The next moment, I saw a surge of anger welling up in his eyes.

He smiled faintly and asked, "Are you trying to run away again?"

I was startled, a sudden pang of sadness rising in my chest. He sat down on the edge of the bed, took out a cigarette, almost lit it, but then put it back, letting out a slow sigh. "Two worlds, two identities," he said. "You know you have to make a choice, but you never have. Subconsciously, you're waiting, aren't you? Waiting for one to become a nightmare, so you can treat the other as reality. That way, giving up becomes unavoidable, and you don't have to face the difficult decision."

I stared at him blankly, my heart slowly softening, the pain finally becoming acutely clear. Zi Mo reached out and gently stroked my eyes: "Galan, such abandonment does avoid facing a choice, but it's true escapism! Do you remember the result of the last time you escaped?"

I shuddered, and the image of a man in a blue robe and silver hair slowly collapsing into a pool of blood flashed uncontrollably through my mind. The hot, bloody taste of the blood flowing down my throat seemed to still linger in my body.

As a result, Yihan almost died in the desert because of me, which was the consequence of my first attempt to escape.

"Zimo," I asked him in a hoarse voice, "what should I do? And what about Yihan and me?"

Zi Mo sighed deeply, bent down and gently hugged me, smoothing my hair, and said softly, "Don't think about anything, don't be afraid of anything. I will stay by your side, watching over you, supporting you, until the day when all the pain is washed away by time. As for Feng Yihan, he is far more determined and persistent than you imagine. Jia Lan, you just need to tell him to trust him. I think he will make the best choice."

I closed my eyes and leaned on his shoulder, letting myself be soaked by boundless pain, both in body and soul. I longed to have a good cry, but why couldn't a single tear fall?

My health is much better now, but Uncle Liu still insists that I stay in the hospital for observation for three more days. It's still drizzling outside. I look out the dark window and think about how two days have already passed. I wonder when this rain will stop and when I can return to Yihan's side.