The chopsticks were still in each other's hands, but the two of them had completely lost their appetite.
Han Haoxuan now deeply regrets revealing that he and Xinyu have broken up. He hadn't considered just how much Xinyu meant to Ruolin.
"I'm sorry..." After holding it in for a long time, Han Haoxuan finally managed to utter these words.
"You said that to the wrong person, didn't you? You should have said it to Xinyu."
"No, I meant it to you. I shouldn't have told you about my breakup with Xinyu; it affected your appetite."
"..."
"Of course, I've already apologized to her. I was indeed too presumptuous before, thinking you were replaceable, just like a blind date could be replaced. But the reality isn't that simple. I always feel uncomfortable when I'm with Xinyu, and I always think about you. I was planning to find an opportunity to break up with Xinyu, but who knew she would say those two words to me first. I think it's better this way; at least it will hurt her less..."
"Less damage? Do you even understand Xinyu's heart? She must have chosen to give up to fulfill your wishes!" Ruolin couldn't help but interrupt him.
"Then do you understand my heart?" Han Haoxuan suddenly stood up, grabbed Ruolin's hand, and pressed it against his chest.
Ruolin was clearly taken aback by Han Haoxuan's actions. She tried to pull her hand away, but he gripped it even tighter, pressing her palm firmly against his chest. His body heat seeped through her palm into her heart, and her face flushed instantly. She could even feel his strong heartbeat, each beat so joyful and rapid.
"Did you hear that? It's jumping for joy because of you, and it's jumping so powerfully because of your presence." Han Haoxuan looked at Ruolin with deep emotion.
The next moment, before Ruolin could react, Han Haoxuan's lips were on hers. He held her shoulders, making it impossible for her to break free. More importantly, he was no longer satisfied with just plundering the warmth of her lips; his tongue had already skillfully pried open her teeth and probed inside, entwining with hers.
Ruolin felt that the hand pressed against his chest was so weak and powerless. Was it because he was sick? Why was she so weak?
For a moment, she felt dizzy and as if she had stopped breathing.
Han Haoxuan finally left her lips, allowing her to breathe a breath of fresh air. But before she could even feel relieved, his advances had already moved from her lips to her earlobe, neck, and collarbone... His burning breath made her feel uncomfortable. She wanted to pull her hand away and slap him hard. She needed him to wake up. She wanted him to understand what he was doing and what he wanted to do!
However, she failed. Her hands were already held by him, placed at her sides. Never before had she hated being a patient as much as she did at that moment.
She tried to shout, but found that her throat was hoarse and she couldn't make a sound.
She heard the sound of her shirt buttons falling to the floor, and her chest skin was exposed to the air... Soon, Han Haoxuan's lips had invaded the softness of her chest.
No! I can't do this! I can't lose my virginity under these circumstances! Suddenly, a voice screamed wildly in her mind.
"Slap!" A crisp, clean sound landed heavily on Han Haoxuan's face.
Ruolin finally found an opportunity, and with one hand freed, she immediately took urgent action to save herself.
Han Haoxuan immediately stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at Ruolin, as if he had just woken up.
What was he doing! What on earth was he doing just now! He began to feel annoyed.
A sudden, urgent doorbell rang in the silent air.
Ruolin, however, seemed to have grasped at a straw and hurriedly went to open the door.
That's life; it's often more dramatic than a script. And then, the person ringing the doorbell was none other than Mu Jingyan!
He had never seen Ruolin like this before: her face was pale, her hair was a little messy, and most importantly, her shirt was half open, revealing her chest.
"What... what's wrong with you?" Mu Jingyan looked at Ruolin anxiously.
Ruolin looked down at herself and realized how disheveled she looked. She quickly closed her shirt and tried to smile as nicely as possible: "Oh, no... it's nothing, I'm just feeling a little unwell."
Mu Jingyan quickly noticed that there was another man in the house, and this man was the one who had taken Ruolin home that night.
Without a second thought, Mu Jingyan didn't know what drove him to do the following.
He strode into the house, and before the man knew what he was going to do, he had already aimed his fist precisely at the man's face...
Han Haoxuan was still in a daze, deeply reflecting on his actions, and was completely unprepared for the sudden punch, so he was naturally knocked to the ground.
"Are you even a man?! Why are you bullying a defenseless girl?" Mu Jingyan glared at Han Haoxuan with hatred. Ruolin, whom he wouldn't even dare to touch, was being forcibly taken by another man. How could he not be furious? He was a smart man, and Ruolin's current state and forced smile made him feel heartache, sadness, and pain.
Han Haoxuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, and looked at Mu Jingyan without fear: "Who are you?! What business is it of yours whether I bullied her or not?"
"Who I am is none of your business. I just can't stand seeing you bully such a kind and good girl like Ruolin." With that, Mu Jingyan reached out, wanting to punch Han Haoxuan again.
"Stop arguing!" Ruolin stood between the two, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't cry, don't cry, crying is a sign of weakness," Ruolin told herself. Then, she tilted her head back and wiped away all her tears.
Was it tears blurring my vision, or the darkness swallowing it up?
Ruolin suddenly felt that she could not see anything.
However, this is for the best. At least we can enjoy some peace and quiet now. We can't hear their arguments or see the bright red blood at the corner of Han Haoxuan's mouth. We can pretend that nothing happened.
That's fine too.
Chapter Forty-Six
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"Then do you understand my heart?"
Han Haoxuan's words kept echoing in Ruolin's dreams, making her sleep very restlessly.
Finally, she dreamt that she was being chased by Han Haoxuan, who wrapped a white towel around her neck, making it hard for her to breathe. Then she screamed and woke up.
"Ruolin, you're finally awake. I was so scared just now. This is the second time you've fainted. How can you be so careless about protecting your body?"
It was Mu Jingyan's voice.
Ruolin opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, asking, "Where is this?" She seemed to have just had a nightmare in which Han Haoxuan tried to violate her and kill her... But thankfully, it was just a dream.
“This is a hospital,” Mu Jingyan replied.
"Oh...where's Han Haoxuan?" Ruolin asked, seemingly casually.
Just one sentence, yet it struck a nerve with Mu Jingyan. Even though that man had hurt her so much, the first person she cared about when she woke up was still him!
"I don't know." Mu Jingyan was telling the truth. He wasn't familiar with Han Haoxuan, so how would he know where he was?
In fact, Han Haoxuan was not far from Ruolin; his car was parked in the hospital's underground parking lot.
He sat alone in the car, a cigarette burning in his hand, the flickering light illuminating his handsome but slightly dejected face.
What was supposed to be a lovely, heartwarming date turned into a scene where someone else had to be the hero who rescued the damsel in distress. What's even more ridiculous is that he turned out to be the villain who was bullying the beautiful woman.
He didn't know how Ruolin would view him in the future—as a playboy who took advantage of someone in distress, or a rogue with ulterior motives.
However, at that moment, he couldn't control himself and kissed her, wanting to possess her. He foolishly thought Ruolin's rejection was a form of feigned reluctance. So, when Ruolin suddenly slapped him, he froze, giving the other man an opportunity.
No! I can't give that man a chance to be alone with Ruolin. If I do, he'll really have no chance! Everything he's done before will be for nothing! A thought suddenly popped into my head.
Han Haoxuan stubbed out his cigarette hard, then pushed open the car door and got out.
However, when they arrived at Ruolin's hospital room, Han Haoxuan hesitated and turned back. He simply stood at the door, reluctant to go in.
Through the crack in the door, he saw the man who had punched him earlier sitting by Ruolin's bedside, staring intently at her, completely unaware of his presence. Ruolin, meanwhile, lay quietly on the bed with her eyes closed, presumably fast asleep.
Han Haoxuan stood outside the door for a while, then finally decided to leave.
He wasn't afraid of seeing Ruolin, nor was he afraid of her questioning him about almost losing control; he was afraid that a fight with that man would disturb Ruolin's rest. Heaven knows how jealous he was of the man who was by Ruolin's bedside. But that man clearly saw him as a pervert who had assaulted Ruolin. So, if he went in now, it would undoubtedly provoke trouble.
The next day.
"Ruolin, how did you get yourself into this state? I've told you to take care of yourself, but you wouldn't listen!" Xinyu rushed over as soon as she learned that Ruolin had fainted and been hospitalized. She had only learned of Ruolin's illness from her colleague's mother, Aunt Wang. Aunt Wang had called Ruolin beforehand to let her know she was going to install an exhaust fan, but a man answered Ruolin's phone and said that Ruolin was currently recovering in the hospital.
"It's nothing. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?" A weak smile bloomed on Ruolin's pale face.
"Silly girl, health is the foundation of everything, don't take it lightly." Xinyu gently touched Ruolin's face with heartache.
"Alright, stop being so sentimental, great painter. What's a little ailment?"
"Listen to me, once you're better, quit all your part-time jobs and just focus on your main job."
"Okay, okay. I agree to everything." Ruolin nodded hurriedly in agreement to put Xinyu at ease.
"Ruolin listens to you a lot; she disagrees with everything I say," Mu Jingyan finally managed to interject. They say two women make a drama, and that's certainly true.
"Ruolin, you know such a handsome guy, why don't you introduce him to me?" Actually, as soon as she entered the ward, Xinyu noticed the man beside Ruolin, but Ruolin's body had overcome her previous "fangirling," and she didn't have time to examine the man closely. She went straight to Ruolin's bedside and began offering words of comfort as a friend. Now, she could finally turn her gaze to the man: his features were exquisite, as if sculpted by a master craftsman. When he looked at Ruolin, his bright eyes seemed to hold a deep pool, and his smile was very warm. His appearance was comparable to Han Haoxuan's.
"Oh, this is Mu Jingyan, my high school classmate. Mu, this is my frenemy Chen Xinyu, she's teaching at D University now, but I'm glad she's not a bad influence on students..." Ruolin then remembered to introduce the two of them.
"You brat, I'll settle the score with you later for making me look bad in front of handsome guys." Xinyu pretended to pounce on Ruolin.
"Hey! Chen Xinyu, watch your image. Don't bully the patient," Ruolin said with a laugh.
"You flatter me, Mu Jingyan. I've long admired your name." Xinyu extended her hand and shook hands with Mu Jingyan.
Mu Jingyan didn't really understand the meaning of "I've long admired your name," but he returned her a smile and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"So he's the Mu-gege you've been longing for! To be honest, he's so handsome! If you weren't so hung up on him, I would have loved to snatch him away and keep him for myself." Xinyu whispered in Ruolin's ear.
"Don't you have Han Haoxuan? Don't be ungrateful." Without personally hearing from Xinyu that she and Han Haoxuan had broken up, Ruolin still preferred to believe that they were still dating.
“We’re not a good match.” Xin Yu’s tone was equally nonchalant. “Han Haoxuan… he has someone else in his heart.”
Ruolin's heart skipped a beat. Did Xinyu already know that Han Haoxuan had feelings for her?
"Of course, I have someone else in my heart too. Ruolin, do you still remember Shen Yang? He's from your clan, my neighbor, you met him when he came back from his vacation in China. He's back now and will never leave here again. I realized that the person I like is him, so I took the initiative to break up with Han Haoxuan. We broke up peacefully, which is great, I can leave gracefully and without any regrets. We can both go on to our own happiness. What I said earlier was just to tease you, I would never steal your Mu-gege! Because I have my Shen-gege." Xinyu smiled happily as she said this, her face radiating happiness.
"Oh, Xinyu, so you had a little secret too. You didn't even tell me. That's not fair of you."
As soon as Ruolin finished speaking, the ward door was pushed open.
The person outside the door made everyone in the ward feel uneasy—it was Han Haoxuan.
Old flames and new loves, all making their appearance—surely the most exciting drama couldn't be more captivating than this?
Han Haoxuan never expected Xinyu to be here. Seeing her, he felt awkward for a moment. Even though he had never loved her, she had been his girlfriend before, and his parents still often talked about how good Xinyu was to him. He couldn't treat her like a stranger.
The ward was deathly silent.
Ruolin, Xinyu, and Mu Jingyan all stared at Han Haoxuan as if he were an alien, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
The one who broke the silence was Mu Jingyan. He walked to Han Haoxuan's side and, trying to control his emotions, asked, "What are you doing here?"
“I’m Ruolin’s friend, oh no, I’m also her only blind date in this life. She’s sick, shouldn’t I come to see her?” Han Haoxuan was no pushover either.
"How ridiculous! This is the first time I've ever seen such a despicable person who would try to harm a friend." Mu Jingyan scoffed.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, Ruolin and I have gone from friends to lovers. What I did to her was just a way for couples to express their affection. It wasn't the first time I kissed her; you can ask her if you don't believe me," Han Haoxuan said aggressively.
Ruolin stared at Han Haoxuan in disbelief. She couldn't understand why he would tell such a blatant lie. They weren't a couple, were they? Besides, he and Xinyu had just broken up. Wasn't he afraid of causing Xinyu to misunderstand?
Mu Jingyan was ultimately no match for Han Haoxuan, partly due to his own foolishness; he had never truly been in a relationship, and he couldn't be sure if Han Haoxuan's actions had offended Ruolin. If, as he claimed, it was merely a way for lovers to express their affection, then he was the one meddling. Besides, Ruolin hadn't said Han Haoxuan had bullied her. After all, Han Haoxuan was the first person Ruolin thought of after waking up; after all, Ruolin's gaze was still intense when she saw Han Haoxuan.
In the end, Mu Jingyan could only sigh inwardly before turning away and leaving.
"Amu! Amu! It's not like that, listen to me." Ruolin called anxiously from behind him, but he pretended not to hear her.