No matter what I’ve become… there is still someone out there who loves me.
Over and over, she reassured herself by repeating this line until she finally had sufficient courage to open the door to the ward and step it.
Li Xiaoxing was leaning against the headboard when the creak of the door alerted him. He turned to see Ji Xinxin approach him.
She was looking at him expressionlessly.
Having not been exposed to direct sunlight for years due to his heavy reliance on transportation devices from being disabled, Li Xiaoxing’s skin was fair to the point of being sickly pale.
Coupled with his handsome features when they were not contorted with rage, Li Xiaoxing had always had an etherealness to him which was rare even in the entertainment industry.
But with the constant torture of the phantom pain this past few weeks, his cheeks were now sunken in and his skin had turned deathly pale. What stood out most was his soulless eyes that were dark and empty, instilling fear in anyone who set their eyes on him.
If Li Xiaoxing in the past was an exquisite doll that everyone loved, the him now would be a doll from a horror movie.
“I have something to tell you,” Ji Xinxin said quietly while closing the door and locking it.
Li Xiaoxing did not reply. Instead, he stretched a hand towards her as though gesturing to her to come nearer.
Ji Xinxin complied and slowly closed the distance between them but continued to keep her hands tucked in her pocket, ignoring his outstretched hand.
She repeated, “I have something to tell you.”
Having just taken another dose of medicine prescribed by the doctor, Li Xiaoxing was even more emotionless than usual, like a statue cast in stone.
He regarded Ji Xinxin blankly for a moment before slowly frowning.
Ji Xinxin bit on the insides of her cheek to regain composure. “I suppose Ji Fanyin told you a story? I can fill you in on the subsequent developments.”
“...” Li Xiaoxing retracted his hand and placed them on the bed. In a calm and emotionless tone, he said, “Take a seat first.”
Ji Xinxin took a moment to contemplate her actions before finally complying. She cleared her throat. “What fun is it to listen to only one side of the story? I’ll tell you my side of the story.”
…
Although Secretary Fan had walked Ji Xinxin back to the ward, it was not a usual practice for him to enter the ward with her in such situations.
Even when Ji Xinxin closed the door, it did not raise any alarm in him. He merely found himself a spot outside the ward and started to read the newspaper to pass time.
… Secretary Fan had been relieved of his workload in the office the moment Li Mingyue took over Li Xiaoxing’s workload.
Therefore, other than caring for Li Xiaoxing’s health and handling the administrative work at the hospital, he was in a half-vacation mode.
Given his reading speed, he would usually get to page twelve of the newspaper before Ji Xinxin would emerge from the room.
However, this time, he had only gotten to the eighth page when a series of loud crashes could be heard from inside the ward. It was as though someone had thrown a bunch of things across the room.
Secretary Fan immediately rushed to open the ward door but the door was locked from the inside.
Nonetheless, the door was unlocked and flung open the next second. Out rushed a panicked Ji Xinxin who grabbed tightly onto Secretary Fan who wanted to enter the room to check on Li Xiaoxing. She was clutching her stomach with her other hand and crying out, “My stomach, my stomach is in pain…”
Secretary Fan hesitated and surveyed Li Xiaoxing’s condition from the doorway. Half of his body was leaning outside the bed and was about to fall. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Ji Xinxin with a murderous intent.
Secretary Fan weighed the situation and decided to prioritize the person who paid him his high salary. Moreover, Ji Xinxin had been healthy prior to this moment.
He quickly sat her down at the seat he was previously waiting at and walked briskly towards Li Xiaoxing to help him up. “Mr. Li.”
Li Xiaoxing’s forehead was covered with cold sweat and his lips were pale beyond comparison. He grabbed Secretary Fan’s wrist tightly and said perfunctorily, “Handphone.”
Before pulling out his handphone, Secretary Fan pushed the call button in the ward. He asked, “Do you wish to call someone? Ms. Ji Fanyin?”
Li Xiaoxing blinked his eyes slowly.
Getting his signal, Secretary Fan speed-dialed her.
As he stared at Li Xiaoxing’s unusually severe condition, he started to pray for a miracle to happen, that Ji Fanyin would pick up the phone.
Sure enough, as though his prayer had worked, the call connected after a few rings.