A good while later.

Annie repeatedly verified her pulse quite a few times before she retrieved her hand. She smiled as she repeated the same diagnosis results as the expert did, "Apart from slight lethargy and weakness in Bro Xi's pulse, all else is normal. Now, some of her bodily functions might still not be able to adapt, but this is just a question of time. Just recuperate properly and she can completely recover to the way she was before!"

It was only at this moment that the final tensed chord in Lu Tingxiao's head finally completely relaxed.

His girl...

Had really returned to his side...

In the next second, Lu Tingxiao reached out both hands and pulled the girl hard into his embrace.

Lu Jingli signaled everyone else and immediately they slowly went out of the room.

Suddenly, only the two of them embracing each other were left in the room.

Ning Xi returned the hug to the emaciated man. She felt her heart ache. "Darling, are you still sleepy? Do you want to sleep for a while more?"

The man quietly fixed his gaze on her. "I'm not sleepy."

From the instant he woke up clear-headed, the man's gaze had never left the girl in his arms. He could not bear to miss her every word, expression, and even the up and down movements of her body every time she breathed.

"Next time, don't drink so much anymore."

"Okay."

"Eat your meals properly too. That fool brother of yours said that you already had gastritis quite a few times." Ning Xi frowned.

"Okay."

"Also, no smoking."

"Okay."

"Also..."

Ning Xi initially had a lot of things to nag him about, yet in the end, she kept it all in. She just ended with a sentence that she murmured with a faint smile, "Forget it. I'll always be by your side from now on anyway."

"Okay." The man suddenly tightened his arms around the girl. His head was buried deep into the hollow of her neck.

Ning Xi felt the man's burning hot and moist tears on her neck, and her heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by a huge palm. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

She could not imagine that in this entire past year which must have felt like forever, he had held on to an absurd wait. How had he gotten through every day? How had he endured every late night?

Lu Tingxiao was worried about Ning Xi's health, and very soon he carefully helped her to sit on the bed. "Has Jingli told you about what has happened in the past year or so?"

Ning Xi nodded. "I roughly understood, but I didn't ask in detail. I only know that I seemed to have become pretty popular in the entertainment industry at the time."

Lu Tingxiao responded, "No one could fight with your splendor."

Ning Xi was startled when she heard this. The fire in her heart was instantly ignited by Lu Tingxiao's short sentence. "Darling, you're such a sweet talker!"

"Did 'Mother' win the award?" Ning Xi asked.

"Mmm, the Golden Deer and the Golden Phoenix Awards for Best Female Lead, plus the second year's Golden Film Award for Best Female Actress for the second time, the Lorraine Movie Festival award for Best Chinese Film, Best Female Lead..." Lu Tingxiao listed out all of Ning Xi's awards and honoraries.

As Ning Xi listened to all of this, she felt surreal as if she was listening to someone else's story. She sighed, "At long last, I've lived up to Director Jiang's trust and expectations."

"'Nine Realms' also received the Best Actress and the Best Series awards, breaking 37 records, and making you the most popular female artiste in the nation," Lu Tingxiao continued.

A single show had garnered her a terrifying amount of popularity, while another had led to her seizing all the huge awards. Both shows had instantly pushed her into the peak position within the entertainment industry.

However, now...

Lu Tingxiao did not miss that brief melancholy that flashed in the girl's eyes. "You can still come back out of retirement."

Ning Xi looked in a daze at this man who would support her from behind no matter what.

The cool breeze passed through mountains and lakes as it lightly fluttered by. The girl's face blossomed into a faint smile that was at ease. "Never mind. It's fine if I retire. Since I was 18, I've never stopped my footsteps. Now, I've already gotten all that I should, so there's nothing I regret. And now, I have something even more important than just dreams."