“Mom, thank you!”
Zhou Cheng put his arm around Xia Xiaolan’s shoulders, as holding hands wasn’t possible due to her arm pain.
His words immediately diffused half of Guan Hui’e’s anger.
Guan Hui’e had rushed to Pengcheng, abandoning her work, not just for Kang Wei but also for Xia Xiaolan. Zhou Cheng understood Guan Hui’e’s heart – any mother would be pleased.
With just one sentence, he had placated Guan Hui’e, who turned from anger to amusement:
“Don’t try to sweet-talk your mother. Tell me how you ended up at the hospital?”
It couldn’t have been Xia Xiaolan who told him – she didn’t want Zhou Cheng to see her injured face.
“Don’t worry, I got proper leave to come here. One of our instructors, who probably knows Xiaolan, told me. When I heard Xiaolan and Kang Wei were in a car accident, I couldn’t rest easy without coming to check on them.”
Zhou Cheng didn’t mention yesterday afternoon’s premonition – it would have sounded too mystical.
Guan Hui’e still found something odd about an instructor knowing Xia Xiaolan.
Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “I really don’t know him, it was Tang… well, you know.”
Since Xia Xiaolan had found connections through Tang Hongen, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss it publicly. Guan Hui’e didn’t pursue the matter further, satisfied that Zhou Cheng hadn’t snuck out. The three of them went to the ward to see Kang Wei, who was still unconscious.
Zhou Cheng felt heartbroken – Kang Wei had always been so spirited, how could he end up suffering like this?
“What did the doctor say?”
Kang Wei’s condition was considered good – the doctors said he had arrived at the hospital just in time. Of course, the surgeon’s skill played a part, and Du Zhaohui’s status as a Hong Kong merchant had helped, as did Tang Hongen’s arrival, which made the hospital take special care. Kang Wei’s emergency treatment had been textbook perfect.
Getting to the hospital so quickly was thanks to Xia Xiaolan, though she wouldn’t take credit for it – saving Kang Wei’s life was what mattered most.
The situation was promising, aside from preventing surgical complications and possible minor brain damage, there wasn’t much else to worry about with Kang Wei.
His life had been saved.
When Zhou Cheng asked about how the accident happened, everyone outside the ward fell silent.
“Zhou Cheng, come here, let me explain it to you in detail.”
Kang Lianming called Zhou Cheng aside, and they talked for half an hour before Zhou Cheng returned.
Xia Xiaolan was worried, “Uncle Kang didn’t tell you it was attempted murder again, did he?”
“Driving without watching the road, not controlling your speed – that is attempted murder… But Xiaolan, that’s not the main point. Second Uncle Kang can’t swallow this insult, and I might have misunderstood him before.”
Zhou Cheng could hear the suppressed anger in Kang Lianming’s voice.
Kang Lianming wasn’t angry about Du Zhaohui trampling on the Kang family’s face, but about Du Zhaohui’s reckless behavior that almost cost them Kang Wei.
Zhou Cheng felt equally distressed seeing Kang Wei lying in the hospital bed. He hadn’t lied to his instructor – being an only child, Kang Wei was like a brother to him. They had the closest relationship, with Kang Wei always following Zhou Cheng around, even closer than Zhou Cheng’s relationship with Shao Guangrong.
If not for this accident, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t have understood Kang Lianming’s attitude toward Kang Wei.
Kang Lianming giving Kang Wei an easy position wasn’t intentionally turning him into a good-for-nothing – he simply felt Kang Wei shouldn’t have to work too hard. Kang Wei’s father, Kang Lianming’s elder brother, had already sacrificed himself for the country and the Kang family. Kang Lianming’s thinking wasn’t complicated – he just wanted Kang Wei to enjoy life.
That’s why Kang Lianming was strict with his children but lenient with Kang Wei.
As long as the Kang family didn’t fall, with all the arrangements he’d made for Kang Wei, Kang Wei would live a relatively comfortable life – maybe not the best, but certainly better than most!
Shouldn’t a real man establish his career and make achievements?
Zhou Cheng couldn’t accept Kang Lianming’s idea of someone so young just living idly.
He suggested that once Kang Wei regained consciousness, his uncle and nephew should have a good talk. Regarding Kang Wei’s future, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t push him anymore – instead of dragging Kang Wei along, let him think and choose for himself!
Zhou Cheng didn’t agree with Kang Lianming’s desire to keep Kang Wei under his watchful eye, so their conversation hadn’t been entirely harmonious.
However, they did reach a consensus in their disgust toward Du Zhaohui.
Some things weren’t suitable to tell Xia Xiaolan, so Zhou Cheng kept it vague, “Your facial injuries aren’t serious, but what about your hand? You had a bone fracture before – did the doctor thoroughly check your right hand?”
“They checked my whole body. But wasn’t it difficult for you to get leave?”
The temporary station’s management was so strict – who knows how much effort Zhou Cheng had put in to get leave. Xia Xiaolan also felt Zhou Cheng’s earlier explanation didn’t quite add up. How would an instructor voluntarily tell Zhou Cheng about the accident? If it was through Tang Hongen’s connections, why would Tang Hongen deliberately have someone notify Zhou Cheng?
The logic was flawed!
Others gave the couple some space, and seeing no one around, Zhou Cheng pointed to his heart and said:
“You’re in here. It beats for you, and it can sense your condition.”
Zhou Cheng’s eyes were bloodshot, but he spoke with such sincerity, looking incredibly handsome at that moment.
Xia Xiaolan was completely defenseless against such sweet words, feeling her whole body burning up.
“You knew through your intuition?”
Was he joking?
This was the kind of thing that only happened in literature and movies – how could it be real?
But Zhou Cheng was so serious, his eyes reflecting the hospital’s fluorescent lights seemed to contain the sun, moon, and stars. Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help but place her hand over Zhou Cheng’s heart.
Through his clothes, her bandaged hand could only touch him with her fingertips.
In that instant, it felt like an electric current shot out from Zhou Cheng’s heart, traveling from her fingertips throughout her entire body!
She felt electrified.
She felt she could barely breathe.
Why couldn’t it be real? If she could be reborn, why couldn’t the emotions described in literature be real? She was fortunate enough to meet Zhou Cheng – such passionate and sincere feelings were worth more than any wealth.
Like is simply like – it can’t be hidden. Even not being able to meet often couldn’t stop their feelings from deepening.
She had wanted to have a romantic relationship with a young idol.
She had found young idols too clingy and thought that if the Zhou family’s standards were too high, breaking up with Zhou Cheng would be easier.
She also hadn’t truly focused her attention on Zhou Cheng before and hadn’t considered things from his perspective, which led to the trouble with Gao Fei.
It wasn’t until she decided to properly nurture this relationship and truly invest in herself that she discovered how wonderful these feelings could be! Xia Xiaolan had thought relationships were like a game of chess – advancing and retreating, constantly testing each other. Everyone feared giving their heart wrongly, especially given the social atmosphere before Xia Xiaolan’s rebirth, where social media made casual encounters between men and women easy – saying goodbye at dawn, never to meet again. Yet the purest form of love had become a luxury.
But Zhou Cheng had opened his heart from the beginning, not requiring anything from her – she just needed to walk in.
She had hesitated for so long.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to realize this now.
Xia Xiaolan buried her head in Zhou Cheng’s chest, her eyes growing warm:
“Comrade Zhou Cheng, you’ve ensnared me.”