Chapter 115: Where Do You Miss Me? A bonus chapter for those urging Bixi to update.

She raised her hand to cover her eyes and mumbled, "Never again. It will never happen again."

I am not sure what strings Shu Congxuan pulled or what favors he called in, but a doctor at the hospital agreed to let us use the kitchen in the staff dormitory. We stood watch over that pot of chicken soup, reflecting on recent events, feeling that even we ourselves were acting absurdly.

Xia Qi must have discovered she was pregnant, which is why she rushed back from Beijing. Yet, what awaited her was the betrayal of her best friend and her boyfriend. She couldn't accept it, which was why she ran so far away to seek death.

She loved children more than anything. Whenever we were out shopping and saw a beautiful child, she would embrace them regardless, kissing them wildly and declaring that she would give birth to an entire soccer team in the future.

She once said that she would only ever have children with Jiang Chenghuan.

After Du Fanchuan betrayed me, she had told me that Jiang Chenghuan was the most devoted man in the world, and that they would surely grow old together.

While I was lost in thought, Shu Congxuan's voice came from behind me: "What are you thinking about?"

I turned to look at him. Having been on the road for the past two days, he looked exhausted, but it did nothing to diminish his imposing and refined air.

He looked at me with a rare, gentle expression and smiled, leaving me briefly stunned. I turned off the stove and was about to pour the soup into a thermal container when he took it from my hands.

Watching him finish the task with efficiency, I gave a bitter smile: "Thank you so much for these past two days. If it weren't for you, I would have fallen completely apart. You don't know—I owe Xia Qi so much that I need to make up for it however I can."

My eyes and nose felt stinging and sore. Thankfully, Xia Qi was alright; if anything had happened to her, I would have been burdened by a guilty conscience for the rest of my life.

Shu Congxuan looked at me, and for some reason, I suddenly burst into tears, the strength I had maintained for the entire day finally crumbling.

I was terrified. I was truly terrified, though I didn't even know what I was afraid of.

I sniffled: "Shu Congxuan, could you lend me your shoulder for a moment? I promise, I’ll only cry for a little while."

He stepped toward me, standing there like a great mountain. Finally losing all reason to keep up a front, I leaned against his shoulder and sobbed.

He had a pleasant scent about him—I couldn't quite describe what it was, but it felt incredibly comforting.

After a while, he began to pat my back gently, just as my grandfather used to comfort me when I was a child.

"Alright, alright, don't cry. Xia Qi will be fine."

Back in the hospital room, Xia Qi started vomiting after only a few bites. She kept saying it was too bitter, shaking her head and refusing to eat anymore.

Shu Congxuan whispered, "It’s her heart that’s bitter. There’s no helping that."

I knew that feeling well; it was as if the world’s entire supply of salt had been poured into one's heart.

When Luo Ange called, I was sitting on the lawn beneath the hospital. For some reason, hearing him call me "Wu You" made me want to cry.

Because I had deceived him, I felt a deep sense of remorse, especially when he asked if I missed him. Several times, I almost blurted out the truth.

But if he knew I was with Shu Congxuan, he would surely be angry, and once he was angry, he might just abandon his affairs in America and fly back.

Let me be a sinner just this once. Let me be shameless just this once.

Luo Ange, unaware of the internal struggle I was enduring on the other end of the line, asked: "Do you miss me?"

I followed his lead: "Yes, I miss you everywhere."

That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He chuckled: "Wait for me to come back. I love you to death."

Even separated by thousands of miles, I still blushed easily at his shameless words. I suddenly asked: "Luo Ange, if... I mean if, one day I were forced to do something wrong, would you stop wanting me?"

He was sharp-witted and sensed something unusual in my tone, asking: "What bad thing have you done to be asking for a get-out-of-jail-free card already?"

I couldn't give myself away, so I giggled: "Nothing, I’m just really afraid. Afraid that one day you’ll suddenly not want me anymore."

He laughed as if relieved: "You fool. Even if I died, I’d drag you along with me—how would I ever have the chance to not want you?"

I had the foresight to press the record button beforehand, and hearing him say that, the stone in my heart settled slightly.

Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, Xia Qi developed a low-grade fever. The doctor said that due to the primitive conditions, her wound had become slightly infected.

We didn't dare to be careless and transferred her to the City People's Hospital overnight.

Shu Congxuan flew in a medical team from Kangcheng, but Xia Qi's fever spiked from low to high. She fell into a coma, began deliriously calling out Jiang Chenghuan's name, and kept crying, screaming that she was in pain.

When He Junxi asked her where it hurt, she wouldn't speak—she would only cry.

I knew she was just suffering from a broken heart. A person is made of so many muscles, tissues, and veins, and the heart doesn't even take up a tenth of the body, but when it aches, it truly feels like it could kill you.

For those few days, I didn't dare close my eyes. I sat by the hospital bed watching over Xia Qi, and I wouldn't leave no matter who tried to persuade me.

I was afraid that Xia Qi wouldn't make it past this hurdle. I was afraid that I would wake up one day and never see her again. I was afraid she hadn't forgiven me yet.

On the final day, I also developed a high fever and fainted in the restroom.

That night, I felt perpetually cold, as if I had jumped into a pit carved from eternal ice, with every pore on my body exuding a chill.

I heard someone calling me: "Wu You, Wu You, I'm so cold. Come keep me company. I can't sleep, come sleep with me. It’ll be better once you fall asleep."

I couldn't open my eyes or make a sound; the more I struggled, the deeper I sank. Suddenly, someone slapped my face.

Through a vision barely clear enough to see, I saw Shu Congxuan's lips moving. After a long, long time, I finally heard him say: "Yi Lanshan, don't sleep. You stay awake. Talk to me. Don't fall asleep."

I hugged him tightly: "Shu Congxuan, I'm so cold, I'm so sleepy."

He climbed onto the bed and held me. I felt a source of heat and clung to him, terrified that he might leave me behind.

I was startled awake by a nightmare. In the dream, Shu Congxuan was holding a blood-stained knife, smiling at me.

And Luo Ange was clutching his chest as he fell to the ground, his white shirt soaked in blood.

I screamed, only to suddenly collide with a warm embrace. A pair of hands patted me gently.

I smelled Shu Congxuan's scent, and for some reason, I felt a sudden wave of grievance and burst into tears.

He chuckled softly: "There, there. You were scared by a nightmare, weren't you?"

Only then did I realize something was off. I struggled to sit up and look at him: "Why is your voice so hoarse?"

He sighed: "A girl wouldn't let go of me no matter what. I didn't sleep all night—how could I not be hoarse?"

I blushed and changed the subject, asking how Xia Qi was.

After Xia Qi woke up, she returned to her previous state: silent and dazed. She vomited whatever she ate and had to rely on IV drips.

He Junxi said that this state was not sustainable and that we had to find a solution.

He asked me what we should do, and I said firmly: "The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. We have to drag the culprit here."

He objected: "Aren't you just forcing Xia Qi to her death? You're rubbing salt in her wounds."

Shu Congxuan also opposed it, believing it was inappropriate and might backfire.

I looked at the dazed Xia Qi, truly at a loss for what to do. It seemed she really couldn't get over the hurdle of Jiang Chenghuan.

After I had spoken for a long time, she finally opened her mouth and said she wanted to return to Kangcheng.

Fortunately, Shu Congxuan had the foresight to bring an SUV. We quickly modified it, packed sufficient emergency supplies, and set off for Kangcheng that very day.

Once we hit the highway, Shu Congxuan discussed it with me: Xia Qi definitely couldn't go back home, and my courtyard house wasn't safe because Uncle Xia and his family knew where it was. The only solution was to go to his place.

I couldn't think of a better plan, so I had to agree.

We didn't dare to stop along the way, rushing toward Kangcheng without pause. We arrived in the middle of the night, settled Xia Qi in, and Shu Congxuan summoned a doctor to examine her.

Only when we confirmed she was stable did we finally set our minds at ease.

Exhausted, I fell asleep leaning against the sofa, feeling someone pick me up in my haze.

A second later, I heard Shu Congxuan's voice: "Go sleep in the room. Be careful not to catch a cold."

"Xia Qi..."

"I'm watching her. You sleep peacefully."

He brought me into the room, laid me on the bed, tucked me in, and left.

I curled up, wrapped my arms around myself, and cried in secret.

When I woke up the next day, I was dazed for a moment. I went downstairs and saw Shu Congxuan wearing an apron, busy in the kitchen.

He brought out a pot of chicken soup and, seeing me staring blankly on the stairs, asked: "Are you wishing you could marry me?"

I was amused by him and laughed: "Maybe in the next life."

Xia Qi was on the balcony soaking up the sun. I walked over to ask if she felt any better; her complexion still didn't look great.

She nodded and said faintly: "I'm fine. I won't die."

I made a sound of protest: "Don't say such things. You’ve done something foolish, don't go saying foolish things too."

She leaned against me, squinting at the sun: "Wu You, why does it feel like a whole lifetime is just that short? Like it passes in the blink of an eye?"

My nose stung: "Nonsense. We still have to travel the world together, be each other’s bridesmaids, and be godmothers to each other's children. You aren't allowed to break your promise."

She was silent. After a long, long time, she nodded: "Okay."

After lunch, Shu Congxuan left. In that massive villa, only Xia Qi and I remained. She was quiet, mostly just staring into space, so I had no choice but to sit and stare into space with her.

Later, she said: "It’s too quiet. It’s frightening. Lanshan, make some noise."

I had to turn on the television. I flipped through more than a dozen channels, but she was unsatisfied with all of them. Finally, she said she wanted to watch entertainment news.

I went to the kitchen to pour her some water. When I came out, the news was reporting that Lei Zhiyi's new film was in full swing. There were rumors of intimate scenes between her and the male lead, and gossip had emerged claiming they were making their fake romance real. Paparazzi had even snapped photos of them checking into a hotel, leading to rumors of a one-night stand.

Xia Qi shoved a handful of pills into her mouth, took a sip of water, and said: "I once read an article that said among ten million people, only one pair can be like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, only one pair can transform into butterflies."

I became interested: "What about the others?"

"They can probably only turn into moths, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, or beetles... they just can't become butterflies. Actually, love isn't as beautiful as one imagines. There are no perfect endings in love. It’s only perfect if you die."

I was startled: "Nonsense."

She sighed: "It's true. Do you know why I couldn't get past it?"

I nodded: "Because of Jiang Chenghuan."

She smiled faintly: "Not entirely. It’s because I feel he defiled my love. I just feel the world is too dirty, and I'm too tired. I can't keep going."

"And now?"