Chapter 84: Who Would Call Her “Baby”?

Cold white light spilled from the emergency building.

Cheng Xingye seemed bothered by the glare; he lowered his head and rubbed at his eyes.

Lu Yi had known him for so many years, and this was the first time he had ever seen him look so desolate and humbled. He clicked his tongue in amazement and could not help asking, “What’s so good about that little brat? Why can’t you let her go?”

He asked it in genuine curiosity. He had looked after that child in his own family for so many years, and he truly had never felt she possessed anything extraordinary.

Aside from the fine features inherited from her parents’ strong genes, and the fact that she was a little prettier and a little livelier and smarter than most children, she looked like an utterly ordinary kid no matter how one examined her.

Yet the man opposite him stared into some point in the void, then suddenly curved his lips into a smile.

“I don’t know. But I’ve been taking care of her for more than a year now. I can’t just quit halfway through.”

Lu Yi thought to himself, I’ve been taking care of her for seventeen years. If you’re so eager to be the poor fool, why didn’t you come take over sooner?

But Cheng Xingye clearly saw things differently.

He was an only child. Not only had he never cared for a girl several years younger than himself, he had hardly even had much contact with girls his own age.

At first he had assumed his temperament would make him impatient with a brat of Lu Qingyue’s age, but after spending time with her, he found he actually rather liked looking after children.

She could be mischievous and clingy when she was being naughty, yet somehow he fell for that every time. At times he was truly curious what this little thing had been raised on, how she could be so adorable.

Lu Yi shot him an amused look, thinking this man was probably just overwhelmed by love and had set his sights on getting tangled up with a troublesome little sprite.

Since their thoughts did not match, they said no more. Each finished a cigarette and went their separate ways.

...

The accident on the river bridge shook the hearts of everyone in River City overnight.

Fortunately, the place where the vehicles plunged into the water was not far from shore, and there were patrol boats nearby. The students and the car were rescued in time. Aside from a few with more serious conditions who needed to remain in hospital for observation, the others could go home after being checked and found unharmed.

Lu Qingyue was among the few in serious condition.

She was pulled from the water late, and had already lost consciousness underwater. It was only after a full day on a respirator in the hospital that her breathing distress began to ease.

At night she never slept soundly, and even when awake during the day she often felt dizzy and lightheaded. Because she needed intravenous treatment to prevent pulmonary edema, an indwelling needle was still taped into the back of her hand.

Xi Yu and Lu Jiachen had stayed by her side day and night in the hospital, and by now their bodies were starting to give out.

In the end, they decided to take turns at the bedside, and the young and sturdy Lu Yi became the first on duty, keeping watch at the hospital through the night.

No matter how carefree Lu Yi usually was, he did not dare be careless when looking after a patient.

At three in the morning he set an alarm to get up and check on her. Lu Qingyue was sleeping fitfully, but her condition was basically normal.

He was relieved, with no sleep left in him, so he went to the terrace to smoke. He did not expect to find Cheng Xingye’s car still parked where it had been.

At that moment Lu Yi had a very subtle feeling.

This man was usually as irritating as a stray dog, but when he suddenly became so deeply devoted, it was actually a little hard to get used to.

And yet he had seen with his own eyes how Lu Qingyue looked when she was hurt in love.

Though the girl said nothing, during that period she often fell into long spells of dazed silence, and spoke less and less, as though she had lost all interest in everything.

So for the time being, Lu Yi did not much want Lu Qingyue to make up with that dog so quickly. After finishing his cigarette, he went back into the ward and, as if nothing had happened, closed the terrace door again.

...

When she woke again on the morning of the third day, Lu Qingyue’s mind was finally much clearer.

The ward was quiet and empty.

She slowly opened her eyes and lay on her back on the hospital bed, staring at the blank white ceiling as fragments gradually surfaced in her mind.

When she was brought to the hospital two days ago, she had been in a daze, and many details were no longer clear. But she vaguely remembered that someone seemed to have called her sweetheart...

Her family spoiled her, yes, but from childhood to now, no one had ever called her that. They either used her full name, or called her Little Dot.

Who would call her sweetheart?

Lu Qingyue suspected she might have been hearing things after drowning. Frightened, she suddenly sat up, tilted her head, and shook it hard, trying to flick the water out of her ears.

So when Lu Yi came back from the hospital cafeteria with breakfast, this was the bizarre and speechless scene he saw.

He immediately shoved the troublesome little brat back down onto the bed and stopped her from moving about. “What are you doing? Did water get into your brain?!”

Lu Qingyue shook her head and hurriedly explained, “Not my brain. I think water got into my ears.”

Otherwise, why would she have heard someone call her sweetheart?

Only then did Lu Yi lean in, tug at her ears, and inspect them carefully. After a puzzled look, he said, “Nope. But you do have a bit too much earwax. You should pay attention to that.”

Lu Qingyue: “?”

You’re the one with too much earwax!

How could a little fairy like her possibly have earwax?

She immediately dug at her ears with her fingers, but found nothing at all.

When she looked up and saw Lu Yi hunched his shoulders, clearly trying hard not to laugh, she knew he was teasing her again. She huffed in exasperation and annoyance.

“Why are you bullying a patient?”

Lu Yi gave her a lazy sidelong glance. Unusually, he did not argue with her and simply nodded. “Fine. I won’t bully you.”

To be honest, he had been worried sick that day too. As soon as he received the hospital’s call, he drove over at once and nearly ran a red light on the way.

The little brat had been cherished and protected by the whole family since birth. When had she ever encountered such an accident?

Only then did he truly realize that if they really lost this sister, their family might well fall apart.

On second thought, the brat had been born with extraordinary luck.

He had heard that when she was sent into the emergency room, she was still half conscious. Yet when the doctor came out, he said the rescue on the scene had been timely, and she had not developed acute respiratory distress syndrome. They only needed to keep watch for possible cerebral edema and pulmonary edema afterward.

Lu Yi pulled the little table over her bed closer, placed the breakfast he had just bought on it, and pushed it toward her.

It was plain rice porridge with side dishes. Though light, it was suitable for someone recovering from illness.

Lu Qingyue felt she did not really count as a patient. Although she was still a little woozy, she was basically able to care for herself.

After spooning down a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, she looked up and said earnestly, “Brother, next time you come, bring my textbooks and the Five-Three books too!”

There were only a little over fifty days left until the college entrance exam. Every day was a battle. How could she lie in bed idly doing nothing? Lu Qingyue thought herself extremely sensible.

Lu Yi shot her a glance and said unhurriedly, “You’re practically paralyzed in the hospital. Behave for a while!”

Lu Qingyue: “?”

Where was she paralyzed?!

She immediately glared at him in refusal and said solemnly, “That won’t do. Life can be done over, but the college entrance exam only comes once! Besides, this tiny injury isn’t fatal. Why should I behave?”

Lu Yi: “...?”

Where had she learned all this crooked nonsense?

In the end, he still could not wear her down. That night after he went home to wash up and change, he brought her a copy of the Five-Three book from home.

Lu Yi was also about to graduate that year, and at the moment he had brought his laptop to the hospital to handle his thesis defense.

The siblings each bent over their own tasks, and the hospital night was rare in its quiet harmony.

But before eleven, Lu Qingyue had to go to sleep.

After drowning, her energy was worse than before. Even when asleep, she was not very settled, her body shifting drowsily as though she might wake at any moment.

Lu Yi dimmed the laptop screen and planned to go outside for a smoke, finish what he had on hand, and then sleep.

Just as he stepped out onto the terrace, he saw that the familiar black sedan was still parked downstairs in the same place as before.

Lu Yi squinted at it for a while, and for some reason suddenly felt that although he had known Cheng Xingye for nearly ten years, he seemed not to understand him at all.

He had never before seen this man’s humble and lonely side.

It was as though, before Lu Qingyue, there was nothing he could not tolerate or endure.

After Lu Yi finished a cigarette, Cheng Xingye’s car still had not left. It looked as though he intended to keep vigil here through the entire night.

Lu Yi turned back into the ward with a cold face.

On the bed, the girl turned over uncomfortably and let out a pained little groan.

Lu Yi walked over and lowered his head to tuck the blanket around her.

After thinking it over, he still pulled out his phone and sent a message to a chat window that had been silent for more than half a year.

Lu Yi: Come up.