If You Could Hear My Heart

Her head throbbed faintly as she recalled—an amusement park, the amusement park...

The deafening sound of the explosion echoed in her ears, its intensity overwhelming.

And then...

She opened her eyes in confusion, greedily taking in the sight of the man in front of her.

Was this a dream? In this dream, both he and Xiaobao were here.

They say dreams are the opposite of reality, so does that mean he and Xiaobao... No, impossible. Xu Chaomu reached out, striving to stretch toward where Shen Chi was seated.

When Shen Chi saw that she was awake, he immediately extended his hand, enveloping her small hand in his palm.

Xu Chaomu clung tightly to him, unwilling to let go, murmuring softly, "Am I dreaming... Fourth Brother..."

"I'm here." Shen Chi grasped her hand, his voice a low yet firm reassurance.

Xiaobao suddenly threw himself forward, landing right on Xu Chaomu and pressing his small face against hers. "Mom!"

He called out crisply, and seeing Xu Chaomu awake, his joy was boundless.

Xu Chaomu finally sobered up. Yes, that was Xiaobao's voice—it was more real than the explosion.

With wide, blinking eyes, Xiaobao stared at her, just inches away, his warm breath brushing lightly against Xu Chaomu's face.

Although Xu Chaomu still felt a bit out of sorts, seeing Xiaobao genuinely in front of her brought a smile to her face.

"Baby, is it really you?" Xu Chaomu pulled her hand away from Shen Chi's grasp and wrapped Xiaobao tightly in her embrace.

Xiaobao cooperatively planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's me, Baby Xiaobao."

"Mm!" Xu Chaomu was overjoyed, holding onto Xiaobao without any intention of letting go.

She was afraid that if she let go, Xiaobao would vanish. She was truly afraid...

The earlier agony in her heart hadn't completely dispersed, but now a soothing warmth washed over it, like a gentle spring, enveloping her.

"Mom, you slept for so long! I thought you were ignoring Baby Xiaobao," Xiaobao said earnestly, cupping Xu Chaomu's face in his hands.

"How could I? Even if I ignored your dad, I'd never ignore you," Xu Chaomu replied, placing another kiss on Xiaobao's soft cheek.

His little face was smooth, just like a freshly peeled egg—tender and fragrant.

Shen Chi chuckled softly. Well, it seemed his position in her heart had taken another hit.

"Mom, I know you love me the most," Xiaobao said sweetly, trying to brighten Xu Chaomu's spirits.

The time when Xu Chaomu had scolded him a few days ago was long forgotten. Right now, the person he liked the most was still his mom.

When he saw her sad, he felt sad too.

When he saw her smile, he was overjoyed.

"Of course, Mom loves Xiaobao the most. Let me take a look at you," Xu Chaomu said as she examined Xiaobao from head to toe.

Seeing that Xiaobao was unharmed, not even slightly scared, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mom, I'm fine," Xiaobao reassured her.

"Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?" Xu Chaomu asked nervously.

"I'm not hurt, but Dad got injured." Xiaobao cast a sorrowful glance at Shen Chi.

Only then did Xu Chaomu anxiously look at Shen Chi. "Where are you hurt? Let me see."

"Now you're thinking of asking me," Shen Chi teased, a twinge of jealousy in his voice.

Xu Chaomu scooted closer and swiftly pulled Shen Chi closer, unzipping his jacket.

"..." Shen Chi's face turned thunderous.

Xu Chaomu didn't care about anything else. She lifted his clothes and found a section of gauze beneath them.

"Where are you hurt? Is it serious? Is it affecting anything?" Xu Chaomu's voice quivered, tears threatening to come.

Shen Chi pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "It's a critical injury. I might never be able to bring you 'happiness' again. What should we do?"

Xu Chaomu's face flushed crimson, and she shoved him with her elbow. "Get lost."

Xiaobao, not understanding what they were whispering about, saw Xu Chaomu looking worried and chimed in, "Dad's arm got hurt. Right here."

Xiaobao pointed to Shen Chi's arm, finally redirecting Xu Chaomu's attention.

"You haven't told me—how bad is it?" Xu Chaomu insisted, trying to take off his jacket.

"It's nothing, don't worry. It's not serious, just a small scrape," Shen Chi shrugged it off lightly.

But in truth, it was more than just a scrape, though not excessively severe either.

"No way! There was so much blood; Dad is lying," Xiaobao straightforwardly exposed him.

"..." Shen Chi shot Xiaobao a glare. What a blabbermouth.

"A lot of blood? What happened? You still haven't told me the whole story!" Xu Chaomu pressed on, desperate to see Shen Chi's wound.

She vaguely remembered waking up in this hospital, brought here by Ayu.

Shen Chi lifted his arm slightly. "I'm really fine, see? I can still move it."

"If you couldn't move it, I'd leave you," Xu Chaomu said, hitting his chest lightly, her voice trembling with emotion.

"I promised I'd never leave you. How could I abandon you?" Shen Chi pulled her into his embrace.

Xiaobao chimed in from the side, "Mom, Dad missed you so much. We waited here for ages! He said he wanted to wait until you woke up and even bought you candy."

Xiaobao held out a colorful jar of candies and handed it to Xu Chaomu.

Shen Chi remarked casually, "They weren't for you. I just bought them for Xiaobao while I was at it."

Xu Chaomu opened the jar absentmindedly. "Oh? If they're not for me, then I won't eat them."

As soon as the jar was opened, a sweet, fragrant aroma wafted out.

Xu Chaomu picked one out and handed it to Xiaobao, who ate it happily, practically dancing with joy.

Shen Chi casually took one too, but after putting it in his mouth, he leaned down and kissed Xu Chaomu's lips.

She said she wouldn't eat it, so he decided to "feed" it to her.

"Mmm..." Xu Chaomu's face turned bright red, flustered. The child was still here—couldn't he control himself?

She tried to refuse the candy, but Shen Chi wouldn't relent. His lips playfully brushed against hers, insistently coaxing her to accept.

Knowing he wouldn't give up easily, and worried it might influence Xiaobao, she reluctantly ate it.

Hmm... It was apple-flavored—tangy and sweet.

Shen Chi looked satisfied once she had eaten the candy, a smile lingering on his lips.

Xiaobao deliberately covered his eyes but peeked through his fingers at his parents.

Sometimes, his Dad was shameless. Sometimes, his Mom was shameless. Either way, the two of them were equally shameless.

He was getting used to it...

Just as he was watching, Shen Chi suddenly turned and grabbed him by the collar.

Carrying Xiaobao to the door, Shen Chi ignored his protests. "Dad, doesn't your arm hurt?" Xiaobao asked innocently.

"Go play outside for a while." With that, Shen Chi shut the door with a firm "bang."

Xiaobao had been successfully dumped outside!

"..." Xu Chaomu's mouth twitched. Was this his real dad?

Shen Chi walked back over, planting his hands on either side of Xu Chaomu, a smile tugging at his brows.

"Now, there's no one else here," Shen Chi said, his gaze locking onto hers.

"Xiaobao isn't 'someone else.'"

"Then, do you want me to kiss you in front of him?"