Return to the City: The Strongest King

It only took two minutes before Xiao Yingying took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Song Xiaodong immediately held her shoulders and said, "Don't move, I'm currently using acupuncture to protect your heart, and it will take a few more minutes."

"Acupuncture?" Xiao Yingying, still not fully awake, murmured the two words before closing her eyes again.

"Yes, just rest easy for now."

With her eyes closed, Xiao Yingying rested for about a minute, then opened them again, sweeping her gaze across her chest, and saw several silver needles stuck in that embarrassingly private area.

Song Xiaoru was startled, fearing Xiao Yingying's excessive reaction, and quickly said, "Miss Xiao, my brother is treating you, so... this isn't any kind of improper behavior, please don't overthink it."

Expecting a more intense reaction from Xiao Yingying, Song Xiaoru was surprised to see her face turn red, but without any excessive response, she softly said, "It's okay, he... touched me last night anyway."

What was this situation? Song Xiaoru immediately looked towards Song Xiaodong.

Song Xiaodong rolled his eyes and said, "Sister, she had an episode last night, and I performed CPR on her, does that count as touching?"

Song Xiaoru breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that it wasn't her brother taking advantage of the young lady.

It became awkward for a moment as no one spoke. After another two minutes, Song Xiaodong extended his hand and swiftly removed the five silver needles, saying, "Alright, you can put your clothes on now." He then directly exited the room.

Xiao Yingying hurriedly got dressed, her face blushing as she said, "I'm so sorry for having an episode in your home, I must have scared you all."

Song Xiaoru quickly said, "It's all because of Xiaodong, that rascal being harsh to you, that caused your episode."

Song Xiaodong walked in and said, "She called our place old-fashioned, and I can't stand these rich young ladies. I'm telling you, I didn't want you to die in my house, so I stepped in to save you. Now take your things and leave, our kind of home really can't accommodate a young lady like you, lest it dirties your shoes."

Xiao Yingying frantically waved her hands, saying, "No... no... that's not what I meant, I... usually don't have many people talk to me normally, everyone is afraid of triggering my condition, so I don't know what should and should not be said, I truly didn't mean to offend you or your sister."

Seeing Xiao Yingying getting worked up again, Song Xiaoru hurriedly said, "Calm down, calm down, Song Xiaodong, are you crazy? You know she has a heart condition, yet you still speak to her like this?"

Song Xiaodong shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's fine, the needles I just gave her are enough to ensure that her heart is much healthier now than usual, a little stimulation won't hurt."

"Really? Does that mean I... can now laugh, but also cry?" Xiao Yingying looked at Song Xiaodong.

Facing Xiao Yingying's expectant gaze, Song Xiaodong's heart softened. He had already checked her condition, and her heart disease was quite severe, likely an innate condition from birth. Normally, with such a severe heart condition, surviving to fifteen years old would be difficult; Xiao Yingying living this long was nothing short of a miracle, probably due to her excellent control over her emotions all this time.

Thinking about a life where you couldn't laugh, cry, or get angry was hardly a life at all, and Song Xiaodong's voice softened as well.

"Your condition is mainly emotional. Just laughing and crying now should be fine, but getting too emotional is still not good."

"So, I can have a good laugh or a cry then?"

"Yes, but not too intensely."

"Hmm, but how can I manage to laugh?" Xiao Yingying blinked her eyes, looking at Song Xiaodong for help.

Song Xiaodong thought for a moment and said, "How about I tell you a joke?"

Xiao Yingying nodded repeatedly, saying, "Sure, I usually don't dare to watch comedies, afraid that I won't be able to hold back my laughter."

Song Xiaodong then told Xiao Yingying a very common joke, the kind most people had probably heard before. After hearing it, Xiao Yingying asked cautiously, "Can I laugh now?"

"Yes!" Song Xiaodong nodded.

"Giggle... giggle…" Xiao Yingying started to laugh, but her laughter was very strange, as if she didn't want to laugh but was forcing herself to do so. However, the sound was quite pleasant.

As soon as Xiao Yingying began laughing, two bodyguards rushed in, looking at her anxiously. One of them said urgently, "Miss, you…"

Song Xiaodong immediately waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I just treated her, laughing a bit won't kill her."

The two bodyguards looked at each other, faces showing difficulty. They were responsible for Xiao Yingying's safety and were very aware of her health condition. They had almost faced a mishap last night and were close to being blamed. If something were to happen now, it would be truly disastrous.

Xiao Yingying stopped laughing and said, "You guys go out. I won't live much longer anyway, if I can live a bit happier, I will talk to my dad about it, I won't let you guys take the blame."

The two bodyguards hesitated for a moment before finally stepping out. Then, one of the guys pulled out his phone and walked outside the courtyard gate.

"Boss! The young lady, she…"

"What happened to Yingying?" A commanding voice of a middle-aged man came from the other end of the phone.

"The Miss, she... is laughing," the bodyguard said cautiously.

"Laughing? How can this be allowed? Stop her immediately!"

"But the Miss won't let us stop her, the person who saved her yesterday said he just treated her and that she could laugh a bit."

"Oh? There's actually such a matter. Who is this so-called famous doctor?"

"He might not be, we inquired all the way today, only to find out he is a local here, who had joined the army a few years ago and has only just returned, and he... was a hoodlum before."

"This is simply outrageous! Take Yingying away immediately."

"We fear the Miss won't agree, and we dare not provoke her," the bodyguard expressed his difficulty.

"Then... just keep an eye on the situation for now, and if anything seems amiss, make sure to intervene in time."

The bodyguard hung up the phone and returned to the courtyard only to hear Xiao Yingying's giggling laughter, which was enchanting like a celestial melody, extremely pleasant. It made him momentarily distracted. He had been protecting the young lady for two years, yet this was the first time he had heard Xiao Yingying laugh.

However, he quickly became anxious again, as Xiao Yingying's laughter might stimulate her heart. Her laughter was like that of the Deep Sea Witch, pleasant yet deadly.