chapter 32
32 Don’t leave me alone, okay? (1 / 2)
The sunlight streamed through the window, but it didn’t raise the temperature in the room much.
Chu Xinran looked at the man in front of her, who was bandaging her wounds, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.
Fang Zhou, why are you bandaging me? Didn’t you not care about me?
The seawater was so cold, it submerged her head in an instant, blurring everything.
Chu Xinran had already fallen into despair at that time, but then she saw Fang Zhou jump into the water, and hope rose again.
However, she floated and sank in the sea for a long time, never to be rescued by Fang Zhou again. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the image of Fang Zhou embracing another woman.
At that moment, Chu Xinran felt her heart was colder than the seawater.
Even as she woke up to find Fang Zhou performing CPR on her, she instinctively clung to him.
But the moment Qiao Sisi spoke, it reminded Chu Xinran that she was the one left behind, the one discarded, the leftover choice in a dilemma.
This realization hit her so fiercely and suddenly that her face turned pale, and even after returning to her room, she couldn’t regain her composure.
And so, Chu Xinran found herself unconsciously reaching for a knife…
“Done.”
Fang Zhou finally cut the gauze with scissors, tucked it in, and finished up, giving Chu Xinran a smile.
The man’s hearty and open laughter was so evident, it made Chu Xinran momentarily dazed, as if she were back in college.
“What’s wrong? Hungry? Want to eat?”
Seeing no response from her, Fang Zhou thought she didn’t want to discuss the matter, so he changed the subject, not wanting to press her at this moment.
Assuming Chu Xinran was depressed, if she didn’t want to talk about it, asking further would be futile and might even provoke her defiance.
Chu Xinran came back to her senses, avoiding Fang Zhou’s sincere gaze, and whispered a “thank you.”
As for his subsequent question, she still refused.
“I don’t want to eat, you take it back.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhou couldn’t accept it; how could anyone not eat?
“You’re already so thin, if you don’t eat, you’ll turn into a stick.”
He accidentally spoke his mind.
Chu Xinran turned her head away, not looking at him, and said somewhat petulantly, “You don’t need to worry about me, after all, you didn’t care when I almost drowned.”
The tone of her complaint was almost like an arrow piercing straight through Fang Zhou’s spine.
He hadn’t realized that Chu Xinran was angry about this, to the point of refusing to eat.
Watching the girl’s stubborn back, and the freshly bandaged wound on her hand, in a flash of insight, he suddenly had a guess and asked in surprise, “You’re not upset with me for not saving you, are you?”
Chu Xinran didn’t respond to his words, her silence deafening.
“Listen to me, let me explain.”
Fang Zhou suddenly became flustered, so shocked that he began to stutter.
“It’s not that, don’t take yourself too seriously.”
Chu Xinran suddenly spoke up, turning around with a look full of scorn.
“Just an ex-boyfriend, not worth harming myself over.”
The once innocent and harmless Chu Xinran, whose face was full of youthful vigor, now appeared cold and indifferent, giving Fang Zhou the illusion of seeing the female CEO Han Xi.
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, took a step back with some embarrassment, and sat down on a nearby stool.
“Well, that’s good, no, that’s not right either, harming yourself is too irrational.”
When Chu Xinran said it wasn’t because of him that she self-harmed, for some reason, Fang Zhou’s heart suddenly relaxed, perhaps relieved at not having to bear that responsibility.
32 Can you not leave me alone, please? (2 / 2)
But he couldn’t help wanting to persuade Chu Xinran, even though she might not listen.
“Don’t bother with me, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
As expected, Chu Xinran retorted sharply.
Fang Zhou took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore her barbed words.
“Listen to me, I did try to save you in the sea. I grabbed your clothes, but the waves were too strong then, and it swept us apart in an instant.”
“Later, when I tried to find you, I couldn’t see anyone. I had to follow the principle of saving the nearest person first.”
At that time, Fang Zhou really didn’t think too much about problems like which ex-girlfriend to save first if both fell into the water.
They were both people he had once loved; of course, he would save both.
Besides, in such an emergency, how could he spare the thought to consider which ex-girlfriend he loved more?
After Fang Zhou finished explaining, the room was still silent. Chu Xinran didn’t look at him, just stared at her shoes.
“I know you’re upset and blaming me.”
“But Xinran, in a critical moment, who would think so much?”
“Besides, after getting ashore, I also went to save you first, wasn’t I performing CPR on you?”
Fang Zhou’s voice was weary. He shook his head helplessly. Since getting ashore and changing clothes, he hadn’t rested.
In the time that followed, he cooked with everyone, and by the time he brought the food over, he was tired too.
Seeing Chu Xinran still had no reaction, Fang Zhou sighed deeply, stood up, and packed everything into the medicine box.
He put the medicine box back in its place, then took a few tissues to wipe the bloodstains off the floor and threw them into the trash can.
“Rest well, I’ve left food in your room, eat when you’re hungry.”
With that, Fang Zhou felt there was nothing more he could do for her.
He stepped towards the door, wanting to go back to his room to rest. The sunlight hit him, but it was just a fleeting moment and soon disappeared.
Fang Zhou’s hand was on the doorknob, about to turn it, when a soft voice came from behind.
“Is everything you said true?”
Chu Xinran looked up, her eyes already moist, her whole being looked desolate, like a small animal abandoned on the roadside.
Fang Zhou didn’t turn around, just said indifferently, “I have no reason to lie to you about this.”
As he was about to leave, Chu Xinran stopped him.
“Wait!”
She got up from the bed, ran up behind Fang Zhou, and hugged him.
“Don’t go, brother.”
Her soft voice in his ear felt like a fluffy animal’s little paw scratching him, ticklish and too dear to blame.
“Let go.”
Fang Zhou remained unmoved, his hand resting on Chu Xinran’s, trying to pry it off but fearing he might touch her wound, he dared not use too much force.
Yet, she suddenly exerted more strength, her arms wrapping around his waist, crossing over one another, refusing to let go.
“I won’t let go! If I do, you’ll ignore me forever!”
It was just like when they were in love before. She had only gone for training for half a month, and upon her return, Fang Zhou had broken up with her.
Heaven knows how Chu Xinran had coped at that time.
“Brother, don’t leave, don’t leave me alone, okay?”
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