At this moment, the “pretend-to-be-victim scheme” painstakingly concocted by Pei Jiangmu completely fell through.
The bruises and wounds deliberately created on his face...
In the face of her instinctive concern for his injuries, they seemed so pale and ridiculous.
He looked into her worried eyes and felt her fingertips gently touching his wounds.
The raging waves in his heart stirred up by the report and the “preparing for pregnancy” plan...
Were surprisingly temporarily suppressed by a stronger and more bittersweet warm current.
He forgot his anger and all the well - prepared lies.
He just greedily looked at the genuine concern she showed for him.
His throat felt blocked, and he could only hoarsely and clumsily repeat,
“I'm... I'm okay... Sister, tell me first. What on earth happened to you?”
He still tightly grasped her wrist, as if it were the only rope connecting him to this cold world.
The bruises on his face looked even more shocking under the pale lights of the hospital lobby.
The blood at the corner of his mouth had dried up, and his bandaged hand clumsily hung in mid - air.
He was no longer the President Pei who was in control of everything, nor the innocent - looking “college student” in his well - crafted disguise.
He was just a somewhat flustered man who only wanted to know why she was crying.
As for Meng Ruozhao, looking at his disheveled appearance and the undisguised anxiety in his eyes.
Then looking at the hand on her wrist that still carried warmth and strength.
Confusion, grievance, a strange sense of unease, and worry about his injuries all intertwined.
For a moment, she didn't know where to start. She could only let the tears silently slide down again.
The two of them stood there in the noisy background sound of the hospital lobby.
One held on tightly with anxious eyes, while the other was teary - eyed and hesitant to speak.
The carefully designed script was completely disrupted. All that was left were the most naked concerns and chaotic emotions.
Silently colliding in the cold hospital air.
Soon, the rapid footsteps interrupted Meng Ruozhao's distraction.
Almost instinctively, she reached out and tightly grasped Pei Jiangmu's intact left wrist.
She pulled him and quickly left the hospital.
“Hurry up!”
Her voice carried a hint of panic and urgency. Her eyes were vigilant as she scanned the area behind her, afraid that Wu Qian's figure would suddenly appear.
Pei Jiangmu was pulled by her. He staggered a bit before he could keep up.
The cold touch of her fingertips and the unyielding strength on his wrist...
The complex emotions in his heart were instantly replaced by a stronger one.
She took the initiative to hold him!
Although it was to escape.
But this feeling of being needed by her was like a weak flame that instantly ignited the dry wasteland in his heart.
It brought a distorted and indescribable sense of satisfaction.
He even temporarily forgot the pain on his face and hand. He obediently let her pull him.
They passed through the side door of the hospital and quickly blended into the thick night outside.
It was not until they got into a taxi and were isolated from the outside world.
That Meng Ruozhao seemed to lose all her strength and leaned back on the seat, taking a long breath.
The chaos, humiliation, and sense of despair from just now gradually receded a bit in the enclosed space with Pei Jiangmu's silent company.
She stopped crying, but her eyes were still a bit swollen and red, and her face remained pale.
The only sound in the car was the low humming of the engine.
Pei Jiangmu turned to her. His deep eyes fell on her with undisguised worry and curiosity.
Meng Ruozhao finally came to her senses completely. Her eyes inevitably fell on him again.
How could he become so disheveled in just a few hours?
Her eyes first fixed on his right hand wrapped in thick bandages. Her eyebrows knitted tightly.
Then she noticed the shocking bruise and swelling on his cheek and the dried dark red blood at the corner of his mouth.
“Your injuries...”
Meng Ruozhao's voice had a strong nasal tone, but there was more surprise and worry in it.
“What on earth happened?”
She carefully examined the bruises on his face and then looked at his obviously severely injured hand.
A terrible thought popped up, and her voice even trembled a bit.
“Was it... was it those hooligans by the river? Did they find you to take revenge?”
It was all to protect her that he ended up like this.
Pei Jiangmu looked at the genuine worry and self - blame in her eyes.
His heart seemed to be gently hit by something, feeling both bitter and warm.
He instinctively wanted to make up a story along with her words. This way, he could explain his injuries and make her feel more guilty and distressed.
But looking at her pale and vulnerable appearance, just having escaped from her own predicament...
The lies that were about to blurt out got stuck in his throat like fish bones.
After a moment, he shook his head. His voice was a bit dry but extremely clear, with a kind of frankness like breaking a pot that's already broken.
“It wasn't those hooligans. It was... a bit of a conflict with my classmates.”
“They said some annoying things, and I couldn't hold back.”
He avoided the specific topic of “plagiarism” and only vaguely attributed it to “annoying things”.
He didn't want to use well - woven lies to get more of her sympathy at this time.
Especially when she was also in deep trouble.
All he wanted to know now was what had made her show such a desperate expression.
“Sister.”
Pei Jiangmu leaned a bit closer. His deep eyes fixed intently on her.
His tone was more serious and urgent than ever, with a hint of barely noticeable pleading.
“Tell me. What on earth happened in the hospital just now? Why were you crying like that?”
He really wanted to ask if it was something her family had done to her.
The shadow of that abortion report was like a venomous snake, always lingering in his heart, making him unable not to think in the worst - case scenario.
But he couldn't ask, for fear of exposing himself.
Meng Ruozhao's heart skipped a beat when he asked.
The grievance that had just been suppressed and the cold sense of humiliation of being treated as a bargaining chip by her closest relatives surged up like a tide again.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that those words...
Her father's scheming, the absurdity of body repair, the humiliation of being treated as a commodity to be sold at a good price...
Every word was like a red - hot iron, too painful for her to say.
Especially in front of Pei Jiangmu.
In these days, he had always regarded her as a savior.
Was she supposed to tell him that she, this “savior”, was actually as miserable as him?
“It's nothing serious.”
She lowered her eyes, avoiding his too - sharp gaze. Her voice was dull, full of exhaustion and helplessness.
“I just had a bit of a conflict with my dad. We have different views.”
She tried to play it down, but the heaviness and grievance couldn't be hidden.
“I... I may not want to go home these days.”
“I'll just stay at the store with you. Would you mind sleeping on the sofa? I'm sorry to trouble you.”
“Not want to go home?”
Pei Jiangmu's heart skipped a beat!
A thought flashed through his confused and anxious mind like lightning.
Almost without thinking, an “excellent” suggestion blurted out.
It also carried a deliberately feigned concern and “coincidence” like that of a friend.