Jiang Li was rushed to the hospital. After the doctor gave her a thorough check - up and confirmed that she only suffered from mild frostbite and had no other major problems, Xiao Yanzhi finally let out a sigh of relief.
His attention was entirely on Jiang Li. The nurse noticed his tightly - clenched left hand and asked if he needed any help.
Only then did Xiao Yanzhi open his hand.
His palm was covered in blood, and the dried blood had already coagulated.
During the process of searching for Jiang Li, he stumbled and fell. His palm was scratched by a stone or a flower branch, leaving a long and deep cut.
Focused on rescuing Jiang Li, he hardly felt the pain in his hand.
After confirming that Jiang Li was okay, he followed the nurse for a simple dressing. In the meantime, he also told the doctor not to conduct a mental examination on Jiang Li.
She had just been under great mental stress and was not suitable for any new stimulation.
By the time he finished dressing his wound and returned to Jiang Li's ward, some people had already left.
Sister Chen and the others were the first to arrive. Xiao Ye cried for a long time and kept hiccupping. Jing Yi was quite calm. She kept saying, "I knew it," and told Jiang Li not to scare them like this again.
Sheng Jingxi came over with a joking smile and said she was useless. But halfway through, he started to cry and said fiercely that if she did this again, he would no longer recognize her as his sister.
It was already late at night, and even Sheng Shuocheng was alarmed. He called to scold her a few words, saying that he would educate her in person the next day, and then hung up the phone.
Jiang Li thought Sheng Shuocheng was just being overly calm. But later she found out that that night, the old man had heart discomfort after hearing the news. He was afraid that she would worry, so he didn't tell her.
Just as she put down the phone, Xiao Yanzhi happened to push the door open.
Jiang Li immediately noticed the bandage on his injured hand and asked, "How did your hand get hurt?"
"It's okay." Xiao Yanzhi glanced down at his hand and stuffed it into his pocket directly. "It's just a scratch. It's nothing serious."
Jiang Li was silent for a while, then said softly, "I'm sorry."
"Now it's your turn to say this?" Xiao Yanzhi raised his eyebrows and looked at her.
Jiang Li didn't dare to meet Xiao Yanzhi's eyes at all. She lowered her eyes and said, "It's all my fault."
She couldn't control her emotions at all. At moments of extreme happiness or pain, she always became overly emotional.
But when she was with him, she felt more at ease.
"Don't you have anything else to say to me?" Xiao Yanzhi sat down beside her bed and said gently, "After all this fuss tonight, just a simple sorry?"
"… Then, thank you."
"How are you going to thank me?" He had already guessed what she would say. "I taught you last time. Show some sincerity."
Jiang Li was both shy and a bit stunned for a moment.
She didn't know how to describe this feeling. Just a few hours ago, she thought she was going to say goodbye to this world, but now he was easily making her happy.
No one mentioned what had just happened.
It was as if they could just gloss over everything and pretend nothing had happened.
"I've caused you trouble," Jiang Li said, and her eyes fell on his hand again. She guessed it was definitely not just a simple scratch.
This made her feel even more guilty.
"Jiang Li, I've said this many times," Xiao Yanzhi noticed her gaze and put his hand back into his pocket again. "You're not a trouble to me."
Jiang Li and he stared at each other quietly.
She asked, "Why are you so good to me? I've said such hurtful things."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. "They were really hurtful."
"Moreover, I've said that we've already broken up. We shouldn't be together, and we have no future."
"That's just your one - sided statement. I don't think so, so it doesn't count."
His expression was calm, and his tone was casual. "Besides, I once thought about standing behind Sheng Jingxi. But he's your older brother, so there's no need for me to queue up."
Jiang Li's cheeks flushed instantly.
"Whether you're willing or not, whether you agree or not is your business; whether I pursue you or not is my business. These two things don't conflict."
His logic seemed flawless, and there was no room for argument.
Jiang Li blinked. She couldn't help but admit that she was touched by these two sentences.
Whether you agree or not is your business, whether I pursue you or not is my business.
For a love with an uncertain outcome, being willing to abandon everything to pursue it.
Jiang Li still stubbornly said, "Your father doesn't approve of me, and your mother doesn't like me. Moreover, a well - known actress marrying into a wealthy family is easily criticized. And I have bipolar disorder…"
"Jiang Li," his voice was deep, like the morning mist. "Are these what you're afraid of?"
"Tell me, are these really what you're afraid of?"
Jiang Li was stunned and blinked.
She was such a proud person. Once when drunk, she said that she was willing to please the difficult Su Jialan just to be with him, and she would also say that she loved him on the biggest stage. How could she care about other people's words?
Xiao Yanzhi nodded and continued, "You're afraid that when your illness flares up, it will bring negative public opinions to me. Over time, my love for you will turn into resentment. You're afraid that our relationship will change, that love won't last long. You're afraid that when you open your eyes one day, I won't love you anymore."
Jiang Li was lying in bed, feeling as if she was nailed to the bed and couldn't move. She couldn't say a single word.
Because every word he said was right.
Love can overcome all difficulties.
But love itself is also one of the difficulties.
Loving someone is easy, but loving someone for a lifetime is hard. Especially as time passes, love will turn into family affection, responsibility, and habit, but it will no longer be the same as love.
She could accept everything else, but if one day Xiao Yanzhi no longer loved her, she would rather this relationship had never happened.
So she cut off this relationship first, in order to avoid all tragedies.
But choosing to refuse to start is also a tragedy.
"Why do you prefer to believe that I won't love you forever rather than believe that I will?"
His eyes darkened, and his tone became serious. "They're both beliefs, but you choose the negative one."
Jiang Li swallowed hard. "I just…"
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw his figure lean over, and a shadow fell over her.
"You love me too. Why are you making a choice against your heart?"
"Who said that? I don't love…"
"If you don't love me, why did you wear the necklace I gave you when you were going to die?"
He saw through her heart and calmly asked, "You were ready to die, but you wore the necklace I gave you?"
Jiang Li froze instantly. She reached out to touch the necklace around her neck, not expecting him to notice.
She had put it on out of impulse when she went out.
She said hesitantly, "… I just thought it was nice."
"Yeah, you thought it was nice," Xiao Yanzhi nodded. "So you wore it when you were going to commit suicide, taking the love I gave you to kill yourself."