Xiao Yanzhi's deep eyes landed on Jiang Li's face. His voice was calm. "You know the significance of this necklace. It's not just an ordinary gift, which is why you chose to take it with you."
Jiang Li's heart tightened. "I... I didn't mean anything by it."
"Because you think my love for you is worth commemorating, so you wanted to take it away with you, right?"
Jiang Li lowered her head, repeatedly trying to hold back her tears.
He leaned closer and gently wiped away her tears with his uninjured right thumb. "You think love is the most precious thing to you, but have you ever thought that it's equally important to me?"
"I love you, so you're the most precious thing to me. But you just want to leave casually, taking away the most precious thing from me."
"I've told you before that in my life, I've only loved two things. One is painting, and the other is you."
"Have you ever thought that if you leave and I can't accept your departure, will I take the same path as you? Will I... "
Before he could say the last word "die", Jiang Li held her breath. Her red eyes widened in panic as she covered his lips with her hand. "Don't say such things."
She didn't want him to die.
Xiao Yanzhi looked at her too, gently holding her fingers and slowly placing them in his palm. "If you don't want me to die, then you have to live well."
"If you want to die, then we'll die together."
Jiang Li bit her lips tightly. Her body trembled with every breath.
This wasn't the first time she'd heard this.
The last time, when she was in a bipolar episode and unconsciously ran into the speeding traffic, he'd roared the same words at her.
She was crazy, but so was he.
In a way, they were like unruly accomplices, except that Xiao Yanzhi was calmer and more composed than her.
On the surface, he was a high - and - mighty ruler, but in fact, he was a desperate and selfish outlaw, just like her.
When Jiang Li's thoughts were wandering, Xiao Yanzhi had unconsciously moved closer to her. He lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth. "I'm talking to you. Why aren't you paying attention?"
"I... I think I'm a really bad person."
"Really bad?"
"I'm so cowardly. Whenever I'm faced with something I'm afraid of, I always want to run away first. Isn't that so pretentious?"
Seeing that she wanted to talk, Xiao Yanzhi stopped kissing her. "Tell me what you're afraid of. We'll solve them one by one."
The light in the ward shone on his face. His expression was calm and patient.
Before she could answer, he answered for her. "You're afraid of the dark, of the cold, of being alone, and most of all, you're afraid that everything you have will suddenly disappear."
Jiang Li was stunned. A shiver ran through her body.
She never thought that he would understand her so well.
Understand her confusion, her pain, and her fear.
He hugged her tightly and whispered to her, "If you're afraid of the dark, then we'll go to amusement parks, to castles, to places where the lights will never go out. If you're afraid of the cold, then we'll move to warm regions, like Vancouver, New Zealand, Australia... anywhere you like."
Xiao Yanzhi's tone was flat, but his words carried absolute weight. "If you're afraid of being alone, then I'll stay with you from now on, never leaving your side."
"As for your fear of losing everything you have, I can't make promises for others, but at least I'll always be with you - as long as you need me."
How humble he was, even adding the words "as long as you need me" at the end.
Jiang Li's body began to tremble. She felt a warm current surging in her chest. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her heart tightened.
He held her in his arms so tightly that his shoulders almost hurt.
Their eyes met, inseparably entangled with each other. In the end, they didn't know who kissed whom first.
At first, Jiang Li felt a tightness in her throat. Gradually, she got into the mood. Unconsciously, she intertwined her fingers with his, but she forgot one thing -
The man suddenly frowned in pain. Only then did Jiang Li suddenly remember that his left hand was injured. She quickly separated from him and asked worriedly, "Did I hurt you?"
Xiao Yanzhi looked down and saw a trace of blood seeping through the gauze. He said nonchalantly, "This doesn't hurt much, but other places do."
Jiang Li was confused and still asked with concern, "Where does it hurt?"
Xiao Yanzhi didn't answer her directly. Instead, he led her hand to the right place and whispered in her ear, "Here."
"It hurts so much here. What should I do?" he asked her half - jokingly and half - seriously.
Jiang Li's face burned as she quickly withdrew her hand.
"You're a hooligan."
"Yeah."
He always readily admitted this.
Xiao Yanzhi went out to change the gauze. When he came back in, Xue An came in with him, holding a brand - new bedsheet in his arms.
There was another empty bed in the ward. Xue An quickly put on the bedsheet and quilt cover, then turned to report to Xiao Yanzhi. "Mr. Xiao, it's all set up."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. "Thank you. You've worked hard."
Jiang Li was very puzzled. "You're going to sleep here tonight?"
"I promised you just now," he answered casually. "I'll stay with you, never leaving your side."
"I... I thought you were joking."
"I never joke, especially when it comes to you."
...
So, Xiao Yanzhi really slept there for a night.
Since Jiang Li's condition wasn't very serious, she was in a general ward. Xiao Yanzhi also reluctantly slept on the hard bed for a night.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping well, Jiang Li felt a bit guilty and asked if she could be discharged today.
"Yes. Where do you want to go?" Xiao Yanzhi nodded and asked for her opinion.
Since yesterday, he'd almost always listened to Jiang Li.
Jiang Li thought for a while and said to Xiao Yanzhi, "I'm not ready to go back yet. I don't know how to face Sister Chen and the others..."
Xiao Yanzhi understood. He came up with an idea. "Do you want to go back to Ruiyuan? I'll go with you."
Ruiyuan was the place where she'd lived the longest. Being in a familiar environment would be more beneficial for her recovery.
He could also take the right opportunity to persuade her to receive psychological treatment.
Xiao Yanzhi acted swiftly. He quickly bought the plane tickets and called Sister Chen to explain the situation, saying that he was going to take Jiang Li back to Beicheng to relax.
"As long as it's good for her, I have no objections," Sister Chen said on the phone. "By the way, next week is December 1st. Will she be able to attend the premiere of Embroidery Maid on time? I need to modify the plan in advance."
Xiao Yanzhi looked back at Jiang Li.
She was standing there alone, holding a suitcase in her hand. Her figure was so thin that it seemed as if she could be blown away by the wind.
Xiao Yanzhi looked away and said into the receiver, "Give her a little more time."