Chapter 442 - Conflicted Mind
Jiang Ruolan had been in the hospital that day, and although she had been half asleep, she had always remembered the three words he had whispered in her ear. She knew it was not a dream.
Jiang Ruolan lowered her head, not wanting him to see the redness in her eyes. She slipped away from his embrace, but Xian Zihao immediately held her waist tightly, not allowing her to move. His other hand caressed her body relentlessly.
Jiang Ruolan"s voice was similarly hoa.r.s.e as she said in a low voice, "Zihao, don"t."
Xian Zihao stopped moving. It was not because of her struggle but because of her simple "no".
At this moment, Jiang Ruolan"s heart was in conflict. On one side was her mother, while on the other side was her beloved husband.
She knew that it wasn"t Xian Zihao"s fault, but she didn"t know what to do. She didn"t want to leave him.
"I... I"m not feeling well." Jiang Ruolan didn"t know if she was going overboard for rejecting his wishes, and because she didn"t want him to feel sad, she found a reasonable excuse.
When she looked up, she saw that Xian Zihao was looking at her. A hint of emotion that she didn"t understand appeared in his eyes. She subconsciously held his hand.
Xian Zihao sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. Then he turned around and helped Jiang Ruolan up. "Did you eat something cold? I remember watching what you had for dinner. Why do you suddenly have a stomach ache?"
"Maybe it"s because I ate a lot of vegetarian food and snacks in the hospital a few days ago. You"ve been so indulgent towards me today, and for the first time, you didn"t stop me from eating meat. I"ve eaten too much meat, and my stomach probably can"t digest it well." Jiang Ruolan explained in a low voice.
Xian Zihao could only laugh helplessly, "It"s very rare for your stomach to get hurt. Looks like you have to eat fewer indigestible food in the future. Right now, you"re pregnant, so the peristalsis in your intestines has already weakened. In the future, ask Sister Yanmei to continue cooking those digestible foods, hmm?"
Jiang Ruolan nodded and leaned against his chest, not moving an inch.
However, Xian Zihao pushed her away and made her lean against the headboard. He got up and said, "I"ll get hot water for you. Drink a little to see if it can help. If your stomach continues to hurt, I"ll take you to the hospital."
"No, Zihao!" Jiang Ruolan was about to call him, but Xian Zihao had already opened the room door and walked out. A moment later, the light in the living room was switched on, and she could hear him moving in the kitchen.
Jiang Ruolan quickly stood up and went into the kitchen to see Xian Zihao washing the kettle and boiling the water.
She immediately went back to the bedroom. In the middle of the night, she casually found a reason to torment him. She felt a bit guilty, but her heart was still in turmoil, causing her brain to be unable to stop thinking about her mother"s death for a moment.
Jiang Ruolan walked to the window and opened it to see the moonlight outside, then she placed her hand on her stomach and caressed it gently.
Moments later, there was a sound of movement behind her. Xian Zihao"s voice was heard at the same time, "I made you pineapple juice that can help your digestive system. Drink a little first and then drink this hot water. It"s not good to drink too much water at night."
Jiang Ruolan took the gla.s.s of pineapple juice and took a sip. A slightly sour and sweet taste spread in her mouth, making her suppressed mood more relaxed. She drank two mouthfuls, then looked at Xian Zihao, who was standing in front of her.
"Alright, that"s enough. You can"t drink too much." Xian Zihao slowly took the pineapple juice from her hand before handing her a gla.s.s of hot water. "Here, drink this warm water. Let"s see if the pain in your stomach can be alleviated a little."
As Xian Zihao spoke, his eyes filled with concern as he watched Jiang Ruolan obediently drinking the water.
Once she was done, Jiang Ruolan pursed her lips and said, "Zihao, I"m much better now. Let"s go to sleep."
"It doesn"t hurt anymore?" He asked while caressing her stomach.
Jiang Ruolan gently shook her head. "Yes, it doesn"t hurt anymore."
Her stomach didn"t hurt to start with, and she had just randomly found a reason to stop Xian Zihao from touching her. In the end, he even had to go through so much trouble just to keep her feeling comfortable. She felt really bad.
Xian Zihao smiled and took the gla.s.s from her. "Then you lie down first. I can"t sleep anymore. I need to check a few things in the study room. You go to sleep first, hmm?"
Jiang Ruolan didn"t say anything. Xian Zihao turned around with a slight curve on his lips and just as he took a step forward, Jiang Ruolan immediately hugged his waist from behind.
Xian Zihao"s feet froze for a moment. After a long moment, he held her hands on his waist and gently coaxed, "Ruolan?"
"Xian Zihao, have you ever felt lost?"
Jiang Ruolan hugged him tightly and was not willing to let go. Suddenly, she felt that she could not bear what had happened in the past, and the blood that filled the ground continued to flash before her eyes. The hatred and resentment that had lurked in her heart for more than twenty-one years suddenly arose in her heart in that one night. Because of this, she suddenly realized that she could give up on anything except the man who was too much in love and doting on her.
Xian Zihao didn"t say anything. He just lightly held her hand and didn"t turn around. He felt that Jiang Ruolan was hugging him tighter and tighter, as if she wanted to get more warmth from him. He sighed and said, "Wife, your husband has been a coward for quite some time."
Jiang Ruolan placed her hands on his chest and buried her face deep in his back. She breathed in the warm, familiar scent of his body that made her feel safe.
"Yeah, you said it before that you are also a human." She sighed with full of emotion.
As wise and powerful as Xian Zihao, he also had things that he couldn"t do, as well as situations that he couldn"t turn back from, and even more so, he was filled with both hesitation and helplessness.
So Xian Zihao also felt lost, wasn"t he?
Jiang Ruolan"s hand slipped out of his hand. She slowly lifted it up onto his cheek and touched his face with such a strange motion. Her slender fingers were trailing between his eyebrows, bit by bit down to his lips.
Xian Zihao pulled her hand down, then turned around and pulled her into his embrace. He gently patted her on the shoulder as he consoled her, "It"s already this late, if you"re not asleep, your body will get tired."
Jiang Ruolan looked at his gentle and handsome face and smiled from the bottom of her heart, "All right."
"Go to sleep." Xian Zihao helped her lie down on the bed and covered her body with a blanket. Then he patted her shoulder lightly, indicating that she should close her eyes.
Jiang Ruolan obediently closed her eyes. That"s right, she"s too tired. She needed to rest. She didn"t want to think about anything else.
After an unknown period of time, Jiang Ruolan heard Xian Zihao"s soft sigh in her sleepy state.
"Ruolan, I"m afraid I didn"t do well enough." His hand lightly caressed her forehead, and a gentle, jade-like voice streaked past her ear.
Xian Zihao walked out of the bedroom and went to the study room to retrieve his files. Only then did Jiang Ruolan open her eyes and stare blankly at the door