Chapter 1256: I Want to Make You Stay (134)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“h.e.l.lo. Where’s the nurse? Why isn’t she around?”
“She has gone out to buy something. Please have a seat, Ms. An.”
An Xiaoning sat down and asked, “How are your injuries now?”
“I can get out of bed to move around now. However, I still struggle to walk.”
“Your injuries are going to take some time to heal. Do cooperate with the doctors and receive proper treatment. Try to avoid leaving any repercussions or ailments untreated. Has s.h.i.+xin been visiting you every day?”
Mu Wansheng answered with a nod, “Yes, Chief Fan would come by every day and I’m very, very grateful for his help. If it weren’t for him, I would probably have died then and there. Or perhaps I might have been rescued too late and ended up becoming a cripple. Chief Fan is really a good man.”
An Xiaoning smiled gently and said, “That’s true. He’s a capable, brave, and charming man. On top of that, he’s also kindhearted and upright. Whoever gets to marry him should count her blessings.”
“Chief Fan is dating my cousin now…”
“I know, she signed up for a blind date with him too, didn’t she?”
Mu Wansheng nodded and answered, “Yes.”
“Could you tell me about what your cousin is like?”
“I… can’t quite tell you what she’s like. It won’t be appropriate for me to praise or criticize her,” Mu Wansheng answered truthfully.
“It’s alright, just tell me about her truthfully. I haven’t met that girl before. I shall be frank with you. We’ve rarely interfered with s.h.i.+xin’s private matters and we leave him to make his own decisions. However, I’m still rather concerned about his relations.h.i.+p. After all, girls these days are so full of tricks. I only want to hear the truth. I suppose you won’t lie on account that he had saved you.”
Hanging her head low, Mu Wansheng answered, “Ms. An, I’m really in no place to comment about her. It all depends on how they feel about each other. If Chief Fan fancies her, that’s his choice.”
“Be honest with me, are you on good terms with that cousin of yours?”
Shaking her head, she answered, “No.”
“Smart people like you are rare to come by. You respect your own feelings and you refrain from making any comments about her. I’m sure s.h.i.+xin will find out for himself what your cousin’s true colors are.”
Mu Wansheng looked up and said, “Sometimes, one might not be willing to accept the opinions and advice that outsiders give them. Take me for an example. My family strongly objects against my relations.h.i.+p with my boyfriend, but I stubbornly refuse to heed their advice. I don’t mind that he’s poor and I think that he’s good enough so long as he treats me well. I trust my taste and so I won’t care about others’ opinions of him. I feel like I won’t regret my decision even if things go awry someday.”
An Xiaoning smiled at her in agreement.
“Young Madam, what brings you here?” Fan s.h.i.+xin asked in surprise.
She smiled and stood up. “Why can’t I be here? Mingxi has given birth to a son. I came here to visit her so I decided to visit Ms. Mu too. Good that you’re here, it’s time for me to leave too.”
“Ms. An, aren’t you going to stay a little longer?”
“Nah. Rest well and recuperate. It does get boring in here. Get s.h.i.+xin to take you out for a stroll.”
Mu Wansheng nodded and watched her leave.
“Would you like to go out to take a walk?” asked Fan s.h.i.+xin, who had nothing else to do anyway.
“Yes. Can you take me out, though? Don’t you want to keep the fact that you had rescued me a secret? If you bring me out, wouldn’t that be harmful for you?”
“I don’t think anyone would recognize me. We’re not going out often anyway.”
“I’ll be very slow, however,” said Mu Wansheng. She indeed wanted to go out to take a breather, for she was bored out of her wits.
“We can’t let you walk. I’ll wheel you around in a wheelchair. Give me a moment, I’ll go get one.”
“Okay.”
Mu Wansheng was filled with joy and excitement. How great is it that I could finally go out to take a breather?
After Fan s.h.i.+xin returned with the wheelchair, he lowered her onto it gently. He then folded a piece of blanket and draped it across her shoulders. “It’s a little chilly outside, don’t catch a cold.”
Mu Wansheng turned around to look at him. Fan s.h.i.+xin held her gaze and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head.
He put on a surgical mask and a pair of shades before wheeling her out.
Fan s.h.i.+xin made a conscious effort to avoid crowded places. This was the first time Mu Wansheng had gone out ever since she was admitted to the hospital. She tried to take in as much fresh air as she could and said to him merrily, “This feels terrific.”
“You must have been really bored while being all cooped up in the ward. I’ll take the time out to bring you out more often from now on, alright?”
“Yes, yes, that’d be great.”
“The doctor said that you should get on your feet and walk around more often. Although it might hurt, it’ll aid in your recovery. Would you like to take a walk here?”
“Okay.”
Fan s.h.i.+xin stopped the wheelchair and walked in front of her before extending his arm toward her.
Mu Wansheng placed her hand on his while he helped her up slowly. However, the pain was too unbearable. Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and persisted.
“Easy does it. Don’t panic,” said Fan s.h.i.+xin, who let go of her hand and grabbed her arm instead. He placed his other arm around her shoulders and helped her walk slowly.
Clenching her jaw in immense pain, Mu Wansheng began taking a few steps forward slowly. She did not turn around at all. After a long while, she realized that the wheelchair was already very far from her.
“Try taking a few steps further.”
“Okay.”
She continued moving forward under his accompaniment.
Despite the excruciating pain, she did not once complain and, instead, tried to bear with it while clenching her jaw.
Just as she was about to walk back to the wheelchair, she abruptly caught sight of a familiar figure walking toward her. She thought that he had already seen her too. However, he was clearly preoccupied with talking to the girl beside him and did not see her.
At this very moment, Mu Wansheng hurriedly buried her face in Fan s.h.i.+xin’s chest and murmured, “My boyfriend…”
Fan s.h.i.+xin turned to take a look before wrapping her head in his windbreaker, so as to conceal her face.
When the pair walked past her, Mu Wansheng heard her boyfriend’s voice.
“Is 500 dollars enough?”
Extremely peeved and frustrated, the girl answered in a high-pitched voice, “What can I do with 500 dollars? Is that even enough for the surgery?”
“How much do you want, then?”
“Five thousand dollars. I’ll still have to nourish my body after the surgery.”
“Two thousand dollars. That’s all I can afford.”
“I said, I want 5000 thousand dollars, not a single cent less. Otherwise, I’ll give birth to your child!”
“…”
Their voices soon began to fade, and Mu Wansheng remained still as a statue. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, she stood up straight slowly. Fan s.h.i.+xin looked down to see that her eyes had already turned red and were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears. He had no idea what to say to her and instead carried her back to the wheelchair.