Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Chapter 76 — First Published on Jinjiang Literature City

The lights in the garden were on, but not as bright as in the hall.

Bai Li hadn’t been running for long before he saw Duan Ningqi.

Duan Ningqi was wearing a thin dress. When the wind blew, she shivered and rubbed her arms to warm herself.

Probably because of the cold weather, there weren’t many people in the garden.

Bai Li didn’t rush over immediately. He shook his head—right now, even his own thoughts felt like mush, let alone rushing over to Duan Ningqi.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the fight with Xie Chen earlier.

“Why was he angry?”

Bai Li couldn’t understand. He was just going to check on Duan Ningqi—why did Mister stop him?

No matter how long he thought about it, Bai Li still couldn’t make sense of it.

He frowned, and finally, under the bite of the cold wind, gave up dwelling on it.

There were artificial hills and a pond in the garden. The surface of the water was bare, looking bleak.

Duan Ningqi stood at the edge of the pond, staring at the water.

The pond was deep. She knew that.

More and more black mist was winding around her, and within it, Duan Ningqi’s expression was eerily calm.

So dirty.

She looked at the clothes she was wearing—so dirty.

Everything that belonged to the Duan family was dirty. Including her. She was dirty too.

Bai Li saw her standing at the edge of the pond, and the black mist around her was even thicker than before. He quickly ran over.

“Duan Ningqi,” he called out in a crisp voice.

The boy’s clear voice pierced through the dim night, landing in Duan Ningqi’s ears.

She blinked in a daze and instinctively looked toward Bai Li not far away.

Bai Li stared at her nervously, so anxious that he stumbled over his words: “Don’t—don’t jump!”

He hadn’t learned how to swim yet!

Fortunately, Duan Ningqi didn’t show any immediate signs of jumping. She tilted her head slightly. She didn’t sign anything, but Bai Li could tell—she was asking what he was doing here."You don’t seem very happy."

Bai Li wasn’t good at comforting people, but he remembered how he had once cheered up Zhou Zhi, so he tried it again: “How about... I sing you a song?”

“Don’t just stand there—come a little closer. I can sing for you.”

“I sing really well. I even won an award.”

Duan Ningqi quietly listened to him speak. After a while, she gave him a smile.

But the rejection in that smile—Bai Li could understand it clearly.

His palms were sweating from anxiety, and he looked at Duan Ningqi with wide, worried eyes.

“No need.”

The always-silent Duan Ningqi, in the dimness of the night, suddenly opened her mouth without warning.

“I’m too dirty. I need to clean myself.”

As soon as the words fell, she leapt into the pond without any struggle, letting herself sink.

Bai Li: “!!!”

He rushed forward in a few steps, trying in vain to grab her.

But the pond was built off to the side, and the lighting here was dim. Bai Li had originally planned to check the situation from the edge and call for help, but before he could reach it, he slipped—like he had stepped on something—and with a splash, fell into the water as well.

In the moment he hit the water, Bai Li had only one thought—

I’m doomed.

He was a dry-land kitten. He was terrified of water.

Duan Ningqi didn’t struggle in the water, but Bai Li flailed violently.

“Mister!!!”

Bai Li struggled with all his might while shouting loudly for Xie Chen.

He wasn’t angry anymore.

He just wanted Mister.

Not far from them, Xie Chen, who had followed after, had still been thinking about Bai Li.

But the urgent cries for help changed his expression instantly, and he ran toward the sound.

“Li Li?!”

The moment he saw Bai Li flailing in the water, Xie Chen felt like his heart was suddenly gripped tight—suffocating panic nearly drowned him.

Without any hesitation, he dove into the water.

Diving in, he scooped the now-silent Bai Li into his arms. Just as he was about to rise back up, his foot suddenly bumped into Duan Ningqi.For a moment, he didn’t want to bother with that girl—the one he had thought Bai Li had risked his life to save.

But the soaked person in his arms was clutching his clothes tightly. Xie Chen gritted his teeth and still reached out to pull the other one up as well.

He’d consider it as accumulating merit on behalf of his Li Li.

The commotion finally drew others over. Duan Ningqi was taken for emergency treatment, while Xie Chen performed chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Bai Li.

Bai Li hadn’t been in the water as long as Duan Ningqi, so his condition was a bit better.

When he came to coughing, the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Xie Chen’s face.

He stared blankly at Xie Chen, as if he had been scared senseless.

Xie Chen’s hands were trembling, his eyes red. All the composure and calm he usually carried had vanished completely.

“Li Li.”

Xie Chen pulled him tightly into his arms, voice hoarse: “You scared me.”

The familiar voice finally brought Bai Li back to himself.

He raised his arms and hugged Xie Chen, tears falling in heavy drops.

“Mister…”

He sobbed, “I was scared.” Just now, in that cold water, he had been terrified.

He was afraid he was useless, that he wouldn’t be able to save Duan Ningqi. He was also afraid he would drown.

If he died, what would happen to Mister?

He hadn’t even gotten Mister to acknowledge their childhood engagement yet.

Xie Chen rested his chin against Bai Li’s head and soothed him again and again: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

This birthday banquet ended with Duan Ningqi’s leap into the water.

Amid the chaos, the Duan family didn’t forget to hastily thank Xie Chen.

The garden was large, and the pond was remote.

After Duan Ningqi fell into the water, she hadn’t even struggled or called for help.

Tonight, if Bai Li hadn’t followed her, it was very likely no one would have discovered what happened to her.

It was already past midnight.

Xie Chen held Bai Li, brought along Yu Yin who had followed, and headed to the hospital.

Bai Li had inhaled water—even though he woke up, he still had to be admitted for observation in case of complications.

From the road to the hospital, Bai Li drifted in and out of consciousness, falling back asleep not long after waking.The cold-fearing dry cat had been soaked in the icy water for too long; it could be that water got into his lungs or that he was frozen, but anyway, by the time they reached the hospital, he was running a fever.

“I’ve notified that person, he’ll be here soon.”

After Bai Li was settled into the ward and hooked up to the IV, Yu Yin said this to Xie Chen.

He was talking about reporting, but at this moment, he hadn’t told Bai Xiaoliu.

He knew Bai Xiaoliu’s temper—if he saw Li Li in the hospital, he’d probably start fighting with Xie Chen without asking any questions.

There were spare clean clothes in the VIP ward.

After changing into dry clothes, Xie Chen sat by Bai Li’s bedside, motionless, guarding him.

Even Yu Yin’s words didn’t get much reaction from him.

Seeing this, Yu Yin sighed, stepped out of the ward, and waited in the corridor for that Bai person.

Inside the ward.

Bai Li was delirious with fever, sometimes calling out Duan Ningqi, sometimes calling Mister.

Xie Chen clenched the hand that hadn’t been pricked for IV, lowered his eyes to look at him, emotions in his eyes unclear.

Duan Ningqi.

Just Duan Ningqi.

Looking at the suffering child, Xie Chen thought, Did you lose even your fear of water just to save him?

“Li Li.”

Xie Chen closed his eyes, placed Bai Li’s hand by his lips: “I can’t tolerate…”

Whether it’s a milk cat or a young boy, he couldn’t tolerate Li Li valuing others so much.

Delirious Bai Li was still drifting in his dream, completely unaware that one slip of his foot had caused his Mister to be triggered into darkening.

In the corridor.

Bai Lin hurried over.

“Yinyin.”

His voice sounded uncharacteristically unsettled: “How is Li Li?”

“The doctor checked, no major issues. He was just scared, and the water was cold, so his body couldn’t handle it, and he got a fever.”

Yu Yin relayed what he knew, nothing extra said.

Bai Lin looked at him like that, faintly helpless in his eyes.

“Yinyin…”

“Stop calling me, you go in and see Li Li. I won’t keep you here.”Bai Lin grabbed him: “Wait—”

“No waiting.”

Yu Yin slapped his hand away, his attitude not softening at all.

Bai Lin anxiously looked at Li Li, helplessly letting him leave.

He rubbed his temple and gave a bitter smile.

Forget it.

After dealing with Li Li’s matter, he would go find Yu Yin again.

On the hospital bed.

Wearing hospital clothes, Bai Li looked pitiful all over, closing his eyes and calling out wildly: “Mister, Mister…”

Xie Chen replied softly: “I’m here.”

Bai Li seemed not to hear him and kept calling him.

Seeing this, Xie Chen frowned.

Bai Li couldn’t reach him, his voice dragging with a bit of crying, looking so aggrieved.

Xie Chen had no choice but to get even closer, the two almost touching.

“Li Li.”

“Good boy, I’m right here.”

Just as they called and responded to each other, the door was pushed open.

Bai Lin walked in, seeing the “ambiguous” scene in the room, his expression hard to describe.

Author’s note: Li Li: I just slipped a little!

Boss: Thanks for the invite, now darkened.

—

Chuumi.