Chapter 65: Chapter 64: No Emotion Surpasses Joy
Naive? Easy to deceive?
Heh...
But in the end, it was him, this battle-hardened man, who was deceived by that worldly naive little girl.
For at least a month, she’s been carrying his child right under his nose, and he... didn’t know a thing.
Earlier, Luo Feiya came over and argued with her, she fell and hit her forehead, and looking back now, it’s terrifying...
How could she be so fearless?
Pregnant but refusing to admit defeat, fighting with all her might! That girl... does she have any sense?
It’s no wonder she was so angry that day, thinking she was just a bit stubborn, she’s actually no pushover, just someone who can’t tolerate injustice.
Who could have expected, he knew nothing of the grievances that weighed on her heart.
That girl...
How does she have this ability, to make one’s heart ache for her?
Everyone passing by the stairwell couldn’t help but take an extra look at the statue-like Yin Shixiu standing there.
A few nurses went up and down the stairs several times, seeing Yin Shixiu still standing there, they whispered with their colleagues...
Yin Shixiu wasn’t distracted, he just felt heartbroken...
With each memory of Su Xiaomeng, his heart twisted a bit more.
He... was a bit afraid to face the little girl hurt because of him...
But he so wanted to see her, so desperately wanted to hold her in his arms and say, "With me here, no one can bully you."
"Sir, why are you still standing here?"
It was the nurse at the surgery door who spoke to him earlier.
Yin Shixiu lifted his eyes and nodded slightly.
"I just heard colleagues upstairs cursing, it seemed to be Su Xiaomeng... ran out of the ward."
Yin Shixiu frowned, "What?"
"I’m not sure, it’s so cold outside, just after surgery running out, it’s really bad for the body!"
Yin Shixiu muttered something under his breath and then hurriedly started searching everywhere!
Today’s Beijing is sunny, windless, yet that doesn’t mean it’s warm, hands exposed still feel the chill.
This worrisome girl, what is she thinking?
Pretending to be pregnant, secretly removing the baby, fine... he’ll accept it.
But not taking care of her own body, what is that about?!
The Su Xiaomeng he remembers... is a very positive girl, even under enormous pressure and fear, she could still smile brightly.
He suddenly felt scared...
Afraid that positive and optimistic girl might disappear.
And the culprit, is him.
"Su Xiaomeng!"
Yin Shixiu couldn’t worry about anything else, calling out Su Xiaomeng’s name throughout the emergency building, inpatient building, clinic hall, over and over...
With each call, a terrifying thought grows in his mind...
Afraid she might lose hope, afraid she might fall into depression, afraid she might not be strong at all...
In his mind at this moment, he could only think of Su Xiaomeng hiding in some unnoticed corner, cutting her slender wrist with a blade.
Absurd, yet he thought it over and over.
Yin Shixiu at this age, perhaps for the first time, was terrified and chilled by his imaginings.
"Su—"
Yin Shixiu’s call abruptly ceased, his anxious and frantic sight finally capturing the silhouette of that little girl.
From afar...
She’s sitting alone in the pavilion, her small frame leaning against the pillar.
She still seemed like a sprite, only this sprite had become somewhat silent due to injuries.
Barren branches encircled the pavilion.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps, falling on the girl, refracting a sliver of brightness.
If spring arrived, splendid flowers might bloom here, in summer, lush leaves might flourish.
Yet now, it’s winter.
Su Xiaomeng wore a hospital gown, with the white parka she wore to the hospital over it.
Even so, the chilly air made her nose red...
She sniffed, huddled her shoulders,
What to do next? Su Xiaomeng...
The eyebrows originally elegant now knotted with worry.
Can she return to school? Have mom and dad... already found out?
Thinking of this, Su Xiaomeng’s head felt overwhelmed, unable to come up with a solution, the worst part is she actually—
Suddenly, a shadow cast down beside her, Su Xiaomeng snapped back and turned, this glance... gave her quite a scare!
"...Uncle?!"
With a face full of shock, she looked at Yin Shixiu as if seeing a phantom.
Yin Shixiu, with a solemn face, sat beside her, his hawk-like eyes staring straight at Su Xiaomeng.
Her face was pale... pale enough to make one’s heart tremble.
Su Xiaomeng blinked, not understanding why Yin Shixiu was looking at her with such a peculiar gaze...
"Uncle, why are you..."
Su Xiaomeng hadn’t finished speaking when she saw Yin Shixiu take off his coat!
He glanced at her and then put the coat on her! Next, he took off the scarf from his neck and wrapped it around hers, tying it a bit messy, covering most of her small face.
Su Xiaomeng’s heart stirred; this gesture... seemed familiar.
Uncle...
Yin Shixiu took a shallow breath, "Actually, you could have told me, why didn’t you?"
Su Xiaomeng stiffened, and then she understood... He knew.
Indeed, with such a big commotion, anyone paying a bit of attention would know, right?
Her pregnancy... was no longer a secret that could be secretly covered up and then secretly erased.
"Tell you, and then what?"
Su Xiaomeng looked at Yin Shixiu, her large round eyes staring directly at him. Seeing Yin Shixiu frown slightly, she turned her gaze away.
Mumbling, "You’ll still make me get rid of the child, right..."
"Why do you think I would definitely want you to get rid of this child?"
When Yin Shixiu asked this, his heart carried a childish grievance.
Why did she never want to see him in a positive light, why did she never think of him in a good way?
In her eyes... was he really so worthless?
"No reason, just know you would." Su Xiaomeng looked at her feet, muttering like she was sulking.
Yin Shixiu slightly clenched his fist, the cold air hitting his face, making his usually gentle face stern!
"Then I’ll tell you now."
He grabbed her cold hand, looked into her eyes, and said word by word...
"When I found out you were pregnant, I was shocked, shocked and stunned, stunned and flustered, and of course, there was hesitation and bewilderment."
Su Xiaomeng pressed her lips together, a little unable to adapt to the overly serious atmosphere of the conversation, and smiled,
"That’s for sure! When I found out, my feelings were much more complicated than yours! At that time, it felt like an atomic bomb exploded on my head! Really scared the baby to death!"
"All other emotions couldn’t compare to joy."
The light smile on Su Xiaomeng’s face, meant to lighten the mood, froze at the corner of her mouth after Yin Shixiu’s indifferent words.
Uncle... what did you say?
She only felt her heart pounding uncontrollably, like a rabbit that had just broken loose from a tether, beating erratically in her chest.
No other emotions could compare to joy...
Yin Shixiu remembered clearly, at that moment, when chaotic emotions nearly drowned him, he could immediately discern and admit... it was full of elation.
He didn’t have any fatherly feelings for Su Xiaomeng’s child, neither did he have much affection; truth be told, the child was dispensable.
But the words "Su Xiaomeng is pregnant" represented another layer of meaning—
He... perhaps wouldn’t need to find various excuses just to see her anymore.
Caring for her? Compensating her? Liking her?
Eithe too forced, too cliché, or not trusted by her...
Now it’s fine, the child would become the best reason.
Yes, his realization was that simple and defied common sense at that instant, he didn’t consider the responsibilities that came with having a child.
"I’m thirty-two this year, all grown up..."
Yin Shixiu gave a bit of a self-mocking laugh, "I haven’t made any big mistakes, but with you, this mistake is a bit outrageous..."
"Uncle, I didn’t mean to blame you..."
Su Xiaomeng lowered her head, turned her gaze away, and said softly.
"Really?"
Su Xiaomeng didn’t make another sound. Lying wasn’t that easy.
She could forgive before, but now that things had reached this point, she couldn’t be quite as open anymore...
Yin Shixiu took a deep breath, tightened his grip on her cold little hand, "You’ve just come out after the surgery... do you know how many times I ran around this hospital looking for you?"
After... surgery?
Su Xiaomeng blinked twice, looking at Yin Shixiu somewhat skeptically.
"And your phone, why didn’t you answer the calls? What’s the point of having a phone?"
"I..."
Su Xiaomeng puffed her cheeks, her black shining eyes twinkling...
Oh, Uncle... thought she’d already had the surgery? Thought she... got rid of the child?
So... that’s why he was showing such a... oh-so-sorrowful face?
So... that’s why the mood shifted, turning into this bittersweet and sorrowful old lady-like rambling?
So... that’s why he gave her the coat and scarf, while he was fighting the cold in a thin sweater?
Hmm... should she honestly tell him?
Yin Shixiu saw her staring into space and thought she was in a daze, and the thought of her being mentally and physically exhausted over this time made his heartache intensify.
Opening his arms, he pulled Su Xiaomeng, wrapped in a down jacket and overcoat, tightly into his embrace, like hugging a big, soft rice dumpling, holding her firmly.
"Little girl, I’m sorry you had to suffer..."
Su Xiaomeng’s face was pressed against his chest, and for a moment, her tender heart was touched by his words.
"Don’t be afraid... I’m here."
Although he was late, although his excuse to see her disappeared, it was a relief, a relief that this little girl was still here, a relief that she could still smile.
He would compensate her, for all the grievances she suffered, he would compensate her.
Su Xiaomeng wanted to say something, but it was as if her throat was blocked.
The scent of Yin Shixiu filled her nose, the same pleasant scent she had smelled in her dreams that day.