lerbook Chapter 202: Making Her Feel the Same
Chapter 202: Making Her Feel the Same
"Oh, forget about that for a second! What happened to him? What did they say on the phone?"
"Don’t panic. Anxun got a little banged up on a mission. He’s at the military hospital now, getting treated..."
Before the sentence was finished, Shanshan turned and ran out the door.
She quickly hailed a taxi and sped toward the hospital like the wind.
The moment she burst into the hospital room, she immediately spotted the pale-faced man lying on the bed.
"Anxun! How are you?"
She instinctively raised her hand, about to cast a Spell to heal him. Just as Spiritual Power began to coalesce in her palm, she realized—the wound wasn’t actually serious.
"You..."
"What about me?"
Ling Anxun just watched her quietly. Shanshan’s heart ached with anxiety, and her emotions instantly spiraled out of control. The words tumbled out:
"Uncle Xiao Zhou clearly said this mission wasn’t dangerous at all! With your skills, how could you possibly get hurt?"
"We were setting a trap to catch someone. I was the bait and accidentally got hit. It was a complete accident."
The light in the hospital room cast his face in a pale glow, but his expression remained serene.
He didn’t mention a single word about the dangers of the operation, nor did he complain about anyone’s mistakes.
Shanshan was about to argue, but the words caught in her throat.
She had wanted to demand why he hadn’t told her, why he had to put himself in danger personally.
’So... this was her punishment.’
’It wasn’t a scolding, or the silent treatment, or even deliberate distance.’
’It was his own way of making her see, making her blame herself, making her understand—’
’He wasn’t scolding her or punishing her. He was putting himself on the line.’
Not a single harsh word was spoken, yet it made her feel worse than any reprimand.
He would rather get hurt himself than let her be in any danger.
This restrained sacrifice was more impactful than any fiery emotional outburst.
At this thought, her nose tingled, her eyes instantly turned red, and tears began to fall, one after another.
"It really was just an accident."
Ling Anxun sighed softly.
He raised the hand that didn’t have an IV in it and slowly wiped away her tears.
He’d originally planned to use this chance to give her a good talking-to, but the moment she started crying, his heart softened. He couldn’t bring himself to be harsh.
He had intended to use this incident to teach her a lesson, to make her learn to follow arrangements and obey orders.
But seeing her like this, all the words he had prepared were swallowed back down.
No amount of reasoning could stand up to her tears.
He could only pull her into an embrace, gently patting her back and comforting her in a soft, low voice.
"Do you understand now how worried I was about you back then?"
He had waited for news during countless missions, every second an agony.
That fear of not knowing if she was safe, if she would return unharmed—she finally understood it now.
With red-rimmed eyes, Shanshan nodded amidst her sobs.
"This time, I really didn’t take a risk on purpose. The situation was unique. We’re trying to catch a mole who is colluding with an outside party, so we had to move quietly. Too many people would have blown our cover, which is why I had to go in myself. We’re just one step away. We just have to wait for the right moment to close the net."
His tone was serious as he explained the necessity of the operation, point by point.
Shanshan was only half-convinced, but she still clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, insisting he swear he would never do this again.
Her grip was so tight her knuckles turned white, as if she was afraid he would go back on his word.
Even after hearing his reasons, she couldn’t completely let it go.
’She didn’t care about the bigger picture; she just wanted him to be safe.’
"Then you have to promise me, too. We’ll both promise each other that neither of us will try to shoulder things alone."
Ling Anxun took the opportunity to set a condition, his gaze fixed on her seriously.
He didn’t want a one-sided compromise, nor did he want her to bear the pressure alone.
The risks on missions were unavoidable, but at least they could face them together.
The holiday ended, and Shanshan returned to the lab. She had just turned on her computer when she saw a gilt-edged invitation lying on her desk—a wedding invitation from Yuan Zhihe.
She hadn’t even opened it yet, but the invitation itself already gave off a rather intriguing air.
"Come, come! Wedding candy, wedding candy! Everyone grab a handful for good luck!"
Yuan Zhihe’s cheerful and lively voice came from the doorway.
She walked in carrying a red gift box, a constant smile on her face.
"Junior Sister Yuan, you’re getting married? How come we haven’t heard a peep about it?"
A colleague asked in surprise as they took some candy.
The lab was usually a hotbed of gossip; for such a big event to happen without any warning was strange.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around to ask for details.
"Yeah, isn’t this a bit too sudden?"
The wedding date was set so quickly, and no one had even seen any wedding photos.
Moreover, nobody had even heard about her having a boyfriend.
Beaming with delight, Yuan Zhihe ran around the room with her box of candy, not even skipping Shanshan’s workstation. She piled several small pink bags on her desk.
Even colleagues she wasn’t particularly close to received candy from her today.
"Oh, you know, this isn’t the kind of thing you announce with a big fanfare. We actually decided on it a while ago, and our parents have already met. The date just arrived, so it was a natural next step."
She smiled, pressing her lips together in a bashful manner.
Shanshan glanced over. Remembering the scene of the car accident, the corner of her mouth twitched. ’How absurd,’ she thought.
The memory resurfaced—that rainy night, the image of Yuan Zhihe hiding behind a car, frantically making a phone call.
’What she said then, this wedding now, the date on the invitation—none of it added up.’
’The more perfect it all seemed, the more fake it felt.’
"Marriage is a joyous occasion. What’s there to hide? Being secretive about it is what’s strange."
She spoke slowly as she stepped into the office, her gaze fixed directly on Yuan Zhihe.
"Oh my, Shanshan? You’re back so soon? What a coincidence! Here, here, have some candy, sweeten your day!"
Yuan Zhihe froze for a second, then quickly grabbed a handful of candy from a drawer and tried to stuff it into her hand.
"Thanks, but I don’t eat sweets. The cavities are a killer when they act up."
Shanshan pushed the candy back and even shook her hand symbolically, as if she had touched something dirty.
"By the way, after my little incident, I was pretty shaken up. When I went to the hospital for a check-up, I happened to see you hanging around the obstetrics and gynecology department. Is something wrong? Visiting a department like that before your wedding... it doesn’t sound very auspicious, does it?"
Some colleagues lowered their heads, pretending to flip through documents, while others quietly looked up to see the reaction.
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Yuan Zhihe’s lower abdomen.
The moment her words fell, the office went dead silent. Everyone’s eyes furtively shifted in Yuan Zhihe’s direction.
No one spoke. No one dared to look Yuan Zhihe in the eye.
Someone coughed. Someone else shifted in their chair.
Yuan Zhihe’s face turned white as a sheet. She took a sharp step back, instinctively holding the bag of candy in front of her waist.
Her shoulders tensed slightly, and she swallowed hard.
The movement was a dead giveaway.
Someone lowered their head to take a sip of tea, using the moment to hide the smile playing on their lips.
"Oh dear, what’s the matter? You’re as pale as a sheet. Are you sure you’re okay?"
Shanshan took a step closer, her tone so concerned it was almost exaggerated.
"Oh, and work has been pretty tiring lately, right? Don’t push yourself too hard."
The senior colleague next to them, who had never liked Yuan Zhihe, immediately chimed in with a grin, adding salt to the wound.
"Exactly. Shanshan’s right. If your body can’t handle it, you should go rest up early. You wouldn’t want to be unable to fit into your wedding dress when the time comes."