Chapter 156 – The Kiss
*Bang!*
The box hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Jian Luo shielded the young man as they fell to the ground with a grunt. They landed nearby, the young man’s notebook and pen flying far due to the force of impact. There was a chilling sound of impact in his ears, dust flying everywhere, and thunder rumbling in the distance. The young man was stunned, subconsciously glancing at Jian Luo beside him, only to see him curled up in pain.
The young man said, “Jian bro?”
Jian Luo groaned, curling up in agony.
In an instant, although not very obvious, the young man smelled blood, not too heavy but definitely there. Red liquid flowed from Jian Luo’s fingers onto his fair skin, a chilling sight.
The young man widened his eyes, almost panicking and shouting, “Help! Someone, help!”
Jian Luo sighed inwardly. “Stop shouting, I’m not dead yet.”
The young man, hearing him speak, snapped out of it. As he looked up, he saw the wound on Jian Luo’s face, a clearly visible trail of blood. It was dangerously close to his eye.
Because of the commotion here, many people heard the noise and came over. As they approached, they saw potatoes scattered on the ground and someone sitting there. Jian Luo had blood flowing down his face, a shocking sight.
Someone exclaimed, “Call an ambulance!”
Others ran to fetch Su Liang.
Jian Luo had to remind them, “Get the first aid kit, stop the bleeding first.”
Most people were in a panic, and it wasn’t until Jian Luo, as the injured party, spoke up that they reacted.
Su Liang ran over while a group of people surrounded Jian Luo to tend to his wound. When she arrived and saw Jian Luo’s face, she froze, her nose tingling, eyes turning red, tears streaming down her face. “Luo Luo.”
Jian Luo recognized her voice and turned away, not letting Su Liang see. “Mom, don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”
Su Liang cried even harder.
With a group of people around, the sound of an ambulance finally approached in the distance. Initially, the medical staff didn’t pay much attention upon hearing about an injured person here, but when they heard the patient’s name, they couldn’t sit still.
Jian Luo.
Everyone knew his name; he was already a national treasure.
“Make way.”
“Don’t block the path.”
“Family can come along.”
The scene was chaotic and frantic. Jian Luo’s last memory was of the white roof of the ambulance. Everything else felt like bubbles to him. His final thought before closing his eyes was embarrassment about facing Lu Shifeng when he returned.
…
Jian Luo had a dream.
In the dream, he was an old man with speckled white hair, while Lu Shifeng remained young. Their three children had grown up and achieved success in their respective fields. However, he couldn’t live long enough to see them marry and have children, leaving behind countless regrets in his lonely life.
“Still not awake?”
“The doctor said it would be these two days…”
Voices approached from far away. Jian Luo’s eyelashes trembled as he opened his eyes. The first thing his nose detected was the strong smell of disinfectant, sharp and awakening.
Jian Luo took a while to adjust, his voice hoarse as he said, “Mom.”
Su Liang froze for a moment, then hurried over, tears welling up in her delicate eyes again. “Luo Luo.”
Jian Luo squinted at her appearance and smiled. “Why are you crying again? I didn’t die, you know.”
“Mom won’t cry anymore.”
Su Liang wiped her face and helped Jian Luo sit up. “How do you feel? Still uncomfortable?”
Jian Luo shook his head, instinctively checking his whole body. Then he thought of his face and asked, “Is my face injured?”
While shielding the boy from the frame, he bumped into a nearby shelf and cut his face. At the time, he didn’t feel much, but now it stung fiercely.
Su Liang paused, then quickly reassured him, “Luo Luo, don’t worry. Anxing’s medical technology is very good. You won’t be scarred.”
Jian Luo smiled faintly. “Hmm.”
In truth, as a boy, having a pretty face didn’t matter much. But—he didn’t want Lu Shifeng to see him looking ugly. It would be too embarrassing.
Jian Luo remembered and asked, “Mom, how long have I been asleep?”
“Two days.” Su Liang brought porridge and rice from a nearby small kitchen. “The doctor said you could eat once you woke up. Here.”
Jian Luo’s hands were weak, so Su Liang fed him spoonful by spoonful. As he ate, Jian Luo asked, “Where are the kids?”
“They’re at home. You were injured, and I didn’t want them to worry, so I didn’t bring them to see you.”
Jian Luo acknowledged with a nod.
After finishing his meal, he wanted to look in the mirror. Su Liang followed him, a bit worried that Jian Luo couldn’t handle seeing his face. Jian Luo simply walked up to the mirror and saw the red mark on his face, from the corner of his eye to his nostril, quite striking.
Su Liang’s heart tightened.
Jian Luo looked for a while and smiled. “It’s quite distinctive.”
Su Liang was slightly surprised.
“As long as it didn’t hit my eye, it’s fine. Eyes are harder to treat than scars.” Jian Luo said, “Please don’t worry. I’m not a child anymore. I can handle this.”
Strangely, the more indifferent he seemed, the more upset Su Liang appeared.
*Knock, knock*
There was a knock at the door.
Jian Luo turned around. “Come in.”
It was unexpectedly the young boy. He timidly stood at the door and greeted Jian Luo, “Jian bro.”
Jian Luo smiled. “Why stand there? Come in.”
The boy entered with some gifts, bowing. “Jian bro, I’m sorry!”
He seemed very nervous, trembling uncontrollably. Jian Luo wondered if he might shake himself apart.
Jian Luo sat down. “I went to save you myself. Don’t worry about it.”
The boy bit his lip. “But…”
“Be more careful next time. Not every time will be so lucky.” Jian Luo picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip. “Go back now. I’m fine.”
The boy looked at the scar on Jian Luo’s face, hesitated to speak, unsure how Jian Luo might react. He hadn’t expected Jian Luo to be so calm.
Unable to voice his comforting words, he bowed and left.
After he left, Jian Luo said to Su Liang, “You should go rest too. I’m a bit tired and want to sleep.”
Su Liang nodded. “Okay.”
Once everyone had left, Jian Luo completely let go of his facade of indifference. He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window, contemplating life. He was afraid, too. Why wouldn’t he be afraid? He was only human. But what good would fear do? As Lu Shifeng would say, crying endlessly wouldn’t solve anything.
…
Falling asleep was a drowsy process.
This time, his sleep was deeper. He dreamed of many things—his past life in the village, times when he felt trapped, his struggle in the big city, and the nights he spent working hard to pay the rent through livestreams. Life seemed like a reel of film, playing scenes one by one.
When he woke again, he heard voices around him.
“Fever?”
“Why isn’t it going down?”
“We’re not sure either. His body seems resistant to Anxing’s medication and even had a stress reaction.”
“Let’s stop the medication for now.”
Jian Luo groggily opened his eyes and saw a figure beside him. He reached out instinctively to grasp the person, but his hand hung in mid-air before a large hand enveloped it. This definitely wasn’t Su Liang’s hand. Jian Luo snapped awake at this realization. Standing there was Lu Shifeng.
?
Jian Luo’s voice was hoarse. “Aren’t you supposed to come back in two weeks?”
Lu Shifeng said, “You’re injured. I came back to see you.”
This man never spoke sweet words. He always quietly did things without mentioning how exhausting or troublesome it might be to rush back.
For some reason,
Jian Luo’s nose tingled. His head felt heavy from the fever, and his face hurt from the injury. But he wasn’t crying over these things. It was just that seeing Lu Shifeng made him unexpectedly vulnerable.
“What’s there to look at?” Jian Luo instinctively wanted to cover his face with his hand. “It’s ugly.”
He fell asleep again for two days. A faint scar had formed where the red mark on his face had been, now quite prominent. In truth, it wasn’t ugly at all. His fair skin and handsome features made the lightning-like scar look mysterious and cool.
Lu Shifeng: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Jian Luo looked at him expectantly.
Lu Shifeng continued casually, “I wasn’t particularly handsome before either.”
“…”
Damn.
Jian Luo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just when he was feeling mixed emotions, Lu Shifeng fetched a tray with a medicine box from nearby. He applied some ointment to his own hands and said, “You need to apply this cream to your face every few hours. Come here.”
Jian Luo sat on the bed, watching him act so indifferently, which annoyed him. Although he knew applying the medicine was for his own good, he couldn’t help but pout and sarcastically quip, “You say I’m not ugly, yet you’re so diligent in applying the cream. Aren’t you still disgusted with me?”
In reality, everyone who says such things hopes to hear comforting words. They want to hear reassurance that it’s okay, that they’re not ugly, that applying the medicine isn’t because of disgust. Behind every unreasonable complaint is a desire for repeated reassurance.
Lu Shifeng quietly looked at him.
Jian Luo stole a glance at him guiltily, but didn’t receive any comfort. He couldn’t hide his disappointment, but still tactfully said, “Okay, okay, I won’t say anymore. If you want to apply it, go ahead…”
Lu Shifeng leaned down, getting closer. His handsome face suddenly enlarged in front of Jian Luo, and just as Jian Luo was babbling, Lu Shifeng gently lowered his head and kissed the red scar tenderly, as if treating it like a precious treasure.
Jian Luo’s eyes widened suddenly, and his words froze in his mouth.
To be precise, he was dumbfounded.
Lu Shifeng lifted his head, his crimson eyes staring directly at him. He raised an eyebrow and teased, “Can I apply it now?”
Author’s note: Lu Shifeng: Not easy.
T/N: Hope you’re having a good day! Drink water and make sure to sleep early! (>w<)/
If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi!
I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
and many, many more!
Thank you for all your support <3 Leave a comment if you like 🙂 I love reading them!
Leave a Reply