Chapter 9

  Dawn Creek...

  Xiao Xi, wake up...

  In the chaotic consciousness of Ming Xiao Xi, she always heard this voice constantly calling out to her. This voice sounded so sad and painful that it made her heart ache uncontrollably even in her daze.

  But she didn't want to wake up, really didn't want to wake up, because she felt that as soon as she woke up, countless problems she didn't want to face and couldn't escape would weigh on her like a mountain, making it hard for her to breathe.

  She lay there with her eyebrows furrowed, quietly lying still. Let her rest for a while longer. She was so tired, these past few days she had been exhausted to the point of unbearable.

  Her eyes were tightly closed.

  A pair of cool hands lifted her weak hands and gently pressed them to the man's lips: "Xiaoxi, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had a fever, it was so severe. I thought you were angry with me, that's why your face looked so bad..."

  You've been feeling terrible, haven't you? Running such a high fever and having to deal with so many annoying things. No wonder you won't wake up, you must be mad at me...

  Her cool lips hesitated and kissed Ming Xiao Xi's fingers which had started to tremble slightly: I've been thinking... you must be a fool.

  Her body also started trembling slightly.

  That voice continued with a bitter smile:

  Why are you with me? Thinking carefully, it seems that I only bring trouble to you. The things I do seem to always make you unhappy. Although I like you so much, I'm always harsh on you and never gentle. It seems that I've never brought even a little bit of happiness to you... You're really foolish. If you had abandoned me back then and not come to the hospital to see me, completely removing me from your life, perhaps you could have been happier...

  Fox... says...

  A hoarse voice squeezed out of her throat with difficulty.

  Ming Xiao Xi finally opened her heavy eyelids, slowly sizing up the pale and haggard Mu Ye Liu Bing sitting beside her bed. His expression was so worn out, his face so pale that it pained her. She withdrew her hand from his grasp, gently stroking his gaunt cheeks, anxiously whispering: How did you lose so much weight? Are you ill?

  Xiao Xi! Mu Ye's eyes were as cold as ice, cutting through the ground as he stared at her: "Don't you blame me? It was I who harmed you and made things irretrievable. Why are you so calm?"

  Ming Xiao Xi's slender fingers slid over his icy cheek, and she smiled lightly: Do you know? Every time I see you like this, my heart aches. Your indifference, your pain, your struggle, your loneliness, are like a knife that pierces my heart sharply. I always want to hold you, warm you up, make you happy, I'm willing to do anything for you, as long as you can be happier.

  Xiao Xi! Muyexiaoliu Bing couldn't help but lean down and hug her tightly, his strength was so great that Xiao Xi almost couldn't breathe. His voice was a bit excited: Am... I worth it?

  Ming Xiao Xi smelled the faint scent on his body, thought for a moment, and said seriously: I've never thought about whether you're worth it or not, all I know is that I couldn't pretend to be indifferent to everything about you. Just like the first time we met outside the school gate, just like when you got drunk, just like how your father was harsh on you, just like seeing you in pain...

  She lifted her still somewhat pale and weak little face, smiling lightly: Maybe I owed you in my past life, let's just say I'm here to repay the debt.

  Makino's voice trembled as he held her tighter, closing his eyes: Can you always be like this with me? Can you always be by my side?

  She blinked her eyes: Then I'll take a look...

  His body suddenly stiffened: What was he looking at?

  She playfully smiled: See if you like me? As she said that, she stretched out her small hand and gently opened his collar.

  Crystalline water, refracting clear and lustrous light, gently flowing, as if with a light soul...

  Are you still carrying it? She smiled sweetly.

  He gazed deeply at her: It's the evidence you left me, of course I will carry it with me forever.

  Evidence?

  Isn't it proof of our destined love in this life?

  ...? She opened her mouth wide.

  We exchanged tokens and sealed our lifelong commitment. Isn't this the significance of you giving me a necklace?

  Ming Xiao Xi unconsciously touched the necklace he gave her on her chest, has she made up her mind for life?

  Her hand suddenly trembled, is this okay?

  She raised her eyes to look at him, this young man, no, it should be said that this crystal-clear handsome man who was like water in the past but now has some unfamiliarity, is he really the choice of her life?

  Under her gaze, his face began to tense up, his eyes burning hotter than flames, his demeanor exuding a thick air of dominance, yet amidst the dominance, a hint of vulnerability that was hard to detect seeped through.

  His childlike fragility was like a sharp blade that suddenly shattered her last bit of hesitation.

  It's all right then.

  That's it then.

  It's all right like this.

  She slowly stretched out her hand and hugged his stiff back, whispering softly in his ear:

  Yes, we have settled on lifelong.

  He gently hugged her again, and after a long time, he sighed and said: Thank you, Xiaoxi, I'm happy, really happy. No matter what the future holds, with your words, I can be very satisfied.

  For some reason, she felt a final despair in his voice, a despair so thick that it suddenly made her heart skip a beat.

  She asked in puzzlement: Ice, you seem a bit off, what's wrong?

  Makino Ryuichi silently hugged her.

  At this time, Ming Xiao Xi's spirit seemed to have fully recovered. She found herself feeling extremely comfortable all over her body, without a single thread of pain or discomfort. Her body felt so good that she could almost roll around and do a few somersaults.

  She looked around. This should be a hospital room, the room was very large, and the facilities inside were all top-notch. But there wasn't even one doctor, nor did she have various tubes inserted into her body, only an empty IV bottle hung there, letting her know that she seemed to have received an infusion. The sky had already darkened, and what filtered in through the window was not sunlight, but a heavy darkness. In the hospital room, only a small, dim lamp was lit, emitting a yellowish light.

  "How long have I been here?" Ming Xiaoxi asked.

  You fainted for over a dozen hours. The doctor said that your high fever lasted too long and you were overworked, which is why this happened. Makino Rie smiled wryly: He also blamed us for not sending you to the hospital sooner, saying that if we had been any later, your situation might have become very dangerous. However, fortunately, your physical foundation was good, so after receiving a few bottles of IV fluids, your condition stabilized.

  Is it tired? Ming Xiao Xi thought quietly, should be worried, anxious, annoyed, painful and helpless...

  Anyway, since her body has recovered, she will eventually have to return to real life after all.

  Ming Xiao Xi remained silent for a long time before finally deciding to face her greatest fear.

  She gently struggled free from Makino Fuyu's embrace.

  Akane Nakanishi?

  He's dead.

  His response was very cold, as if death was just a dog.

  His indifference made her heart shrink suddenly.

  Is she dead? Is Akane Akatsuki dead? That annoying, arrogant, browless Akane Akatsuki? That clumsy, impulsive, somewhat laughable Akane Akatsuki who's always trying to get close to Makino Fuyu? How many times has she met Akane Akatsuki? Four times? Five times? Six times? Every time she sees her, she's so fierce, screaming at the top of her lungs that Akane is a stinking woman. She doesn't like Akane Akatsuki, does she? She doesn't want to see Akane Akatsuki again, not even for the rest of her life.

  But she died? She just died like that? A life just disappeared like that? And when others mention her death, it's as if the one who died was just a disgusting dog?

  Ming Xiao Xi suddenly closed her eyes.

  She knew that she would never forget Akane Akan. Her crazy eyes, her bleeding mouth corners, her shrill screams, the muzzle of her gun waving wildly, and her bare eyebrows. She saw with her own eyes how bullets could create a cluster of blood on a living body, and heard with her own ears the terrifying sound that bullets made when they hit a living body.

  Ming Xiao Xi bit her lip tightly, using all her strength to hold back the crazy surge of tears.

  She can't shed tears, she has no right to shed tears, her tears are cheap and shameful! If Akane's life was lost because of her fault, what qualifications does she have to cry for her?! If you killed someone, how can you hypocritically mourn her and tell others that it was unintentional and unavoidable?! The world shouldn't have such a cheap and shameful excuse.

  Ming Xiao Xi's lips had deep white marks from being bitten, she didn't allow tears to fall.

  She closed her eyes tightly.

  In the darkness, she deeply understood that she would forever bear a kind of guilt on her body.

  Makino Ryuhyo stared at her and suddenly said: You don't have to be a woman like Akamegumi...

  That's enough! Ming Xiao Xi interrupted him, she didn't want to hear him go on.

  He stared at her for a moment, then his eyes dimmed again.

  Did you send her to the hospital for emergency treatment?

  Nothing.

  Ming Xiao Xi's eyes immediately ignited with anger: Why?!

  She had been dead for a long time before the ambulance arrived. His tone was very calm.

  Ming Xiao Xi stared at him: "Regarding Akane Shinmei's death, how will you handle it?"

  Makino smiled faintly: She was the one who fired first, we were just defending ourselves.

  Is it? Was it Akane Akanishi who fired first?——

  Did Akane Akakawa fire her gun?!

  Ming Xiao Xi suddenly started trembling, first her hands were shaking, then her legs, her waist, her chest... Her whole body began to shake violently!

  She suddenly wished she hadn't woken up, she'd rather be in a coma for life than think about what had happened.

  She tightly grasped Makino Fuyu's arm and said in a hoarse voice: "Akane Akana really did fire the gun, didn't she? She fired many shots, right? I remember, the sound of gunfire was right next to my ear, one shot after another, very close...

  Makino Ryu's face suddenly turned pale, and he painfully exclaimed:

  I thought at the time...

  But his words stopped abruptly.

  A vague premonition shrouds Ming Xiao Xi!

  She trembled and said: But I seem to have not been shot at all? I wasn't shot, was I?!

  He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but finally couldn't make a sound, and just nodded.

  Fear gripped Ming Xiao Xi, she held him tighter and exclaimed in terror: "That... that bullet from Chi Mei Xiang's gun went where? She was so close to me... I remember her muzzle was like a black hole right in front of my eyes..."

  Makino Rieko's face was whiter than paper, and the pain in her eyes was so dense that she couldn't breathe.

  Ming Xiao Xi suddenly stared at him with a silly smile:

  Haha, I get it. Akane Akaneya is really clumsy, she must be terrible at shooting, so even when she's that close to me, she didn't hit me once... not a single shot hit me, right? ...... Haha, she's really clumsy......

  He suddenly hugged her!

  Ming Xiao Xi didn't even think about it and pushed him away with one palm, hoarsely saying: Is that right? You speak up... Speak!

  His eyes gleamed with an eerie light as he whispered:

  No.

  What's going on?! Tell me quickly! She's getting anxious to the point of madness.

  He gazed into her eyes like a deep nightmare, his low voice was as terrifying as a curse, he finally told her everything:

  So close to you, even if Akane Motomiya's marksmanship was poor, it would be impossible for her not to hit a single shot. You didn't get hurt because someone saved you. He threw himself at you and covered you with his body, taking all the bullets on himself. That's why Akane couldn't hurt you, that's why... you were unscathed.

  So, wasn't that her dream?

  Ming Xiao Xi thought absent-mindedly.

  She had always thought it was just a dream... In that instant, as she rushed towards Akane Akaname, she vaguely felt someone else chasing after her. ...Then, illness took away her former agility, and she stared blankly at the muzzle of Akane's gun, feeling as weak as a cotton ball. ...Then, she seemed to be pinned to the ground, with someone pouncing on top of her, his body warm and safe, even though the gunshot rang out right next to her ear, she wasn't afraid in the least. ...She seemed to still remember him smiling at her, his smile as distant and serene as a far-off mountain...

  Wasn't that her dream? Was he being shot while smiling at her? Was his body bleeding while he was smiling at her? Didn't it hurt, why could his smile still be as warm as before?

  It has been more than a dozen hours since Feng Jiancheng was rushed into the operating room for emergency treatment.

  In these dozen or so hours, Kazama Yuji, who was seen as Japan's next prime minister, used his influence to get the best doctors from the hospital, all of Japan, and even the world to rush over at top speed. In these dozen or so hours, the doctors and nurses rushed in and out of the operating room with tense faces, the door opening and closing, closing and opening, opening and closing...

  Fūgai Yūji's face was gloomy, his eyes were cold and stern, he stared at the operating room door without making a sound. However, Mrs. Fūgai could no longer hold back her tears, her sobbing grew more and more uncontrollable.

  Bingjiu stood stiffly in a corner, his face as white as snow, his eyes as black as coal.

  The lights in the operating room finally went out.

  The world-renowned surgical expert, Dr. Layman, walked out with a heavy face and looked at Fūjin Yūji in a low voice: We've done our best. But the injured person was shot five times, and all the bullets were fired at close range, so the injury is very serious.

  Fujiwara's wife cried out: "Will Toren die? Is he going to die?!"

  Shut up! Fūin Yūji bellowed at her: Let the doctor finish speaking!

  Dr. Lehman frowned: He is still in a coma and the situation is very dangerous. We dare not guarantee that he will wake up, and even if he wakes up, there may be other complications.

  Is he still alive?

  Ming Yu Xi finally arrived with a pale face and rapid breathing.

  She bravely met the doctor's eyes, her fingers clenched tightly, her fingernails digging deep into her flesh, she asked word by word:

  Is he alive?

  The stubborn light in her eyes forced Lehman to answer involuntarily:

  Yes, he is still alive.

  Ming Yi Creek bit her lip, tears gushing into her eye sockets, she turned her head away, and those rolling tears were invisible to anyone...