Chapter 106 08

Chapter 106.08

Ningcheng First People's Hospital, VIP Ward.

He Lin was caught in a chaotic dream. He stared at the person before him, finally recognizing him.

It was Rong Qing, his Rong Qing.

He felt Rong Qing caress his face and smile at him.

A familiar voice spoke. Rong Qing said, "He Lin, let's run a drill."

He Lin found nothing unusual in this opening line and cooperatively asked, "What kind?"

It sounded like a lovers' pact, yet it reminded him of an old movie he had once seen—*Life is Beautiful*.

Rong Qing said, "We'll test the strength of your will. If you can withstand this torture, I'll bring you home."

He asked, "And if I fail?"

Rong Qing’s expression turned serious. He said, "Then you’ll never see me again."

If that was the case, then he absolutely had to endure it.

It was just a training session, after all.

He was sure he could complete it.

For a moment, the dream turned chaotic again.

He Lin felt utterly exhausted, as if he had trekked across countless mountains and rivers, or pulled several all-nighters.

The fatigue was like returning from a long-haul flight abroad, completely thrown off by jet lag.

He felt dizzy. In a daze, he opened his eyes and found himself indeed sitting on a plane, slowly descending.

The moment the plane began to taxi, he finally relaxed.

As soon as he stepped out of the airport, he looked around, both expectant and nervous.

Then his gaze fell on one spot.

Across the street, a car had been waiting for a long time. The window rolled down, revealing the face he had been dreaming of day and night.

The exhaustion from the long journey vanished in an instant.

He Lin’s eyes lit up immediately. He called out joyfully, "Captain Rong," and eagerly rushed over, opening the passenger door and sliding into the seat.

Rong Qing asked with concern, "How was the mission?"

He didn’t answer. Once seated, he leaned in to kiss Rong Qing’s cheek.

Before he could make contact, Rong Qing lightly pushed him away, his face stern. "What are you doing? We’re in the middle of the street!"

He Lin paid no mind. He was shameless; he simply reached out and pulled Rong Qing into a tight embrace.

This time, Rong Qing wasn’t gentle. He raised an elbow, jabbing He Lin in the chest, and coldly pushed him away.

Surprisingly, the person who usually would have pounced again didn’t move. Rong Qing glanced curiously at He Lin and noticed his slight frown. "Ouch... take it easy, that hurts..."

Seeing this, Rong Qing was startled. "Are you hurt? Where?" His tone was tense as he began carefully examining He Lin.

He Lin leaned back in his seat, enjoying the sensation of Rong Qing’s cool hands moving over his body.

Rong Qing checked him thoroughly—no injuries on his chest, shoulders fine, eight-pack abs intact, thighs firm and healthy...

He Lin took the opportunity to nuzzle against Rong Qing to his heart’s content before slowly extending his hand and pointing to a barely noticeable cut on his finger. "Here."

Rong Qing held He Lin’s hand, studying it for a long time. If He Lin hadn’t pointed it out, Rong Qing would never have noticed such a tiny wound. He hesitated, wanting to say something, but ultimately gave in under He Lin’s intense gaze.

Even though he thought He Lin was making a fuss over nothing, Rong Qing still took out the first-aid kit from the car and dabbed iodine on the cut.

Rong Qing lowered his head, his long lashes following the motion. He blew gently on the wound, waiting for the iodine to dry. He Lin felt a tingling sensation from his finger all the way to his heart.

Then Rong Qing wrapped a thin bandage around it a couple of times and tied a big bow on his finger.

After that, Rong Qing pressed his lips together, turned his head, and started the car with an expression of annoyance.

He Lin mischievously poked Rong Qing’s side with his injured finger. As he moved his hand, the bow fluttered at his fingertip. "Captain, aren’t you going to ask how I got hurt?"

Rong Qing asked half-heartedly, "How did it happen?"

He Lin said with a straight face, "I missed you so much that I accidentally scraped it. Fingers are connected to the heart—it really hurts. But this pain is nothing compared to how much my heart aches from missing you."

Rong Qing said nothing. He abruptly swerved the steering wheel, heading straight for a flower bed. He Lin quickly shut his mouth and sat properly, not daring to make another sound.

Though he behaved a bit better, He Lin kept stealing glances at Rong Qing’s profile. Only when he saw the tips of Rong Qing’s ears turn red—the same person who had just seemed ready to crash with him—did he gather the courage to gently rest his hand on Rong Qing’s thigh.

Rong Qing showed no reaction to He Lin’s wandering hands. After passing through an intersection and stopping at a red light, He Lin grew bolder, letting his hand roam freely around Rong Qing’s waist and legs.

Finally, after He Lin’s repeated advances, Rong Qing couldn’t hold back his anger. "Open the door and get out."

He Lin grinned and reminded him, "Captain Rong, dropping someone off here is against traffic rules." He then pointed ahead. "The light’s green. Let’s go."

Realizing that Rong Qing might truly lose his temper if he continued, He Lin finally relented.

He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a fridge magnet, exclaiming excitedly, "This one, I’m going to stick it right in the middle of the fridge."

Rong Qing glanced at the flashy fridge magnet in He Lin’s hand and retorted, "Childish."

"Childish? I like it a lot."

Rong Qing only heard He Lin say this. He didn’t look at him, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove, yet he could almost feel He Lin’s gaze fixed intently on him.

He Lin’s eyes were full of affection, greedily taking in the sight of the person before him as if trying to etch him firmly into his heart.

Under such a gaze, it was unclear whether Rong Qing had figured it out—whether He Lin’s "I like it a lot" referred to the fridge magnet or something else entirely.

They drove for a long time before finally stopping. He Lin looked around and realized they weren’t at the familiar Tianning Base but in the underground parking garage of a residential complex.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Captain Rong, where is this?"

Rong Qing said, "It’s your home."

"My home?" He Lin instantly caught the oddity in that statement. He opened the car door but felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

As he stepped out of the car and looked back, he noticed that Rong Qing showed no intention of getting out.

Rong Qing simply looked at him, a faint smile on his lips, his eyes filled with melancholy.

He Lin's heart gave an involuntary shudder: "What about you? Aren't you coming with me? Isn't this our home?"

Faced with He Lin's three questions, Rong Qing only gave a low hum, offering no further explanation. He Lin couldn't even tell which question that hum was meant to answer.

He Lin was utterly bewildered: "Are you abandoning me?"

Rong Qing looked up at him, his eyes holding emotions He Lin couldn't decipher. Though he was smiling, it made He Lin feel a deep sense of sorrow.

Rong Qing shook his head and replied, "I'm not abandoning you. You're the one who abandoned me. He Lin, do you know how long you've been gone?"

He Lin hadn't expected this situation. He stared blankly at Rong Qing, trying to calculate the time in his mind.

But he couldn't remember exactly when he had left.

He Lin desperately tried to recall, only to find himself trapped in a blank spot in his memory. He couldn't remember why he had left—was it a mission? But what mission? When was it? Why didn't Rong Qing go with him?

How long had they been separated? What had happened during that time to make Rong Qing look at him with such poignant sorrow?

With so many unanswered questions, He Lin could only turn to his lover, hoping to find answers from Rong Qing.

When he looked up, He Lin saw something glistening in Rong Qing's eyes. Before he could ask, Rong Qing gazed intently at him and spoke, his voice rasped: "Two years. You've been gone for two whole years..."

Hearing this, He Lin's fingers trembled, his heart ached badly, and his head throbbed. It felt as if he couldn't breathe.

He wanted to reach out and hug Rong Qing, to explain himself. Though they were only separated by a car door, it suddenly felt as if they were worlds apart, as if they would never see each other again. This feeling left He Lin panicked and desperate.

Rong Qing continued to smile at him: "Go, He Lin. Someone is waiting for you at home."

He Lin pursed his lips, suddenly circled to the other side of the car, yanked the door open, and pulled the person inside out.

In the next moment, ignoring the other's stunned expression, He Lin pressed Rong Qing's shoulders and kissed him without another word. He pulled Rong Qing into a crushing embrace, holding him tightly, using all his strength in his arms and body. Rong Qing pushed against him but couldn't break free.

He Lin held him as if trying to merge him into his own body. He still couldn't remember what had happened, but his intuition told him that if he let go today, he would lose Rong Qing forever.

He Lin couldn't face such an outcome; even the thought of it felt like his heart was being torn apart.

His eyes reddened, and his chest tightened with pain.

He Lin lowered his head, kissing and biting with desperate intensity. Rong Qing, who had initially struggled, began to respond, and soon the two were lost in a passionate kiss.

Perhaps a canine tooth nicked a lip, bringing a faint taste of blood, but neither of them stopped.

Only when both were breathing heavily did He Lin release Rong Qing. They leaned their foreheads together as they caught their breath, with He Lin's arms still wrapped around Rong Qing's waist, as if afraid he would vanish the moment he let go.

Feeling the warmth of Rong Qing's forehead, something began to clear in He Lin's mind. The fog that had clouded his thoughts slowly dissipated. He wanted to see what lay beyond but didn’t want to lose focus—he needed to resolve things with Rong Qing first.

As He Lin's breathing grew heavier, Rong Qing gently patted his back, soothing him.

He Lin gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't abandon you, and you can't abandon me either." He felt his heart sinking, overwhelmed with sorrow.

Rong Qing in his arms seemed to let out a soft sigh before pressing his lips to He Lin's ear and whispering, "Okay, I promise you. If you don't abandon me, I won't abandon you. I'll wait for you there until you come for me."

He Lin's heavy heart leaped slightly, revived by this promise, but he feared Rong Qing might be lying. Just as he was about to ask if it was real,

a sudden gust of wind swept through. Before he could understand what was happening, everything before him shattered into pieces. The dream shattered, and his arms were empty.

He Lin felt as if a piece of his heart had been torn out.

He felt dizzy, his hand tingled as if something warm was pressed against it.

He Lin slowly opened his eyes...

.

Late at night, the hospital ward had fallen completely silent.

Li Shang had sneaked into the bathroom to vomit when someone was in the room, and the pain had eased up a bit. Feeling somewhat better, he first sent Fang Jue back to the hotel, instructing him to return for the next shift tomorrow, while he stayed overnight to keep watch.

Before leaving, Fang Jue bought some necessities and delivered them. Li Shang gently used a towel soaked in warm water to wipe He Lin's face and hands.

He hadn't woken up yet, but he seemed conscious. As he wiped He Lin's chin, Li Shang noticed the corners of his mouth were turned up slightly, as if he were dreaming of something pleasant. Seeing him smile, Li Shang couldn't help but smile too.

But soon, his brows furrowed again. Li Shang gently smoothed them, and He Lin's expression gradually relaxed.

His hands were stained with blood, so Li Shang bent down to clean them slowly.

The warm towel glided over his fingertips. Each of He Lin's fingers bore old scars, the pads marked with healed wounds, and his fingerprints were incomplete or distorted.

This was another form of torture from the compound: pushing small thumbtacks into the fingertips one by one, piercing through the flesh, sometimes even lifting the nails from their beds. The torturers intentionally left the tacks in place before administering electric shocks. The pain would cause the fingers to curl involuntarily, but curling them only made the pain worse.

The torturers would watch with satisfaction as the victim's fingers spasmed, leaving bloody marks from his struggles on the armrests of the electric chair.

The fingers would gradually become inflamed and necrotic around the tacks. If left too long, they had to be amputated.

When Li Shang first found He Lin, each of his fingers had been pierced with such tacks.

The wounds might heal, but the nerve damage was permanent.

Now, on stormy days or when typing, He Lin would complain that his fingertips felt like being pricked by needles.

At this thought, Li Shang gritted his teeth.

After finishing wiping He Lin's hands, Li Shang went to pour out the water and then sat sideways on the hospital bed.

It was already past midnight before he knew it, but the person before him still hadn't woken up.

Looking at He Lin's hands, Li Shang felt the pain in his own heart, as if connected to those ten fingers. He couldn't help but lift He Lin's warm hand to his lips and gently kiss it.

Suddenly, he noticed a tear sliding from the corner of He Lin's eye. Li Shang reached out and wiped it away.

At that moment, He Lin's eyes slowly opened and looked at him...

His face was still pale, but his eyes were dark. His breathing was shallow but even, but he was undoubtedly awake.

Li Shang, as if electrocuted, jerked He Lin's hand away.

He wondered: Did I kiss him awake? But in fairy tales, it's always the princess who gets kissed awake. Is his princess six-foot-two?

Before Li Shang could react or ask He Lin how he was feeling, He Lin suddenly sat up, opened his arms, and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Li Shang instinctively tried to pull away but couldn't break free. This Sleeping Beauty was stronger than he looked.

Surrounded by He Lin's arms, Li Shang felt enveloped by his presence. He had no idea what was going on, and could only listen to He Lin's heart pounding rapidly.

Li Shang tried to rouse him: "He Lin, He Lin..."

He Lin didn't respond, only tightened his embrace.

Worried about He Lin's condition, Li Shang didn't dare struggle too forcefully and instead said, "Easy there, you're hurting me."

Only then did He Lin seem to come to his senses completely. He slowly released Li Shang, lay back on the bed, and apologized: "I'm sorry..."

Li Shang stared at He Lin for a moment, finding nothing amiss, but noticed He Lin’s gaze seemed different than before.

Li Shang immediately went on alert.

"He Lin, who am I?"

Li Shang didn’t even realize his own voice trembled a little as he spoke those few simple words.

"Li Shang, I'm fine now."

Hearing He Lin's response, Li Shang's worried heart finally eased, though a tinge of disappointment washed over him.

It was alright—at least He Lin still remembered him.

It wasn’t until he fully relaxed that Li Shang processed what had just happened.

After the tension subsided, He Lin’s sudden hug left Li Shang feeling awkward after the fact. He looked down, avoiding his eyes momentarily.

He Lin had internal bleeding before and couldn't eat or drink anything yet.

Li Shang brought over warm water for He Lin to rinse his mouth and moisten his chapped lips. Hesitantly, he asked, "Just now... did you remember something?"

He Lin's face was still pale, and a weary look lingered between his brows. Hearing Li Shang's question, He Lin looked at him and replied calmly, "I dreamed about my captain..."

This answer was like dropping a bomb on Li Shang’s recently calmed emotions, staggering him enough that he nearly lost his footing, taking a step back to steady himself.

He wanted to ask what the dream was about, wanting to know what kind of dream could make He Lin, who had just woken up, hold him so urgently.

Li Shang almost spoke several times, but upon seeing He Lin pressing his head and frowning, he held back.

The doctor has emphasized that He Lin's memories should not be forced. Today, because of Zhu Xiaonian’s rashness, He Lin had another episode and vomited blood. Now that he had just improved, he absolutely must not be stimulated again.

After wrestling with it internally, Li Shang finally suppressed his unease. He didn't ask He Lin any questions, just sat quietly by his bed to keep him company.

Maybe it was for the best He Lin didn’t remember, Li Shang comforted himself. So much had happened recently, and he’d thought about it. His relationship with He Lin was growing increasingly harmonious, and being able to stay by his side as Li Shang was a good thing.

If Rong Qing forced his way into the picture now, he wouldn't know what to do.

He Lin lay flat on the bed, enduring a wave of dizziness and needle-like pain before feeling slightly better.

After a moment, he asked Li Shang, "Didn’t Tianning call you back? How did you get here? Have you finished handling matters?"

"Yeah, I got some time off for now." Li Shang looked into He Lin's clear eyes and finally let go of his last doubt.

He was worn out after the day he’d had, both physically and mentally.

The fact that He Lin had woken up was a blessing; everything else was unnecessary to dwell on.

He hummed in response and reached out to press the call button.

The nurse called the doctor on duty, who came to check on He Lin's condition.

He Lin's head didn’t hurt anymore, though he still felt a bit dizzy, and his stomach felt okay too.

The doctor asked a few more questions and reminded Li Shang to call if anything came up before leaving.

Li Shang relaxed and returned to sit by the bed.

He Lin asked, "Before I woke up... were you...?"

Though he hadn't seen clearly, he distinctly felt a tingling sensation in his fingers.

Li Shang cleared his throat and denied it outright, "I thought there was something on your fingers, so I wiped it off."

He Lin: "..."

Li Shang turned the question back to He Lin, "What was that hug about earlier...?"

He Lin smiled faintly, "I already apologized. Don't be so petty."

Li Shang was left speechless and annoyed, but he was too tired to analyze the reasonableness of those words. His eyes grew heavy with tiredness, "Just glad you’re okay. I’m kinda tired..."

He Lin no longer seemed weak from vomiting blood. Aside from slight dizziness and dry lips, he felt no discomfort.

An IV was hydrating him, so he wasn't hungry either.

Hearing Li Shang's words, He Lin made as if to sit up on the hospital bed, "Want to sleep here then?"

Li Shang lifted his eyelids and gave him a puzzled look. Since waking up, this guy had been acting strange, his eyes glued to Li Shang while ignoring everything else around them.

He pointed to the side of He Lin's bed, "I'll sleep on that one."

Only then did He Lin turn to look around the room.

The special care room had a dedicated family caregiver bed right next to the hospital bed, likely for convenience in care. The two beds were level and could even be pushed together.

Currently, the two beds were separated by about forty centimeters, with a curtain hanging between them blocking the view, which was why He Lin hadn't noticed it earlier.

Relieved, He Lin said, "I'm fine now. You should rest well."

Li Shang walked over, fluffed the pillow, and climbed onto the bed fully clothed. His eyes were so heavy with sleep he could barely keep them open. He said to He Lin, "If you feel uncomfortable or need anything, just call me."

He Lin nodded obediently, "Okay."

Once Li Shang closed his eyes, He Lin reached out and pushed aside the curtain between the two beds. His gaze toward Li Shang was filled with deep affection. The person he had longed for day and night was finally before his eyes. Though this long-awaited reunion was somewhat dramatic, He Lin was content.

Li Shang lay on the bed and soon fell asleep. The hospital's single bed was a bit narrow, and as he turned over, his hand naturally drooped down.

Seeing that exposed pale wrist, He Lin also turned on his side, gently reaching out with his fingers to touch it.

Their fingers lightly brushed against each other, feeling the warmth from each other's bodies. The sensation was electric, filling He Lin with a sense of beauty and solidity.

He glanced at Li Shang a few more times before reluctantly closing his eyes.

The sound of even breathing from the neighboring bed filled his ears, and his heart, empty for days, finally felt full again.

The person in his dreams was the one before his eyes, and the one before his eyes was the one in his heart.