Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The air grew heavy.

Li Xiujin said coldly, "Colonel Lin, what is the meaning of this?"

"I... I want to move into a convalescent care ward..." Lin Ze explained.

"Planning to walk out on your husband and child again?" Li Xiujin's voice grew more and more frigid.

"No, that's not it," Lin Ze said, trembling slightly. "Living there, there would be specialized staff to take care of me..."

"I don't want to hold you back at work because of me..."

To stop himself from saying something hurtful, Li Xiujin stared at his back and let out a cold laugh. "Forget about it. There's no room for discussion on this matter."

Then, he pulled on his robe and went to the study.

Sitting in the study, Li Xiujin's expression was stormy. Of course, he was happy that Lin Ze had recovered, but the residual anger that had built up since the incident still hadn't faded.

Knocking me out with sleeping pills, knowing full well it was a suicide mission yet charging ahead regardless.

Now you're starting up with this pointless self-sacrifice again.

Li Xiujin gave the desk a savage kick. The dormant computer screen lit up from the vibration.

Li Xiujin saw the webpage Lin Ze had forgotten to close.

Besides searching for care facilities, there were also searches about divorce.

The pent-up fury in Li Xiujin surged violently.

Sensing Li Xiujin's anger, Lin Ze clumsily hauled himself into his wheelchair and went to the study. He pushed the door open and had just called out "Xiu Jin" when he noticed his face was unusually dark as he stared at the computer screen.

Lin Ze broke out in a cold sweat as he remembered that after searching for information on care facilities, he had also chatted with a facility representative and with the divorce lawyer he had contacted earlier.

"Xiu Jin, I was just asking him some questions..."

"Asking about divorce, is that it?"

"If I don't agree to you moving into a care facility, you plan to divorce me, is that it?"

"No, that's not it..."

"Then what? Why do you always do this?"

Li Xiujin struggled to contain the raging fury.

Lin Ze trembled slightly.

"I've never thought you were a burden on my work. Why are you always so presumptuous?"

"Now you want to move into a care facility. Last time, you drugged me and went to find Liu Cheng on your own."

"Knowing full well it was a death wish, you still went!"

"Before you went on that suicide mission, did you ever think about me and Li Chongyi?!" Li Xiujin's face was livid, a mocking smile on his lips. "Of course, I suppose you did think, but compared to avenging your teacher and teammates, you simply didn't care about us! Right, Colonel Lin?"

Lin Ze trembled even more violently, shaking his head nonstop.

"You got your revenge. But did you ever think about how I felt when I saw you lying in the snow, drenched in blood? Did you ever think about how I felt when the doctor told me you had three broken ribs, multiple gunshot wounds, and were bleeding... not knowing when you'd wake up?" Li Xiujin's eyes reddened.

"I'm sorry, Xiu Jin..." Lin Ze grabbed his hand, his face a mask of guilt.

Li Xiujin wrenched his hand away. There were more grievances, more resentful, hurtful words stuck in his throat, wanting to spill out. Li Xiujin took a deep breath, snatched up his coat and made for the door...

Seeing him leave, Lin Ze hurriedly followed. "Xiu Jin, it's so late, where are you going?"

Without turning his head, Li Xiujin said, his voice icy, "You never told me about your plans. I don't need to tell you about mine either."

Li Xiujin strode out of the study.

In his rush to maneuver the wheelchair, Lin Ze tipped over, crashing to the floor with it. His arm wrenched painfully, making him gasp, leaving him without the strength to even crawl...

Pale-faced and lying sprawled on the floor in a pitiful state, tears quickly dripped onto the wooden planks...

He had guessed Li Xiujin would be saddened by his injuries, but he hadn't expected such pain. He had no leg to stand on to refute Li Xiujin's accusations. From their marriage until now, he had always deceived him, doing things he thought were for Xiu Jin's good but that actually hurt him...

Lin Ze's frail body trembled slightly...

Through tear-blurred eyes, he saw a pair of shoes. Before he could look up, he was scooped up into someone's arms.

Seeing that cold, handsome face, Lin Ze tightened his arms around his neck and said with a slight sob, "I'm sorry..."

Li Xiujin's face was cold. He said nothing.

*

"Xiu Jin, are you still going to sleep in the study tonight?" Lin Ze asked cautiously.

Li Xiujin remained silent, pulling down his pants and holding him in a position like holding a baby to pee, helping him use the toilet.

Amidst his guilt towards Li Xiujin, Lin Ze was also flooded with shame and humiliation. But with Li Xiujin so angry, he didn't dare refuse...

After finishing, Lin Ze covered his face, letting him clean him...

Once done, Li Xiujin turned and left without a word.

Lin Ze sat on the bed, at a loss.

This time, Xiu Jin's anger was greater than ever before. No matter what Lin Ze said to him, he received no response. He even slept in a separate room, coming to check on him every hour.

In the evening, when Li Xiujin came to carry him for dinner, Lin Ze noticed Li Xiujin's body felt somewhat warm. When Lin Ze worriedly tried to touch his forehead, Li Xiujin frowned and avoided it.

Lin Ze was taken aback, then lowered his gaze to hide his hurt.

At nine in the evening, when Li Xiujin came to help him bathe, as his arm touched Lin Ze's skin, Lin Ze felt his temperature was even hotter than before. This time, even if refused, Lin Ze insisted on touching his forehead. It was burning. Looking at his face, it was also flushed from the fever.

"You have a fever?"

"None of your business."

Lin Ze trembled. "I know you're very angry, but right now, let me take your temperature, okay?"

"I said it's none of your business."

"Xiu Jin..." Lin Ze was almost pleading.

Li Xiujin's expression remained indifferent. After finishing the bath, he left without looking back.

Extremely worried, Lin Ze called for a servant.

The servant quickly returned with a temporal thermometer. "The General won't let me take his temperature and told me to leave."

With the servant's help, Lin Ze got into the wheelchair and took the thermometer.

Lin Ze went to the study, knocked on the door, but received no response. He tried to open it but found it locked.

"Xiu Jin, please open the door?"

Still no response.

Lin Ze pressed his forehead against the door, his voice hoarse. "From now on, I'll discuss everything with you first. I won't mention staying in the convalescent ward again, and I won't divorce you... Right now, you and Chong Yi are the most important people to me..."

Just as Lin Ze was about to give up hope, the door opened.

Lin Ze took his temperature. Sure enough, he had a fever—a high fever, over 39 degrees. Lin Ze's face paled slightly, and he asked the servant to call a doctor.

"Don't call for one." Li Xiujin had a terrible headache, and his voice was hoarse.

"Okay, we won't... How about we take some medicine instead?" Lin Ze coaxed him.

Li Xiujin didn't object.

So Lin Ze fed him fever-reducing medicine. The medicine had a sedative effect, and Li Xiujin fell into a heavy sleep after taking it. Lin Ze stayed by his side, watching over him. In the middle of the night, thunder suddenly rumbled outside, and Li Xiujin, who had a phobia of thunder, broke out in a cold sweat in his sleep.

Lin Ze's heart ached. With some effort, he got onto the bed, held him in his arms, and whispered soothingly, "Don't be afraid, Xiu Jin, don't be afraid. I'm here with you..."

After Li Xiujin calmed down, Lin Ze wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and kissed his face repeatedly...

The high fever kept recurring, and Li Xiujin remained unconscious. Lin Ze knew he hated seeing doctors, but he was too worried and called one anyway.

"It might be because both his mind and body have been pushed to their limits, that he became ill. If the fever doesn't subside by tomorrow, he should be hospitalized."

After the doctor left, Lin Ze fed him more fever-reducing medicine and used ice to help lower his temperature. That night, Lin Ze didn't sleep a wink. Fortunately, by the next day, Li Xiujin's fever gradually subsided.

Although the fever was gone, Li Xiujin was still in poor spirits, unable to get out of bed, and became unusually clingy. When Lin Ze tried to get food and water for him, he wrapped his arms around Lin Ze's waist and wouldn't let go.

"Xiu Jin, I just want to get you something to eat," Lin Ze said, stroking his face.

Li Xiujin buried his head in Lin Ze's chest.

Lin Ze had no choice but to stay with him like that. After sleeping through the entire day, Li Xiujin's body temperature finally returned to normal. Lin Ze used the thermometer to check and confirmed that the fever was completely gone, which put his mind at ease. He had intended to stay awake until Li Xiujin woke up, but he ended up falling asleep from exhaustion himself.

When he woke up, he found Li Xiujin watching him.

Lin Ze felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Xiu Jin, how are you feeling now? Does your head still hurt?"

Li Xiujin shook his head. "Much better."

Seeing that he was finally willing to talk to him, Lin Ze smiled. "Are you hungry?"

Li Xiujin's Adam's apple bobbed. "I want milk."

Lin Ze was taken aback for a moment before feeling embarrassed. "I... don't have any... How about cow's milk?"

The illness had made him act like a child. He threw himself into Lin Ze's arms, almost roughly pulling open Lin Ze's pajamas, kneading one breast with his hand and taking the other into his mouth.

Although Lin Ze felt he should eat something proper, he was filled with guilt and allowed him to continue...

Lin Ze's cheeks flushed slightly as he said, "From now on, no matter what happens, I won't hide anything from you. I'll discuss everything with you first."

"Xiu Jin, please don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"

Li Xiujin pressed his forehead against Lin Ze's, his dark eyes fixed on him.

Lin Ze shyly kissed his eyes. "Xiu Jin, forgive me, okay?"

Even though his cold was already better, Li Xiujin's body felt hot again. He bit Lin Ze's lips, sucking on them as if parched, and then said, "What if you do it again?"

Lin Ze thought for a moment before replying, "You can punish me however you want..."

"However I want?"

"Yes, yes..."

"You said it yourself, Colonel Lin."

Lin Ze nodded seriously.

Li Xiujin flipped over and pinned him down, raising his arms above his head. Breathing heavily, he told Lin Ze to stick out his tongue. Lin Ze's cheeks flushed crimson as he complied. After kissing him, Li Xiujin felt a fire burning in his heart, so intense that his lower abdomen tightened.

Li Xiujin had originally intended to satisfy himself externally, but he noticed that Lin Ze's pants had darkened. He pulled Lin Ze closer.

Lin Ze panicked slightly. "Xiu Jin, what... what are you doing?"

"Fuck you."