Chapter 10 Out of the Hospital
I walked over and stood beside him, draping an arm around his shoulders. “If you don’t mind, I’ll look after you from now on.”
Lin Qi looked up at me, eyes searching, like he was trying to decide if I meant it.
I tilted my head and stared back. “What, you don’t believe me?”
He dropped his gaze and shook his head. “I believe you. I do.”
On the day he was discharged, Lin Qi slipped back into that cold, keep-your-distance aura.
But when he bent to tie his shoes, I saw his right foot still couldn’t hold his weight.
“Still hurts?” I asked.
He shook his head, but the sweat on his forehead betrayed him.
“Stubborn.” I crouched down and tied his laces for him. “Go home, rest properly, and don’t go running around anywhere, got it?”
“Why are you so good to me?”
It was the second time he’d asked.
I looked up at him. His eyelashes trembled faintly, like he was scared of the answer.
“Because,” I stood and ruffled his hair, “you’re a good kid. You deserve to be treated well.”
His pupils shrank suddenly. He took half a step back, as if burned, but this time there was no guarded look in his eyes.
When I dropped him off at his building, Lin Qi suddenly turned. “Want to come up for a bit?”
The hope in his eyes stopped the refusal in my throat. I nodded. “Sure.”
His place was smaller than I’d imagined, but spotless.
Photos of him and Lin Yan covered the walls—from childhood to now.
In every single one, Lin Qi stood half a step behind her, a silent guardian.
“What do you want to drink?” He opened the fridge. “Only cola.”
“Cola’s fine.”
He handed me an ice-cold can. Our fingers brushed, and we both flinched at the same time.
Condensation slid down the can and left a small wet circle on the floor.
“You…” We spoke at the same time, then both shut up.
Lin Qi broke the silence first. “Sorry about that night. I didn’t mean to pull your pants down.”
The memory of his hands on me hit hard. I almost choked on my cola. “It’s fine. Just forget it.”
He didn’t answer. He just stared.
The back of my neck prickled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He said, straight out, “I always thought you’d be old and creepy. But now… you’re better than I expected.”
“Just better?” I raised an eyebrow.
The original Huo Chichen wasn’t nearly as decent as me. We were both thirty, sure—older than twenty-five-year-old Lin Yan and twenty-year-old Lin Qi—but not that old.
And I’d checked the mirror. Huo Chichen and I looked identical: stupidly handsome.
The only difference was down there—he was 23cm. I was… average.
Yeah, whatever.
Lin Qi suddenly leaned in close enough that I caught the faint medicinal scent on him. “Now I think you’re pretty good.”
His breath brushed my face, minty from toothpaste.
My heart pounded so hard the can crinkled in my grip.
Then the lock clicked.
We both jerked apart.
Lin Yan walked in.
She froze when she saw me. “President Huo? What are you doing at my place?”
Lin Qi’s voice was perfectly calm. “President Huo gave me a ride home.”
I nodded. “It’s getting late. I should head back.”
On the drive home, a text from Lin Qi lit up my phone: Thanks! Not just for the hospital.
I stared at the screen for a long time, then sent back a :).