Chapter 4

Su Miao sat in silence, her eyes fixed entirely on the sleeping young man.

Unbidden, memories of her past life flooded her mind, specifically, the terrifying, unhinged man he had become after her death.

She remembered the way his eyes had burned with a bloodthirsty red as he hurled Su Ran off the skyscraper, the way he had ruthlessly dismantled Fu Xizhou piece by piece.

Her boy, who should have been crowned with starlight, had traded his bright future for an endless, dark abyss.

Su Miao lowered her gaze, a deep sorrow washing over her.

And at that exact moment, the figure on the bed stirred.

His dark eyes snapped open, swirling with a tempest of complex, chaotic emotions. Fine beads of cold sweat covered his forehead, and his lower lip was bitten so hard it was dripping blood, as if he were trying to prove to himself that he was actually alive.

His dark, heavy gaze shifted slowly until it landed on the small, delicate figure sitting beside him.

Feng Bai froze. A look of total, sheer disbelief erupted in his eyes…

Sensoring his gaze, Su Miao raised her head.

In a fraction of a second, the dark, dangerous storm in Feng Bai’s eyes vanished, replaced by a quiet, subdued calm.

Seeing him awake, Su Miao’s face instantly lit up with pure joy. She leaped up from her chair and bolted out the door. “Doctor! Doctor, he’s awake! He’s awake!”

Her frantic shouts echoed down the hallway.

A doctor rushed in, performing a thorough round of checks on Feng Bai. Confirming that his vitals were stable and there was no internal bleeding, the doctor offered a few standard precautions before leaving the room.

Through the entire examination…

Feng Bai’s eyes never left Su Miao for a single second.

No one could possibly comprehend the absolute terror racing through his soul. He was terrified that this moment was nothing more than a cruel, fleeting dream… The agonizing agony of his past life played in his head like a horrifying film on loop.

In his past life, he had been too late. He hadn’t been able to hold her hand.

This time, even if it cost him his life, he would never let her go. He would hold her tight, lock her away from the world, and protect her with everything he had.

Noticing the streak of crimson on his lower lip, Su Miao leaned in with a worried frown. “Why is your lip bleeding? Did you bite yourself?”

Feng Bai forced a pale, gentle smile onto his face. “Must have bitten it when I woke up. I didn’t notice.”

“I’ll go ask the nurse for some ointment,” Su Miao said, her mood brightening instantly. Now that he was awake and healthy, the crushing weight on her chest had finally lifted.

“Don’t go!”

The moment she turned to leave, Feng Bai reached out and grabbed her wrist with desperate force. Taken off guard by the sudden pull, Su Miao lost her balance, leaning heavily toward him as Feng Bai lurched forward in bed.

The harsh movement sent the bedframe rattling violently. Su Miao spun around, her eyes wide with sheer panic.

“Are you okay?! I… I won’t go! Don’t move!” She was nearly scared out of her skin.

Feng Bai knew his reaction was wildly uncharacteristic, but he couldn’t care less. His fingers clamped around her delicate wrist like an iron vise, terrified that if he loosened his grip for even a second, she would vanish into thin air.

After a long silence, Feng Bai rasped in a low, fragile whisper, “I’m just… scared of being left alone in a hospital room…”

His voice sounded so small, so utterly broken.

Su Miao stunned for a moment, then remembered his past. When his parents had passed away years ago, he had been the one to handle their final arrangements alone in a cold hospital. It made total sense that hospitals were a place of nightmare for him.

Heartaching for him, she sat down on the edge of his bed, her voice softer than silk. “Don’t be scared. I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”

From now on, she would stay by his side. No more dodging his calls, no more hiding her feelings. She was going to be strong. Not everyone got a second chance at life.

In a quiet, unspoken agreement, neither of them brought up the car crash.

Su Miao didn’t ask how the accident happened, and Feng Bai didn’t ask why she had magically appeared in his hospital room in a city hours away. It was as if a tacit understanding existed between them—from the moment their eyes met after rebirth, the horrific past was buried deep beneath the surface, never to be named again.

Following the doctor’s orders, Feng Bai needed to stay under observation for a few days.

Though he hated hospitals, he obeyed without complaint. Besides, Su Miao insisted he rest, and Feng Bai naturally wasn’t going to turn down a single second with her.

However, the pitiful, puppy-dog look he put on while agreeing made Su Miao feel as though she were somehow picking on him.

Su Miao had originally planned to make a quick trip to Jing City and head back home by late afternoon, avoiding any awkward explanations with her mother.

Given the current situation, returning to An City tonight was out of the question, which meant she needed a solid cover story for her parents.

Plus, she intended to stay in the hospital to nurse Feng Bai back to health until he was officially discharged.

Pulling out her phone, Su Miao called her mother, coming clean about her sudden trip to Jing City and Feng Bai’s accident.

Wen Jiu’s mood upon receiving the news was beyond complex.

Her little girl had grown wings and flown the coop. She couldn’t control her anymore!

And who knew!

Wen Jiu wasn’t the type of mother to ruin her daughter’s happiness. After asking a few detailed questions about Feng Bai’s condition, she gave Su Miao a mild earful for being impulsive, offered a few protective motherly warnings, and hung up.

Su Miao blinked at her phone, surprised by how briskly her mother had ended the call. A second later, she watched Uncle Wang hurriedly step outside to answer his ringing phone.

Su Miao: “???”

Ah. Makes sense.

Her mother had definitely called Uncle Wang to cross-check her story and keep an eye on her!

Su Miao didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, if her mother hadn’t placed a tracking call, that would have been alarming.

With the family situation handled, she turned her attention back to Feng Bai.

He was propped up on the bed, staring at her intently. When he caught her looking, he awkwardly averted his gaze, a slight flush rising on his neck.

Su Miao smiled, walking closer. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll have Uncle Wang go pick it up.”

She silently thanked her stars that Uncle Wang had come along, he was a lifesaver when it came to running errands.

Uncle Wang, outside the room: …Am I just an emotionless errand machine to you kids??

Feng Bai looked up at Su Miao standing so close to him, his eyes soft. “I’m not picky. Anything you like.”

Su Miao pondered for a moment. “You need something nourishing… bone broth soup, maybe? Uncle Wang knows the best spots around here, I’ll let him handle it.”

“Okay,” Feng Bai agreed readily.

Whatever she said was law.

“I’ll also have Uncle Wang book a hotel nearby for himself,” she added. She planned to stay in the room with Feng Bai, but Uncle Wang was getting up there in age, and she couldn’t let him suffer on a hospital couch.

Meanwhile, back at the Su residence in An City.

Wen Jiu sat on the plush sofa, feeling an overwhelming sense of restlessness. She stood up and began pacing back and forth across the grand living room.

Before long, Su Hang returned from his office. Seeing her anxious state, he paused in surprise. “What’s gotten into you?”

Wen Jiu marched over, grabbed his arm, and laid out the entire situation regarding Su Miao.

Su Hang didn’t react with the panic she expected. “Miao Miao taking care of a friend in need? Isn’t that a good, responsible thing to do?”

Wen Jiu stared at him in utter disbelief. “???”

She genuinely felt her husband was missing a brain cell.

Her mild anxiety instantly morphed into pure exasperation. Grabbing Su Hang by the collar, she dragged him straight into his private study.

“Are you completely blind to the main point here?! The main point is that your daughter secretly ran off to Jing City! Why did she run to Jing City in such a hurry? That is the million-dollar question!”

Su Hang gave a slow, bewildered nod. “Right… the main point.”

Wen Jiu: “…”

Thirty seconds passed in silence.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Su Hang’s head. He slapped his thigh with a loud gasp. “Wait! Are you saying Feng Bai tricked our daughter into running away with him?!”

Wen Jiu shot him a look of profound disdain. “And you always claim you’re not slow on the uptake?”