Hypocrisy

"Chen... Xu..."

Indistinctly, Chen Xu heard a voice, coming from what felt like a great distance away.

Who is calling me? He tried with difficulty to discern the source of the voice, but the surrounding darkness pressed down on him like a tide, making it hard for him to breathe. His subconscious told him that this voice was very important to him.

"Chen... Xu..."

The voice sounded again, but it was fainter, receding into the distance.

Anxious, he struggled violently and finally opened his eyes.

Ugh.

The movement tugged at his wounds, and the stinging pain from his forehead made him see stars.

It took a while for him to recover, finally making out the scene before him: a mass of dark clouds.

The snow had stopped, and the sky was dim, but not completely dark yet. He hadn't been unconscious for too long.

However, his situation was dire. Half of his body was buried in the snow, and his hands and feet were numb with cold. Fortunately, he had woken up early; if he had been out for another hour or two, he would have frozen to death.

"Chen... Xu..."

Far away, a voice drifted faintly, intermittent and unclear in the howling wind.

It was Luo Xiyun's voice.

An indescribable emotion welled up in Chen Xu's heart, and he wanted to respond.

"I—" But when he opened his mouth, his throat felt stuck, and the sound he made was hoarse. He tried desperately to shout a few times, but his voice couldn't carry.

No, his voice was too weak; she wouldn't be able to hear him.

What should he do? He was frantic. Suddenly, he remembered the alarm in his pocket—a women's Anti-Wolf Alarm. The Cold-Weather Clothing he was wearing had pockets filled with various small items that he always carried just in case.

Now that his strength had recovered slightly and his hands weren't as numb, he laboriously raised his right hand, used his teeth to pull off his glove, and took out the alarm from his pocket.

These normally simple actions exhausted what little strength he had left, causing his vision to darken.

He gritted his teeth to keep from passing out, bit down on the alarm's switch, and yanked hard.

Wooo—

A sharp, piercing alarm sounded. At such close range, Chen Xu felt like his eardrums were about to burst. Miserable, he used the last of his strength to throw the alarm as far away as he could.

Having done all that, he only had enough strength left to pant. His mind was muddled, and in the piercing alarm, he could only struggle to stay conscious.

After a while, he vaguely heard the sound of a car engine. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, unable to hold on any longer. He slowly closed his eyes, and the last thing he saw was a staggering figure running toward him.

Then, he lost consciousness.

"Ugh."

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xu woke up. He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling above him.

"Where is this?"

His head throbbed painfully, and when he tried to move, his body felt weak and sore.

The pain stirred his memories.

Did Luo Xiyun bring me back?

He glanced down at the blanket covering him and finally realized where he was. This was Luo Xiyun's room, and he was lying on her bed.

In an instant, an indescribable emotion surged through his heart.

She must have been frantic when I didn't come back last night.

She had driven around aimlessly, searching for him, not knowing how long she had been looking.

The last time she had been trapped by the Typhoon, Chen Xu had searched everywhere for her in the same way, and he knew very well the feeling of being consumed by fear, worry, and anxiety.

With a click, the sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts.

Luo Xiyun walked in carrying a bowl. When she reached the bedside and saw that he was awake, a look of surprise and joy appeared on her face. "You're awake..."

"Water..." Chen Xu's voice was hoarse as he spoke.

Luo Xiyun quickly put the bowl in her hand aside, poured a glass of water, sat on the edge of the bed, supported him with one hand to sit up, and brought the glass to his lips.

Chen Xu leaned against her embrace and gulped down the glass of water.

"Want more?" she asked.

Chen Xu nodded. She poured another glass.

After drinking two glasses of water, Chen Xu finally regained some strength and sat up against the headboard.

"I cooked porridge, would you like some?" Luo Xiyun picked up the bowl she had just set down and asked.

"Yes." Chen Xu looked at her face, letting her feed him spoonful after spoonful of porridge. His heart fluttered. He had never felt such tenderness from his ex-girlfriend.

After finishing a bowl of porridge, Luo Xiyun asked, "More?"

Chen Xu suddenly said, "Have you been resting these past two days?"

"What are you doing?"

Luo Xiyun was a little flustered, took a step back, and said, "You... don't misunderstand, I'm taking care of you because you're injured, not because of anything else."

Chen Xu looked into her eyes and said, "After taking a trip to the gates of hell this time, I've figured things out. Now, our fates are tied together, and neither of us can leave the other. There's no need for us to keep bickering. Why not spend the rest of our time loving each other..."

"Don't get your hopes up." Luo Xiyun's chest rose and fell rapidly as she interrupted him, "I'm telling you, even if you die, I will live well. Next time, don't you dare touch me, or else, I... I'll be rude to you."

With that, she took the bowl and left the room.

Chen Xu said disdainfully, "That threat has no deterrent effect at all."

Despite saying that, his face still looked a little unpleasant. Had it come to this, and she still wouldn't accept him? He lay there, letting his thoughts run wild for a while, and gradually fell asleep.

When Chen Xu woke up again, he felt much better. He was about to get up when he felt someone next to him. He turned his head and saw Luo Xiyun sitting by the bed, her upper body lying on the edge of the bed, asleep, with one hand pressing on him.

He found it a little funny. She had just said such heartless things, but now she was guarding him while he slept.

So contrary.

He reached out and brushed away the hair that had fallen over her face, looking at her.

The more I look, the more beautiful she is.

Thinking of what she had just said, he felt a little angry and whispered, "You can't escape my grasp."

"Hmm..."

Luo Xiyun's long eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up. She looked up and saw him staring intently at her. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "You're awake."

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, looked at the time, and exclaimed, "Oh no, how did I sleep for so long?" As she spoke, she hurried out.

Chen Xu was a little curious. He lifted the quilt and got out of bed, following her out. He saw her busying herself in the kitchen and couldn't help but smile.