Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

Downstairs, Ji Linzhou had already entered the lobby of the inpatient department.

He pressed the elevator button, his gaze deep and unfocused, lost in thought.

When the elevator doors opened, he saw Ji Xingqing, who had just come out of the coffee shop.

"Uncle?"

Ji Xingqing was taken aback when she saw him: "Why are you back again? Where's Sister Tingwan?"

"She went back."

Ji Linzhou's voice was calm as he stepped into the elevator: "Which floor is Lin Qingmian's ward on?"

"Fifth floor..." Ji Xingqing answered subconsciously, then suddenly came to her senses: "Wait, Uncle, are you going to see Mianmian again?"

"Isn't it a bad idea for you to go see her now? She's with Ji Xingye right now..."

"Ji Xingye is here?"

Ji Linzhou frowned and interrupted her.

Ji Xingqing nodded, smiling awkwardly, "Yes, it was a surprise for him... He just arrived and is talking to Mianmian in the ward."

Ji Linzhou's gaze suddenly darkened.

He paused for a moment, then released his hand from the close button.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

"Uncle, aren't you going?"

"I'm not going."

The man turned around and strode towards the entrance of the inpatient department: "Let her rest well."

When Ji Linzhou arrived at the ward door, the scene he saw through the half-open door made his face instantly darken.

Ji Xingye was holding Lin Qingmian tightly in his arms, one hand gripping her back and the other supporting the back of her head, imprisoning her against his chest in an almost coercive manner.

The woman struggled, pushing against his chest with her left hand, but her right arm was in a cast and she couldn't exert any strength, leaving her completely immobilized.

"Mianmian, listen to me..." Ji Xingye's voice was hoarse and urgent, with an almost uncontrollable stubbornness: "Please let me finish what I have to say, okay? I had my reasons for what happened two years ago. I didn't mean to leave you..."

"Let go!" Lin Qingmian's voice trembled with anger. "Ji Xingye, let me go!"

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Ji Linzhou strode into the ward, grabbed Ji Xingye's shoulder, and pulled him back forcefully.

At the same time, he used his other hand to pull Lin Qingmian out of Ji Xingye's arms and protect her behind him.

Ji Xingye was pushed back several steps, his back hitting the wall with a dull thud.

"Are you crazy?" Ji Linzhou's voice was as cold as ice, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Her arm is injured, can't you see?"

Ji Xingqing rushed in after her and was stunned by what she saw.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Ji Xingye, then at Lin Qingmian, who was being protected by Ji Linzhou. Her voice held a hint of disbelief: "Ji Xingye, what are you doing? I thought you could take good care of Mianmian!"

"What are you doing to her?"

Ji Xingye leaned against the wall, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He was mostly awakened by Ji Linzhou's push, but Ji Xingqing's barrage of accusations completely extinguished his earlier impulse.

He closed his eyes, raised his hand to rub his temples, and said with a hint of bitterness and exhaustion, "I'm sorry."

"I'm so excited."

He raised his head, his gaze passing over Ji Linzhou's shoulder and landing on the woman being protected behind the man.

Lin Qingmian was hiding behind Ji Linzhou, holding onto his clothes with one hand, her head slightly lowered, her eyelashes trembling, like a frightened little animal.

She didn't even want to look at him.

Ji Xingye felt as if something was gripping his heart tightly.

He suddenly realized that this time was different.

In the past, when they argued or had a cold war, Lin Qingmian would get angry, cry, or ignore him, but her eyes always shone with a light—that certainty and dependence that "I know you will come back to coax me."

But now.

There was nothing in her eyes anymore.

Looking at him was like looking at a stranger.

No, they weren't even strangers.

When her gaze swept over him, it carried a deliberate, calm, and emotionless indifference.

It was as if he were just a piece of furniture in the hospital room, a window, or a bouquet of flowers that were dispensable.

He had never seen that look in her eyes before.

That feeling was even more frightening to him than being beaten or scolded by her, or being hated by her.

"Calm down first."

Ji Linzhou's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The man turned to the side, holding Lin Qingmian even tighter, and glanced down at her—she was gently tugging at his clothes, her dependent posture calming his anger slightly.

He glanced at Ji Xingye, his voice cold and hard: "Let's talk about it when she's feeling better."

After saying that, he bent down, supported Lin Qingmian's back with one hand, and put the other hand under her knees to lift her up steadily in his arms.

"Hook your arm around my neck."

He spoke softly, his voice carrying an undeniable tenderness.

Lin Qingmian subconsciously hooked her left arm around his neck and buried her face in his chest.

The man exuded a refreshing, snowy scent, mixed with a faint warmth, which gradually calmed her wildly beating heart.

She didn't look up, but buried her face even deeper, her fingers gripping his collar tightly.

Ji Linzhou carried her out of the ward, his leather shoes making a steady, rhythmic sound on the marble floor of the corridor.

The shadows of the two people, stretched long by the sunlight at the end of the corridor, finally disappeared into the gap as the elevator doors closed.

The ward fell silent.

Ji Xingye stood there, staring at the empty doorway, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists at his sides.

His knuckles were white, and the veins on his arms were slightly bulging, but he never chased after them.

Ji Xingqing stood to the side, looking at him with a frown.

Her gaze lingered on his clenched fist for a moment, then she sighed, her tone softening: "Ji Xingye, are you out of your mind?"

"What are you doing? You've only just reunited with Mianmian and you're already like this." She paused, her voice tinged with reproach, "She'll only hate you more and more."

Ji Xingye closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know I was wrong."

His voice was terribly hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out from deep in his throat.

Of course he knows he's wrong.

He just lost control for a moment.

Because I was too scared.

He was afraid that the girl who once had his heart and soul completely for him would really leave him.

"Have a seat for a while," Ji Xingqing said, walking over and pulling a chair towards him. "Calm down before we talk."

Ji Xingye did not sit down.

He walked to the window, his gaze falling through the glass onto the black Cayenne that was slowly driving away from the parking lot downstairs.

Inside the car, Lin Qingmian was leaning back in the passenger seat, her head turned to the side, seemingly looking out the window.

Meanwhile, in the driver's seat, Ji Linzhou was fastening his seatbelt.

His movements were natural and casual, as if he had done them countless times.

Ji Xingye stared at the car for a long time until it completely disappeared at the end of the road before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a complex and indescribable emotion: "Xingqing."

"Um?"

"Uncle and Mianmian...when did they become so close?"