Chapter 214: Come Closer
Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Come Closer
Nan Yi couldn’t explain it either.
The dream was too real—so real it made his hair stand on end.
It was as if...
He had experienced it all firsthand!
The intense fear lingered, and he huddled in Nan Zhi’s arms, trembling uncontrollably.
Only by desperately soaking up his mother’s warmth could he break free from his terror and feel even a sliver of peace...
The way he was acting struck Nan Zhi as very strange.
All trace of sleepiness left Nan Zhi. She hurriedly asked:
"What’s wrong?"
When he didn’t answer, she glanced around frantically, about to press the call button for a doctor.
In her distress, she failed to notice that she had been lying on her IV tube. As she moved, she yanked it right out, and a startling spray of scarlet blood gushed forth!
"Ah!"
The woman in the next bed, startled awake by the commotion, let out a cry of shock.
Meanwhile, Lu Shixu strode forward without a word.
He grabbed Nan Zhi’s wrist with one hand, pressing his thumb firmly on the medical tape on the back of her hand to stop the bleeding.
With his other, he scooped Nan Yi up by the waist, forcefully pulling him from Nan Zhi’s embrace!
"Mama!"
"Yiyi!"
The mother and son both glared furiously at Lu Shixu!
As if they were looking at an enemy!
Lu Shixu’s eyes were cold and dark.
"You’re bleeding."
Nan Zhi didn’t feel any pain.
"Give Yiyi back to me!"
She was usually emotionally stable and rarely showed her feelings.
At this moment, however, she revealed a sharp side of herself she seldom showed.
Lu Shixu’s back tensed, and he instinctively wanted to let go...
’No!’
"You’re bleeding."
He repeated, almost stubbornly, convinced that this was the most important thing.
But Nan Zhi didn’t agree.
"It will heal quickly."
She was more worried that something had happened to Nan Yi!
Looking at Nan Yi, she saw that he had calmed down at some point and was now staring intently at her.
"Mama... is still here."
Lu Shixu frowned.
"He just had a nightmare."
But hearing this only made Nan Zhi’s heart ache more. She insisted Lu Shixu give Nan Yi back to her, cradling him like an infant and comforting him in a soft whisper.
"It’s okay, Yiyi. Mama’s here."
Nan Yi blinked, the situation in front of him growing clearer.
The vivid images from his dream were still fresh in his mind.
And the warmth and sweet scent of his mother were real, too.
Nan Yi hesitated for a moment, then said slowly:
"I... had a dream."
"You had another dream? What did you dream about this time?"
This was exactly what Nan Zhi was worried about.
She had no idea what kind of underhanded tricks the hidden Tactician and her system had in store for them.
Therefore, Nan Zhi didn’t dare to overlook a single detail.
She was afraid of losing her advantage and causing a disaster.
Nan Yi seemed to sense Nan Zhi’s gravity and answered obediently:
"I dreamed about another me. He was in an orphanage, and then... his mother died."
With every word Nan Yi spoke, Nan Zhi’s heart sank a little deeper.
This description reminded her of the so-called "original plot" of the book.
That is, the plot without the Tactician’s involvement—
Nan Yi’s life as a great villain began right after his mother died and he was sent to an orphanage.
In the orphanage, he suffered greatly and tasted the bitterness of the world.
Later, he barely managed to struggle out of that dark place alive.
But his only friend died there.
According to the original book, the traumatic experiences of his childhood in the orphanage were the root cause of his twisted personality and his descent into villainy.
’...But that’s the plot of the book. Why would Nan Yi be dreaming about it?’
’Could it be... the Tactician again?’
Nan Zhi pondered.
She also felt that this couldn’t continue.
Nan Yi, who could keenly sense every subtle shift in her emotions, couldn’t help but straighten his back.
"Mama, is there a problem?"
"Of course not!"
Nan Zhi answered reflexively.
She didn’t want to make Nan Yi worry.
Likewise, Nan Yi didn’t want to make Nan Zhi worry.
So he, in turn, tried to comfort her, his small face etched with seriousness:
"Mama, it’s just a nightmare. I won’t take it seriously."
Nan Zhi smiled but didn’t reply.
Lu Shixu stood to the side, calmly observing them.
Just then, the doctor Lu Shixu had called for arrived, switched the IV to Nan Zhi’s other hand, and hung a new bag.
Nan Zhi was lost in her thoughts, her perception of pain dulled.
So she didn’t notice that Lu Shixu had been loosely cupping the hand that had previously held the IV.
Nan Yi noticed.
He gave Lu Shixu a complicated look, remembering the dream.
As reluctant as Nan Yi was, he had to admit:
"...Thank you for waking me up, Uncle."
Lu Shixu was clearly surprised.
Feeling even more awkward, Nan Yi quickly turned his face away.
It took a moment for Nan Zhi to realize, but then she couldn’t help but wonder—
’So those strange dreams... do they break if someone interrupts them?’
She had no way of knowing, but she secretly filed the thought away...
「The next morning.」
Nan Zhi was discharged from the hospital.
Nan Yi and Lu Shixu accompanied her.
Lu Shixu had very naturally stayed by Nan Zhi’s side, helping her with everything.
His driver and assistant were nowhere to be seen.
The usually proud and aloof Lu Shixu, who seemed as if he were above such worldly matters, had been handling everything personally for the past two days.
When Nan Zhi got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, she even saw him sitting with his back against the cold hallway wall, fast asleep.
Perhaps because he was too tired, or perhaps because Nan Zhi’s footsteps were too light.
The man who was normally so vigilant didn’t even notice Nan Zhi walking right past him and back again.
At that moment, Nan Zhi stood before him for a while, looking at the faint dark circles under his eyes before lowering her head, lost in thought.
In any case, after that, she didn’t mention a single word about Lu Shixu leaving.
Instead, she adopted an attitude of letting him be.
It seemed as though a silent, harmonious understanding had been reached between them.
When she was being discharged, Fu Chao and the others wanted to come pick her up, but Nan Zhi turned them down with the excuse that too many people would be a hassle.
So Fu Chao said he would throw a big feast in the village to welcome her back.
Hearing this, Nan Zhi couldn’t help but smile.
She then readily agreed.
She walked out of the hospital and saw Lu Shixu’s familiar assistant.
Her gaze swept lightly over him, and noticing the assistant’s nervousness, Nan Zhi slowly averted her eyes.
"Get in the car."
Lu Shixu walked up and, with an incredibly natural movement, positioned himself between Nan Zhi and Tao An.
He was laden with bags of all sizes, like a Christmas tree, which included fruit left by the production team when they came to visit.
Even so, he still stood tall and severe, his bearing as unapproachable as an immortal among the clouds.
Nan Zhi was not at all surprised by his "little move."
She rejected Lu Shixu’s offered hand, helped Nan Yi climb into the tall SUV, then pulled herself up by the handle and followed him inside.
As she turned, her long hair brushed across the back of Lu Shixu’s hand.
Lu Shixu cupped his palm, his fingers unconsciously pressing together hard.
"Sir."
Tao An held out his hand.
Lu Shixu handed him the bags and got into the car as well.