MLROCSHR Chapter 99
by VolareLian Xun sobbed uncontrollably, his face buried in Qi Luzhi’s shoulder. Qi Luzhi, on the other hand, gently patted his back, soothing him softly.
“It’s good that you’re alright. Don’t cry. I’m here.”
“Qi-gege, I’m sorry.” Lian Xun was filled with remorse. Besides “I’m sorry,” he didn’t know what else he could say.
Qi Luzhi shook his head gently. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m happy to see you safe and sound in front of me now.”
He was truly grateful that the one lying here was him, not Lian Xun.
Hearing Qi Luzhi say this, Lian Xun cried even harder, his tears soaking a large patch of Qi Luzhi’s shoulder.
He vowed to himself that from now on, he would never let Qi Luzhi get hurt for him again. He would protect himself, and even more so, protect the person who always stood in front of him.
The doctor came in to examine Qi Luzhi’s body. There were no major issues. He just needed to recuperate carefully, do rehabilitation exercises on time, and leave the rest to fate.
Lian Xun was afraid that Qi Luzhi would be unhappy staying in the hospital, so he took him back to the Lian Family Manor.
He was also afraid that others wouldn’t be able to take good care of Qi Luzhi, so he personally took care of everything, no matter how small.
“Qi-gege, I specially bought a wool Blanket for you. Cover your legs, be careful not to catch a cold.”
“Qi-gege, these are fruits that were just air-shipped from Thailand. I’ll feed them to you.”
“Oh right, I was afraid you’d be bored at home, so I had them send the latest financial journals every day. Do you want to read them? I’ll go get them now.”
Qi Luzhi sat in the wheelchair, looking at Lian Xun’s busy figure, and smiled helplessly. “Don’t bother, I don’t need anything.”
He patted his legs, signaling to Lian Xun, “Come here, just stay with me.”
Lian Xun walked up to Qi Luzhi, and Qi Luzhi grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto his lap. Lian Xun frowned slightly. “Is this… alright?”
Qi Luzhi knew Lian Xun was worried about his legs. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Lian Xun’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder, and said softly, “It’s alright, let me hold you.”
Lian Xun smiled and pecked Qi Luzhi’s lips. “Okay, and here’s a kiss as a bonus.”
“One isn’t enough.”
Qi Luzhi said, and kissed Lian Xun’s lips again.
A few days later, the rehabilitation training machine that Lian Xun had ordered was delivered to the house. Even with a professional rehabilitation therapist present, Lian Xun still insisted on staying by Qi Luzhi’s side every day, like teaching a toddler to walk, generously offering encouragement and praise, maximizing his emotional support.
Even though it was painful and difficult, Qi Luzhi gritted his teeth and persevered.
Because Lian Xun was his hope, his light.
Days passed, and the cold wind, carrying a biting chill, blew away the last trace of warmth from autumn.
For two whole months, Qi Luzhi struggled to even stand up on his own. His heart full of confidence and hope gradually crumbled with each failure.
In the still of midnight, the cold wind howled outside the window, and heavy snow arrived as promised, heralding the official arrival of winter.
Qi Luzhi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. These past few days, he had been thinking, if he could never recover, would he be a burden to Lian Xun for the rest of his life?
Now he was a cripple, unable to give Lian Xun happiness.
The thought of possibly separating from Lian Xun in the future made his heart ache as if it were bleeding, but he was even more unwilling to trap Lian Xun for life in this pathetic state.
Qi Luzhi gazed deeply at the sleeping person beside him, gently stroking his face.
Even such a light movement still woke Lian Xun. He suddenly sat up, looking worried. “Qi-gege, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Or do you need to go to the Restroom? I’ll help you.”
Looking at Lian Xun’s haggard and gaunt face, his sunken eyes, which were the result of days of hard work, Qi Luzhi’s heart ached fiercely, and his clenched fingertips trembled slightly. “I’m fine, you go back to sleep.”
“Oh.” Lian Xun stared at Qi Luzhi blankly for a while, then lay back down beside him.
The next day, Lian Xun went to the company to handle some matters and couldn’t stay with Qi Luzhi.
After breakfast, Qi Luzhi sat alone by the window. The weather was very nice, and the warm sunlight cut diagonally across the window frames, casting diamond-shaped patches of light on his lap.
He mechanically turned the wheels of the wheelchair, listening to the clicking sound of the metal bearings, his heart in turmoil.
In the afternoon, Lian Xun came back early, holding a bunch of vibrant lilies in his hand, and walked towards Qi Luzhi cheerfully.
“Qi-gege, I passed by a flower shop today and saw that the lilies were blooming beautifully, so I bought some to put in the house. It’ll make you feel better to look at them.”
As Lian Xun spoke, he inserted the bouquet into a vase and placed it on the windowsill.
“I don’t like lilies.” Qi Luzhi turned his face away and looked out the window.
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it, and a faint trace of bitterness surged into his throat.
Lian Xun’s movements paused, and the rainbow of light refracted by the crystal vase flickered across his face. “It’s okay, then I’ll change them for something else tomorrow.”
“There’s no need.” Qi Luzhi said in a low voice, seemingly deliberately rejecting Lian Xun.
Lian Xun turned to look at Qi Luzhi, not blaming him for his bad attitude, but instead, his eyes were full of heartache.
These days, he had been working hard on rehabilitation training every day, but with little effect. Anyone would feel anxious and depressed.
Lian Xun could understand all of this. He only hated that he couldn’t help at all, couldn’t bear even half of Qi Luzhi’s burden.
Qi Luzhi lowered his eyes and asked, “Lian Xun, have you ever thought that if I’m always like this, maybe… without me, you would be…”
“Qi-gege!”
Lian Xun suddenly interrupted Qi Luzhi, squatted down, and held his hands tightly, looking into his eyes with a firm gaze.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I’m telling you now, no matter what you become, I want to be with you for a long, long time. Don’t say those words again.”
Lian Xun’s tone was a little angry. Qi Luzhi pursed his lips and didn’t speak anymore.
Of course, he didn’t doubt Lian Xun’s sincerity towards him, he just couldn’t face himself as he was now.
His already sensitive mind made him unable to ignore every powerless and helpless moment in life. His stubborn pride and self-esteem gradually transformed into an ingrained inferiority complex along with his crippled legs, spreading little by little to every corner of his body and mind.
The more Lian Xun refused to abandon him, the more he despised his own incompetence, and the desire to escape grew stronger.
As dusk fell, a muffled thud of a heavy object falling to the ground came from the second-floor Bedroom. Qi Luzhi was lying on the ground, his left arm burning with pain.
The shards of the broken glass were embedded in his palm, but he felt a sense of relief – it should be like this, let Lian Xun see just how useless and burdensome he was.
Lian Xun rushed in, and a trace of panic flashed across his face when he saw the blood on Qi Luzhi’s hand. “Qi-gege, are you alright?”
“Don’t come over!”
Qi Luzhi roared in a hoarse voice, his fingernails digging deeply into the wound in his palm.
Lian Xun was startled by his sudden emotional outburst and stood there in a daze for a moment.