He gripped her shoulders tightly and shook his head. He tried to say something but did not have the energy to form even a syllable. Song Qingchun’s shoulders were in pain from the vise-like grip, but she did not complain. Looking at how the man was suffering, Song Qingchun could not help but reach out to circle her arms around his waist. She ran her palms up and down his back, trying to comfort him.
Her embrace froze his shivering body for a moment before he nuzzled deeper into her arms. Song Qingchun hugged him closer to her heart while continued to rub him on his back.
Pain drenched his body with sweat, and the sweat made both of their clothes wet. However, they still did not part from this embrace.
Gradually, the pain started to ebb, and Su Zhinian quieted down. However, his arms that held her never did let go. After his breathing stabilized, Song Qingchun tried to maneuver her way out of his arms, but she almost woke up the man when she did so. Song Qingchun stopped moving and resumed lulling him to sleep. He nudged his head deeper into her chest and tightened his arms around her before falling back to sleep.
Even in his sleep, the man had powerful arms. Song Qingchun was locked in place. She was afraid that if she moved, it would wake him up like before, so she relented and stayed in his arms.
His warm breath tickled her chest; it made her feel all tingly inside. As her heart melted, she leaned her head onto the top of his head and then closed her eyes. Eventually, fatigue caught onto her, and she joined him in the dream.
…
When Su Zhinian woke up, the first sense that was simulated was smell. The sweetness of Song Qingchun drifted into his nostrils, and he realized that he was snuggling in the girl’s arms.
The whole dream-like situation dazed him for quite a while before everything from last night registered in his mind. He had been in such pain, and she had come over to comfort him gently.
Su Zhinian’s heart surged with warmth. Afraid that he might wake her up, he slowly extricated himself from her arms. He looked at the bags underneath her eyes and was reminded of the loving care she had given him over the past few days. He hugged her closely and stared at her quietly. He did not dare make a noise lest he woke her up.
For Su Zhinian, the best thing in the world was to look at her quietly. There was nothing that needed to be said or done; this was enough to make him feel like the luckiest man in the world.
Su Zhinian’s eyes that looked at Song Qingchun softened with love and gentleness. In the end, he reached out to caress her cheeks. His fingers moved to her lashes, then to the tip of her nose. He made himself laugh at the atrocious bliss that he was feeling at that moment.
Suddenly, Su Zhinian’s expression turned serious. His eyes that looked at her were as deep as the ocean. He blinked slightly before moving his lips to settle before her forehead. He planted a light kiss on it. He stopped there for a long time before slowing moving his lips away.
Su Zhinian, who was lost in the general blissfulness of the moment, did not realize that there was someone standing outside the room who bore witness to everything.
…
Auntie Su woke up early that morning. She packed some breakfast at the hotel and rushed to the hospital.
When she walked past the window of her son’s room, she turned to look in. She thought she would see Song Qingchun lying by the side of Su Zhinian’s bed similar to two days ago, but she got the shock of her life when she saw Su Zhinian and Song Qingchun lying in the same bed, holding each other in their arms.