Be in low spirits

"I'm here." Kong Zhixi hung up the phone and walked towards the ward.

Li Li's mother took her hand and said to Li Li, "Xixi is here. I'll get you something to eat. You guys chat first." Then she put her hand on Li Li's hand and pulled his father out of the ward.

"The doctor said to observe for a few more days and remember to come for rehabilitation later." She deliberately concealed the matter of the bullet fragments, hoping that it would not affect his mood during his hospitalization.

"Zhixi, we will meet again." Since she entered the ward, his eyes have never left her.

"Doctor Jiang said to give it a try, just in case." She pulled her hand away, still thinking about what to say about the fragments.

Li Li smiled, "How did you find the USB drive?"

"Oh, yes, Cheng Xi's parents came to see you. I always felt like I was meeting Cheng Xi, so I went to check it out, but it had a password, so I didn't know what was in it. Uncle Jiang and Uncle Qi came to see me, and there are a lot of things waiting for you."

Li Li was still weak and couldn't say much. He could only listen to the words he thought were important. "It seems?"

Kong Zhixi thought about it and realized that she seemed to know Cheng Xi. She nodded and said, "Well, I probably haven't met her, but I feel like I know her. I heard from your mother that she died eight years ago."

Li Li looked at the plate of water, then looked at Kong Zhixi. His mouth was a little dry. "Oh, I'll get you some." Kong Zhixi was stunned for a moment and dipped a cotton swab in some water for him.

"What did you say?" Li Li asked again.

"Ah? Who are you talking about? Uncle Jiang, Uncle Qi or Cheng Xi?" Kong Zhixi was a little absent-minded.

"doctor."

"Oh, oh, it's nothing, it's just... you had a fractured bone, and you said you'd undergo some rehabilitation in the later stages, so it's nothing." She sounded a little guilty, not daring to look him in the eye.

Li Li placed her hand on his chest and said, "Don't worry."

After a slight hesitation, she confessed: "Uh... the doctor said there are fragments inside. It may be infected or rejected. It could be dangerous at any time."

"It's okay, I'm glad to see you."

Kong Zhixi was a little confused. How could he suddenly become so affectionate just because he was injured?

"How about you take a rest first?" She tried to pull her hand back, but Li Li held it even tighter.

"I had a dream and now I'm awake. I don't want to see you disappear from my sight again." He spoke for a long time, and it must have taken a lot of effort.

She glanced around and whispered in his ear, "Didn't we agree to get a divorce once the case is over?"

She still had a faint floral scent on her body, her low ponytail still had the white camellia, and she was wearing the gold bracelet he gave her, the safety lock swaying with the movement of her hand. It turned out that she didn't remember what happened when she was unconscious in the hospital. He felt a little lost. In her eyes, marriage had always been just a means. She could cooperate with him on the antidote, cooperate with him on getting married, but there was no way she could cooperate with him on having love.

"I hope you are safe." Li Li still looked at her, unwilling to face the old things she talked about.

"Uncle Jiang and Uncle Qi said that you were investigating a case with them. Is it related to the bombing?"

"Has the Discipline Inspection Commission contacted you?" Li Li just wanted to confirm whether she was telling the truth.

"Yeah. I guess I'll have to come see you tomorrow." Kong Zhixi lowered her voice unconsciously when talking about work.

"It's okay. Is your injury healed? Let me take a look." Li Li's concern made her a little uncomfortable.

"I'm fine." She grabbed the clothes on her chest, her heart still aching. The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was very strong. Li Li looked weak and pale, so she comforted him, "Go to sleep, I'm here."

He finally felt relieved, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Dinner was brought by Li Li's mother and Kong Zhixi's mother. He looked at the couple and felt very relieved. He put down the lunch box and sneaked out again, thinking about when he could hold his grandson.

After Li Li woke up, the Discipline Inspection Commission also found someone to talk to him. Some people from the detachment also came, but Uncle Qi and Uncle Jiang were nowhere to be seen. Kong Jianping also came to see him, and took Kong Zhixi's hand and said, "I won't ask too much about the case, but you have to think about what to do next. His injury...isn't easy to recover, right?"

"I don't know. We'll make plans after it's over." She was also very conflicted now. She couldn't retreat, and it would be against her will to advance. She could only take one step at a time.

"I still don't understand what made you put yourself in such a position?" Kong Jianping still couldn't figure out her motives. Logically speaking, he knew his daughter well. Not to mention getting married, he was already shocked that she could wear that police uniform.

"Dad, you always say I'm useless, but now I'm useful." She knew what her father was thinking, but she might not be able to get away with it if he asked her to personally admit her motives.

"You..." He was speechless for a moment. If it were usual, he would indeed think that it was her own fault that things turned out like this, but it was different now. She was injured and her husband just survived. As a father, he couldn't bear to blame her anymore and could only persuade himself to believe her difficulties.

"Is your dad...making things difficult for you?" After Li Li sent away batch after batch of people, he was finally able to sit in a wheelchair and talk to her.

"No, he... is just worried." Kong Zhixi sat in the pavilion of the hospital's small garden and scratched the mosquito bite on her knee. "He... is meeting his son-in-law for the first time, and the son-in-law is still lying in bed. Isn't he worried?" Li Li thought it was funny. She couldn't hide her secrets every time.

"When I recover from my illness, I will bring him a bottle of good wine and apologize to him. Shouldn't we also put the wedding on the agenda?"

"Ah? No, my dad just saw it and asked me. It's not what you think, old policeman, it's...occupational disease." She was a little panicked, and the mangosteen in her hand no longer smelled good.

"That's what I should do." He took the mangosteen from her hand, opened it and handed it to her.

"Thank you. Actually... you don't have to be like this. When the case is over, the more you act like this, the more your parents will not be able to accept it. Besides, I'm no one's substitute, so you don't have to shift the blame to me." She still felt that some things were better off being made clear.

Li Li was confused. "What substitute?"

"It's Cheng Xi. I know you call me Xixi because you're thinking of Cheng Xi, but I'm not, uh... and although I volunteered to save you, it was a decision I made after weighing the pros and cons. You don't need to feel grateful." For some reason, she felt a little guilty when she said these words.

Li Li was secretly happy. She did mind Cheng Xi's position, and she admitted that she did it voluntarily. Did that mean she liked him? He pushed the wheelchair closer to her: "What did you say? Say it again?"

Kong Zhixi raised her eyes and met his deep and ambiguous gaze. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat and the pain intensified. She covered her chest and rested her head on his chest. "Hiss..." The mangosteen shell in her hand also fell to the ground.

"What's wrong? Does the wound hurt? Let me take a look." Li Li put his hand on her back, frowning, wanting to take a look at her wound.

Kong Zhixi breathed a sigh of relief, and the pain disappeared again. She raised her head, shook her head, and said, "It's okay. I may need to go to the hospital to check the wound."

"Does the wound still hurt? Let me take a look. Should I ask Doctor Lu to check it out?" He felt distressed and worried that she was hiding something from him.

Kong Zhixi grabbed her collar and emphasized again: "It's okay, it's not the wound that hurts, it's really okay." Li Li looked at her and didn't want to force her anymore, so he just comforted her and said: "It's good that you're okay, I'll go with you for a checkup later."

During the follow-up examination in the afternoon, the doctor didn't find any problems. The wound was healing well, but it would leave a scar. The doctor told her to come back in a few months to see if there were any adverse reactions from the glass fragments in the body. After listening to the doctor, Li Li finally felt relieved. Looking at her eating the lunch box sent by her family, he felt more relaxed than ever before.

"Xiao Li, Mom has something to ask you, please don't mind it." Kong's mother suddenly said.

"Mom, ask."

"When do you plan to have children?"

Li Li suddenly coughed twice. He had never thought about this question before. He was stumped by it. He subconsciously looked at Kong Zhixi who was eating, "Well...what...Zhixi...I am like this now...wait...wait until my injury gets better, then we can consider this matter."