Chapter 254: Chapter 254

"Get out! Get out now!"

Rosa screamed with all her might: "Xiang Yuan, consider me, Rosa, blind in this life, loving the wrong person, betting on the wrong game!"

Xiang Yuan could only sigh gloomily, stand up, and gaze at her back.

"Rosa, since I can’t give you what you want, I know that even if I insist on staying, it will only add to your troubles. Fine, I shall leave first."

"You’ve been hurt, and there’s nothing I can do for you, but I can at least promise you one thing: regarding your stay at Huatai Hall, I will not use any means again. Everything will be discussed when you recover. If you want to leave, I will settle the investments and profits in your hands clearly; and if you want to stay, I will naturally fully support that decision."

If in the morning while waiting for the partner meeting in the conference room, his heart was still filled with resentment toward Rosa, yet when he drove over and saw her lying in a pool of blood in a sapphire blue suit... he suddenly felt that all the defenses of the morning had been hypersensitive.

She loved bright red, she didn’t like the overly calm sapphire blue, so initially, all her cars were bright red. But later, because he liked sapphire blue, she gradually changed her preferences, not only repainting her bright red Miyada into sapphire blue but also choosing a sapphire blue suit this morning.

How could he not understand this unspoken mood?

Unfortunately, what she wanted, he truly couldn’t give her.

Xiang Yuan left, and the hospital room quieted down.

Rosa perked up her ears, straining to hear his footsteps echoing down the hallway. Gradually, they faded away, merging into the footsteps of the passersby in the corridor, no longer distinguishable.

Rosa became despondent, burying her face into the bedclothes.

Loneliness swept over like ocean waves, even the sunlight shining through the window bars, colliding with the air in the room, made a tinkling echoes.

She couldn’t control herself, lifting her eyes to look at the window, only to see the sunlight diffusing into a colorful array along the glass, spreading with brilliant colors. Those lights gathered and dispersed suddenly, as if forming the face of a clown, pressing against the window to peer at her inside the room.

Rosa’s hairs stood on end, she clung to the edge of the quilt tightly, screaming in terror—

"Mom, help! Shasha doesn’t want the clown coming inside!"

When Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing rushed to Rosa’s hospital room, they saw doctors and nurses busily coming in and out, with grave expressions.

Shi Nian hurriedly stopped a doctor to ask: "What’s wrong with her?"

The doctor took off the mask, sighed, and said: "She suffered a severe mental shock. I don’t know what happened before, but just now before she fainted, she screamed, shouting ’Mom, I’m scared’, and also something about ’a clown climbing through the window...’

Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing exchanged glances, seeing the same shock in each other’s eyes.

It was shock, not surprise.

That person indeed didn’t randomly choose to draw a clown face on the windshield, there was truly a clown deep in Rosa’s heart.

With doctors and nurses still closely watching Rosa’s condition, Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing were not allowed into the hospital room, so they sat down on the long bench in the hallway.

Shi Nian pulled the hairband off her head, letting her long hair fall loose, running her fingers through it several times forcefully.

Only then did she tie her hair back up, looking back at him: "What were you most afraid of as a child?"

Tang Yanqing laughed: "Afraid of my dad. He didn’t hit me, but he would make me memorize law books, each one as thick as a brick, it was simply my nightmare."

Shi Nian raised an eyebrow but shook her head firmly: "That’s not right. With your intelligence, even memorizing law books shouldn’t be too big of a challenge for you."

"Uh-huh..." He laughed awkwardly at being exposed: "Okay, I’ll be honest. Being made to memorize them wasn’t so bad, I’d eventually get through it; it’s just that, what was a bit troublesome is, I had a brother who could practically memorize law books at a glance, just when I wanted to slack off, he had already recited them fluently. Made me feel so embarrassed in front of my dad."

"Hah..." Shi Nian finally relaxed and smiled: "No wonder you refused to inherit Lawyer Tang’s mantle to become a lawyer yourself, and instead became a policeman. Lawyer Tang sure surpasses you by two miles in that aspect!"

He bit his teeth in frustration: "Stop mentioning it?"

Ever since childhood having such an excellent brother is a nightmare for any child. He stubbornly made it through, refusing to talk about it as an adult. If he hadn’t seen her being a bit gloomy just now, he wouldn’t have spoken about it even if beaten to death.

Seeing her smile, he slowly asked: "And you? What were you most afraid of as a child?"

But she gave him a glance, shook her head, refusing to say.

He snorted, "Even if you don’t say it, I can guess. You’re afraid of ghosts, aren’t you? Or maybe big bad wolves? Or those monsters in the stories that the elders in China often tell to scare children into obediently going to sleep."

"Tch, you’re underestimating me!" Shi Nian glared at him, "I’m not afraid of those story monsters at all because I know they’re completely fake!"

She rolled her eyes at him, "...I’m not afraid of anything."

He rolled his eyes, "Don’t be so quick to deny it. The faster the denial, the more it could be a lie."

How could she forget that the man in front of her, with his casual demeanor and eye-rolling, was actually a behavior analysis expert?

Shi Nian could only sigh silently, turning her head away, "What I’m most afraid of is... one day my dad suddenly leaving and never coming back."

When her voice fell gently, time seemed to stand still.

He tilted his head and could only stare at her dumbly. The usually eloquent him, for a moment, didn’t know what to say to comfort her.

This used to be her greatest fear, but one day, it became a reality. So, she would only blame herself at that moment, as if by not thinking about it before, it wouldn’t have happened. She would, for a long time, blame her dad’s death on herself.

Such fear is perhaps only understood by those who are relatives of police officers. Ordinary citizens, accustomed to the peace and happiness of daily life, take it for granted, not knowing how many officers have been working diligently, even sacrificing blood and life, to protect the seemingly ordinary every day behind the sunshine and peace.

He then reached out, gently holding her hand. He clasped her fingertips in his palm, trying to smile as he asked, "So you still like police officers? Still want to marry a police officer? Aren’t you afraid the same thing might happen again?"

Still deep in sadness, she suddenly turned around and spat at him, "Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo, what nonsense are you talking about! Quick, spit with me, saying bad things won’t work while good things will."

He shook his head with a smile, "Alright, I’m not afraid."

Only then did she think it through and couldn’t help but punch him: "Who said the police officer I like is you? Who said I’m worried about you? How can you just assume it’s about you?"

He squinted his eyes, "Then tell me, among all the handsome, brave, and excellent officers around you, besides me, who else is there?"

Shi Nian blushed, initially thinking of using Jia Tianzi and Guan Liang as her shield, but remembering his jealousy towards Guan Liang back then, she decided against it. She snorted and turned her head, "Of course there is, Inspector Black Cat!"

He choked, "Hey, can I ask you to compare me to a human being?"

She turned her back, refusing to pay him any attention.

He then extended his index finger, gently poking her ribs, "...Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me."

Shi Nian blushed all over again, turning back to glare at him, "Why are you still telling me that? I don’t care, alright?"

He rolled his eyes triumphantly, "A lying child gets eaten by wolves."

She puffed her cheeks, glaring at him, slowly saying, "How did you know I like police officers? I don’t remember ever talking to you about this."

He was suddenly startled.

Yeah, that was something from the darkness, how did he not notice and just blurt it out?

He secretly pinched himself, carefully looking into her eyes, slowly saying each word, "Isn’t it obvious? You know, girls in this world often have a bit of a daddy issue, like how they say a daughter and father were lovers in a previous life; so when a girl chooses a partner, she will subconsciously look for traits and strengths of her father in her boyfriend."

"And you, loving and respecting your father so much; and your father’s clearest label is being a police officer... so there’s no guessing needed." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI[F]ire.net

Shi Nian stared into his eyes, even after he finished speaking she continued to stare for a few moments, then averted her eyes, exhaling, "Alright, you make sense. I’ll let you off."

She was a meticulous girl, but when she did things, she was neat and effective, with quite the tomboy spirit. Such a side of her made him feel that tingly sensation once more. Like on a dry ground, little blades of grass quietly sprouting, young and shy, yet unstoppable, impossible to crush back down with one’s foot.

He took three deep breaths in big gulps, then held his breath, leaning over to her ear.

"Since we’ve already talked so deeply... can I confirm once again: are we, right now, officially dating?"

[Second update in the morning~]