Chapter 190: Chapter 190

Pei Che looked into her clear eyes, filled with complete trust and reliance on him.

After a long time, the entertainment news on the TV started to break a story about a certain actress secretly dating someone. Only then did he speak, "You don’t know them, right?"

I’m sorry, he’s going to disappoint Little Nian’s trust.

"I think so too." Shen Jianian’s tone was casual, not overthinking the question, "These gossip news are quite boring, why not find a nice TV series?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Che let go of his unease completely and picked up the remote to change the channel.

He selected a few TV dramas, none of which were Shen Jianian’s favorite genres. Seeing her slightly furrowed brows indicating annoyance, Pei Che smiled and said, "I’ll bring you some movie discs tomorrow, so you can watch them when you’re bored."

Shen Jianian yawned, and said languidly, "Alright."

"Tired?" Pei Che asked.

Shen Jianian gently shook her head and looked at him, "Do you want to order some takeout? A few snacks aren’t filling."

"Don’t worry about me. I’ll order food myself when I get back to the hotel."

Pei Che had booked a long-term room at a five-star hotel near the First Hospital, just a ten-minute walk away, even faster by car.

He glanced at his watch; it was past nine, not yet ten. He planned to leave after Shen Jianian fell asleep.

Looking at her doing nothing, Pei Che was thinking about something else — the day she moved to the general ward, she had asked why her parents hadn’t come to see her. At that time, he hadn’t thought of how to answer and brushed it off. After going back, he came up with an explanation to tell her the next time she asked.

But all this time, she never asked again.

Pei Che couldn’t fathom what she was thinking and was hesitant to ask her directly.

Shen Jianian’s gaze wandered over his face a few times, noticing his meditative state. She asked curiously, "Ah Che, are you in a daze?"

She actually wanted to say that if he was tired, he should go back to the hotel to rest. There was no need to stay in the ward with her. She had probably slept for over six hours during the day, so it didn’t matter if she slept at night or not.

Pei Che snapped out of his thoughts and smiled slightly, "No, I was just thinking about something."

"What were you thinking?" Shen Jianian followed up.

Pei Che’s eyes were full of warmth. He looked at her for a long time and decided not to dwell on it privately anymore. He deliberated and said, "You used to ask me a lot of questions. Why haven’t you asked recently?"

Shen Jianian’s fingers were clutching the white blanket, a subconscious gesture revealing her child-like temperament. She bit her lip, her voice filled with grievance, "Even if I ask, you won’t tell me, will you?"

He always found a bunch of excuses to brush her off. She didn’t want to make things difficult anymore, so she kept all her doubts to herself. She didn’t deny there was an element of avoidance, fearing to hear bad news.

Pei Che held her hand that was resting on the blanket, looked at her seriously, "I don’t want you to be sad, it wasn’t deliberate concealment. Your health is my top priority, everything else comes second."

Warmth suddenly welled up in Shen Jianian’s eyes. He said he didn’t want her to be sad, so her guesses in the past few days were right, her parents had faced an unexpected mishap...

"Little Nian, listen to me." Pei Che gently caressed her cheek with his broad warm palm, pressing the pad of his thumb at the corner of her eye, as if doing so would prevent her from crying. In truth, it was futile, "Even though they are gone, you have me. I will take good care of you, forever by your side."

Tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes, sliding over his fingertips. Their warmth seemed to scorch his entire heart, leaving a hole in it. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel★fire.net

Shen Jianian wept sorrowfully, her cries like a wounded young beast.

"Little Nian, I know you’re heartbroken, but what’s happened has already happened; no one has the power to change it. You can only force yourself to bear it. Promise me, after you cry, you must get back on your feet." Pei Che leaned and embraced her, carefully avoiding the injured parts of her body. Listening to her muffled sobs, he felt more pain than anyone and could only comfort her repeatedly, "It’s alright, let it out, I’m here with you."

Sooner or later, he had to tell her, whether it was now or in the future, she had to accept the fact that her parents were no longer alive.

He knew this process would be difficult, but no one could evade it. Birth, aging, illness, and death are things everyone must go through in life, sooner or later.

Shen Jianian cried until her eyes and nose were red, her voice hoarse: "Why did you tell me, why not keep it from me, why..."

Pei Che felt his shoulder’s fabric wet from her tears, reddening his eyes too. Gently holding her shoulders, he leaned back slightly to look into her eyes, "Because you’ll find out one day." He paused, speaking clearly word by word, "I believe in you, Little Nian, you will move forward, you won’t be crushed."

Right now, Shen Jianian couldn’t take any words of encouragement; she just wanted to know the reason: "How did they... pass? Where was I at that time?"

She knew her father had a heart condition, prone to recurrent attacks. He always carried emergency medication with him. Considering his health, she didn’t follow Pei Che abroad for studies back then.

"They... they were in a car accident just like you." Saying it wasn’t as difficult as he imagined, Pei Che exhaled slowly and continued, "At that time, you were undergoing emergency treatment in the hospital, so you didn’t know. Later, considering your condition couldn’t handle the shock, I had to hide it from you. Now, I’ve chosen this time to tell you because I think it’s time, I shouldn’t hide it from you any longer."

In his heart, Pei Che kept telling himself, he would deceive Little Nian this once, but never again.

Shen Jianian didn’t doubt him: "Were we traveling to Jiang City as a family?"

"Yes." Pei Che affirmed, "We were in a taxi when it collided with a heavy truck."

Shen Jianian’s lips trembled, "Where are they now..."

"I’ve had their bodies moved to Beicheng for burial. Once you recover and can walk normally, I’ll accompany you back to see them." Pei Che swallowed hard, suppressing the lump in his throat, and gently wiped her tears, "Don’t cry anymore; tears on the wound won’t do any good. Have a good sleep, tomorrow is another day."

In the early hours, after lulling Shen Jianian, exhausted from crying, to sleep, Pei Che quietly left the ward.

Walking on the starlit cement road from the inpatient unit to the main entrance, an ambulance quickly passed by, braking at the steps of the emergency hall, with the rear doors opening and everyone hurrying.

The air seemed to carry a faint scent of blood.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Pei Che withdrew his gaze from the emergency hall, reached into his pocket, and took out the phone, the caller ID showed it was Mr. Zhu, the real estate agent.

Upon connection, Mr. Zhu’s tone was apologetic, "I’m sorry to bother you so late, Mr. Pei."

"It’s alright, I haven’t slept yet." Pei Che continued walking while listening to the call, "Tell me what’s up."

Shen Jianian couldn’t return to a normal life anytime soon. Rehab would be a long process, and she would need facial reconstruction surgery later. Pei Che planned to buy property in Jiang City to settle down. After contacting the agent and explaining his needs — proximity to the First Hospital, a peaceful living environment, preferably a villa.

Jiangcheng First Hospital was in a prime location, and all the good developments in the area were sold out as soon as they were available. Finding a suitable property wasn’t easy.

Especially since he specifically requested a secluded villa, making it even more challenging.

Mr. Zhu called him late at night because he just got a listing that mostly matched his requirements, though it was a second-hand house.

"The family has confirmed their immigration to Australia. I’ve seen the house; it’s almost unused, located in Jade Heaven, about a ten-minute drive to Jiangcheng First Hospital," Mr. Zhu paused, his tone turning more casual, "To be honest, the quoted price is a bit inflated. I’ve discussed with the owner, but they’re quite firm and unwilling to lower it."

"As long as the property meets the requirements, price isn’t an issue." Pei Che wanted to finalize it as soon as possible, "I’ll find time to visit tomorrow afternoon, and if all is well, we can sign the contract."

Mr. Zhu apparently hadn’t encountered such a decisive and generous client before, he was momentarily stunned, then quickly responded, "Sure, sure, I’ll wait for your call."

After completing the villa transfer formalities, Pei Che hired a reliable interior design team and planned to renovate it.

Zhou Ruo, alone in Beicheng, was anxiously waiting for news from her son. The incident of his car accident and subsequent disappearance had left a profound shadow on her heart. She often scared herself with worst-case scenarios, unable to trust the reality that he "came back to life."

Thus, she secretly bought a ticket and flew to Jiang City without informing Pei Che.

When Pei Che received the call, Zhou Ruo was already at Fuh River Airport. At the time, he was in the ward, holding his phone as he got up from his chair, briefly instructing Zhou Ruo to wait for him at the airport and not to wander around.

After hanging up, he told Shen Jianian, "I’m going to pick someone up from the airport, I’ll be back later."