Chapter 269: Chapter 269

Ji Rui’s face was inching closer to Le Tong’s, stopping just a couple of centimeters away, then suddenly, he halted.

His eyes, deep and unfathomable, landed on her face, which was a blend of astonishment and a hint of panic. Her eyes were wide open, and the fear was evident in what was once her clear and beautiful gaze.

Ji Rui’s heart tightened. In the past, he always ignored her thoughts, assuming she was inscrutable. But now, being this close, he could see clearly—she wasn’t hiding anything. Her eyes clearly conveyed that she was afraid of him.

But what he wanted now wasn’t her fear!

As for what he wanted at this moment, he couldn’t quite decipher yet, but he knew for sure it wasn’t this fear that she had for him.

His green eyes narrowed slightly, and the lips that were originally aiming to kiss landed instead on the strands of hair coiled around his long fingers like parasitic vines.

His lips tenderly caressed those strands of hair that carried a faint fragrance, while his other hand reached out, pulling the stiffened Le Tong dominantly into his embrace.

At that moment, Le Tong’s mind was blank. Her astonishment and fear were merely signals sent out by her body instinctively.

When her body was pulled into the man’s broad chest, the strong thumping of his heart reverberated through his body, hitting hers rhythmically, much like an iron board.

His heartbeat was intense and fast.

She didn’t know if it was his normal heartbeat; she only knew that her own heart gradually fell into the same rhythm as his, the pounding resounding in her ears, growing louder and clearer, pulling her sanity back bit by bit.

Her hand pressed against his solid chest, attempting to push him away. Her palm rested directly over his heart, where the intense beating, combined with the burning warmth, quickly transmitted through his thin clothes into her hand.

A voice in her head screamed frantically!

She desperately wanted to break free, not just physically but also escape the disordered rhythm within her heart!

But the man left her no room to escape or intention to do so, his strong arms tightened even more, pressing her firmly against him.

His face suddenly buried into the crook of her neck.

His hot breath spilled over her neck and ears, sending a tingling sensation racing from her neck throughout her whole body along with the burning contact.

"Mr. Ji..." Le Tong’s voice carried a hint of helplessness, blended with some panic and a mild tremble.

"Le Tong... thank you..."

The man’s husky, low murmur seemed almost magical, rendering Le Tong immobile.

Her body could not move, but her reason was still intact. Follow current novᴇls on ⓝovelFire.net

"Mr. Ji... please let go of me... I won’t leave Baobao..."

She could vaguely sense Ji Rui’s fear. As for his current behavior, she assumed it was due to Baobao’s illness, grasping at whoever was merely the lifesaving straw.

But besides protecting Baobao, she also needed to protect her own heart.

And though she promised, Ji Rui’s heart was still unsettled.

Clearly, he was afraid of her leaving Baobao.

But hearing her assurance, why did it still not feel enough?!

Ji Rui’s heart was in disarray; there was more than fear, emotions he hadn’t sorted out in time were muddling around. Those tangled feelings had always been there, intertwining into a mess he tried untangling repeatedly, only for it to always end in chaos.

"Le Tong... thank you..."

Unable to sort it out, all he could do was repeatedly say thank you.

Le Tong struggled a bit in his arms, but she couldn’t shake off his hold at all. Seeing that he was just holding her tight, not going further, Le Tong gave up struggling, letting him embrace her.

They stayed quietly in each other’s arms like that, neither saying a word.

Until the sound of a "ding" from the microwave broke their silent standoff.

"Mr. Ji, Baobao is about to wake up..." Le Tong nudged him, gently reminding.

Ji Rui slowly released his arms, watching her fix her hair, turning around briskly to open the microwave and retrieve the food as if nothing had happened.

"Mr. Ji, could you please take this over?"

Le Tong instructed Ji Rui calmly and steadily, reopening the stove to reheat the cold meat in the pot.

Ji Rui gave her a deep look, responded with a hum, picked up the plate, and walked out.

Soon, Ji Rui came back.

"Baobao hasn’t woken up yet?"

Le Tong felt that Baobao seemed to be sleeping a bit longer this time.

Ji Rui responded softly, "Mm, the doctor said his sleep time will gradually increase..."

Le Tong didn’t respond, not that she didn’t want to, but something seemed stuck in her throat, making her unable to speak.

Le Tong tried to maintain a cheerful demeanor all day, but she knew that, for some things, being optimistic wouldn’t necessarily change anything.

Ji Rui glanced at Le Tong, who was absentmindedly fiddling with the ribs on her plate with chopsticks. He put an arm around her slender shoulders and patted her gently.

"Don’t worry, Baobao will be okay. I talked with some experts abroad today, and they took Baobao’s information, so maybe there will be good news tomorrow."

In the current situation, both Ji Rui and Le Tong could only light up one hope after another as each one extinguished!

Although these new hopes were growing dimmer, at least they were still glowing!

"Yes, there will definitely be good news tomorrow!"

Le Tong nodded, regaining her composure, and together with Ji Rui, brought the prepared food back to the ward.

Actually, Baobao mostly could only eat some porridge and mild food now. Initially, to consider his feelings, both Le Tong and Ji Rui would also eat porridge along with him.

But Baobao said, "Sister, you make so many delicious dishes every day; just seeing them makes me want to get better!"

Le Tong knew the little guy was worried about her and Ji Rui, which is why he said that.

So from that day onward, Le Tong started cooking several dishes every meal like at home, allowing Baobao to taste a little bit of each.

Just as the doctor said, Baobao began sleeping more and more, while the hopes Ji Rui lit up continued to extinguish one by one.

That morning, after breakfast, Baobao played for a while before succumbing to fatigue and falling asleep. Just as he dozed off, Le Tong’s phone rang.

Returning from the balcony after taking the call, Le Tong spoke to Ji Rui, who was working on the sofa.

"Mr. Ji, something happened with my brother; I might need to go back for a few days to sort it out."