Chapter 278: Chapter 278

Ji Rui’s heart was like a pond of spring water ruffled by the wind, unable to calm down for a long time.

From a distance, looking at the woman already asleep in bed, Ji Rui suddenly had the urge to hold her in his arms and comfort her.

But, judging from her attitude when she woke up today, she was probably utterly desperate about him.

So desperate that she couldn’t even bring herself to hate.

He knew well this feeling of desperation that could no longer muster hatred.

Just like his expectations of the old man, hoping that he would eventually place him on the same level as his two beloved sons, but each time, the answer was disappointing, and finally, he had no expectations for the old man.

Recalling the way Le Tong looked at him earlier, her eyes as clear as ever, without a single impurity, transparent and cold to the point of being devoid of temperature, Ji Rui felt a growing chill in his heart as he pondered.

Perhaps, at this moment in Le Tong’s eyes, he was such a presence.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t use that kind of gaze, which seemed to look into the void, clear yet devoid of warmth, let alone any emotion, to look at him.

The chill in Ji Rui’s heart slowly spread throughout his body with the circulation of blood, despite the air conditioning being set extremely low, his palms and back were drenched in sweat.

This fear of losing something precious was all too familiar to him, because during Baobao’s severe illness, this sense of fear was always present. Chapters first released on novelFɪre.net

The last time he felt such fear was after his mother had completely left him.

As it turns out, without realizing it, had he already placed Le Tong in a very important position?

The answer was actually very obvious.

If Le Tong wasn’t important to him, he wouldn’t have been so angry after knowing she was Baobao’s mommy!

If Le Tong wasn’t important to him, he wouldn’t be so furious about her deceit and concealment; being deceived and played by the person you trust the most is really unbearable.

Ji Rui considered himself a person who hides his emotions well, and there were only a few people who could drive him crazy. Yet she had this power, where even a provocative glance or a cold word from her could raise his emotions to the point of being uncontrollable.

Does this mean that her weight in his heart isn’t much lighter than that of his mother and Baobao, his blood relatives?

Ji Rui was startled by this realization. Baobao and his mother are his family, holding an important place in his heart, naturally. But Le Tong, she isn’t his family, so what exactly is she to him?

Could it be that because of Baobao’s illness and the time spent together through thick and thin, he and her had developed family-like feelings?

Ji Rui frowned, looking irritably at the deeply sleeping Le Tong on the bed.

Lying in bed, Le Tong slept like a pig, naturally not giving him any answers.

And this answer, seemingly obvious, was always veiled by a thin veil.

This thin veil, Ji Rui couldn’t lift no matter what, thus what was hidden behind it remained unclear to him.

Just like his familial-like feelings towards Le Tong, at the root, what kind of feelings they actually were, he could never figure out or articulate.

He considered himself a smart person, unmatched by many in terms of acumen and scheming. Yet his intelligence and cunning were tied into knots when it came to Le Tong, leaving him unable to unleash them.

The feeling of living with some matters unclear was truly a pain in the ass, stifling him and causing his heart and ribs to occasionally ache faintly. Especially when Le Tong looked at him with her clear eyes, cold and indifferent; the sudden pain around his chest was so intense it could drive him mad!

Ji Rui tried to find an opportunity to talk to Le Tong, but the usually diligent Le Tong seemed to have transformed these days, completely reverting from a human to a pig, one that only ate and slept!

In the days after Baobao’s surgery, in and out of sleep in the isolation room, Le Tong, physically weak yet persisting to take care of Baobao, finally felt at ease as Baobao was out of danger, and began to rest herself.

Every day, when Baobao woke up, she would don sterile clothing with Ji Rui and accompany Baobao in the isolation room. When Baobao fell asleep, she would return to her ward to catch up on sleep.

Her life became extremely simple, with time spent either accompanying Baobao or eating and sleeping, and as for Ji Rui, she neither had the time nor the inclination to pay him any mind. Over a few days, the words exchanged between them probably didn’t exceed a hundred.

When Baobao finally moved from the isolation room back to a regular ward, Le Tong’s life regained its rhythm and became busy again.

Her life once again centered around Baobao, and as for Ji Rui, to her, he was merely an unrelated point outside the circle.

Previously, fearing Ji Rui’s suspicion, she always carefully suppressed her affection for Baobao; now, with no more scruples, she spoilt Baobao to the utmost.

Baobao’s skinny little face, under Le Tong’s meticulous care, visibly grew rosier and fuller each day.

That day, Doctor Dong conducted a full-body check-up on Baobao and called the two into the consultation room, where he scribbled a long chain of test results on the diagnosis sheet, then looked up and told the tense Ji Rui and Le Tong, "Baobao is recovering very well, she can be discharged the day after tomorrow."

Thus, the two began making arrangements for Baobao’s discharge.

Le Tong took out a handheld computer, made a list, and filled the screen with all the things Baobao would need for recovery after discharge, from food to clothing.

Meanwhile, Ji Rui called Xiao Li to his side, instructing him to go home and coordinate with Aunt Guan and the others to tidy up the place, ensuring every nook and cranny was as clean and neat as a sterile ward.

Xiao Li received the order and left in a hurry, while Le Tong had already compiled a list of the needed items and handed it to Ji Rui.

"Hey, see if there’s anything missing?"

Now, when Le Tong talked to Ji Rui, there was no concept of politeness or courtesy, often addressing him , skipping any form of address except a simple "hey".

Ji Rui felt helpless about his drastically downgraded status, yet had no way to complain.

Glancing at the colorful jumble of details and notes on the screen, Ji Rui suddenly remembered something of utmost importance.

"Le Tong, where will you stay after Baobao is discharged?"

Le Tong paused for a moment, evidently, she hadn’t thought about this issue either.

"Come live with us, it’s convenient for taking care of Baobao!"

Not waiting for Le Tong to express any opinion, Ji Rui made the decision for her.

[Had a day of running stomach yesterday, feeling weak and seeing black spots, locked myself in the dark room for two to three hours, only typed out a few hundred words, and was still not satisfied, got up early this morning to rewrite a Chapter to make up for yesterday’s update!]