Memory Lost (美人为馅): Chapter 44 (1 of 2)

Chapter 44: Awakening of a Loyal Wolf (1 of 2)

The first thing Bai Jin Xi sees after waking up is the sunlight from outside the window.

In the plain white colored room, an intravenous drip is still attached to the back of her hand.

A man is sitting beside her bed.

He has his jacket off and is only wearing a white shirt with long brown trousers.  His elbows are on the bed while his hands are together and his face is resting in his palms.  He’s clearly sleeping.

Jin Xi looks at him and reveals a slight smile.

She looks around the room slowly.  There is nobody in the room.  The door is open.  She can see doctors and nurses walking down the hallway frequently.

Where is he?

“You’re awake?” a mild voice with a hint of raspiness says.

Jin Xi turns around.

Xu Si Bai lowers his arms and stares at her quietly.  The sun shines on his face, accenting his refined facial features and his fair white skin.  But his eyes are bloodshot.

It’s the first time Jin Xi has seen him like this.

“How long have you been here?”

“I came after hearing that you went to the mountain,” he reaches out his hand to feel her forehead’s temperature.  His expression relaxes, “Your fever’s gone now.”

Jin Xi smiles, “I’m fine.  It’s just a minor injury.”

He glances at her, gets up to pour a cup of hot water, fetches a spoon, and sits down again.  He feeds it to her one spoon at a time.

Jin Xi takes a few sips.  She shifts her gaze to the door again and asks, “Where’s Xiao Zhuan?”

Right after she finishes, another spoonful of water is delivered to her mouth again.  She opens her mouth, drinks it, and asks, “Where’s Han Chen, who was also injured?  How is he?”

She doesn’t get a response.

Jin Xi turns her head and looks at him but sees that he has put the spoon down and is drinking from the cup with his head down and not moving.

Jin Xi asks, “……What’s the matter?”

He keeps quiet for a while.

“Bai Jin Xi, I don’t care about other people.  I only know that I saw you being lifted off of the helicopter with your whole body covered in blood!”

Jin Xi is dumbstruck.

He puts the cup down.  His refined facial features are full of coldness.  He gets up and walks towards the door.

“Wait!” Jin Xi calls out.

Xu Si Bai is……

……mad.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly.

Xu Si Bai pauses.

“I’ve made you all worry,” Jin Xi says, “We had to act urgently.  No one thought that anyone would get hurt.  I’ll definitely be more careful from now on.  Please don’t be mad.”

Xu Si Bai keeps quiet for a moment before turning around and returning to his seat beside her bed.

The corners of Jin Xi’s mouth curve upwards.

“Promise me,” he says seriously, “Do not get hurt again.”

Jin Xi wants to giggle but is moved at the same time.  She nods sincerely, “I will definitely try my best not to get hurt.”

They look into each other’s eyes.

His eyes are like the pebbles in a river; dark and shimmering.

And then……he picks up the glass of water again and starts to feed it to her.

Jin Xi feels the warmth in her heart.  She waits obediently for him to feed her water and medicine.

“Xiao Bai!  You’re awake!” a cheerful voice says coming from the doorway.  Zhou Xiao Zhuan enters the room with a concerned expression.  He’s carrying a takeout box in his hand.

“Mm,” Jin Xi hums with a mouthful of water.  She smiles seeing him.

Xiao Zhuan sits down gleefully on the other side of the bed, “I guessed that you would wake up soon, so I went to fetch you a nutritious meal from the hospital.  Hurry and eat.  You’ve been unconscious for one day and night.  You must be starving.”

Xu Si Bai nods in agreement, “Have some food.”

Jin Xi is stunned as she looks towards Xiao Zhuan, “I’ve been sleeping for this long?  What about Han Chen then?”

Xiao Zhuan is a bit surprised as he answers, “As for Leader……I went to see him just now.  He hasn’t woken up yet.  The doctor said that his condition was a bit more serious than you.  But……”

——But he’s not in a critical condition.  Before Xiao Zhuan finishes his sentence, Bai Jin Xi has already pushed herself up from the bed and is sitting up straight.

Xiao Zhuan is in shock.  Just when he wants to reach out his arms to support her, Xu Si Bai gets to her before him.  Xu Si Bai grabs onto Jin Xi’s arm.

“What are you doing?” they both ask.

Jin Xi looks at them, “Take me to see Han Chen.”

Xu Si Bai and Xiao Zhuan are both silent for a second.

Xiao Zhuan speaks first, “No, no!  The Doctor said you must stay in bed for a week.  How can you get out of bed just after waking up?  Hurry and lie back down!”

Xu Si Bai, on the other hand, stares at her and says in a crisp and unfriendly voice, “What did you just promised me?”

“Old Xu, don’t worry.  I’m not that fragile.  Xiao Zhuan, give me a hand and pull me up,” she says looking to the doorway, “I know very well what I want to do.”

Just as she finishes her sentence, a figure appears in the doorway suddenly.

It’s Han Chen.

He’s wearing the same patient’s gown as her.  His hair is a bit messy, and his face is pale.  His left leg is still wrapped up in bandages.  He walks slowly into her view while leaning on the wall for support.

Following behind him is Chatterbox looking helpless and Cold Face looking full of concern.

Jin X is stunned for a moment.  Xu Si Bai and Xiao Zhuan, who are beside her, follow her gaze and are also stunned.

The three of them are frozen——she’s halfway sitting up, looking like she wants to get out of bed, while the two of them are supporting her.

Han Chen pauses his footsteps after seeing her.

His dark brown eyes are staring directly at her.

The patient’s gown that she’s wearing makes her already very slim body look even thinner.  Her hair is spread across her shoulders, accenting her pale and small face.  The instant she sees him, many emotions seem to flash across those clear eyes of hers.  Her expression makes Han Chen recall the kiss that they had on the helicopter.  Her eyes were just like how they are now.  It’s as if they hold a thousand words, causing his heart to ache.

They stare at each other in silence, while the others around them exchange puzzled looks with each other.

“Old Xu, Xiao Zhuan,” Jin Xi lets go of Xiao Zhuan’s and Xu Si Bai’s arms suddenly and lies back down, “Kick this person out of my room immediately!”

Everyone is dumbstruck.

Han Chen watches her and doesn’t say anything.

Xiao Zhuan says, “Xiao Bai, didn’t you say just now that……”

“Shut up!” Jin Xi interrupts him.

“Oh……”

Xu Si Bai glances at her, glances at Han Chen, and sits down calmly beside her bed again.

Other than Xiao Zhuan knowing a bit about what’s going on, Cold Face and Chatterbox are confused.  But seeing the cold expression on Jin Xi’s face, they decide not to comment and secretly take a peek at Han Chen.

Han Chen releases his hand on the wall slowly.  He stands up straight and fixes his eyes on Bai Jin Xi.

“Who do you want to kick out?” he says slowly with his usual deep voice.

Jin Xi makes a “hmph!” sound and scolds, “You!”

Han Chen glances at her, walks to the chair across from her and actually sits down slowly.

“Give me a reason and I’ll leave.”

Jin Xi is struck dumb.

Her face flushes.

She never thought that he would be such a scoundrel at a time like this——How could she say that she wants to kick him out because he kissed her forcefully?

In the well-lit room, he’s sitting not far away.  His face is fair white and handsome.  The images of that night float into Jin Xi’s mind:

Him staring at her with those eyes as if she was the only one in his eyes from then on;

Him hugging her and their lips and tongues entangling each other, not letting her catch her breath or break free;

Him locking her hands with his body on top and completely covering hers, making her feel as if he was the only existence and dictator of her world.

……

But he has a fiancee.

Jin Xi’s heart aches as if it has been stabbed by needles.  She decides to turn around and not look at him anymore.

The atmosphere in the room becomes awkwardly silent.

“Cough……Xiao Bai, are you better now?” Chatterbox asks.

“I’m very well,” Bai Jin Xi answers swiftly.

Chatterbox makes eye contact with Xiao Zhuan.  Xiao Zhuan understands right away and tries to cheer up the mood, “Leader, how about you?”

“I’m very well too,” Han Chen answers.

Therefore, the room falls into dead silence again.

Thankfully, someone comes and saves the mood soon.

“You’re all here!  Good,” a loud voice interrupts.  Qin Wen Long walks in smiling with one hand in his pocket while carrying a bag of apples on the other.

He tosses the apples to Chatterbox and tells him to go wash them.  He makes his way to Han Chen, bends down to examine his leg, and pats his shoulder, “How is it?”

“It’s nothing, just a minor injury,” Han Chen says casually, but he glances over at Bai Jin Xi with the corner of his eye and notices that she still has her head turned to the side with a cold expression.

Qin Wen Long nods and then walks to Bai Jin Xi’s bedside, “Fellow Xiao Bai!  Are you better now?  You’ve worked hard this time, and you’ve done very well!  The chief is very satisfied with both of your performances.  Rest well and come back to work soon to continue fighting hard!”

His voice is rough, enthusiastic, and passionate.  Jin Xi lifts her head and smiles sweetly, “Thank you, leader!  I’m fine!  I’ll come back to work very soon!”

Qin Wen Long nods in satisfaction.

Jin Xi can sense Han Chen looking at her as she’s talking to Qin Wen Long; they’re fixed on her face, sharp and pressing.

Qin Wen Long says a few comforting words to the team before Chatterbox returns from washing the apples.  Qin Wen Long takes one, sits down and says, “Since everyone from the Black Shield Team is here, I’ll just talk about T’s case briefly.”

Xu Si Bai, who has been sitting in the room quietly, gets up.  He doesn’t look at Qin Wen Long but looks directly at Bai Jin Xi, “I’ll come visit again in the afternoon.”

“Mm.”

He reaches out his hand and caresses her head.  His action is very natural.  Jin Xi smiles at him.  He picks up his jacket from the back of the chair, walks past everyone and heads towards the door.

Han Chen watches them and doesn’t say a word.

Just when Xu Si Bai reaches the door, Qin Wen Long says as if he realizes something suddenly, “Wait!  Are you the legendary Forensic Investigator Xu Si Bai?”

Jin Xi and Xiao Zhuan are both astonished by the word “legendary.”  They turn to look.  Xu Si Bai pauses his footsteps and looks towards Qin Wen Long with a calm expression, “I am Xu Si Bai.”

And Qin Wen Long’s next set of words is enough to make everybody’s jaw drop.  He throws away the apple core in his hand, walks to Xu Si Bai and pats his shoulder, “You fellow, come join the Black Shield Team, will you?”