Chapter 147: A Private World for Two in the Hospital

When Lei Yin woke up, he found himself lying on a hospital bed.

Looking at Naoko, who was asleep with her head resting on the edge of his bed, he was overwhelmed with a deep sense of affection.

This girl must have stayed up the whole night, keeping him company here.

He tried to sit up but felt weak, realizing it was the side effect of excessive blood loss. As he strained to sit up, Naoko suddenly woke up.

“Lei, you’re awake!” she said in surprise. Although the doctor had told her it was just blood loss and that he’d wake up after a good rest, she still couldn’t shake the worry. Seeing him awake now, her heart felt at ease.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” Lei Yin said apologetically.

“I’ll go call the doctor!” Naoko hurried out of the room.

After what felt like a thorough examination, a doctor in his thirties turned to Naoko and said, “The patient is recovering well. There’s no sign of infection in the wound. As long as he rests for a few more days, he can be discharged.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Naoko said gratefully, bowing deeply.

“Your younger brother is really fortunate to have such a caring sister,” the young doctor said sincerely.

Younger brother? Naoko looked at the doctor with some confusion.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce her—she’s my fiancée, not my sister,” Lei Yin said with a forced smile.

“S-Sorry! If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work. There are many other patients waiting for me outside. Excuse me.” The doctor, clearly flustered, quickly left the room.

Lei Yin gave him a middle finger behind his back.

“Lei, are you hungry? Would you like me to go buy something for you to eat?” Naoko asked as she gently wiped his face with a towel she had wrung out.

“No need. Hospital food isn’t great, but it’d be too much trouble to buy something. I’m not hungry yet. Just sit with me and talk for a while.”

Naoko placed the towel down and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Does the wound hurt a lot?” she asked softly, glancing at the bandages on his body.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” Lei Yin said, gently stroking her face.

Naoko said nothing but pressed his right hand against her face with force, tears slowly beginning to fall.

If she could, she would rather have been the one hurt.

She didn’t know how to cherish this man who would risk his life to protect hers.

“Lei…” The only words she could utter were his name, repeatedly. Her tears fell freely, like a flood breaking loose.

Not knowing how to comfort her, Lei Yin could only pull her tightly into his embrace. The strength of his hold was so firm, it didn’t seem like a man weakened from blood loss at all.

Having stayed awake all night, combined with the emotional turmoil, Naoko finally couldn’t hold on any longer. After a few minutes, she fell into a deep sleep in Lei Yin’s arms, her face still marked with traces of tears.

Since only his right hand was functional, Lei Yin struggled to carefully lift her onto the bed.

He shared the blanket with her, then, as he watched her peaceful sleeping face, he smiled with satisfaction.

Sitting against the bed, Lei Yin couldn’t help but recall the intense battle from the night before.

Lei Yin didn’t want to dwell on the scene of fighting the monster. Though his internal energy was far weaker than in his prime, if it weren’t for the injury and the blood loss, he was confident he would have a good chance of winning if they fought again.

What truly occupied Lei Yin’s mind was what happened when he was rescuing Naoko.

When the monster charged at Naoko, Lei Yin had already been seated in the driver’s seat, and Naoko was just about to get into the car. As the monster lunged at Naoko, Lei Yin was blocked by the car’s body. In such a situation, there was no way for him to save her in time. But for some reason, he instinctively used that power again. Like the last time, time seemed to slow around him. When he jumped to Naoko’s side and pulled her away, the monster’s claws swiped toward them. The wound on his left shoulder came from that moment.

The key thing was, he didn’t face the physical collapse he’d previously experienced from using that power.

Perhaps, after narrowly escaping death last time, something had quietly changed within him, something even he himself didn’t fully understand.

***

After knocking softly on the door twice, Naoko opened it.

She saw not only Lei Yin in the room but another man, who seemed to be in conversation with him.

Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, Naoko quietly placed the meal tray on the table.

When she noticed Maeda looking at her, she quickly nodded and bowed in greeting.

“Masashi, who is this?” Maeda Ryutaro, meeting Naoko for the first time, asked.

“She was my high school teacher. Now, she’s my fiancée,” Lei Yin said with a smile.

“What?” Even Maeda, usually composed, couldn’t help but exclaim.

Naoko didn’t expect Lei Yin to introduce her in this way, and she felt both embarrassed and happy.

Lei Yin turned to Naoko, who had come to his bedside, and asked, “Do you know who this guy is?”

Naoko shook her head.

“He’s my mother’s husband, my stepfather,” Lei Yin said.

“What?” This time, it was Naoko who exclaimed in surprise.

“Uncle, please forgive me. I didn’t know that earlier,” Naoko quickly bowed toward Maeda when she realized her mistake.

“Being called ‘uncle’ at not even forty, it must feel complicated,” Lei Yin teased him with a grin.

“You always surprise me,” Maeda said with a bitter smile.

“Uncle, please wait a moment. I’ll pour you some tea. By the way, have you eaten yet? I bought some food from the restaurant downstairs, we can eat together. Or if you prefer, we can go out to eat,” Naoko said, flustered as she tried to make a good impression on her fiancé’s stepfather.

“Silly, don’t be so nervous. This guy, even though he’s my stepfather, is also my friend. Don’t worry, even if he opposes, I’ll still marry you,” Lei Yin said, laughing as he held her delicate hand.

“Lei…” Naoko blushed, feeling both embarrassed and anxious.

“Alright, don’t mind him. He’s already eaten at home, so now it’s our turn.”

“Uncle, would you like to join us? I bought enough for three people,” Naoko asked, ignoring Lei Yin and turning to Maeda Ryutaro.

“Thank you, but I’ve already eaten. You two go ahead. I’ll go get some cigarettes, and then I’ll be back,” Maeda Ryutaro said as he stood up and walked toward the door.

“Please take care, Uncle.” Though Maeda was facing away from her, Naoko still respectfully bowed.

“Well, the guy who could have caused you indigestion has wisely left, so let’s eat now. What did you buy?” Lei Yin asked with interest. Although he was mentally prepared, after trying the hospital’s lunch at noon, he had stopped objecting to Naoko’s decision.

“You were saying earlier that although hospital food isn’t very good, but buying food from outside would be too much trouble. So why are you so concerned about what I bought now?”

“Hey, didn’t you insist on going out to buy food? I just didn’t want to waste it. Stop talking about it, I’m a bit hungry.”

Naoko gave him a playful look and then opened the meal box.

When Maeda returned, Naoko was tidying up the utensils. Seeing him come in, she quickly bowed and greeted him.

While she went to the bathroom to wash her hands, Maeda quietly asked Lei Yin, “Hey, when did this happen?”

“Counting the more than a year I was missing, it should be about two years now.”

“Do Rumiko and Kazumi know about this?”

“You’re lucky. You’re the first person to know about this.”

“I don’t really feel lucky.” Maeda gave a wry smile. “Alright, let’s not talk about that. I came here partly to check on how you’re doing, but also to ask about what happened the night before last. I heard you fought with that murderer. What kind of person is he?”

“A person?” Lei Yin looked at him and said, “It seems like you really have no idea about this. I remember there was also a woman with a gun at the scene. She should be your colleague, right?”

“You’re talking about Inspector Ayano. I asked her about the matter, but she just told me that her superiors told her not to get involved anymore and ordered her not to tell anyone. However, she secretly wrote down your hospital address for me. When I saw your name here, I was really shocked.”

Lei Yin thought for a moment before responding, “It seems like your colleague was silenced. But she wasn’t willing to let it go, so she used you to keep investigating. This is far more complicated than I imagined. It could involve many people. If you still want to continue working as a cop until you retire, I’d advise you not to ask any more about it.”

“Is it really that serious?” Maeda frowned.

“When something becomes too dirty to be accepted by the public and involves those in power, it turns into a so-called high-level secret. Since your colleague has been silenced by her superiors, it means this matter can’t see the light of day either. Of course, from the perspective of a friend, if you really want to know, I will tell you the truth. But after hearing it, I think it’s better for you not to get involved.”

“Curiosity is really more harmful than ignorance, but I still want to know what happened that night,” Maeda said, his face serious.

“Fine, if you get fired, I’ll lend you money to open a shop. Naoko, you can come out now.”

“Lei, you two continue talking. I’ll go buy something,” Naoko said, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

“Silly, it’s so late, how can I let you go out alone? You sit here too, since you were there that night as well.”

“What, Ms. Hasegawa was there too?” Maeda asked in surprise.

“Yes, if that thing hadn’t happened, we would’ve been in the cinema watching a movie that night.”

At Lei Yin’s insistence, Naoko finally obediently sat by his bedside.

※※※

“Hey, time’s almost up. Have you found that guy?” Yoshikawa asked while checking his watch.

“I’ve been calling him since yesterday, but his phone’s been off the whole time. What else can I do?” Takeda replied helplessly.

“I really want to see what kind of girl would write a love letter to that guy. Doesn’t she fear getting beaten up when they break up?” Yoshikawa scratched his chin.

“I bet she’s a woman who’s about eight feet tall, with arms bigger than our waists. Maybe she thinks only someone like Masashi, a freak of nature, can really satisfy her,” Takeda said with a lecherous grin.

“Idiot, where are there women like that at our school? Whatever, since he can’t make it, as his friends, we’ll sacrifice and go in his place,” Yoshikawa said with a sense of brotherhood.

“Agreed,” Takeda finally got the response he was waiting for.

“Akira, you’re coming too, right? If it turns out to be a trap, the more people there are, the better the chances of escaping,” Yoshikawa voiced his concern.

“If I say I’m not going, will you let me off the hook?” Shiraishi Akira asked as he looked up.

“No,” they both replied in unison.

Following the address in the letter, the three arrived at the designated restaurant and went to the reserved table.

“Hey, what are you looking at? Girls are usually a bit late, she won’t be here so soon,” Yoshikawa said to Takeda, who was looking around anxiously.

“Idiot, I’m just looking for the nearest exit. If it’s really a trap, at least we’ll have a way out,” Takeda said seriously.

“You’re the real idiot. Who’s going to fight in a restaurant? I’ve known since childhood that you’re not the brightest, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. It’s all my fault, I should’ve persuaded your sister to take you to see a doctor earlier.”

“Say that again, and someone will definitely start fighting in the restaurant.”

“Hey, if you keep arguing, the girl who dared to write a love letter to Masashi might not even show up,” Shiraishi Akira suddenly said.

“What do you mean, is she coming?”

“Didn’t she say in the letter that she’d wear a white long dress, with a purple flower on the right side of her chest, and a pink handbag in her hand?”

“How do you know that? I don’t think you’ve even seen the letter,” Yoshikawa asked, puzzled.

“Because there’s a girl dressed exactly like that walking this way.”

“What?”

The two immediately turned their heads and saw a girl in a white long dress walking towards them.

“No way,” Yoshikawa muttered in disbelief.

“It can’t be her, I think she’s just passing by,” Takeda said, also skeptical.

“I think it’s her,” Shiraishi Akira whispered.

“Shut up.”

Finally, the girl walked up to their table. Yoshikawa and Takeda were almost dizzy with surprise.

“Hello, I remember I made the appointment with Gennai-san. Why are you two here instead?” the girl asked.

Yoshikawa and Takeda instantly fainted.