Sang Wenxuan didn’t cry for long before exhaustion claimed her, and she drifted off to sleep.
Sang Xiaoshi pulled the blanket over her gently. He stayed by her bedside in quiet vigilance for a long time, only slipping quietly out of the hospital room once he was certain she wouldn’t wake anytime soon.
He took the elevator down to the first floor, mentally retracing the path he had taken from the emergency room.
As the doors slid open on the ground level, he was about to follow his memory when a voice suddenly called out, “Sang Xiaoshi?”
Sang Xiaoshi paused and turned toward the sound, spotting Ge Jiabao.
Ge Jiabao was visibly awkward in his presence, his eyes darting every which way, avoiding direct eye contact. “Where, where are you going?”
“To find Brother Siyang,” Xiaoshi answered softly.
“Shen Siyang is upstairs.” Seeing the confusion on Xiaoshi’s face, Ge Jiabao quickly added, “I just came from his room. Want me to take you there?”
Xiaoshi gave a small nod. “Thank you.”
Ge Jiabao instantly grew flustered, scratching his head with one hand while waving the other around frantically. “N-N-No need to thank me!” Flushed red to his ears, he quickly turned around to hit the elevator button.
Xiaoshi stood quietly in place, gazing at him with calm eyes. “I should. Also, thank you for tonight.”
Burdened with shame, Ge Jiabao buried his face in his hands, clutching his hair. “I didn’t really help with anything. And seriously, don’t thank me. I’m the one who should thank you—you saved my mom.”
Xiaoshi responded in all earnestness, “Y-You said t-thank you back then, too.”
Just then, the elevator doors chimed open.
Ge Jiabao froze for a moment. It wasn’t until he stepped into the elevator that the meaning behind Xiaoshi’s words truly clicked.
Because he had said “thank you” that night, Xiaoshi felt it was only right to offer a “thank you” tonight as well. Is that what he meant?
Slightly bewildered, Ge Jiabao blurted out on instinct, “Then, what about before?”
For a moment, it felt as though they were transported right back to that night.
Xiaoshi didn’t say a word, simply watching him in silence.
Unlike that night, however, Xiaoshi’s expression wasn’t nearly as cold and distant. There was a flicker of thought in his eyes—he didn’t look like he was ignoring him, but rather like he wanted to respond, yet couldn’t quite figure out what to say.
Before Xiaoshi could organize his thoughts, Ge Jiabao spoke up again. “I’m not asking for your forgiveness! Shen Siyang told me—I was the one in the wrong first. It’s totally fine if you never forgive me.”
Despite his words, he couldn’t entirely hide the disappointment in his voice.
Xiaoshi looked at him, his lips parting slightly. Finally, he offered in a gentle voice, “The t-toy at B-Brother Siyang’s p-place.”
“Bumblebee!” Ge Jiabao chimed in. “Shen Siyang gave it back to me a few days ago. He told me before that once I was ready to call you by your name sincerely, he’d give it back on his own. You know, as annoying as Shen Siyang can be most of the time, he actually keeps his word.”
Hearing this, a quiet ripple stirred in Xiaoshi’s otherwise calm eyes. A soft blush crept up his cheeks, and he mumbled under his breath, “Brother Siyang r-really said s-something like that?”
The elevator arrived at that exact moment, so Ge Jiabao missed the quiet murmur.
He led Xiaoshi down the hallway and stopped before a room. “This is it. Shen Siyang isn’t awake yet, though. I’ve gotta head out—my dad is waiting for me downstairs.”
Still caught up in his thoughts, Xiaoshi gave a dazed reply. “O-Okay. Goodbye.”
Hearing that simple “goodbye,” Ge Jiabao’s face lit up with delight. He scratched his head sheepishly, mumbled a “goodbye” back, and dashed off.
Standing outside the hospital room, Xiaoshi took a moment to process everything he had just learned before raising his hand to knock.
Just as his knuckles were about to touch the door, he hesitated, a shadow of uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
Right then, the door swung open from the inside.
Yuan Linfei looked at him with a warm smile. “I heard you talking to Jiabao out here, but when nobody came in, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. Why didn’t you come in?”
Meeting her gentle gaze, Xiaoshi clenched his small fists nervously and said with utmost sincerity, “I’m sorry.”
Yuan Linfei blinked in surprise. “Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”
Seeing the deep remorse in the boy’s eyes, she suddenly realized what was on his mind. “Auntie wasn’t trying to send you away earlier, dear. I saw the police officers downstairs coming to take statements and figured they were looking for your aunt. I just thought it would be better for you to be by her side.”
She stepped back, clearing a path for him. “Come on in first. Yangyang should be waking up soon.”
Xiaoshi nodded hurriedly and stepped inside.
Once inside, he straightened up and tried again, “I-I still n-need to apologize. It w-was my—”
Yuan Linfei cut off his apology with a soft laugh. “This isn’t your fault. You weren’t the one who hurt Yangyang with a beer bottle. Don’t go blaming yourself—if anything, that boy deserved to be taught a lesson. He’s been nothing but trouble since he was little! When he was four, he wasn’t even bigger than the stray dogs at the edge of the village, yet he dared to pick a fight with a big dog to defend a tiny puppy. Ended up getting chased through the whole town, coming home at dusk covered in mud with two big holes ripped in his pants.”
Listening to Yuan Linfei’s story, Xiaoshi looked over at Shen Siyang’s pale, delicate face on the hospital bed. In spite of himself, a vivid image of a little Shen Siyang getting chased all over town popped into his mind.
A gentle warmth slowly welled up in his eyes.
A moment later, remembering the gravity of the situation, he snapped back to attention, stiffening his small face in all seriousness. “No, it, it was my—”
“Xiaoshi.”
A voice suddenly called out from the bed, cutting Xiaoshi off mid-sentence once more.
The moment he heard Shen Siyang’s voice, Xiaoshi’s attention shifted completely. He hurried to the bedside, calling out softly, “Brother Siyang.”
Shen Siyang’s eyes were still closed, his lips moving faintly. After a moment, he managed a single word: “Thirsty.”
Yuan Linfei quickly brought out the water she had prepared earlier and unscrewed the cap. Just as she placed a straw into the bottle to hand it over, she turned around to find Xiaoshi looking at her with wide, bright eyes, looking entirely serious and ready for duty.
She couldn’t help but smile, changing her mind and handing the bottle to Xiaoshi instead. “Thank you for the help, Xiaoshi.”
Xiaoshi took it carefully. “It’s n-no trouble a-at all.”
He turned around slowly, bringing the straw to Shen Siyang’s lips.
After drinking down most of the bottle, Shen Siyang opened his eyes. Having regained a bit of strength, he looked over at Yuan Linfei. “Mom, where’s Dad?”
“At the police station,” she replied.
At the mention of the police station, Shen Siyang perked up. “Mom, tell Dad to talk to his lawyer friend. Tell them we want to press charges for everything he’s got! If he doesn’t get at least ten years, it’s not gonna make up for the kidney your son almost lost.”
Yuan Linfei let out a cold chuckle. “If your kidney were actually gone, do you think you’d still be lying here chatting with me?”
Shen Siyang grinned. “Oh, right! Hey, you and Dad will probably get a chance to see Luo Qifeng, right? If you see him, pass along a message for me: ‘Our family’s Yangyang heard you care deeply about money, so out of the goodness of his heart, he asked for less compensation just so you could stay locked up for a few more years. Word is, they cover room and board in prison, so that’s a whole lot of money saved! As for who you should be grateful to during those years behind bars well, you know who.'”
He paused, then added thoughtfully, “Remember to flash a big, eight-tooth smile when you tell him. That’s the most important part.”
Yuan Linfei watched her son’s dramatic performance with quiet amusement. “Enjoy it while the anesthesia lasts. Let’s see if you can still laugh once it wears off.”
“Hey, don’t say that,” Shen Siyang quipped. “If I could see Luo Qifeng so furious that he jumps onto the table wanting to tear me to pieces, I could get out of bed and do two sets of military drills right now, anesthesia or no anesthesia!”
Yuan Linfei stepped forward and ruffled his hair fondly. “Alright, save your breath and get some rest. Let Xiaoshi keep you company for a bit while I go home to grab your clothes and toiletries.”
“What time is it?”
“One in the morning.”
“Why don’t you just go back, get a good night’s sleep, and come back later? If anything comes up, Xiaoshi can ring the call button for me.”
Hearing his name called, Xiaoshi nodded like a little chick pecking at grain.
Yuan Linfei looked between the two of them. “Alright, I’ll come early tomorrow morning then. Xiaoshi, do you have your phone with you?”
Xiaoshi quickly pulled the phone from his pocket. “Brother Siyang g-gave it to me.”
Yuan Linfei smiled. “My phone number is saved in there—it’s the same number Yangyang used to text you tonight. Feel free to call me anytime if you need anything.”
Xiaoshi nodded obediently. “O-Okay.”
Once Yuan Linfei left, the room fell quiet, leaving just the two of them.
Xiaoshi walked back to the side of the bed, only to hear Shen Siyang speak up: “Alright, now you can say what you wanted to say tonight.”
Xiaoshi blinked softly. He folded his small hands neatly in front of him and looked at Shen Siyang with earnest eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Shen Siyang met his gaze. “Give me a reason.”
Xiaoshi lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly. “Because I-I got you hurt.”
Shen Siyang narrowed his eyes. “You have one more chance to answer. Get it right, and you get to sleep up here on the bed with me tonight. Get it wrong, and you sleep on the floor by yourself.”
Xiaoshi snapped his gaze up to Shen Siyang.
His hands clenched and unclasped repeatedly, his lips pressing tighter together. He didn’t dare answer impulsively.
Seeing him look even more nervous than someone taking a major exam, Shen Siyang couldn’t hold back his soft heart. “Back in the car, you heard our conversation, didn’t you?”
Xiaoshi gave an honest nod.
Shen Siyang asked again, “Do you know what you did wrong now?”
Xiaoshi thought long and hard before answering, “I s-should have run.”
Shen Siyang’s voice softened completely. “Xiaoshi, even if Luo Qifeng rots in prison for the rest of his life, he isn’t worth a single piece of you. Do you understand?”
Sang Xiaoshi subconsciously glanced at Shen Siyang’s injured back. “He i-isn’t worth getting y-you hurt, either.”
Shen Siyang let out a soft laugh. “Climb up then. It’s late, and our adorable Xiaoshi can’t go around losing his hair from staying up.”
Xiaoshi’s face flushed crimson instantly. “I’ll b-bump into y-you.”
“You won’t. This bed is huge—big enough for three of us. Besides, you sleep more peacefully than a tiny chick.” Shen Siyang let out a yawn. “Hurry up, I’m getting sleepy too.”
Hearing that Shen Siyang was tired, Xiaoshi stopped resisting. He stood by the bed, gauged the space carefully, and cautiously climbed up.
The central air conditioning in the hospital room kept the temperature comfortably cool.
The two boys shared a single blanket, lying at opposite sides of the bed.
Since the injuries on Xiaoshi’s back hadn’t fully healed, he didn’t feel much pain while standing, but lying down was quite uncomfortable.
Because of this, he lay face-down with his cheek pressed against the pillow, just like Shen Siyang.
He closed his eyes for a short while after lying down, but couldn’t resist opening them again to look at Shen Siyang.
Shen Siyang was indeed exhausted, and the dull ache in his back was gradually becoming more noticeable, so he had closed his eyes the moment Xiaoshi got into bed.
Feeling Xiaoshi’s gaze lingering on him for a while without turning away, Shen Siyang kept his eyes closed and asked softly, “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
After a brief pause, Xiaoshi’s gentle, bewildered voice sounded in the quiet room: “Brother Siyang, do I, do I have to tell everyone w-who says ‘sorry’ to me t-that it’s ‘okay’?”
“When they apologize to you for something, do you truly feel in your heart that it’s okay?”
Xiaoshi didn’t answer right away.
Shen Siyang continued, “If you truly feel in your heart that it’s okay, you can tell them it’s okay. But if you don’t feel that way, you don’t have to say anything at all.”
Under the blanket, Shen Siyang’s hand lightly curled into a fist, sensing that the anesthesia was beginning to wear off. He slowly reached out and rested his hand against the soft back of Xiaoshi’s neck, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Then he opened his eyes, looking at Xiaoshi with a gentle gaze. “Xiaoshi, you aren’t God. You don’t have to spread universal love to everyone in this world. You only need to love the people you want to love.”
Xiaoshi looked deep into Shen Siyang’s eyes, seeing a complete reflection of himself mirrored in them.
He tilted his head slightly, his cheek brushing against Shen Siyang’s hand resting on his neck, and softly lowered his thick eyelashes. “Mm, Xiaoshi w-will definitely l-love the people he wants to love.”