Falling After Marriage - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Lin Jin, Let’s Get Married

“Hey, you’re still injured, don’t run!”

No sooner had Ji Nanxing parked the police car in front of the wellness center building than Cheng Sangluo shot out like an arrow from a bow.

She ignored the shouts behind her and the pain slicing through her side waist. Leaving a trail of blood, she sprinted to the elevator bank, frantically pressing the up button.

Once inside the elevator, she covered her wound and realized she was stumped. What floor was the crazy woman’s room on?

“You’re the classic example of running around only when you’re late. Now you know how to worry, but you didn’t even ask what floor she’s on,” Ji Nanxing ran into the elevator after her, grumbling, but still helped press the floor button.

“I… I didn’t know she would be like this…” Cheng Sangluo slumped her shoulders dejectedly, like a child who had done wrong, and explained, “These days, I’ve been looking for clues to overturn the case, otherwise I wouldn’t have stumbled upon those people running a casino, so…”

“Excuse. Finding clues and visiting Lin Jin are two different matters.” Ji Nanxing was direct in her speech, adept at finding conflicting points in a conversation for debate, and couldn’t help but tease, “To say you’re brave, you can infiltrate a贼’s den alone. To say you’re timid, you’re afraid to face some people. Do you know what this means?”

Cheng Sangluo, of course, knew Ji Nanxing was making a veiled reference, but pretended to be confused and retorted, “Means what?”

“A certain someone has become your soft spot, but you don’t realize it yet.”

“I… what are you talking about…” Cheng Sangluo was speechless for a moment. She pondered how the crazy woman could possibly become her soft spot—what a huge joke.

She stopped engaging and silently watched the ascending floor numbers, her eyes fixed and wide. A sudden fear welled up in her heart; the closer she got to Lin Jin, the stronger this feeling, akin to timidity upon nearing home after a long absence, became.

Ji Nanxing seemed to notice her tension and chuckled, “What’s there to be afraid of? Better late than never, right? I’ll give you a tip: you have to be patient and coax an injured woman.”

Cheng Sangluo laughed, drawing a wince of pain from her wound, then pointed to her waist, “Aren’t I also an injured woman?”

“Laugh now; you won’t be laughing later.”

Just as the two were talking, the elevator door slowly opened.

Cheng Sangluo’s steps became heavy at that moment.

She shuffled behind Ji Nanxing until she stood before the hospital room door, unable to lift her foot.

Ji Nanxing knocked politely, and then instructed, “You go in first. I’ll go call the nurse to clean and dress your wound.”

Cheng Sangluo flinched, seemingly afraid of being left alone to face the person, “Aren’t you coming in? I’m alone…”

“Why would I go in? To be a one-thousand-watt light bulb?” Ji Nanxing teased, patted her shoulder, and slipped away.

There was no answer from the room. Cheng Sangluo could only bite the bullet, grip the doorknob, and hesitantly walk in.

Lin Jin’s exclusive room was on the top floor. The suite’s specifications weren’t just spacious; the decor was one of low-key luxury.

Cheng Sangluo didn’t immediately spot the person she wanted, yet dared not see. She crept through the sitting room, past the open treatment area, until she neared the master bedroom.

The room door was slightly ajar. The light inside was off, leaving only the faint white glow of the full moon tonight spilling in.

She gently pushed the door open, finally seeing the figure lying flat on the hospital bed.

The silhouette was so thin it seemed to blend with the blanket, making the bed look ridiculously large and stirring a strong pang of sorrow in her heart.

Cheng Sangluo tiptoed closer, afraid to make the slightest noise that might disturb Lin Jin’s rest. But before she reached the bed, the small bedside lamp turned on.

Lin Jin hadn’t been asleep; she was only napping with her eyes closed. Her insomnia had become so severe that large doses of sleeping pills were ineffective. The slightest disturbance could wake her completely.

The warm yellow light shone on Cheng Sangluo’s face, also allowing her to clearly see the haggard features of the crazy woman.

After only half a month, the woman before her was noticeably gaunt.

Her sallow, dark cheeks were deeply sunken. Her already deep-set eyes were even more hollow. Her gaze was like a black hole that sucked away all light, showing no trace of brightness and lacking her usual arrogance.

Lin Jin thought she was dreaming. She stared at the person standing before her, confirming it repeatedly for a moment before letting out a fragile whisper, “Sangluo?”

Cheng Sangluo sat down by the bed, reaching out to gently caress her slender face, but changing direction just before touching it, landing instead on the prominent veins of her hand. “Why are you so thin? Why can’t you eat? What are the doctors doing? Why can’t they solve the problem… Why…”

She questioned relentlessly, criticized endlessly, until she finally fell silent.

Why did I avoid you all this time? Why didn’t I come to see you sooner?

Cheng Sangluo blamed all the faults on herself. She desperately wanted to get closer, to hold the unbelievably thin Lin Jin in her arms.

But she didn’t dare, afraid that her strength might accidentally hurt the fragile crazy woman.

Lin Jin struggled to sit up, leaning against the headboard. She reached out to stroke the little dog’s cheek, sighing, “Because waiting for you has been so hard, I couldn’t eat or drink.”

“I’m sorry, I…” Cheng Sangluo covered the hand on her face. There was so much she wanted to say.

Like those sleepless nights when she picked up her phone countless times, the screen flickering on and off, always paused on Lin Jin’s contact page.

Or how her denied feelings of caring had actually already sprouted, a small bud of vibrant green.

In the end, she still couldn’t say anything.

Lin Jin felt the slight coolness on the little dog’s hand and suddenly noticed that the rough skin was stained with dried blood.

She abruptly looked down, realizing the bedside was also stained with fresh blood. Her voice turned hoarse as she urgently asked, “You’re hurt? What did you do? How did you get hurt?”

She anxiously leaned in, trying to find where Cheng Sangluo’s wound was.

“I’m fine, I’m really fine.” Cheng Sangluo gently held Lin Jin’s arm, softly stopping her, “Don’t worry about me. Sit still and don’t move.”

She had already restrained her strength, but she still accidentally hurt Lin Jin.

Hearing that subtle wince of pain, she sprang back as if shocked by electricity. This reaction was not only due to fear of hurting the other person, but also from not daring to feel the bony touch.

Tonight’s Lin Jin was stripped of all her dominance, so frail and vulnerable, every expression and smile carrying a heartbreaking fragility.

Cheng Sangluo was clumsy with words, never knowing how to say things that pleased people. She regretted that she couldn’t speak more soothing words, as Ji Nanxing had suggested.

So, after a moment of silence,

This person, too stubborn to yield, broke character and unexpectedly became the one soliciting cooperation.

“Lin Jin, let’s get married. I can take very good care of you and protect you anytime.”

Lin Jin felt a moment of trance, thinking she was hallucinating. She had to ask back with trembling lips, “What did you say?”

Cheng Sangluo reached out to rub her ear, leaned closer, and replied again, “I said, let’s get married. I agree to your proposal.”

Lin Jin tilted her head and rubbed it against the little dog’s palm, managing a weary smile, “Can you pinch my ear?”

The long-dormant waiting in her life had suddenly blossomed into a gorgeous flower, making it feel unreal, making her fear it was all just a grand dream, so she needed pain to prove everything was real.

How agonizing. I waited for you for so long, so agonizingly.

“No,” Cheng Sangluo refused as always, but not as harshly as before. She gently explained, “Because it would hurt you.”

Lin Jin gazed at the little dog’s moving lips, desperately wanting to occupy them at that moment, wanting to kiss her regardless of the consequences, wanting to pour out all the grievances of waiting.

In the end, she managed to suppress the urge, saving that precious first kiss for the future.

“Please help her with her wound, and also give her a tetanus shot.”

The slight warmth that had just built up between the two was shattered by the voice at the door.

Ji Nanxing walked into the room with the doctor and nurse. Seeing the two sitting together, she raised an eyebrow and greeted them, “Wounds need to be treated properly. If it gets infected and inflamed, it’ll be more troublesome. We’ll only interrupt you for a moment.”

“Captain Ji? Why are you here too?” Lin Jin looked at Ji Nanxing, then turned her eyes to Cheng Sangluo. “Why are you two together?”

“Well, that question is best left for this enthusiastic citizen to explain to you,” Ji Nanxing tossed the conversational baton to Cheng Sangluo, then glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late. I have to rush back to the Criminal Investigation Center to interrogate a suspect. Come find me tomorrow when you have time to give a statement.”

Cheng Sangluo nodded, “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“This case isn’t urgent. You’re hurt and need to rest properly. Come find me after you’ve slept enough tomorrow,” Ji Nanxing briefly instructed, then hurriedly left the room.

Lin Jin saw the nurse busy treating Cheng Sangluo’s waist wound and decided to put the topic aside.

She placed her fingertip on the little dog’s tightly furrowed brow and gently massaged it. “Does it hurt badly?”

Cheng Sangluo didn’t want her to worry too much, so she forced a strong smile and said, “Doesn’t hurt. What kind of injury haven’t I had? This little cut is just a scrape.”

“No playing tough.” Lin Jin used her fingertip to stop the little dog’s mouth. Seeing the cut on her waist was quite deep, she felt a phantom pain in her own waist and couldn’t help but frown. “You need to explain properly later what happened tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you everything,” Cheng Sangluo promised with a smile, reaching out to ruffle Lin Jin’s hair, coaxing softly, “Don’t worry. See? I’m perfectly fine.”

This action was full of pampered affection, like it was wrapped in honey, adding a hint of ambiguity to the heavy atmosphere. Thankfully, the usually awkward person didn’t care about the impropriety of the gesture this time. She just wanted the frail woman before her to relax.

After seeing the doctor and nurse out, Cheng Sangluo gently closed the room door.

Lin Jin leaned against the headboard and patted the empty space beside her, calling softly, “Little dog, come here quickly.”

She was truly too thin. The slippery fabric of her nightgown couldn’t stay put, causing her sunken shoulder to expose a patch of porcelain white skin, fully visible to Cheng Sangluo.

Perhaps not wanting the other person to wait too long, Cheng Sangluo quickly returned to the bedside.

She cautiously pulled Lin Jin’s neckline back up to her shoulder, but as soon as she let go, the collar slid loosely back down to her arm.

Lin Jin was a little tired. She looped her arms around the little dog’s neck, using the posture to lean all her weight onto her, murmuring, “Hold me.”

Cheng Sangluo accepted the intimacy, supporting the bony back with one hand, and bent over to gently lower the person clinging to her onto the bed. “Can you wait for me a minute?”

Lin Jin tightened the arms circled around the little dog’s neck, refusing to let her go, and complained softly, “What are you trying to do now?”

Cheng Sangluo endured the pain from her waist wound, maintaining her bent-over posture, letting Lin Jin cling to her from below, and replied honestly, “To be honest, I’m wearing clothes from some lackey at the underground casino. I can’t get your bed dirty, so I need to go take a shower quickly.”

Hearing the little dog’s explanation, Lin Jin was confused, “Underground casino? What were you doing there?”

“Naturally, sticking up for you,” Cheng Sangluo raised an eyebrow and answered as if it were obvious. Thinking the explanation wasn’t dramatic enough, she added, “Remember the man who broke your ankle? Today, I had someone break his other foot. Consider it a buy-one-get-one-free gift for Miss Lin~”

The little dog thought this boast would earn praise from the crazy woman, but unexpectedly, the person before her showed no satisfaction, not even a smile.

Lin Jin gazed intently at Cheng Sangluo’s face, using one hand to delicately trace her eyebrows, following the high bridge of her nose all the way to her lips.

She desperately wanted to scold her sharply, but the words that came out were an incredibly soft question, “Why do you insist on fighting alone? What if you lost your life? What would I do if you left me alone?”

Cheng Sangluo’s eyes widened in surprise, secretly pondering the deeper meaning in her words. Her slow-to-react heart skipped a beat, creating a silent storm.

The little deer that had been languishing inside the wall of her heart for years suddenly mustered its strength and slammed against the cement door.

Cheng Sangluo could only pretend to be indifferent, “If I die, I die. It won’t affect you living well. What else could happen?”

“No way. Your life must be intertwined with mine. That’s my order, because you still owe me two million nine hundred ninety thousand yuan. I haven’t settled the total account with you yet.”

“Aiyee, so you only brought it up because of the money I owe you!” Cheng Sangluo grumbled, preparing to head to the bathroom, but the crazy woman pulled her back again. “What else do you want?”

“You haven’t finished explaining. What does you sticking up for me have to do with you raiding their casino?”

At that, Cheng Sangluo’s interest immediately piqued. Her mouth chattered incessantly like spilling beans.

She explained the whole sequence of events, finally concluding triumphantly, “So, the mastermind is Lin Sheng. Too bad just as I was about to ask further questions, Ji Nanxing and her people showed up, and it was left unresolved. Alright, I’m going to take a shower. You should go to sleep.”

“Don’t get your wound wet.” Lin Jin held the little dog’s arm, still reluctant to let her go. “How about… you carry me to the bathroom, and I’ll help you wash.”

A person lacking security is always prone to worry about loss, so Lin Jin needed constant companionship to heal the blankness of these past days.

She truly needed it, because the little dog was the medicine saving her life.

Cheng Sangluo sat by the bed, looking at the woman who didn’t want to be separated, and sighed helplessly, “Stop fussing. I’ll be right out. Don’t you like playing countdown games? Give me five minutes. I promise to complete the mission.”

“Fine,” Lin Jin finally released her arms.

She pressed her body against the little dog’s back, whispering teasingly into her ear, “It’s been half a month since we last did it… Don’t you want me… at all…”

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