Seduced Me into a Deep Fall - Chapter 56

Song Yi seemed to have misheard. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were filled with disbelief.

“You mean… you want to go home?” After a moment of processing, Song Yi finally understood.

She felt somewhat conflicted. After all, she had no idea where Ling Xi’s home was.

Moreover, just yesterday, Song Yi had asked Yun Fengzhi to look into Ling Xi’s family situation, only to discover that Ling Xi’s family members had either passed away or fallen seriously ill three years prior.

Song Yi wasn’t sure whether Ling Xi knew about this.

She had no intention of bringing it up now—Ling Xi needed rest and recovery above all else.

If she became emotionally distressed and fell ill again, it would only make things worse.

Ling Xi nodded.

Song Yi hesitated, holding back her words.

“I don’t know where your home is, and besides, the hospital has medical staff. If you go home, there won’t be anyone to take care of you,” Song Yi said as tactfully as possible.

“Jiejie,” Ling Xi prompted again.

She no longer had a home to return to.

In this timeline, Ling Yue’s fate was unknown, Qi Zhen was still serving her sentence, and Ling Jingqiu had no cure—she was likely still bedridden.

Ling Xi simply didn’t want Song Yi to exhaust herself staying at the hospital with her. She just wanted to go home with Song Yi.

They could arrange for a wheelchair, and she could go to the hospital for IV treatments during the day.

“Jiejie, home,” Ling Xi insisted, tugging lightly at Song Yi’s sleeve.

Song Yi studied her for a moment before suddenly realizing—Ling Xi wanted to go home with her.

“But the IV treatments…” Song Yi shook her head. She could always bring Ling Xi to the hospital in the mornings.

The same went for rehabilitation exercises.

“I’ll get a wheelchair, and we’ll… go home.” The word felt foreign as she said it.

Her home had always been just her, alone.

A place where only one person lived—could that really be called a home?

But today, she was bringing back someone she had once loved—and still held feelings for—to her residence.

Perhaps, from now on, that place would become their home.

After consulting the doctor about precautions, Song Yi lifted Ling Xi into the wheelchair and pushed her downstairs.

As the autumn breeze brushed past them, a jacket was draped over Ling Xi’s shoulders.

“I came in a hurry and didn’t bring any clothes for you,” Song Yi explained—it was her own jacket she had taken off.

Ling Xi frowned.

Surprisingly, Song Yi understood her expression.

“Don’t worry, a little wind like this won’t make me catch a cold. You’re different—after being trapped for so long, your health isn’t at its best.”

“Besides, it’s just a short walk.”

By the time she finished speaking, they had already reached the car.

Song Yi opened the door, and Ling Xi struggled to move herself inside.

When she looked up, she noticed there was no driver.

Ling Xi grew increasingly uneasy.

Within seconds, she saw Song Yi take the driver’s seat.

Wasn’t Song Yi the head of the Song family and the chairman of the corporation?

How could she not even have a driver…? Unless Mu Xie’s claims were true—had she really forced Song Yi out of her position as the Song family’s leader?

If Song Yi was truly alone now, then Ling Xi’s insistence on going home would only be adding to her burdens.

The car indeed headed toward a place Ling Xi had never seen before.

It was quite a distance—despite it not being rush hour, the drive took nearly an hour.

“My place is a bit small—please bear with it,” Song Yi said as she carried Ling Xi out of the car.

Ling Xi’s frown never faded as she followed Song Yi into an apartment.

The space was tidy, modest in size, and furnished simply.

This was completely unlike Song Yi’s usual style.

Mu Xie’s words were probably true.

Song Yi had barely escaped with her life and didn’t have much savings. Being able to afford this apartment was already impressive.

“Big sis…” Just thinking about the hardships Song Yi might have endured made Ling Xi’s heart ache.

“What’s wrong? The living room is a bit small, but the bedroom is spacious enough. A double bed—plenty of room for both of us.”

Song Yi ruffled Ling Xi’s hair. “I’ll make dinner. Want to look around?”

Ling Xi nodded and took the chance to explore the modest home while Song Yi cooked.

She was just grateful to have found Song Yi again.

“Me too, mmm…” Ling Xi hugged her tightly.

She knew there was only one reason Song Yi had become so overly affectionate, even trying to pin her down.

Song Yi was afraid.

“Big sis, don’t be scared…” Ling Xi soothed her between kisses. “I’m fine, aren’t I?”

Song Yi’s eyes reddened.

“How did you know…?” She thought she had hidden it well.

“How could I not? I love you so much—if I couldn’t even tell when you’re scared, would that even count as love?” Ling Xi gently stroked Song Yi’s face.

“I won’t let Mu Xie harm me again. No matter how cunning or cruel she is, that was in our past life. I’ve changed now. I won’t be too afraid to fight back anymore.”

Once exposed, Song Yi stopped forcing herself to act dominant. Instead, she nestled against Ling Xi’s chest with a soft whimper.

“You’re not allowed to have any thoughts about her,” Song Yi muttered after a long while, already curled in Ling Xi’s arms.

“Of course not. I hate her.” Ling Xi shifted and pressed Song Yi down.

Song Yi recognized the familiar position, her body warming at the sight.

“I know. I mean, not even in terms of schemes.”

“Fine. I won’t.” Ling Xi opened the pastries she had saved earlier.

“I picked flavors I thought you’d like. Want to try?”

She said “try,” but instead smeared cream on her own lips.

Ling Xi wheeled her chair to block the kitchen doorway.

Watching her sister skillfully stir-fry, her emotions tangled.

She remembered Song Yi never knew how to cook.

“Come here, sweetheart. Taste this.” Spotting Ling Xi, Song Yi scooped a spoonful of soup and offered it.

Ling Xi obediently opened her mouth. “Mmm!”

Song Yi’s cooking was unexpectedly good.

Song Yi’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Once you can eat properly, I’ll cook for you.”

Ling Xi wanted to say she could cook too.

If Song Yi was busy with work, she could handle the meals.

But after struggling to articulate it, she gave up.

Ling Xi sipped some congee while waiting for Song Yi to finish eating.

“Want to watch the news? You probably don’t know how much the world has changed either,” Song Yi asked while washing dishes.

“Sure.”

On the couch, Ling Xi scooted closer.

After a brief hesitation, Song Yi wrapped an arm around her.

Leaning against Song Yi, Ling Xi’s earlier restlessness settled.

She would recover.

At least Song Yi was here, and the Tiancan Organization had been dealt with.

They’d find a way to handle family matters too.

The news was covering a major recent case.

The current leader of the former Tiancan Organization—now rebranded as Era Pharmaceuticals—had been arrested. Only 26 years old, she was once the promising young head of the Song family.

After five minutes detailing the organization’s past atrocities, the anchor announced stricter regulations on several pharmaceuticals.

After the clause was officially implemented, those medications could only be sold to people with sexual dysfunction or used for treating glandular injuries and similar conditions.

Lingxi noticed a small line of text commending the police team’s efforts.

“I found you while searching Mu Xie’s hideout with my teammates,” Song Yi added softly beside her.

“At the time, I really did intend to look for you. Since you were married to Mu Xie, there would surely be traces of you in her usual haunts. But then…”

Song Yi shivered involuntarily. “It’s a bit chilly. I’ll turn on the heater.”

As Song Yi walked away, Lingxi watched her retreating figure, sensing an inexplicable sadness in her posture.

“Little one… you’ve had such a hard time these years, haven’t you?” That tiny room. Locked tight, windows and doors sealed shut.

Getting closer, one could smell the sour stench of spoiled food and the damp mustiness of mold.

Song Yi couldn’t imagine how Lingxi had survived three years in such conditions.

Lingxi leaned against Song Yi and wrapped her arms around her.

“I forgot.” Her memories contained two different timelines.

This was now the third one she’d experienced.

Through her time with Song Yi, she’d already forgotten all the wounds Mu Xie had inflicted on her.

After all, life had to go on. And since Mu Xie was no longer a threat, remembering served no purpose.

Song Yi assumed it was a stress response—that she’d forgotten everything Mu Xie had done.

“Maybe it’s better not to remember. Do you know how light you were when I first found you?” Back then, Song Yi had been trembling with genuine fear.

Even when facing Mu Xie at gunpoint, she hadn’t felt her legs go weak like that.

But seeing Lingxi lying in a pool of blood, she’d nearly been too terrified to take another step.

When she lifted Lingxi, it felt like holding a bundle of cotton.

Weightless, more distant than clouds, as if she might vanish the next second.

Lingxi glanced at her own thin, fleshless arms.

She could probably guess why.

She never liked the food Mu Xie brought.

Other than when Mu Xie forced her to swallow, she’d vomit anything she ate.

And she’d had no energy either.

It was no surprise she’d become as thin as a stick.

“Once you can eat properly, I’ll make sure to nourish you back to health.”

The savings Song Yi had accumulated over the years were more than enough to support Lingxi alone.

She wanted to restore Lingxi to how she remembered her.

Seeing her now—malnourished, skinny as a monkey—it broke her heart just to look.

Lingxi simply smiled beside her.

Soon, the news shifted to border issues.

Watching, Lingxi felt her heart clench with worry for Lingyue, who had gone silent.

“Do you have family over there?” Song Yi asked, noticing Lingxi’s expression and recalling the information she’d looked up days before.

“I don’t know…” Lingxi didn’t seem at all surprised that Song Yi knew about this.

“You can speak now?” Song Yi only just realized Lingxi had said several sentences.

She turned to look at her. Even with Lingxi’s face gaunt and dry, she still found her unbearably cute.

She wanted to tease her.

Song Yi had never considered herself lacking, but before meeting Lingxi, she’d never thought about dating anyone, let alone marriage.

Only Lingxi could change that.

At their wedding, relatives from both sides filled the seats.

There were fewer friends, perhaps. But as Lingxi looked around at the guests, at the smiles on her family’s faces, she suddenly felt like crying.

No matter what, this was already so much better than when she’d first returned to this timeline.

Her health had recovered, and her clothing size was gradually returning to what it had been before Mu Xie imprisoned her.

All family members returned safely. She and Song Yi also got married without a hitch.

The day after the wedding, Song Yi took Ling Xi and ran away.

It wasn’t until they were already on the plane that Ling Xi barely managed to process where she was.

“Sister?” Ling Xi looked at Song Yi beside her and their business class seats, voicing her confusion.

“Honeymoon. The island trip we talked about before. Forgot?” Song Yi handed Ling Xi a U-shaped neck pillow.

“Oh… why today?” Normally they should have been visiting either Song Yi’s or Ling Xi’s family today.

“Couldn’t wait.” Annoyed by the thought of their alone time being interrupted, Song Yi had changed their flight tickets and taken Ling Xi away directly.

Understanding this, Ling Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Two days later would have been fine. And sister, even if we escape now, won’t we still have to visit our families after the trip?”

“We’ll deal with that later. Right now, I just want to be with you. Sweetheart, can’t we at least have our honeymoon undisturbed?” Song Yi leaned on her shoulder and opened a tablet.

“Not… fluent.” Ling Xi was still struggling to recover.

As she spoke, Song Yi’s playful fingers touched her tongue.

Ling Xi froze momentarily, her face instantly flushing red.

Due to malnutrition, she normally had little color in her face, making the pink hue even more noticeable.

Song Yi took the opportunity to touch it properly. “Can you feel that? Means you’re recovering well.”

Only then did Ling Xi seem to wake up, quickly pulling her head back.

“Sister!” she scolded.

“Don’t mind it. Your tongue broke once, shouldn’t we check how well it’s healing?”

Song Yi pulled her displeased sweetheart back into her arms.

After all, Ling Xi couldn’t walk now—she wouldn’t run away.

Ling Xi suddenly bit Song Yi’s cheek.

Song Yi didn’t even realize how intimate their actions had become.

She naturally started playing around with Ling Xi.

As if they were truly lovers.

It wasn’t until Ling Xi used the only agile part of her body to touch Song Yi’s lips,

And they ended up kissing, that Song Yi realized something was wrong.

Ling Xi obediently wrapped her arms around Song Yi’s neck, kissing her earnestly and passionately.

But Song Yi felt somewhat flustered.

Wasn’t their progress a bit too fast?

Even counting from their reunion until now, it had only been a little over a month.

Ling Xi had only woken up two days ago. And now they were already kissing.

Ling Xi’s love for her seemed far more intense than her own fleeting affections that had come and gone twice already.

Overwhelmed, Song Yi gently but firmly pressed Ling Xi back.

Forced to separate, Ling Xi sat there looking slightly dazed.

Then her expression turned hurt.

Could it be that in this timeline, Song Yi didn’t like her?

If not, why visit her every day, treat her so well, help find hospitals and doctors?

And hug her.

“I’m not rejecting you…” Song Yi saw the tears welling up in Ling Xi’s eyes.

Her heart softened momentarily.

After all, she still had some feelings. What’s the harm in letting her kiss? A voice whispered in Song Yi’s heart.

Song Yi suddenly shuddered.

They weren’t related. They’d had connections before, but that was long ago.

This wasn’t right—Ling Xi wasn’t even fully recovered yet.

“Sister…” Ling Xi’s memories were still stuck in her married life with Song Yi.

Just a moment ago, they had been so sweet together.

Not to mention kissing, weren’t they doing that sort of thing every day?

When nothing was going on, they would snuggle in each other’s arms and chat about everyday things.

But in the next moment, Lingxi had to face the reality that the Song Yi before her was the one who had been separated from her for eight years—the one who hadn’t shown up for their promised meeting and had watched her marry Mu Xie.

Lingxi was struggling to adjust.

Song Yi sighed and pulled Lingxi back into her embrace.

“I just feel like we’re moving a little too fast. Sweetheart, the last time we saw each other was eight years ago. So much time has passed… Back then, I really liked you. I wanted to wait until you were an adult, until you grew up, before being with you. But you…”

Song Yi bit her lip. “You didn’t come to meet me.”

“I can… explain,” Lingxi muttered.

This was her fault, and she wasn’t sure if Song Yi would even believe her.

“…No rush. It’s fine. I’m not angry with you anymore.” Song Yi turned her face away.

Lingxi could clearly see her displeasure.

Yet Lingxi also found this version of Song Yi vivid and adorable. She nuzzled against her cheek and stole a quick kiss.

“Jiejie, I… like you.”

The long-dead strings of Song Yi’s heart came alive again at those words.

That night, as they lay together, Song Yi took Lingxi’s reaching hand in hers.

“So, jiejie, you’re now with the…”

“Yeah, working in the police force. You saw the photo?” Song Yi finished Lingxi’s sentence, not wanting her to strain herself.

“Do you know about Mu Xie’s connection to the Tiancan Organization? Or have you heard the name before?”

Lingxi nodded. Of course she had—in the “next life” she remembered, she and Song Yi had taken down Mu Xie together.

“She must have done something to you too… Anyway, I realized long ago that Mu Xie had designs on the Song family. At first, I thought it was normal since her mother was also a Song, making us rivals. But around the time you got engaged to her, I started noticing something off about her.”

“No matter how much I investigated her—or you—I couldn’t find more information. Later, I discovered her deep ties to the Tiancan Organization, so I left the Song family, joined the police, and worked with my friend to investigate the group.”

Lingxi knew the “friend” Song Yi mentioned was the one whose name sounded like “one minute.”

“If only we had acted sooner… if we had taken care of Mu Xie right after they surfaced. You wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.” Song Yi squeezed Lingxi’s hand.

She still regretted it. If she had found Lingxi earlier, she could have at least stopped her from… ending her own life.

Losing so much blood—it must have been excruciating.

“Thank you,” Lingxi whispered, feeling nothing but fortunate.

Even after encountering a sociopath like Mu Xie.

In the end, she had still been lucky enough to reunite with Song Yi.

“It’s what I should do. Both personally and professionally, I had to save you.” Song Yi hugged her tightly.

This timeline’s Song Yi seemed more mature than any previous version.

Especially when it came to matters of the heart. “As for us being together… I want to wait until you’ve fully recovered, and until you’ve explained everything. Okay?”

Lingxi chuckled. “Okay, jiejie. You know I like you.” That was enough.

After resting for a few days, Lingxi gradually began eating solid foods again.

Her rehabilitation training also started.

Every day, she pushed herself until she was drenched in sweat, collapsing like a puddle of exhaustion.

Strangely, she always avoided letting Song Yi see her during these sessions.

Song Yi would drop her off in the mornings and pick her up in the evenings.

After all, Song Yi now had a stable government job with fixed working hours, so she always dropped off and picked up Ling Xi with precise timing.

Ling Xi took advantage of the times when Song Yi was least likely to appear at the hospital to go to her rehabilitation sessions, practicing walking under the supervision of medical staff.

By the end of the day, her body felt like it no longer belonged to her.

The soreness was only slightly more bearable than when she had been on the brink of death.

Thinking about seeing Song Yi in the evening, remembering Song Yi’s promise that they would talk about dating once she recovered—

Every time Ling Xi fell, she found the strength to get back up.

But Ling Xi should have known she couldn’t keep this from Song Yi forever.

On the fourth day of her rehabilitation, Song Yi asked the nurse on duty about Ling Xi’s training schedule and went to the hospital at that time.

She brought along some small pastries the doctor had said Ling Xi could eat.

Before she even pushed the door open, she saw Ling Xi collapsed on the floor—

Drenched in sweat, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

Song Yi was stunned for a moment by Ling Xi’s disheveled state, then watched as Ling Xi began pounding her uncooperative legs in frustration.

Unable to hold back any longer, Song Yi pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Ling Xi turned her head, her eyes filled with unmistakable surprise.

Song Yi set the pastries aside and, ignoring Ling Xi’s sweat-soaked clothes, walked over and pulled her into a hug.

“Jiejie… why are you here?” After over a week of recovery, Ling Xi could now speak normally.

But every night when she returned home with Song Yi, she was too exhausted and would pass out immediately, leaving Song Yi no chance to talk.

Now, Song Yi finally understood why.

How could she not fall asleep instantly when she was this worn out?

“I came to see you.” Song Yi grabbed a nearby towel and began wiping Ling Xi’s sweat.

Then she tried to help her sit down on the side.

Ling Xi resisted. “I can do it myself.”

Song Yi wanted to say she couldn’t walk on her own, but the words felt too cruel.

After being in a coma for nearly a month, standing again was bound to be difficult—even though Ling Xi was already as thin as she could possibly be.

“Didn’t you say you liked me? Why hide something like this from me?” From Ling Xi’s reaction, Song Yi knew she had guessed right.

“But it’s so ugly… I didn’t want you to see.”

Ling Xi wrapped her arms around Song Yi’s. “Jiejie, don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Song Yi tapped her nose lightly. “You were afraid I’d worry. I can tell.”

Ling Xi didn’t dare respond.

“I would worry.” Song Yi took Ling Xi’s hand and pressed it against her own chest.

“But Ling Xi, can you feel my heartbeat? This heart does ache, but more than that, it wants to know what you’re going through.”

Ling Xi remained guilty, but there was also an indescribable joy in her chest.

“I was wrong, Song-jiejie.” She pulled her hand back.

Song Yi just looked at her, a little helpless.

“Jiejie~ Jiejie. I won’t hide things from you next time.” Ling Xi hadn’t expected it to take this long or be this exhausting.

Keeping it from Song Yi had been entirely subconscious.

She thought it was enough that Song Yi knew she was in rehab.

She hadn’t expected Song Yi to be upset about it.

Song Yi sighed and took her hand again. “I’m off work today, so I came to see you. I don’t have anything else to do afterward. I’ll stay and help with your rehab.”

“Okay.”

With Song Yi’s company and support, Ling Xi didn’t fall even once.

Though she was still exhausted, at the very least, she was happy.

Song Yi told her about work.

When there were no cases to investigate, their daily tasks mostly involved helping others.

Today, they had helped a family find their lost puppy.

They had been busy in the yard for quite a while, only to find the dog perfectly fine inside the house—it had just blended into the darkness because its gray fur was too dark.

The once tedious rehabilitation process, which only had cartoons for company, had now become something to look forward to.

But Lingxi knew Song Yi couldn’t accompany her every day.

She needed to recover quickly. In fact, the reason rehab felt so exhausting was because Lingxi had secretly extended her sessions.

She didn’t want to remain immobile any longer—having to be carried by Song Yi everywhere or relying on a wheelchair.

That feeling was unbearable.

“Call me when you start rehab tomorrow. I’ll find a way to sneak over,” Song Yi said, patting Lingxi’s head as they wrapped up.

“Won’t you get caught?”

Song Yi shrugged. “Just wrapped up a case—I’ve got free time. Besides, with the Tiancan Organization business settled and me turning thirty, I’m thinking of stepping back from fieldwork.”

“Things will be more relaxed. Honestly, I can’t keep up with the new recruits’ stamina anymore.”

Lingxi nodded in understanding.

“Jiejie, you rushed in to hug me today, stayed with me during rehab, and talked so much… Does that mean you… kind of like me too?”

Finally, Lingxi asked the question she’d been holding back for over two hours.