The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 41

Not far away, Gu Man’s ears twitched. Her long legs strode out as she broke away from the others, running forward with all her might.

“Sister Gu! Wait! Where are you going?”

The voices behind her gradually faded into the distance. Her lungs pumped violently, and the metallic taste of rust began to seep into her mouth.

Gu Man didn’t care; she was focused solely on running forward.

Finally, she slowly came to a halt. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared straight at Wen Mian who was drenched to the bone, leaning against a wall with a bent waist, her body covered in injuries.

The veins on Gu Man’s forehead throbbed. Whether from the intense running or something else, her heart twisted into a tight knot, aching terribly.

Gu Man’s voice had long since turned hoarse and harsh. She approached Wen Mian cautiously, reaching out her hands but unsure where to hold her so as not to cause more pain.

“Wenwen…” she called out lowly again, her tone as gentle as ever, as if softly comforting Wen Mian. She said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Wen Mian’s numbed body suddenly seemed to come back to life. Every breath brought a heart-wrenching pain, and circles of black dizziness swirled before her eyes.

Wen Mian let out a soft breath and forced a smile, though she didn’t realize how painful that smile looked to others.

She replied in a thready voice: “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Moisture gathered on Gu Man’s eyelashes, it was unclear if it was raindrops or her tears.

She squatted down in front of Wen Mian and said huskily, “I’ll carry you.”

Wen Mian let out a light laugh and shook her head in refusal. “There’s still a distance to the courtyard. It will be very tiring for you. I can walk by myself.”

“Wen Mian, why do you always push me so far away! I don’t want your self-righteous ‘kindness’! I don’t! Do you understand? If I did something wrong or said something wrong to make you unhappy, you can tell me directly. Don’t push me away, okay?”

Gu Man’s volume suddenly spiked. She whipped around, staring straight at Wen Mian with an unconcealable look of grievance. Rainwater streamed down her pale face.

Her voice was full of agony, her eyes shrouded in a thick mist that dampened her trembling lashes.

Gu Man gripped the hem of her soaked clothes tightly, water dripping incessantly. Her fingertips turned white from the force, her expression both fragile and stubborn.

Wen Mian was stunned, staring blankly at Gu Man.

Seeing her dazed expression, Gu Man seemed to suddenly lose her steam. She repeated her question in a low voice: “Wenwen, do you understand?”

Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Wen Mian felt her throat go dry. She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

What should she say? What could she say? Should she say she didn’t know it would cause such harm? That she was innocent, or stupid, or that she simply didn’t understand?

“I’m sorry…” In the end, Wen Mian could only lower her head and apologize.

I’m sorry for the hurt I caused you. I’m sorry, I was wrong about everything. I shouldn’t have treated you in a way I only “thought” was best.

Gu Man was also stunned. For a moment, the rain seemed to stop, and the whole world consisted only of the two of them.

“I…” Before she could finish, Wen Mian suddenly collapsed forward. Gu Man quickly caught her.

She looked down at Wen Mian’s bloodless face, her brows furrowed deeply. She couldn’t help but blame herself, why did she have to say those things at a time like this? Why couldn’t it wait until later?

Her fingertips gently brushed the damp hair away from Wen Mian’s face and behind her ear. Then, she slowly turned around and took Wen Mian onto her back.

Facing the tapering rain, Gu Man stepped onto the rubberized mountain path and walked quickly forward, carrying Wen Mian.

After walking for a while, Zhang Yunxi came running over with an umbrella.

“Mianmian! Sister Gu!” she shouted worriedly, quickly holding the umbrella over their heads.

Wang Mo and two others followed soon after, their faces filled with anxiety. “Are you okay?”

The group tacitly held their umbrellas over the two, forming a makeshift shelter.

Gu Man looked down at Wen Mian and nodded. “Wenwen fell. Let’s get back quickly.”

Zhong Li’s expression turned serious. “Once we cross this pedestrian path, the car is parked right there.”

Wang Mo frowned and nodded repeatedly.

The group followed Gu Man toward the villa.

After about ten minutes, they finally saw the car. Gu Man felt a slight sense of relief and jogged toward it.

Considering the car’s capacity, Zhong Li only took Gu Man with her. She started the car and drove toward the hospital.

The others watched the retreating silhouette of the car, their hands clenched into fists, silently praying: Please let her be okay!

Upon arriving at the hospital, they registered for the emergency room. It wasn’t until they heard the doctor say, “It’s just exhaustion, nothing serious. As for the feet and elbows, just apply some ointment. But remember, no strenuous activity for the next few days,” that Gu Man’s clenched fists finally relaxed.

The palms of her hands bore deep red marks from her fingernails. She felt a lingering fear: Thank goodness she’s okay, otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.

It was strange, she had been emotionally detached since childhood, especially after the tragic death of her family, becoming even more cold and indifferent. Yet, only with Wen Mian did she feel such profound and intense emotions as if, if Wen Mian died, she wouldn’t be able to go on living either.

After moving Wen Mian to a general ward, Gu Man sat quietly by her side, guarding her without blinking.

Zhong Li went out to handle the aftermath. She quickly posted a safety update and an apology on her account, using sincere language.

Following the long post, most rational fans chose to forgive them, while only a small portion of radical fans continued to criticize.

【Thank goodness, as long as she’s okay. I was scared to death!】

【Plus one, I almost resigned from my job to go look for Mianmian. Thank goodness she’s fine.】

【Me too, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.】

【I hope the program crew pays more attention next time. It’s not good if safety issues like this happen again.】

【Yes, it was truly terrifying!】

Seeing that the public sentiment was relatively normal, Zhong Li let out a sigh. She promised the fans that such a situation would never happen again.

Glancing back, Zhong Li silently went downstairs to get the clothes from the car.

Returning to the ward, Zhong Li handed the clothes to Gu Man and said softly, “Change your clothes. Don’t get sick.”

Gu Man shook her head, her eyes still fixed on Wen Mian.

Zhong Li thought for a moment and said, “Do you want Wen Mian to wake up only to see you collapse?”

Gu Man turned to look at her. The two shared a quiet look before Gu Man took the clothes. Her voice was husky. “Thank you.”

Zhong Li felt slightly relieved. She shook her head. “It’s my responsibility. Go change first, I’ll watch Wen Mian.”

Gu Man stood up and walked swiftly toward the adjacent bathroom.

The bathrooms in hospitals are often breeding grounds for bacteria. Gu Man used to despise such places, but now she didn’t care at all.

She changed her clothes rapidly, her usual germaphobia non-existent in this moment.

Walking back to Wen Mian’s bedside, she spoke hoarsely: “I’ll do it.”

Zhong Li didn’t argue and gave up her seat. She then said, “I’m going out to buy some rice porridge. She’ll need to replenish her energy when she wakes up. Is there anything you want to drink?”

Gu Man still shook her head. “I don’t need anything. Wenwen likes it slightly sweet, preferably with lots of grains.” She slowly listed Wen Mian’s preferences.

Zhong Li nodded. “Okay, I got it.”

She looked at the two of them and silently left.

Gu Man stared at the sleeping Wen Mian. After a moment of thought, she picked up a wet wipe and pulled out two, silently cleaning Wen Mian’s hands, which were stained with mud and moss.

After cleaning one side, she switched to a new wipe for the other.

Once finished, Gu Man continued to watch Wen Mian. Perhaps dreaming of something, Wen Mian’s brow slowly furrowed.

Gu Man felt an immediate pang of heartache. She slowly raised her hand, extending her index finger to smooth out the frown.

However, she froze the second her fingertip made contact. Gu Man bit her lower lip, her finger curling slightly, before she continued to move it down, stroking Wen Mian’s brow.

The touch was cold, unlike the warmth from before.

The redness in the corners of Gu Man’s eyes deepened. She smoothed out the frown bit by bit, then lingered there before moving her hand to the side of Wen Mian’s face.

Her finger hooked a damp strand of hair and tucked it away. Only then did a faint smile appear on Gu Man’s face. She withdrew her hand and continued to stare at Wen Mian intently.

About half an hour passed. With a soft “Mm…”, Wen Mian slowly opened her eyes to see the stark white ceiling.

Gu Man spoke immediately, her voice full of urgency and concern, “Does it still hurt?”

Wen Mian turned her head and forced a smile. “It doesn’t hurt. I’m okay.”

Gu Man’s eyes turned red instantly. A surge of emotion welled up in her heart, and her voice was very hoarse. “If it hurts, you can tell me.”

Wen Mian was stunned. Her memories slowly returned, and she couldn’t help but recall the string of words Gu Man had said before she fainted.

For a moment, Wen Mian felt at a loss. She pursed her lips, and her smile slowly faded.

Gu Man sensitively noticed Wen Mian’s discomfort, and her heart sank. She quickly changed the subject. “Zhong Li went to buy rice porridge. You need to replenish your strength since you just woke up.”

Wen Mian nodded. “I see…”

The room fell into silence again. Gu Man thought for a second, stood up to pour a cup of warm water, and handed it to her. “The porridge will be here soon, but moisten your throat first.”

Wen Mian habitually tried to lift her right hand but let out a sudden “Hiss” of pain.

Gu Man immediately leaned in close to her, asking urgently, “Does it hurt? You just had medicine applied. How about I fee…”

She stopped at the word “feed.” Previously, she could have said those words without a second thought, but now… she didn’t know how to say them.

Wen Mian felt as if her heart were being squeezed into a ball, emitting a dull ache that was more uncomfortable than the injury on her arm.

Growing up, she had never felt this way. It turned out that heartache could make one ignore physical pain…

Wen Mian raised her left hand, slowly taking the disposable paper cup from Gu Man’s hand, and took a sip.

The warm water slid down her parched throat, bringing moisture, then flowed to her stomach, feeling warm.

Her abdomen was no longer icy, it slowly began to regain its temperature.

Gu Man looked at the soft crown of Wen Mian’s head as she looked down, but her own mood was one of disappointment and distress.

Her fingers curled slightly as she withdrew her hand and hid it behind her back.

After taking a sip, Wen Mian quickly lifted her head. her bright, golden eyes looked straight at Gu Man, her gaze full of worry and insistence. “Gu Man, you drink some too!”

Faced with such a pair of colorful eyes, Gu Man could not tell if the girl before her truly cared for her at this moment.

This thought immediately caused Gu Man to shake her head in denial..Gu Man, even if there is conflict or unhappiness, how could you doubt Wenwen’s concern for you!

She gave a low “Mhm,” poured a cup of warm water, and gulped it down. The water moistened her torn and parched throat; first came a faint sting, followed by a wave of warmth.

Her constricted throat gradually relaxed, and the burning, dry pain slowly receded. Gu Man couldn’t help but lower her eyelashes, shielding the various emotions in her eyes.

Seeing Gu Man drink the water, Wen Mian felt slightly relieved. Her own lashes drooped, making her expression unreadable.

.

The awkward atmosphere didn’t last long before Zhong Li pushed the door open, carrying rice porridge.

Seeing Wen Mian awake, she nodded in acknowledgment. “I brought some rice porridge for you two to replenish your strength.”

Wen Mian took it and ate slowly, feeling her anxious stomach gradually settle.

As she ate, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Gu Man, who was sitting to one side.

Zhong Li shook her head inwardly and simply looked down at her phone.

After resting for a while and seeing that the rain had stopped, Zhong Li handled the discharge paperwork for Wen Mian, and the three returned to the villa.

As soon as they entered the villa courtyard, Zhang Yunxi and the others immediately ran over, their faces filled with anxiety.

“Mianmian, are you okay?” Zhang Yunxi circled Wen Mian, her eyes red-rimmed.

Wang Mo nodded along. “Does it still hurt? You should rest first.”

Su Shiqiu added, “True, you should go rest.”

Wen Mian smiled and waved them off. “I’m fine, don’t worry everyone.”

She limped toward the sofa, her body tilting slightly with each movement.

Gu Man’s eyes downcast. She raised her hand, wanting to support her, but as if remembering something, she didn’t make contact. Her hand merely hovered near Wen Mian’s waist.

Zhang Yunxi looked back and forth, sensing the subtle atmosphere between the two. After a moment’s thought, she stepped forward and supported Wen Mian’s left arm.

“Mianmian, let me help you.”

Wen Mian gave a light smile and nodded, thanking her absentmindedly, “Thanks, Xixi.” However, her peripheral vision remained fixed on the person behind her.

Zhang Yunxi felt bewildered. No way? Did Mianmian mess things up?

Her eyes darted around with unconcealable panic as she nudged Wen Mian, gesturing: What on earth happened?

Wen Mian understood the look, but at this moment, she didn’t want to explain. A sour feeling welled up in her heart, like the acid reflux of an empty stomach, stinging her nose and stinging her eyes.