Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 358 - 318 I Didn’t Look at Her Face! (Second Update)
"Mom, I was just thinking about you, and here you are!" Mi Chenxuan said with a cheeky grin.
Yan Zi, her eyes misty with tears, grasped Mi Chenxuan’s hand. "Son..."
"Come on~ No crying allowed. If you cry, I’ll want to cry too. My Seventh Brother told me that crying isn’t good for the wound." Mi Chenxuan chuckled as he scratched his mother’s palm. "Mom, I’ll be able to come home and keep you company in a couple of days."
"You just focus on recovering. Mom will stay here with you." Yan Zi pursed her lips and turned to look at Tong Airui. "Rui’er, I heard from your dad that you donated 600cc of blood to Xuanxuan. You shouldn’t stay here anymore; go home and rest."
Tong Airui didn’t dare to meet Yan Zi’s gaze and said softly, "It’s okay, Aunt. Last night, after donating blood to Old Eight, they brought in plasma to replenish me."
Standing outside the door, Tong Yao froze. Her son had replenished blood, so why did his complexion still look so bad?
Yuan Hang explained, "Fourth Uncle thought the plasma might run out, so he only replenished 200cc. This was after we insisted he do so; otherwise, he couldn’t even stand."
Tong Yao sighed lightly. That stubborn streak—he took after Long Che.
"Fourth Brother..." Mi Chenxuan mischievously glanced at Tong Airui. "I won’t give you a formal thank-you, but from now on, I’m all yours!"
Tong Airui rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "I already have your Fourth Sister-in-law. I don’t take concubines."
Mi Chenxuan pouted. "That’s heartless! I’m in this predicament, and you can’t even indulge me a little?"
Tong Airui ignored him and instead walked over to Yan Zi. "Aunt, I’m sorry. I couldn’t fulfill the promise I made to you."
Yan Zi firmly patted Tong Airui’s shoulder. "Rui’er, this path was Xuanxuan’s choice. If he’s injured, it’s no one’s fault but his own carelessness. Don’t carry this emotional burden. Once Xuanxuan recovers, make sure he rejoins his team quickly."
Tong Airui looked at Yan Zi with deep remorse. "Aunt, scold me a little—then I’ll feel better."
"If scolding you could heal Xuanxuan, I’d scold you into oblivion!" Yan Zi smiled lovingly. "Rui’er, Aunt knows your heart aches more than anyone else’s, but your uncle and I truly don’t blame you. Go home and rest for a couple of days; you can’t afford to collapse."
By this time, Mi Chenxuan’s anesthetic had worn off, and he winced from the pain, groaning, "Fourth Brother, just leave already—I want to sleep."
Tong Airui hesitated for a moment. "Alright, then take care of yourself. I’ll come over again this afternoon."
"Mhm, go quickly." After speaking, Mi Chenxuan turned to his mother. "Mom, you should leave too."
"I just got here, and you’re already shooing me away." Yan Zi frowned and glared at him.
"Just step out for a little while—ten minutes, just ten minutes!" Mi Chenxuan clenched his fists; he didn’t want his mother to worry about him.
Yan Zi and Tong Airui had just walked out the door when Mi Chenxuan glanced at Mai Zekai for help, whispering softly, "Seventh Brother, I can’t take it anymore. Could you get me some painkillers?"
Mai Zekai noticed sweat forming on Mi Chenxuan’s forehead and hurriedly stepped out.
Long Che, Mi Xiaotian, and Mi Chenshuo had just exited the hospital director’s office when they saw Mai Zekai walking briskly away. Mi Chenshuo froze in place. "Old Seven, did something happen to Old Eight?"
"No, he’s just in a little pain. But I’m not a doctor here, so I don’t have prescription privileges. I’m going to find his attending physician."
"Then you’d better hurry!"
"Don’t go into his room just yet. He’s just woken up and chatted quite a bit. Right now, he needs to rest quietly." Mai Zekai gave his instructions and headed to the doctor’s office.
Tong Aino was the last to arrive. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he repeatedly wiped sweat from his face. "I’m late—I was keeping Grandpa and Grandma company at home so they wouldn’t notice anything. Then, the car got stuck in traffic, so I ran over here instead. How’s Old Eight?"
"I’m not dead yet!" Mi Chenxuan shouted from inside the hospital room. "All of you—stay away from my room and let me yell for a bit."
"You’re not about to cry, are you?" Tong Aino teased through the glass as he looked at Mi Chenxuan lying on the hospital bed. "Go ahead and cry, darling. We won’t laugh at you."
"Nuo’er! Don’t tease Xuanxuan—he’s in pain right now!" Tong Yao pulled her son away, and the group hid where Mi Chenxuan couldn’t see them.
"Ah—this pain is killing me! Slowpoke Mai, you big tortoise! Hurry up and crawl back already!"
For a while, Tong Airui couldn’t stand still. He slowly made his way to the balcony and clutched his head in agony.
A strong hand pressed firmly on his shoulder.
Tong Airui turned around and saw Mi Xiaotian. "Uncle, I’m sorry..."
"Rui’er, don’t say ’sorry.’ It’s your duty. I may not have been to the battlefield many times, but I’ve spent the most time with your dad. Each time a brother was sacrificed or injured, he would be just like you are now. But over time, after seeing it happen repeatedly, you gradually get used to it.
The people of Shenying are all your comrades; you can’t let your bond just because Xuanxuan is your brother. This will impact your performance and hinder Xuanxuan’s growth.
Actually, Uncle should thank you. Thank you for giving Xuanxuan this rare opportunity to mature. People grow slowly. You entered the military academy at fifteen—how many injuries have you accumulated in almost ten years? Think about it the other way: hasn’t every injury taught you something? That’s called learning through adversity. Mark my words—next time, Xuanxuan won’t be so reckless."
Tong Airui shook his head painfully. "Uncle, I understand all the reasoning, but my heart still feels terrible. I really hope you and Aunt will scold me or smack me."
Mi Xiaotian chuckled. "I didn’t expect you to be the self-punishing type. But what exactly did you do wrong? Why would we hit you? It’s your job. Would you let the family of every injured teammate smack you once?
Tong Airui hugged Mi Xiaotian tightly. "Uncle, thank you—thank you and Aunt for understanding."
"Now that’s the spirit!" Mi Xiaotian patted his back with a smile. "Remember this in the future: Mi Chenxuan is your subordinate, not your brother. If you want him to succeed, you must forget that layer of relationship. Send him to the hardest and most dangerous missions confidently. Even if one day he sacrifices his life for the country, your aunt and I wouldn’t blame you."
Tong Airui nodded firmly. After talking with his uncle, he felt significantly better emotionally.
Mi Chenxuan had been administered painkillers and drifted into a drowsy sleep. Yan Zi and Mi Xiaotian stayed to accompany him, while the others went about their respective tasks.
Yi Luowa rushed to the hospital right after school ended. When she arrived, Mi Chenxuan was whining to Yan Zi for food.
Yan Zi pinched his nose hard. "Your Seventh Brother says you still can’t eat anything yet. With so many nutrient IVs, I refuse to believe you’re actually hungry."
"Fine, if you won’t feed me, then leave my nose alone!" Mi Chenxuan grumbled, turning his head toward the glass window where Yi Luowa stood.
Yi Luowa waved enthusiastically at him.
Mi Chenxuan grinned. "What are you standing there for? Come in!"
Yi Luowa chuckled and walked in, "I saw you being all melodramatic—I couldn’t bear to barge in."
"Tch~" Mi Chenxuan rolled his eyes at her.
Yi Luowa placed both hands on the edge of the bed and asked with a bright smile, "Xuan, are the meat skewers at the Bastu food stall delicious?"
Mi Chenxuan licked his lips. "Delicious! Did you buy some for me?"
Yi Luowa shook her head. "I was thinking we’d go eat together once you’re recovered."
"Then why bring it up now? You’re making me crave it!" Mi Chenxuan gave a dramatic eye-roll.
Yi Luowa laughed. "It’s precisely because of that craving—I know it’ll encourage you to recover faster."
Mi Chenxuan scratched his head. "Mom, kick her out—she’s here just to torment me!"
Yan Zi shot her son a glance of mock annoyance. "If I truly kicked your Fourth Sister-in-law out, you’d be mad at me later."
"Hehe..." Yi Luowa made a playful face at Mi Chenxuan.
Yan Zi smiled. "Luowa, why don’t you stay and chat with Xuanxuan for a while? I’m going to ask the doctor when he’ll be able to eat."
"Aunt, go ahead." Yi Luowa moved a chair closer to Mi Chenxuan’s bed. After Yan Zi left the room, she leaned over and whispered:
"Xuan, I was thinking about something in class today: How powerful must that little girl be to have injured you like this?"
"It wasn’t the little girl who hurt me—it was someone else. But that little girl really is ridiculously strong." Mi Chenxuan checked the doorway to ensure no one was around, then lowered his voice. "Fourth Sister-in-law, that little girl looks just like a cartoon doll—she’s shorter than you, but with just a few moves, she completely subdued me. I’m one of the top recruits in my unit’s new batch—tell me, isn’t that humiliating?"
Yi Luowa pouted. "It’s a little embarrassing! As part of Shenying, you got distracted by beauty. If your Fourth Brother finds out, he’s definitely going to beat you up!"
Mi Chenxuan shouted indignantly, "Nonsense! I wasn’t distracted by beauty!"
"Oh, please! Your shifty little eyes gave you away ages ago!" Yi Luowa laughed. "A cartoon doll must be very pretty!"
"I didn’t even look at her face!" Mi Chenxuan huffed, turning away in a sulk.
"If you didn’t look at her face, why’re you describing her as a cartoon doll!" Yi Luowa grabbed his chin playfully. "Mi Chenxuan! You committed a battlefield taboo and still dare to show attitude to me!"
