Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

When the smell of disinfectant from the county hospital penetrated into his nose, Gu Fanxing's ankle was still aching slightly.

She was supported and stood at the door of the ward, looking through the glass window at the person wrapped in bandages on the bed. Her feet seemed to be nailed to the spot and she couldn't move at all.

Pei Luonan just lay there.

His forehead was wrapped in thick gauze, and the blood that had seeped out had spread a small, dark red patch across the white cotton. His once sharp-edged face was now completely bloodless, and even his lips were a bluish-gray hue. An IV drip was connected to his left hand, and the back of his hand was covered in needle holes from repeated punctures. The doctor had splinted his right hand—when he was found, it was still clenched, as if grasping something.

"Miss Gu, please go in." The nurse said softly, "Mr. Pei has just finished the initial debridement and hasn't woken up from the anesthesia yet. If you stay with him, maybe he will wake up sooner."

Gu Fanxing nodded, but her fingertips were shaking violently on the door handle.

The moment he pushed open the door, the beeping sound from the ECG monitor hit his ears. The regular sound hid the traces of his return from the brink of death.

She walked to the bedside, sat down carefully, and scanned his face inch by inch.

His eyelashes were very long and were drooping quietly at the moment. There was still some mud marks on the bridge of his nose that had not been wiped off. His jawline was very tight, as if he could not rest even in his dreams.

"Does it hurt?" she asked subconsciously, her voice as light as a feather.

The only response she got was the ticking of the instrument.

She stretched out her hand, wanting to touch his cheek, but her fingertips stopped half an inch from his skin and then suddenly retracted it.

Her palm was still stained with his blood - in the cave, when she rushed over to hug the unconscious him, the blood from his forehead flowed down her wrist, hot like fire. The temperature was still branded on her skin, bringing with it a burning guilt.

"I'm sorry..." She lowered her head, tears falling on the bed sheet without warning, "It's all my fault."

If she hadn't run away in anger, if she had listened to his explanation, if she hadn't rushed into Eagle's Beak Cliff during the mountain torrent... he wouldn't have injured himself all over in order to find her.

She recalled the first time she saw him in the hospital. He was wearing a tailor-made suit, his leather shoes were polished to a shine, and even the buttons on his cuffs gleamed with an exquisite luster.

But now, he was lying on a hospital bed, covered with a washed-out striped sheet, with gauze wrapped around the sutures on his arm. The hands that had once flipped through business contracts and signed orders worth billions were now covered in scars, making it difficult for him to even hold a pen.

Just as I was lost in thought, the sound of the ECG monitor suddenly became sharp and rapid.

Pei Luonan's chest heaved violently, his face turned pale as paper in an instant, and his originally weak breathing suddenly stopped for two seconds.

Gu Fanxing stood up suddenly, knocking over the chair beside the bed: "Doctor! Doctor!"

Several doctors in white coats rushed into the ward, their stethoscopes rapidly moving across his chest. The monitor's alarms pierced his eardrums. "Intracranial pressure rising rapidly! Prepare for surgery immediately!" the attending physician's voice was filled with anxiety. "Where are the family members? The consent form must be signed!"

Gu Fanxing's heart felt like it was being gripped by a hand.

Kong Haoyu just said that he was going to the corner to buy a bowl of hot porridge, but now the phone was connected but no one answered; Pei Luonan's family was far away in Huacheng, and it was late at night when Kong Haoyu contacted them last night. Even if the call was connected now, it would be impossible for them to come.

"His family members are too far away." Gu Fanxing's voice trembled. Looking at the consent form handed over by the nurse, her fingertips were as cold as if they had just been taken out of ice water.

"There's no time to wait!" The doctor thrust a pen into her hand, the tip of the pen almost piercing the paper. "Any further delay could put your life in danger! Can you sign?"

Gu Fanxing's eyes were bloodshot. She remembered his resolute back as he jumped into the flood, and his last words, "I found you" - these images were like red-hot irons, burning her heart.

"I'll sign." She gripped the pen tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

When the three words "Gu Fanxing" were written, the ink spread on the paper, like an invisible contract, binding her and him tightly together.

The doctor took the order and walked away. The operating room door slammed shut, leaving Gu Fanxing standing alone in the corridor, her back soaked in sweat. She slid down onto the bench, leaning against the wall. The doctor's words echoed in her mind: "The operation is very risky and there may be sequelae..."

After an unknown amount of time, Kong Haoyu hurried over with a thermos bucket. Seeing the red light in the corridor, his face suddenly changed: "What's going on? I just came back from buying porridge and heard..."

"He has increased intracranial pressure and is undergoing surgery." Gu Fanxing raised her head, her eyes red. "No one answered your phone. I signed the consent form."

The operation lasted three hours.

When the red light went out, Gu Fanxing could hardly stand.

The doctor took off his mask and said, "The operation was successful, but he is still in a critical period. Whether he can wake up depends on his own willpower."

When Pei Luonan was pushed back to the ward, there was a thicker layer of gauze on his face.

When the nurse came in to change the dressing, Gu Fanxing saw the wound on his back clearly - the wound extending from the shoulder blade to the side of the waist was hideously open, and the flesh at the edge had turned white due to being soaked in flood water. When the doctor used tweezers to clean the wound, she clearly saw that there were still tiny pieces of gravel embedded in it. Every touch made him frown, and he could not hide the pain even in a coma.

"He's been holding onto this the whole time." The nurse picked up a small plastic bag from the tray, which contained the butterfly hairpin. "He hasn't let go of it since he was rescued. The doctor only managed to pry open his fingers and remove it during the surgery."

Gu Fanxing took the hairpin and her fingertips touched the cold metal. She suddenly remembered how he held up the hairpin to stop the truck. The morning light fell on his face at that time, and the anxiety in his eyes was brighter than broken diamonds. She couldn't help but cry again.

Seeing her crying while clutching her hairpin, Kong Haoyu comforted her, "Don't blame yourself too much. Mr. Pei often said that meeting you was the luckiest thing in his life. He is a lucky person and will definitely be able to turn misfortune into good fortune."

"When he wakes up, tell him I'm gone." Gu Fanxing wiped away her tears, her voice thick with nasal sounds, "I don't deserve to be by his side."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Luonan suddenly hummed.

His eyelashes trembled, and his eyes opened a crack. His vision swept across the ward blurryly and finally fell on Gu Fanxing. His lips moved and made a faint sound, as if he was calling her name.

"I'm here." She immediately leaned over and took his good hand. "I'm here."

His hands were cold, but his fingertips were slightly curled, as if he wanted to shake her hand back.

His eyes gradually focused, and when he saw the tear marks on her face, his brows suddenly frowned, and a vague sound came out of his throat: "Don't... cry."

"I'm not crying." Gu Fanxing quickly wiped away her tears and forced a smile that was uglier than crying. "How do you feel? Does it hurt?"

He didn't answer, just stared at her ankles.

There was thick gauze wrapped around it, which had been re-processed by medical staff yesterday.

A trace of heartache flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand with difficulty and wanted to touch her ankle, but he gasped in pain because of the pain caused by pulling the wound.

"Don't move!" Gu Fanxing quickly held his hand. "The doctor said you need to rest well."

After he fell asleep again, Gu Fanxing stayed by his side all night.

Seeing his cheeks flushed with fever and the new blood stains oozing from his forehead, my heart ached.

The signed consent form was like a planted seed, making her feel vaguely uneasy.

At daybreak, the doctor said the wound showed signs of infection and needed to be transferred to the city hospital.

As the ambulance roared out of the county, Gu Fanxing sat in the passenger seat, looking at Pei Luonan and clutching the butterfly hairpin tightly.

A billboard passed by the window and read "There is always a rainbow after the storm." She looked at the sky and suddenly smiled.

As long as he can wake up, she will...