It was her arrangement for Shi Ran to guard Old Chen Tou, believing he wouldn't be able to escape. Even if he could, he wouldn't hurt Shi Ran, as she was innocent and knew nothing.
Who would have thought he would be so ruthless.
Meng Jingwei felt guilty towards Shi Ran and hated Old Chen Tou, with heartbreak and disappointment surging through her.
"You rest well. I'll make arrangements to have you and Shi Ran in the same ward so you won't be lonely."
Qing Muye leaned down, kissed her forehead, and gently caressed her cheek before turning and leaving the room with reluctance.
A few minutes later, he arrived at Building Three and went to Shi Ran's ward.
Inside the ward, Shi Ran had not yet woken up. Tang Si sat by the bed, looking dejected and heartbroken, tightly holding Shi Ran's hand and refusing to let go.
"She's not awake yet?"
Qing Muye walked to the bedside and asked softly.
Tang Si glanced at Qing Muye, then his gaze returned to Shi Ran. He shook his head and sighed deeply, "No."
Silence fell upon the room.
After a while, Tang Si spoke again, "I can't imagine how she'll face all this when she wakes up. She's such a cheerful and optimistic girl, living in the sunlight, always happy and carefree. Knowing she's disfigured, she probably won't be able to accept it."
"Cosmetic surgery in the country is very advanced and common. Once we bring her back to Lancheng, she'll definitely be able to recover."
Qing Muye comforted Tang Si.
"Mmm... it hurts... it hurts..."
Suddenly, Shi Ran on the hospital bed parted her lips, moaning softly and saying she was in pain.
"Ran Bao'er?"
Tang Si's body lurched forward, leaning closer to Shi Ran, softly calling her name.
Shi Ran, who had been unconscious for several hours, finally woke up. She blinked her long, dense eyelashes, resembling butterfly wings, and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Tang Si.
"A Si... hiss..."
As she opened her mouth, she felt a burning pain in her cheek. She instinctively raised her hand to touch her face, but Tang Si grabbed her hand, "Don't move."
Lying down, Shi Ran turned her pupils, "My right eye... eye..."
Just as she was about to ask a question, speaking would pull at her wound, causing excruciating pain.
"It's okay. You just have bandages on your face, covering your eye. Your left eye is completely fine." Tang Si looked at her frail and sickly state, even though her voice was as low as a mosquito's hum, she still couldn't speak due to the pain, looking pitiful. Her heart ached almost to suffocation.
Shi Ran lay in bed, calmly recalling everything that had happened today.
Suddenly...
Her nostrils felt a sting, and her eyes instantly became red, shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Tears gradually filled her eyes and overflowed from the corners of her eyes.
Seeing her looking wronged and silently shedding tears, Tang Si's heart felt like it was shattering.
He tightly grasped Shi Ran's hand. All the comforting words were at the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know how to say them, feeling as if something was stuck in his throat.
Shi Ran turned her dark pupils of her left eye towards Tang Si, "I... am... disfigured... aren't I?"
As she spoke, she kept her mouth slightly open, with only her tongue moving nimbly, producing unclear sounds.
Only by speaking this way would her cheek not hurt so much.
The doctor had said that her left cheek had been cut through by only a millimeter, which was why speaking was so painful.
Perhaps Old Chen Tou hadn't expected to injure Shi Ran so severely.
Due to the force of his habitual flick, the ring on his hand had scraped across Shi Ran's face. Therefore, the wound was very deep, and even her nasal bone had a scratch.
Seeing Shi Ran like this, Tang Si's brow furrowed repeatedly, and he also felt pained, his eyes turning red.
All the comforting words in his heart were stuck in his throat, difficult to articulate. All he could do was tightly clench her hand and rub it incessantly.