"Everyone out, I need some time to myself."
Shi Ran's eyes welled up with tears, her voice faint. Though her words were slightly slurred, Qing Muye and Tang Si understood her perfectly.
"Ran Bao'er, it's okay. Don't be sad. Domestic plastic surgery technology is incredibly advanced. As soon as we return to China, we'll arrange the surgery for you, and you'll be better soon."
Tang Si lifted Shi Ran's hand and placed it on his own face, constantly trying to comfort her.
Shi Ran remained unmoved, repeating her earlier plea, "Si, I want to be alone... for a while."
Her pale lips parted, her tongue moving, and a muffled sound came from her throat.
"We'll go out and let her have some quiet time," Qing Muye said to Tang Si.
Seeing them both like that, he felt a pang in his heart.
Tang Si shook his head and reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Don't cry, I'm here. I'll stay with you. I'll always be with you."
He had intended to comfort Shi Ran, but this single sentence caused her tears to gush forth uncontrollably. However, in her intense crying, she pulled at the wounds on her face, causing sharp pain.
"Wuwu... it hurts... it hurts..."
Shi Ran wanted to control herself, to stop crying, but it was a physical reaction. Despite her best efforts to hold back, she couldn't stop the sobs.
Seeing her in such a state, Tang Si became anxious. He stood up from the chair, holding her hand with one and cupping her right cheek with the other. "Ran Bao'er, don't cry. If you cry more, the wound will hurt even more. I'm here, and I promise I'll heal you. I won't let you have any scars. Believe me, okay?"
Tears blurred Shi Ran's vision, but she clearly felt a drop of hot liquid fall onto her cheek.
She knew it must be Tang Si crying.
But Shi Ran knew even more clearly that with her disfigurement, she was even less worthy of Tang Si, less deserving to stand beside him and achieve their happily ever after.
Just then, Meng Jingwei, wearing a hospital gown and looking frail, approached the door of the ward.
Hearing Tang Si's comforting words, Shi Ran's weeping, and the thick bandages wrapped around her face, she felt a searing pain in her heart.
Her eyes reddened at the scene, and a wave of bitterness washed over her.
Qing Muye turned his head and saw Meng Jingwei approaching.
He immediately walked over, pulled her into his embrace, and remained silent.
Leaning against his chest, Meng Jingwei breathed in his unique scent. She thought it might alleviate her sadness, but instead, it made her chest feel even heavier.
Meng Jingwei sniffled, pushed Qing Muye away, and walked to Shi Ran's bedside. Looking at her tear-streaked face, Meng Jingwei felt immensely guilty. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "It's all my fault."
Shi Ran tilted her head to look at Meng Jingwei and raised her right hand.
Seeing this, Meng Jingwei quickly grasped her hand. Shi Ran said softly, "Sister Wei, it... it has nothing to do with you."
Tang Si sat by the bed, his back to Meng Jingwei, and raised his hand to brush across his face, not wanting them to notice his distress.
"Rest well. I've also switched wards and can stay with you," she reassured Shi Ran. "Don't worry too much. With me, Tang Si, and Ah Ye, we will definitely fix your face. Believe us."
She encouraged Shi Ran again and again, fearing that Shi Ran might give up hope.
As Shi Ran nodded slightly, she suddenly cried out, "It hurts... it hurts so much..."
She instinctively reached out to touch her face, but Tang Si held her hand. "Where does it hurt?"
As he asked, he noticed that the bandages on her face were stained with tears, soaking through and irritating the wound.
"It hurts..."
The intense pain from the wound made Shi Ran shiver. Even though she didn't want to cry, the pain caused her tears to flow uncontrollably.