"Dear viewers, we interrupt our program for a special news bulletin. This afternoon at six o'clock, a boating accident occurred in the waters near Mount Zhou Mountain City's Zhou Mountain Islands. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Several injured individuals have been taken out of danger. According to eyewitnesses, a sea turtle the size of a small car carried several people back to shore..."
Three days later...
"Mmm..."
Li Haochen let out a soft hum, his eyes slowly opening. "Is this heaven?"
Perhaps too weak, he had only been awake for a moment before falling back into slumber.
"Ah... Doctor, Doctor..."
Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian, their eyes swollen from crying, anxiously awaited the doctor's examination results.
"Don't worry, now that the patient is awake, he's fine. He's just too weak and fell asleep."
Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian wept with joy. Chen He and the others who had been keeping vigil in the ward also saw their worries dissipate.
"Doctor, thank you, thank you!" Xie Baolian tightly grasped the doctor's hand, full of gratitude.
"Alright, the patient is still very weak and needs a quiet environment to rest. Don't have so many people here."
After the doctor left, Ruan Shanshan and the others offered more comfort before departing, leaving only Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian in the special care ward.
"Aunt Lian, you should go back and rest too. You haven't slept for days."
"You're lecturing me? Aren't you the same? It's better to have more people here to look after him. This brat, when he wakes up, I'll spank his backside for making us worry so much." As she spoke, Xie Baolian's eyes reddened again.
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
In the middle of the night, Li Haochen woke up again. His complexion was no longer as pale, but his body was still weak and powerless.
"Will I still get hungry if I die?" This was Li Haochen's first thought upon waking.
The tense Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian immediately woke up at the slightest sound and rushed to the bedside. Seeing Li Haochen awake, they once again threw themselves into his arms and cried profusely.
Looking at Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian in his embrace, Li Haochen reached out and stroked their heads, feeling a bit bewildered. "This feels so real. Is this a perk of being reborn in heaven?" Li Haochen murmured to himself.
Hearing Li Haochen's weak words, the two women found it both amusing and exasperating.
Murong Yanran glared at him and playfully pinched his waist.
"Ouch, it hurts..."
"Hmph, serves you right. You still dare to play the hero and cause us..."
Xie Baolian couldn't help but start sobbing softly again. Murong Yanran, though wanting to cry, bit her lip and held back. She walked over and hugged Xie Baolian. "Aunt, don't cry. When we get out of the hospital, we'll deal with this guy and take it out on him. I'll help you then."
The pain brought Li Haochen to his senses. Seeing the two women looking so worn out, he felt a surge of guilt and heartache. He struggled to sit up.
Seeing this, the two women quickly went to help him lie back down.
"Don't move around. The doctor said you need to rest more."
Li Haochen reached out and tightly grasped Murong Yanran and Xie Baolian's hands. "It's so good to have you. It's so good to be alive!"
"Mmm... it's good to be alive, so good!"
"Yes, so good!"
Tears streamed down the faces of the two women.
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
"Child, are you hungry?"
Li Haochen didn't feel embarrassed. He nodded and chuckled, "Yes, I'm practically starving. My back is touching my stomach, hehe!"
"It's good that you're hungry, it means you're recovering! Mom will go buy you something to eat right away." Xie Baolian wiped her tears and rushed out of the ward, not quite remembering what she said.
"Mom...?"
Li Haochen's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Murong Yanran. "Did I hear that wrong?"
"No."
Li Haochen tightly held Murong Yanran's hands, feeling a surge of emotion, tears flowing uncontrollably.
"Yanran, this feeling is wonderful."
"Don't get too excited. Lie down and rest well."
Murong Yanran gently wiped away Li Haochen's tears and stroked his noticeably thinner face. "I'm sorry, I..."
Li Haochen knew what Murong Yanran wanted to say. He reached out and pressed his fingers against her lips. "I'm fine, aren't I? It's okay."
Murong Yanran, her eyes red, lowered her head and kissed him. If this were any other time, Li Haochen would have responded with even more passion, but now he could only groan in pain.
The few cuts on his lips were reopened by Murong Yanran's passionate kiss, causing Li Haochen to tremble with pain. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Fortunately, Murong Yanran didn't push her luck further, or Li Haochen might have been the first person to faint from a kiss.
Li Haochen, not wanting Murong Yanran to worry, quickly wiped the blood from his mouth. He stroked Murong Yanran's face, his expression full of tenderness. "I'm sorry, I made you worry."
Murong Yanran tightly gripped Li Haochen's hands as if afraid he would slip away. Her voice was low and hoarse. "I was scared, so scared. When I received the news, it felt like the sky had fallen, and the world had lost its color..."
Li Haochen pulled Murong Yanran into his embrace, rubbing her forehead and letting her tears soak his chest.
Having not rested for days and being overly stressed, now that she felt safe, all the pressure lifted. Murong Yanran could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep in Li Haochen's arms.
"Haochen, eat..."
Xie Baolian rushed in, pushing the door open. Seeing Murong Yanran asleep, she quickly hushed her voice.
Li Haochen carefully withdrew his arm from under Murong Yanran's head, gently covered her with the blanket, and then used his arms to push himself up to a sitting position.
Xie Baolian quickly placed the items on the table and hurried over to help Li Haochen. Her eyes were filled with worry and concern. She said softly, "You child, why are you pushing yourself up? Wait for me first."
Xie Baolian helped Li Haochen to the dining table and laid out several steaming dishes in front of him. "You must be hungry. Come, eat."
Li Haochen looked at the more than ten dishes and couldn't help but smile wryly, though he was deeply touched.
Xie Baolian picked up a spoon, scooped some shredded chicken congee, blew on it, and brought it to Li Haochen's lips. "Ah... open your mouth."
The words Li Haochen was about to speak were silenced by Xie Baolian's sharp gaze. He had no choice but to comply.
Seeing Li Haochen eat mouthful after mouthful of the food she was feeding him, Xie Baolian wore a smile on her face.
The food was delicious, but eating it was agony for Li Haochen. The cuts on his inner lips were constantly irritated by the juices, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. Li Haochen could only swallow the food quickly to minimize its time in his mouth.
Fortunately, Xie Baolian didn't make Li Haochen eat all the dishes; she only had him taste a little of each. Otherwise, Li Haochen might have died of overeating instead of drowning.
Although the process was painful, it was nothing compared to her care.
Li Haochen looked at Xie Baolian, who was cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks with a haggard expression, and couldn't help but walk forward and hug her. "Mom, thank you!"