He murmured, "I can't forget you. Not a single bit."
"You appear in my mind all the time. I try to suppress thoughts of you, but I only think of you more."
He lowered his head and kissed her palm. "Xiao Xiao, lock me up. Come see me whenever you want—one day, two days, a week, a month... anything."
"I'm begging you. Lock me up."
"Lock me in a room full of your scent, surrounded by things you've used. That's all I need."
"Cheng Yuan, are you a pervert?" Jiang Xiao's eyes widened. Only a pervert would make such an unreasonable request.
"Yes, I'm a pervert." Cheng Yuan gently squeezed her fingers. "After losing you, I've never been normal. In others' eyes, I'm glamorous, but in reality—"
He poked his chest with his bleeding finger. "Here—it's already rotten."
"Can't you smell what it's emitting?"
Apart from the scars, his chest looked fine on the outside. It wasn't "rotten" as he had just claimed.
That was his delusion.
"No," Jiang Xiao said expressionlessly.
"Want to see?" Cheng Yuan tugged at his clothes. "I'll show you."
Jiang Xiao couldn't reason with him in this deranged state. "Your hand is injured. Get it treated first."
"I won't." Cheng Yuan looked down at his hand. "This is the hand that did so many things that hurt you. Let it rot away."
"..."
Jiang Xiao said, "Then it shouldn't be just the hand that rots. You deserve to die even more."
"Do you want me to die?" Cheng Yuan said. "If you want me to, I can die."
"Are you threatening me?" Nothing could threaten Jiang Xiao. "That won't work."
"It's not a threat. It's atonement." Cheng Yuan had been in hell for too long. He wanted to end it all.
"Cheng Yuan, if you love putting on a show so much, you should become an actor."
"I'm not putting on a show." Cheng Yuan explained. "Everything I do for you is genuine."
"Including the hurt you caused me?"
"Those were unintentional."
Listen to this nonsense. When he coaxed her, it was genuine; when he hurt her, it was unintentional.
"I'm not a three-year-old," Jiang Xiao said. "You won't fool me every time."
Cheng Yuan wanted to dig out his heart and show it to Jiang Xiao. He stepped closer, grabbed the back of her neck, and pressed her into his chest. "I'll give you my heart. Do you want it?"
Jiang Xiao looked up, her voice cold. "No. It's dirty."
*
The hotel receptionist entered, followed by a doctor. Initially, Cheng Yuan was uncooperative, but one sentence from Jiang Xiao made him submit.
"Say one more word, and you'll never see me again for the rest of your life."
Cheng Yuan immediately softened and let the doctor handle him.
"Small glass fragments can be removed directly. Larger ones need hospital removal. Don't delay—best to go soon."
"Don't get the wound wet in the meantime."
"Also, no heavy drinking."
"Change the dressing three times a day for a week. Reduce frequency after that."
Cheng Yuan's body was covered in scars—some from Zhang Rong, some self-inflicted. He really didn't care about the wound on his hand.
Even if his hand was ruined, he wouldn't worry.
The only thing he cared about was Jiang Xiao—as long as she didn't reject him and was willing to see him.
"So annoying," Cheng Yuan said impatiently.
Jiang Xiao shot him a glare. Cheng Yuan pursed his lips, instantly like a child who had done something wrong, lowering his head and saying nothing.
Jiang Xiao: "Will there be any aftereffects?"
Doctor: "We'll know after examination."
"Will surgery be needed?"
"No, it won't."
"How long until full recovery?"
"Depends on the patient's cooperation. If they pay attention to all aspects, it will heal quickly." The doctor had another sentence he didn't say: if not, the hand might be ruined.
"Doctor, he will cooperate."
"I hope so."
"By the way, what is your relationship to him?" the doctor asked.