Do You Regret It?

The wind had died down at some point.

Lightning slithered through the clouds, as if ready to light up the entire night sky at any moment.

No one spoke in the car anymore.

After a night of unexpected events, exhaustion was etched on every face. Bai Xin had stayed behind to deal with Wang Xixi. Fu Liangxia couldn't say what her ultimate fate would be.

Maybe nothing would happen at all. Fu Liangxia could guess why Wang Xixi had dared to make a move on her so openly during the camping trip.

Even if Fu Liangxia had been killed today, so what? With the Wang family behind her, and in a foreign country where money could solve everything, she wouldn't even face jail time unless Bai Xin and the others stepped in.

Even now, with so many witnesses, Wang Xixi had shot someone. If the victim weren't Cheng Xingzhou, the Wang family could easily produce a scapegoat to stand trial in her place.

But unfortunately, there was no "if."

Fu Liangxia thought expressionlessly that some people were simply born more valuable than others.

Wang Xixi would surely pay for what she did tonight. The only pity was that it deviated from Fu Liangxia's original plan.

Fu Liangxia gazed out the window as rain poured down in an instant, lost in thought. Her original plan hadn't involved a gun. If it had been ordinary bullying, it would have served perfectly as a setup for her to play the victim.

But plans changed. She might need to rethink her strategy.

...

The car drove quickly, and over ten minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. A few neatly dressed nurses hurried out and wheeled Cheng Xingzhou into the operating room—not only to remove the bullet but also to assess the damage to his shoulder.

Shortly after, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the attending physician came out and informed them of the surgery details.

"The patient's condition isn't optimistic. The bullet is too close to a nerve. In the worst case, amputation may be necessary..."

Amputation.

Fu Liangxia knew that doctors always mentioned the worst-case scenario, but hearing it still made her face turn pale.

One part was for Cheng Xingzhou, but nine parts were for herself.

If Cheng Xingzhou had to have his arm amputated because he took a bullet for her, even if it wasn't her intention, the Cheng family would surely take their anger out on her.

Just thinking about that possibility made Fu Liangxia tremble slightly.

To others, it looked as if she was deeply worried about Cheng Xingzhou.

The bullet removal surgery went smoothly. This private hospital charged exorbitant fees, but its medical expertise was the best available in the area.

However, the follow-up treatment and diagnosis would have to wait until he was transferred to a top-tier global hospital for expert consultation.

The VIP ward was excellent, almost comparable to a presidential suite in a luxury hotel. Seeing that Cheng Xingzhou was in good condition after the surgery, Bai Yan and the others went to rest in the guest rooms, leaving only two caregivers.

Fu Liangxia hesitated for a moment but didn't leave with them.

She watched Cheng Xingzhou on the hospital bed, her eyes filled with concern, but her mind was racing with strategies.

Since he had taken a bullet for her, it proved he at least had some goodwill toward her. So if she put on a show of concern now, she might avoid being blamed by the Cheng family.

With that thought, she stepped forward a few paces, and at that moment, Cheng Xingzhou suddenly opened his eyes.

"Aren't you going to rest?" he asked in a calm voice.

But Fu Liangxia noticed an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes. Clearly, a hint of joy appeared when he saw her, but it was quickly masked by feigned indifference.

She moved her lips slightly, trying to make her eyes red as she said, "I wanted to see you a little longer," choosing words she thought he'd want to hear.

As expected, Cheng Xingzhou's expression softened somewhat, but his tone remained curt: "There are caregivers; they don't need you."

But whether it was because the anesthesia was wearing off or something else, a vein suddenly bulged at his temple, as if he were in intense pain.

Fu Liangxia noticed but averted her gaze after a glance. She observed that his sitting posture seemed a bit awkward, so she stepped forward and bent down to adjust his position.

Her hair brushed against the boy's bare shoulder and neck, and she felt his body stiffen for a moment, seeming flustered.

The two sat in silence for a while, until Fu Liangxia finally broke the quiet and softly thanked him.

Cheng Xingzhou: "I'm strong and healthy, not like you. If you took a hit, I'd probably be attending your funeral in two days."

Even with his injury, he couldn't stop his sharp tongue.

Fu Liangxia stayed silent. Cheng Xingzhou seemed to realize he had gone too far, cleared his throat, and changed the subject: "Do you regret it now?"

Fu Liangxia was taken aback by his sudden question: "What?"

"When you first transferred, I advised you to stay away from them—every one of them is trouble. Do you regret not listening now?" Cheng Xingzhou said. "People like us look glamorous, but inside we're already rotten. Today it's a murder over love, tomorrow it could be kidnapping and revenge."

Fu Liangxia thought to herself, who knew you all played so big? Besides, it wasn't as if she wanted to wade into this mess; the System forced her to.

But observing Cheng Xingzhou's expression, she felt he both hoped she regretted it and didn't want her to say she did.

The root reason was that he was also part of the mess, wasn't he?

Fu Liangxia smiled and said deliberately, "Regret what? Didn't someone step in for me?"

Cheng Xingzhou curled his lips coldly, then glanced past her to the back, where a figure seemed to be lingering outside the door: "Yeah, plenty of people are willing to take a bullet for our charming Miss Fu."

Considering he had just been injured for her, Fu Liangxia didn't retort. She just said softly, "But the one who took it for me was you."

Their eyes met. Cheng Xingzhou looked away as if scalded, but the upward curl of his lips revealed his good mood.

He had always known she was honey-tongued and deceitful. But when he experienced it himself, he realized that a single sentence could control his emotions.

One second in hell, the next in heaven.

A kind of magnetic field seemed to form in the ward. The two weren't saying anything overly intimate, but an invisible barrier seemed to form between them, keeping outsiders out.

Su Xingshu stood outside, holding the ointment in his hand, watching with a cold gaze, his heart sinking endlessly as he cursed himself for meddling.

He had run off to get the medicine, but the injured person didn't even care about the scrapes, and could still flirt with Cheng Xingzhou in the ward.

Su Xingshu's gaze met Cheng Xingzhou's through the glass. After a two-second pause, he heard this friend suddenly speak: "Xiaoxia."

The girl looked down at him: "Hmm?"

"Is my arm gone?"

He looked up, his gaze calm—so calm that Fu Liangxia couldn't bear to tell him the doctor's assessment for a moment.

"Maybe the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet."

Cheng Xingzhou gave a light smile: "Don't try to comfort me. I chose this path myself; I can handle whatever comes."

One arm in exchange for her alive—it was worth it.

Perhaps it was because his eyes were too dark, the emotions buried too deep, that she instinctively averted her gaze. Then she heard his calm voice: "Will you take care of me?"

Fu Liangxia had originally wanted to say there were caregivers, and with the Cheng family's wealth, they could find any top-notch caregiver. Why would she need to take care of him?

But then she remembered that if the sole heir's arm were to be crippled, the Cheng family might blame her. So she nodded without hesitation: "Of course."

Her prompt, decisive answer fell on two different ears, eliciting entirely different reactions.

A faint smile appeared in Cheng Xingzhou's eyes. Out of the corner of his sight, he noticed the figure that had been standing outside the door striding away.