117: Chapter 117 Hello, Girlfriend

The first to recover was the guy with the flat-top haircut.

He struggled to sit up, eyes fixed on Lin Ning, and grinned with his bloodied mouth: "I'm a minor... you can't convict me... when I get out, I'll kill you..."

Jiang Yu grabbed the helmet from the ground and swung it with all her might.

"Bang!"

The helmet smashed into the guy's face, causing a spray of nosebleed. He fell backward and went silent.

Lin Ning looked at Jiang Yu. She stood in the dim alley, her ponytail undone, a few strands of hair stuck to her sweat-dampened forehead, her eyes bright as if on fire, her chest heaving violently from anger.

In that instant, he felt something slam hard into his heart.

This girl, seeing him injured, had ridden her bike straight into the fray without a second thought.

The way she swung the helmet was like a mother wolf protecting her cubs, yet when she cursed, her eyes were filled with uncontrollable panic and heartache.

He was done for.

Lin Ning thought, he was completely done for.

The ambulance and police cars arrived almost simultaneously.

The wound was cleaned and sutured—fourteen stitches.

The doctor said it was lucky he dodged quickly; any deeper and it would have reached the muscle layer.

Lin Ning lay on the bed in the emergency treatment room, his waist wrapped in gauze. After the police finished taking their statements, they copied the footage from his and Jiang Yu's recorders—the whole process, from the cigarette burn on the shoulder to the stabbing with the switchblade, was clear and brutal.

"These kids..." The older police officer stared at the screen on his tablet, brows furrowed tightly, "The oldest is seventeen, the youngest is fifteen."

Lin Ning: "When she stabbed me, she aimed for the kidney. She knew that could kill someone."

The police officer was silent for a moment, then closed his notebook: "We will handle this according to the law. You two should rest first."

They left, and the curtain was drawn.

The noisy sounds of the emergency room were shut out.

Jiang Yu sat on a chair by the bed, having barely spoken since arriving at the hospital. She kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously picking at the hole in her jeans.

"Jiang Yu." Lin Ning called her.

She didn't look up.

"I'm really fine," Lin Ning said, "I just trained too hard, and my body didn't respond at that moment, otherwise I could have dodged that knife."

Jiang Yu still didn't speak.

Lin Ning propped himself up, wanting to touch her hand. But Jiang Yu suddenly stood up: "I'll call a car to take you back."

"Jiang Yu..."

"Give me your address." She took out her phone, eyes fixed on the screen, refusing to look at him.

Lin Ning looked at her tense profile and suddenly understood.

She was retreating.

Because of his previous aloofness, she felt she shouldn't overstep.

Because she was a girl with "self-respect and dignity"—if she hadn't said she liked him, she wouldn't say it again.

The taxi stopped at the hospital entrance.

Jiang Yu opened the car door, helped Lin Ning inside, then closed the door and gave the driver the address.

"Aren't you coming up?" Lin Ning asked through the car window.

Jiang Yu shook her head and took a step back.

The car started moving. Watching her figure grow smaller in the rearview mirror, Lin Ning suddenly said to the driver: "Driver, pull over."

Before the car had fully stopped, he pushed the door open and got out. The wound on his waist was pulled, making him gasp in pain, but he didn't stop, limping his way back.

Jiang Yu was still standing at the hospital entrance.

Seeing him return, she was stunned: "You..."

Lin Ning walked up to her and grabbed her hand.

Jiang Yu's hand was ice-cold.

"Take me home," Lin Ning said, his voice a bit hoarse, "I can't get up the stairs by myself."

Jiang Yu wanted to pull her hand away, but Lin Ning tightened his grip: "The wound hurts, I don't have the strength."

"You..."

"Please."

Jiang Yu looked at him; his face was a bit pale, with dried sweat on his temples, but his eyes were burning bright.

She eventually gave in.

In the car, Lin Ning didn't let go.

Jiang Yu struggled twice, couldn't break free, and let him be. Palm against palm, warmth slowly transferred over.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yu said: "I know you're a good person. You helped me back then, and now you saved that girl."

Lin Ning turned to look at her.

Jiang Yu was watching the passing streetscape outside the window, her profile appearing exceptionally clear in the flickering light.

"Living a life means leaving your passion for the world and leaving your empty shell for death." She said, sounding like she was reciting a book, or perhaps convincing herself, "But Lin Ning, if you choose to act bravely for a just cause, while extending a helping hand to others, you must also protect yourself."

She turned back and looked straight into his eyes: "After all, there are many people who care about you."

"I'll remember that." Lin Ning nodded solemnly.

He didn't offer any excuses; he just needed to keep this care in his heart.

Linfeng Garden.

Lin Ning's little nest wasn't big, but it was kept clean.

Jiang Yu helped him to the bed in the bedroom and turned to leave.

"Jiang Yu." Lin Ning called her back.

She stopped at the doorway.

Lin Ning propped himself up to sit, a spot of red seeping through the gauze on his waist. He looked at her back and said, word by word:

"I like you."

Jiang Yu's back stiffened.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

The room was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.

Lin Ning waited, his palms sweating.

Jiang Yu slowly turned around.

Her face was red, from her cheeks all the way to her earlobes.

"My situation is a bit complicated," Lin Ning continued, speaking quickly, afraid that if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to say it again, "I have some... small skills, and I often report criminals. Although it pays, it's easy to be retaliated against. Being my girlfriend, you might... be dragged into it."

He paused, his voice dropping: "I didn't want to hold you back, but I just like you."

Jiang Yu stood there, she took a deep breath, then another, and finally looked up:

"I have an aunt back in my hometown who was very good to me."

Lin Ning was stunned.

"She went to the county town to go shopping, walking on the sidewalk. From far away, a car drove by and kicked up a small stone." Jiang Yu's voice was very calm, "The stone flew over the green belt and hit her in the head. And she was gone."

She took a step forward, then another, walking to the bedside.

"Lin Ning, life is full of countless accidents. You can't imprison your current life just because you fear future accidents."

She crouched down and looked up at him. From this angle, Lin Ning could see his own reflection in her eyes.

Jiang Yu's face turned even redder, but her voice was steady, "I believe that evil cannot overcome justice."

She paused for three seconds.

As if using up all her courage, she said:

"I like you too."

"Lin Ning, will you be my boyfriend?"

The world went quiet for three seconds.

Then Lin Ning laughed.

Not a chuckle, but that kind of laugh that vibrated from his chest, impossible to hold back.

He reached out to pull Jiang Yu, and she was tugged forward, her hands bracing against the side of the bed, her face nearly pressing against his chest.

"Hello, girlfriend," Lin Ning said, his fingers running through her loose hair, "I'm your boyfriend."

Jiang Yu's ears turned bright red. She pushed herself up, speaking rapidly: "You stay lying down, don't move. I'm going to buy groceries to stew some soup for you to recover."

"Jiang Yu..."

"You lost so much blood, you need to recover!" She had already rushed out the door, her voice drifting back from the hallway, "You just stay put!"