Both Sides

Hearing Yang Na’s words, Li Huowang’s heart lurched. He stared into her clear, pure eyes, momentarily unsure how to express the surging emotion inside him.

Finally, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, fervent and deep.

In front of others, Yang Na wasn’t used to this. “Come on, let’s go home. Auntie gets up early. If we don’t get back, she’ll notice.”

Seeing Li Huowang’s gaze shift back to Qian Fu, Yang Na spoke up. “You don’t have to worry about him during the day. I’ll keep an eye on him. We’ll stay in touch by phone.”

“Good.” Li Huowang nodded. With Yang Na’s help, things would be much easier. He no longer had to fear Qian Fu wandering off without supervision.

When Li Huowang got home and lay down in bed, the events from earlier churned in his mind, refusing to settle. He didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy.

He desperately wanted Yang Na to believe him. He yearned for it. Yet a persistent thought kept creeping into his mind, surfacing again and again.

If she couldn’t understand, it would be understandable. If he were in her shoes, he’d probably find it hard to believe such an absurd explanation either.

“But…” Li Huowang hesitated. He was caught in a dilemma.

Just as he was wrestling with this question, the bedroom door creaked open gently.

He was about to throw off the covers to see who it was when he felt a soft, warm body burrow into his arms.

“Miaomiao? What’s wrong?” Li Huowang inhaled the familiar scent of her hair, his fingers brushing against the ‘hairpin’ nestled within the strands. He felt the snake scales beneath the white fur glide across his skin.

When her movements grew bolder, he quickly grabbed her hands. “No, Miaomiao. Your injuries haven’t healed yet.”

Bai Lingmiao’s body went limp, and tears of blood soaked the ribbon covering her eyes. “Li Huowang… do you find me disgusting now? Disgusting because I’m not pretty anymore?”

Hearing the pain in her voice, Li Huowang gently wrapped his arms around her and kissed the scales beneath her fur.

“No. When I first came out of Qingfeng Temple, when I was raving mad, you never found me disgusting. How could I ever feel that way about you?”

“Besides…” Before he could finish, he felt Bai Lingmiao press her lips to his again.

Her forked tongue slid out from between her sharp teeth, latching onto his like a nimble rope.

Just as Li Huowang started to pull back, he felt another Bai Lingmiao press lightly against his back.

The oil lamp was knocked to the floor, plunging the room into darkness.

But Li Huowang’s vision was excellent. He could see everything perfectly. “Besides, Miaomiao, you’re really beautiful just as you are now.”

“… …”

The pitch-black sky gradually began to lighten. A slender, fair arm emerged from under the blanket, pulling back a corner of the starry-patterned curtain. The sunlight streaming in made the two heads sticking out from under the covers squint their eyes at the same time.

“I’ll get up first. I’ll go keep an eye on that crazy uncle for you. You get some more sleep.” Yang Na covered her chest with one hand and reached for the white sweater on the floor.

Li Huowang, bare-chested, leaned against the headboard, quietly watching the scene before him.

The look in his eyes brought a flush to Yang Na’s cheeks. “You should sleep. You were up all night.”

As if afraid he might misunderstand, she quickly added, “I mean, you were out all night rescuing that madman from the psych ward.”

“Why?” Li Huowang asked.

“Because I’m your childhood sweetheart. I truly believe what you say. I’m not trying to keep you calm so I can secretly call the cops.”

Li Huowang took her hand, feeling a pang of shame for his earlier doubts. Why had he questioned her?

Yang Na tilted her head, gave him a light kiss, then turned to leave. But it was clear she was feeling a bit off—she moved slowly, one hand pressed to her stomach.

When he was alone in the bedroom, Li Huowang let out a long sigh. For once, his heart felt light.

Unlike before, no matter what happened, he wasn’t alone anymore. Whatever he faced, Yang Na would stand by his side. Having that companionship felt truly good.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door was rapped on.

Yang Na had just left, so it couldn’t be her. “Son, I heard that Na Na’s been going to the hospital with you lately?”

“I don’t mean anything by it. Going together is good. Young people should play together. From now on, both of you go. I promise I won’t butt in.”

Having said that, there was silence outside the door. Just as Li Huowang thought Sun Xiaoqin had left, she spoke again, her voice softer.

“Oh, and… be careful, you two. Don’t end up in any… trouble.”

Embarrassed, Li Huowang pulled the blanket over his head, absolutely not wanting to continue that topic with his mother.

Time passed, day by day. During the day, Li Huowang had to be wary of Auntie Qi and the others watching him, so he was confined to the neighborhood. Only in the dead of night would he slip out to check on Qian Fu’s condition.

After about ten or more days of this, Qian Fu’s personality finally switched back.

“Not bad. Tying me up, that’s actually a good method. Ji Zai, thank you,” Qian Fu said to Li Huowang. “If you hadn’t helped, that Leo alien would have used high-tech to remotely control my body and trap me again!”

After ten-plus days of waiting, Li Huowang’s patience was wearing thin.

“Weren’t you talking about finding help? Weren’t you saying we need to find allies to take them down together? Now that you’re back to normal, we can go, right?”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh!” Qian Fu nodded vigorously, rubbing the marks on his wrists. “Don’t worry, if they want to mess with us, we can’t just sit around and wait to die. We need to strike first! I’ll go find some help right now!”

With that, Qian Fu made to leave, but Li Huowang stopped him. “Hold it. First, tell me who your friends are and where they are now.”

“Uh…” Qian Fu’s expression was conflicted. “I know where it is, but I don’t know how to explain it.”

“How can you not know how to explain it? I have a map app here. Just mark the exact spot.” Li Huowang shoved his phone in front of Qian Fu.

Qian Fu fumbled with it for a bit, and soon a location appeared on the screen. “No. 6 People’s Hospital.”

“Are you sure your help is in there?” Li Huowang’s brows drew together. From what he knew, No. 6 People’s Hospital was also a public psychiatric hospital.

“Your friend isn’t also a mental patient, is he?” Somehow, Li Huowang didn’t feel surprised by this realization.

“Yeah, my buddy lives here. Don’t worry, that’s their turf.”

Li Huowang pondered for a moment. “Alright. Then go wait for me at the gate of No. 6 People’s Hospital. We’ll go together when it’s daytime.”

“Huowang, you can’t go. You’re being watched by a lot of people.”

Li Huowang shook his head, speaking calmly. “It’s fine. I can’t go anywhere else. But a mental hospital? That’s one place I can definitely get into.”