### Chapter 207: I Pulled Out My Own Ventilator
Xia Le was somewhat taken aback by how loyal his buddies were, but he eventually declined Lin Jie’s suggestion with a thought or two, “No need, my brother has already been sent somewhere to be treated.”
“Oh? Where did you send him? Who has that kind of nerve?”
Lin Jie, hearing this, became intrigued—surely no one would dare defy the Jiang Family patriarch’s command. After all, who would dare receive Xia Yu?
Xia Le scratched his head, realizing he’d forgotten to ask what that place was called. Jiang Kekai hadn’t told him either; she only mentioned it was some sort of corporation. So Xia Le vaguely replied, “It’s Ke Kai who sent him. It seems like they sent him to a medical facility in some corporation. There are lots of medical instruments there, though.”
Jiang Kekai? Upon hearing her name, Lin Jie and his so-called friends perked up. They couldn’t believe she was still hanging around Peng City, not knowing if she had any bodyguards with her.
So Lin Jie persisted, perhaps with a hint of hope, “Do you know where she is now? Since you don’t know the corporation’s name, at least you remember the way back, right?”
After some thought, Xia Le shook his head, “I forgot.”
Lin Jie: “…”
Well, he thought he finally had a chance to prove himself, but it ended up being another disappointment. Lin Jie was slowly beginning to see Xia Le as a true comrade, even if he wanted to beat him like a sidekick, he wouldn’t.
So, out of frustration, he took a large gulp of wine. Who knew how he felt on the inside.
From the look of things, Xia Le knew clearly that there was tension between Lin Jie and Jiang Kekai. But now, Xia Yu needed Jiang Kekai.
Xia Le truly didn’t know what to do as he struggled to figure out how he should interact with Jiang Kekai in the future. However, Lin Jie and Jiang Kekai were so tense with each other…
Eventually, tired of overthinking, Xia Le poured himself a glass of red wine and downed it. Half an hour later.
Xia Yu’s room door opened again, and all the medical staff came out.
Then a staff member reported to Jiang Kekai, “Miss, all the bl**d clots in the patient have been removed. There’s no immediate danger for you to worry about.”
Jiang Kekai nodded stoically, acknowledging the situation until she saw Xia Yu wide awake, looking at her too. She heaved a sigh of relief; thank goodness.
Jiang Kekai walked into the room, sat next to Xia Yu, and asked softly, “Xia Yu, how’re you feeling? If anything hurts, tell your sister, okay?”
“Mm.”
Xia Yu pondered for a while and just responded with a quiet “mm.” She was still lost in thought, questioning whether joining Little Ning and becoming friends with her was wrong. And whether Little Ning was like her big brother, disliking her clingy nature, she wasn’t sure.
In short, Xia Yu was in a muddle, unsure how to interact with little Ning without being a bother.
Seeing Xia Yu silent, Jiang Kekai felt anxious because she knew besides her injuries, Xia Yu was also psychologically ill. It was then Jiang Kekai realized her instincts were spot-on, fearing Xia Yu might be worrying about something bad.
Sure enough, her fears had come true…
Watching them interact like that, for some reason, everyone around seemed to feel a sense of leaving them alone. Even Xia Yu’s mother, Wang Wenjuan, decided to go elsewhere with Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang, hoping to rest and possibly chat with them.
Alone now, Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu shared a private moment. Jiang Kekai noticed Xiao Yu’s expression softened and she timidly asked,
“Do you think I’m bothersome?”
Hearing Xia Yu speak, Jiang Kekai sharpened her attention, fearful of missing anything important.
But, alas! Xia Yu, instead of talking about serious matters, actually asked such a naive question.
But since Xia Yu asked, Jiang Kekai, of course, had to respond: perhaps Xia Yu had suddenly thought of something. She gently pinched Xia Yu’s rosy cheek, forcing a smile, “Naive Xia Yu, don’t worry, Little Ning will never find you bothersome, so you must get better and come play with me, alright?”
“But… people say I’m some kind of cross-dressing freak and high and mighty, claiming I have no qualifications to play with you.” Xia Yu’s voice trembled as tears began streaming down, genuinely confused and heartbroken, wondering why she did wrong.
As expected, seeing Xia Yu like this, Jiang Kekai felt deeply pained.
Jiang Kekai guessed who had spoken to Xia Yu—now since they were dead, she wouldn’t want to upset Xia Yu by bringing it up unnecessarily. Let it be.
Thus, Jiang Kekai continued comforting Xia Yu gently, “Their words don’t matter. They’re them; I’m me. You must learn to be more discerning, understand?”
Using this coddling tone, which only suited Xia Yu, Jiang Kekai felt more at ease with someone else around to save the embarrassment. The method worked: Xia Yu looked far happier upon hearing Jiang Kekai, “Really?”
“Yeah. Just get better quickly. Whatever anyone says about us, you shouldn’t pay heed. That’s because they’re jealous of our bond. Understand, dear?”
“Uh-huh~”
Smiling while comforting her and wiping her tears, somehow, seeing Xia Yu gradually cheering up made Jiang Kekai exceedingly happy. Naturally, her genuine smile emerged without effort.
Xia Yu’s most severe injury was to her lungs. Jiang Kekai feared talking might worsen it, so she forbade Xia Yu from speaking, hoping she could sleep quietly.
When Xia Yu woke up, it had turned daybreak with a new ceiling. With some memory returning, she glanced nervously at the bedside, relieved seeing Jiang Kekai still there.
Seeing Xia Yu’s cute reaction, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help but exclaim, “What’s wrong, Xiao Yu?” “Nothing, I just thought you left, but you’re still here.”
Hearing that, Jiang Kekai paused—was she being overly relied upon by the cute Xia Yu? Realizing this, she smiled lovingly, “Don’t worry, I always keep my promises. See? I haven’t let go of your hand.”
With that, Jiang Kekai squeezed Xia Yu’s tiny hand, ensuring her presence.
It dawned on Xia Yu that the warmth of her right hand came from Jiang Kekai gripping it, making her feel incredibly loved.
Hence, the rare sight of Xia Yu wearing a ventilator broke into a wide, joyful grin. She seldom smiled after her psychological illness diagnosis. Beside her, Jiang Kekai was stunned for a moment then joined in the laughter—seeing Xia Yu happy made her happy.
Suddenly, Xia Yu lying in bed remembered something, attempting to prop herself up.
“What’s the matter, Xiao Yu?”
Of course, Jiang Kekai noticed, thinking Xia Yu was uncomfortable after lying down too long. But Xia Yu weakly stated, “Little Ning, you didn’t sleep last night. I’ll make some room for you.”
Indeed, Xia Yu’s movement was due to this. Jiang Kekai naturally accepted Xia Yu’s kindness and slipped off her shoes, sleeping next to her.
Despite it being a single-bed hospital, both were minors, sharing it without issue. Seeing that Jiang Kekai had settled beside her, Xia Yu was delighted again, smiling.
Xia Yu, contemplating, felt the ventilator was somewhat hindering.
She dismantled the annoying ventilator and cheekily leaned over to smell Jiang Kekai’s scent, “Naughty girl, does my smell suit you?”
Finally having Xia Yu act playful, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help but laugh.
But Jiang Kekai, though not angry at Xia Yu’s mischief, worried the lack of a ventilator might lead to breathing difficulty, inducing another bout of coughing and bl**d.
Exhausted, Jiang Kekai opened her eyes, putting the ventilator back on Xia Yu and instructed, “Rest first, I’ll allow no more games until your condition improves, understood?”
“Okay.”
Xia Yu looked up at Jiang Kekai, immediately acting like a well-behaved child.
