The man looked up, with tears in his eyes. They said that real men would not cry easily. Chu Lui was no exception to the rule. He could not even remember the last time he cried.
Women had the right to cry, but men didn’t.
At this point, a hand landed on his shoulder. There was a familiar palpitation, a familiar sensation.
He suddenly put down his hand and saw a pale woman, who looked messy but alive.
“Ruoxin…” The man opened his mouth, and it was clear from the shape of his mouth what he was saying.
He was saying Ruoxin; he was calling her name.
He was shaking all over, and his teeth were gritted tightly together.
What was the woman trying to say? However, her throat was burning. Every word she uttered seemed to be cutting her throat, forcing her to remain silent.
“I’m still alive.”
She broke into a smile, but the man was crying.
Xia Ruoxin, “Do you know what moves a woman the most in this world?
“If a man cries for you, please hold his hand.”
Chu Lui, “Do you know what moves a man the most in this world?
“It was knowing that she was gone forever, but seeing her before you the next moment. It was knowing that she was still alive.
“It was knowing that she was still alive.”
He raised his hand and placed it on Xia Ruoxin’s hand. His pupils dilated slightly, and he finally collapsed.
Xia Ruoxin stood there as she watched the doctors put the man on the stretcher. He gripped onto her hand tightly the whole time, refusing to let go.
It was only after he was taken away, and the door had closed that Xia Ruoxin walked over and picked up her daughter from the firefighter’s arms. Rainy had fallen asleep from her crying.
She opened her mouth, but she still could not speak.
In the ambulance, her hand was put on the drip as she carried her daughter in her arms. The small child subconsciously tightened her arm, her lashes still wet.
They were all sent to a hospital for review. Rainy was fine, just tired from the crying. However, she had inhaled a large amount of smoke so she was kept in the hospital for observation. As for Xia Ruoxin, her throat had been hurt badly so she could not say anything. It would be a while before she could speak.
The incident at the mall caused quite some damage.
Twenty-seven people were hurt while two were dead. The others were just lightly hurt while the majority suffered from injuries like fractures from the stampede in the stairwell.
Xia Ruoxin was the only one who suffered from severe smoke inhalation. She had gotten lucky. The last batch of firefighters only managed to save her. The other two people were dead by the time they were rescued.
Life was so fragile in the face of nature. There were so many accidents that could take away human life so easily.
…
Chu Lui walked in with Rainy in his arms. Rainy clung to Dolly, struggling to run to her mother when she saw her.
“Mommy…” She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.
Xia Ruoxin motioned to her daughter.
“Have you eaten yet?”
Rainy nodded, touching her tummy.
“Uncle brought Rainy to eat. Rainy was good; I was not picky.”
Xia Ruoxin reached out and pinched her daughter’s face. The child then put her Dolly into Xia Ruoxin’s arms.
“Mommy, I’ll leave Dolly here with you so you won’t be lonely.”
“Okay,” Xia Ruoxin mouthed. The burns in her throat were not yet healed, and the slightest vibration felt like it was ripping her throat apart.
At this point, a glass of water was placed before her.
Xia Ruoxin took it and sipped on it. The mere act of drinking, not to mention eating, was rather uncomfortable for her. She tried to keep the pain in when the water entered her throat. She tried not to cough.
She only took a small sip but dared not drink anymore.
“You don’t want to drink anymore?” Chu Lui took the cup from her and shook it. It was still full. She barely drank.
Xia Ruoxin nodded. She wanted to speak but dared not.
“Don’t talk; be careful of your throat.”
Chu Lui reached out and gripped her shoulder. “Don’t worry, the doctor said that your throat is fine. It’s recovering well. You’ll be able to speak in a few days. However, it’s better that you don’t move around now. Get more rest, and you’ll heal faster.”
“Thank you.” She mouthed to him before she touched her daughter’s face lovingly.
She’s a little tired, and she closed her eyes.
“Shh…” Chu Lui placed his fingers on his daughter’s mouth. “Mommy’s sleeping; don’t wake her. Uncle will send you to school later.”
Rainy nodded obediently. She let Chu Lui hold her hand; neither did she ask for Mommy.
“Let’s go, Uncle will send you to school first.” Chu Lui hugged his daughter as he looked at Xia Ruoxin who was fast asleep. There was a hint of rosiness in her cheeks now.
Even though it was a close call, things turned out rather well. Compared to the people with fractures, her recovery period was a lot shorter.
He rested his chin on his daughter’s head. At that moment, his heart felt whole for the first time in a long time.
He was really afraid this time.
He was afraid that he would lose the chance before he could say or do anything. Thankfully, the heavens took pity on him. She was still here, and she was doing well.
He had transferred Xia Ruoxin to the VIP ward. She would have someone to care for her, and he felt better knowing that. As for the fire, it had caused a commotion in the city.
However, he would not let the mother and daughter be involved in this. They would not appear in any of the photos that the media had taken; neither would they know of their identities.
That was exactly what Xia Ruoxin wanted.
However, some things were far from over.
The incident was still under investigation, and talks for compensation were ongoing. However, little did the person-in-charge expect that there would be Chu Lui’s family members there. Chu Lui was not lacking money. He had enough to feed a regular family for generations. He was not after their money. The amount was not important to him; all he cared about was the fact that his family had gotten hurt.