Chapter 358: Could the Injured One Be Xing Che?

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Could the Injured One Be Xing Che?

Si Jin acknowledged her and stepped into the hospital room.

Su Wan looked up at him, a subconscious sense of apprehension rising in her heart. Although he appeared polite and gentle on the surface, the aura around him was cold and reserved. He didn’t seem aggressive, but he carried an invisible, oppressive presence that commanded respect and deterred anyone from slighting him.

"Mrs. Lin." Si Jin slowly approached, slightly reining in the chill radiating from him. However, his eyes remained devoid of warmth. He looked at her calmly, his sense of distance stark and obvious.

Su Wan took a soft breath and spoke in a gentle voice, her tone carrying a hint of cautious probing. "Yun Sheng, I’d like to have a few words alone with Doctor Lin. Is that alright?"

Yun Sheng paused for a moment, instinctively looking up at Si Jin. Met with the gentle, reassuring gaze in his eyes, she let go of her worries and nodded. "Alright. I’ll wait for you outside and grab a cup of coffee while I’m at it."

"You don’t need to go yourself. Just have someone else buy it for you," Si Jin immediately interjected, stopping her. His tone was gentle but carried a hint of dominance. "Just wait outside. Don’t wander off alone."

He was genuinely worried that she might encounter hidden dangers if she went out by herself. Yun Sheng understood his concerns and didn’t resist in the slightest, nodding obediently. "Okay, I’ll sit on the chairs outside for a bit." With that, she turned and walked out.

As the hospital room door clicked shut, cutting off the silhouette outside, the deliberately gentle aura Si Jin had been projecting vanished. The coldness around him rapidly spread once more, and his oppressive presence suddenly intensified.

Su Wan keenly sensed the shift. Her heart tightened slightly, but bearing the heavy pressure, she braced herself and spoke first. "Doctor Lin, are you dissatisfied with me because of what happened to Yun Sheng?"

Si Jin didn’t try to hide it, replying frankly, "Yes. It breaks my heart to see her suffer."

Those few simple words instantly shattered Su Wan’s psychological defenses. Heavy guilt and self-blame flooded her eyes, and a sharp sting pricked at her nose. She owed Yun Sheng too much. As Yun Sheng’s partner, it was only natural for Lin Mo to harbor grievances against her.

"Knowing that Yun Sheng has someone like you to sincerely protect and take good care of her puts my mind at ease," Su Wan sighed softly, her tone full of relief but laced with a hesitant anxiety. "I know that coming from me, these words hold no weight. I haven’t been a good mother, and I have no right to interfere in her affairs. But I still want to ask you, Doctor Lin... do you plan on staying with Yun Sheng and marrying her?"

Hearing this, Si Jin froze slightly and remained silent for a moment. The answer in his heart had always been a resounding yes. More than anyone else, he wanted to marry Yun Sheng openly and protect her for the rest of her life. But his true identity could never be exposed. Right now, he could only stay by her side relying on the fake identity of Lin Mo.

Seeing Si Jin’s silence, Su Wan’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She lowered her eyes, brimming with guilt, her voice as light as a sigh. "I know I have no right to say much. I owe her for a lifetime. But my biggest wish in this life is for her to have someone who treats her with true sincerity, so she won’t have to face everything all alone anymore.

"If you don’t intend to stay with her until the end, then please leave her. Don’t make her suffer over you!"

Seeing that Su Wan was genuinely nervous and worried for Yun Sheng, the chill in Si Jin’s eyes thawed slightly, and his distant hostility faded.

"It’s not that I don’t want to marry Yun Sheng. More than anyone else, I want to spend the rest of my life with her! But marriage isn’t something to be rushed. I will discuss it properly with her.

"Mrs. Su, I can promise you that she is never just a fling to me. As long as I am around, no one will be allowed to bully her. I will protect her to the very end."

After hearing this sincere promise, Su Wan’s hanging heart finally settled. Her eyes reddened slightly as she suppressed the sour guilt welling up within her, and she gave a gentle nod. "Alright. I trust you."

Those simple words encompassed all the trust and entrustment she could give as a mother. Si Jin gave a small nod. Saying nothing more, he turned and walked out of the room.

Seeing him, Yun Sheng, who had been sitting on the bench in the corridor, immediately stood up and hurried over to meet him. With a hint of curiosity in her eyes, she asked softly, "What did she say to you just now?"

Si Jin looked down at her, a gentle smile rippling in his eyes. He raised a hand and lightly pinched her soft cheek. "Nothing much. She just asked when we were getting married."

Married? Yun Sheng froze completely. She hadn’t expected that Su Wan’s private conversation with Si Jin would be about this. Looking up at his gentle features, she remained silent for two seconds before taking two steps forward and gently grasping his hand. "So, how did you answer?"

"I said that this matter is something I need to discuss properly with you." Si Jin paused. In the next second, he reached out and pulled her firmly into his embrace. Bending down, he pressed his thin lips near her ear. His voice was incredibly low, carrying a unique hoarseness and restraint, hiding a regret and longing that no one else knew. "Shengsheng, if possible, I don’t want to marry you using the fake identity of Lin Mo. I would much rather register our marriage under my real name. It’s just that... I can’t do that right now."

His tone concealed an undeniable sense of suffocation and helplessness.

Hearing this, Yun Sheng felt a dull ache in her heart. She immediately raised her arms to hug him back tightly, pressing her cheek against his warm chest as she softly comforted him. "I understand. We’ll take our time. There will always be a chance, right?"

She looked up, her eyes bright and resolute, every word earnest. "With me around, your spiritual power won’t easily riot anymore. I will help you slowly repair and heal the cracks in your spiritual landscape, bit by bit. Si Jin, you will definitely return to normal.

"Once you’ve fully recovered and taken back everything that belongs to you... we’ll get married openly and honorably."

Everyone in the outside world assumed that a Sentinel who had completely fallen into darkness could never return to normal in their lifetime. A corrupted status offered absolutely no room for redemption, and from the past until now, there had never been a single successful precedent. Everyone believed it was an irreversible foregone conclusion.

But at this moment, being held tightly by the woman he loved, listening to her unreserved trust and unwavering conviction, Si Jin felt a newfound certainty take root in his heart. If others said it was impossible, then he would simply break all precedents!

Si Jin tightened his arms, holding Yun Sheng securely as he made a solemn promise in a deep voice. "Alright. I will definitely return to normal and take back everything that belongs to me. Then, we will get married."

"Mhm, I know you will." Yun Sheng leaned against his embrace contentedly, basking in the warmth for a few seconds before gently letting go.

Sharing a tacit understanding, neither of them said anything more. Hand in hand, they walked toward the elevators. Soon after, they took the elevator down and arrived at the underground parking garage.

But the moment they stepped out of the elevator doors, a thick, pungent stench of blood assaulted their senses.

Si Jin’s expression changed drastically. Almost out of pure instinct, he immediately shifted his body to shield Yun Sheng firmly behind him. His body tensed up as he warily scanned the empty, cold parking garage.

The underground parking garage was dimly lit, with rows of crisscrossing parking spaces. It was eerily quiet without a single soul in sight, yet the smell of blood was incredibly distinct, clearly coming from nearby.

At the same time, Yun Sheng’s Spiritual Perception instantly spread out, keenly catching a very familiar yet somewhat weak fluctuation of spiritual power.

Her heart tightened. She immediately reached out and gently tugged at Si Jin’s sleeve, lowering her voice with a hint of uncertainty. "I sense Xing Che’s spiritual power. He seems to be nearby too. The smell of blood is so heavy here... Could he be the one who’s injured?"