Rose in No-Man's Land

32 I want to meet you face to face

That night, Xia Xingmian was unaware of when she fell asleep, she only knew that later, Lu Qiurui had taken her back to the hospital.

When Tang Li told Xia Xingmian about it, she saw that Xia Xingmian's expression was unchanging, like a coffin face, only relaxing for a moment when she heard that Tao Ye was safe. Tang Li couldn't help but scold her: "You only care about Tao Ye? Can't you see how well President Lu treats you?"

Xia Xingmian replied coldly, "She humiliated me for three years, and only after I left her did she treat me a few times with kindness. I used to like her, but I haven't been foolish enough to lose my sense. I know who is truly worth my concern."

"Xia, you are a cold-blooded person. You can just cut off old feelings without batting an eye."

"The moment I decide to let go, I will never look back."

While Tang Li said Xia Xingmian was cold-blooded, she secretly admired such a character. Able to take things up and let things go. When in love, it's passionately intense and patient, the other person represents all her principles. When out of love, it's a clean break, never to be relevant again in the future.

Perhaps it was this admiration that led Tang Li to decide to continue to help them keep their secret.

After the events of the previous night, Xia Xingmian was eager to see Tao Ye. But after a night of turmoil, her health had deteriorated severely, and she could no longer leave the hospital without permission.

Lu Qiurui had left the country as planned, asking Tang Li to stay and take care of Xia Xingmian before she left.

No matter how biased Tang Li was, she couldn't blatantly bring Tao Ye into the ward, she could only advise Xia Xingmian: "Rest well. You can go home once you recover."

Xia Xingmian hid under the covers, messaging Tao Ye. She wanted to express her concern, but she didn't know how to start the conversation without making things awkward for Tao Ye.

After thinking for a long time, she still couldn't come up with a proper opening line. So she simply texted: "Sister?"

After waiting for several hours, having eaten lunch and taken a nap, she received Tao Ye's reply: "Mhm." For some reason, even such a simple word conveyed a hint of indifference to Xia Xingmian.

Her palms instantly became sweaty, and she started to feel anxious. Tossing and turning in bed, she repeatedly edited and deleted texts in the chat window, eventually cautiously asking: "What's wrong?"

Tao Ye replied: "Mhm? Nothing at all."

At that moment, Tang Li happened to enter with a pot of hot water to pour for Xia Xingmian.

Holding her phone tightly, Xia Xingmian asked Tang Li, "Sister Tang, did you see Tao Ye last night?"

Tang Li replied, "Yes, President Lu asked me to take Miss Tao home."

Xia Xingmian pressed on, "Did she seem off? For example... did Lu Qiurui hurt her or has she... been subjected to something...?"

Tang Li poured the water and placed it on the bedside table, saying, "Miss Xia, you don't mean what I'm thinking, do you?"

Xia Xingmian frowned, "I'm afraid so..."

"There's nothing wrong..." Tang Li shook her head honestly, "Miss Tao didn't show any signs of being violated, she was just drunk. When I saw her, she had only a thin camisole on and was half-leaning against the bedroom headboard, dazed. I can't say what President Lu's intentions were. But I assure you, when I went to pick her up, she hadn't had the chance to be done anything to."