"Hey, miss, you have got to be careful!" A random man said gruffly, right after preventing her from falling gracelessly.
"I, I am sorry, thank you for helping me."
There was no response, and the man was long gone. She was leaning against a wall, trying to gain her bearings. She was bone tired, and very dizzy too.
At this moment, she was beginning to wonder if it was ever a good idea to go to the Foundation.
She knew it was a bad idea, but did not think it would be this bad. She was worried about passing out and getting robbed. She gritted her teeth and continued walking, albeit very slowly, and she had made quite a number of slipups on her journey.
She finally gave up and slumped on the seat at a bus stop, giving up completely. Hopefully, she would gain a little energy to get to her apartment….
She jumped when she heard her familiar ringtone. She took it out and stared at the screen, but everything was blurry. The call ended, but seconds later, it rang again. She answered on instinct, and regretted it immediately after. She did not even know who it was. Gingerly, she put the phone to her ear.
"I know you are avoiding me, but at least just come to your apartment and get some sleep."
Xia Manxi groaned when she heard the voice. She knew she would regret it. She had been avoiding Lu Shufeng for a few days now. She was sure he did not want a simple friendship from her, and any relationship of that sort was not even on her list.
"What are you doing at my apartment?" She asked sluggishly.
"Hey, are you drunk?"
"No I am not, I am just very very exhausted right now." She slurred.
"Sure, sure Miss Xia. Where are you? Do you need any help getting home?"
"No, I will be fine. I can take care of myself." Xia Manxi said and hung up.
*#*#*
Lu Shufeng was exasperated.
This woman had somehow gotten herself drunk, then hung up on him, meaning he had no idea where to find him. She had been brushing him off for days, so he had decided to ambush her at her apartment. The only problem was that she was not there.
He had to find her before she got into trouble again.
He took out his phone and checked for her location on her social media. He sighed in relief when he found it. It was going to make his work easier. He put his phone in his pocket and went downstairs. He was about to sit on his motorbike, when he remembered he would likely be carrying a drunkard along. He got off it and hailed a taxi instead.
He found her close to thirty minutes later, slouched at the bus stop, and murmuring something under her breath. He walked up to her, and surprised she did not seem to have been robbed.
"Hey Xia Manxi, get up, let's get going."
"Mmm no, how could I hurt him…..you have to believe me."
"I believe you, now let's get you home."
Lu Shufeng helped her sit up, then supported her up. She was leaning against him.
"You liar….. you think I killed my baby…..Chen Minghao, I hate you."
Lu Shufeng frowned deeply.
"Xia Manxi, It's Lu Shufeng, remember me?"
"Lu Shufeng…who? Ugh, I don't feel so good.." Xia Manxi sluggishly said, before she lost consciousness and fell into Lu Shufeng's arms.
"He lifted her in a princess carry and got back into the taxi."
Xia Manxi's face was deathly pale, and from being so close, he could tell she was not drunk. There was something else bothering her.
"Driver, take us to the hospital."
*#*#*
Xia Manxi opened her eyes, then frowned. That was not her bedroom ceiling. She sat up immediately, then winced. She looked at her arm, which had an IV in it. She looked at the blood bag next to her bed and sighed. She did not think it would serious enough to need a blood transfusion. She was worried that she would have to spend the night here. She leaned back into the bed, waiting for the doctor to come back.
Contrary to her belief, the person who came into the room was Lu Shufeng.
"It's great that you're awake now. I got you some porridge."
"It's okay, I'm not-
"Uh Uh Uh, I'm not having that right now. You refused my help, and you were barely able to get to your apartment. Do you know what could have happened if I did not find you?"
"….." Xia Manxi pursed her lips.
"Also, why were so anemic? How did you lose so much blood in such a short time?"
"I had to donate a lot of blood. The child had all of his drained. It was an emergency."
"That sounds terrible. Is the kid okay now?"
"Mm, I guess so, but I don't want to talk about that, I want to go home."
"Why? The doctor wants you to stay at least one night. You are still weak, and it was so bad I had to donate blood to you."
"We are a match? What a coincidence."
Lu Shufeng shrugged. "I am a match with everyone, but not I am only a match with myself."
"So you have resorted to speaking in riddles now?" Xia Manxi scoffed.
Lu Shufeng chuckled, but placed the bag of food on her lap. "I got it for you. Eat up."
"Thanks."
"Eat, then get some rest. I am sure you will be allowed to leave tomorrow. Don't insist on leaving, you really need the rest. I will come and get you tomorrow."
"I-
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Shufeng had placed his finger on her lips. Their eyes met each other's silently for a few moments, but Lu Shufeng recovered first.
"Don't argue, just get some rest. Thank you for listening to me."
"..." Xia Manxi glared at him.
Lu Shufeng broke into a wide grin. "The doctors requested it, please don't cause a scene when
I'm gone. Have a good night, see you tomorrow morning."
With that, he left the room.
Xia Manxi was too angry to eat anymore. She looked around the room reluctantly and resigned herself to spend the night in the hospital.
*#*#*
As promised, Lu Shufeng came back to take her home. They sat in silence, and Lu Shufeng could tell that her mood was off again.
"What's wrong now?" Lu Shufeng turned to look at her for a few seconds, turning to pay attention to the road.
"Nothing."
"It is never nothing, speak."
Xia Manxi sighed. "What do you want from me?"
Lu Shufeng shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Is there a concern?"
"Yes there is, you can't just appear in my life and be helping me with so much without any expectations. What do you want?"
Lu Shufeng smiled. "What do you think I want?"
Xia Manxi turned away and pursed her lips. After some time, she finally spoke.
"Look, I am not ready for a relationship at this moment, or even in the foreseeable future. Please don't get your hopes up."
There was silence for a few moments, and Xia Manxi could not read his expression. She did not understand the strange uneasiness she was beginning to feel in the pit of her stomach.
"How very conceited of you, I did not expect that."
Xia Manxi was stunned by his words, she was about to speak, but he spoke first.
"But I guess I can understand why you would think that though. It makes sense, but I am even less likely than you are to enter any relationship of any kind. Don't worry about that at all."
"I doubt that." Xia Manxi replied, causing him to chuckle.
"That does not mean I am not concerned about you, though. I help you because you are one reckless fellow, and it won't sit well with me if something bad happens to you."
"I-
"You don't need to say anything, your concerns are very valid. Is there anything else?"
"No."
Lu Shufeng smiled. "Then let's get you home."