Chapter 118: Everyone Has Arrived

"Nurse, when can I be discharged?" Xiao Lin, lying in his hospital bed, asked listlessly. He found the smell of alcohol in the hospital quite difficult to get used to.

"Because you've lost too much blood, you'll need to stay under observation for another day," the nurse said with a gentle smile as she looked at Xiao Lin. She had a deep impression of this young man; in just a few short days, he had been to the hospital three times, and coincidentally, she had been his nurse every time.

"Son, listen to the doctor. Stay as many days as they say," Xu Qiaoling didn't care whether Xiao Lin was used to it or not; her philosophy was that whatever the doctor said was correct.

"Sigh," Xiao Lin exhaled helplessly.

*Bang.* At that moment, the door to the ward was pushed open with a loud thud, startling Xiao's father, who had been dozing in a chair.

"Who is it? Don't you know this is a hospital ward?" The nurse frowned, turning her head to see who the impolite person was. Her eyes fell upon a beautiful young girl, and she recognized her—wasn't she the girlfriend of the boy in the hospital bed?

It was Wang Yuqing who had pushed the door open. After seeing on television that Xiao Lin had been injured, she had rushed to the hospital. Because she had hurried over, there were still beads of sweat on her face. She didn't even stop to catch her breath before rushing to Xiao Lin's bedside. Seeing Xiao Lin lying there with a pale complexion, Wang Yuqing felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears.

"Xiao Lin, are you okay? How could you be so reckless? You know how powerful that person is, last time..."

"Ahem, Yuqing." Xiao Lin coughed urgently; he hadn't told his parents about his injury last time.

Hearing Xiao Lin's cough, Wang Yuqing pursed her lips. She glanced around and realized there were three other people in the room: the nurse and two middle-aged people who must be Xiao Lin's parents. Wang Yuqing’s pretty face flushed, and she said politely and obediently to Xu Qiaoling and Xiao's father, "Hello, Uncle and Auntie."

"Hello, dear. Hello," Xu Qiaoling said, looking at the well-behaved and pretty Wang Yuqing, liking her more by the second. Besides, she had just heard her son call the girl "Yuqing," and the girl mentioned by Grandma Xiao also had "Qing" in her name. Seeing how worried the girl was about her son's injury, Xu Qiaoling was almost certain this was her future daughter-in-law. However, she specifically checked Wang Yuqing's wrists but didn't see the jade bracelet.

"Child, come, come. Sit down," Xiao's father said to Wang Yuqing with a smile.

"Uh, Mom and Dad, could you please..." Xiao Lin started to say to his parents.

"Alright, alright. You two go ahead and talk, we'll go for a walk outside." Xu Qiaoling understood her son's intention. She stood up and pulled Xiao's father toward the door, though as she passed Wang Yuqing, she deliberately made sure the jade bracelet on her wrist was visible.

The nurse followed them out, closing the door behind her.

"Xiao Lin, are you alright?" Wang Yuqing looked at Xiao Lin's bandaged hands, her eyes filled with heartache.

"It's nothing, I've trained for this." Xiao Lin raised his hands to make a "strong" gesture, but because the movement was too abrupt, it pulled at his wounds, making him wince in pain.

Seeing this, Wang Yuqing felt both amused and pained. "Alright, stop showing off, you'll tear your stitches."

"Yeah, yeah. So, Yuqing, how have you been these past few days?" Xiao Lin looked at her, feeling a bit distressed. He didn't know if his words from the other day had hurt her.

Hearing his question, Wang Yuqing lowered her head and whispered, "I'm fine." But her dejected expression betrayed her. Xiao Lin sighed; he knew Wang Yuqing must be in pain, but was he feeling any better?

"Xiao Lin, do you still remember that pair of lovebirds?" Wang Yuqing asked softly.

"I do. The ones Er Pang caught for you, right? I also remember Tan Linlin kissing Xu Tong," Xiao Lin said, a smile appearing on his face as he thought of their time at the snow village.

"Yes, don't worry. I will definitely take good care of them," Wang Yuqing suddenly looked up and said firmly.

Her words made Xiao Lin lower his head involuntarily; he couldn't bear to meet her gaze. He understood what she meant, but the more he understood, the guiltier he felt.

"Xiao Lin, we're still friends, right?" Wang Yuqing’s voice trembled as she spoke.

"Yes, we always have been," Xiao Lin replied with a bitter expression. "We are friends"—only the two of them could truly understand the bitterness behind those words.

"Hey, Old Xiao, what do you think of this girl? She’s pretty, isn't she?" Outside the ward, Xu Qiaoling nudged Xiao's father's arm.

"Yeah, she really is quite beautiful, looks a lot like you did when you were young," Xiao's father remarked, casually flattering his wife.

"How old are you, and still acting so unserious? I’m asking what you think of her as a daughter-in-law," Xu Qiaoling retorted playfully.

"What? Qiaoling, this isn't something we can decide. It depends on whether our son and the girl are willing," Xiao's father said, stunned by his wife's comment.

"What do you know? I’m certain this girl is our future daughter-in-law," Xu Qiaoling said with conviction.

Just as Xiao's father was about to argue, an eccentric-looking girl arrived at the door. Seeing Xu Qiaoling and Xiao's father, she gave them a sweet smile.

"Uncle and Auntie, may I ask you something? Could you tell me which room a patient named Xiao Lin is in?"

Hearing this, Xu Qiaoling and Xiao's father were stunned. How was there another girl? What was going on with their son?

"He's in this ward," Xu Qiaoling said, looking the girl up and down.

"Thank you, Auntie," the girl said before pushing the door open to enter.

"Hey, hey, child, there's already..." Before Xu Qiaoling could finish her sentence, the girl had already gone inside. Xu Qiaoling could only smile helplessly.

"Shangguan Xue'er? Why are you here?" Xiao Lin said in surprise upon seeing the girl walk in.

Indeed, it was Shangguan Xue'er who had come to visit. Seeing that there was already another girl in the room, she smiled mischievously. "It seems I've come at a bad time."

"No... no... Oh, Yuqing, this is Shangguan Xue'er. We... we met while I was out for a morning run," Xiao Lin introduced her to Wang Yuqing awkwardly, not quite knowing how to explain further.

As expected, hearing Xiao Lin's forced introduction, Wang Yuqing gave him a suspicious look, then turned to the beautiful Shangguan Xue'er. What exactly was this guy up to?

"Hello, my name is Shangguan Xue'er, I'm a friend of Xiao Lin's." Shangguan Xue'er walked up to Wang Yuqing generously and extended her hand in a gesture of courtesy.

"Hello, my name is Wang Yuqing, I'm also a friend of Xiao Lin's." Wang Yuqing extended her hand as well, but her expression was dejected when she called herself his friend—a look that Shangguan Xue'er caught immediately.

"You are truly beautiful," Shangguan Xue'er remarked with genuine admiration.

"This Xiao Lin, he seems quite blessed," she added, glancing at Xiao Lin with intent. Xiao Lin could only offer a sheepish smile.

"Uh, Xiao Lin, maybe I should go. You should chat with your friend," Wang Yuqing, sensing the atmosphere was off, wisely chose to leave.

"Oh, what fun is there in chatting with just two people? It's better with more," Shangguan Xue'er said, grabbing Wang Yuqing before Xiao Lin could speak. She wasn't about to miss this opportunity; anyone with eyes could see there was a story between Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing.

"Right, right," Xiao Lin said with a bitter smile, resigned to the situation.

At that moment, a car pulled up to the hospital entrance. Five young people stepped out, one of whom was quite stout. They were the alumni from Xiao Lin's previous gathering. As soon as he stepped out of the car, Ye Hao grumbled, "Zhenghao, it would have been better if you'd just driven your family's Mercedes."

"You fat pig, I snuck this out, didn't I? I'll pay for your gas money at the very least," Zhang Zhenghao laughed at Ye Hao.

"Alright, let's go in. Xiao Lin has become a hero this time," Xu Qing said with a fanatical look on her face.

The group consisted of four men and one woman: Zhang Zhenghao, Ye Hao, Jin Hai, Haozi, and Xu Qing. They were all close friends of Xiao Lin. There were others, but they couldn't make it due to last-minute issues.

Chatting and laughing, they walked toward the hospital. After asking the nurse, they found Xiao Lin's ward. Upon arriving, they saw Xiao Lin's parents.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie, we've come to see Xiao Lin," Zhang Zhenghao said to Xu Qiaoling and Xiao's father, as he was acquainted with them.

"Haohao, you are so thoughtful. You're all good children," Xiao's father said sincerely to the young people who had come specifically to visit his son.

"Uncle Xiao, why are you and Auntie standing outside?" Zhang Zhenghao asked with a puzzled expression.

"Well... Xiao Lin is inside talking with some friends," Xiao's father replied.

"Xiao Lin, your friends are here to see you," Xu Qiaoling said, pushing the door open. Before Xiao Lin could turn to see who it was, he heard a loud shout.

"Hero Xiao, we are here on behalf of the masses to pay you a visit!" Ye Hao shouted as he entered, not caring that it was a hospital. However, when he saw the two beautiful girls in the room, his expression changed instantly.

"You fat pig, Haozi, Zhenghao, Big Mouth, Xu Qing—how did you all end up here?" Xiao Lin sighed helplessly. These guys really knew how to pick their moments. Now everyone was here.

Xu Qing immediately spotted Wang Yuqing and looked stunned. Wang Yuqing saw her at the same time.

"Yuqing? Why are you here?"

"Xu Qing, you're here to see Xiao Lin too?"

After hearing these words, everyone looked at Xiao Lin with strange expressions.