Contractual Love: Mistaken for True - Chapter 55 - You Guys Should Talk

Xia Chen had been in a coma for three days. Although the doctor mentioned that he would be unconscious for a few days, it was alarming that Xia Chen hadn’t moved at all during this time. Mom Xia was starting to worry about her son’s health. This couldn’t go on; what would they do if he didn’t wake up?

Chen Zihan called Mom Xia every day to ask about Xia Chen’s condition. He couldn’t leave Tianchen at the moment, so he relied on phone calls to stay updated. Shen Mobai also came by to visit Xia Chen whenever he had spare time. Why wasn’t Xia Chen waking up? Look at all of us; we are eagerly waiting for you to regain consciousness!

The doctor examined Xia Chen again. Although his physical health had recovered, the reason for his lack of wakefulness remained unclear. Perhaps it was possible that the patient simply did not want to wake up.

“Doctor, I would like to transfer Xia Chen to another hospital. Do you think he is fit to fly?” Mom Xia inquired. If he couldn’t receive proper treatment domestically, then they would look for solutions abroad.

“He is doing well physically, and logically he should be able to wake up. Perhaps there is another reason for his delayed consciousness. You could consider seeking out a psychologist to perform hypnosis; it might help him wake up,” the doctor suggested.

“Really?” Mom Xia’s face lit up with hope. “Then I will contact a psychologist right away to come and take a look.” With that, she stood up and left the doctor’s office to make the call.

Xu Xiaoyou arrived in City S that evening. As soon as she got off the plane, she hurried to the hospital, filled with worry for Xia Chen. She wanted to see him as soon as possible.

“Son, why don’t you want to wake up? Can you truly not live without Xiaoyou?” Mom Xia gently wiped Xia Chen’s body as she spoke. “Just think about it; it has been years since your father passed away. If I were to follow your lead, who would take care of you? Besides, Xiaoyou has just distanced herself from you; she is not lost forever. You need to wake up to have the hope of seeing her again.”

At that moment, Chen Zihan called to inform Mom Xia about the search for a psychologist. Mom Xia glanced at her unconscious son and stepped outside to take the call.

Xu Xiaoyou reached the hospital and asked a nurse for directions to Xia Chen’s room. Upon entering, she found Xia Chen lying on the bed with no one else around. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him. Ah Xia, it’s been a while; how did you end up like this?

Xu Xiaoyou quietly walked in and sat down in the chair beside the bed, gazing at Xia Chen. She had just asked the nurse, who told her that all his vital signs were stable yet he remained in a coma. The reasons behind his condition were still unclear, and the nurse mentioned that Mom Xia had already been in contact with a psychologist to treat Xia Chen.

“Ah Xia, it’s me, Xiaoyou. I’m back,” Xu Xiaoyou said, holding Xia Chen’s hand. “Ah Xia, will you wake up and see me?”

Mom Xia walked back to the hospital room after finishing her call, only to find the door ajar. Who could it be? She thought to herself as she was about to push the door open when she heard voices coming from inside.

“Ah Xia, I really didn’t want to leave you, but…” Xu Xiaoyou wept, “I can’t get pregnant. Who will inherit the Xia Family’s business in the future?”

Outside the door, Mom Xia sighed silently upon hearing Xu Xiaoyou’s words. It was all Madam Shen’s fault. If it weren’t for her, how could Xiaoyou have left? How could Xia Chen have been in an accident? Thankfully, Xu Xiaoyou still had feelings for Ah Xia. She came rushing back as soon as she learned about Xia Chen’s accident. Xiaoyou, could you please not leave us? We wouldn’t care about the child situation.

Xu Xiaoyou stayed in the hospital room with Xia Chen all night, pouring her heart out.

“I went to Shenyang to see the snow, Ah Xia. It was such beautiful snow, I almost didn’t want to come back. But then you had an accident, and I couldn’t sleep for worrying. I had to come back to see you; I wouldn’t feel at peace otherwise.”

“All this time, I’ve really missed you. When I missed you, I’d look at those photos on my phone. I took all those pictures secretly; you probably don’t even know, right? The way you look when you’re asleep, and when you’re working-I’ve saved them all to enjoy by myself.”

“Xia Chen, you’ve been asleep for a long time. It’s time to wake up. If you don’t wake up soon, I’m really going to leave…” Xu Xiaoyou stood up and looked at Xia Chen. “I really will go…”

Xu Xiaoyou left the hospital room just before dawn. She didn’t want them to know she had returned. When Mom Xia arrived in the morning, she saw only Xia Chen in the room and sighed. Xiaoyou, don’t you want to see us?

“Mom Xia.” Chen Zihan walked into the room. “I’ve made an appointment with the psychologist. She’ll be here this afternoon. She has encountered similar patients before and was successful, so she feels very confident.”

“That’s great,” Mom Xia nodded. “I hope Xia Chen can wake up soon.”

In the afternoon, the psychologist arrived. She examined Xia Chen and then glanced at everyone and said, “Based on my observations, his condition is much better than what Chen Zihan described to me. The chances of him waking up are high, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Thank you, Liu Ye.” Chen Zihan patted Liu Ye on the shoulder.

“No need for that; we’re all in this together as brothers.”

At around eleven o’clock that night, Xu Xiaoyou returned to the hospital room. She had confirmed that no one was inside before coming, unaware that Mom Xia had been quietly observing her from the shadows. When Mom Xia saw Xu Xiaoyou arrive, she felt a sense of relief; as long as Xiaoyou was here, everything else could wait.

During the day, Liu Ye conducted psychological therapy for Xia Chen, and at night, Xu Xiaoyou would come to keep him company. Sometimes she wouldn’t say a word, just sitting quietly and looking at Xia Chen’s peaceful face, which she could never tire of admiring.

On the fourth night, Xu Xiaoyou came again. As she passed by the nurses’ station, she overheard a nurse mentioning that Xia Chen had begun to show signs of waking up. Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyou’s anxious heart finally relaxed.

Another night passed in silence as Xu Xiaoyou sat there, watching Xia Chen. As dawn approached, she stood up. Since Xia Chen was on the road to recovery, she felt it was time for her to leave.

Leaning down, Xu Xiaoyou planted a gentle kiss on Xia Chen’s lips. “Goodbye, Ah Xia.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to leave.

“Don’t go…” A weak voice called out from behind Xu Xiaoyou, and she felt her hand being grasped.

She turned around to find Xia Chen awake, his eyes looking directly at her.

“Did you think you could leave me again?” Xia Chen asked, studying Xu Xiaoyou. It had been a few months since they last saw each other, and she looked thinner.

“Ah Xia…” Xu Xiaoyou was astonished, not expecting him to be awake.

“Wife, don’t leave me…” Xia Chen said, repeatedly uttering those words.

Hearing Xia Chen’s desperate pleas made Xu Xiaoyou’s tears fall once more. “Ah Xia, I’m so sorry.” She tried to free her hand from his grasp, intending to leave.

“Xiaoyou…” Xia Chen pushed himself up in an attempt to follow her, but after lying in bed for so long, he felt weak. Just as he tried to stand, he lost his balance and fell to the floor.

When Xu Xiaoyou heard the thud of Xia Chen falling, she quickly turned around to see him struggling to get back up.

“Ah Xia.” She rushed over to help him. Xia Chen tightly wrapped his arms around her, repeating, “Wife, please don’t leave me…”

“Ah Xia, just get up first…” Xu Xiaoyou urged him, trying to help him to his feet.

“No, no,” Xia Chen insisted. “You have to promise me you won’t leave, and then I’ll get up.”

Xu Xiaoyou hesitated for a moment. With him in this state and the cold floor beneath him, it wasn’t safe for him to lie there after just waking up. “Alright, I promise I won’t leave. Now let me help you up.”

Xu Xiaoyou helped Xia Chen sit up on the bed, but just as she was about to let go, he pulled her back with a wary look, as if afraid she would leave again.

“I’m going to get a blanket. You’ll catch a chill sitting like this,” Xu Xiaoyou explained.

Xia Chen looked at her and insisted, “You promised me you wouldn’t leave. If you do, I’ll jump out of here to chase after you.”

Xu Xiaoyou quickly covered his mouth with her hand. “I won’t allow you to say things like that, and I won’t let you harm yourself. This is the twelfth floor; you’re joking, right?”

“Then you have to promise you won’t leave,” Xia Chen replied, looking at her earnestly as if seeking a commitment.

“Okay…” Xu Xiaoyou agreed, using one hand to grab the blanket and wrap it around Xia Chen.

After a while, Xia Chen began to feel tired but still tried to stay awake, fearing that if he closed his eyes, Xu Xiaoyou would disappear. Noticing this, Xu Xiaoyou urged him, “If you’re tired, just sleep for a bit. I’ll stay right here with you, and I won’t leave.”

Xia Chen shook his head; he didn’t dare to easily trust her words anymore. He was afraid she might slip away while he was asleep.

“I really won’t leave. Please believe me,” Xu Xiaoyou said, gently patting his hand. Xia Chen had just woken up, and he needed his rest.

“No…” Xia Chen still wouldn’t trust her, “Unless you let me hold you while we sleep.”

Xu Xiaoyou frowned at that suggestion. Sharing the bed could lead to embarrassing situations if Mom Xia or anyone else found out.

“Then I won’t sleep. I need to keep watching you to make sure you don’t run off.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll sleep with you…” Xu Xiaoyou finally conceded, realizing she couldn’t win against him.

Xia Chen smiled and quickly made room for Xu Xiaoyou on the bed. She took off her clothes, shoes, and socks and slid under the covers. Xia Chen immediately wrapped his arms around her. “Wife, holding you feels so good.”

Xu Xiaoyou laughed and gently nudged him. In truth, being held by Xia Chen felt incredibly reassuring. “Ah Xia, does your head still hurt?” she asked, remembering what the nurse had said about Xia Chen hitting his head and losing consciousness.

“It doesn’t hurt when you’re here.” He admitted that it still hurt, but he didn’t want to worry her.

“That’s nonsense; I’m not a miracle cure.”

The next morning when Mom Xia arrived, the nurse informed her that Xia Chen was awake and shared the good news. She also mentioned that the girl who came every night to see him had not left. Hearing this made Mom Xia very happy. Ah Xia was awake, and Xu Xiaoyou hadn’t left; this meant the two of them could have a proper talk and clear everything up.

Mom Xia gently pushed open the door and saw that Xia Chen was still asleep. Noticing the blanket was raised, she guessed that Xu Xiaoyou was likely under it too. Since that was the case, she decided not to disturb them.

She instructed the nurse not to interrupt their rest, thinking that Xu Xiaoyou must be tired after visiting every night. I should go home and prepare some food for them, she thought.

When Xia Chen finally woke up, he found that he was alone in bed. He quickly got up and searched the room, but there was no sign of Xu Xiaoyou. Frustration washed over him; he shouldn’t have trusted her when she said she wouldn’t leave. She had indeed slipped away while he was asleep.

“Xu Xiaoyou, how could you do this to me?” Xia Chen growled, slamming a cup onto the floor in anger.

“What’s with the cup-throwing as soon as you wake up? Did someone upset you?” Xu Xiaoyou entered just then, startled by his sudden outburst.

Hearing her voice, Xia Chen turned around and saw that she was holding breakfast. So she hadn’t left after all; she had gone out to buy food.

“Why didn’t you let me know you were getting breakfast?” he asked, following her into the room.

“I didn’t want to wake you since you were sleeping so soundly,” Xu Xiaoyou replied, placing the food on the table before pushing Xia Chen toward the bathroom. “Wash up and come eat.”

Raising his injured right hand, Xia Chen said, “I can’t manage with one hand; you need to help me.”

Xu Xiaoyou shot him a glance. “If you won’t give it a try, I’m leaving.” With that, she turned to go.

Xia Chen quickly grabbed her with his uninjured hand. “I really can’t do it with one hand. Please help me, okay? Wife.” He was actually starting to plead.

“Fine, fine…” Xu Xiaoyou relented, unable to resist his cute demeanor as she helped him.

When Mom Xia returned, she saw them happily eating breakfast, chatting and laughing. She stood outside the door, not wanting to interrupt. It had been so long since she had seen Xia Chen express such bright joy. Ever since Xu Xiaoyou had left, he hadn’t smiled genuinely.

It was Xu Xiaoyou who spotted Mom Xia first, and she immediately stood up and called out, “Mom!”

Xia Chen, however, shot a mildly impatient glance at Mom Xia, knowing that he was sharing a sweet moment with Xu Xiaoyou and didn’t appreciate the interruption. Mom Xia chose to ignore the look as she stepped inside and said, “You two are having breakfast! I prepared some for you as well.”

She placed another meal on the table and added, “Since you’re eating, I won’t disturb you. Xu Xiaoyou, please keep a close eye on Xia Chen and don’t let him get into trouble.”

Xu Xiaoyou glanced at Xia Chen, who was busy eating. Could he really get into trouble? He could barely walk straight, so what mischief did Mom Xia think he was up to? It seemed like she was warning Xu Xiaoyou to be careful.

“Mom, I won’t get into trouble. Can you go now?” Xia Chen said impatiently.

“Alright, I’ll leave now,” Mom Xia said with a smile, giving one last look at Xu Xiaoyou before exiting the hospital room.

“Ah Xia, how can you speak to Mom like that?” Xu Xiaoyou questioned once they were alone.

“She interrupted my meal,” Xia Chen replied as if he had a valid reason.

“Then I’ll also stop interrupting your meal. I’m leaving,” Xu Xiaoyou said, pretending to head for the door.

Xia Chen quickly pulled her back. “You can’t leave! You promised me you wouldn’t.”

Xu Xiaoyou looked at him. If she stayed, did that guarantee they would have a future together?