Ran Ting kept watching as he entered the elevator. She saw it going down and stopping on the first floor before she was certain that the man had really left.
Finally letting out a sigh of relief, when she returned to the ward and saw Song JinXing sitting by Zhong Ruanxing's bed again, holding her hand in silence. He sat there with his broad back very straight, motionless, like a lonely statue.
Ran Ting pursed her lips, then quietly slipped back out again.
The next day, as soon as it was light, she was on her way to the hospital with breakfast. Pushing open the door, she found that Song JinXing was still sitting there, unchanged from when she had left last night.
He had kept watch over her all night.
Ran Ting carefully walked over, “Mr. Song, I bought breakfast. Have something to eat and then go get some rest.”
Song JinXing turned to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, but his expression was aloof. He thanked her, got up and briefly washed up in the bathroom before returning to eat the breakfast she had brought. But he did not go to sleep afterwards, instead resumed his vigil by the bedside.
Ran Ting could only leave again. Outside the ward, she met Zhong Dad and Zhong You. After greeting them, she said in a low voice, “Uncle Zhong, please persuade Mr. Song to rest. He was up all night and is still going on.”
Zhong Dad nodded silently and went into the ward. Seeing Song JinXing's haggard face, he hesitated for a long time before speaking, “Xiao Song, go back to the hotel and rest. I'll keep watch here.”
Since he was his daughter's boyfriend, addressing him as Xiao Song should be fine...right?
Song JinXing stood up, “Uncle Zhong, I'm not tired.”
Zhong Dad silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and said again, “We agreed last night that I would take over for you this morning. If Xingxing wakes up and sees you like this, she'd worry too.”
Zhong You tilted his head and looked at him, suddenly saying, "Brother, you grew a beard!"
Song JinXing touched his chin. Overnight, stubble had indeed grown in. He glanced at the person lying in bed, was silent for a moment, and finally gave in, "I'll leave after the doctor does rounds."
As daylight brightened, the attending doctor began making rounds. Zhong Ruanxing's condition was very stable, and the doctor expected her to wake up within three days. Hearing this from the doctor, Song JinXing was finally a little reassured and allowed Zhong Dad to send him back to the hotel to rest.
But he did not rest for long, returning to the ward again before noon.
Seeing his manner, it was as if he could not feel at ease without being there in the ward to keep an eye on Zhong Ruanxing. Zhong Dad felt pained for him, but also happy for his daughter. Adversity reveals true feelings, to have someone like this by his daughter's side, he finally did not need to worry anymore.
And so they took turns keeping vigil for two days. On the morning of the third day, the person lying on the hospital bed fluttered her eyelids and slowly opened her eyes.
Zhong Ruanxing felt as if she had been trapped in a very long dream while napping in the office. She was stuck in that dream and couldn't wake up, even praying in her heart for Fu Ling to come in and wake her.
But the world remained very quiet.
Until this moment, when she struggled to open her eyes, and saw the snow white ceiling and realized it was different from the grayscale design of Song JinXing's office ceiling.
Her head hurt a little, and her whole body felt uncomfortable. Zhong Ruanxing moved her fingers, and with each breath, she felt the oxygen mask over her face, and heard the sound of a cardiac monitor that she had previously only heard on TV dramas.
What was going on? She just took a nap, how did she end up in the ER?
She tried hard to turn her head, and a haggard, sleeping face was right before her eyes. Even in sleep, he was frowning, with light blue stubble around his lips, his long eyelashes drooping down restlessly.
Zhong Ruanxing had never seen Song JinXing look like this.
In her impression, he had always been aloof and indifferent. No matter the situation, he was always calm and composed, like a lofty, untouchable snow mountain, above the dust of the mundane world.
But the Song JinXing slumped asleep by the bed now looked as if the god of the snowy mountain had descended into the mortal realm, and seemed no different from an ordinary person mired in the red dust.
Zhong Ruanxing found this version of Song JinXing very novel, and stared at him for a long time without even blinking.
After some time, her aching mind finally, slowly, cleared up, and she realized something was wrong.
Wait...she was seeing Song JinXing from her own perspective?!
They had switched back?!
This discovery made Zhong Ruanxing's breathing instantly become hurried, her heart racing faster, and the vital signs monitor sounded abnormal beeps. Song JinXing, who was sleeping lightly, jerked awake abruptly and looked up to meet a pair of wide open eyes.
Zhong Ruanxing finally saw him fully, his deep-set eyes were bloodshot now, and the dark circles under his eyes stood out clearly due to his sleepless night.
She had little strength, so her voice was very soft, “You...”
Song JinXing's eyelashes fluttered, and he leaned in close to restrain the swirling emotions. Hearing her ask, "Why did you do this to yourself?"
At that moment, it was as if a dam holding back surging waters had finally burst. All the pent up emotions crashed down overwhelmingly, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.
He did not answer, just lowered his head and said very softly, "You slept for so long."
Zhong Ruanxing blinked. "What happened to me? How did we switch back?"
Song JinXing just smiled lightly, and his fingers resting on the pillow gently brushed over her cheek as he stood up, "I'll explain later, let me go get the doctor first."
Earlier, the doctor had predicted she would wake up within three days. Now, right on schedule, everyone was very happy. After another round of examinations and treatment, she was determined to be out of mortal danger, only needing to stay in the hospital for observation. If there were no onset of aftereffects, she could be discharged soon.
When Zhong Dad received the news, he also rushed over with Zhong You. Seeing her dad and little sister, Zhong Ruanxing couldn't help but tear up.
The family talked for a long time, during which Song JinXing did not come in to disturb them.
It wasn’t until after lunch that the two finally had time alone again.
Zhong Ruanxing had already heard from Zhong Dad and Ran Ting about her car accident. She calculated the time, and that was precisely when she had fallen into deep sleep while napping in the office.
The first switch happened when both of them lost consciousness at the same time, one being drugged and the other in deep sleep. And at that time, just when she was in crisis, if not for the switch, Song JinXing would have woken up in time to escape. Otherwise, she might already have fallen into an inescapable abyss.
And this time, the switch happened when Song JinXing was in danger. Their accidental switch under such circumstances saved Song JinXing, allowing him to wake up in his own body. Even if something had really happened to her, he would not have been affected, which was another way of saving him in a sense.
Zhong Ruanxing felt she roughly grasped the pattern of their switching, but still didn't understand the specifics. For example, if the trigger for switching was one of them being in danger, would they switch again if danger occurred once more?
When she relayed this analysis to Song JinXing, he did not comment, only lowered her hospital bed, "Focus on recovering, don't think too much about this and that."
Zhong Ruanxing objected, "How is it just this and that? Aren't you afraid we might switch again someday?"
Song JinXing leaned over to tuck her blanket, bringing them suddenly very close. This was the first time Zhong Ruanxing saw him from her own perspective.
She had never noticed before, when looking in the mirror, how sexy his Adam's apple was!
She secretly swallowed.
Song JinXing finished tucking her in, arms propped on the bed railing, and lowered his head to meet her gaze.
Seeing him from her own perspective was completely different from looking in the mirror. The face she was so accustomed to seeing now appeared even sharper and more chiseled than before. His brow, nose, jaw, every line was as if carved with a blade, so handsome it was just right.
The real Song JinXing was much more attractive than when she was Song JinXing.
That was the perfect harmony between soul and body, aloofness and grace through and through. Just standing there made him seem like a snow mountain being looked up at.
But now, this lofty, untouchable snow mountain had lowered himself, bowing his head, so close to her that it seemed all she needed was to lift her head to kiss his lips.
Zhong Ruanxing held her breath, and heard him say, "As long as it's you, I'm not afraid."
Bewitched by his beauty before her, she was confused, "What?"
Song JinXing smiled again. "As long as it's switching with you, I'm not afraid."
