Li XinWen had no comeback retort. Disgust and anger stirred up inside him and a mix of his repulsion and surprise could clearly be seen from his face.
The sound of the door sliding open brought him back to his senses. There standing in the doorway was a young woman in her early twenties. She carried herself with such confidence and authority that the air around her seem energized. She wore a simple black office dress that went just below the knee and accessorized by a simple pair of gold earrings and a pandora necklace. Her hair was tied to a neat bun and she wore a pair of nude 8-centimeters pumps and carried a croc embossed leather envelope clutch. The young woman was Li JingHua, Li XinWen's sister and Xue Rui's fiancé. She exuded power as she entered the room. She was so put together except for the fact that she was carrying what looked like a plastic bag on her other hand.
"Hua-jie! You came!" with a look of relief, Li XinWen greeted the elder female as he tried to cover his emotions from earlier with a smile. He was grateful that Li JingHua arrived when she did, otherwise he didn't know what he would have done to Xue Rui. But Li JingHua's reaction was not what Li XinWen expected. In the original's memories, Li JingHua always treated him kindly no matter what, which made the original feel guilty for being forced to climb into bed with her fiance. Li XinWen saw disdain in her gaze which quickly disappeared. 'Is Li JingHua aware of her fiance's infidelity and indecent relationship with her brother?' Li XinWen started to get worried.
Li JingHua approached Li XinWen's bed and gave him a short but heartfelt embrace. She set her envelope clutch on the table beside Li XinWen's hospital bed and affectionately caressed her brother's cheek.
"Ah'Wen, I am so glad that you have finally awaken. How are you feeling? I bought your favorite milk chocolate for you," Li JingHua said smiling as she held up the plastic bag she was holding.
"Thank you, Hua-jie!" Li XinWen smiled, but he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
He wondered whether the look of disdain earlier was just his imagination, or he was reading too much into it. After being betrayed once, it usually is hard to trust again. But Li XinWen prayed that it was just his imagination, since the original really treasured his sister very much and he was looking forward to experiencing how it is to have a family.
"Let your sister help you," she said in a gentle tone. Li JingHua reached for the button to prop up Li XinWen's hospital bed. Although she was aware of Xue Rui's presence, not once did she glance at Xue Rui's direction. After retrieving the bottle of milk chocolate from the plastic bag, she removed the bottle cap and inserted a straw before handing it to Li XinWen.
Standing by the foot of Li XinWen's bed, Xue Rui observed the exchange between brother and sister. And decided he was in the mood to tease Li JingHua.
"My dear JingHua, do I not deserve a little bit of your attention as your fiancé?" he said smiling, almost lovingly.
At Xue Rui's remark, Li XinWen looked up at his sister and for a brief second noticed an annoyed expression on her face. Li JingHua turned to Xue Rui with a forced smile and responded with a hint of sarcasm "Darling, you seem to be in high spirits. I don't believe you need any of my attention in this setting."
She slowly approached her fiancé and pretended to plant a kiss on Xue Rui's cheek, whispering low enough and out of Li XinWen's earshot "Haven't you had your fill of Li XinWen before I arrived?"
Xue Rui was a little surprised but smiled mischievously at JingHua's remark and let out a small chuckle. To which Li XinWen became nonplussed as he was unsure what could have brought Xue Rui's behavior. But he welcomed the interaction between his sister and her fiancé squashing the thought that Li JingHua was aware of the indecent relationship between Xue Rui and himself.
By this time, Li XinWen's suspicion had already disappeared and believed that what he had seen before was just his imagination. He drank the chocolate milk and admitted to himself that he quite like the sweet-tasting beverage. Although he still preferred spiritual wine over the brown colored liquid called chocolate milk. But alas, there was none to be had in this world where there are no cultivators and even the spiritual energy were scarce.
Xue Rui held Li JingHua's arms and planted a soft kiss on her cheek and gently pushed her aside as he approached Li XinWen. He squeezed the latter's arm as if to express some pent up desire.
"Then I shall excuse myself to allow you two to catch up," he said before turning towards Li JingHua who stood with a resigned expression on her face. "I'll be waiting outside until you are ready to leave, darling," he mischievously winked at Li JingHua on the last word before leaving the room and finally, Xue Rui nonchalantly closed the door behind him.
Li XinWen and Li JingHua took this opportunity to catch up with each other. They spent the remaining 2 hours of the hospital's visiting schedule exchanging stories and reminiscing about their childhood. After helping Li XinWen lie down comfortably, Li JingHua gave him a hug and said goodbye.
Although tired after the day's events and visitors, Li XinWen felt happy and light especially at the thought that his sister treasured him dearly. 'It's been a good day,' he thought.
Seeing that there was nothing to do and still wide awake, Li XinWen decided to try cultivating. Although the spiritual energy of this world was thin, as long as there was a minute amount in the surrounding area, he should be able to cultivate. But then there was the question of whether his mortal body would have the capacity to absorb the needed spiritual energy after suffering the accident. In addition, it was already passed the prime age of cultivation. But he had to try.
Li XinWen closed his eyes and used his rich experience to sense and guide the faint traces of spiritual energy towards his mortal body. To his delight, his mortal body started absorbing spiritual energy little by little.
"Amazing! Despite being injured, this mortal body still possessed the aptitude for cultivation!" Li XinWen expressed with a renewed sense of determination and ended up spending the entire night channeling and allowing his mortal body to absorb spiritual energy to build the foundation.