Yang Na took a cautious step back as Li Huowang led her into the corner of the hospital room.
"What are you doing? They can hear us from the nurses' station!" she whispered nervously.
Before she could say more, the speaker on the bedside crackled to life, followed by the sound of nurses giggling.
"Oh, don't worry, we can't hear a thing! Go on, Little Li, keep it up~!" one of them teased.
Li rolled his eyes and shouted at the microphone, "Could you ladies stop gossiping and focus on the critical care patients instead?"
He turned back to Yang Na, pulling a jade pendant from his pocket and placing it in her hand. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered something in a low voice.
Yang Na's eyes widened with each word, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief. "That can't be real—"
Before she could finish, Li clamped a hand over her mouth. Their eyes met, and she saw the desperation burning in his gaze.
"Please, Na Na, just help me this once. Everything I said is true. No one else, not even my parents, believes me. They all think I'm crazy. You're the only one I trust, the only one in the entire world. I swear I'm not crazy!"
Yang Na stared at him for a moment before biting her lip and nodding. As she left the room, her eyes were red, and she glanced back at him repeatedly, as though worried he might break at any moment.
Watching her go, Li felt a mix of emotions. He didn't care how others saw him anymore—but Yang Na was different.
"Na Na, just this once, please believe me."
Waiting was agony. Li paced the hospital room, his nerves fraying with every passing second.
Hallucinations came and went, but he forced himself back each time, afraid he might miss her return.
One day passed. Then two. Then three. His unease only grew.
Finally, a nurse's voice crackled through the intercom, "Little Li, your girlfriend is here to see you!"
Li shot out of bed, practically flying toward the hospital courtyard.
There, amidst the flowers, Yang Na waited. The moment they saw each other, they ran into each other's arms.
"It's real, Huowang! The jade pendant—it's real!" she whispered, her voice trembling with excitement.
"I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!" Li shouted, laughing as he spun her around in circles, his joy spilling over.
Eventually, they calmed down, and Yang Na sat on the edge of a flowerbed, catching her breath.
"I didn't mess up your studies or anything, did I?" Li asked, concern softening his tone.
Yang Na didn't answer directly. Instead, she held up four delicate fingers. "Do you know how much that pendant is worth? Guess."
"Four... hundred thousand?"
"Yes! Four hundred thousand yuan! And I think the appraiser might have lowballed it. If we check with other places, it could be worth even more!"
Li's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "Four hundred thousand... Four hundred thousand yuan!"
A wide grin spread across his face as he burst into laughter. That amount wouldn't just cover his years of medical expenses—it would leave plenty left over. And this was just the beginning.
"Get ready to be a rich girl, Na Na," he teased.
Yang Na's cheeks turned pink. "Stop joking. But seriously, isn't this... strange? Are you sure this isn't harmful to you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine! If anything, I might need to slow down my treatment. This pendant is just the start—there's so much more I can bring back!"
Yang Na's expression darkened, her voice turning firm. "Huowang, no. This isn't a joke. I don't care about the money. You have to continue your treatment and take your medication. Promise me, or I won't help you anymore."
Li opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he saw the worry in her eyes. A warm feeling spread through his chest, and he sighed. "Alright. I promise."
Yang Na's face brightened as she reached out to pat his head. "Good boy. That's my obedient little brother."
As they sat discussing how to sell the pendant, a group of burly hospital staff carrying riot forks rushed past them.
"Master Zhao, what's going on?" Li called out to one of them, a familiar face.
"Don't worry about it, Little Li. Just head back to your room. And if you see Old Liu, let us know immediately. He's probably spitting out his meds again," the man replied hastily, disappearing up the stairs.
"Old Liu? How could he escape the critical ward? That place has two layers of iron bars," Li muttered, glancing toward the restricted area.
He remembered his time there vividly—a grim period when he couldn't distinguish between reality and hallucination.
Turning to Yang Na, he said, "Things are a bit chaotic here. You should head home for now. Call me tonight, and we'll talk on the phone."
"Okay. Take care of yourself, and don't forget your promise," she said, walking toward the hospital gate.
As Li turned to head back to his room, his thoughts swirled. "Four hundred thousand yuan... If the pendant is worth that much, what else could I bring back? Hallucination or not, who cares? This is a goldmine!"
But before he could finish his thought, a piercing scream jolted him to attention.
Spinning around, Li saw Old Liu—a frail, bald old man—tackle Yang Na to the ground.
Rage erupted within him. His vision turned red as he charged toward them, shouting, "Old Liu! That's my girlfriend! Let her go!"
Before he could reach them, a flying tile smashed into his head, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Blood streamed into his eyes, turning his vision crimson. Through the haze, he saw Old Liu's bandaged feet shuffle past him toward the struggling Yang Na.
The thought of her being hurt consumed him.
With trembling hands, Li pulled a black pill from his pocket, smeared with his own blood, and swallowed it.
Heat surged through his body like molten fire, flooding every vein and muscle. His mind cleared, his strength returning tenfold.
"Boom!"
His fist connected with the jaw of the man attacking Yang Na, sending teeth flying in all directions.
Ignoring the fallen man, Li turned to Old Liu, his boot slamming into the old man's chest with a sickening crunch.
"Crack! Crack!"
The sound of breaking ribs echoed as Old Liu crumpled like a ragdoll, blood spilling from his mouth.
Turning to Yang Na, trembling and clutching her torn blouse, Li's bloodshot eyes brimmed with fury.
"Huowang! Stop! What are you doing?" Yang Na screamed.