Lin Qinghe grew increasingly uneasy. Looking at Xiao Ziyi, she asked, "Why did you bring me to the hospital? Did something happen to You Rong?"
Xiao Ziyi unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled Lin Qinghe out of the car. "You'll know when you come inside with me."
Lin Qinghe, filled with trepidation, followed Xiao Ziyi to a ward. Xiao Ziyi gave her a look, signaling her to push open the door.
Lin Qinghe raised her hand, pausing in mid-air for a second, then forcefully pushed the door open.
Her eyes fell on the person standing outside the balcony in the ward. Lin Qinghe’s eyes widened in shock. "You Rong! Why are you here?!"
The person who was supposed to go overseas with Old Master You, why were they in the hospital?
And…
Lin Qinghe felt like she was seeing things. After a long, hard look, she finally confirmed the person opposite was indeed You Rong.
It wasn't that she didn't recognize You Rong. It was just that in the short span of a week, You Rong had gained a noticeable amount of weight. His face was plump, and while he wasn't as fat as he was in his original form, such a drastic change in such a short period made Lin Qinghe doubt her own eyes.
You Rong froze, his expression drastically changing. He quickly turned his back, his hands clenched into fists, his face a picture of panic.
Seeing this, Lin Qinghe quickly walked to You Rong's side and took his arm, trying to turn him around to face her.
You Rong remained still, his body tense.
Lin Qinghe’s temper flared. "You Rong! Turn around and look at me!"
You Rong lowered his gaze, unmoving.
Lin Qinghe raised her voice. "You Rong! Turn around and look at me! Do you hear me!"
Only then did You Rong slowly turn around. Seeing the surprise on Lin Qinghe's face, he hid the bitterness in his eyes.
Lin Qinghe was too shocked by You Rong's transformation. Her mind was in a whirl, mostly concerned about how he had gained so much weight so quickly. Was there something wrong with his health? Was he seriously ill? Was that why he was hiding from her?
Lin Qinghe gripped You Rong's hand, her heart burning with anxiety as she pressed him, "You Rong… why are you like this? Is there something wrong with your health? Don't hide it from me! Tell me quickly!"
You Rong lowered his gaze, remaining silent, his lips tightly pursed, a wave of bitterness washing over him.
He had made his decision, but seeing the shock in Lin Qinghe's eyes, he felt he couldn't bear for her to despise him again.
Lin Qinghe said, "You Rong! Speak! If you say nothing, what's the point of all this?"
You Rong clenched his fists even tighter, his knuckles turning pale from the force, yet he remained silent.
Lin Qinghe was going mad with worry. Xiao Ziyi walked over and scoldingly said, "You Rong! You had the guts to make that decision, so why are you afraid to face it now? You deliberately asked the hospital to prescribe you hormone medication to gain weight, didn't you, just to get an answer from Lin Qinghe? Why aren't you asking her now?!"
Lin Qinghe was bewildered. "Xiao Ziyi… what are you talking about?"
"I'm saying…"
You Rong interrupted Xiao Ziyi. He glared at Xiao Ziyi, "Shut up! Who asked you to meddle!"
Xiao Ziyi, provoked, laughed angrily. "Am I meddling? Or are you being cowardly? The answer you've always wanted is right there for the taking if you just open your mouth. Why are you afraid to ask now?!"
You Rong's face turned pale, his expression one of suppressed pain, and he fell silent again.
Lin Qinghe frowned, looking at You Rong, then turned to Xiao Ziyi. "Xiao Ziyi, you tell me, what exactly is going on with You Rong?"
Xiao Ziyi, still fuming, snorted and cursed, "You Rong is such an idiot. He just kept thinking that if he lost weight and became handsome, you'd like him! He thought you wouldn't like him as he was before…"
Hearing this, and combining it with what Xiao Ziyi had said earlier, Lin Qinghe pieced together the whole story.
She suddenly interrupted Xiao Ziyi, "So You Rong asked the doctor to prescribe him hormone medication that would make him gain weight quickly, to turn himself back into the fat person he used to be, to see if I would still like him… Is that right?"
The "Is that right" was directed at You Rong, her eyes fixed on his.
You Rong's gaze flickered away, unable to meet hers.
Xiao Ziyi, furious, cursed, "Isn't that exactly it! He's such an idiot! He gets stuck on these stupid ideas all the time, it makes me so angry. Do you know how much damage that hormone medication can do to the body? And he doesn't care at all!"
He even lied to Lin Qinghe, saying he was going overseas with Old Master You. If he hadn't coincidentally run into Old Master You at the airport that day and felt something was off, then investigated, who knows how foolish You Rong would have been!
Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Qinghe genuinely liked him, but You Rong was just blind to it himself!
Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong, falling silent, her expression becoming complex and inscrutable, a mixture of anger and heartache.
You Rong met Lin Qinghe's gaze, and with a hint of panic, grabbed her wrist, his lips trembling slightly. "Qinghe, I…"
He trailed off, unsure what to say.
He knew he shouldn't doubt her, but he couldn't control himself, which was why he wanted a definitive answer.
Lin Qinghe's eyes flickered, and she withdrew her hand. You Rong's pupils contracted, an inexpressible fear gripping his heart. "...Qinghe!"
Lin Qinghe ignored You Rong and turned to Xiao Ziyi, saying, "Xiao Ziyi, thank you for bringing me here. I want to talk to You Rong alone."
Xiao Ziyi understood that only Lin Qinghe could resolve You Rong's inner turmoil. He nodded, turned, and walked out of the ward, closing the door behind him, giving them the quiet space they needed to talk.
Lin Qinghe looked up at You Rong and walked back into the ward.
You Rong followed closely, his face pale, his gaze fixed on Lin Qinghe. He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat, unsure how to begin.
Lin Qinghe sat down on the sofa in the ward, her expression calm. After a long silence, she asked in a level tone, "You Rong, if you turn back into the fat person you were, and find that I still like you, what will you do?"
"I…" You Rong felt inexplicably guilty. "I'll treat you very well! I'll treat you well for the rest of my life! I will… love you for the rest of my life!"
Lin Qinghe smiled, a smile with an unclear meaning, then asked again, "And if you turn back into the fat person you were, and find that I don't like you anymore, what will you do then?"
You Rong's heart tightened, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, his face ashen.
He remained silent.
Lin Qinghe said, "Will you, like before, think I'm materialistic and try to get revenge on me?"
You Rong's face turned pale, and he shook his head. "...No."
He couldn't do that to her again.
Lin Qinghe: "No? Then what exactly will you do? If you know I don't like you anymore, will you magnanimously let me break it off with you, and never have any contact again?"
You Rong's eyes turned red, and he remained silent.
He couldn't do it!
He couldn't bear to hurt Lin Qinghe, nor could he bear to let her have no further contact with him.
He couldn't do either!
But he still couldn't control his suspicion that Lin Qinghe didn't truly love him, yet he desperately wanted her to truly love him, including his flaws.
You Rong stood frozen, his eyes alarmingly red, his expression one of sorrow.
Lin Qinghe finally couldn't bear it.
He had been hurt by the original host and lacked a sense of security. He was such a good person, yet so insecure, so insecure that he believed she wouldn't truly love him.
At this point, Lin Qinghe finally understood why the progress bar had remained stagnant.
Lin Qinghe sighed and softly asked, "If I were to become fat, become ugly, and no longer beautiful, would you still like me? Would you want to break up with me?"
Without hesitation, You Rong blurted out, "I wouldn't! No matter what you become, I will never break up with you. I love you! I want to be with you for the rest of my life, take care of you for the rest of my life, and love you for the rest of my life!"
Lin Qinghe stood up, walked over, and hugged You Rong, resting her face against his chest, her heart filled with a sour, swelling emotion.
This fool!
How could he be so foolish!
Lin Qinghe looked up at You Rong's eyes and said, word by word, "The hormone medication the doctor gave you, let me take it."
You Rong blinked in surprise. "Qinghe, you…"
Lin Qinghe's eyes curved into a smile, and she gently stroked You Rong's now plump face. "Aren't you feeling insecure? I'll prove it, I'll eliminate your insecurity. If I gain weight, you won't dislike me. I want to let you know that my feelings for you are the same as yours for me! I truly love you too!"
You Rong's pupils contracted. Disbelief and ecstasy warred within him. He had a thousand words he wanted to say, but his throat inexplicably tightened, rendering him speechless.
Meeting Lin Qinghe's clear eyes, he lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was hurried, urgent, and filled with deep affection, a lingering, passionate kiss.
After the kiss, You Rong's eyes were slightly red. He leaned his forehead against Lin Qinghe's, his voice husky. "Don't take it, I believe you… I love you!"
"Then promise me you won't take it anymore either! Although… you're a bit plump now, which is quite cute, and I like it, for your health, you can't take it anymore."
"I promise!" You Rong's eyes were so full of affection they threatened to overflow. He gazed at Lin Qinghe and softly said, "Qinghe, can you say you love me again? Qinghe, say you love me again…"
Lin Qinghe said, "I love you."
You Rong replied cherishedly, "I love you too!"
"Progress bar increased by 20%, total progress 100%. Congratulations, task-taker Lin Qinghe, on completing the auxiliary mission for this world. Entering the next world."
The sudden system notification startled Lin Qinghe.
Just as she was about to say something to You Rong, she found herself unable to speak. She felt her soul being drawn away, and the familiar sensation of the world spinning returned.
Lin Qinghe's body went limp and she fell into You Rong's arms. You Rong cried out Lin Qinghe's name in terror, but she could no longer hear him.
Lin Qinghe slowly closed her eyes. As darkness enveloped her vision, just before she lost consciousness entirely, she silently whispered You Rong's name in her heart.
You Rong…