My Youth Began With Him

“Did someone slap you…? Oh my god, who had the guts to slap you?!” Zhu Lingling put down her bag and walked over to Huo Mian to look at her face. She was obviously making way too big a deal out of things.

“Come over here.” Qin Chu gestured his hand at Huo Mian.

Huo Mian slowly walked up to him…

Qin Chu held onto her hand and sat up on his bed. He reached out and stroked Huo Mian’s swollen cheek with his warm palm.

He knew that it must’ve been her mother who slapped Huo Mian. The reason? He didn’t have to ask to know that it was because of him.

Qin Chu was heartbroken by Huo Mian’s injury, he wished that he was the one her mother had slapped instead.

The throbbing in his chest made him want to kill himself…

“Hey, come on, you’re still in recovery, keep it in your pants. Don’t make single people like us feel bad. We’re here to check up on you, not to see you guys flaunt your love,” Gao Ran said jokingly.

When he saw that Qin Chu was doing much better this morning, he instantly knew the decision Huo Mian must’ve made.

Thank goodness this woman still had a heart and didn’t completely overlook how well Qin Chu had been treating her.

Zhu Lingling and Gao Ran quibbled with them for a little while longer before putting down the flowers and fruit basket they brought with them… and headed for the door…

“Aren’t you guys staying for dinner?” Huo Mian smiled.

“No, hospital food tastes like crap.”

“We can order delivery.”

“No thanks, everything in here smells like formaldehyde, it’s so unappetizing. Forget it, I’m going to go have some spicy and sour noodles at one of the food trucks.”

Then, Zhu Lingling turned around to leave…

Gao Ran quietly followed her, “I haven’t had spicy and sour noodles in a while, there’s no time like the present. I guess I will come too.”

“Do you want the spicy and sour noodles or Zhu Lingling?” Huo Mian half-jokingly asked.

Gao Ran was immediately embarrassed by what she said…

Furious, Zhu Lingling secretly pinched Huo Mian’s shoulder, “What are you talking about? You’re as bad as the paparazzi, spreading untrue rumors.”

“I was kidding, why are you so nervous? Don’t tell me that the two of you…”

“Nothing’s going on between us, we’re innocent as toddlers,” Zhu Lingling explained at once.

Gao Ran didn’t say anything, and ended up quietly following Zhu Lingling out the door…

“If you knew that something’s going on between them, why did you still do that? Aren’t you afraid that they’ll blow up?” Qin Chu smiled.

“Nope, Gao Ran is too shy to blow up. As for Lingling, I’ve known her since we were kids, and she never once got mad at me. Others might, but she will never.” Huo Mian closed the door and walked back in. Then, she poured a glass of warm water and handed it to Qin Chu.

“Have some water, it’s dry in here.”

“Mian… your face…?”

There were other people in the room just now, so Qin Chu didn’t ask her about it.

Now that Gao Ran and Zhu Lingling were gone, he looked at Huo Mian’s slightly swollen face; he felt terrible as if his heart had been smashed into pieces.

“Oh… it’s okay, my mom slapped me.” Huo Mian smiled.

She didn’t have the guts to tell Qin Chu that her eardrum sustained an injury as well, because then he wouldn’t be able to sleep or eat. Her ear would be all that’s left in his mind.

“Next time, tell your mom to hit me, not my wife.”

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt that much, and I’m not that much of a sissy.”

Compared to Qin Chu’s seven-year promise, Huo Mian being slapped on the face by her mother was nothing. After all, it was just an exterior wound.

The good thing was, Zhixin stood up for her and helped her at a crucial time. However, she wasn’t sure if Zhixin’s words would have any effects on her mother.

But from this, Huo Mian realized that Zhixin would do anything to protect his sister, including getting angry with their mother.

Her years of taking care of her little brother weren’t for naught. However… Huang Yue seemed to have feelings towards Zhixin…

Huo Mian didn’t know what it was and didn’t dare to make any guesses. She felt like Huang Yue was taking too much initiative. But then again, Huo Mian might have been overthinking things.

“Honey…”

“Yeah?” Qin Chu slowly drank the glass of water in his hand and turned around to listen to Huo Mian speak.

“I feel like something is wrong with my identity. I don’t think I’m Huo Zhenghai’s daughter, or my mom’s.”

“What?” Qin Chu was a little shocked by what he heard.