Chapter Eighteen: Jin Xishan's Hidden Thoughts

Because of this, after being rescued, aside from the bruises on Liu Qingshan’s back from the impact, the two long, deep gashes on his legs, almost to the bone from the steel wires, were the most serious. So the moment he fell to the ground, he immediately lost consciousness. In contrast, apart from being utterly terrified, Jin Xishan had only a few shallow scratches.

He fainted purely from blood loss, and by evening he had already regained consciousness in his hospital bed.

The hospital room was crowded with people. Not only Jin Xishan, whose eyes were swollen from crying, but everyone qualified to enter had red eyes.

Especially Chen Long—if a life had been lost, it would have been a huge blow to his career. Saying Liu Qingshan saved everything he had wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration.

When Liu Qingshan woke, the room erupted in cheers.

He managed to ask Jin Xishan, who was nearest to him, “Sis, are you hurt?”

Chen Long immediately embraced him.

“Brother, Xishan is fine. I was nearly scared to death! Without you, not only would your sister have died, but my years of hard work would have been for nothing!”

Tang Jieli, his eyes still red, added, “That’s right, you didn’t just save her, you saved all of us. I won’t forget what you did.”

The others crowded in with their greetings, all overjoyed, everyone talking at once.

Though everyone knew the diagnosis and that his internal organs were unharmed, as long as he hadn’t regained consciousness, nothing could be said for sure.

Jin Xishan’s manager was a middle-aged woman, and another assistant immediately fell to her knees at the bedside.

Fortunately, this interruption gave Liu Qingshan a chance to speak. “Can someone please get me something to eat? I’m starving!”

He tried to get out of bed as he spoke, but Jin Xishan quickly stopped him.

“You’re covered in wounds—how can you get up? I can see the bone in your legs!”

Her words brought tears to her eyes once more.

Liu Qingshan quickly lay back down and wiped her tears away. “It’s nothing, as long as they’re not broken. I’d rather go back to the hotel tonight—I’ve hated the smell of hospitals since I was a child.”

“That’s out of the question!” Chen Long squeezed in, “I don’t know how the news got out, but there are reporters everywhere outside!”

A doctor chimed in, “Mr. Liu, it’s not just your legs, your back is badly injured too. The strange thing is your bones are perfectly intact!”

At this, Yu Rongguang bristled. “What, you were hoping for broken bones?”

His glare startled the doctor.

“I only meant that with such a forceful impact, it’s common for bones or organs to be damaged—I meant nothing else.”

Sun Zhou hurried over, pulling the doctor away and apologizing profusely.

Liang Jiahui burst out laughing. “You’re in your forties and still as hot-tempered as a young man! No wonder your face is covered in boils!”

In certain circles, Liang Jiahui’s influence was no less than Chen Long’s, so Yu Rongguang immediately softened.

“Doctors always find something wrong, even when there’s nothing! We martial artists are always injured. I agree with Shan’s idea—let’s go back to the hotel. Though, you’ll still have to come back for your dressings.”

Chen Long laughed in exasperation. “Stop causing trouble. Shan is awake now, so you and the others go back and have a drink. Staying here will only get in the way.”

At the boss’s words, the room quickly thinned out, leaving only Chen Long, Liang Jiahui, Lu Huiguang, Jin Xishan, and her manager.

Liu Qingshan tried to persuade them to leave, but they refused until food arrived from a nearby hotel.

Chen Long left Lu Huiguang behind, along with a few brothers from the Cheng family outside the door.

Jin Xishan also needed to be kept under observation, so she settled in, sitting beside Liu Qingshan and picking out food for him with her chopsticks.

Her manager, Park Hyunji, was the nurturing type—more a secretary than a forceful agent. Jin Xishan had told him she was a distant relative, so trust wasn’t an issue.

Park Hyunji tactfully sent Lu Huiguang out, and left herself, closing the door behind her.

When it came to caring for others, Jin Xishan was impeccable. Even though she was starving herself, she gently helped Liu Qingshan eat until her own stomach growled audibly.

She hadn’t spoken until then, but now, embarrassed, she took a bite herself.

“Sis, why so quiet? Are you feeling so grateful you want to offer yourself to me?”

Usually, when Liu Qingshan was with her, he was all smiles, letting her order him about. Suddenly coming out with such words, he’d only meant to lighten the mood—realizing too late it might be inappropriate.

But to his surprise, Jin Xishan, after a moment of shock, just covered her mouth and laughed.

“So you really can say cheeky things! I thought you were always the model of purity.”

“Sorry, sis, I don’t know how that slipped out.”

“It’s all right. But if I really did want to offer myself to you, would you be scared off?”

“Not scared off, exactly, but I’d definitely be nervous. After all, you’re a household name in Korea, and I’m still a nobody back home!”

“Why all those words? Just answer me—do you like me or not?”

The way he called her “sis” was at Jin Xishan’s insistence, following Chinese custom. For reasons of her own, she never used her own country's terms or etiquette with Liu Qingshan.

“Of course I like you. You’re beautiful, and you don’t care about my low status. I liked you at first sight, and the more I got to know you, the more I liked you.”

“I mean, do you like me as a woman?”

“Well, honestly, I never dared think about it that way.”

“That’s the truth I wanted! Then I’ll allow you to like me as a man likes a woman. Will you accept that?”

“Just because I saved you? The ‘offering yourself’ part was a joke.”

“But what if I take it seriously?”

“Then I take it back, all right? Hey, sis, don’t cry—I agree, isn’t that good enough?”

He never expected it—people say women are made of water, and indeed, his attempt to comfort her only made Jin Xishan cry harder, her tears flowing uncontrollably.

Completely at a loss, Liu Qingshan fumbled about, until the pain from his wounds finally stopped her tears.

Jin Xishan quickly got up, lifted the back of his hospital gown to check the wound, then burst out laughing through her tears. “So you really are a blank slate when it comes to matters of the heart!”

She helped him sit properly and said seriously, “I’ve only had two relationships before. One almost ended in marriage—the rest are just rumors. What do you think of that?”

“Sis, you’re so beautiful—it’d be strange if no one pursued you. I think it’s perfectly normal.”

“But what if I told you I’ve given up on marriage for good—would you believe me?”