Mister Li, the Heart Bandit

Panda Novel

Ji Weixi shook her head firmly.

Li Shaoling beamed and stretched out his hands to embrace her. When she caught the cool scent over his body, she cried even harder.

He was dead. He really wasn't dead.

He was so alive right in front of her eyes.

On the other hand, he thought that she was much skinnier, and had even become misshapen.

Her usually rosy and bright small face was now pale and dark, her eyes losing her usual spirit.

Li Shaoling could feel the small woman in his arms shaking. Pursing his lips and closing his eyes, he hid the pain showing just beneath his eyes.

After a long hug, he picked her up and went inside her room in the hospital, running headlong into Jiang Yigu and the little one.

"Daddy!" The little one pounced happily and hugged him. "I knew you weren't dead!"

Li Shaoling smiled, and looked up to meet Jiang Yigu's eyes, and nodded in tacit understanding.

Meanwhile, Tian Miaomiao didn't know what was wrong with herself as she shed even more tears than Ji Weixi, who had her arms around Li Shaoling and was not willing to let go.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"I was wounded and had to take my time recovering."

Ji Weixi freed him then, anxiously scanning his body. "Are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

Li Shaoling shook his head. "I'm fine now."

Ji Weixi still had more to say, but Li Shaoling had already pulled a blanket over her and gently patted her. "Sleep."

For some reason, Ji Weixi felt caught in her throat the moment he said that single word. "Okay."

She lay down, closed her eyes, and was soon breathing evenly.

Li Shaoling rose and left, but it was after he quietly closed the door that Ji Weixi opened her eyes.

He had changed. He was no longer himself.

This was not what she hoped to see after so many days apart.

Ji Weixi's heart began to hurt vaguely, having the feeling that something was about to happen.

What could have taken place? Why did it felt like he didn't even want to spare a moment to talk to her?

***

The roof of the hospital.

It was very cool up there, with a strong wind blowing.

Jiang Yigu was smoking a cigarette when Li Shaoling arrived.

"You're here."

"Yeah." Li Shaoling replied.

Jiang Yigu handed him a cigarette, but he refused. "No thanks."

"Are your memories back?" Jiang Yigu asked calmly then, adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah."

"How is it?"

Li Shaoling was staring downwards impassively at everything around his feet, his smile suddenly bitter. "Not good."

Jiang Yigu clapped him on his shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"What about you?" Li Shaoling asked, looking up to stare at him. "Is it fine being obsessed with a dead person?"

Jiang Yigu's face dropped just slightly, but he soon smiled. "It pleases me."

Li Shaoling chuckled mockingly, and left with a wave.

On the next day, Ji Weixi woke up but could not find Li Shaoling anywhere.

Then, she found a note on the bedside cabinet.

The words were cool and firm: I have something to do; I'll be back a little late.

Ji Weixi felt a little tearful after reading the note.

After waking up, why did she found that things had changed between her and Li Shaoling after a month apart?

It hurts. She felt very hurt.

That was when a call came.

She did not recognize the number.

"Hello, may I speak to Miss Ji Weixi?"

"…"

***

Ji Xiangdong happened to be admitted into the same hospital as Ji Weixi.

Word has it that he was chased out of his own home by Zhou Huijie and Ji Jianing, and was left adrift in the streets. Now, he was involved in a car accident and surgery was underway.

Tian Miaomiao was beside her, mumbling quietly. "Isn't that karma? He deserved it…"

A nurse quickly came out and asked, "Which of you is Ji Xiangdong's family member?"

Ji Weixi responded a little slowly. "I am."

"The patient has a ruptured spleen and is in urgent need of blood, but our blood banks are dry. What is your relationship to him?"

"I'm his daughter."

Then, Ji Weixi was led away to check her blood type since she could donate blood, but only if her blood type matches.

However, it was discovered that her blood did not match Ji Xiangdong's.

Logically speaking, it was absolutely normal for parent and child to have mismatching blood-types, but Tian Miaomiao suddenly stammered without thinking. "Xixi, could it be that you're not Ji Xiangdong's daughter? He does treat you very poorly…"

Those words took root in Ji Weixi's mind.

For some reason, even if she had never doubted that Ji Xiangdong was her biological father, what Tian Miaomiao said made her want to do a DNA test.

Fortunately, Ji Xiangdong's ruptured spleen was mended in time and was extremely feeble when he was wheeled out. He was hanging by a thread, and those who didn't know would have thought that he was dead.

Ji Weixi hence sneaked away some of his blood for a DNA check, although the DNA results would only come three days later.

She stared at Ji Xiangdong at his bedside, indifferently saying, "I knew this day would come."

With that, she returned to her room with Tian Miaomiao.

However, it was not Li Shaoling who had returned, but Yu Qishan and Yu Xiangnian.

Yu Qishan surprised Ji Weixi by how especially doting he was, even advising her to recover well and that he would come see her again when he had the time.

Ji Weixi thought then that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

***

Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Shaoling had been busy throughout those three days, and according to Jiang Cong it was for the company. He was taking back control and stocks from Li Shaogan and would be very busy, working overtime on occasion without leaving the building.

Even so, Ji Weixi had a nagging feeling he was avoiding her.

Why?

Still, she did her best not to dwell too much on it, and went to fetch her DNA test results with Tian Miaomiao accompanying her later on.

When she saw that their DNA did not match at all, the report dropped from her hand as she was shocked stiff.

"Screw me!" Tian Miaomiao could not help cursing. "He really wasn't your father! My nonsense was actually real!"

Ji Weixi shuddered, and after a long pause she headed straight to Ji Xiangdong's room without delay.

He was already awake, with his nurse having just pulled out his IV needle.

His eyes turned red the moment he saw her. "Weixi…"

However, Ji Weixi was gritting her teeth as she growled. "Tell me… who is my real father!?"

Ji Xiangdong's face fell. "You… you…"

He was astonished, unable to say a word for a long time.

Ji Weixi knew immediately from his reaction.

He was lying to her! He knew all along!

"Tell me!" Ji Weixi growled, unable to hold back.

The moment she realized that she had lived in a lie for over twenty years, her heart felt as if it had been stabbed.

Ji Xiangdong's face went pale as he remembered something, and he closed his eyes.

The truth was finally revealed.

Hence, Ji Xiangdong tamely revealed the truth, leaving Ji Weixi and Tian Miaomiao in greater shock and looking even more terrible.