Chapter 68: “You Can’t Not Love Me…”

The silence in the hospital room grew thicker, making everyone tense.

Fang Zhou saw Qiao Sisi’s expression and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

What does she want to do? Why is she holding a knife?

Did my words upset her? But that’s no reason to pick up a knife!

“What’s wrong? Do you want an apple? Let me peel it for you; you love apples.”

Fang Zhou chose the safest route, trying to take the knife from Qiao Sisi’s hand.

But his words seemed to provoke her. Instead of putting the knife down, she gave a strange smile and slowly moved closer to him.

“I don’t want an apple.”

“I want to eat you.”

Qiao Sisi’s lips curved into a smile, but her eyes remained devoid of any warmth, making her smile seem dangerously out of place.

Fang Zhou’s nerves immediately tightened.

Oh no, it feels like Qiao Sisi is possessed by something evil. Why is she acting so bizarre?

As Qiao Sisi moved closer, Fang Zhou retreated, trying to wake her up.

“You’re joking, right? There’s nothing tasty about me; I’m not delicious at all.”

At times like this, no one would think she meant eating in a literal sense.

“How would you know if you don’t try?”

Qiao Sisi pressed on, raising the knife slowly, a touch of madness in her brown eyes.

“If I eat you… you won’t stop loving me.”

Yes, only when a man is mounted on the wall does he behave. Fang Zhou would be the same.

Only by merging completely with him would he love her again.

Living in a world without Fang Zhou’s love would be unbearable.

Her soft murmurs seemed to flip a switch.

Qiao Sisi quickened her steps, closing the distance between them. The madness in her eyes burned even hotter, almost scorching.

Seeing her movements, Fang Zhou was terrified, retreating further until his back hit the wall. He had nowhere left to go.

The light reflected off the raised knife, glaringly bright on his face.

“You can’t not love me.”

Qiao Sisi whispered, her mind already lost to reason, fixated on one thought.

To win Fang Zhou’s love, not allowing him to love anyone else. He was hers.

“You are mine!”

Qiao Sisi’s voice suddenly rose, and she swiftly thrust the knife at Fang Zhou!

The knife’s blade reflected his terrified face, its sharp point capable of taking a life in an instant.

Fang Zhou quickly ducked, avoiding the stab.

Then he stepped aside in a bid to escape, calling out Qiao Sisi’s name to snap her out of it.

“Sisi! Wake up! Don’t be impulsive!”

Oh no, I knew nothing good would come from this variety show!

As Fang Zhou lamented his fate, Qiao Sisi was already closing in, aiming another stab at his face!

“Hey, hey, we agreed no hitting the face!”

Fang Zhou instinctively dodged, raising his hand to block.

Soft flesh was no match for a sharp knife, and his hand instantly bled.

The sharp pain made him gasp.

“Hiss, it hurts!”

Blood quickly soaked through his hospital gown, the torn fabric a testament to the severity of the stab.

But what caught Qiao Sisi’s attention more was the red string on his hand.

It seemed worn from years of wear, the edges frayed, the small wooden leaf on it smoothed by time.

Was this the red string she had given him back then?

“This… is a gift.”

Her eyes fixated on the string, almost as if she could see flowers blooming on it.

Fang Zhou followed her gaze. His sister had insisted he wear it when she started high school.

Before that, Qiao Sisi had indeed given him a similar string.

But after their breakup, Fang Zhou stopped wearing it. His sister’s string had been worn only after much persuasion.

He wanted to tell Qiao Sisi this wasn’t the one she had given him.

But the blood-stained knife in her hand warned him to go along with her words.

In a life-or-death situation, Fang Zhou didn’t mind telling a white lie.

“Yes! You gave this to me. Do you remember?”

Two conflicting thoughts battled in Qiao Sisi’s mind.

One said: He admitted he doesn’t love you and wants to be with someone else. How can that be? Cut off his tongue, so he can’t say he doesn’t love you.

The other said: He says he doesn’t love me, but his actions show he still does.

The latter thought finally won.

As her sanity returned, Qiao Sisi’s hand relaxed.

“Clang!”

The knife fell to the floor, snapping Fang Zhou out of his pain.

He kicked the knife three or four meters away, ensuring it was no longer a threat.

Fang Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, his life spared.

Before he could speak, Qiao Sisi’s eyes reddened, and she began to cry softly.

“I…”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me…”

Her sobs were filled with endless sorrow, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.

Qiao Sisi reached out, wanting to touch Fang Zhou but recoiled as if burned.

“I’m sorry…”

She kept apologizing, immense fear engulfing her like a tidal wave.

She had almost killed Fang Zhou!

The red area on Fang Zhou’s arm kept spreading, the pain gnawing at his brain. The crying Qiao Sisi seemed like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode.

He felt the veins on his forehead throb, every cell in his body screaming, ‘Stay away!’

But Fang Zhou had always been emotionally stable. Even after narrowly escaping death, he wouldn’t immediately lash out at Qiao Sisi.

Now wasn’t the time for rash words; upsetting her again could be disastrous.

“It’s okay, I don’t blame you.”

Fang Zhou tried to stay calm, his gaze peaceful, showing no resentment.

His calmness triggered Qiao Sisi’s guilt. She nodded frantically, crying as she tried to stop his bleeding with tissues.

Seeing her clumsy and panicked actions, Fang Zhou felt a twinge of pity, wondering why it felt like she was the one in pain when he was the one hurt.

“Can you call a doctor for me?”

Fang Zhou felt the wound wouldn’t stop bleeding easily.

Qiao Sisi nodded tearfully, “Okay, I’ll get the doctor.”

Just as she turned to leave, two people entered the room.

Han Xi and Chu Xinran had returned.

“What happened?”