Chapter 159: Who Else Will Stay With Me Until Death?

The entire hospital room was eerily silent, save for the hum of the medical instruments. One could even hear the faint trickle of the IV fluid entering the vein. Lin Shuo continued massaging Father Ni’s arm, applying exactly the right amount of pressure.

Neither of the women in the Ni family spoke. It was not that they were rendered speechless by Lin Shuo’s sudden gesture; rather, something tender within them had been touched, and for a moment they could find no words.

What greater hope could parents have than their children’s happiness? What else did they toil all their lives for, if not to leave their descendants some measure of security after they were gone, so that their children would not have to struggle too hard even when someone was there to accompany and care for them? Thus, generation after generation, countless people lived for the sake of others, thinking always of futures decades or centuries away—futures they would never live to see.

“Lin Shuo…”

At last, Xiaoxiao broke the silence. She gazed at him, her eyes brimming with feeling, churning like water brought to a boil—from a mere simmer to a rolling surge, until the waves could no longer be restrained.

Lin Shuo straightened. Sunlight from beyond the window outlined his tall, upright figure. It was as though he had gathered all the vast jade-green waters of Dianchi Lake into his eyes—deep, surging, and magnificent. When he looked at Xiaoxiao, every pore on her body seemed to tremble.

He stood before her, then suddenly drew a small box from his trouser pocket. Slowly, he dropped to one knee. She was so startled that even her toes curled, and she instinctively covered her mouth to keep from crying out.

Lin Shuo opened the box. A beautifully crafted ring lay inside, its lustrous diamond at the center catching the brilliant highland sunlight, as though it meant to capture this moment of profound significance and hold it forever.

“I’m not good at saying sweet things,” he said, “but apart from you, I can’t imagine anyone else staying by my side until I die.”

“I…”

She had imagined countless ways Lin Shuo might propose, but never had she expected it to happen here and now. And yet there could be no more fitting place. He knew that everything she cared about was here, and that it would become part of everything he cared about too.

Her tongue seemed to have tied itself in knots. Her nose stung, while some inexplicable current lodged in her throat, unable to rise or descend. She instinctively touched the scar on her finger. Once, there had been a ring there. It had been inexpensive, yet precious beyond measure. Now another ring had appeared before her, dazzling and radiant—just like their love, steadfast enough to rival a diamond.

She did not answer him at once. Instead, she took her father’s hand again and summoned every ounce of her will, speaking to him silently with her heart.

She knew Lin Shuo did not care that she carried the burden of a father who might not awaken for who knew how long. Not only did he not mind—he accepted it willingly, even gladly. For the first time, she no longer feared that she would drag Lin Shuo down with her. She wanted to share every worry, every hesitation, and every burden with him, as though without him she would no longer have the strength to endure.

She believed her father understood every one of these thoughts. All she wanted was his blessing—even if it came in the form of a single word of approval.

Beep… beep… beep…

The numbers on the monitor began to fluctuate. She turned her head and stared at it intently. After only a few seconds, they returned to normal.

Completely unprepared, she burst into tears and sobbed, “Thank you… Thank you, Dad…”