CHAPTER 171: CHAPTER 169 CRYING QIN LAN

"A-Lan, how are you? Are you okay?" Seeing Qin Lan lying on the bed with a lost look and red eyes, wrapped in thick bandages, Chen Xin hurriedly asked her with concern.

But seeing Qin Lan just lying there with her eyes open, Chen Xin let out a sigh of relief, finally able to relax the worry he had been holding onto.

After all, Qin Lan didn’t seem to have any missing limbs or other significant injuries except for the bandages on her shoulder, and she was not unconscious.

She just appeared to be in poor spirits, which wasn’t considered too serious a condition and could be recovered with proper rest.

"A-Xin..." Seeing Chen Xin appear, Qin Lan called his name, but her voice was particularly hoarse and dry.

Looking at Qin Lan’s almost cracked lips and hearing her hoarse voice, Chen Xin didn’t need to think to know she hadn’t drunk water for a long time, so he hurriedly picked up the cup on the bedside table and poured a glass of water from the kettle for Qin Lan.

Carefully supporting Qin Lan’s neck, he fed the water to her mouth, watching her parched state, Chen Xin continually comforted her, "Drink slowly, no rush, there’s plenty here."

However, after finishing the water in the cup, Qin Lan shook her head, stopping Chen Xin from giving her more water.

Seeing this, Chen Xin put down the cup and sat by Qin Lan’s bedside, looking at her haggard appearance, he reached out to touch her forehead and asked with concern, "What exactly happened? How did you end up like this? This is not like you at all!"

"A-Xin..." Feeling the gentle soothing from Chen Xin, the emotions Qin Lan had been holding back since yesterday suddenly erupted. She called Chen Xin’s name and then burst into tears.

Wiping the tears from Qin Lan’s face, seeing her cry so sorrowfully, Chen Xin didn’t stop her but gently stroked her forehead, comforting her, "It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s good to cry it out."

Qin Lan cried for a long time, as if she couldn’t stop the tears.

Until Chen Xin felt that her continued crying would harm her body did he stop her, coaxing her while trying to understand what had happened.

After a bout of crying, Qin Lan’s emotions seemed to have been released, and she finally managed to gather herself, sobbing intermittently as she told Chen Xin what had happened.

"It’s all my fault. If I had fired the shot a little earlier, if I had been a little more decisive, those comrades wouldn’t have sacrificed themselves!" After explaining what had happened to Chen Xin, Qin Lan was on the verge of breaking down again, constantly blaming herself, regretting her mistakes, believing she was the cause of it all.

Listening to Qin Lan’s words, Chen Xin didn’t know where to start comforting her, so he silently wiped away her tears and said to Qin Lan, "Don’t be like this, A-Lan, this isn’t what you wanted either. Who could have expected things to turn out this way? Even if you had fired in time, those maniacs would still have had other means. You can’t blame yourself for this."

"How can I not blame myself? If I had fired sooner, I could have stopped that criminal from detonating the explosives, and those comrades standing beside him wouldn’t have sacrificed!" Qin Lan shouted at Chen Xin, venting her dissatisfaction with herself.

"How can this be your fault? You couldn’t have known in advance that the criminal had explosives and detonators on him! You already reacted in time. It’s the criminals who were too vicious; they are to blame, not you." Facing the emotionally unstable Qin Lan, Chen Xin could only try hard to comfort her, "And even those who were sacrificed, they wouldn’t want to see you like this, blaming yourself. If you feel sorry for them, shouldn’t you be more determined to bring those criminals to justice?"

Listening to Chen Xin’s comforting words, Qin Lan’s emotions finally calmed down somewhat.

Although she still felt guilty, she no longer shouted or cried.

As her emotions eased, a deep fatigue washed over her, and she soon fell asleep with her eyes closed.

Watching Qin Lan’s tight-frowned look with her eyes closed, Chen Xin couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache, but he didn’t do anything more, just covered her with a blanket, intending to keep watch over her from the chair by the bed.

However, just as Chen Xin was keeping watch over Qin Lan, a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

Chen Xin quickly turned his head and saw Hong Rui standing behind him, holding up a finger, making a "shh" gesture.

Seeing it was Dr. Hong Rui, Chen Xin didn’t call out in surprise, only quietly asked, "Dr. Hong, when did you arrive?"

"I’ve been here for a while, since you told her not to cry." Dr. Hong Rui explained with a smile to Chen Xin, "I was actually supposed to help her with psychological counseling, but seeing you were doing a good job, I didn’t step in. Thank you, you saved me a lot of work."

"Dr. Hong, you’re too kind. Regardless of everything, A-Lan is my..." Chen Xin paused here, smiled and shook his head before continuing, "with her going through such an ordeal, I can’t just stand by and do nothing, as long as it’s within my capability."

Saying this, Chen Xin glanced again at Qin Lan on the hospital bed and couldn’t help but sigh.

Who would have thought that someone so strong-willed as her could have such a vulnerable moment? Clearly, not long ago, she was the one comforting me, telling me not to break down emotionally.

Thinking about this, Chen Xin couldn’t help but sigh again.

Hearing his continuous sighs, Hong Rui also shook her head, patting Chen Xin on the shoulder and quietly saying, "Let’s talk outside, let her rest well here."

Hearing Hong Rui say this, Chen Xin nodded, following her out of the hospital room.

Out in the hallway, after closing the door to the ward, Hong Rui and Chen Xin finally spoke in normal voices.

"Didn’t expect to meet you again, Dr. Hong, I still haven’t thanked you for last time!" Chen Xin politely said to Hong Rui, while also inquiring about Qin Lan’s condition, "How is A-Lan’s condition? Is it very serious?"

"Not seriously, but the psychological trauma might be heavy, and it might take a while to heal, she needs time to slowly come through it on her own." Hong Rui shook her head, not using any complex medical terms, "Faced with something like this, it’s surely hard on her mentally too; during this time, make sure to show her lots of care and companionship, that’s what she needs most now from family and friends."

"I understand, I will take good care of her." Chen Xin nodded solemnly.