Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

Gao Yi released Xia Ruoxin’s hands. They shifted upwards and rested on her face. “Remember, don’t pass out. You must see us come out of the operating theater. Do you understand?”

His slender fingers rubbed at her cheeks. It gave her unspeakable courage.

“Okay.” Xia Ruoxin wanted to promise him, but it was choked with a sob that never made its way out of her throat.

“Let’s go.” Gao Yi took his hand back. The smile remained on his face as he lowered his head and looked at the child in his arms. Rainy seemed to do great. She had almost managed to pull off all his buttons.

He carried Rainy, put her on the hospital bed, and tucked her under the blanket. “Don’t worry, okay? I will be here with you.”

Rainy nodded her head hard as she smiled sweetly at him. She wasn’t afraid at all. She was an obedient child.

“Good.” Gao Yi rubbed Rainy’s little bald head. He, too, went and lay down on another bed. This surgery didn’t involve just one patient, but two. The door to the operating theater closed bit by bit. Alas, Xia Ruoxin was the only person there. She covered her mouth, not allowing herself to cry out.

She would wait for them to come out. She must.

In the operating theater, Rainy reached her little hand out. “Uncle…” Her tiny hand reached out forcibly for Gao Yi as she called out for him.

Gao Yi smiled. He took her hand easily and held on tightly.

“Uncle, I am not afraid. You mustn’t be, too.” As young as she was, she had learned to comfort others.

“Alright. Let’s not be afraid.” Gao Yi’s hand gripped the poor girl’s tiny hand tightly. His smile was exceptionally kind.

Xia Ruoxin sat outside the operating theater alone. She stared at the red light which had been turned on. Her mind was extremely unsettled as her hands clenched tightly together.

She did not know how much time had passed when the door to the operating theater finally opened. She stood up and felt her world blurred. Just like that, she fell back onto the chair at the waiting area, unable to bear the stress much longer.

Warm rays of sunlight shone into the ward, comforting everything in it and offering peace of mind. It did not feel as cold or hard as the other parts of the hospital. Perhaps, it might have something to do with the state of a human mind.

Xia Ruoxin came in quietly and stood by the bedside. She finally smiled after so long.

The surgery was a success which was even close to perfection. Rainy could be discharged after a few days. It would take a while, but eventually, she would become a healthy little girl again.

Xia Ruoxin bent down and kissed her daughter’s cheek. The little girl was sleeping soundly. Then, she straightened herself and came over to the other bed.

Gao Yi was alright. However, he was exhausted, which was why he had yet to resume his consciousness. She sat by the Gao Yi’s bedside. When she saw the sweat on his forehead, she reached out and wiped them away carefully.

His face was warm, and so was he.

Her hand stayed there for a long time. She finally realized she was actually taking advantage of another man. Just when she was going to move her hand away, a hand held hers down.

“Worried about me?” Since when had Gao Yi resumed his consciousness and opened his eyes? He smiled faintly as he held onto Xia Ruoxin’s cool hand. Her body temperature had always been on the low side. From that, he could tell that her constitution had always been poor, and she needed to start taking care of herself.

Xia Ruoxin nodded. She wanted to take her hand away. However, she couldn’t shrug her hand off after several failed attempts. In the end, she allowed him to hold onto her.

His hand was extremely warm. It warmed her and gave her comfort.

Gao Yi sat up. Xia Ruoxin hurriedly stretched her left hand out to try and stop him. “Don’t get up.” Her eyes were full of worry. He had just finished the surgery, and he needed to rest properly.

“I’m fine. Have you forgotten that I am a doctor, too? I know my body’s limits as well as what I can or can’t do.” Gao Yi said with a smile. He chose to sit up. He released Xia Ruoxin’s right hand and took her left hand instead. He continued to feel his way up her arm until he could touch the joint where the bones had healed in the wrong places.

Xia Ruoxin frowned because of the pain.

“Does it hurt?” Gao Yi asked.

“It’s okay.” Xia Ruoxin did not tell him the truth. It did not hurt now. It had been painful for the past four years, especially when it rained, it hurt more. So much so that she cried from it.

“Why didn’t you seek treatment? Three years ago, I remembered telling you to.” Gao Yi released his hand, and then his hand gripped tightly on her weak left hand again. “It may be tough to treat this hand now.”

Xia Ruoxin looked down as she bit her lower lip, unsure of her reply. In reality, she had wanted to seek treatment for her hand. However, she couldn’t do that.

“Ruoxin, talk to me.” Gao Yi was very persistent, and his grip became stronger.

Xia Ruoxin lowered her eyes as they had become moist. She could not bear to recall her past.

“That’s because we were very poor. I had no money to see a doctor when I was sick. I had just given birth to Rainy at that time, and she was often sick. I had to collect and wash the laundry from my neighbors as well as worked as a warehouse tally clerk. I even had to bring her to work with me. She was strapped onto me. I could see her little face whenever I looked down.

“We were really poor at that time. I could only afford one meal a day, and Rainy could only have rice paste. She never had the chance to drink milk formula.

“We were very poor. Penniless.” She looked up as tears fell from her eyes like a stream. “At that time, I didn’t dare to cry because I was worried I wouldn’t stop. I knew no one would feel my pain, and I needed to reserve that heartache for my poor daughter.

“She was only a few months old at that time. She was so small and tiny.”

Gao Yi released Xia Ruoxin’s hand and placed both his hands on her shoulders. His hands tightened, and he took her into his arms. “You won’t have to go through it yourself every again. You have me.”

Never before had his heart ached so badly for a woman. Everything about her had pricked his heart like needles. She was so pathetic yet so strong. Who would have tried to hurt such a kind woman?

For the first time, she had someone to depend on no matter how long he would be by her side. She was so precious. Like Rainy, she clutched tightly onto the front of Gao Yi’s shirt.

He looked down at her and made a mental note to remember her action. He reached out and gently wiped her tears away while he said jokingly to her.

“Why do I feel that you are Rainy, not Xia Ruoxin? I finally understand where she got the habit of grabbing people. She got it from her mommy.”

Xia Ruoxin released her hand in embarrassment. However, Gao Yi merely smiled. “It’s alright. You can grab all you want. I don’t mind at all.” He reached out with his long hands and took her into his arms—the woman who had suffered for far too long.

“Ruoxin, can I ask you something?”