My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

"You don't want to talk?"

Shi Nian closed her eyes and took a deep breath. [Uncle…please give me some time.]

The curtain in Shi Nian's room was drawn and sunlight flooded the room. It was so bright that the microscopic dust flying in the air could be seen. Shi Nian's face was overcast and there was a gloominess and confusion that she couldn't hide in her eyes.

Xu Binchen contemplated briefly and nodded which surprised the girl so much that she widened her eyes in shock. The man snorted. "What? Do you think that I am such an evil that I will extort testimony out of a weak patient?"

The corner of Shi Nian's eyes twitched. It wasn't that she didn't realize that Xu Binchen was turning kinder, milder and softer toward her, but she knew that the man must have been pressured by the higher-ups.

The serial killer had reappeared and then vanished without a trace. Even with the police officers patrolling around, he was able to sneak into Shi Nian's room smoothly and erased all of the evidence.

The only people who saw him were Jiang Jinyan and Shi Nian. Jiang Jinyan didn't have any connection to the case and that left Shi Nian. She was a key witness, the one who spent three months' time with the culprit.

Now that he had come for her, how could the police sit down and watch just like that?

They must have been restless, itching to peel off Shi Nian's skull to see her memory. Everything depended on her, if she remembered sooner, even if it was just a day sooner, then maybe they would have a higher chance to capture the culprit.

[Thank you very much, Uncle.]

Xu Binchen pinched his brows tiredly. "It's okay. Just rest and wait, I will interrogate you two times harder next time. Don't cry and break down when the time comes."

Shi Nian: "…"

Every time she felt that Xu Binchen was only cold on the outside but passionate inside, she would always be slapped by his dark, crude and sarcastic remarks. He was such a contradictory person, one moment he would be so gentle that it made one flustered and the next moment, he would return to his usual cold and sharp persona.

"I'm sorry."

Shi Nian was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she couldn't react for a few seconds after hearing Xu Binchen's abrupt apology. Her mouth gaped open and huge question marks formed on her forehead.

Xu Binchen sighed and continued. "Last time, I said that I will protect you. I said that with the police here, there's nothing to fear but the truth has just slapped me on the face." He let out a soft curse and laid horizontally on the couch like a boneless sloth. "It's all my fault that you got a scare."

Shi Nian took in a sharp breath and the back of her eyes stung. Warmth permeated through her heart. Having someone by your side who would care for you, who would understand you, who would consider your feelings was such a good thing. She sniffled and gave a piece of tissue to him. [Don't cry.]

Xu Binchen showed a rare dumbfounded expression.

Shi Nian burst out in laughter, the sun painted her silhouette golden. Her smile was so bright and pure that he couldn't look straight at her. She was bathed in the light, looking ethereal like an angel in disguise.

Xu Binchen's heart went disordered for a moment and he too, gave a short laugh. "You brat, how dare you tease me?" It was an angry laugh without any destruction force, three parts helpless and four parts amused.

For the first time ever, Shi Nian was reminded of how someone could look two times more handsome when he smiled.

The first one was Jiang Jinyan, and the second was Xu Binchen.

***

When the night arrived, Xu Binchen didn't leave Shi Nian's room as usual. He dismissed all of his underlings outside and camped for a night on the couch, his legs dangling uncomfortably.

Shi Nian could imagine how sore he would wake up if he slept like that.

Guilty, she offered. [What if you sleep on the bed while I sleep on the couch?]

Xu Binchen read her board and closed his eyes in response. He even slung his arms across his eyes to block her from sight.

Shi Nian: "…"

She crouched down beside him and poked his arms.

"What?" Xu Binchen grumpily answered. "Don't you know that I haven't slept in two days?"

[I don't know.] She answered casually. [You will be sore tomorrow if you sleep like this.]

Xu Binchen snorted. "Brat, you don't know anything." He could even sleep in the cramped car, the wilderness, a land with soiled mud, hell, he had even gone undercover as a beggar under the bridge before.

Sleeping on the soft couch could be considered a luxury.

Shi Nian puffed out her cheeks in anger. She harrumphed and didn't care about him anymore. After brushing her teeth, she returned to her bed and pulled up the blanket to cover her head.

Xu Binchen peeked at her with one eye and snorted.

The room descended into silence. Then, Xu Binchen asked. "Why don't you turn off the light?"

Shi Nian hurled her blanket away and sat up with a jerk, her pupils trembled.

Xu Binchen raised a brow and sat up, his tone turned serious. "What's wrong?"

She wrote. [Don't…]

"You're scared?"

Shi Nian nodded after a brief moment of hesitation.

"Because of last night's incident?"

She bit her lips and nodded again.

Xu Binchen let out a soft sigh and walked across the room. In the next second, the room plunged into total darkness with the light from the hallway being the only source of light. Shi Nian let out a yelp and her goosebumps rose along her arms.

She wasn't afraid of the dark, but…

The atmosphere, the darkness, the occasional footsteps of nurses walking around, the silent and tranquil ambience of the hospital, it all reminded her of last night's nightmare. The nightmare that she didn't dare to tell anyone.

"Don't be afraid." The man's voice sounded lower and gentler than usual. He dragged the couch—which Nurse Zhang moved back everytime—to her bed side and laid down. "I am here."

Like this, when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw would be him.

His eyes shone in the dark like two precious gems. "Sleep."

Shi Nian wrung her blanket and with no other choice, laid back down.

"Kids in their growth period need to sleep with the lights off. Or else, they will not grow taller[1]."

The fear in Shi Nian's heart was instantly doused by Xu Binchen's mocking remark. She harrumphed loudly and turned her back over. But this time, she was filled with a sense of security because she knew that there was someone protecting her behind her back.

She closed her eyes peacefully and drifted off to sleep.

The night in hospital was always more serene and tranquil than any other place. All of the hubbub sounded far in the distance as if there was a veil covering the place, separating them in another dimension. In no time at all, soft breathing could be heard from Shi Nian's side.

Xu Binchen scoffed and he also shut his eyes, but his mind was wide awake.

The time was 22:43 pm.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, laying down, his breathing sounded as if he was deep asleep. In the midst of the darkness, a pair of cold eyes glinted sharply.

Waiting, baiting, preying.

.

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[1] Well even though Xu Binchen was just teasing her, but it's half truth. No, don't worry, it doesn't have to do with height but sleeping with lights turn on may lead to sickness, including cancer.. The exposure of bright light may suppress melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness. So, let's sleep with the lights off :))