Chapter Fifty-Six: Tenderness

The Strengthening Technique was an exceptionally cost-effective skill. Once redeemed, the user's strength and resilience would both reach a value of ten—this being only the standard for the first level. With continued practice, the Strengthening Technique could be upgraded to a maximum of level ten. The Super Learning System arranged a person's attributes according to what it deemed most important: intelligence, agility, strength, and resilience—in that order. Of these, intelligence was the most valuable and also the hardest to improve. Zhang Wenhao had been fortunate enough to receive a five-point intelligence bonus thanks to his photographic memory, but aside from that, it was extremely difficult to raise one’s intelligence further. Agility was also hard to improve; aside from supernatural skills, only the Sensitivity Technique could enhance agility, and its redemption price was as high as three thousand points.

Agility increased the speed of all bodily functions, heightened sensory acuity, and improved the accuracy of a user’s sixth sense. Zhang Wenhao’s agility rating stood at five points—merely average. Strength and resilience, meanwhile, represented offensive and defensive capabilities, respectively. Greater strength increased attack power; higher resilience improved defense. These two were what Zhang Wenhao currently lacked most, making the Strengthening Technique the skill he needed to prioritize.

After receiving his points reward, Zhang Wenhao’s consciousness immediately entered the system, where he found the option for the Strengthening Technique in the skill list and, without hesitation, chose to redeem it.

“Strengthening Technique successfully redeemed. Eight hundred points deducted. User has now mastered the Strengthening Technique.”

“User’s current available points: five hundred forty. Total accumulated points: one thousand nine hundred forty.”

No sooner had the system given its notice than it continued: “At the initial stage, the Strengthening Technique will provide the first enhancement to the user’s body. This will take approximately twelve hours. After twelve hours, the user’s strength and resilience will both be raised to ten points. Enhancement begins now.”

Zhang Wenhao was overjoyed. His current strength was five, resilience four—to have both raised to ten was a full doubling! His abilities would receive a qualitative leap.

Exiting the system, he found himself back in the hospital room, where Su Ruoran was speaking to her mother, Nie Minhui. “Mom, you must be tired after rushing here. Why don’t you go back and get some rest? I’ll stay here tonight and keep Zhang Wenhao company.”

Nie Minhui offered no objection, nodding gently. “I’ll have the driver pick you up tomorrow. There’s something I need to discuss with you at home.”

Su Ruoran nodded lightly. At this moment, Song Huafang turned to Zhang Xingping and said, “Xingping, shall we head home too? Let the kids have some time together—they’ll have more to talk about. If we stay, they’ll just feel awkward. Besides, you’ve got things to do early tomorrow.”

Xingping replied, “How about Zhanjun stays at our place tonight and sleeps in Wenhao’s room?”

Huafang said, “Then go let Zhanjun know—we’ll all leave together in a bit.”

Zhang Xingping turned, patted Zhang Wenhao’s shoulder, and said, “Son, your mother and I are heading home. We won’t stay here with you tonight. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow evening so you can meet your uncles at the hotel.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded with a smile. “I’ll just spend the night in the hospital. I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Nonsense,” Zhang Xingping retorted. “This is a gunshot wound, not a trivial injury. You can’t go home until the doctor confirms there’s no infection. I’ll speak with the doctor tomorrow—if he says you’re fine, I’ll bring you home myself.”

The couple exchanged a few more polite words with Nie Minhui. She glanced at Su Ruoran and Zhang Wenhao, then remarked, “I’ll be off too, then. Ruoran, remember to come home tomorrow.”

Su Ruoran nodded and saw the three of them out. When she closed the door and returned, her face was faintly flushed.

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” Zhang Wenhao breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. “The whole evening was a whirlwind, and now that it’s suddenly quiet, it feels like a dream—almost unreal.”

Su Ruoran sat beside him, laughing softly. “You took a bullet through the arm, and you still talk about things feeling unreal.”

Zhang Wenhao smiled faintly. “It’s my first time in a situation like that. Before, I’d only seen it in movies. To have it happen to me, of course it feels strange.”

Su Ruoran pursed her lips in a smile, silent, though her heart was filled with questions. She didn’t know why, after that unforgettable dinner and such a harrowing ordeal between life and death, she and Zhang Wenhao were now sitting in the hospital room talking about such trivial, meaningless things.

She lapsed into a momentary daze, then suddenly leaned down, gently resting her head sideways against Zhang Wenhao’s chest, and softly asked, “Wenhao, can I ask you something?”

Zhang Wenhao hadn’t expected Su Ruoran to make such an intimate gesture. With her resting against his chest, his heart raced and his mind momentarily went blank.

“Get a grip!” he scolded himself silently, then managed to calm down a little and asked, “What is it?”

With her head turned away, Zhang Wenhao couldn’t see her expression. He only heard her ask, “Were you scared tonight?”

Wenhao smiled lightly. “How could I not be? There were so many of them, all menacing, with knives and guns. I was afraid that if I couldn’t protect you, what would I do?”

Su Ruoran was deeply moved, tears slipping down her cheeks. To her, tonight had been terrifying, but what mattered most was the way Zhang Wenhao made her feel—first, by preparing a dinner she’d never dared dream of, and then, when faced with danger, not only did he not shrink back, but at the critical moment, he pushed her away and told her to run. Seeing him run toward the gun for her sake, Su Ruoran felt that if she could have Zhang Wenhao care for and protect her like this for the rest of her life, nothing else would matter.

“Why did you call me a silly woman?” Su Ruoran suddenly asked.

Zhang Wenhao chuckled. “I was trying to get you to run. You were just standing there—if you’d stayed, we both might have ended up in trouble.”

“So what if we did?” Su Ruoran laughed softly. “Getting into trouble together is better than watching you get hurt while I stand by.”

“Nonsense,” Zhang Wenhao laughed, then sighed. “When Li Chunyang shot Chen Feng and the other, then aimed the gun at you and told you to get in the car, you hesitated. But after glancing at me, you didn’t hesitate at all and got in. Why was that?”

“I was afraid he’d shoot,” Su Ruoran murmured. “His goal was to kidnap me, not kill me. If I got in the car, he’d leave immediately, and then he wouldn’t be in a hurry to hurt you.”

Unconsciously, Zhang Wenhao reached out and gently stroked Su Ruoran’s hair. She felt as if a current ran through her, her whole being enveloped in a cloud of gentle warmth, savoring his tenderness. But suddenly, she remembered something, lifted her head, spun around, and with a look of annoyance scolded, “Your left hand was shot, and you’re still moving it around!”

Zhang Wenhao grinned. “My right hand’s hooked up to the IV—much less convenient. Besides, the anesthetic in my left arm hasn’t completely worn off. I don’t feel any pain.”

“That’s not the point!” Su Ruoran carefully repositioned his injured arm, wrinkling her nose. “The wound was just stitched. What if you move and the stitches break?”

“All right,” Zhang Wenhao said, conceding in defeat. Only then did Su Ruoran smile in satisfaction. She glanced up at the IV bag and said quietly, “It’ll be done soon.”

Zhang Wenhao caught the hidden meaning in her words and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at her. Su Ruoran’s cheeks instantly turned crimson, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

“You’re blushing,” Zhang Wenhao teased mischievously.

Su Ruoran quickly reached out and switched off all the lights at the bedside. The ward was instantly plunged into dimness, with only a faint glow filtering in from outside the window.

In such gloom, one could barely make out shapes, but colors were impossible to discern. Only then did Su Ruoran feel more at ease.

Zhang Wenhao hesitated, then said, “Why don’t you come back and lean on me again? I promise I won’t move my hand.”

“In your dreams,” Su Ruoran huffed. Yet moments later, without a word, she lay down on her side, gently nestling against his chest.

The two fell silent, each quietly savoring this warmth they’d never known before. In their hearts, a single question echoed: After tonight, would there be a new definition to their relationship?