After the car accident, my boyfriend got straight

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, as the weather warmed up in Jiang Hua, the two adults from the family had gone back on the third day. Since Shen Li noticed that Jiang Shiyu enjoyed being there, they decided to stay a few more days.

After dinner around five in the afternoon, with the sun still shining but not too hot, they took a walk on the beach, a habit they had developed since arriving. Jiang Shiyu once humorously remarked that their lives were like a retired couple’s, spending their days strolling along the beach.

They had grown tired of the beach in front of their villa, so Shen Li drove Jiang Shiyu to a busier bay. With more tourists arriving after the New Year, there were plenty of street vendors set up along the roadside.

Jiang Shiyu’s eyes lingered on a vendor making cotton candy, shaping it into various cute forms. Shen Li noticed and, holding his hand, led him to the vendor and bought him a cotton candy.

Surrounded by children at the cotton candy machine, they felt a bit out of place. Shen Li didn’t care about the stares and bought the largest, most expensive cotton candy shaped like a kitten. Jiang Shiyu took it, holding it up to his face, almost completely hiding himself.

On the way back to the bay, he clung to the cotton candy, reluctant to eat it, but the heat meant that even if he didn’t eat it soon, it would melt and collapse.

Unable to resist, he tore off a small piece of the round kitten face, savoring the sweet taste on his tongue. He held out the cotton candy for Shen Li to try, but Shen Li, who didn’t like sweets, took a small bite and handed it back.

As they enjoyed their time together, a little girl with two pigtails, standing by herself, caught their attention. She was sucking on her fingers and staring intently at their cotton candy.

Jiang Shiyu noticed the girl first and realized she was alone without any accompanying adults. He crouched down to face her and gently asked, “Little friend, where are your parents?”

The girl, who looked to be around four or five years old, didn’t respond to his questions and continued to stare at the cotton candy, sucking on her fingers with a smacking sound. When Jiang Shiyu handed the cotton candy to Shen Li, the girl’s gaze quickly shifted to him.

“It’s too dangerous for a little girl to be alone here by the sea, and we don’t know where her parents are.”

Shen Li approached and gently touched the girl’s pigtails, which bobbed like antennae.

“There are volunteers over there; we should hand her over to them and have them make an announcement to find her parents.”

Jiang Shiyu agreed, and they took the girl to the volunteers and explained the situation. The announcement was made twice before a man rushed into the broadcast room.

“Xiaobao, why did you run off? You scared me to death.” The man, holding a boy who looked slightly older than the girl, shouted at her as soon as he entered. The girl, frightened, hid behind Jiang Shiyu.

Seeing the man’s attitude, he frowned and protected the girl, saying, “Hello, are you her father?”

“Of course, I just took my son to the restroom and told her to wait here. When I came back, she was gone.”

“She’s so young, how can you leave her alone on the beach? It’s very dangerous.”

The man didn’t seem to care, “She’s old enough to understand. Besides, the beach is crowded, and there are volunteers. How dangerous can it be?”

Jiang Shiyu thought the father was irresponsible. The staff intervened, verified the man’s identity with his ID, gave him a lecture, and then let him take the girl away.

After leaving the broadcast station, the cotton candy had melted, and the cute kitten face had turned into an unattractive mess. Jiang Shiyu’s face was also scrunched up, clearly unhappy.

Shen Li pinched his face, “It’s alright. The staff have given the father a lesson and found the girl’s family.”

Jiang Shiyu remained unhappy, “You saw how inattentive that father was. He was even carrying the older boy. It’s obvious he favors boys over girls.”

Shen Li, not one to meddle too much, knew that family matters were difficult to judge. He had just helped the girl out of kindness, and any further involvement was futile.

But Jiang Shiyu, with his compassionate heart, was deeply concerned about the girl. Watching her leave with her family, he was filled with worry.

“Don’t worry. The girl was clean and well-dressed, with pigtails. Her family can’t be too bad.”

Jiang Shiyu understood that things couldn’t always be perfect. After Shen Li’s reassurance, he felt somewhat relieved.

The sun had set below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the blue sea. The waves shimmered with bright colors, and seagulls soared high before landing on the water, creating ripples across the sparkling surface.

To distract Jiang Shiyu from the earlier events, Shen Li bought a bag of bread crumbs for feeding seagulls from a roadside vendor. He poured some into Jiang Shiyu’s hand.

Jiang Shiyu held his hand high towards the sea, and seagulls flew in from the distance, snatching the crumbs and quickly flying away.

As they interacted with the seagulls, his mood gradually lifted. Whenever a seagull swooped down aggressively, he would let out a small scream and call for Shen Li, who stood behind him, half-embracing him and supporting his arm. Together, they fed the seagulls.

Just as they were enjoying themselves, a sudden call for help interrupted them.

“Help! A child has been swept into the water by the waves!”

“Is there anyone who can swim? Help!”

Shen Li and Jiang Shiyu looked toward the direction of the cries and saw that the man calling for help was the same one who had lost the little girl earlier.

The man noticed Shen Li and rushed over, out of breath, “Do you know how to swim? Please save my son. The volunteers have changed shifts, and no one is here. Please help!”

Following the man’s directions，Shen Li saw a small figure floating about ten meters away in the sea, struggling in the water. A wave rolled in, pushing the figure further out, and the danger increased as there were rocks hidden beneath the water.

In an urgent situation, he didn’t have time to think. He let go of Jiang Shiyu’s hand, glanced at the boy’s direction, and leaped into the sea with a splash.

As the sun continued to set and the sky darkened, visibility was reduced. Jiang Shiyu’s heart began to race as he watched Shen Li’s figure on the water, his eyes fixed on it without blinking.

The wind picked up, and the waves grew larger. Shen Li moved through the water like a shark, heading straight for the target. The boy was in a very dangerous position, with the possibility of hidden rocks below.

As more people gathered on the shore, their gazes were fixed on the two figures in the distance. Jiang Shiyu stood at the front, the cold seawater lapping at his calves, but he didn’t move, his fingers digging into his palms unconsciously.

“Make way, make way, the rescue team is here!”

Behind him, the rescue team arrived with a rescue boat. The team leader frowned when he saw the figures in the water.

“This is bad; they’re drifting towards the rocks. Hurry and get into the water to save them!”

Jiang Shiyu was jostled aside by someone in a rescue suit, who, upon seeing his pale face, apologized hurriedly before diving into the sea.

Shen Li, holding the boy, tried to swim towards the shore, but the waves’ resistance was strong, pushing them further away. He could only control their direction as best he could.

The boy, having been in the water too long, had lost consciousness and needed immediate rescue. Shen Li, holding the boy with one arm and using the other to swim, was becoming less agile from exhaustion and prolonged exposure to the sea.

But he could see the rescue team approaching the shore. As long as he could avoid the rocks, they would arrive soon.

Just then, a huge wave surged in from the distance, towering several meters high. Shen Li’s heart skipped a beat, and the next moment, he was engulfed by the wave.

Jiang Shiyu’s eyes widened in panic as the wave swallowed his figure. Desperately, he scanned the water for any sign of him, but he couldn’t see anything.

The last time he felt so helpless was after the car accident when he woke up. He stared, not daring to let his tears fall, afraid they would blur his vision and prevent him from seeing Shen Li’s shadow.

The sun had set completely, and the distant sky was darkening. There were occasional flashes of lightning in the clouds. The weather forecast had predicted heavy rain, and the local residents murmured about the approaching storm.

After rescuing the child, the crowd had quickly gathered around. The police arrived soon to maintain order, and medical personnel came forward, pushing through the crowd.

The large and small victims lay on the ground. The child looked pale and had weak breathing, almost imperceptible, while the older one had a bleeding head wound and appeared to be in poor condition.

“Clear the area. We need to start the rescue.”

The police and volunteers began to disperse the crowd. Jiang Shiyu knelt by Shen Li, who was unconscious, his face paler than the injured boy.

He trembled as he gripped Shen Li’s soaked clothes, his voice hoarse and barely audible. “Shen Li, wake up. Wake up. Are you kidding me?”

He couldn’t believe what was happening. It was as if he was reliving the trauma from months ago. Shen Li lay before him, covered in blood. “Shen Li, please wake up. Don’t joke around. This time I’m really angry. I won’t forgive you again. You always break your promises and make me worry. Wake up, and I’ll forgive you.”

His voice was faint, lost amid the surrounding noise. A doctor arrived, taking out instruments for an examination.

Jiang Shiyu kept his head down, the dim light making his expression hard to see. 

After the examination, the doctor called for the stretcher to take Shen Li to the ambulance, and Jiang Shiyu followed closely.

“Who are you? A family member?”

He was stopped at the ambulance door. The nurse looked at the drenched, bloodied boy in front of her, puzzled. The scene had involved just one large and one small person—why did this boy look like he was in trouble too?

Jiang Shiyu pointed at Shen Li being carried into the ambulance. “I’m his family. I need to stay with him.”

The nurse scrutinized him for a moment but eventually allowed him to board the ambulance.

At the hospital, the emergency room team quickly moved the patients from the ambulance. Jiang Shiyu ran a few steps but nearly fell. By the time he got up, the stretcher had already been moved into the emergency room.

He dared not rest, hurrying to the front desk to pay for the tests and procedures. He ran up and down several times until he finally managed to send Shen Li to the CT room.

The CT scan took a long time. He sat by the door of the examination room, his clothes still wet and dripping. The sterile smell of the hospital felt like an enormous cold machine, making him shiver. He sat quietly, his face drained of color, gripping his clothes tightly.

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Li’s examination was completed. The nurse wheeled him out. When the doctor came to speak to him, he held his breath.

“The CT results show no internal bleeding or severe problems, but there is some minor concussion. Considering his previous car accident, we need to continue monitoring him.”

Jiang Shiyu’s heart, which had been stuck in his throat, finally fell back into his chest after hearing the doctor’s words. He quickly asked, “When will he wake up?”

“He passed out due to a strong impact. He should wake up soon. We’ll handle his wounds and then move him to a regular ward.”

After the commotion, Shen Li was placed in a regular ward. Jiang Shiyu sat beside him, watching him intently, too afraid to blink, fearing he might miss the moment he woke up.

Despite the doctor’s reassurances that the results were not severe and he would wake up soon, Jiang Shiyu, who had already experienced a car accident and his loved one’s memory loss, could not relax until Shen Li fully awoke and was confirmed to be fine.

The person lying in bed had changed into a clean hospital gown. The wound on his forehead had been bandaged. His features were still as handsome as ever, but his usual confident demeanor was gone.

Jiang Shiyu released the tightly gripped hem of his clothes, his palms already red and sore. He carefully extended a finger to hold Shen Li’s hand.

In his heart, he silently called Shen Li’s name. The person on the bed seemed to sense something, and after a few seconds, his tightly closed eyes began to tremble.

His breath hitched as he watched the eyes slowly open, finally focusing on him.

It felt like an eternity had passed. The room was eerily quiet, with not a single sound except for his cautious, fearful voice as he tentatively asked, “Shen Li?”

The person in bed, with clear features and dark eyes, displayed a flicker of emotion. Then, his lips parted, and a gentle, affectionate voice filled the room.

“Little treasure.”