How Can I Not Cry When You’re Hurt

"Shen… Alex?" Mark's lips trembled as he called out Alex's name in fear. The warmth on the back of his neck continued to drip down, making him feel increasingly terrified. But the man on top of him remained still, not moving an inch, which only heightened Mark's anxiety, his eyes quickly welling up with tears. "Damn it, Alex… Don't scare me like this."

Mark tried to get up, but Alex's weight was too much, pinning him down and preventing him from moving. 

"Alex," Mark sobbed loudly, tears blurring his vision. The strong scent of blood filled the air, and not being able to see Alex's injuries made him even more frightened. 

"Wake up, Alex!" Mark kept calling out, trying desperately to get up, but Alex was too heavy. Despite using all his strength, Mark couldn't lift him, and the tears continued to pour down his face.

"Babe… don't move, just stay still," Alex finally responded, but his voice was full of pain.

When he had shielded Mark from the impact, the force had been so strong that Alex's head hit something hard, leaving him dazed and disoriented for several moments.

"You idiot, you scared me to death," Mark burst into tears upon hearing Alex's voice, unable to hold back his emotions any longer.

Normally, if Mark cried, Alex would be beside himself with worry, but at this moment, he couldn't help but smile, despite the pain, because Mark was crying out of concern for him.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," Alex tried to soothe Mark with a gentle voice, attempting to sit up despite the pain in his back, which made him wince.

He reached back and felt shards of glass embedded in his flesh—more than one. But he didn't tell Mark, instead, he silently began to pull them out with his hands.

The pain of the glass leaving his skin made Alex grit his teeth, but he was relieved to find that the glass hadn't penetrated too deeply, and the bleeding wasn't excessive. His arm, however, was still bleeding from where it had been cut while he shielded Mark.

"You think I want to cry? It's because… because you're bleeding so much," Mark said between sobs, his voice choked with emotion.

"There's not that much blood," Alex lied, as he struggled to sit up, leaning against the backseat. His head was still spinning from the blow, but he didn't care about his own injuries. He was more concerned about Mark, and he asked, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

To be sure, Alex carefully checked Mark over, and when he found no injuries, he finally relaxed a bit.

At that moment, Alex felt thankful that Mark was small enough for him to completely cover with his body, allowing him to protect Mark from the worst of the impact.

"Your hand is bleeding, why are you worrying about me?" Mark cried, both angry and heartbroken that Alex was ignoring his own injuries to comfort him.

"Really, I'm fine. I promise," Alex said, his smile soft as he wiped away Mark's tears, though he accidentally smeared blood on Mark's face in the process.

He quickly used his sleeve to wipe it off, then kissed Mark tenderly.

Seeing Alex being so gentle despite his own injuries made Mark's heart ache even more. He bit his lip and wiped away his tears, feeling guilty for crying when Alex was the one who was hurt.

"Stop crying, or you'll look ugly," Alex teased lightly, trying to ease the tension and make Mark relax.

Mark didn't respond, instead tearing off his own sleeve to wipe his eyes before using it to bandage Alex's bleeding hand.

Alex watched Mark with increasingly tender eyes. If he weren't worried about getting blood on Mark, he would have pulled him into a tight embrace long ago.

"You need to get to a hospital. What if the bleeding doesn't stop?" Mark sniffed and wiped his tears, his eyes red and swollen.

"With you taking care of me, how could the bleeding not stop? It wouldn't dare disrespect you like that," Alex joked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. But his real concern was that Mark's hands were trembling slightly as he worked, showing how scared he was.

You're really asking for it, Alex thought, his expression turning cold as he directed his attention to Howard in the driver's seat. His voice was no longer gentle but filled with deadly intent as he asked, "Can you still drive?"

"I'm not dead yet," Howard replied, his face cold as he pulled a shard of glass from his arm and tossed it aside.

Howard had been quick to react when the car was hit, avoiding any serious injury by steering away from the most dangerous impact zones, thanks to his seatbelt.

"It seems they came prepared," Alex said, his eyes narrowing as he looked out the window. Not far away, the car that had rammed them saw they were still alive and was now accelerating, preparing for another attack.

"It's because you've been too quiet these past few years. They think you're an easy target and dare to come after you," Howard's eyes flashed with a cold, dangerous light.

"Hold on tight," he suddenly said, slamming down on the gas pedal, preparing for the confrontation.

Alex's expression remained icy as he pulled Mark close, holding him securely.

Mark didn't understand what was happening, but seeing Alex's frightening expression, he didn't dare ask. He buried his face in Alex's chest, gripping his clothes tightly and closing his eyes in fear.

"Bunch of amateurs," Howard muttered disdainfully as he slammed on the accelerator, sending the car speeding down the empty, dark road with a deafening roar.

"Holy shit, who is this guy? He's insane!" the driver of the other car cursed, his face pale as he saw Howard's car speeding toward them.

"Isn't that Howard, the second son of the Huo family? Didn't the eldest son give us his file? Didn't you read it?" the man in the passenger seat snapped back, holding on tightly as the car bounced and swerved.

"Damn, it's him! That lunatic!" the driver nearly panicked, feeling like his luck had run out.

"It's your own fault for being unlucky enough to draw the short straw. If you hadn't hit that old lady, you wouldn't be in this mess," the passenger cursed.

The "old lady" he mentioned was likely none other than Rick's grandmother.

"Shut up and focus on driving! Howard is notorious in our circles for being a psycho, even more dangerous than that bastard Feder. If he catches us, we're dead!" The passenger was terrified, his body shaking with each jolt of the car as it sped down the road.

The driver wanted to snap back but had no time. He nearly lost control of the car as Howard rammed into them from behind, the car skidding dangerously close to the edge of the bridge.

"Damn it, he really is a lunatic!" the driver yelled in terror, but he had no choice but to keep driving, pushing the car to its limits.

But no matter how fast he drove, Howard was always right behind them, ramming their car repeatedly, each impact sending the driver closer to the edge of panic.

"Damn it!" the driver screamed in frustration.

Howard, his expression cold, pressed down on the accelerator and delivered another powerful blow, finally sending the other car careening into the bridge's guardrail before flipping over and crashing to the ground.

"Babe, stay here and wait for us," Alex said as he set Mark down, giving him a quick kiss before getting out of the car.

Mark was worried, but he didn't dare follow, instead pressing his face against the car window to watch what was happening outside.

"What the hell is going on?" Mark was still in shock, unable to process what had just happened.

Howard was the first to reach the overturned car, kicking open the door and dragging the unconscious driver out, tossing him onto the ground.

When the man didn't move, Howard frowned and went around to the passenger side, pulling the other man out as well, but he was also out cold.

Alex sighed, rubbing his forehead. He knew Howard was dangerous when he was angry, but it always left him feeling a bit helpless.

Many people didn't understand why Alex had appointed Howard as his secretary so early on and had kept him in that position for five years. But Alex knew that Howard was a treasure—a brilliant mind with formidable skills.

Howard's role as his secretary was a strategic card to play, a life-saving trump card that Alex kept close. Those who underestimated Howard, thinking he was just a regular secretary, often paid a heavy price.

"Boss," Blackie finally arrived, his face pale with worry.

He had only stepped away to pick something up for Alex, and in that brief time, everything had gone wrong.

"Call our people," Alex ordered.

Blackie hesitated for a moment, then made a throat-slashing gesture, asking if that was what Alex wanted.

A dark smile spread across Alex's face. "No need. I have a good idea of who sent them. Just have the boys send them back to Rick's elder brothers, but leave them alive."

"Yes, sir," Blackie immediately called for backup.

"Rick's brothers?" Howard's eyes grew even colder, his anger evident.

"I brought Rick into the fold, ruining his brothers' plans. Naturally, they want me dead," Alex said with a light laugh.

Howard didn't respond, but he was now certain that the incident with Rick's grandmother had been orchestrated by his brothers.

"What do you mean by Rick's brothers?" Mark asked as he ran over, having heard

 Alex's comment.

"Babe, you shouldn't be looking at this," Alex quickly covered Mark's eyes, not wanting him to see the two unconscious men on the ground, worried it might scare him.

"Come on, I'm not a child," Mark protested, pulling Alex's hand away and peeking over his shoulder to see the men on the ground.

"They're not… dead, are they?" Mark asked, pointing at the two men, his voice trembling with fear.

"No, they're just unconscious," Alex reassured him with a smile, then scooped Mark up and gave him a kiss.

"Are you crazy? Your hand is injured, and you're still carrying me? Put me down!" Mark struggled, worried that he was aggravating Alex's injuries.

Alex just smiled and said nothing, instead pointing to his cheek, signaling that he wanted a kiss.

Mark knew exactly what Alex was asking for, and his face immediately turned red.

Damn it, this bastard is getting bolder and bolder!