Chapter 59 The more setbacks he faced, the more determined she became... The less he wanted to trouble her, the more determined she became...

The dirty white sneakers stopped in front of her, and Zhu Liushuang heard He Ming's deep and hoarse voice: "There are empty seats in the waiting area now, Liushuang, you can sit there, the floor is cold."

He rarely called her by her name, and even less so when he did so without her surname.

The hospital air conditioning was blasting, and goosebumps were clearly visible on her arms, which were clad in short sleeves. Having sat on the cold, hard floor for so long, she had become accustomed to the icy touch, but only now, as she stood up, did she notice the soreness and numbness in her gluteal muscles.

"Is it raining outside?" Zhu Liushuang asked, staring at his shoes, her hand reaching for the shoulder bag at her waist, inside which was a folding parasol. She inwardly scolded herself for not being more attentive and giving him the umbrella earlier.

The corridor outside the intensive care unit was completely stuffy, obscuring the gloomy sky outside. She, of course, had no idea that a torrential downpour had occurred half an hour earlier.

"The rain had stopped when I went downstairs," He Ming said, completely unconcerned about his trousers and shoes. After handing over the necessities he had bought to the nurse, he walked back to the waiting area.

Tian Xingyu's phone rang incessantly in the quiet corridor, sounding particularly jarring. She awkwardly answered the phone, covering the receiver with her hand and speaking softly.

Zhu Liushuang was standing close to her, and even though most of the sound from the receiver was muffled, she still heard their conversation clearly.

After hanging up the phone, Tian Xingyu turned around with a troubled expression: "Shuangshuang, my mom is urging me to go home. She said there's a dinner party at 7:30 tonight. If you want to go home now, I can give you a ride home on my way."

Zhu Liushuang glanced quietly at He Ming, who was standing silently by the wall, and then looked down at her watch.

It's getting late. She left early today and stayed out all day. Now that it's almost lunchtime, her mother has sent her several WeChat messages, all asking if she's coming home for dinner.

“I’ll go back with you!” Zhu Liushuang decided. “Ayu, wait for me a moment. I’m going to say goodbye to my senior.”

Tian Xingyu understood. In order not to disturb the two of them alone, she waved her hand and said, "Then explain to Senior He for me. I'll go to the lobby on the first floor and wait for you."

Zhu Liushuang gratefully replied "okay" and got up to walk to He Ming's side.

"Senior...Senior." When she called her name for the second time, He Ming opened his eyes, which had been dozing, and looked into her eyes.

Staring into his dark eyes, she became nervous: "Tian Xingyu has to go home. I'll take her car home first, and then come back later to bring you dinner..."

Those cold eyes watched her red lips move as she spoke, and He Ming interrupted, "No need, I'll just order takeout."

His words blocked all her options, leaving Zhu Liushuang speechless with embarrassment, her mouth slightly agape.

But she always had the resilience to overcome setbacks; those disappointments and frustrations passed through her heart like dust that no one cared about. The less he wanted to trouble her, the more she felt sorry for him.

"The hygiene of takeout food is not up to standard. If you get an upset stomach, it will be troublesome." Zhu Liushuang tried to use the same reason as Ye Xingzhi to make him accept her good intentions.

The girl's eyes shone with determination, and the concern and anxiety on her face were not feigned.

He Ming suddenly realized that even if he coldly rejected her a few more times, she would still stubbornly come to bring him dinner.

A sense of confusion grew in her eyes: Was her concern for him so much because of her grandfather or because he had helped her in the past?

Or rather, it has both.

"Okay, thank you for your help." He Ming accepted. His gaze swept over her disheveled head as he instructed, "Be careful on the road."

"Does Senior have any dietary restrictions?" Zhu Liushuang let down the stray hairs tucked behind her ear to cover her earlobes, which were slowly turning pink.

“No.” He Ming paused. “Make the portion smaller, so as not to waste it.”

Zhu Liushuang nodded repeatedly, then turned around and ran quickly toward the elevator.

Behind her, cold and deep eyes followed her running figure all the way, finally stopping on the reflective elevator door panel.

The slender figure slowly disappeared behind the two doors, and the long, suffocating corridor fell into a long silence.

"If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my best." The scene in the train carriage that day suddenly flashed into his mind, and the girl's sincere and slightly blushing face kept magnifying in front of him.

The confusion in He Ming's eyes gradually dissipated. He thought: Zhu Liushuang is a person who keeps her promises. Everything she did for him was just out of gratitude.

————

At the main entrance of Donghu Residential Area, many electric bikes come and go. The constant honking of their horns penetrates the old glass windows filled with the aroma of food and reaches the ears of every resident.

On a summer evening, the sun sets late. Tian Xingyu's car hurriedly stopped at the entrance of the residential area. Zhu Liushuang opened the car door, said goodbye to her friend, and quickly got out of the car.

There were still clear puddles by the roadside. She was walking quickly and accidentally stepped into one of them. Sewage splashed out from the cracks in the stone slabs, and her sandals were instantly soaked.

The fine sand rubbed against the soles of her feet, causing her skin to chafe with every step. She ignored it, focusing only on running towards her apartment building.

She ran up to the sixth floor in one breath, feeling like her lungs were about to explode, and gasped for air. The key turned, and with a clang, the security door opened.

"Mom—" Zhu Liushuang pushed open the inner door and went inside.

Gu Chunling, wearing a dark apron, stood by the kitchen door and scolded, "I thought you weren't coming back for dinner. Why did you suddenly come back? What were you doing in such a hurry? You're all sweaty!"

Zhu Liushuang walked around her mother to the stove, lifted the pot lid and took a look.

A pot of corn and pork rib soup was simmering. The moment the lid was opened, steaming vapor rushed out, carrying a rich aroma of meat and the sweet scent of corn.

She remembered that he preferred light flavors, so she thought he wouldn't dislike corn and pork rib soup.

"What vegetables do you want to eat?" Zhu Liushuang asked Gu Chunling, turning around.

Gu Chunling wiped her hands on her apron and said, "The two of us can't even finish a pot of pork rib soup." This meant she wasn't planning on cooking any more vegetables.

Zhu Liushuang grunted in agreement, walked to the refrigerator, opened the refrigerator compartment door, and took out two loofahs and three eggs. After taking them out, she put the loofahs directly into the sink and turned on the tap to rinse them.

"You want me to make stir-fried loofah with eggs too?" Gu Chunling was taken aback, then squeezed to the edge of the sink to take over the task. "Mom, come on, look at you all sweaty, go take a shower."

Zhu Liushuang ushered her mother out of the kitchen: "Mom, I have to go out in a little while, I'll cook the dishes."

Gu Chunling stood outside the kitchen watching her daughter deftly chop and stir-fry vegetables. She had a strange feeling, but she didn't dare to ask. It wasn't until Zhu Liushuang rummaged in the cupboard, found a thermal container, filled it with rice and two bowls of vegetables, and packed it into a box that she cautiously asked.

"Who is this food being delivered to?"

“Friend,” Zhu Liushuang said, stuffing a set of cutlery into the insulated box.

"Xiaoyu?" Gu Chunling knew that her daughter had gone out with her best friend Tian Xingyu this morning, so she asked naturally.

Zhu Liushuang was hesitating whether or not to tell her mother that Dr. Xie was in critical condition.

She silently zipped up the insulated bag and said to Gu Chunling as calmly as possible, "Mom—I'm going to the hospital to bring dinner to He Xuechang. Dr. Xie... is in the ICU."

The sudden "bad news" exploded before Gu Chunling's eyes like a bomb, and she opened her mouth wide in shock: "How...how could this be?"

"He suffered a brainstem hemorrhage and fell into a coma... I don't know if he can pull through."

Gu Chunling tremblingly clasped her hands together and bowed towards the purplish-red sky, muttering to herself, "May the Bodhisattva protect me, may the Bodhisattva protect me, Dr. Xie must get better."

Older people often believe in ghosts and spirits when things happen, and Zhu Liushuang glanced at her mother without any surprise. She picked up the insulated bag in one hand and the electric scooter keys from the entryway in the other, saying, "Mom—you eat dinner first, don't wait for me."

"Hey! Xiaoshuang, why don't I go with you..." Gu Chunling frowned and called out to her daughter.

“Dr. Xie is in the ICU right now, and family members can’t visit him. You won’t see him even if you go… Wait until he’s out of the ICU before you go.” She directly dissuaded her mother, who was clinging to the door frame.

————

As dusk fell, Zhu Liushuang rode her electric bike through the bustling streets of Gucheng. A hot wind blew against her face, and beads of sweat appeared increasingly dense on her head, which was covered by her helmet.

The colorful streetlights, the enticing aromas from the night market stalls, and the laughter of men, women, and children on the pedestrian walkway—none of these mattered to her.

She sped through intersection after intersection, finally arriving at the First People's Hospital. Taking off her sweat-soaked helmet, she ran non-stop towards the inpatient department.

This time was past the peak period for patients' family members to go downstairs to buy dinner, so the elevator didn't make people wait long.

When she pressed the button for the fourth floor, she wondered if it was just her imagination, but the other people in the elevator all glanced at her with a hint of pity in their eyes.

Zhu Liushuang lowered her head and remained silent, waiting for the elevator doors to open before immediately walking out.

The scene outside the ICU was even more bustling than during the day, with several groups of people already sleeping on the floor. She looked around but couldn't find He Ming.

Where did he go? Did he go back to the hotel? Zhu Liu's eyes showed a hint of panic.

She unconsciously tightened her grip on the insulated bag and took out her phone to call He Ming.

The call was quickly answered: "Hello, senior, I've arrived," Zhu Liushuang said restrainedly.

The sound of running water came from the other end of the phone, and the man replied unhurriedly, "Wait for me on the chair in the rest area, I'll be there soon."

"Okay..." Zhu Liushuang felt a little relieved after hanging up the phone. She walked to the rest area and found an empty seat in the corner.

Having just heard the sound of running water, she guessed he had gone to the restroom. So she sat in the chair, her eyes fixed on the direction of the restroom.

When He Ming appeared at the corner of the corridor, she immediately stood up and waved to him. After he saw her, she sat down again, looking reserved, and waited patiently.

He Ming's complexion wasn't as bad as it had been in the afternoon, but the weariness in his eyes was still undeniable. He slowly walked over to her and sat down next to her.

Zhu Liushuang opened the insulated bag, took out three food boxes, and said as she opened the lid: "Corn and pork rib soup, stir-fried loofah with eggs, I don't know if you like it."

He Ming took the food box and placed it on the chair next to him, thanking him gently, "It's fine, thank you for your trouble."

Zhu Liushuang shook her head and handed him the utensils: "Senior, eat it while it's hot."

He Ming took the chopsticks and spoon from her hand, picked up the lunchbox, and started eating in silence. He didn't really have much of an appetite, but seeing Zhu Liushuang looking at him expectantly, he picked up a few more bites.

"Is it to your liking?" Zhu Liushuang asked.

"It tastes very good." He Ming's mouth tasted bitter. At this moment, even if he were eating delicacies, he could only taste one flavor.

When he had almost finished eating, he closed the lids of the food containers one by one and then put them into insulated bags.

Zhu Liushuang then took a pack of tissues from her shirt pocket and handed it to him: "Doctor Xie, are you still running a fever?"

He Ming wiped his mouth and said, "Yeah, a low-grade fever. But the blood pressure has stabilized, which is good news."

"So, can we get a CT scan tomorrow morning?" Zhu Liushuang asked excitedly. "If the bleeding doesn't continue to increase, the chances of waking up should be pretty good, right?"

"After the acute bleeding period comes the peak of edema, and many people who are weak and sick simply cannot survive the edema period..." He Ming's attitude seemed pessimistic. "Even if they survive the edema period, they are very likely to become a vegetable or hemiplegic... We can only say, let's take it one step at a time."

The flickering flame of hope was too dim for Zhu Liushuang to speak.

"Gurgle—" Her stomach growled at an inopportune moment, and her face turned from white to red.

"You didn't eat dinner?" He Ming frowned, looking at her thoughtfully.

Indeed, from the time she left until she reappeared in the inpatient department, no more than an hour and a half had passed, so she obviously didn't have time to eat.

He Ming stood up and urged her, "It's getting late, I'll walk you downstairs."

Zhu Liushuang quickly waved her hand in refusal: "No need, no need, I can go back by myself!" If it weren't for her stomach protesting, she would have liked to stay with him a little longer. Even just being there quietly would make her feel at ease.

“We won’t need you here for a while. The doctor will call if there’s an emergency.” He Ming pointed to the closed door of the ICU and said, “Let’s go. It’s not safe for a girl like you to go home alone if it’s late.”

He stood with his hands at his sides, waiting for her to get up. Reluctantly, Zhu Liushuang had no choice but to stand up, following closely behind He Ming.

The electric vehicles were parked in the open-air parking lot outside the hospital, and it took about ten minutes to walk there from the inpatient department.

The night breeze ruffled the hair at her temples and tousled her sweat-dampened bangs.

After finding the electric scooter, He Ming handed the insulated bag he was carrying back to Zhu Liushuang and solemnly instructed, "Drive slowly on the road, and don't take the back roads for safety."

“Okay—” Zhu Liushuang nodded hurriedly. She hesitated for a moment before mustering up her courage to say, “Senior, won’t you be able to manage staying at the hospital all by yourself? Starting tomorrow, I’ll bring you dinner every night, it will just be a little late. But… I’ll definitely get it before 6:30.”

He Ming stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said calmly, "Liu Shuang, I appreciate your kindness. But this is too much trouble... Dr. Liu came by this evening and said he would lend me his employee meal card."

She knew he would definitely reject her, and had prepared herself mentally long ago.

So... I wasn't too disappointed when I heard the result.

"Hmm...that's good. I forgot, Director Liu is Dr. Xie's apprentice!" The People's Hospital is full of Dr. Xie's colleagues, how could He Ming not have a place to eat? She was overthinking it.

Zhu Liushuang forced a smile, her expression awkward and stiff: "Goodbye, senior. I'll come visit you and Dr. Xie again when I have time. I hope to hear good news soon. You... take good care of yourself too!"

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Author's note: [Chin resting on hand] The broken senior, Shuangshuang is heartbroken.