·69｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·69 (Buy with caution)

From Matsuda's perspective, possibly including Matsuda's romantic subplot.

Matsuda Jinpei was unaware of the potential consequences of excessive mental stimulation, but Yomi Laichuan began to have a fever that very night after being taken to the hospital, with a persistent low-grade fever.

Following the doctor's orders, Matsuda Jinpei used physical methods to lower Raikawa Yomi's fever. He lifted a corner of the blanket, pulled Raikawa Yomi's arm over, and was about to put a cooling patch under her armpit when the still unconscious woman whimpered and snuggled closer.

Yomi Laichuan didn't open her eyes; she hadn't even regained consciousness. She was simply following her instincts, her brain directing her to cling to Matsuda Jinpei's arm. Yomi Laichuan was humming and mumbling, as if she were speaking, but her voice was too soft for Matsuda Jinpei to hear clearly.

Matsuda Jinpei frowned. He had just pulled his arm halfway out of Raikawa Yomi's grasp when she wrapped her arms around him again, her brow furrowed. She used her hands and feet like vines to tightly hug Matsuda Jinpei, pulling him so hard he couldn't straighten up.

As if trapped in a nightmare, Lai Chuan Huang Quan's face was pale. "Don't go! Don't go... Yan..." she kept muttering to herself, her voice sometimes loud and sometimes soft.

Matsuda Jinpei stopped pulling Yomi Raikawa off his arm. He lowered his head in silence, a torrent of emotions surging within him: "Honestly, even when she's unconscious, she's still a worry."

He slowly lowered himself, letting the woman who was holding his arm lie back down on the bed, then sighed, "Go to sleep, I'm not leaving."

It wasn't until dawn that Lai Chuan Huang Quan's fever completely subsided. She opened her eyes groggily, still covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her vision was blurry, as if covered by a murky film. Lai Chuan Huang Quan's mind was hazy, and her consciousness was not fully awake. She realized that she was clinging to someone's arm, so she squinted and snuggled closer.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan spoke, his soft voice hoarse like rough paper: "Yan Er, you're back."

As soon as he finished speaking, the arm she was clinging to suddenly tightened.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan looked up, his vision gradually clearing from chaos: "...Zhen Ping?"

She loosened her grip on Matsuda Jinpei's hand, lowered her head, and looked confused: "Where is Kenji? Where is he?"

Matsuda Jinpei stretched out the corners of his mouth, and his eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Why isn't the second-year graduate student back yet?" Lai Chuan Huang Quan slowly sat up, rummaging through his clothes with his hands. "I need to call the second-year graduate student."

Matsuda Jinpei frowned deeply: "Yellow Springs."

Ignoring Matsuda Jinpei, Yomi Laichuan dialed Kenji Hagiwara's number.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

"Strange, why isn't the second-year graduate student answering my calls?" Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted, looking unhappy. He hung up and redialed, "I'm going to get angry."

Matsuda Jinpei stared intently at Raikawa Yomi, his heart sinking. His arms tightened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, the muscles trembling with tension. He gritted his teeth, then suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Raikawa Yomi's hand: "Yomi!"

Affected by the sudden pull, Raikawa Yomi lost her grip on the phone. The couple's phone, lying on the blanket, kept redialing the number saved as "[Stupid Husband]," the female voice on the other end mechanically repeating that the call couldn't be connected. Raikawa Yomi slowly turned to look at Matsuda Jinpei, tilting her head with a bewildered expression, then suddenly struggled violently as if waking up: "Let go of me! I need to find Kenji! Let go of me!"

"Yomi! Yorikawa Yomi!!"

Matsuda Jinpei gripped Yomi Raikawa's arm tightly, calling her name over and over again. He couldn't bring himself to say the cruel truths.

Yomi Yorikawa, who was usually weak and could be held down by Matsuda Jinpei with one hand, was now struggling desperately like a poultry being sent to the slaughterhouse, so violently that Matsuda Jinpei almost couldn't suppress her.

Matsuda Jinpei: "Yomi, look at me! Look at me!!"

Yomi Lai suddenly stopped struggling. Her eyes widened, and her sky-blue pupils reflected Jinpei Matsuda's equally haggard face. Her pupils trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Yomi Lai: "Jinpei, Kenji... he's dead."

Those two words were impossible to utter; just thinking about them sent shivers down my spine, and my chest ached as if being crushed by a rhinoceros.

Matsuda Jinpei didn't speak. He silently looked at Yomi Yorikawa, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

With her waist constricted tightly, Raikawa Yomi sobbed uncontrollably in Matsuda Jinpei's arms. She kept calling out Hagiwara Kenji's name, her tears soaking Matsuda Jinpei's riot gear that he still hadn't had time to change out of.

Through the sturdy police uniform, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't feel Yomi's heartbeat, nor could he touch her body temperature. But the real touch in his arms gave him a reassuring sense of being alive.

Pain, torment, but Matsuda Jinpei must pull himself together. What will happen to Yomi Yorikawa if he collapses too?

But Yomi Yomi still collapsed.

After being discharged from the hospital, Lai Chuan Huang Quan locked herself in her room, refusing to eat or drink, and spent the whole night sitting on the edge of her bed crying. She hugged her knees and murmured the name of her beloved over and over again, but she could not call back her beloved police officer: "Second year graduate, big liar."

On the third day after being discharged from the hospital, Yomi Laichuan lay in a bathtub filled with warm water and cut her own blood vessels with a knife. At the time of her suicide, Jinpei Matsuda had just received a month-long leave from the Metropolitan Police Department and was driving back to his police dormitory.

Two months ago, Matsuda Jinpei bought a car. At that time, Raikawa Yomi smiled brightly and carried a photo of the three of them tied together in a round brass frame with a red rope. She insisted that Matsuda Jinpei hang it in the car. At that time, Matsuda Jinpei scoffed at Raikawa Yomi's ugly handiwork, but tied the photo of the three of them to the rearview mirror in the car.

Just as Matsuda Jinpei's car was about to pull into the parking space, the red rope hanging from his trunk suddenly snapped with a sharp crack. The group photo fell in front of him, and the bright smiles of the three of them in the picture hurt Matsuda Jinpei's eyes.

A sudden, inexplicable pang of fear gripped Matsuda Jinpei, and he panicked. He floored the accelerator, turned around, and sped towards the Hagiwara residence.

"Huang Quan! Huang Quan, where are you?!"

There was no answer, only the sound of rushing water.

A bad premonition was brewing in his heart; Matsuda Jinpei had already guessed the truth. But when he pushed open the bathroom door, the scene before him still made him feel suffocated, and his chest tightened with pain.

The faucet was turned on full blast, so much so that the overflowing water was stained a pale red with blood, gushing out along the edge of the bathtub and forming a waterfall-like column of water. Her black hair swayed in the water like seaweed, and Raikawa Yomi lay curled up in the bathtub, completely devoid of color.

"The Yellow Springs!"

Matsuda Jinpei pulled off a towel and pressed it against Yomi Yorikawa's severed blood vessels. He dialed the emergency number, his heart pounding with anxiety, on the verge of madness.

Matsuda Jinpei couldn't bring himself to press hard on Yorikawa's bleeding wound while driving her to the hospital. All he could do was hold the woman in his arms, whose limbs were growing cold, and for the first time, he shed tears of anxiety.

He'd had enough.

First it was Kenji Hagiwara, then Yomi Yorikawa.

When Kenji Hagiwara died, Jinpei Matsuda could only listen to every moment of Hagiwara's journey to death through a cell phone. Now, he could only hold Yomi Raikawa, who was already in shock, and watch helplessly as the bloody mess flowed away from the drain. Despair and helplessness were like a tsunami crashing over him, almost knocking him over.

Matsuda Jinpei held the woman in his arms, trying to warm her with his body heat, even though he knew it was futile. He pressed on Yomi's still bleeding wound, calling her name in a hoarse voice, begging her not to die.

When Yomi Raikawa was wheeled into the emergency room, Jinpei Matsuda's white shirt was stained crimson. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor, closing his eyes wearily and in despair.

Fortunately, Lai Chuan Huang Quan was saved by the doctors.

From then on, Matsuda Jinpei dared not leave Yorikawa Yomi again.

During this period, Mr. Raikawa also visited, but Raikawa Yomi refused to see him.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan hates Mr. Lai Chuan. Just seeing his face or hearing his voice makes Lai Chuan Huang Quan close her eyes and burst into tears. She covers her ears and screams as if she is about to tear her vocal cords apart.

Yomi Yorikawa needs to see a psychologist, but she refuses to let anyone outside of Matsuda Jinpei and the Hagiwara family get close to her.

The psychiatrist, who had been kicked out of the ward for the sixth time, bent down to pick up the record board that had been smashed out of the room, looking regretful: "Mr. Lai Chuan, I don't know what happened between you and Ms. Lai Chuan. But I regret to inform you that I personally suggest you don't show up in front of Ms. Lai Chuan. She can't handle any more stimulation right now. Of course, it's probably best for psychiatrists, including myself, not to show up either."

Mr. Lai Chuan had a head of messy, short hair, now gray, and his once clear, eagle-like eyes were now cloudy. He pursed his lips and slumped into the chair behind him: "I understand."

He had already agreed to the marriage between Kenji Hagiwara and Yomi Raikawa; he just hadn't expected this unexpected turn of events. But now it's too late to say anything; it's pointless.

His head was spinning and throbbing, and his eardrums were ringing, as if someone was striking an ancient temple bell next to his ear.

It was only at this moment that Mr. Lai Chuan realized clearly and desperately that, more important than money, achievements, or a stable future, he should make Lai Chuan happy in the afterlife.

But he kept doing things that would upset Raikawa Yomi.

What kind of father is he?

Unfortunately, not all mistakes can be rectified, and the world shows no mercy to anyone. By the time one realizes their mistake, it's already too late to undo it.

After the doctor left, Mr. Lai covered his face with one hand, his brow furrowed, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

What exactly did he do?

...

After Yomi Lai was discharged from the hospital, he was taken home by Jinpei Matsuda—who rented an apartment near the Metropolitan Police Department.

Matsuda Jinpei believed that Yomi Yorikawa needed to be under his constant care, and he was afraid that if Yomi Yorikawa returned to the Hagiwara mansion, she would be reminded of the past and do something foolish again.

Hagiwara Chisato also visited Yomi Yomi twice. She pulled Matsuda Jinpei into the corridor and said with a serious expression, "I'm entrusting Yomi to you."

The Hagiwara family is kind and insightful—they don't want Yomi to be trapped in suffering. Rather than dying for Hagiwara Kenji or remaining a widow, they hope Yomi can quickly recover and start a better life. She shouldn't be trapped in Hagiwara Kenji's world.

Hagiwara Chisato turned to Matsuda Jinpei and said, "I'll leave Yomi-nee to you for now."

Matsuda Jinpei, with a cigarette butt between his teeth, frowned for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a single "hmm" from his throat.

"Anyway, the Metropolitan Police Department gave me a month's leave, so I'll take good care of Yomi."

Having never taken care of anyone before, let alone a girl, Matsuda Jinpei's every move was awkward, but he showed unprecedented patience in front of Yomi Raikawa.

Every night, Matsuda Jinpei would sit on the edge of the bed waiting for Raikawa Yomi to fall asleep before lying down on the futon next to her bed and slowly drifting off to sleep himself. Raikawa Yomi had a poor appetite, so he would clumsily hold a spoon and feed her, saying, "Open your mouth, eat a little." He was even annoyed with himself for being so bad at sweet-talking; after all these years hanging out with Hagiwara Kenji, how come he hadn't learned how to coax people at all—even though he used to be the least concerned about such things.

The Hagiwara family decided to bury Kenji Hagiwara in Tokyo, and half of the Metropolitan Police Department attended the funeral. Matsuda Jinpei originally didn't plan to tell Yomi Raikawa, but after hesitating, he still brought Yomi Raikawa to attend Kenji Hagiwara's farewell ceremony.

The brown coffin was polished to a gleaming shine. Inside, on a smooth, soft, light yellow cloth, lay a grayish-white photograph and an old suit worn by Kenji Hagiwara.

The suit was delivered by Matsuda Jinpei. He opened Hagiwara Kenji's locker in the SWAT team's changing room, folded the suit that Hagiwara Kenji had taken off before going on a mission, and handed it to Hagiwara Chisato as a cenotaph for Hagiwara Kenji.

While tidying up Kenji Hagiwara's suit, Chiharu Hagiwara discovered a ring tucked into the inner pocket. She fastened the red velvet diamond box, fought back tears, and hid the ring away.

She can bear this pain all by herself.

The farewell ceremony had barely begun when a torrential downpour started. Large raindrops splashed on the ground with a loud, irritating sound. Raikawa Yomi pulled her trench coat tighter, exhaling a puff of white breath. Her face was haggard, her thin frame swaying like a withered leaf in the wind. Matsuda Jinpei, dressed in a black suit, walked beside Raikawa Yomi, holding a black umbrella. A burning cigarette was extinguished at their feet, and sunglasses concealed his eyes, which were filled with pain.

Hagiwara Chisato nodded to the two of them: "You've arrived."

Matsuda Jinpei nodded: "Yes."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan forced a smile, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly at Hagiwara Chisato: "Hello, sister."

Hagiwara Chisato pursed her lips, swallowing the words of worry that almost escaped her lips, and smiled at Yorikawa Yomi: "Go in."

The empty coffin was filled with white lilies offered by those who came to pay their respects. Yomi Lai placed a lily, still glistening with dew, down, without immediately turning away. She leaned against the coffin, gazing intently at the photograph of Kenji Hagiwara. Her fingers, frighteningly thin from her hunger strike, delicately traced the suit jacket that had been removed from Hagiwara's body, as if he were lying there, right before her.

No one stopped Yomi Yorikawa; they were more worried than offended.

Just as Matsuda Jinpei thought that Yomi Raikawa might be contemplating suicide again, she suddenly arched her back and began to tremble, then vomited.

It wasn't pregnancy; it was physiological vomiting caused by extreme pain. Lai Chuan Huang Quan held onto the coffin with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, her body convulsing in waves. Her eyes were wide open as she dry-heaved incessantly until she vomited up a green substance that was hard to tell if it was stomach acid or bile.

"Miss Raikawa!"

"Sister Huangquan!"

Amidst the gasps of surprise from those around her, Yomi Laichuan, with her eyes half-closed, slowly collapsed into the arms of Jinpei Matsuda, who rushed forward to catch her.

"Hey, Huang Quan!"

Matsuda Jinpei held the person in his arms who had completely lost consciousness, his heart filled with anxiety. There was still green liquid sticking to her lips, which emitted a foul smell.

"Damn it, I'm taking her to the hospital!"