Chapter 28

◎Song Xingxing only needs to live a happy and healthy life◎

The string on Xiao Ji's bracelet keeps breaking.

The sound of the Great Compassion Mantra carried far that day, and the kind-faced master clasped his hands together in prayer.

He said, "These beads are no ordinary beads. In addition, you have a pure yang constitution, so the thread cannot withstand the impact of the two, and it is easy to break. If it breaks, just find the thread and tie it back on. Remember, you must not lose any beads. You can't lose even one more or one less."

Xiao Ji looked at the bracelet every day, but the string always broke without warning. It broke while he was eating, while he was walking, and even while he was sleeping.

But when the line breaks, Song Jinyu will definitely sleepwalk that night.

He had collected beads in many places. After collecting them, he would take out new thread and tie it on. When his wrist was once again wrapped with empty beads, he would rush to find Song Jinyu and stay by his side.

The same goes for the day the film crew had their gathering.

Xiao Ji raised his wine glass and exchanged pleasantries with people. The overhead light was very bright, and the incandescent light made his skin look very white. As he raised his hand, the beads on his wrist were revealed as the cuff of his black suit slipped down.

It made a crisp sound when it hit the floor.

Xiao Ji, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder, squatted down and picked up the stones one by one.

He remained calm.

He thought he had to leave the gathering early; he needed to find Song Jinyu.

He had to stay by Song Jinyu's side.

The beads rolled in the corner and got stained with wine. He picked them up and wiped them clean with a tissue. The bright red stains rolled in his palm, round and squeezed together, causing a sharp pain.

Zhou Qingwen called him.

She cried, "Xiao Ji, Xingxing... Xingxing is in the hospital..."

Xiao Ji felt a sudden, loud bang in his head.

When I came to my senses, I was already standing at the door of the ward.

The smell of disinfectant was so strong, and the plump cinnabar beads were crammed into his pocket, leaving his hands empty.

He was unable to find Song Jinyu.

He lost Song Jinyu.

Now, Xiao Ji stood in the bedroom, with broken beads scattered on the gray sheets, the red thread broken into several pieces, and the beads covered in cracks. He reached out and touched them, and they shattered with a crash.

The doll lay on the pillow beside it, its black eyes shrouded in an inorganic light, becoming a lifeless object.

Xiao Ji closed his eyes, swallowed the metallic taste rising in his throat, grabbed his coat, and went to the hospital.

He called Jiang Hui from the car.

"Song Jinyu is gone, and the cinnabar has shattered."

Jiang Hui immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, "Could he have gone back into his own body?"

"Before I called you, I called Song Jinyu's mother. Aunt Zhou said he hadn't woken up yet."

Jiang Hui was a little flustered when he heard this. "Don't worry, I'll call my master back right away."

When Xiao Ji arrived at the hospital, it was just past five o'clock. The sky was dark and gloomy. It doesn't snow in Pingjiang. The snow falling from high places liquefies into water in mid-air, and it's colder than snow when it falls on people.

Zhou Qingwen and Song Huaishan were both in the ward. When they saw Xiao Ji, Zhou Qingwen was the first to rush over, "What happened? What's wrong?"

The young man in the hospital bed was breathing very lightly. Even though he was on an IV drip every day, he was visibly losing weight.

Xiao Ji reached out and affectionately touched his face, then checked his breathing. His voice sounded hoarse and deep, as if it had been chilled by the cold wind outside.

“The film crew had a day off today, so I took him for a nap. When he woke up, the cinnabar on his hand was broken, and he was gone.”

Zhou Qingwen panicked upon hearing this, "Then where did he go? I've been at the hospital the whole time, and I haven't seen him wake up."

“I don’t know…” Xiao Ji said, “Jiang Hui’s master has arrived, he will be alright.”

The stars will always shine.

...

Jiang came and went very quickly.

He circled the hospital bed a few times, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxing. "It's alright, his soul has returned to his body."

Upon hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Qingwen asked, "Then why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Jiang replied, "His body is very weak. His soul needs to be integrated after returning. As for how long it will take for him to wake up, it depends on his physical condition. If he recovers well, he will wake up in a day or two. If he doesn't recover well, it may take about a week."

"You just stay in the ward and watch over him. Try not to let outsiders in before he wakes up, too many people can disturb his mind."

Xiao Ji released his hand and found that his fingertips were stuck in his palm, and blood was seeping out, soaking between his fingers.

After a long period of silence, the sky finally began to rain.

The rain was torrential, followed by several days of light rain. Pedestrians hurried by, and Xiao Ji went downstairs as usual to buy roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes.

He was wearing an overcoat, and his hands, which were carrying the bag, were white with cold. When he opened his mouth, he could breathe out mist.

Christmas is approaching.

Zhou Qingwen called him, "Xiao Ji, are you back? I have something to do and need to go out. Could you keep an eye on the stars for me?"

Xiao Ji stood at the door and said "Okay".

He pushed open the door and met a pair of eyes that looked like stars.

...

Song Jinyu felt like her body was a rusty clock, making it difficult to move or speak. In the end, she could only squint her eyes.

Their eyes met in mid-air, neither of them spoke, but they understood each other perfectly.

Xiao Ji approached, and Song Jinyu laboriously raised her hand.

When the two hands clasped together, the two broken plants intertwined again.

Song Jinyu was supported by Xiao Ji and leaned on his shoulder. He took a sip of water and finally regained some strength, but he didn't speak for a long time. When he did speak, he sounded like Donald Duck.

"I felt something pulling me after I fell asleep that day, but when I woke up, it was back in my body."

Xiao Ji reached out and touched his thin, pointed chin, without saying a word.

Song Jinyu took another sip of water. "How long did I sleep?"

“Ten days,” Xiao Ji said.

Song Jinyu was stunned, and subconsciously looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

“You don’t need to apologize…” Xiao Ji buried his head in his neck and shoulder, smelling the long-lost caramel scent from his skin, which sweetly enveloped him.

"Whether it's ten days or a hundred days, I'll be happy as long as you come back."

Song Jinyu pursed his slightly dry lips, and shyly reached out to wrap his arms around Xiao Ji. Then, his sharp eyes spotted the chestnuts and sweet potatoes placed to the side. He sniffed and said, "They smell so good."

Xiao Ji propped up the bed so he could lean against the pillows. "I bought this for you."

But he had just woken up and couldn't eat much, so Xiao Ji broke open a sweet potato and scooped out the sweetest part with a spoon to feed him.

The sweet taste melted in his mouth, and tears of emotion streamed down Song Jinyu's face. He asked Xiao Ji, "How did you know I would wake up today?"

"I don't know, I just thought you'd want to eat when you wake up, so I go down to buy it every day."

-

Song Jinyu's hospital room was unusually lively. The originally small space was packed with a bunch of people, all of whom had come to see him.

Wang Kai cried the most.

"Brother, it's a good thing you woke up, otherwise I would be the murderer. You have no idea how I ate and slept while you were unconscious. I almost turned myself in to the police station."

Song Jinyu said, "No, no... My coma has nothing to do with you."

"How can it be nothing? You're like this because you were drinking with me..."

After talking for a while, Wang Kai continued, "When I got back, I would often go back and review what we said that day. I finally remembered who Xiao Ji was. Weren't you in the student council before? I remember there was a senior named Xiao Ji there. You and he didn't get along at all. Back then, people in the student council said you two were mortal enemies."

Song Jinyu looked towards the door.

Xiao Ji stood at the door, talking on the phone to someone. The ward was so lively, yet he was like a world unto himself.

He replied, "That was all in the past..."

"What do you mean 'before'?" Wang Kai asked. "Isn't Xiao Ji, the one you don't get along with, the one who made the movie?"

"So much time has passed, I've even forgotten about that senior. So you've been holding a grudge against him all along?"

Seeing that Xiao Ji had hung up the phone, Song Jinyu quickly said, "It's all in the past, there's no need to hold a grudge."

"Really?" Wang Kai asked suspiciously, "You've had a bad relationship with him for so many years, and you're just saying it's all in the past?"

Xiao Ji stopped behind the two of them. "What are you talking about?"

Song Jinyu: "..."

Wang Kai said, "He's talking about his arch-rival from college."

Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow.

Wang Kai looked back, paused when he met Xiao Ji's face, and said, "Brother, you look familiar. Haven't we met before?"

He extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Song Jinyu's roommate, Wang Kai."

Xiao Ji extended his hand as well, "Hello, Xiao Ji."

Wang Kai: "..."

He was dumbfounded and turned to look at Song Jinyu, "Xiao Ji, which Xiao Ji?"

Song Jinyu: "..."

Song Jinyu silently picked up a pillow to cover her face.

-

After resting in bed for a few days, Song Jinyu was finally able to go out.

His body is still weak and he can't walk, but he can go out for some fresh air in a wheelchair.

Today was a rare sunny day, so Xiao Ji took him out to bask in the sun.

The winter sun wasn't glaring; it felt warm on people, but the wind was a bit strong.

Xiao Ji pushed the person under the tree, took out his coat, and then his hat.

Song Jinyu's hair hasn't been cut yet. When he went out, Xiao Ji tied it up in a topknot, and now it's flattened and stuck to his head by the woolen hat.

He muttered, "It's so ugly."

"It's not ugly." Xiao Ji straightened the pom-poms hanging down on both sides of his hat. "Your resistance is too low right now, you need to pay attention to keeping warm."

As he spoke, he draped his coat over him again.

Song Jinyu lowered her eyes and watched the man squatting down in front of her, tidying her clothes.

His fingers were long and white, making him a pleasing sight even when doing such trivial tasks. He then looked at his own hands, which were withered, thin, and had an unhealthy sheen.

Song Jinyu pulled her hand back into her sleeve.

"I look so ugly right now. Won't you find it unsightly if you take care of me?"

Xiao Ji never thought he was ugly. He cupped Song Jinyu's face and kissed him on the cheek.

"Song Xingxing doesn't need to be good-looking."

All Song Xingxing needs to do is live a healthy and happy life.

...

The day I was discharged from the hospital was a sunny day.

Zhou Qingwen happily stuffed the bags and packages into the car, and Song Jinrou also took a day off.

Xiao Ji was helping them move things, while Song Jinrou was in charge of Song Jinyu in her wheelchair.

She said, "Brother, I've come to pick you up from the hospital. Can you treat me to that Japanese restaurant I wanted to go to before?"

Song Jinyu said, "That lousy Japanese food costs over a thousand yuan. Do you think I'm a sucker?"

Song Jinrou said, "Believe it or not, I'll push you into the ditch."

Song Jinyu shouted, "Xiao Ji!"

Song Jinrou pouted, "Song Jinyu, all you do is tattle. Brother Xiao Ji doesn't care about you."

Song Jinyu pushed the wheelchair towards Xiao Ji, saying, "Xiao Ji, Song Jinrou is going to push me into the ditch. Don't give her any more pocket money."

Zhou Qingwen grabbed one ear with each hand, and only then did the two siblings quiet down.

The weather forecast says it will be sunny today.

Tomorrow will be a sunny day.

The following days were all sunny.