Chapter 45 In the finite future, we will have...
On the day of her graduation ceremony, Tang Ci went to the hospital for a full-body checkup.
Because of the numerous tests required, she spent the entire day shuttling between overcrowded departments, only able to take a short break as the sun began to set.
Outside the ultrasound room, Tang Ci stood by the glass window, clutching a stack of reports and payment slips. She didn't know how much time had passed before she heard the nurse call her name, and she finally snapped out of her daze and went to collect her reports.
After completing the last check-up, and with the end of the workday approaching, Tang Ci, disregarding her discomfort, jogged to Dr. Zhang's office so as not to delay him. When she reached the office door, she held onto the doorframe until she caught her breath before pushing the door open and going inside.
Seeing her flushed face, Zhang Wen poured her a glass of warm water and carefully examined each of her medical reports.
Tang Ci thanked her, took the water, and sat quietly in the chair.
As Zhang Wen flipped through the examination report, his expression grew increasingly grave.
During the examination, Tang Ci had already glanced through the report. She had thought she would be scared when she saw the alarming indicators, but when the moment actually arrived, she calmed down, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.
After reading the last page, Zhang Wen placed the stack of reports on the table and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Ci, you should have realized by now that your condition is not optimistic."
Tang Ci nodded.
“Your creatinine level has exceeded 600, so the previous treatment plan definitely won’t work.” Zhang Wen took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. When he put his glasses back on, the wrinkles on his forehead were still there. “Now there are two new treatment options.”
Tang Ci twisted her fingers: "Please tell me."
“First, continue medication to maintain the condition and arrange a kidney transplant as soon as possible; second, start dialysis now.” Zhang Wen looked directly into her eyes with a serious expression: “Although the second option sounds safe, it still requires surgery in the end, and prolonged dialysis can lead to serious complications, making surgery even more risky then.”
Zhang Wen pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Xiao Ci, I suggest you prioritize the first option."
With her hands resting on her knees, her fingers twisted until they turned white, Tang Ci said softly, "Let me think about it some more."
“Okay, this is a big matter that needs careful consideration,” Zhang Wen paused, then asked, “Does your father know about your current situation?”
Tang Ci paused slightly, nodded, and said, "I know."
Zhang Wen hesitated for two seconds: "If needed, I can give him a call to explain the situation."
"Thank you." Tang Ci smiled. "But it's alright, I'll discuss it with him when I get back."
Zhang Wen nodded, opened a drawer, took out a kidney transplant informed consent form, and handed it to her. "Take this first. After you've discussed it with your dad, come to the hospital to get my signature, and I'll submit it as soon as possible."
Tang Ci put the consent form and examination report into her bag, thanked Zhang Wen again, and left the ward.
When I came out of the hospital building, it was already dark. A thin layer of sunset covered the deep blue night sky, and the bright streetlights lit up one after another. The fragrance of unknown flowers wafted through the lush trees.
Tang Ci sat down on the bench under the tree, took out the kidney transplant informed consent form from her schoolbag, carefully read it under the streetlight, then folded it in half and threw it into the trash can next to her.
She took out her phone again, and as soon as she unlocked the screen, messages in the class group chat started buzzing. She glanced at them briefly; they seemed to be about graduation ceremony arrangements. Tang Ci ignored them, opened her contacts, found Rong Yue's number, and dialed it.
The phone rang for only three seconds before being answered. Rong Yue's tone was slightly surprised: "Xiao Ci?"
"Auntie, it's me." Tang Ci swallowed her dry throat and asked softly, "Are you with Sheng Yu right now?"
"She's not here." Rong Yue paused, then asked hesitantly, "Xiao Ci, did you and Xiao Yu have a fight?"
Tang Ci's fingers tightened around her phone as she asked, "Did Sheng Yu say anything to you?"
“I guessed it. The day I returned to China, I went to dinner with Xiaoyu. All of his friends came. I asked him about it when I didn’t see you,” Rong Yue said gently. “Xiaoyu said you had something to do, but I could tell from his demeanor that something was wrong. He just ate in silence all night without saying a word.”
The morning after Sheng Yu got drunk that night, Tang Ci went to work part-time at a billiards hall and returned home late at night for several days in a row, rarely replying to messages.
Tang Ci's avoidance was obvious, and she assumed that Sheng Yu was proud and arrogant and would not lower himself to pester her. However, she received an apology text message from Sheng Yu last night.
But he clearly did nothing wrong.
Tang Ci blinked her moist eyes, her voice choked with emotion as she asked Rong Yue, "Do you still want to take him to Australia?"
“I don’t think there’s anything I can do,” Rong Yue said after a few seconds of silence. “With his temper, you can’t just force him to do it if he doesn’t want to.”
An airplane streaked across the night sky, piercing through thick clouds, heading straight for its destination.
Tang Ci looked up at the disappearing flight path and said to Rong Yue, "I have a way to persuade him."
/
The tennis court was brightly lit and bustling with activity. Sheng Yu, dressed in a black tracksuit, focused intently as he swung his racket to serve, sending the green tennis ball flying like lightning towards the player opposite him.
The ball came hurtling towards him with a gust of wind, so fast that only a blurry shadow could be seen. Jin Ming was so frightened that he dropped his racket, dodged to the side, and fell flat on his face.
Jin Ming simply lay on the ground and refused to get up, crying and shouting, "God is unfair! We're all just starting out, why am I so bad at this?!"
Zhou Yiyang, who was watching the game from a bench, sneered: "God is fair, isn't he? This is why you're bad in every way."
Jin Ming struggled to get up from the ground, reaching out to grab his neck: "You're so annoying, waaaaah, I'll fight you to the death!!"
Zhou Yiyang deftly dodged the water bottle, and the two chased each other like elementary school students, playing around on the court.
Sheng Yu took a ball from the hoop and tossed it in his hand, asking in a raised voice, "Which of you two is going?"
Zhou Yiyang and Jin Ming, who were wrestling, immediately fell silent.
Jin Ming waved his hand: "I'm going to rest for a while."
"I'm physically exhausted, I'm willing but unable," Zhou Yiyang said sheepishly.
Sheng Yu scoffed coldly and ran a hand through his hair: "Useless."
Jin Ming, clinging to Zhou Yiyang, muttered, "Playing ball is like killing someone, who would dare to play with you?"
Zhou Yiyang crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow: "This is what a man is like without the nourishment of love."
Sheng Yu glanced at him indifferently, her displeasure impossible to hide.
Just then, Sheng Yu's phone, which was on the bench, vibrated. Zhou Yiyang glanced at the screen and immediately smiled: "The Emperor's mood has changed, and the Empress has sent a message."
Sheng Yu paused for a second while throwing the ball, then casually bent down to pick up a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and walked to the bench to pick up his phone.
He glanced at it only once before putting the phone back in his pocket: "I'm leaving."
The building lobby was spacious and bright. Tang Ci sat on the sofa by the door, without a book or a phone in her hand.
Outside the lobby, the night was thick and dark, and the chirping of insects drifted into the room incessantly. Tang Ci, however, seemed completely oblivious, her head slightly lowered, her gaze fixed on the marble floor. She would only look up occasionally when a car passed by.
The twenty-ninth car drove past the door. As usual, she looked up and saw the sleek body of the sedan and the familiar license plate number. Her hands, which were resting on the sofa, clenched tightly.
The headlights were blazing, but Sheng Yu didn't turn them off. He got out of the car, and the sound of the door closing tore a hole in the quiet air.
As soon as Sheng Yu entered the room, Tang Ci suddenly stood up from the sofa.
Perhaps her movements were too conspicuous, for Sheng Yu turned his head to look at her, a smile playing on his lips: "Not hiding from me anymore?"
Tang Ci's lips, which had been pressed into a straight line, loosened slightly, and she looked away from his dark pupils before managing to utter, "I have something to tell you."
Sheng Yu approached, saw the suitcase next to the sofa, and his upturned lips pressed down: "Where are you planning to go?"
"A hotel." Tang Ci glanced at him, then quickly looked down again. "It's not appropriate for me to always stay at your place..."
Sheng Yu sat down on the sofa opposite her, smiled at her, but there was no smile in her eyes: "Even if it's not good, you've stayed for two months."
Tang Ci felt a chill run down her spine as he stared at her from above. She sat back down on the sofa in a daze and said softly, "I will pay your rent."
Out of the corner of her eye, Tang Ci noticed the phone on the sofa and picked it up. "I'll pay you back the money for this phone when I've saved up enough."
"Tang Ci, what exactly do you mean?" Sheng Yu's voice turned completely cold. He rested his elbows on his knees, his dark pupils fixed on her. "Are you keeping me hanging?"
Tang Ci's face turned deathly pale in an instant, her eyelashes trembling as she spoke: "Sheng Yu, do you still remember the dinner we had at the school anniversary celebration that night?"
Sheng Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
“We were playing a game, and the question you asked me was whether the person I liked was there at the time, and you told me not to lie,” Tang Ci repeated the scene from that night, word by word: “I nodded at the time.”
Sheng Yuru's dark pupils narrowed.
Tang Ci swallowed hard before looking up at him and saying, "I like Song Ke."
Sheng Yu frowned instantly, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes for a moment. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Tang Ci, you'd better be deliberately trying to anger me to hide your illness."
“You know…” Tang Ci’s narrow face was as white as paper, but her eyes shone with a strange light: “Then you shouldn’t have forgotten that I approached you in the first place just to get the scholarship.”
As she spoke, her breathing quickened, and her chest heaved as she said forcefully, "If it weren't for the scholarship, I wouldn't have sat next to you, let alone kissed you. But I live in your house, and you've helped me so much. I don't know how to refuse."
Her brows were furrowed, and her usually gentle eyes were filled with pain, as if sitting with him was unbearable.
Sheng Yu's eyes gradually reddened, and she said in a hoarse voice, "You really shouldn't have approached me, and you shouldn't have saved me. What a great opportunity it was on my birthday, why didn't you just let me drown in the lake?"
Hearing his cold words, Tang Ci's back shrank back suddenly, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She wiped her eyes hard, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and stood up from the sofa.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault," Tang Ci forced back a sob from her throat, "but I really don't want to stay with you anymore."
The suitcase wheels rolled twice on the floor before suddenly stopping. Sheng Yu stood up from the sofa and grabbed her wrist, which was holding the suitcase, tightly: "It's too late, you should go home and sleep."
Tang Ci tried to shake off his hand, but found her arm trembling uncontrollably, unable to muster any strength. Her choked throat forced out a few words: "This isn't my home..."
Sheng Yu tightened his jaw muscles, revealing sharp lines in his jaw. He remained silent, his brows furrowed, and said no more to her. He gripped her shoulders tightly and led her to the elevator door, then pressed the up button.
A few seconds later, the elevator dinged as it arrived at its destination, and the doors slowly opened. Tang Ci gripped the handrail of her suitcase tightly: "I'll go up myself."
The hand on her shoulder sank slightly, but she eventually withdrew it. Sheng Yu watched her enter the sedan chair, her arm blocking the door from closing.
“I want to see you turn on the light.” Sheng Yu’s voice was as cold as the metal door: “Otherwise, I’ll come up right now.”
Tang Ci stared at the floor beneath her feet, her hands and feet stiff as she nodded.
She didn't dare to look up, only watching out of the corner of her eye as the elevator doors gradually closed, completely blocking Sheng Yu's figure outside. With a rumble in her ears, the elevator began to ascend.
Tang Ci gasped for breath, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
She sobbed all the way back to her bedroom, turned on the overhead light that Sheng Yu had specially installed for her, and stood by the window looking down while wiping away her tears.
The lush vegetation in Zizhuyuan Park obscured most of the streetlights, making the headlights of the car parked downstairs stand out brightly.
Tang Ci stood on tiptoe, but couldn't see Sheng Yu anywhere. She sat dejectedly on the floor by the window, silently confronting the two car headlights.
She didn't know how long she had been watching, but her legs started to go numb. The car downstairs was still parked quietly, showing no sign of leaving.
Tang Ci looked up at the time; it was already 1:30 a.m.
She grabbed a tissue, wiped her face haphazardly, got up from the floor, and went downstairs.
Tang Ci initially ran up the stairs, but stopped walking when she reached the middle floor. This was partly because of unbearable joint pain and partly because she was afraid Sheng Yu would discover her whereabouts.
As Tang Ci approached the first floor, she tiptoed down the stairs, and suddenly stopped when she reached the stairwell.
From a distance of five or six meters, she saw Sheng Yu standing outside the door.
At midnight, only the wall lamps in the lobby are lit, their light dimly illuminated by the lush shadows of the trees.
Sheng Yu stood outside the door in the night with his shoulders slumped. His neatly trimmed short hair was now a mess, and he held a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.
Tang Ci took a deep sniff, and a strong, acrid smell of tobacco filled her stuffy nostrils.
As Sheng Yu exhaled a puff of smoke, he flicked a bit of ash into the ashtray on the nearby trash can. Only then did Tang Ci notice the countless cigarette butts haphazardly stubbed out in the ashtray.
While she was in a daze, the cigarette in Sheng Yu's hand had already burned down to the filter, the scarlet flame flickering and burning his skin, but he seemed to feel no pain, and used his fingertips to extinguish the scarlet flame.
Tang Ci bit her lower lip and tiptoed back to the stairwell on the third floor.
/
Rong Yue finished her meeting in the early hours of the morning. She still had a few documents to review, so she made herself a latte and forced herself to continue working.
After reviewing and revising the documents, her coffee was finished, and her drowsiness had completely vanished. She rubbed her neck and got up to find a movie to pass the time.
Before the curtain was even turned on, the phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated, instantly breaking the silence of the night.
Seeing the caller's name, Rong Yue was even more surprised than in the evening. She pressed the answer button, and the voice coming from the receiver was much weaker than in the evening.
At first glance, it sounded like a small animal crying for help.
"Auntie, can you come to Zizhuyuan Park to pick up Sheng Yu?"
Rong Yue arrived quickly. As soon as the car was parked, she got out and rushed to Sheng Yu, checking him over thoroughly.
Tang Ci gripped the window sill of the stairwell with both hands and looked down. The shrill chirping of cicadas disturbed the conversation downstairs, and she could only faintly make out words like "go".
After struggling for a long time, Tang Ci's legs were sore and swollen. When he saw Rong Yue squatting down with her stomach in her hand, Sheng Yu, who had been standing by the door, finally gave in.
He stepped forward, put his arm around Rong Yue's shoulder, and helped her into the car. After a few more arguments, Tang Ci saw Sheng Yu walk around the front of the car and get into the driver's seat.
With a low hum from the engine, the headlights, which had been silently lit for hours, finally turned and flashed past beneath the swaying shadows of the trees.
Tang Ci stared blankly at the now quiet street for a while before going upstairs to get her luggage and leaving.
After walking for half an hour with her luggage, Tang Ci finally managed to hail a taxi. She intended to just find a hotel to get off at, but when they passed the university town, she suddenly stopped.
After paying, Tang Ci dragged her luggage off the bus. The luxury goods advertisements outside the mall had not been changed yet, and the signs were still bright and luxurious. Sheng Yu had bought two scarves here, one of which was in her suitcase.
Tang Ci withdrew her gaze and continued walking, passing a movie theater that was open all night and a convenience store selling sandwiches, before finally stopping in front of a small hotel.
The receptionist, who was lying on the table, looked up when she heard footsteps. She paused for a few seconds after seeing her, then smiled and said, "It's you."
"You know me?" Tang Ci asked, puzzled.
"Your boyfriend is so handsome, it's hard not to remember him." She glanced behind Tang Ci as she spoke, "Your boyfriend didn't come with you today?"
Tang Ci nervously curled her fingertips, not wanting to offer any further explanation, and vaguely brushed it off.
After checking in, Tang Ci carried her luggage into her room and fell asleep, exhausted, forgetting to turn on the air conditioner.
Tang Ci was awakened by her phone ringing. She brushed the hair that was stuck to her forehead, her head throbbing, and pulled the phone out from under her pillow. The call had just ended.
Tang Ci swallowed hard, unlocking the screen, and a flood of information came in.
Apart from a few greetings from Jiang Chan and Song Ke, and advertisements from mobile phone operators, all other messages came from Sheng Yu.
Tang Ci opened the call log, which was lit up in red, and found it filled with missed calls from Sheng Yu.
From 3 a.m. until just now.
He didn't sleep all night.
Tang Ci slowly blinked her dry, sore eyes; her swollen eye sockets had no more tears to shed.
With trembling fingers, she scrolled through her contacts, found Song Ke's number, and dialed it.
After a quick shower and a simple meal, Tang Ci resumed her idle state.
She rarely experienced this state of mind growing up. In her memory, she was either studying or working, like a wound-up gear that never stopped.
The gears stopped turning once the judge pronounced her death sentence.
The room was eerily quiet. Tang Ci nestled into the sofa and turned on the TV, intending to find some funny programs to watch. But when the show actually started, she couldn't concentrate on anything.
As the first episode finished airing and the cheerful theme song was playing, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Tang Ci's hand trembled as she held the remote control, her heart pounding. She shuffled through the peephole in her slippers and looked down, only to deflate her ego again.
Tang Ci opened the door and stepped into the room, saying, "Class monitor."
Song Ke walked in with a grave expression: "Tang Ci, are you sure you want to do this?"
Tang Ci nodded, gripping the doorknob.
Song Ke sighed, walked into the room, sat down on the sofa, and asked Tang Ci, who had closed the door, "Are you sure Sheng Yu will come?"
Tang Ci's stunned expression finally softened. She forced a half-smile and said in a hoarse voice, "It would be best if he didn't come."
Song Ke frowned and shook his head: "I really don't understand you. Do you really hate him that much? Why do you still offer to tutor him?"
Tang Ci didn't answer this time. After a long pause, she repeated what she had said on the phone: "Class monitor, please help me."
Song Ke's arrival did not bring any liveliness to the quiet room. He and Tang Ci each occupied a corner of the small sofa, very close to each other, but they did not talk. Song Ke hesitated several times, wanting to say something to her, but when he saw her gloomy eyes, he closed his mouth again.
The old air conditioner, like a dying old man, hissed and blew cold air from its dusty vents.
The room was as cold as an icebox, yet a mosquito still flew in, buzzing. It only paused briefly on Tang Ci's neck before startling her. As if it were really itchy, she kept scratching that small patch of skin, leaving bright red scratch marks.
"Stop scratching." Song Ke grabbed her wrist, his brow furrowed as he reminded her, "If you keep scratching, you'll bleed."
Tang Ci lowered her hand in a daze, without glancing at her skin covered in red marks, and whispered with her eyes downcast, "I'm sorry."
Song Ke frowned even more: "You can't do this. Come with me outside and get something to eat first."
Tang Ci obediently stood up from the sofa, just then there was a knock on the door.
She held her breath for a moment, swallowed hard, and said, "Someone's here. I... I'll go open the door."
The door opened a crack, paused for a second, and then opened completely from the inside. Tang Ci looked up in a panic and met the eyes of the cleaning lady.
The aunt gestured with her chin towards the room: "Does it need cleaning?"
"No need for now."
After Tang Ci finished speaking, the aunt pushed the cleaning cart away. She breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw someone standing on the opposite side of the door.
Sheng Yu was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. His black hair was simply styled, but it was still messy. There was a faint stubble on his chin. His dark pupils shone like cold stars, staring at her intently.
Tang Ci felt a chill run down her spine for no reason. Before she could speak, Sheng Yu laughed and looked her up and down at the dilapidated corridor and door frame: "If you're going to escape, why choose this place?"
Tang Ci gripped the doorknob tightly and murmured, "Cheap."
Sheng Yu, his Adam's apple bobbing, arrived at the door, leaned against the doorframe, and glared at her fiercely: "There are countless cheap hotels in Nanling, and this place isn't close to Zizhuyuan."
He took a deep breath and asked again in a hoarse voice, "Tang Ci, why did you come to this place?"
In the dead silence, a male voice suddenly came from inside the room: "This is the room I booked. This hotel is close to my home."
Sheng Yu looked up in surprise and saw Song Ke coming out of the room shirtless, holding a crumpled white T-shirt in his hand, putting it on as he walked towards the door.
He stood behind Tang Ci, his hand on her shoulder, and calmly met Sheng Yu's gaze: "I'm sorry, Tang Ci, for troubling you for so long before."
Sheng Yu's expression turned completely cold. He ignored Song Ke and stared intently at Tang Ci: "I want you to tell me what's going on yourself."
"Didn't you see everything?!" Tang Ci looked up, trembling, her face filled with anger for the first time. "I already made myself perfectly clear to you yesterday. What else do you want to hear from me?"
Only then did Sheng Yu notice the glaring red mark on her neck. Tang Ci looked wary and pleaded with him in a hoarse voice, as if she could no longer bear it: "Can you please stop bothering me?"
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the heavens and earth. A few seconds later, the corridor windows were illuminated by lightning, and the beech trees outside swayed in the raging storm as torrential rain poured down.
Even though they were separated by a window, the raging wind and rain felt as if they were hitting Sheng Yu. He stood dejectedly outside the door, his eyes bloodshot, staring at her for a long while amidst the pouring rain: "Tang Ci, if you have the guts, then disappear from my world."
"I won't let you off the hook next time we meet."
Sheng Yu's figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs. Tang Ci suddenly came to her senses, strode to the window, opened it, and looked down. Seeing the cold gray walls, she realized that she couldn't see the street from her room.
The cold rain poured incessantly into the windowsill, wetting the hem of her clothes. The thin fabric clung to her skin, feeling as cold as winter.
Summer had only just begun, yet it ended so abruptly.
/
On the day the results were released, Tang Ci, as the top scorer, was called to the school for an interview. She was led by leaders from various units and spoke under the spotlight all day long. Only at the end of the afternoon did she have time to talk to Lao Xu alone.
Inside the office, she held her cup and drank water, looking at Mr. Xu hesitantly for a while before asking, "Mr. Xu, how did Sheng Yu do on the exam?"
“He did very well on the exam, over 680 points. He could easily get into a top university in China,” Old Xu glanced at her strangely and continued organizing the documents in his hands. “But you should know that he’s leaving the country today.”
Tang Ci's cup wobbled, and the water almost spilled: "Today?"
"You didn't know?" Old Xu stopped what he was doing and asked in surprise, "Judging from what he said at the ceremony, I thought you two had already discussed it."
Tang Ci's head was buzzing with confusion. She didn't hear the second half of Lao Xu's words clearly and asked breathlessly, "Do you know what time his flight is?"
Old Xu hesitated for two seconds: "I saw that Zhou Yiyang posted it in the group, you can look for it."
Tang Ci took out her phone and quickly scrolled through the messages in the group. Sure enough, she saw the flight information posted by Zhou Yiyang: a flight from Nanling to Sydney, departing at 8 pm tonight.
The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and countless lights illuminated the world. The wall clock ticked, indicating that it was already seven o'clock.
Tang Ci suddenly sat up from her chair: "Teacher Xu, I have to go now because I have something urgent to attend to."
There were some follow-up interviews with print media, but seeing Tang Ci's anxious expression, Lao Xu quickly got up and comforted her, "Go ahead, be careful on the road."
The taxi sped along, driving onto the overpass and approaching the airport. When Tang Ci saw the brightly lit airport, he suddenly came back to his senses.
What is she going to do?
Sheng Yu would never welcome her to see him off at the airport.
As soon as the taxi exited the overpass, Tang Ci said to the driver, "Please stop across from the airport."
The driver turned and glanced at her: "Don't you need to take me to the terminal?"
"No need." Tang Ci got out of the car, found a bench in the square, sat down, opened the airline's flight information, and waited quietly.
Time ticked toward eight o'clock, and with a roar of engines, a passenger plane slowly took off, breaking free from the net of lights woven on the ground and soaring into the vast night sky.
Tang Ci looked up as the plane's tail broke through the thick clouds and gradually disappeared from sight.
So there really are gods.
On the way back, Tang Ci unexpectedly received a call from Zhang Wen, who was on the night shift and said there was an emergency that required her to come to the hospital for a face-to-face meeting.
Tang Ci couldn't refuse, and finally agreed to go.
Things must have been really urgent. When Tang Ci arrived, Zhang Wen was already waiting for her in the corridor outside the department. He waved to her as soon as he saw her.
Tang Ci ran to his side, panting, and asked, "Dr. Zhang, is something wrong?"
Zhang Wen quickly led her back to his office, took out a folder and a bank card from his drawer: "We've found a suitable kidney donor. You should be hospitalized as soon as possible to monitor your condition."
Tang Ci looked bewildered: "But I haven't submitted the form for a kidney donor yet."
“Your classmate Sheng Yu arranged for this,” Zhang Wen pushed the documents and bank card toward her. “He also left you some money, about three million yuan, which is more than enough for the surgery and follow-up treatment.”
Tang Ci clenched her hands, and asked incredulously in a low voice, "When did he come to see you?"
“About a week ago, he contacted the medical institution before he came to me—” Zhang Wen hadn’t finished speaking when he saw Tang Ci bursting into tears uncontrollably, so he quickly handed her a tissue: “Why are you crying over such a good thing?”
"I can't accept this money," Tang Ci said, her voice choked with emotion. "Please help me return it to him."
“At first I also felt it was inappropriate, but when I came to my senses and called him, his number had already been canceled.” Zhang Wen pondered for a few seconds and said, “He left you a message.”
"What?"
"He said that's his birthday wish for next year."
Tang Ci suddenly opened her eyes wide, and the memory of the night the fireworks were set off at the abandoned hospital came rushing back.
On the way back, the moonlight cast a thin layer on the ground. She probably realized then that there would never be another night like this, so she asked Sheng Yu, who was walking beside her.
What kind of wishes did you make on your birthday in the past?
"I never promised that."
Tang Ci exclaimed "Huh?" and then quickly realized that, being born into the wealthy and powerful Sheng family, there was indeed no need for ordinary families to rely on a once-a-year wish to make a living.
Perhaps noticing her dejection, Sheng Yu tilted her head and chuckled softly, "Even if I were to grant it, it would be too late. My birthday this year was already a long time ago."
"And what about next year?" Tang Ci pressed on stubbornly in a deep voice.
"Can wishes be received in advance?"
“Okay.” Tang Ci raised her face and looked at him earnestly in the moonlight: “Think about it and I will try my best to help you achieve it.”
"Just try your best?" Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow.
Tang Ci swallowed hard, clenching her hands: "I'll do everything I can."
Sheng Yu's dark pupils gleamed as he pulled her close, his cool fingertips gently rubbing her cheek: "Good Tang Ci, once I've thought of something, you'd better keep your word."
...
Tang Ci left the hospital in a daze. Just as Zhang Wen had said, Sheng Yu's phone number was no longer in service, and Zhou Yiyang had also blocked her number.
A thin bank card pressed against the palm of the hand is both a heavy shackle and the dawn of a new day.
Her phone vibrated slightly. Zhang Wen had sent her a message: "Tang Ci, look ahead. With such good grades, you'll have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future. You can pay back your classmate later."
Tang Ci stared blankly at the bustling street, a base desire rising within her.
If her illness could really be cured, then she would run to a future she had never dared to hope for, return the money to him, and secretly glance at him one last time.
That way, she would have no regrets in her life.
/
After registering for school, Tang Ci was admitted to the hospital for preoperative observation. As the surgery date drew closer, her nightmares became more and more frequent.
She always dreamed that she was lying in the cold morgue, just like her mother, her body ice-cold. When she woke up, she was covered in cold sweat, and it took her a long time to calm down.
She began uncontrollably searching for cases of failed kidney transplant surgeries, spending her days in fear and confining herself to her hospital room. Sometimes her phone would ring several times in a row, but she would ignore it and just stay under the covers, lost in thought.
Finally, Zhang Wen couldn't stand it anymore, so he pulled her out of the covers and pressed the answer button for her.
Jiang Chan's enthusiastic voice came through the receiver: "Xiao Ci, I'm back from my trip! I brought you lots of gifts, come find me tonight to collect them!!"
Tang Ci paused for two seconds before saying in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
"Why does your voice sound so hoarse?" Jiang Chan was startled. "Have you caught a cold again?"
Tang Ci mumbled a vague "uh".
“Your health is already weak, so don’t keep working all night,” Jiang Chan advised worriedly. “Anyway, you still have student loans.”
Afraid of causing trouble for others, Tang Ci did not tell anyone about her surgery. Because she often did not answer the phone, she was scolded by her friends, so she simply used working as an excuse.
"I understand." Tang Ci took a sip of hot water, and after her throat had recovered a bit, she asked gently, "Where should I look for you tonight?"
Jiang Chan gave the address of a popular restaurant, and the two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Tang Ci had another check-up in the afternoon. When she arrived at the restaurant, Jiang Chan was already there. After she sat down, Jiang Chan pushed a bag of local specialties she had brought from all over the country in front of her.
"There's so much delicious food, you should try it."
Tang Ci had no appetite at all, but she still opened a flower cake, took a bite, and smiled, saying, "It's delicious."
"That's good." Jiang Chan's eyes narrowed into crescent moons. After taking a sip of her milk tea, she couldn't wait to ask, "Xiao Ci, do you know that Sheng Yu went abroad?"
Tang Ci swallowed the flower cake and nodded.
Jiang Chan frowned and stirred her straw: "I thought you two would definitely go to the same university, after all, Sheng Yu confessed to you in front of the whole school."
Tang Ci's eyes flickered slightly: "What confession?"
"You don't know?" Jiang Chan's eyes widened as she took out her phone and scrolled through the class group chat: "Sheng Yu's speech on stage at the graduation ceremony."
Tang Ci recalled that on graduation day, she was in the hospital for a check-up. At that time, messages in the class group kept popping up, but she didn't read any of them.
A piece of her heart felt like it was missing, and an invisible hand was clenching and clenching at the opening. The pain was so intense she could hardly breathe: "What did he say?"
Jiang Chan flipped to a video and placed her phone on her desk: "Take a look for yourself. A classmate recorded this video."
In the noisy and bustling auditorium, the camera shook for a while before finally moving from the rows of dark heads to the stage.
Wearing a neat white shirt, Sheng Yu folded his speech in half and placed it on the podium. He bowed slightly and said into the microphone, "That concludes the official speech. Now, I'd like to say something personal."
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Sheng Yu was overwhelmed by the tidal wave of applause, a carefree smile on his face. When the applause subsided, he spoke again: "I want to say to a coward who hesitates and looks back, don't dwell on the past, and don't be afraid of the future. Be as brave as you were when you took the initiative to talk to me."
"Because—" Sheng Yu, somewhere between a boy and a young man, was arrogant and unruly, radiating an untamed and haughty aura. His bright pupils, however, were fixed on the screen hiding in the corner: "In the finite future, we will possess the infinite."
"Tang Ci, do you want to come with me to take a look?"
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Author's Note: The campus arc has come to an end. The next chapter will begin with our reunion! [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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