Fifty stars
The huge living room instantly returned to deathly silence.
At the same time, her feeling of uneasiness reached its peak.
"No, I'm worried. I need to go back to Jingluo."
She blurted out the words in a panic before she could even think. She was so anxious that she even rushed to the entrance to change her shoes.
But Feng Chibai grabbed her and shouted at her, "Lin Tang, it's very late now."
But Lin Tang acted as if she couldn't hear anything and tried to leave forcefully, but the strength in her hands kept stopping her, making her unable to move.
In a state of panic, people tend to become more sober. She finally sensed something strange and turned her head, her breath a little unsteady as she asked, "Are you... hiding something from me?"
Her eyes were dry and sore from being open for too long, but she still stared at him straight, as if trying to find clues from his face.
The force holding his arm gradually loosened, and finally he was no longer restrained. Lin Tang took out his mobile phone to book a plane ticket.
But before the interface jumped to the payment step, a deep voice sounded in front of him: "I'll take you there."
Lin Tang raised his eyes in a daze. The person in front of him was staring at him closely, with the corners of his eyes inexplicably red.
This statement was not meant to steady her words.
It was past midnight when the plane landed in Jingluo.
The two hurried to the hospital. Looking from the outside, the whole hospital was quiet and shrouded in an oppressive darkness. The walls blocked out most of the street lights, making it look more like a solemn church.
The inside of the hospital was still not very bright, with only a faint light in the corridor.
But the closer we got to the ward, the clearer we could see, and there were faint lights coming out from inside.
The moment the door opened, Grandma Lin was sitting there with difficulty breathing, and she was not going to fall asleep as she said.
The moment she saw Lin Tang, Grandma Lin was clearly a little flustered. But when she saw Feng Chibai's expression behind her, she immediately understood that it was Lin Tang who insisted on coming, so she tried to act normal and asked softly, "Why are you here so late?"
The closer they were, the more Lin Tang could hear the trembling in her voice, as if her strength was gradually being taken away. Tears glistened in her eyes, and she stared at her without blinking: "Didn't you say you were going to sleep? Why is the light still on? Your body is aching again, isn't it?"
She knew the reason without having to guess.
But Grandma Lin still explained: "No, I was just woken up by the noise outside."
As she was talking, her nose suddenly started bleeding. Perhaps it was the norm these days, so she didn't notice it for a while.
But Lin Tang saw it clearly: her pupils suddenly constricted, her mouth opened in panic, and for a moment she couldn't even breathe. The next second, as if she finally couldn't hold on any longer, a mouthful of blood spurted out of Grandma Lin's mouth.
Lin Tang was horrified and ran out like a headless fly to find the nurse on duty.
The nurse seemed to be accustomed to this. She calmly pressed the communication device on the bedside, urgently contacted the doctor to prepare for surgery, and then pushed Grandma Lin's bed to the operating room in an orderly manner.
The whole process happens in almost ten minutes.
Lin Tang didn't understand. Didn't she say before that everything was going in a good direction? Why did she suddenly vomit blood?
The tears that had gathered in her eyes burst out almost instantly, falling down in big drops. She didn't even bother to question it. She stared at the closed door of the operating room, as if she wanted to see through the door to the unknown situation inside.
The corridor was as quiet as a chicken. Feng Chibai stood behind Lin Tang, watching her silently. When he saw her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, he wanted to get closer to her, but he didn't dare.
He wanted her to say something, but as if she was afraid of disturbing the situation in the operating room, she bit her lip and said nothing, with the only instruction in her mind being to cry.
When the operation was over, Grandma Lin was still unconscious. Lin Tang watched as the bed was wheeled into a ward, but he didn't immediately go to check on her. Instead, he walked over to the attending doctor who had just come out and asked with a sob, "How is my grandma? Didn't she say she was getting better? Why did she suddenly vomit blood? Why does she look so bad?"
She spoke more and more urgently, eager to know an answer.
But the doctor did not respond to her. Instead, he looked at Feng Chibai, as if asking him whether he should tell her the truth.
She was smart enough to understand everything at a glance.
Her chest rose and fell, her breathing was unstable, and she looked at Feng Chibai in shock and anger, and let out a breath along with the hot air in her throat: "Feng Chibai, I want to hear the truth!"
Feng Chibai's eyes were confused and hesitant for a long time, but he finally nodded to the doctor.
After receiving the approval, the doctor explained, "The situation did improve at first, but then the cancer cells suddenly began to spread. In addition, the elderly person's body cannot withstand the pain of radical removal, so..."
The only treatment is palliative surgery, but this can only relieve symptoms and cannot completely cure the disease.
He didn't say these words out loud, but Lin Tang could roughly guess what he wanted to say.
Grandma Lin can’t be cured.
Lin Tang's eyes were red and swollen from crying, as if half of his soul had been torn away from his body. He asked weakly, "So, how long will it take?"
The doctor half-lowered his eyes and said regretfully, "Less than a week."
Less than a week.
These four short words left Lin Tang unable to react for a moment.
She stood there in a daze, suddenly remembering that Feng Chibai had promised her that July would accompany her to meet Jingluo. She was instantly furious, and all her rationality disappeared. With bloodshot eyes, she stepped forward and grabbed the corner of Feng Chibai's clothes, roaring, "Why didn't you tell me! Feng Chibai, you must wait until your last breath to inform me, right!"
She wouldn't make it to July.
Liars, all of them are liars, everyone is lying to her.
Feng Chibai let her vent to him. His lips moved, but in the end he didn't say a word.
The nurse came out of the ward at the right time and reminded: "The patient is awake and wants to see his family now."
Lin Tang loosened his collar with trembling arms and rushed into the ward without any hesitation.
The person on the bed had opened her eyes. She had heard what Lin Tang had just said outside. When she approached her, she raised her limp hand to touch her head. She had just come out of surgery and was still very weak, even speaking with great effort: "Sui Sui, it has nothing to do with Xiao Chi. Grandma asked him to do this."
Every time she spoke, she would pause for a long time.
She knew that Lin Tang was busy with work, and if he knew the truth, he would definitely run back and forth. She was weak when she was a child, and she would definitely not be able to handle it.
So she asked Feng Chibai to keep it a secret for her. Rather than letting her suffer for a long time, it would be better to wait until the last moment to let her know.
But she never expected that her Sui Sui had always been very smart and would know the truth in advance.
Lin Tang lay on top of her, crying until he almost lost his voice: "But when you do this... have you ever thought about me?"
The next news she learned about Grandma Lin was that the last relative in this world had passed away quietly. She didn't even have the chance to see her for the last time. They were separated from each other from then on.
Did she ever think that she might not be able to bear such a huge blow in an instant?
Grandma Lin's eyes were a little moist, and her wrinkled hands gently wiped Lin Tang's tears. "Grandma knows that we are strong and we will live well."
She slowly raised her head and looked at Feng Chibai behind Lin Tang, then her gaze returned to her: "Sui Sui, don't blame Xiao Chi."
It was all her idea.
But Lin Tang just kept shaking his head, his back rising and falling. Grandma Lin knew nothing. In her heart, perhaps Feng Chibai would be her last relative in this world, but she didn't know about their deal, nor did she know the outcome a year later.
That night, Lin Tang cried until he was almost exhausted, and because he couldn't breathe smoothly, he fell into a deep sleep.
After she calmed down, Feng Chibai finally walked over and carefully carried her to the accompanying bed. As she was covering Lin Tang with the quilt, she suddenly heard Grandma Lin's soft voice from behind: "I'm sorry, Grandma has caused you trouble. I will talk to her in the next two days."
He turned around and heard Grandma Lin's voice continue, "It's really not easy for us Suisui these years, so Grandma hopes that after she passes away, you can love her for me."
Apart from this, she could not find anyone else to rely on.
Feng Chibai's eyes were red, and his voice was a little hoarse: "I will."
Lin Tang had taken a leave of absence from the research institute these days and had been staying in Jingluo to accompany Grandma Lin. Occasionally, when there was something important to discuss at the research institute, she would squat in the stairwell at the end of the corridor with her computer to hold an online meeting.
Because Feng Chibai concealed the truth from her, Lin Tang refused to say a word to him on the first day, but as time went on, her emotions gradually thawed and she was finally willing to talk to him.
The countdown of her life was approaching, and she had no choice but to be forced to endure the excruciating pain.
Many times at night, she would sneak outside to cry, and Feng Chibai would stay by her side. She didn't dare to sleep, fearing that Grandma Lin would quietly pass away at some point while she was asleep.
But her departure did happen at night, and it was not silent. Lin Tang watched helplessly as the electrocardiogram returned to a straight line in an instant, and there was no fluctuation thereafter.
That night was the most painful night in Lin Tang's life. It was even more heart-wrenching than the moment she learned the truth a few days ago. It was like ants gnawing at her body.
Grandma Lin's funeral was held in Jingluo. The weather had been sunny and cloudless for several days, but it rained on that day.
After the crowd dispersed, Lin Tang was still standing in front of the tombstone. Her eyes were moist. She stood there quietly, her throat hot.
The rain was still pouring down. Feng Chibai stood behind her, holding an umbrella for her. Glancing at her trembling body, he softly called out, "Lin Tang."
But there was no response.
In fact, Lin Tang could more or less foresee this result. A long time ago, the doctor at that time said that Grandma Lin's illness could not be cured, and as for how long she could live, it all depended on fate.
So, she had thought about the arrival of this day a long time ago.
It was just that Feng Chibai's appearance had given her an unexpected glimmer of hope, even if it was a slim one, she still wanted to try. She had a rough idea of the outcome of this attempt, after all, there were always many things in life that were beyond her control, so she didn't blame anyone.
She didn't know how long the rain lasted, nor did she know how long she had been standing there. The moment she turned around, she fell into a strong embrace.
She didn't push him away, as she desperately needed a place to lean on at this moment.
Warm tears soaked his clothes, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Lin Tang, I'm sorry, I broke my promise."
It was he who came to her with such confidence and gave her hope sincerely, but the result now was contrary to what he had promised.
The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella became quieter and quieter until it disappeared. The sky was still gray, but the rain had stopped.
After a long time, Lin Tang's emotions gradually calmed down. She kept half an arm's length away from him and looked at him calmly: "Don't worry, I won't break the contract. In the less than a year left, I will try my best to play the role of your wife."
As he spoke, a few tears fell uncontrollably.
Feng Chibai opened his lips and wanted to say that it didn't matter anymore.
Whatever choice she made, it didn't matter.
But he remained silent in the end.
Lin Tang raised her hand and stubbornly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She looked at the sky outside the umbrella. It was still covered with dark clouds, but there was a faint crack, and light seemed to be bursting out from the tiny gap.
She walked out from under the umbrella and said without looking back: "The sky is clearing up, it's time to go back to Huaizhou."
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