31 Are You Yu Wei?
On Sunday morning, Liu Yuwei arrived at the lecture venue half an hour early, as usual. She glanced at the sign and was surprised to find that the senior university where this legal education lecture was being held was located in a certain corporate plaza. It was said that this state-owned enterprise provided both the venue and the funds, having co-founded the school with the Xiangyang District government two years ago. As a major project that gives back to society, it adds a significant touch to the annual ESG report. Coming out of the elevator, Liu Yuwei walked slowly down the corridor. When she reached the lecture room, she glanced at her watch. 9:45, plenty of time. A commotion reached her ears, and she turned to look at the door. It seemed that the art class across the street had finished, and several men and women were emerging, chatting and laughing. The lecture room was gradually filling up. She turned back to the podium, pulled the courseware from her bag, and prepared to use the last few minutes to briefly review the material. As she was flipping through the materials, a female voice rang out from the side. "Are you, Yuwei?" Liu Yuwei looked up at the speaker, a thin woman in a dark gray cashmere sweater and beige striped woolen trousers. Her mind raced as she watched the slightly smiling face, searching her memory for the relevant information, but it seemed to be stuck somewhere. Noticing her hesitation, the woman took the initiative, her voice still gentle, "Don't you remember me?" Her thoughts returned, her gaze returning to the person before her. Those eyes inexplicably reminded Liu Yuwei of someone else, and she asked tentatively, "Are you... Aunt Li Xin?" Li Xin's smile instantly spread, as if she had received some kind of confirmation. She had just passed by after class and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Feeling uncertain, she asked a passing staff member about the class in Classroom 1. Learning it was a makeshift legal education lecture, she inquired about the teacher's name, and was told it seemed his surname was Liu. But this little information was enough for her. Because of their past, Li Xin and Liu Yuwei had a connection. She had been so impressed by the girl that she could recognize her instantly after all these years. "It's been ages! Auntie has aged so much in the past two years, no wonder you almost didn't recognize her!" Li Xin carefully examined the delicate and capable young woman before her. A little embarrassed, Liu Yuwei quickly replied, "No, no, you haven't changed much, you just look a little thinner!" Her gaze fell on the cardboard bag in Li Xin's hand. White rice paper peeked out from the bag's opening, and a close sniff revealed a faint scent of ink. She assumed she was just passing by by chance. "Auntie, are you here...?"
On Sunday morning, Liu Yuwei arrived at the lecture venue half an hour early, as usual. Glancing at the sign, she was surprised to find that the senior university where this legal education lecture was taking place was located within a certain corporate plaza. It was said that this state-owned enterprise provided both the venue and the funding, having co-founded the school with the Xiangyang District government two years ago. As a major project contributing to society, it made a significant addition to the annual ESG report.
After coming out of the elevator, Liu Yuwei walked slowly along the corridor. When she arrived at the lecture room, she raised her wrist to look at her watch. It was 9:45, and there was still plenty of time.
I heard a commotion and turned to look at the door. It seemed that the art class opposite was over and several uncles and aunts were walking out, talking and laughing.
The lecture room gradually filled up. She turned back to the podium and pulled her courseware from her bag, planning to use the last few minutes to briefly review the material. As she was flipping through the materials, a female voice rang out from beside her.
"Are you, Yu Wei?"
Liu Yuwei looked up at the person who had spoken. She was a thin woman wearing a dark gray cashmere sweater and beige striped woolen trousers. Her mind raced at the slightly smiling face, trying to find the corresponding information in her memory, but it seemed to be stuck at some crucial point.
Seeing that she was hesitant, the other party took the initiative to speak, his voice still gentle, "Don't you remember me?"
Her thoughts returned, and her gaze returned to the person in front of her. Those eyes inexplicably reminded Liu Yuwei of someone else. She asked tentatively, "Are you...Aunt Li Xin?"
The smile on Li Xin's face instantly spread, as if he had received some kind of confirmation.
She had just finished class and passed by when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Feeling a little unsure, she asked a passing staff member about the class in Classroom 1. Learning it was a makeshift legal education lecture, she inquired about the teacher's name, but the person only said his surname seemed to be Liu. But this little bit of information was enough for her.
Li Xin and Liu Yuwei had some connection due to their past experiences. She was so impressed by this girl that she could still recognize her quickly after all these years.
"It's been years! Auntie has aged so much in the past two years, no wonder you almost didn't recognize her!"
Li Xin looked carefully at the exquisite and capable young woman in front of him.
Liu Yuwei felt a little embarrassed and quickly replied, "No, no, you haven't changed much, you just look a little thinner!"
Her eyes fell on the cardboard bag in Li Xin's hand. White rice paper was sticking out crookedly from the opening of the bag. If she sniffed carefully, she could smell a faint scent of ink.
She guessed that the other party was just passing by and met by chance, "Auntie, are you here for class?"
"Yes, if you have nothing to do, learn to paint and cultivate your sentiments." Li Xin smiled, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.
"Yangyang is too busy and is rarely at home. I have to find something to do."
Yangyang is Jin Lang's nickname. Liu Yuwei hasn't heard anyone call him that in a long time.
It's strange to say that many celebrities who enter the entertainment industry will give themselves stage names. Some say it's to enhance their image and make them more memorable, while others say it's to conceal their identities and cut off from the past.
Jin Lang used his real name so openly, but perhaps because his privacy was protected too well or there was no gossip about his past, his fans gave him a bunch of nicknames, but no one knew his real nickname.
More than a decade ago, Liu Yuwei first heard "Yangyang" from Li Xin. She recounted the clear, cloudless sky on the day Jin Lang was born. Because it was important for boys to be sunny and masculine, her full name was Jin Lang, and her nickname was Yangyang.
…
Liu Yuwei stood at the podium, glancing at the "students" sitting below. There were only a few empty seats left. A nearby staff member came forward, and Li Xin quickly took a small step back.
"The lecture is about to start, let's get down to business first, we'll talk later!"
Liu Yuwei nodded and watched Li Xin walk to an empty seat in the back row and sit down.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Liu Yuwei, a lawyer at Tiancheng Law Firm. Thank you all for taking the time to attend our public legal education lecture. Today we're going to discuss the section on inheritance in the Civil Code..."
The classroom, which was originally a bit noisy, gradually became quiet, with only Liu Yuwei's voice echoing in the air.
Inheritance is a sensitive and realistic topic. Cases of family members and siblings falling out over money are not uncommon. Those who actively come to the senior citizen university to broaden their horizons are mostly from well-off families, and they seem to be very interested in this subject. The lecture, which lasted just over an hour, was over quickly.
Liu Yuwei was standing on the podium sorting out the materials in her hands when an auntie came forward to talk to her. With a hint of hesitation in her eyes, she asked softly, "Miss, I have something specific I'd like to consult you about. Is that okay?"
Liu Yuwei nodded quickly, "Of course, go ahead!"
Normally, people wouldn't go into detail about their personal affairs in such public places. But this woman, perhaps feeling it was a shame not to use the free lawyer she had finally found, was also worried about being overheard and gossiped about. She looked around and dragged Liu Yuwei to a small corner of the classroom.
Liu Yuwei listened patiently to her aunt telling her family story, and quickly established the relationships between the characters in her mind.
Suddenly, a cry came from behind, "Hurry up, someone has fainted!"
It is human nature to watch the fun. The aunt hadn't finished her story and was afraid that Liu Yuwei would leave, so she held her tightly and the two of them walked quickly towards the source of the sound.
When I got closer, I saw that the person lying on the ground was Li Xin.
Liu Yuwei's mind went blank, and her expression froze instantly. Past events flashed through her mind, and her nails dug into her joints, pinching them hard, trying to use the pain to remind herself to stay calm.
"Oh, does this require some kind of CPR? Does anyone know how to do it?" An elderly man nearby shouted with an anxious look on his face.
"How can we do that, young man? Can you do it?"
Liu Yuwei felt someone pull her hard. She squatted down and called out "Auntie Li Xin" twice, but there was no response. Then she reached out and felt her carotid artery.
Fortunately, there is still a heartbeat.
After a slight sigh of relief, she immediately looked up and shouted, "Does anyone have any quick-acting heart pills or nitroglycerin?"
"I have it, I have it!" An uncle squeezed out from the crowd, holding a small gourd-shaped medicine bottle in his hand.
Liu Yuwei hurriedly took it, quickly pried open Li Xin's mouth, and carefully put in two pills.
Soon, staff arrived with emergency personnel.
"Are there any family members here? Who is going with the car?" the emergency personnel carrying the stretcher asked loudly.
A staff member of the senior citizens' university stood aside, looking embarrassed. He was just an ordinary employee and was afraid that he would be troubled for no reason if he went to the hospital.
"I'll go with you. Don't delay!" Liu Yuwei saw this, grabbed his coat draped over the stool, and strode over. Seeing the lawyer's willingness to come forward, the staff member's expression softened a bit, and they hurried to follow.
After getting on the ambulance, Liu Yuwei rummaged through her bag for a long time before taking out her cell phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed Jin Lang's number.
However, a cold robotic female voice came from the receiver: "The number you dialed is turned off." She did not give up and tried again, but the result was still the same.
Liu Yuwei was extremely panicked as he couldn't find anyone at such an urgent moment.
"Ah!" She cried softly, and the paramedics all turned their heads.
She suddenly remembered that Xiao Meng and Jin Lang were on the same flight. If they had left yesterday, they should have landed by now. But due to the time difference, it was still midnight in Milan.
She quickly opened WeChat and found Jin Lang in the address book.
Since becoming a lawyer, she rarely deletes chat records with anyone. Their last conversation was about the trending Weibo post, and he said the company would take care of it.
Everything seems to be just yesterday, yet it seems like a lifetime ago.
Liu Yuwei's fingers quickly typed the next line of words.
【I have something urgent to talk to you about, please reply as soon as you see this! 】
…
The ambulance roared along, its sharp siren piercing through the hustle and bustle of the city, and soon arrived at its destination.
The emergency doctor came running over and asked loudly what was going on. The paramedics followed closely behind and briefly explained the monitoring data on the road.
"What about the family members? Do they have any medical history?" The doctor's eyes were sharp as he fixed Liu Yuwei.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her chest was filled with air that smelled of disinfectant and then exhaled. She tried to calm herself and answered quickly.
"She has a bad heart and had a stent surgery more than ten years ago."
"Did you experience chest tightness or chest pain before you fainted this time?"
The doctor continued to ask questions, his speech as fast as a machine gun, leaving no time for anyone to think.
Liu Yuwei's face was full of annoyance. She bit her lower lip and stammered, "I didn't notice..."
She was in a corner listening to someone telling a story about a family property dispute and had no chance to pay attention to Li Xin's situation.
"What about high blood pressure and diabetes?"
"I'm not sure..."
The doctor raised his eyes and looked at her, his eyes seemed to be scolding his children for being unfilial.
Liu Yuwei felt uneasy and subconsciously explained himself, "I'm not a family member, just an acquaintance."
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, the doctor's voice suddenly rose several decibels.
"Then contact the family quickly, it's already so late!"
Liu Yuwei was startled by the roar. It sounded like Li Xin's condition was very serious.
"Doctor Wang, the patient's heart rate is 74 and blood pressure is 85/125." The nurse came over with a silver-white recording board and quickly reported the data.
"Do an electrocardiogram, draw blood to check myocardial enzyme spectrum and blood sugar!"
She was quite anxious. She grabbed the doctor's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Doctor, can you rule out a heart attack? Is my life in danger?"
"We can only make a judgment after the test results come out!"
The emergency doctor spoke in a cold tone. After saying this, he turned around and strode away to explain the task to others.
Time passed by little by little, and every second seemed like torture.
Soon, the results of the electrocardiogram and blood tests came back, and fortunately, heart problems were basically ruled out. The doctor finally determined that the fainting was caused by hypoglycemia, and the nurse quickly hung a bottle of glucose for Li Xin.
Liu Yuwei's heart finally settled down. Seeing that Li Xin was still asleep, she trotted over to the cashier's window and paid the various fees for the inspection. She walked back, the yellow receipt in her hand, and pulled out her phone again to try to call Jin Lang, but the call still didn't go through.
She thought to herself, thank goodness, it’s just hypoglycemia.
Author's Note
Lazy Cat on the Cloud
author
03-13
A lot has happened these past two days. I never imagined that a relatively unknown writer like me would encounter so many obstacles. Thank you for your tolerance and support, and thank you also for the harsh comments and sarcasm online. My editor told me that writing is a long and arduous journey, and maintaining morale is crucial. So, all I can do is write my best. Whether it's good or bad, I'll leave it to time and every true reader. Finally, a message to Liu Yuwei: for myself and for you: "That experience was a huge blow to her, but it was also this pain that propelled her to rapid growth."
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