93. President Cheng postpones his wedding (follow-up to Dr. Qi's story)
Two days later, the hospital lobby was bathed in the bright morning sunlight.
Wen Xueyan and Xi Mingyuan's divorce proceedings were complete, and she was now openly holding Cheng Boyan's arm, preparing to pick him up from the hospital.
As they walked toward the door, they did not notice a slender figure quietly watching them from beside a pillar not far away.
Rao Wanyi looked at President Cheng's still tall and aloof profile, and at Wen Xueyan's concern and intimacy beside him, and a trace of indescribable sadness and loss flashed across her eyes.
Under the guise of project communication, she learned from Secretary Qiao that Cheng Boyan was being discharged from the hospital today, and she even brought a bouquet of carnations.
Upon seeing this, Rao Wanyi stopped pursuing the matter, quickly lowered her eyelashes, and disappeared into the crowd as if she had never been there.
Although she didn't understand why Wen Xueyan got together with President Cheng right after divorcing President Xi, President Cheng already had someone he loved.
Halfway there, she couldn't hold back her tears, but Rao Wanyi quickly wiped them away and continued walking towards the parking lot, determined to start a new life.
On the other side of the hall, Dr. Qi Wenmu and his fiancée Ning Zhiyi were waiting to say goodbye. Dr. Qi was wearing a white coat, his gaze as gentle as ever, but the observant Wen Xueyan noticed a lingering melancholy between his brows.
"Dr. Qi, thank you so much for visiting me so many times these past few days." Cheng Boyan said respectfully.
Qi Wenmu shook hands with him: "President Cheng, you're too kind. You've recovered very well, but you still need to be careful not to overwork yourself recently and have regular check-ups."
Wen Xueyan also thanked Qi Wenmu, then gently took her best friend Ning Zhiyi's hand and walked to the side, asking in a low voice with concern, "Zhiyi, I think Dr. Qi doesn't look too well lately. Is he too tired?"
Ning Zhiyi glanced at Qi Wenmu, who was talking with President Cheng not far away, a complex and indescribable emotion flashing in her eyes. She sighed softly, "He's been acting strangely lately, always seeming to be hiding something. When I asked him, he only said that he was preparing for an international academic conference and was under a lot of pressure. We were supposed to get our marriage certificate this month, but he said he would wait until the conference was over and wait until next month."
She paused for a moment, then said, "Xueyan, I've passed my postgraduate entrance exam and I'm really looking forward to my new life. Wenmu said he'd cover my and Haohao's living expenses during my postgraduate studies. I don't know if I'm just imagining things, but I feel like he's not as happy as he used to be. I'm going to the restroom now, can you wait two minutes for me?"
Wen Xueyan nodded.
One minute later.
"Incompetent doctors! You're all incompetent doctors! Just because I didn't pay on time, you just watched my mother die!" A middle-aged man with a crazed expression suddenly rushed out from the rest area, brandishing a knife in his hand, his voice hoarse and desperate, "None of you will live!"
The crowd erupted in chaos, screams of terror filling the air.
As if losing his mind, the man first slashed the arm of the nurse standing next to him, and blood instantly stained the white nurse's uniform.
His gaze immediately locked onto Cheng Boyan and Wen Xueyan, who stood in the center of the hall with extraordinary bearing. As if he had found the embodiment of some injustice, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he charged towards them with his knife raised.
"Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're superior! Do you think you're the only ones who can afford to pay for medical treatment?!"
Cheng Boyan reacted extremely quickly. The moment the blade came at him, he pulled Wen Xueyan tightly behind him without hesitation.
The sudden movement caused a sharp pain in his abdominal wound.
The assailant was also afraid of Cheng Boyan's tall stature, so he ran to the side and then raised his knife to rush at another young female doctor.
At that moment, another figure rushed over.
It is Qi Wenmu.
It was almost an instinct ingrained in his bones to protect patients and the weak. The moment the crazed man raised his knife and rushed towards the female doctor, Qi Wenmu, like a white lightning bolt, stepped forward and quickly grabbed the man's wrist holding the knife with both hands.
"Stop! Calm down! Put the knife down! We can help you with any problems!" Qi Wenmu tried his best to remain calm and soothe the other party, attempting to awaken the remaining rationality in him.
His white coat became disheveled during the struggle, and his gold-rimmed glasses slipped to the ground, shattering with a sound.
His hands, steady and powerful, accustomed to wielding a scalpel, were now battling against a frenzied force.
But the man was completely consumed by grief and anger. With his other hand, he pulled out an even shorter and sharper dagger from his waist. Taking advantage of Qi Wenmu's full control over the hand holding the cleaver, he swiftly and viciously stabbed Qi Wenmu in the waist.
The man, like a mad tiger, stabbed several more times with the dagger in his hand, filled with destructive hatred!
Blood gushed out instantly from the wound on Dr. Qi's abdomen, quickly staining his white coat red.
"Dr. Qi!!" Wen Xueyan screamed.
Cheng Boyan's expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to rush forward to subdue the assailant. A passing man also reacted and tried to help. Three security guards also rushed over at this moment.
But everything happened too fast, and too late.
Qi Wenmu staggered back two steps, his body losing its balance, and he slowly slid to the ground against the reception desk. Fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, his face turned ashen at a visible speed, and his breathing became weak and rapid, each inhale accompanied by a labored hiss.
Soon, the security guards worked together to subdue the assailant by pinning him to the ground.
Cheng Boyan immediately knelt down beside Qi Wenmu and saw that he was still bleeding from multiple wounds.
Ning Zhiyi came out of the restroom, pushed through the chaotic crowd, and saw Qi Wenmu lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing. The color drained from her face instantly, her mind went blank, and the whole world seemed to have lost its sound.
She stumbled and rushed over, kneeling beside him, her hands trembling violently, hanging in mid-air, yet she dared not touch his blood-soaked body, which seemed as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
"Wenmu!" Her voice was broken and shattered.
Qi Wenmu seemed to hear her call, and his unfocused gaze struggled to focus.
Paramedics arrived as quickly as possible, lifted Qi Wenmu onto a stretcher, and rushed him to the emergency room. Ning Zhiyi, Wen Xueyan, and Cheng Boyan followed closely behind.
In the corridor leading to the emergency room, Qi Wenmu mustered the last bit of strength in his body, twitched his fingers slightly, and squeezed Ning Zhiyi's cold hand back.
He looked at her, his eyes filled with endless longing and deep pain, and a hint of almost relieved peace. He spoke very slowly, yet with absolute clarity, enunciating each word clearly:
"Zhiyi, listen up. Emergency treatment agreement, surgery? No, sign it."
Ning Zhiyi shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face: "No! You can't! You have to live! Wenmu, I want you to live!"
"Let me go..." Qi Wenmu's eyes were filled with pleading, but also with a desolate sadness that seemed to have seen through everything. "This is the best ending for me..." He knew all too well that such severe damage to multiple internal organs, especially the rupture of the liver and spleen, accompanied by fatal hemorrhage, meant that even if a miracle occurred and the patient was saved, there was a very high probability that he would spend his entire life in a hospital bed or face severe functional impairment.
He, a proud man who had once stood on the operating table to save lives, could not bear to live such a life without dignity or quality, which became a burden for her throughout her life.
He uttered even crueler words, haltingly: "Let's cancel our registration next month... I understand your hesitation all this time..."
He still held onto this thought, believing that she didn't love him, or didn't love him enough.
“No, I believe you, I agree to marry you,” she quickly explained.
However, Qi Wenmu's next words plunged her into an abyss. With the last embers of his life, he confessed the heaviest shackle in his heart:
"Also, I'm sorry, I've dabbled in futures again. Last month, I initially made over ten thousand. I wanted to surprise you, to make 500,000 and then buy a bigger house before stopping, but now I've lost it all, this time over five million..."
He closed his eyes, as if unable to face her reaction after learning the truth, his voice filled with endless regret and self-loathing: "I still... couldn't control my inner demons. But don't worry, since we're not married, the debt has nothing to do with you."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? We could have figured out a solution together..." She sobbed uncontrollably, resenting his immaturity and betrayal once again, and also feeling sorry for him bearing all of this alone until he was on the verge of collapse.
At that moment, the stretcher arrived at the door of the emergency room. The doctor walked quickly in with the surgical consent form, his tone urgent and heavy: "The patient's condition is extremely dangerous and surgery is necessary immediately! But the chances are slim. Even if the patient's life can be saved temporarily, the prognosis is extremely poor. Family members, please sign!"
The pen was shoved into Ning Zhiyi's trembling hand. That pen felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Signing it meant facing a long, agonizing ordeal and enormous debt; not signing it meant watching his life slip away, his final farewell to the world.
Love and responsibility, reason and emotion, life and death—at this moment, the choice weighed on her in the cruelest way.
The stretcher has been wheeled into the emergency room.
A sharp, long, monotone beeping sound pierced through the portable monitor connected to Qi Wenmu, clearly and coldly penetrating everyone's eardrums, and also shattering Ning Zhiyi's last hope.
The corridor fell silent instantly.
On the monitor screen, the curve that was originally slightly fluctuating, representing the struggle for life, has become an absolutely straight and calm line.
The pen in Ning Zhiyi's hand fell to the cold, polished floor with a "thud," echoing crisply and desperately.
She stood there blankly, staring at the pale face on the stretcher, devoid of any life. Was his last look one of relief, or of worry for her future?
Dr. Qi chose the most tragic way to repay his debt, freeing himself from his own struggles and pain, but leaving endless sorrow and eternal regret for the living.
Wen Xueyan stepped forward and hugged Ning Zhiyi tightly, whose body was ice-cold. She felt as if Ning Zhiyi's soul had been drawn away along with that long cry.
Cheng Boyan stood silently to the side.
The female doctor who was saved by Dr. Qi was already sobbing uncontrollably.
At night, in the penthouse apartment of Crystal Blue Peninsula, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a dazzling view of the city lights, with thousands of lights cascading like a galaxy, yet they could not illuminate the melancholy in Cheng Boyan and Wen Xueyan's hearts.
Cheng Boyan did not turn on the main light, but only lit a warm yellow wall lamp in the entryway.
He took off his coat and walked into the living room. He watched as Wen Xueyan silently put down her bag. Her thin shoulders slumped slightly, and her profile looked particularly pale in the dim light. Her eyes still held lingering fear and sadness.
He approached, reached out, and gently grasped her cold fingers. His palm was warm, carrying a steady strength.
"Xueyan, let's get our marriage certificate tomorrow."
Wen Xueyan raised her head and looked into his deep eyes.
Cheng Boyan paused, his fingertips stroking the back of her slightly cool hand: "But the wedding will probably have to be postponed for now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Xueyan immediately chimed in, with perfect understanding: "I know. I was just about to tell you, let's postpone the wedding. I'm heartbroken that Dr. Qi left like this today."
Cheng Boyan gently pulled her into his arms, letting her rest her forehead on his shoulder.
“At times like these, we do need time to heal and to remember. A wedding should be held in a state of true peace and heartfelt joy.”
Wen Xueyan nodded in his arms, closed her eyes, and felt the unspoken understanding and support. Postponing the wedding was a sign of respect for the deceased and a reverence for life and emotions.
Three days later, in the farewell hall of the city funeral home, amidst a solemn display of white chrysanthemums and lilies, Dr. Qi Wenmu's portrait hung in the center. In the photo, he wore gold-rimmed glasses, a gentle smile playing on his lips, his gaze wise and serene, as if still watching over every patient he had ever treated.
Besides relatives and friends, the hall was filled with patients he had treated and colleagues he had fought alongside. A heavy and sincere sadness enveloped the entire hall.
When someone read about Dr. Qi's life and mentioned his final heroic act, Dr. Lin Yuxi could no longer contain her emotions.
“Teacher Qi, I’m so sorry, it was all because he saved me,” she choked up, her voice filled with endless gratitude and guilt, “If he hadn’t rushed over to save me, he could have dodged…”
Several older doctors standing beside her gently patted her back, offering silent comfort.
Ning Zhiyi was wearing a long black dress with a small white flower pinned to her chest.
Beside her stood a small figure, Hao Hao, a second-grader. Although this child wasn't Qi Wenmu's biological son, he was his most beloved student. Hao Hao's little hands tightly gripped Ning Zhiyi's clothes, his whole body trembling as he cried.
"Dad Qi..." he choked up, "You promised to teach me math olympiad problems again, you said you'd take me to the planetarium..."
Cheng Boyan, dressed in a somber black suit, stood in the front row. Wen Xueyan, in a plain black dress, nestled beside him, her eyes red and swollen, occasionally rubbing the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Wen Xueyan also recalled the heartwarming comfort Dr. Qi had given her during the early stages of her pregnancy.
People say it was an accident, a noble doctor tragically lost his life. But later, in the quiet of the night, Cheng Boyan couldn't help but wonder: if he hadn't gotten so deeply involved in futures trading, if he hadn't accumulated those millions in debt, would the outcome have been different?
There are no "what ifs" in life.
He could have stepped back and waited for the security guards to subdue the assailant. As a doctor, he knew better than anyone the danger of rushing forward rashly. But at that moment, what made him step forward without hesitation? Was it a doctor's instinct, a desire to protect his colleague, or some unknown corner of his heart that had already lost all attachment to this world?
In the final moments of his life, Dr. Qi demonstrated the purest qualities of a healer. He may have lost his way in futures trading, or suffered sleepless nights due to debt, but in the moment of life-or-death decision, the compassionate heart of a healer in his bones triumphed over everything.
Wen Xueyan wiped away her tears, and when she looked up again, she saw that Song Tiancheng had also arrived, standing on the other side with his head down.
Ah. I want to see more!
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Thank you for your message.
Dr. Qi's death was too abrupt; it felt like the ending was just for the sake of ending it.
Thank you for your comment. Dr. Qi is the only case adapted from a true story in this article. All information, including the name, was changed with the consent of the other party's family. Before the debt crisis erupted, many debts were hidden, which is why insiders call it a debt "thunderstorm"—it seems to explode in an instant, but it has actually been brewing for a long time.
Such incidents of violence against medical staff are truly heartbreaking.
Actually, while reading Chapter 38, I had a vague feeling that this relationship might have problems, but I didn't expect it to be so tragic. It's so touching!
Thank you for your careful reading.
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