Chapter 11 Farewell, Cheng Mingdu.
After getting on the bus, it was Li Song who sent Ye Yuying the location.
Ye Yuying was initially confused as to why Li Song had suddenly sent her a message.
Immediately after, Ding Chu sent a message saying: "[Boss, Dr. Li is in Chengdu attending a meeting. He'll pick you up in a bit!]"
Logically speaking, Li Song should know her condition best. They have known each other for many years and have maintained a doctor-patient relationship, but there is also a sense of sympathy between overseas Chinese in a foreign land. Ding Chu thought that having Li Song pick her up was indeed the safest option.
Ye Yuying gave Cheng Mingdu a location, the car started, and drove along the lakeside path onto the highway.
She remained silent in the carriage for a long time, her face expressionless and her eyes calm, as if this farewell was just an ordinary departure, without any weight.
She tried to be more composed, but just as the lake of her dreams was about to disappear from the rearview mirror...
She suddenly turned around, opened the car window, and the wind rushed into the car, stirring up one of the most sensitive nerves deep in her chest.
Her hair was lifted from her forehead, and strands fell into her eyes. She didn't cry, but she felt a blur in her eyes, not from moisture, but from the strong wind.
She neither avoided nor retreated, but quietly peeked out half of her face, as if to firmly etch that last glimpse of the lake into her memory.
Although the lake was now hidden by trees, she knew that the lake... was there.
The wind seemed to carry some kind of signal; she felt as if she could hear the echo of the lake's gentle murmur and smell the scent of the lake in the air…
Cheng Mingdu glanced at her, loosened his grip on the steering wheel slightly, and slowed down the car. He didn't intend to say anything, but he kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
He finally spoke, his voice not loud, but extremely pleasant to the ear in the wind, still carrying the familiarity of his memories, unlocking the complex and inexplicable thoughts that were now wrapped up like a silkworm in its cocoon.
"They've all left, why are you still looking back?" There was no questioning or tenderness in his tone, just a calmness that bordered on restraint, like an old wound that he dared not touch.
Ye Yuying did not answer immediately. The wind was still blowing, making her eyes slightly red, as if she had been crying, yet they were clearly dry without a single tear.
Her tear ducts seemed to have withered away as she got older.
After a long silence, she slowly said, "It's nothing, I just wanted to see if anything was different."
"Was it the same day you left?" There was no resentment in his tone, but his voice suddenly became hoarse.
“Same…” She nodded, her voice soft, filled with guilt, a guilt more genuine than the wind.
She slowly pulled her head back, letting the icy air seep into her bones, until the car window slowly closed again, shutting out the sound of the wind, and those fleeting thoughts were also locked inside.
Cheng Mingdu didn't reply, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, as if he was using all his restraint to avoid looking at her.
The car remained quiet. She gazed at the receding scenery outside the window, her heart churning with emotions, yet she couldn't utter a single word.
The mountain road gradually straightened out, and the outline of the city became clearer and clearer.
She felt as if her heart was still stuck in the mist by the lake, unable to catch up.
The car slowly drove into the agreed location and stopped on the side of the road. Not far away, a small blue sedan was already waiting. Li Song was sitting in the car, holding his phone in his hand. It seemed that he had just hung up a call. When he looked up, he saw them approaching, opened the car window, and nodded slightly.
"We've arrived." Cheng Mingdu parked the car steadily on the side of the road, his tone still calm, but a few degrees colder than before.
He was holding his phone, seemingly having just hung up a call, when he looked up and saw her.
Ye Yuying bent down to unbuckle her seatbelt, pushed open the door to get out of the car, and picked up her bag as she did so.
"I'll get off first," she said softly, preparing to turn and get off the bus.
She moved slowly, and Cheng Mingdu got out of the car faster than her, walked around to her side and helped her hold the car door open.
Even though the two of them had parted on bad terms to this extent, he still considered the fact that she had difficulty walking.
She hesitated for a moment, but still placed her hand in his palm and accepted his help.
Perhaps this will be the last time...
The two cars were very close together. When Li Song saw that she hadn't brought her cane today, he immediately prepared to get out of the car, but she silently stopped him by looking up at him.
Cheng Mingdu only saw her off to the middle of the two cars, thinking...
Holding her hand and handing her over to another man, even if it wasn't at the wedding, was enough to make him resent the whole thing to the core.
"I'm leaving." Her tone was calm and composed, as if she were speaking to a friend, or a relative, with a touch of polite distance.
"Thank you." After saying these three words, she gently withdrew her hand from his, the movement so light it seemed as if she had forcefully severed some invisible bond.
Cheng Mingdu stood still, his deep gaze softening slightly, and when he looked at her again, it had become much less intense.
He nodded: "Okay, go ahead."
This carefree attitude put her at ease, at least proving that there was no irreconcilable enmity between them after all.
Ye Yuying smiled, turned around and walked towards Li Song's car. Her steps were steady. Outside her, crowds thronged and cars rushed by, as if she was about to step into this noisy world, into a city that had nothing to do with him.
But before she had taken more than a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
She looked down at the ground, then slowly raised her head. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her nose stung. The overwhelming sorrow was almost unbearable, causing her to furrow her brows deeply.
She hesitated for a moment, then dragged her ailing leg forward two more steps before coming to a complete stop.
In the end, she turned back and walked quickly to Cheng Mingdu, her previously calm eyes now filled with urgent and surging emotions.
Cheng Mingdu didn't move, just stared blankly as her figure approached step by step. He could even hear his heartbeat suddenly quicken at that moment, as if he had been hit by something blunt.
Her eyes were already red, as if they were about to bleed, and she stared intently at him, her gaze never wavering.
Her chest heaved violently, her entire being instantly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions, to the point that even the sounds she uttered were broken:
“Cheng Mingdu… I know that we are missing a goodbye.”
She had rehearsed this farewell in her mind countless times; it had weighed on her heart for years, making her feel like her sternum was about to shatter.
"Ye Yuying, what do these words mean now..." His voice turned stern.
She remained unmoved, simply looking at him with a calm gaze, but her voice trembled violently, and she struggled to utter a single word:
"I didn't have the courage to say those words back then. But today, I want to make up for it."
She took a deep breath, her lips twitched slightly, but she didn't smile; she just stared intently at her.
"Goodbye, Cheng Mingdu. Ye Yuying is about to embark on her future."
She spoke very slowly and with utmost seriousness.
What I should have said eight years ago... I've finally traveled back in time to say it now.
In that instant, the whole world seemed to be paused. The wind blew from the end of the city, and the hustle and bustle of Chengdu's streets lost its color, leaving only the distant and empty sound of the wind.
Cheng Mingdu stood there, his gaze trembling slightly. His Adam's apple bobbed, but no sound came out.
Ye Yuying did not wait for his response, nor did she fear hearing it. She had gently returned the heaviest stone in her heart to time.
Her turning motion was slow, even hesitant, but just like the sound of her cane hitting the ground after her injury, it did not diminish her resolve in the slightest.
When Li Song saw her return, he instinctively reached out to help her. But she waved him off and got into the car steadily on her own.
As the car door closed, she turned her head to take one last look at Cheng Mingdu.
That glance was neither fiery nor tender, nor did it carry any obsession with unrequited love.
It's just a confirmation of letting go.
Cheng Mingdu stood there, neither chasing nor moving. He seemed to realize that anything he said at that moment would be a form of blackmail against her.
He had imagined countless times what it would be like for them to reunite, even if it was just an argument, a hug, or even a hysterical breakdown.
In the end, Ye Yuying gave him nothing.
All I gave him was a "goodbye" eight years late.
Li Song started the car, drove onto the main road, and merged into the congested traffic.
Cheng Mingdu's figure gradually shrank in the rearview mirror, eventually blurring into the city fog.
"Are you tired?" Li Song asked softly.
She hummed in response, her voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible. The sunlight wasn't harsh that day, but it still made her eyes sting.
She closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and only then did tears belatedly begin to fall.
Li Song glanced at her, pulled over, and handed her a tissue.
He knew perfectly well that he had just witnessed a farewell.
No one has ever known Ye Yuying's story before she went abroad. Those few who know some of the inside story avoid talking about it, perhaps because the details are filled with sadness and helplessness that can destroy one's heart.
Some farewells only truly end when spoken aloud. Silence only continues to ensnare.
Li Songjing stayed quietly beside her and asked in a relaxed tone, "Yuying, how many years have you studied German?"
This topic, unrelated to sadness, could briefly distract her. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a tissue, composed herself slightly, and replied:
"Eleven years..."
Li Song pondered for a moment and said, "You are twenty-six years old this year, which means that you knew you were going to Germany when you were fifteen?"
“I didn’t think about it at the time, but when I was fifteen, someone said that learning German could help me resolve my inner conflicts, so I gave it a try.”
She answered as usual, her eyes filled with a hint of melancholy.
“That person, that’s the one from earlier…” Li Song had already guessed, “So, he was the one who kept your secret from before you turned eighteen…”
Ye Yuying did not deny it, and nodded: "Mm".
"Was it because...you knew you needed to return to Germany for follow-up surgery that you said goodbye to him completely? Otherwise, this should be your day of reunion, your happy ending..."
"This moment may be the last dignified moment of my life..." she sighed.
Neuroplasticity has a time window; if it is delayed any longer, it will become completely irreversible. The German expert group has discussed that her neurological function has reached the 'critical point before decline'. If no intervention is taken, she is very likely to lose all autonomous functions within the next three years.
The next surgery is crucial; it may be her last chance to repair the damage, but there's no guarantee she'll recover completely. It could leave her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, or... end her life prematurely.
"Ending early" is a euphemism. If this surgery fails, she will not die immediately, but... she may enter a state of extremely low quality of life, dependent on a ventilator or bedridden, and her physiological functions will gradually fail, making it impossible for her to sustain long-term life activities.
In this condition, it is highly likely that he will die from complications within three to five years.
Li Song didn't want her to wallow in sadness, so he turned on the car's music and played Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." The deep piano music flowed through the car, quietly taking her away from her emotions.
Ye Yuying leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and gently raised the corners of her mouth to the music, her fingertips tapping her thigh lightly to the beat of the music.
"Is this the real life Is this just fantasy..."
Freddie Mercury's voice came through the speakers, as if singing out the unspeakable sorrows she felt.
Li Song did not break the silence, but focused on driving, occasionally glancing at her to make sure that her emotions could still withstand the melody.
When the song reached the line "Nothing really matters to me," Ye Yuying gently opened her eyes and murmured:
"Actually, I'm scared too, Li Song."
Her voice was soft, but it cut like a knife to Li Song's heart.
"I'm afraid this is the end of my life, I'm afraid that when I wake up, all that's left is to wait for death every day..."
Li Song nodded, the emotion flashing across his eyes too quickly to conceal. He took a deep breath, his tone gentle yet firm:
“Yu Ying, this isn’t the first time you’ve been pulled back from the brink of death. Since fate is willing to let you live another time, it means it’s not ready to take you away yet.”
Ye Yuying smiled and turned to look at the gray-green winter scenery outside the window with a sense of relief.
A note from the author:
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50 red envelopes have been dropped! [Cat emoji]
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