Chapter 99 The next morning, the streets were lined with...
The next morning, the streets were desolate and the air was still chilly after getting out of the car.
Take the elevator up to Ashera.
The receptionist was a young woman who had just graduated and joined the company through campus recruitment. On her first day on the job, she stared at Cheng Mingdu's face for a long time before slowly getting up and asking, "May I ask who you are looking for, sir?"
Cheng Mingdu's gaze swept over the rows of workstations inside the glass door. People gradually sat down to start their work, but that particular office was completely empty.
After explaining the purpose of the visit, the receptionist apologized somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ye has taken a long leave of absence and has already handed over all the core matters."
"How long?" His throat tightened.
"Six months."
*
In the evening, Cheng Mingdu stood downstairs at Ye Yuying's apartment building and rang the doorbell in the twilight, but no one answered.
Finally, the call was answered by a stranger, and a strange man's voice came through the intercom.
"You're looking for that girl surnamed Ye, right? She moved out a few days ago, and I'm here to collect the rent."
The male voice on the intercom was crisp and efficient, like a routine announcement. As soon as he finished speaking, a clear "beep" sounded, and the power was cut off.
Cheng Mingdu stood downstairs, his ears suddenly going blank.
The once bustling apartment building is now eerily silent.
As dusk slowly descended, a cool evening breeze swept over him. He took a half step back and looked up—the windows on the upper floors were tightly closed, heavy curtains drawn back, revealing no sign of human presence.
It was clearly a spring evening, yet the air carried a desolate chill. A restless energy surged within him, but he could only suppress it, his lips pursed, his eyes dark and unfocused.
Cheng Mingdu stood there for a long time, then took out his phone and dialed her number.
"The user you dialed is currently unavailable." The cold, impersonal voice repeated itself over and over, like a dull knife repeatedly cutting into my heart.
He paused for a moment, then turned and dialed several Ashera executives. The responses he received on the phone were almost identical—President Ye had handed over all matters before leaving the country and had not left any additional contact arrangements.
The lease was terminated, his phone was switched off, work was handed over, including the help he received at the time, the relationship between the two of them, and the subsequent severing of their relationship—everything was interconnected.
It was as if she had already planned her escape route, ready to withdraw from this city at any time and erase all traces of her existence.
Too clean and efficient, cold-blooded beyond the norm.
He found her private email address, which already had an automatic reply set up: "Currently on leave, emails will not be processed in a timely manner. Please contact Ashera's official email address."
Why, so suddenly?
It was as if the entire city was tacitly keeping quiet for her.
*
Elsewhere, in a white hospital room, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, a smell she had grown accustomed to.
Ye Yuying leaned quietly against the hospital bed, an IV drip in her arm, and her medical record folder beside her was filled with detailed pre-operative care notes.
Her phone had run out of power and she hadn't had time to charge it, so it was in the drawer.
Her visa is still valid, and she is waiting for a confirmation email for her flight to Germany.
It'll be in a few days.
She knew that anyone who called would only get a cold, dismissive reply.
That was exactly the result she wanted. Before actually boarding that flight, if she received a call from someone, she wouldn't know where to begin explaining.
She didn't need to explain to anyone; they were all frail and sickly, so there was no need to add to her worries.
The treatment she received from the doctors in China is not yet fully finished, but she can go back and have the doctors develop a more suitable pre-operative plan for her.
After finishing work on Friday morning, Li Song flew directly to China, stayed overnight in Jiangcheng, and then accompanied Ye Yuying on the plane back the next day.
The night was deep, and the terminal at Jiangcheng Airport was sparsely populated, with flight information flashing on the electronic screens.
Li Song pushed his suitcase and carried a thermos in his hand. His brows were somewhat solemn as he said in a low voice, "Take your time. There's plenty of time, after all, we came five hours early."
She suddenly stopped and whispered to Li Song, "What might happen during this surgery?"
"...It won't be worse than it is now, but I can't guarantee that."
Ye Yuying nodded, her lips pressed tightly together, as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated.
It wasn't time to check in their luggage yet. The two sat in the brightly lit airport, but the cold white light made her feel no warmth at all.
Her shadow was stretched extremely long, as if it were being dragged along, and could be pulled to the ground at any moment.
She suddenly turned around, her voice low and hesitant: "Li Song... could you... give me another injection?"
Li Song was stunned for a moment, then his face immediately darkened: "Now? Are you crazy? You're not in the right state to cause any more trouble."
She didn't continue speaking, but leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and pondered, her lips curling into a smile of sorrow.
"Did you bring it?" she asked again.
Li Song gave a straightforward negative answer.
Ye Yuying saw through it immediately: "You brought it, didn't you?"
“I know.” She lowered her head, her fingers curling slightly at her sides, her eyes serene. “But this time, it might be the last time I can stand and walk completely. Even if it’s only for a few hours, I’m willing. I know what the price will be, but I’m willing. Just this once…”
The air condensed.
Li Song's knuckles tightened on the thermos, and he remained silent for a long time, his eyes revealing an undisguised embarrassment and hidden pain.
“Yu Ying, you know perfectly well that this stuff can only relieve pain and mask the injury. If your condition worsens before the surgery, you might not even be able to get onto the operating table.”
"I know." Her voice was soft, but with a resolute determination that defied all odds. "That's why I said it would be the last time."
She looked at him with an almost pleading gaze, yet with a hint of determination: "This is the last time, because after the surgery I may never be able to stand up again... That kind of life is too hopeless and too regrettable."
Li Song closed his eyes, as if making an extremely difficult choice, and finally whispered, "...Okay, as long as you can accept all the consequences."
He turned to retrieve the small first-aid kit he always carried with him.
He had originally intended to keep it as a backup only in emergencies and never imagined he would give in at a time like this.
Ten minutes later, the medicine was slowly injected into the syringe. Ye Yuying's breathing trembled slightly, but her fingertips gripped the back of the chair tightly.
"Just bear with it for a moment," Li Song said in a low voice.
She bit her lip, her eyes reddening, trying her best to endure, but as the medicine was pushed in, a smile slowly bloomed on her lips.
After a while, the effects of the medicine gradually took hold, and her stiff muscles felt as if they had been released from their shackles. She gently lifted her leg and tried to stand up slowly.
At that moment, her back straightened, like a bird that had finally broken free of its cage.
Tears welled in her eyes, but a smile appeared on her face: "Thank you."
Li Song looked away with shame, her palms clenched so tightly they turned white.
Ye Yuying slowly stood up, her body trembling slightly under the light, yet she could stand without needing to lean on anything.
She took one step, then another, on the cold floor of the waiting area.
With the support of the medication, her steps became surprisingly steady.
Even knowing that it would be a fleeting moment and that it would come at a great cost, she still raised her chin, as if she had finally reclaimed a bit of dignity that belonged to her in her destiny.
She cherished the opportunity to stand at this moment and enjoyed every second to the fullest.
In the distance, a traveler passed by, glanced at her curiously, and then hurried away.
This little miracle belongs only to her.
Li Song followed beside her, his hand nervously half-raised, afraid that she might suddenly fall, but he never stepped forward to help her.
She turned around, her eyes filled with a smile, a smile that was long-lost and bright, even if it was just a fleeting illusion.
"Li Song, thank you for making this possible."
Li Song's Adam's apple bobbed, and he replied in a deep voice, "Mm."
But the bitterness deep in his eyes was hidden there.
One injection allowed her to walk again.
Ye Yuying sat down again, straightening her back, and took out her phone. Her fingertips hovered over the input box, and she hesitated for a long time before slowly typing out the words.
Cheng Mingdu, are you awake? I'm flying to Germany in a few hours, and I want to see you.
The moment she sent it, she used up all her courage.
She gently closed her eyes and placed her phone face down on her lap.
Li Song turned and glanced at her, but said nothing.
He knew that this was her obsession, an obsession she would fulfill even at the cost of her life.
A few minutes after sending the text message, Cheng Mingdu stood on his balcony, the cold wind blowing into his chest.
He stared at the message on his phone screen, and suddenly froze.
The next second, he gripped his car keys tightly, turned around, and went downstairs.
Cheng Mingdu sped along, barely having a chance to check his watch. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to get through each bend as quickly as possible.
As he drove into the parking lot, he suddenly pulled the handbrake, got out of the car, and practically ran towards the terminal.
He feared that if he was even a minute late, he might never see her again.
Ye Yuying and the others were also very uneasy while they were waiting, and in the meantime, they completed the baggage check-in.
She didn't know how long it would take Cheng Mingdu to get there, and she was afraid that he wouldn't see her this time she stood there.
On the bench at the security checkpoint, Ye Yuying leaned forward nervously, looking around, her phone clasped in her hand.
The medication kept her legs supporting her body, but she knew time was passing.
The announcements on the loudspeaker kept repeating, but she had no interest in understanding them.
Just as she was wondering if Cheng Mingdu would be late, she looked up and her gaze suddenly froze.
Across the bustling crowd, a familiar figure strode quickly towards them.
Cheng Mingdu's gaze swept across the hall, and when it settled on her, he saw her stand up from the bench without any support.
Ye Yuying stood up almost instinctively, her legs swaying slightly, but she still raised her chin.
He really came!
She almost ran to meet her.
Across the crowd, she suddenly threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around him as if she wanted to nail herself to that moment.
Cheng Mingdu staggered from the impact and instinctively hugged her tightly, his palms almost embedding her into his bones.
His strength was so great that her feet were lifted off the ground, and she could barely breathe.
Their foreheads touched, their breaths hot and rapid, as if trying to confirm each other's presence.
"Ye Yuying..."
His voice was compressed into barely audible breath, "How dare you just leave like this?"
Her eyelashes trembled, her eyes glistened with tears, yet she smiled, her voice as soft as a whisper:
"I originally intended to leave like this, but... I regret it... I still want to see you one last time."
So that you will remember how I stand.
He seemed completely shattered by those words, his arms tightening around her, pulling her firmly into his embrace.
At this moment, the eight-year gap between them, the misunderstandings, and the question of why she, despite her obvious disability, was standing there, all seemed to be crushed and transformed into a passionate embrace.
It's as if we've never been apart.
The announcement came on again, reminding passengers that it was time to board.
Ye Yuying's body was still pressed tightly against his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly as she suppressed her sobs.
Cheng Mingdu pressed his palm against her back, his knuckles clenched white. He almost wanted to use so much force that he could trap her completely and prevent her from leaving.
But the constant flight reminders in the air made it impossible for anyone to be a nurse.
She slowly pushed him away, tears welling in her eyes, but she forced a smile: "Brother, I'm leaving. Protect Ashera for me. I only trust you. Don't come looking for me. We will meet again."
Ye Yuying suddenly smiled, but her smile was tinged with tears: "I want you to remember this moment when I stand here."
His throat felt blocked, his heart churned with bitterness, and all his words ultimately turned into an even tighter hug.
His voice was filled with extreme pain as he held her tightly in his arms, his eyes bloodshot. "You had a pain-relieving injection, didn't you? Don't play around with your health anymore..."
She was taken aback, then called out softly, her voice like the wind spreading through the night, "You knew everything?"
Cheng Mingdu nodded.
The announcement came on for the third time, and passengers began to line up to board the plane.
Li Song stood at a distance, not approaching, pulling his suitcase, his eyes dark and heavy.
Ye Yuying released Cheng Mingdu and took a half step back. Her back was slender, but her steps were firm.
She walked step by step toward the boarding gate, as if she were putting all her strength into each step.
He could only watch helplessly as his heart was torn apart, bit by bit.
Until she disappeared at the ticket gate.
The whole world truly stopped breathing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
