Chapter 116 (Added 2100 words of plot) ^^……
The wind stopped, and the morning sun set once more on the sea.
The temperature inside the medical cabin remained constant, and the ticking of the machines continued steadily.
The doctor came in, asked a few questions in a low voice, adjusted the monitor, wrote a few notes on the record board, and then gently lifted the curtain, letting in a ray of warm light.
“The weather has improved,” he said. “Once the sea conditions are more stable this afternoon, we will dock first and then arrange for air transfer. You all need to observe the situation further.”
Ye Yuying nodded and said politely, "Thank you."
After the doctor left, the cabin became quiet again.
She slowly got up, poured a glass of warm water, and placed it on his bedside table. The steam from the water enveloped his face in a thin mist, making his complexion appear almost transparently white.
The ship docked at 3 p.m. The sea breeze outside the harbor was still cold, but the sky over Ushuaia had cleared, and the sunlight made the snow shine so brightly that it was hard to open one's eyes.
Rescue vehicles and medical teams were parked at the dock, crew members were making handover records, and passengers were being led off the ship in batches.
They were first sent to the port hospital for observation of hypothermia-related trauma.
Cheng Mingdu's report showed that, apart from minor frostbite and temporary hyponatremia, the patient's vital signs had returned to normal, and only rest and continuous fluid replacement were needed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the ward, and a strange man who looked neither Asian nor white walked in.
“Miss Ye,” the other party confirmed her identity in English before switching back to fluent Chinese, her tone gentle yet measured, speaking concisely:
"Mr. Cheng's family has contacted the hospital and the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we have received approval for emergency medical evacuation. The chartered plane is expected to arrive early tomorrow morning, where a medical crew will transfer him directly to Chengdu."
Ye Yuying was taken aback.
"Do I need to complete any procedures?"
"Both you and Mr. Cheng are on the accident list. We will process your departure and medical clearance documents together."
The other party paused for a moment, then added in a low voice, "Mr. Cheng's father personally called the embassy. Please rest assured, everything will be arranged properly."
The man nodded politely to her, handed her the document bag, and left, leaving only the sound of the ward door closing softly.
Ye Yuying stood there for a long time without saying a word.
She looked down at the document, which bore the temporary approval from the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the red seal of the Chinese Embassy.
Cheng Mingdu had taken her away from the Cheng family for more than half a year. She didn't know how Cheng Mingdu handled his relationship with the Cheng family, and... before leaving, she was an outsider, and after leaving, she should be an insignificant stranger to the Cheng family.
Cheng Mingdu did not call home, and Qizhi Xiaozhu was Cheng Mingdu's mother's house, so no outsiders would disturb him.
I originally thought that the two of them were both lonely stars banished from the universe, drifting at the ends of the earth.
This is only happening now; the one who's truly homeless is herself...
This diplomatic document will allow the "Cheng family" to intervene in their world again.
She vaguely knew that this meant they would soon be taken back to China, and Cheng Mingdu would have to return to that vast and closed family network.
Is she... really going to be homeless?
*
3:00 AM, Ushuaia Airport.
A biting wind swept across the runway, the night sky was clear, and starlight reflected on the ice. A white Bombardier medical jet, its silver-grey logo emblazoned on its fuselage, was parked on one side of the airport.
Cheng Mingdu was carried onto the cabin by medical staff, still connected to a portable ECG and oxygen cannula. The cabin temperature was kept constant at 25 degrees Celsius, and soft lighting replaced the cold light from the ship.
The doctor gestured for Ye Yuying to fasten her seatbelt on another foldable hospital bed and handed her a flight itinerary.
Medical transfer route: Ushuaia — Buenos Aires — Anchorage (add oil) — Rongcheng.
The entire journey takes approximately 26 hours, and the plane is equipped with three doctors, two nurses, one translator, and one tour leader.
“This is a specially permitted flight route through diplomatic channels,” the doctor explained. “There will be one resupply stop along the way, but the passenger will not disembark. Mr. Cheng’s condition can withstand long-haul flights.”
The plane didn't suffer much delay and began taxiing for takeoff.
Through the porthole, Ye Yuying watched as the South American continent gradually receded into the distance, the coastline curving into a pale blue arc in the night.
She turned around and looked at Cheng Mingdu, who was standing quietly not far away.
He was still in a light sleep, with a faint indicator light flashing next to the ventilator.
After a long period of drifting, Ye Yuying finally realized for the first time that they had to go back, back to a world where they could start a new life.
She had an uneasy feeling that everything was about to be reshuffled again.
*
The plane traversed the long night sky, from the ice fields to the equator, and then to the eastern dawn. Twenty-six hours later, the familiar outline of the continent appeared outside the cabin.
After the plane landed, they were taken directly to the Affiliated Hospital of Union Hospital in Chengdu. They were then transported to a private ward for observation and required continuous oxygen and high-concentration glucose infusions to prevent complications caused by delayed cold metabolism.
Ye Yuying stayed by her bedside for several days. Until the doctor announced, "Miss Ye, you can be discharged now."
Ye Yuying stayed by his bedside for several days. She barely slept, spending her days wiping his frostbitten knuckles with the nurses and her nights dozing lightly on the sofa.
The ward lights were always dim, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant and saline solution.
The monitor beeped, seemingly merging with the brainwaves.
On the morning of the fourth day, the doctor pushed open the door and entered.
“Ms. Ye,” he looked at her, then at the monitoring data on the hospital bed, “Mr. Cheng’s vital signs have stabilized and he can enter the rest phase.”
Ye Yuying nodded subconsciously: "That's great."
The doctor paused, then softened his tone: "However... you should rest for the next few days. The follow-up care will be taken care of by the hospital team and Mr. Cheng's private caregiver."
Ye Yuying was stunned.
“I can stay here and not bother them,” she said softly, almost pleadingly.
The doctor shook his head: "The Cheng family has already sent someone to take over. It's actually inconvenient for you to stay in the ward. They'll arrive tomorrow morning."
She paused slightly, as if she hadn't understood.
Seeing the complicated look on her face, the doctor added softly, "Mr. Cheng's family knows you were also injured. Please rest assured, they will arrange everything."
The doctor handed over a document: "This is your discharge recommendation. You can go home and rest first. We will notify you of the visitation arrangements after Mr. Cheng has recovered."
Ye Yuying took the paper, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"Thank you," she said softly.
A strong, indescribable sense of loss welled up inside me.
She raised her head and her gaze fell on Cheng Mingdu on the hospital bed.
He had opened his eyes; he was still somewhat weak, but his mind was clear.
“You heard that, didn’t you?” he spoke first, his voice low and hoarse. “They want you to be discharged first.”
She nodded, her eyes flickering: "Mmm..."
Where should she go...?
Cheng Mingdu stared at her for a few seconds, his gaze deepening.
“Returning to my humble abode,” he said.
"……What?"
“Auntie will continue to take care of you.” His voice was soft, but firm and unyielding. “Don’t go anywhere else for now.”
Ye Yuying looked up at him.
“It’s not convenient for me to leave yet,” he continued, as if stating a fact. “It’s quiet and safe over there, and no one will bother you.”
"But...you'll go back to the Cheng family after you're discharged from the hospital..." She hadn't finished asking the question.
“I will return to Qizhi Xiaozhu.” He suddenly interrupted, his voice still hoarse, but with a familiar firmness.
Ye Yuying paused for a few seconds before nodding gently, "...Okay."
“I’ll come to see you when I’m discharged from the hospital,” he said.
*
She left the hospital in the evening.
The car stopped in front of Qizhi Xiaozhu. The bamboo grove remained the same, and the wind chimes under the eaves tinkled softly in the night breeze.
The aunt opened the door for her. The house was very clean, the curtains had been changed to a different color, and the decorations had been adjusted with a smile. The room was quiet.
She changed out of her coat and walked to the window. Outside, it was a dark night, and the mountain breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves.
She suddenly felt a little cold.
It's summer, even though.
She poured herself a cup of hot water, but didn't drink it; instead, she held it in her palms to warm it.
She subconsciously considered the worst possible outcome for every event with a probability, to see if she could accept it. If she could, she wouldn't be too afraid even if the worst outcome occurred.
The worst outcome... is simply that he doesn't come back and won't allow her to live there.
Although she has some money in her account right now, it was all given to her by Cheng Mingdu. She doesn't even have the courage to go online and look for rental listings.
Hugging her knees, she browsed movie websites until late at night, but didn't click on any of them.
*
The following day, the admission letter from Beicheng University was delivered to the door of Qizhi Xiaozhu by the postman.
Ye Yuying was woken up early in the morning by the doorbell. When she went downstairs, the aunt was already chatting with the postman at the door. She waved to her and said, "Yuying, come quickly. This needs to be signed for by you in person."
She closed the door and eagerly opened the package.
Inside the express delivery bag was a thick admission notice, with the school emblem—Tsinghua University Department of Mechanical Engineering—printed on the cover with a dark blue background and gold embossed design.
For a moment, she was stunned.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the line of printed text:
"Admission notice from the School of Mechanical and Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering, Tsinghua University".
Those words seemed to flash in the air.
Ye Yuying stared at it quietly for a while before gently stroking the gold-embossed school badge with her fingertips.
"That's really great!" the aunt couldn't help but exclaim. "Tsinghua University is a top-tier science and engineering university. Yuying has been admitted to the best mechanical engineering department in the country!"
Ye Yuying looked up and excitedly met her aunt's joyful eyes. Her lips twitched slightly, revealing a somewhat embarrassed smile.
Recently, her classmates have been posting pictures of their college admission notices online, but when she received hers, she didn't feel much of a sense of reality.
Because she had been a poor student and a delinquent for too long since junior high school, even if her grades improved later, for her, the ranking was just a number on paper. She never had a real feeling about where she was going in the future.
Actually, she didn't understand much about being admitted to the Mechanical Engineering department. After all, she didn't know what mechanical engineering was. Originally, she wanted to study architecture or economics, but she didn't understand those majors either. Computer science was Cheng Mingdu's major, but secretly she didn't want to be forever overshadowed by Cheng Mingdu's fame...
She always had this competitive spirit in her heart, a competition with herself. She once hoped that her grandmother and aunt could see her win the gold medal and get into the top university. No child in her hometown had ever been admitted to such a university. Her grandmother and aunt didn't know what Tsinghua University was like, only that it was the top university for science and engineering, a shining name, a name that had been talked about by generations.
In the end… only her aunt saw her gold medal on her deathbed; neither of them witnessed her being admitted to Tsinghua University…
Thinking of all this, large tears fell down her cheeks. Her heart felt heavy and choked. This was the most distinct weight she had experienced in all these years. It was the weight of regret that made her remember and shed tears no matter how far or how high she went.
*
As evening fell, the mountain breeze grew cool, and the bamboo forest swayed.
Ye Yuying sat on the steps, watching the sunset. She had been bored for a while. Although Cheng Mingdu usually left early and returned late, without Cheng Mingdu's Qizhi Xiaozhu, she once thought she was a left-behind child.
Suddenly, a beam of headlights swept through the bamboo grove. The sound was steady and unhurried until the familiar black sedan pulled up at the door.
She followed the car with her eyes for a few seconds, then realized what was going on, and immediately stood up to open the door.
When Cheng Mingdu got out of the car from the back seat, he was still wearing a dark gray coat. He looked much better than when he was in the hospital. His eyebrows and eyes were normal, and he even showed a more captivating calmness and tranquility after his illness.
"You've been discharged?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Hmm," he replied simply.
Ye Yuying looked at him, feeling a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.
He turned around, seemingly noticing her absent-mindedness: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied softly.
Aside from... missing you a little and worrying that you won't come back.
As if to prove this, she rushed upstairs, retrieved her acceptance letter, and handed it to him.
She despised herself countless times for showing off her treasures to her parents, thinking it was so childish, but she still couldn't help wanting Cheng Mingdu to know.
He smiled slightly, his gaze fixed on the admission notice sealed with golden patterns.
"Tsinghua University?" he asked, his tone carrying a hint of slight satisfaction.
"Yes." She nodded. "I just received it."
"Congratulations," he said.
She paused for a moment, her voice almost inaudible: "Were you... also admitted to this university?"
Although he eventually went abroad, she had heard about it.
He smiled and said, "Yes, Computer Science Department. We've been alumni twice now."
“I actually…didn’t expect to be accepted,” she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of remorse and confession. “I just applied randomly, and I didn’t have any hope of getting accepted.”
She felt a strong sense of unworthiness, unworthy of being admitted to the top university, unworthy of... having Cheng Mingdu.
"But you still managed to do it."
"That was luck."
“No,” he interrupted her.
He looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Aying, luck won't get you into Tsinghua University. This is the result of your ability and hard work. It's all a natural outcome."
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Author's Note: I felt a little better this morning, so I quickly wrote a chapter.
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