23 "The iron bones in my body are unyielding"
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the usually bustling hospital was much quieter.
He Yu leaned against the wall of the corridor in a daze, his hands and clothes covered in bright red blood.
This scene was very creepy, and Xiao Zhang was stunned for a moment when he arrived with Zhao Kuo. Years of understanding made him quickly judge in his heart that if something happened to Miss Tao today, He Yu would definitely not survive.
He had never seen him like this. If he had been so crazy looking for her in the past that he had lost half his life, then at this moment, Xiao Zhang felt that the remaining half was about to disappear.
"Miss Tao is blessed with luck, everything will be fine." He comforted softly and opened a pack of wet wipes to wipe He Yu.
Zhao Kuo looked towards the operating room, "Wan Jia, she—"
His words were interrupted. He Yu pushed Xiao Zhang aside and rushed directly to him. His bloodstained hands tightly grasped the man's collar, his eyes filled with resentment that had accumulated for a long time.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
He Yu questioned loudly, and he became even more furious when he saw Zhao Kuo's face. The dull pain in his heart could well explain his behavior at the moment.
He hated that he was not the first person Tao Wanji thought of when something happened, and he also hated why this man in front of him had more trust in her than him, and could still know her news even though he was thousands of miles away, and even rush to her at the first time.
Mingming, I have known them since childhood.
He Yu unconsciously increased the intensity of his movements, and blood stained Zhao Kuo's collar.
Xiao Zhang tried to stop him, whispering in his ear and trying to persuade him again and again, but He Yu refused to listen.
"Didn't you say you've never been to Qieyang and don't know Tao Wanjia? Then why are you pretending now?"
He looked at Zhao Kuo, his voice trembling slightly, "If you had told me earlier, she might not have been stabbed..."
Zhao Kuo remained motionless, letting He Yu vent his emotions. It wasn't until a passing nurse reminded him that he lowered his head and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you last time."
"You remember me, and I remember you too."
After the sincere words fell, He Yu slowly let go of his hand.
There were obvious tear marks under his eyes, and his whole face looked bloodless and pale, like a wandering ghost in hell.
"I want to know what she's been doing all these years," He Yu regained his composure and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Please tell me the truth, okay?"
He really has too many questions...
Why didn't you leave without saying goodbye?
Why do you keep avoiding me?
And why was he being hunted to this extent?
He Yu had guessed and pondered in his mind but could never find the answer. However, he didn't know if he had the courage to listen to the whole story.
He was afraid that if he knew the truth, he would only blame himself for being incompetent. He couldn't find her and protect her, but instead watched her fall.
Guilt and despair twisted and writhed through his body, draining him of all his strength and leaving him with even less willpower. He stared at the operating room and silently thought, "I want her to be safe, even if it means losing decades of my life." He didn't know how he'd managed to hold on until now, but he prayed to the wall over and over again.
"Wan Jia and I are colleagues and comrades-in-arms."
At this point, Zhao Kuo no longer concealed the truth and spoke the truth.
"I mentored her during her internship at the newspaper, and after she officially joined, she became my partner. She's the best investigative reporter I've ever met, undeterred by fame and wealth, and unafraid of hardship. Over the past few years, we've done a lot of in-depth reporting together. She doesn't care about bylines and even volunteered to be an undercover agent. She rarely appears in public, preferring to be comfortable working undercover."
The more Zhao Kuo spoke, the more uncomfortable he felt. They had worked together for five years, and ninety percent of the eighteen hundred days and nights had been spent working together. He knew where He Yu's misunderstanding of him came from, but there was more than just love between men and women in this world.
His admiration for Tao Wanjia is also the sympathy of an idealist for another person who also holds ideals. Above this, love is really not worth mentioning.
"Investigating is a very dangerous thing. Doing something you know is wrong will only lead to resistance. It's common to be retaliated against for affecting other people's interests, and being threatened and stalked is even more commonplace."
"Three years ago, we were investigating smuggling at the Qieyang border. Because of you, she was almost exposed that day. She wouldn't let me tell you about this. I had no choice but to return to Rongcheng. My boss couldn't handle the pressure and was forced to resign to protect her. But now, our former department has been completely disbanded."
The thrilling stories of the past now seem like a thing of the past when recalled. Zhao Kuo never asked about these things after he resigned. He also didn't know what news Tao Wanjia and Pei Qiang originally wanted to report, and why the other party could hire killers to chase her all the way from south to north and refused to let her go.
After listening to this, He Yu was overwhelmed with thoughts. Just as he was about to speak, the door of the operating room opened.
He hurried over, and the vice president in charge of the operation took off his mask and informed him of the situation.
"The patient had a large amount of blood accumulated in his abdominal cavity, but fortunately no vital parts were injured. He has now been rescued."
Xiao Zhang and Zhao Kuo breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this, but He Yu alone still looked worried.
After Tao Wanjia came out of the operating room, he was sent to the intensive care unit. He followed him all the way, but in the end he had to stop outside the corridor.
Huang Zheng returned to the hospital after giving her statement at the police station. After listening to Xiao Zhang's explanation, she persuaded He Yu, "Visitors are not allowed now. I'll stay in the hospital and you can go back."
He was covered in blood, and just standing there was scary enough, even though Huang Zheng looked about as bad as him.
He Yu didn't look back and continued to stand motionless at the door.
"I'm not going anywhere until she wakes up."
Huang Zheng knew that she could not persuade Tao Wanjia when she saw this, and she was worried about him so she wanted to stay here. However, after Xiao Zhang mentioned it, she thought of Huang Shengsheng and had to leave first.
Everyone couldn't sleep that night, especially He Yu. For the first time in his life, he felt that time was passing so slowly.
Outside the window was the dark night and faint starlight. He sat on a bench by the wall and read a document given to him by Zhao Kuo under the cold white light above his head.
He had heard most of those reports, but he had never imagined they were all written by Tao Wanjia. Her record and achievements as an investigative reporter over the past few years were evident in the accumulation of these earth-shattering revelations.
He suddenly remembered that when they were sixteen or seventeen, the beautiful years when they were looking forward to the future, they had also discussed their ideals together.
On a weekend in early summer, he took her to the mountains to collect folk songs. They sat under a large locust tree, and He Yu skillfully took out his tools to draw her a picture. Worried that she wouldn't be able to sit still, he kept talking after every few strokes.
"Have you thought about what you will do in the future?"
"I just want to leave Rongcheng."
The wind was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Tao Wanjia looked at the serious and handsome face of the young man under the tree and suddenly smiled.
"My ideal is to follow you!"
He Yu stopped and the charcoal pencil in his hand turned.
Under his gaze, she spoke seriously, "When you become a nationally, oh no, world-famous painter, I'll be your assistant, following you around the world, going wherever you want and doing whatever you want. Anyway, you'll pay my salary, and that's my greatest dream."
The paper on the edge of his palm wrinkled. He Yu came back to his senses and tried to focus his scattered gaze again, but he found that his eye sockets were sore and he couldn't read a single word.
He didn't know how she'd fared in the years since leaving Rongcheng, but he knew now that she was stronger than ever. The steel in her body made her unyielding, gleaming in countless corners of the world he couldn't see.
He Yu should be happy for her, as she was as brave and resolute as ever, but for some reason, he started to cry as he thought about it.
The next evening, Tao Wanjia woke up and was transferred to the general ward.
Huang Zheng went in first to visit. She took a deep breath and prepared for a long time before entering the door, but she couldn't help herself when she saw her.
"Wan Jia..." She stood beside the bed, her tears completely flowing.
Her mind kept flashing back to yesterday's events. She was so selfish and had been bullying her since she was little, but she actually risked her life twice to save her sister. Huang Zheng felt immense regret when she thought of this.
Tao Wanjia only felt pain. She had no strength and couldn't speak. As she watched Huang Zheng wiping away her tears, her hand moved beside her.
Huang Zheng noticed her movements and quickly wiped away her tears. She bent down and informed her of the current situation. "Wen Dongyang said that the man has confessed. Don't worry, he will be punished by law."
The ceiling was a dazzling white. It was a sunny day outside, and the clear sunlight from outside the window shone into the house through the glass.
Tao Wanjia nodded. There was a loud noise at the door and He Yu, who had just returned from the police station to assist in the investigation, entered the house.
He hadn't slept all day and all night, and after changing his clothes, he wasn't as disheveled as he was yesterday, but his eyes were severely bruised, and his face looked as haggard as if he were seriously ill. He hurried back when he heard the person had woken up, trotting down the corridor, not caring about anything else.
Huang Zheng took the initiative to give up space to He Yu and made up an excuse.
"The doctor just said he needed to go to the first floor to get medicine, so I'll go first."
She closed the door, and the ward soon returned to silence, even the ticking of the clock could be heard clearly.
After calming his breathing, He Yu pulled a chair and sat down, his eyes still fixed on Tao Wanji's.
She wanted to avoid his sight, but before she noticed, his hand had already covered hers.
"Does it hurt?"
He Yu spoke softly, and there seemed to be a slight tremor in his tone under his forbearance.
He gently stroked the back of her hand, "Do you know how scared I was yesterday?"
After a moment of silence, Tao Wanjia's heart sank.
She remembered everything he had said in her ear before she passed out, and she also remembered the touch of the hot tear on her forehead. She hated to admit it, but her last thought before she completely lost consciousness was regret.
She regretted letting He Yu witness this scene, and even more so, she wondered if she'd left him like that, wondering if he'd be unable to recover from this trauma for decades to come. She'd already been cruel enough to him; she shouldn't have tortured him even at this point. Yet, she was also thankful. If that truly was her last moment, collapsing in his arms would be a kind of fulfillment.
Tao Wanji's eyes became hot, and the tears that rolled down to the side of the pillow were quietly swallowed by the cotton cloth.
"I will never leave you again, and I will never again put myself in this fear of losing you."
He Yu held her hand and pressed it against his face, his flickering eyes gradually softening.
"Actually, I never blamed you. Whether you left Rongcheng or were in Qieyang, I assumed you had your own reasons for not wanting to tell me. I was just angry that you didn't tell me anything, but I never thought the truth was like this."
He no longer cared about the days and nights he spent searching for her; he had turned the page in his mind.
He Yu paused for a moment, his expression serious, "Jia Jia, no matter what happens in the future, we won't separate, okay?"
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