hug
The hospital reeked of disinfectant, and hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Yu Xi drifted off to sleep amidst the noise.
After several days of shuttling between the company, the hospital, and home, she could no longer take it. As soon as she sat down in the caregiver's chair, drowsiness instantly overwhelmed her.
In a daze, she drifted off to sleep, and in her dream, she returned to the rented room where she and Meng Chou used to live.
The room still contained that small bed and desk, with no extra furniture, not even enough space to fit any larger pieces.
Yu Xi found the switch with ease, and the moment the light bulb turned on, the figure that had been sitting in the corner at the foot of the bed appeared before her eyes.
He hid in the shadows, but his gaze remained fixed on Yu Xi. Only when the lights came on did he slightly raise his head to face her directly.
If it were anyone else, they would have been terrified by the sudden appearance of someone in the room.
But Yu Xi wouldn't, simply because she knew that the person who came could only be Meng Chou.
Many times, when Jin Xuexiao encountered difficulties in her business, no matter how busy she was, she would habitually come to this rented room to sit for a while.
She bought the entire old neighborhood outright, without building any new houses, and even regularly sent people to clean it, just so she could come and take a look whenever she wanted.
Yu Xi strode forward, and Meng Chou, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, also got up. Just as the former stretched out her arms to hug him, she immediately took two steps back and raised her hand to signal her not to come any closer.
"Little fish, don't come any closer."
Yu Xi's eyes glistened with tears. She bit her lip, suppressing her emotions, and after a long while, she finally spoke, "Why? Even in a dream, can't you grant me this small request?"
"Meng Chou, is this request too much?"
The person standing there had his head down. His height and long legs gave him the advantage of being able to reach out and hug Yu Xi, but he just stood there, the lights shining down from above, and there was no trace of his shadow.
"Little Fish, I'm sorry, I can't hug you here anymore, even though this is a dream I've created."
Yu Xi remained silent, large tears falling onto the lenses of her silver-rimmed glasses, sliding down her cheeks to her chin, lingering there, tickling the eyes, a sorrow tinged with helplessness.
She knew from the beginning that it was a dream, thinking that she could finally hug her beloved in the dream, but she never expected that even this wish could not be fulfilled.
She turned her back, wiped away her tears, and tried to make herself look less disheveled. Then she turned back with a smile and said, "Chen Miao told me that it's not that you don't want to come to see me, or that you don't want to come to my dreams, but that you have your own reasons."
“I understand all of this. As long as you’re still here, even if it’s across the underworld, as long as you’re still here and haven’t abandoned me to drink the Meng Po soup and reincarnate.” Yu Xi’s sobs broke down at this point, and she covered her mouth with her hands. “I… I don’t hate you that much.”
She abruptly raised her head and commanded, "Meng Chou, look me in the eyes."
The latter, like an emotionless robot, obediently looked up after receiving the command, its eyes filled with unconcealed sadness and helplessness.
"Little fish, I'm listening."
Yu Xi suddenly calmed down and said, word by word, "Have I changed a lot in the past few years? Can you still recognize me?"
Meng Chou nodded. "I've always been by Xiaoyu's side, how could I not recognize you? I may forget anyone, but I will never forget you."
"Zeze has grown into a big kid." The two said in unison, glanced at each other, and smiled simultaneously.
Yu Xi continued, "The small bed from the rental apartment is still in our villa, and I haven't thrown away the dolls you sewed. Jin Xuexiao has survived many crises; have you seen all of these?"
"Did you know all this?"
Do you know how much I miss you?
Do you know that I secretly go to the cemetery to celebrate your birthday every year?
Do you know how difficult it was for me to act like a cold, indifferent person who didn't shed a single tear in front of them during the period right after you left?
These words and emotions were buried deep in her heart. How many times had she wanted to run to Meng Chou's grave and tell him all of these things?
However, now that he is standing right in front of me, and I want to speak, I realize that I can never tell him anything.
Blood and tears welled up in Meng Chou's eyes. He took two steps forward, closing the distance between himself and Yu Xi, yet maintaining a fist's width of separation.
A soft voice came from above Yu Xi's head, "I know my little fish has suffered a lot of injustice. I've always been here, but I haven't been able to help you much."
"I don't need your help, I just want you back." Yu Xi stepped forward and grabbed his hands. When she touched Meng Chou's broad palms, she could clearly see the man's brows furrow and a fleeting look of pain on his face.
This is a dream, the only space where ghosts and humans can touch each other without needing special privileges.
But the moment Yu Xi touched him, Meng Chou's black gloves slowly disappeared like bubbles in the sunlight, revealing his ulcerated skin and the shockingly gruesome back of his hand.
These hands, which were once quite bony, are gradually fading away, like the fireflies she released on that summer camping day, drifting into the sky.
Yu Xi desperately tried to grasp the fading starlight, her body trembling and her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "Are you disappearing?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that contacting you would make you disappear. I'm sorry..." Yu Xi suddenly lost all strength, squatted on the ground, buried her face in her hands helplessly, and cried softly.
With his hands gone, Meng Chou helped her slowly stand up using his forearms. He had a gentle smile on his face, with no hint of blame. Before Yu Xi could speak again, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
"How could I not even grant Little Fish this small wish?"
"I'm just afraid of disappearing too soon and losing the chance to talk to you."
"Now, give me a good hug again!"
Yu Xi pressed her forehead against his cold chest muscles, her scalding tears dripping onto his suit, as if trying to burn a hole in it, so that the tears could merge with the emptiness in her heart.
Her breathing was erratic, and she said with difficulty, "You really are a liar. You promised to stay with me for the rest of your life, how could you go back on your word?"
With a wry smile, Meng Chou slowly disappeared into her embrace.
The small rented room fell silent again, leaving Yu Xi alone once more. She stood there, still embracing Yu Xi, refusing to let go.
She was deceiving herself into thinking that she could leave behind even the slightest trace of him, thinking that waking up that way would make her feel better.
"Sister, why are you crying?" The echoing voice came, and Yu Xi suddenly woke up from her dream, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
Before she could turn her head to secretly wipe away her tears, a hand wrapped in bandages brushed away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Chen Miao used the strength of the arm to sit up with difficulty. "Sister, don't be sad. Look, I'm fine."
As he spoke, he rotated his wrists, his two hands, wrapped like marshmallows, spinning twice in the air, causing Yu Xi to chuckle softly.
"Who said I was sad for you?" she said irritably, dodging his bandaged hand.
Chen Miao tilted his head, pretending to be completely unaware. "Huh? Isn't my sister moved by my heroic act of saving the damsel in distress?"
"After seeing that I was seriously injured, you secretly cried for me?"
Yu Xi immediately denied it, "I'm not!"
Chen Miao blinked her innocent big eyes, "That's really so sad. I've done all that, but I still can't move my sister?"
Just then, the nurse who was changing the dressing pushed open the door and overheard the conversation between the two. She laughed and said, "She's lying to you. She's been taking care of you these past few days while you were unconscious. She comes every day."
Yu Xi turned her head away, no longer looking at him, but she knew that Chen Miao had a smug expression on his face.
"Your girlfriend is very attentive. Look how well she takes care of you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have woken up so early." When the nurse entered the room and heard Chen Miao's coquettish plea for comfort, she assumed the two were a couple and blurted out.
Yu Xi quickly turned around and waved her hand, saying, "No, no, no, we're not in that kind of relationship."
Then she coughed lightly and said, "He is just my subordinate. He had an accident at work. As his superior, it is only natural that I should come and check on him more often, in case he tries to extort money from me."
Chen Miao's lips twitched down. Seeing that she was embarrassed and didn't dare to look at him anymore, he suddenly had an idea. While the nurse was still removing the bandages and changing the dressing, he cried out in pain and then turned to look at Yu Xi.
"Sister, it really hurts." Chen Miao stretched out her arm, showing her hand that the nurse had already bandaged. "Sister, blow on it and it won't hurt anymore."
Yu Xi ignored him, only rubbing her forehead and looking around furtively.
She has always been a powerful figure in the business world, and few people can turn the tide. Unexpectedly, she has become the passive party today.
"Sister, are you really so heartless?" Chen Miao feigned grievance. "I don't want a title, I just hope you can look at me more often. That's all I wish for."
"Sister, can you grant me this request?"
He spoke unclearly, and the nurse who had just changed his dressing and was slowly packing up his things wanted to continue listening, but the ward door was pushed open again.
Meng Yun entered first, followed by people carrying fruit baskets and flowers. He glanced at Chen Miao on the hospital bed, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, as if to say, "Is that all you've got? You think you can compete with me?"
The latter retaliated with a fierce glare.
All of this silent conversation slipped smoothly out of Yu Xi's sight.
"Sister-in-law, I heard that one of your employees was seriously injured, so I came to see him. I didn't expect to see you here too."
After gathering her thoughts, Yu Xi calmly said, "I wasn't that busy today, so I came to check on things."
“That’s perfect. There are some things I want to discuss with you, sister-in-law. I wonder if you would be willing to come outside with me to talk?” Meng Yun raised her hand to signal the people behind her to put down the fruit basket and bouquet, and said in a serious tone.
"Of course!" Yu Xi was willing to help with anything related to business.
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