vegetative state
Mu Han lay on the ground, his consciousness hazy. He only vaguely saw a figure rushing towards him through the flames. He struggled to open his eyelids, and the figure's outline gradually became clear in the firelight—it was Lu Zhizhi. His heart inexplicably relaxed, and the fear that had lingered for so long quietly receded, replaced by a sense of peace he had never felt before.
Lu Zhizhi strode over to him, oblivious to the scorching sawdust landing on his shoulder. He saw Mu Han's right hand pinned by the toppled easel, the charred wood tightly gripping his wrist, his flesh already reddened by the sear. "Hanhan, don't be afraid! I'll get you out!" he growled, gripping the edge of the easel with both hands and straining to lift it upwards.
But the easel was deformed from the burns, and with the heavy paint box on top, no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. Mu Han watched as the back of his hand blistered and bled, yet he still refused to let go. His knuckles turned white from the exertion, and a sob welled up in his throat.
"Don't waste your energy..." He wanted to speak, but his voice was choked by the thick smoke in his throat, leaving only a weak sound.
Lu Zhizhi seemed oblivious to the noise. He gritted his teeth and exerted force again and again, the veins on his forehead throbbing. After an unknown amount of time, with a crisp "click," the easel finally lifted a fraction. "Quick! Pull your hand out!" he roared, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.
Mu Han pulled his left hand out of the gap with all his might, leaving several deep scratches on his wrist. Just as the two men breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden boom sounded overhead, and a burning beam came crashing down towards Mu Han. Lu Zhizhi was quick-witted and quickly protected Mu Han beneath him. The beam slammed heavily onto his back and bounced to the ground, spraying sparks all over his face.
"Cough..." Lu Zhizhi coughed, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't care about himself and quickly picked up Mu Han horizontally, "Let's go!"
Mu Han leaned against him, straining to keep her eyes open as she watched the blood pouring from his forehead, mixing with the cigarette ash and trickling down his face, staining most of his face red. Tears fell uncontrollably, hitting Lu Zhizhi's collar, leaving a small wet mark. "Lu Zhizhi...you've lost so much blood..."
Lu Zhizhi looked down at him and forced a smile that was uglier than crying: "It's okay... I'm lucky..."
Before he could finish his words, Mu Han's eyes went dark and he lost consciousness again.
Lu Zhizhi stumbled out of the fire scene holding him, but was stopped by medical staff just as he reached the door. A stretcher was quickly pushed over, and he carefully placed Mu Han on it. As he watched the stretcher being pushed away, his tense nerves suddenly relaxed, his vision suddenly went dark, and he fell down.
The lights in the emergency room stayed on for a long time. Han Yi was in an important meeting when he received the news. Without a word, he canceled all his plans and rushed to the hospital like crazy. Mu Han's parents also arrived, fidgeting in the hallway, their eyes red. Ji Xingyuan immediately dropped all his work and stood guard at the door of the emergency room, his brow furrowed.
After a day and a night, the lights in the emergency room finally went out.
Mu Han lay in his hospital bed, dreaming the same dream over and over again. In his dream, flames shot up into the sky, and Bai Zihan stood nearby, sneering, "Today, I'll show you who's most important to Ah Zhi." He watched Lu Zhizhi rush toward him, mentally bracing himself for abandonment—after all, Bai Zihan was the Lu family's intended marriage partner, and he was nothing. But the next moment, Lu Zhizhi ran straight up to him, scooped him up, and desperately rushed out. That embrace was so warm and resolute that even in his dream, he couldn't help but cry.
A week later, Mu Han finally opened his eyes. The glaring white light made him squint uncomfortably. His mother's voice, thick with fatigue, reached his ears: "Hanhan, you're finally awake!"
"Mom..." His voice was as weak as a mosquito's buzz, "How long have I slept?"
"It's been a week." His mother reached out and touched his forehead, her eyes reddening. "Finally you woke up. You scared me to death."
Mu Han suddenly remembered something and struggled to sit up, the IV tube shaking from being pulled. "Where's Lu Zhizhi? How is he?"
The mother's eyes flickered, and her tone was a little halting: "He... he is in the next ward."
"Is he awake?" Mu Han asked, tears welling in her voice. "Mom, what happened to him?"
The mother bit her lip, her voice filled with worry: "He...isn't awake yet."
"I want to see him!" Mu Han threw back the quilt and was about to get out of bed. His hasty movements caused his wound to be injured, causing him to gasp in pain. "Mom, take me to see him, please..."
"You are too weak now. The doctor said you need to rest well..."
"I don't care!" Mu Han's eyes were red, and his attitude was extremely stubborn. "I want to go now! If you don't take me, I will crawl over there by myself!"
His mother couldn't persuade him, so she had to help him get out of bed slowly and move step by step to the next ward.
Pushing open the door, Ji Xingyuan was sitting by the bed, peeling an apple. Seeing them come in, he simply glanced up and then lowered his head again, a layer of low pressure shrouding him. Mu Han walked to the bedside and looked at Lu Zhizhi, who lay there motionless. His head was wrapped in thick gauze, his face was as pale as paper, and even his breathing was so weak that it was almost invisible.
Tears instantly blurred her vision. Mu Han grabbed Lu Zhizhi's cold hand and choked with sobs: "Mr. Ji...why hasn't he woken up yet? What did the doctor say?"
Ji Xingyuan put down the apple knife, his voice tired and heavy: "The doctor said... his injuries are too severe, he might... might become a vegetable."
"Impossible!" Mu Han shook his head violently, tears falling on the back of Lu Zhizhi's hand, "He won't do that! He said he would make dumplings with me! He said he would..." The rest of his words were drowned out by his crying. He repeated over and over again, "Impossible... It's absolutely impossible..."
Ji Xingyuan sighed: "The doctor also said that a miracle is possible. It all depends on his will to survive."
Mu Han didn't say anything else, but just held Lu Zhizhi's hand tightly, sitting beside the bed and looking at him motionlessly. After an unknown amount of time, perhaps because he was too tired, he fell on the bed and fainted.
When he woke up again, it was already the next morning. Mu Han stared at the ceiling with a blank look in his eyes. No matter how much his mother tried to persuade him, he refused to eat a single bite.
"Hanhan, eat something, or you'll collapse." His mother handed the bowl of porridge to him, her voice pleading, "Just think about it, if Lu Zhizhi wakes up and sees how you've tortured yourself, how heartbroken he'll be. He needs someone to take care of him the most right now. His uncle has a lot of things to do at the company and he's completely overwhelmed. If you don't take care of yourself, how can you take care of him?"
Mu Han's eyelashes trembled. Yes, Lu Zhizhi was still waiting for him. He sat up suddenly and took the bowl of porridge: "I'll eat it."
He wolfed down the porridge, frowning even though it was so hot, but he didn't stop. His mother looked at him, wiping her tears and saying, "Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you..."
After dinner, Mu Han immediately went to Lu Zhizhi's ward. He sat by the bed, sometimes wiping Lu Zhizhi's hands, sometimes talking to him, although most of the time he was talking to himself.
When the doctor came to check on him, he specifically reminded him: "Talk to him more and tell him about your past. Maybe it will stimulate him to wake up."
From that day on, Mu Han would show up in the ward on time every day. He would tell Lu Zhizhi about their first meeting, Ji Lu's embarrassing moments, and the fun things that happened in the studio. When he talked about the funny parts, he would laugh first, and his eyes would turn red as he laughed.
That day, the doctor examined Mu Han and looked at his right hand, which had recovered well. He said, "It's recovering very well. If there are no problems, you can be discharged tomorrow."
"I'm well now and can be discharged." Mu Han said without hesitation. He had to be discharged quickly so that he could take care of Lu Zhizhi wholeheartedly.
The next day, he completed the discharge procedures and returned to the home that belonged to him and Lu Zhizhi. The house still bore traces of their lives together. The potted plant that Lu Zhizhi bought was still thriving on the windowsill, and the couple's cups on the dining table were placed side by side, but it lacked the atmosphere of fireworks in the past.
Not long after, the police arrived and said in a serious tone, "Bai Zihan has been found. He is in a mental hospital and has gone insane. The diagnosis is that he is mentally ill and not criminally responsible."
Mu Han stood by the window, watching the fallen leaves outside, his heart calm. Perhaps this was the so-called retribution for evil. However, what he cared about more was when his Lu Zhizhi would wake up.
He picked up his phone and pulled out a photo of the two of them—a photo Ji Lu had secretly taken. In the photo, he was drawing with his head down, and Lu Zhizhi was standing behind him, his eyes so gentle they could drip tears. Mu Han gently stroked Lu Zhizhi's face in the photo with his fingertips and whispered, "Lu Zhizhi, I'll wait for you to wake up and take me to see the first snow of winter."
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