Chapter 20 The Young Lady in the Wheelchair 20: Leaning on Shoulder and Touching Hand
The next day happened to be the day Xi Congshuang was scheduled to go to the hospital for a physical examination. There was still some distance between the Xi family home and the hospital, so she got up early to prepare.
Before setting off, everyone in Wenhai was extremely cautious, fearing that the same thing would happen again.
For example, when it was time to leave the house, the young lady would refuse to go out no matter how much they were persuaded. She was determined to avoid seeking medical help and no one could persuade her otherwise.
It wasn't until they saw Xi Congshuang change her clothes, sit in her wheelchair, and prepare to leave that everyone felt at ease and began making preparations for going out in an orderly manner.
After taking the elevator downstairs, Xi Congshuang went out the door and turned left to take the elevator downstairs.
For some reason, Xi Congshuang suddenly remembered the scene from yesterday morning and subconsciously turned her head to look. Sure enough, she saw a familiar figure.
This time, Cheng Zhishu didn't brace her head against the door with her schoolbag on her back. Instead, she peeked out from behind the door, looking intently in this direction, her hair hanging down behind her shoulders and swaying in the air.
Caught off guard, Cheng Zhishu met Xi Congshuang's gaze and instinctively tried to pull her head back.
Xi Congshuang suddenly smiled and called out to them, "I'm going out today and might be back very late. Want to go out for a walk together?"
After thinking for a moment, Xi Congshuang added, "However, I'll probably spend most of my time in the hospital, which will probably be quite boring."
Before she could finish saying "bored," Cheng Zhishu, who had only poked half her body out, jumped up and exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Sister Shuang is willing to take me with her?"
Cheng Zhishu seemed to be in a good mood until she got into the car. She even took over Xiao Liu's job and personally pushed Xi Congshuang for a while. You couldn't tell that she had been sick just yesterday.
This made Xiao Liu sigh again at how wonderful it is to be young. Even though she was not yet thirty, she could no longer be as energetic as Cheng Zhishu.
Xi Congshuang was pushed along the way, talking to Cheng Zhishu as she listened to Xiao Liu's sighs, and once again recalled one of the quotes that Red Apple had tried to use to brainwash her—"This is the female lead, after all."
I thought so too. Which protagonist doesn't experience setbacks and overcome twists and turns in their fate? People with less energy would have been defeated long ago and wouldn't have the strength to stand up again.
As for myself, according to the character setup, I should be a sickly and gloomy villain, the kind who would tell the hot-blooded protagonist that he doesn't understand me at all, and then be defeated by the female lead at a crucial moment.
"Miss, we've arrived at the car. Let me help you to your seat."
Xi Congshuang put her hand on the driver's shoulder and sat down with the help. A woman squeezed in from the other side of the car and reached out to help Xi Congshuang sit up straight so she wouldn't lean to the other side.
For a moment, Xi Congshuang lost her balance and leaned towards Cheng Zhishu, smelling the faint citrus scent on her body and feeling the strands of her hair brush against her face.
My hair feels slightly cool.
Xi Congshuang even had time to think about how she was now a sickly and gloomy villain who exploited the female lead.
The script given to her by the system did indeed portray a gloomy and domineering villain, but her acting skills were not good enough to play the role smoothly.
Both parties sat down, fastened their seat belts, and the driver started the vehicle. Along the way, the scenery outside the car window changed as they drove towards a new location.
Having lived in Anshi for so long, Cheng Zhishu had never actually been to any place other than her school and the Xi residence. Her commute to and from school was always rushed, leaving her no time to stop and look around, which inevitably made her curious about places outside of those two locations.
She originally planned to work part-time on weekends to save money to move out, which would definitely affect her grades, but all her plans were disrupted before she could do so.
Now it seems that Anshi is more prosperous than where she used to live, and the rent will probably only be more expensive, which she probably can't afford.
Even if you can find a house that meets the requirements, the conditions will be extremely poor, incomparable to those in Ping'an City.
Having seen enough of the monotonous scenes outside, Cheng Zhishu subconsciously leaned her upper body into the car, towards Xi Congshuang.
This posture was considered improper by the driver, who, of course, adhered to the Xi family's standards. In reality, Cheng Zhishu was simply sitting casually.
The Xi family is a family with a history of over 100 years, and it has strict requirements for the etiquette of its members. Moreover, Xi Congshuang, who has been highly regarded since childhood, will only be educated with even stricter standards.
To this day, the driver still can't figure out why Xi Congshuang would keep Cheng Zhishu by her side. If he hadn't seen with his own eyes how good Xi Congshuang was to her, the driver would have almost believed the conspiracy theories circulating in the Xi family.
For example, holding Cheng Zhishu hostage was a way to deal with Xi Hanran.
If not, then why would Xi Congshuang keep a child by her side for no reason?
The driver wasn't the only one curious. Xi Congshuang finally noticed Cheng Zhishu's actions and turned to look. Cheng Zhishu was looking out the window, her chubby cheeks puffed up slightly with a smile on her lips.
Like mochi, its sweet and chewy exterior hides an even sweeter cream filling.
Xi Congshuang asked, "You're in a good mood? Why?"
Actually, Xi Congshuang wasn't a particularly curious person, but she was always curious about Cheng Zhishu, so she asked.
Cheng Zhishu turned her face, her brown eyes reflecting the sunlight, her smile obvious: "I don't know, but I just feel really good, and the weather is nice today too, don't you think so, Sister Shuang?"
It seems that ever since I first met Cheng Zhishu, she has always been smiling, and everything she had experienced before did not seem to have any impact on her.
If Xi Congshuang hadn't seen her cry, she would have believed it too.
Xi Congshuang glanced at the scenery outside the car window. It was no different from what she saw on her side; the sun was shining brightly and the traffic was bustling.
She replied, "It seems pretty good."
The vehicle arrived at the hospital and drove into the garage, where someone was already there to greet Xi Congshuang.
Several nurses pushed Xi Congshuang away, leaving two people to lead the driver and Cheng Zhishu to the VIP reception room to rest, where tea, snacks and drinks had already been prepared.
Even though Xi Congshuang disliked hospitals to the core, she still had to grit her teeth and cooperate with the doctor for examinations in order to find out if she had a chance to stand up.
After all the examinations were completed, Xi Congshuang's trouser legs were straightened by the nurse, she sat back in her wheelchair, and was pushed into the doctor's office by the nurse.
The doctor's surname is Xu. She is a key staff member recruited by this private hospital with a lot of money. She even performed Xi Congshuang's first surgery. However, she was repeatedly helpless in the face of Xi Congshuang's reluctance to seek medical treatment.
She was sitting steadily behind her desk when she saw Xi Congshuang come in. She got up, put down the documents in her hand, and sat down again when Xi Congshuang came closer.
Dr. Xu, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, smiled gently at Xi Congshuang: "Ms. Xi seems to be in good spirits lately. How are you feeling?"
Xi Congshuang: "I'm doing well lately. My rehabilitation doctor should have already talked to you about the daily records. She has something to do today and can't be here in person."
Then she got straight to the point: "I came here today because of a question I hope Dr. Xu can answer: Is there any possibility that I can still stand up?"
Dr. Xu's smile paused, and she became somewhat more composed.
*
This floor of the private hospital was already sparsely populated, and since Xi Congshuang's car accident, it has been serving only her.
Since she was discharged from the hospital, even fewer people have come up here. The corridor, dominated by a large area of silver-white, looks particularly cold and desolate. Even the green plants on both sides seem fake, exuding a cold and ruthless feeling.
A passing cleaner watered the Monstera deliciosa with a watering can, making it clear that it wasn't a fake plant, but a real one.
In stark contrast to the vibrant Monstera deliciosa, a wheelchair was being pushed around. Xi Congshuang sat in it, watching the cleaner water the Monstera deliciosa.
She seemed to have suddenly developed a great curiosity about Monstera deliciosa, and no one knew that she was still recalling her conversation with the doctor.
The doctor knew Xi Congshuang's condition very well; the fact that she was alive was already a miracle.
"Ms. Xi has been doing good rehabilitation during this period, and her muscles have recovered well without any serious atrophy."
"Surgery? But the last car accident caused too much damage to Ms. Xi, not only her legs, but also other internal organs."
"Surgery cannot be performed again in a short period of time. It will take at least a year, during which rehabilitation must be maintained until the surgical criteria are met before surgery can be performed."
Xi Congshuang heard her own voice asking, "What are the risks of the surgery? I want you to tell me the truth."
“As requested by the patient, I will inform her truthfully. If Ms. Xi were to undergo another surgery, the risk is… this number.” Dr. Xu wrote down a number and pushed it in front of Xi Congshuang.
That's a number that's almost impossible to survive.
“I’ve been on the operating table so many times, one more won’t make a difference.” Xi Congshuang tapped the armrest with her fingertips. “And what are the chances of me being able to stand up after the surgery?”
This time, Dr. Xu gave her a disappointing answer: the probability of her being able to stand up was extremely low.
If I have the surgery, I might die. Even if it's successful, I might not be able to stand up again, but I won't be any worse off than before.
If she doesn't have surgery and misses the optimal time for surgery, she will have to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
Xi Congshuang recalled the ending of the Xi family story: the Xi family went bankrupt, and the culprit who caused everything died in a wheelchair, even more insane than ten years ago.
Because she chose not to have surgery, she saved her life but sacrificed her legs, which made her even more cynical.
Inside the reception room, the driver held a cup of coffee, but only took one bite of the cake before refusing to touch it again.
During this time, she kept glancing at Cheng Zhishu out of the corner of her eye.
She was also eating cake, but it was clear she rarely ate cake. She would let the cake linger in her mouth for a moment after each bite, squinting her eyes to savor it before taking the next bite.
The driver took a sip of coffee, wondering if her adoptive parents would be so stingy as to not even give her a piece of cake.
Drivers who habitually accompany their employers to high-end venues consider these items to be ordinary goods, not worth appreciating.
Suddenly, Cheng Zhishu put down the cake in her hand, walked towards the door, and opened it.
The driver was about to say, "Don't wander off."
The driver had barely uttered "you" when he saw Xi Congshuang, who had just returned from her inspection, standing behind the door that Cheng Zhishu had opened, her expression indifferent.
Cheng Zhishu: "I just heard someone coming over. It's really Sister Shuang, you're back."
driver:"……"
With eyes downcast
That's strange. Does she have super hearing? How could she hear the young lady coming back?
Xi Congshuang composed herself, a familiar smile appearing on her lips: "Have you been waiting long? Let's go back."
Cheng Zhishu didn't leave. She reached out and tugged at Xi Congshuang's sleeve. Xi Congshuang looked up and asked, "What is it?"
Cheng Zhishu lowered her eyes and squatted down, looking up at her as she said, "Can...can I touch you?"
Xi Congshuang: "Why?"
Shy?
So, do you need physical contact from someone you know to soothe your emotions?
It hasn't been that long, and I've never heard of the female lead being shy before.
Curious about what she wanted to do, Xi Congshuang said, "Touch it."
Cheng Zhishu grabbed her hands and held her fingertips; they were indeed very cold.
Her smoky gray eyes reflected Cheng Zhishu's face and movements. She smiled and said to Xi Congshuang, "The hospital air conditioning is a bit low. I think you must be cold."
Xi Congshuang didn't move, feeling those hands tentatively touch her at first, then slowly grasp her hands, their skin touching very closely.
driver:"……"
If she could, she would love to shout: Hey, where did this wild girl come from, leaning on my young lady's shoulder and touching her hand!
————————
[Cat paw][Cat paw]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com