Chapter 64 Visiting Together "Liu Shuang, thank you for today."...
Her tone was so practiced, as if she had rehearsed it a thousand times in her mind. The moment she looked up and met He Ming's gaze, she began to regret her suggestion.
Would his eagerness and urgency arouse his suspicion?
It turns out that men and women think very differently. While she was racking her brains, trying to find a way to justify herself, He Ming had already swiped his phone screen and given her a cursory nod.
"Wait a moment, let me talk to the doctor beforehand." The man stepped aside to make a phone call.
Zhu Liushuang knew that ICU visitation was strictly controlled; only one family member could enter at a time until the patient's vital signs were stable. She stood silently at the door, looking down at the camphor tree leaves fluttering in the wind at her feet, but her attention was drawn to something a few meters away.
He Ming stood on the bottom step of the concrete stairs, tilting his head to speak into his phone. His thin lips were slightly pale from days of lack of sleep. His long, black eyelashes, unlike hers, were curled, and when he lowered his eyes, they resembled two downward-facing fans, brushing against his eyelids.
Zhu Liushuang was somewhat stunned. She had to admit that a small part of the reason she had liked him for so many years was because he was really good-looking.
Realizing her lapse in composure, she quickly withdrew her overly direct gaze and lowered her head to continue studying the dust and leaves on the ground.
"I've already spoken to the doctor. Do you want to ride with me to the hospital?" He Ming asked, pacing up to her with his hands in his pockets.
Zhu Liushuang looked up at the thick clouds in the distance and said, "The weather forecast didn't say it would rain today. I'll drive there myself; it'll be more convenient for me to get home that way."
"Okay, time's a bit tight, hurry up." He Ming said, then turned and walked towards the parking lot.
The electric vehicle shed and the car parking spaces were far apart. Zhu Liushuang walked to the left, and He Ming walked to the right. They parted ways outside the marriage registration center. An uninformed person might have thought they were a newly divorced couple.
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When we arrived at the People's Hospital, the sky was shrouded in a gloomy gray.
Zhu Liushuang and He Ming met at the elevator entrance on the first floor of the inpatient department.
"We've arrived at the first floor. Please be careful when opening the door." The mechanical voice announced in her ears. Zhu Liushuang followed He Ming into the elevator. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone hurriedly pressed the "up" button, and the silver-gray elevator doors reopened.
Then, a middle-aged woman carrying a baby a few months old entered the elevator car, followed closely by a man and a woman. The man carried two large suitcases, and the woman pushed a heavy stroller. The previously empty elevator suddenly felt incredibly crowded.
While soothing the crying baby in her arms, the middle-aged woman complained in her dialect to the two young people behind her: "I told you to bring the child to the hospital sooner! You were following those online doctors' advice about home observation all day long. Now look what's happened, he's developed pneumonia... How much money has he wasted!"
The young man raised his voice impatiently: "Mom, can you say less? You're just making a fool of yourself." As he spoke, he pushed his suitcase forward forcefully, as if venting his anger.
A tense atmosphere filled the elevator, and Zhu Liushuang became an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
She had already moved to a corner to make room for the family of four when they entered the elevator. But now, the suitcase in the man's hand was right against her waist, and half of the wheel was running over her shoe.
Zhu Liushuang frowned uncomfortably. Adhering to the principle of "the less trouble, the better," she lowered her head and chose to remain silent.
"Please look at the ground when you put your suitcase down, or you might run someone over." A cold, hard voice came from above.
Zhu Liushuang felt a lightness on her feet, and a hand with distinct knuckles appeared in her vision. That hand grabbed the handle of the suitcase and moved the heavy suitcase to the side.
The young man, whose face was grumpy, had intended to seize the opportunity to lash out, but when he looked up, he met He Ming's cold, unyielding eyes. There was at least a half-head difference in their height, and in terms of presence, the young man was at a complete disadvantage. He had no choice but to suppress his anger and humbly apologize to He Ming, "Sorry, the elevator is a bit crowded."
“The person you stepped on is her.” He Ming didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids, pointing at Zhu Liushuang beside him.
Realizing he was in the wrong, the man quickly apologized again: "Miss, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"
The baby's crying resumed, and Zhu Liushuang felt annoyed, replying softly, "It's nothing." At the same time, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and with a "ding," she stepped out along the edge of the elevator box.
He Ming stepped out of the elevator after her, and the two stood side by side in the empty corridor.
"Thank you for what happened earlier." Zhu Liushuang glanced at He Ming, but he didn't seem to care about her thanks. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were fixed on the closed doors of the ICU.
She understood that his mind was entirely focused on Dr. Xie in the ward, and it was understandable that he couldn't hear her. Just like their newly started marriage, it was merely a performance to fulfill the old man's wishes, holding very little weight in his heart.
Even though she understood everything perfectly, she still couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. That inexplicable emotion lingered around her, causing her empty heart to rise and fall.
Ten minutes before visiting hours, a large number of patients' family members gathered outside the ICU. Among them were Zhu Liushuang and He Ming.
A nurse stood outside the door, asking if any family members wanted to come in for a visit. Zhu Liushuang followed He Ming, imitating him as she put on a blue protective suit, a mask, and shoe covers.
When the nurse called Xie Jingzhi's bed number, the two were already ready and dared not miss a single second.
The heavy doors of the ICU slowly opened, and a pungent smell of disinfectant wafted out. She was a little nervous, subconsciously holding her breath, and even her steps became much lighter.
Looking up again, He Ming's broad shoulders swayed in her field of vision. He walked in front of her and led her to a hospital bed by the window.
Previously, Zhu Liushuang had only peeked into the ICU through the crack in the door, and thought it was clean, tidy, and brightly lit. Now, stepping into this large room full of cold medical equipment, her mood suddenly became extremely heavy.
Patients in the ICU have no dignity whatsoever. They are stripped naked and lying on narrow hospital beds, all covered with striped hospital sheets. Some are handcuffed and limbed, while others are talking incoherently with their eyes closed. Almost every patient has tubes inserted into their body.
Xie Jingzhi was no exception.
He lay quietly on the bed, his hands bound by ropes. Drainage tubes radiated outwards from his body, creating a life-sustaining pathway.
"Beep beep, beep beep—" The rhythmic sound of the ventilator was exceptionally clear in the room. Zhu Liushuang watched as He Ming walked up to Xie Jingzhi, bent down, and called out in a hoarse voice, "Grandpa, I've come to see you."
The swelling on the old man's face had subsided considerably, and he closed his eyes peacefully, as if no sound from the outside world could awaken him.
He Ming reached out and gently stroked Xie Jingzhi's eyelids, whispering, "Grandpa, it's me, Ming. I've come to see you again today. Can you hear me? The doctor said your temperature has stabilized these past few days... If we can take off the ventilator, you might be able to be transferred to a special ward soon..."
The person leaning over gently held the old man's thin, bony hand, constantly expressing their concerns, but the old man lying on the bed was as frail as a withered leaf that could break at any moment, remaining oblivious to everything.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Liu's brows furrowed with sadness, and she barely managed to hold back the urge to cry.
She took a step forward and put her hand on He Ming's shoulder: "Senior, could I have a minute? I'd like to say a few words to Dr. Xie."
At that moment, her hand on his shoulder didn't seem abrupt.
He Ming silently got up, gave her his seat, and turned his face away to look out the window.
Zhu Liushuang squatted down beside Xie Jingzhi's hospital bed and whispered in his ear, "Dr. Xie, it's me, Liushuang. I've come to see you! I have some good news to tell you. My senior and I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate today... This is all thanks to your encouragement last time."
After she finished speaking, she leaned closer to Xie Jingzhi's face and looked at her carefully. Perhaps because she was distracted, the old woman's eyelids seemed to twitch. She was so excited that she wanted to tell He Ming the good news immediately, but when she turned around, she found that He Ming had already walked to the window.
Seeing He Ming staring out the window with a solemn expression, Zhu Liushuang leaned close to Xie Jingzhi's ear again, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "Speaking of which, I should call you Grandpa now. Grandpa, if you can hear me, beckon me with your finger... I'll tell you a secret, I've actually liked Senior for a very long time, and I will love him dearly."
In this room filled with the ticking of clocks, time seemed to stand still. Zhu Liushuang quietly observed Xie Jingzhi's reaction; his eyelids twitched slightly, but he didn't open them. She took out the marriage certificate and placed it in his hand, saying, "Grandpa, this is the marriage certificate we just got this afternoon. Feel it."
The old woman's withered, cold hands were curled up, her yellowed fingernails scraping against the cover of the marriage certificate. Suddenly, her stiff fingertips trembled slightly.
Zhu Liushuang covered her mouth in disbelief, a look of joy appearing on her face. She whispered to He Ming, "Senior, it moved! His finger moved! He can hear me."
He Ming slowly turned around and looked down at Xie Jingzhi's bound hands.
Compared to Zhu Liushuang's joy, his reaction was much calmer: "According to the doctor, if a person is in a coma, increased muscle tone will cause the fingers to move involuntarily."
Why did Dr. Xie's fingers move whenever she spoke?
She preferred to believe that the old man had reacted because he heard her good news.
The fifteen-minute visiting time was too short. When the nurse came to urge them to leave, Zhu Liushuang reluctantly took the marriage certificate and slowly stood up from the ground.
Before leaving, she looked back one last time at the ward filled with medical equipment. Outside the window, the clouds were gradually lowering, and the cold white light inside illuminated Xie Jingzhi's pale and swollen face.
The waveforms on the electrocardiogram monitor kept fluctuating, the pulse oximeter occasionally emitted a roar, and the red and green lights flickered in the dim light, each flash tugging at her sensitive nerves.
Her throat tightened, and she couldn't help but tremble slightly with tears welling up in her eyes.
"After visiting hours, please leave as soon as possible and do not block the passageway," the nurse said gently as she hurried past the door.
Zhu Liushuang secretly wiped her eyes and walked out of the ICU ward as if nothing had happened.
"Bed 17, does anyone in bed 17 want to visit?" A nurse in protective gear stood at the door and called out loudly, only to be met with a cacophony of chatter.
"It seems like the family member in bed 17 hasn't come in a long time, has they?"
"I heard that because they couldn't raise the money for medical expenses, they all went to do odd jobs..."
"Hey, the young man in bed 17 is only in his thirties, probably the breadwinner of his family..."
The buzzing chatter around her abruptly stopped, and Zhu Liushuang had no time to consider the suffering of others. At that moment, she kept praying silently in her heart: hoping that Dr. Xie could pull through this difficult time, and also hoping that her "fake play" with He Ming could have a happy ending.
As they walked out of the hospital ward, the sky was overcast and a light rain began to fall. He Ming stood in front of the automatic sensor door, gazing at the streetlights that had suddenly turned on in the distance, and said gently, "Liu Shuang, thank you for today."
He seemed to have gotten used to calling her by her name, no longer as awkward as before. His voice was pleasant, and every time he called her name, her heart would flutter.
"No need to thank me." Zhu Liushuang shook her head, a faint smile curving her lips. "It's what I should do, both morally and logically."
"It's drizzling outside. Are you sure you'll be okay going back by yourself?" He Ming asked with concern.
Zhu Liushuang met his gaze, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "It's alright, it's just a little rain, I brought a raincoat." With that, she ran into the rain, waving goodbye to He Ming with her back turned. "See you tomorrow, senior! Dr. Xie will definitely wake up soon!"
She said see you tomorrow, not next time, but tomorrow.
He Ming stood at the door, staring intently at the petite figure running into the rain, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing in his eyes.
He quickly turned and walked towards the service desk on the first floor. When he reappeared at the entrance of the inpatient department, he was carrying a yellow shared umbrella.
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The author's note: I've been taking care of my child at the hospital these past few days, and I made a special trip to the ICU floor. It made my heart ache.
I haven't been sleeping well last night, so I haven't had the energy to write. I should be able to update regularly again after I'm discharged from the hospital next week!
At this stage, the senior student harbors very complicated feelings towards Shuangshuang. Shuangshuang feels the same way; she doesn't really know how their relationship will develop after they get their marriage certificate. [Chin resting on hand]
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