0067 Returning Home (3)
The Xth Center of the PLA General Hospital.
The empty corridor was chilly in the early morning, and the smell of disinfectant seeped into my nose.
The nurse quietly left after changing the dressing on the young man lying on the bed with his eyes closed. The patient's status here was clearly extraordinary, and the head nurse had personally instructed her to be extra careful with this mysterious patient. This was her duty, but she still showed extra patience because of that beautiful, delicate face.
Even though he was sound asleep, she couldn't help but blush.
This tranquility was soon rudely broken by an uninvited guest.
Bai Tijiang, who was on duty, didn't even change out of his work clothes. He went directly from one hospital to another, walking quickly like a gust of wind to the end of the corridor and forcefully pushing the door open.
He pursed his lips tightly, his face as cold as B City in November.
Wanqi Fuze had already sat up halfway and was leaning against the headboard. He pressed his forehead with his uninjured hand and spoke first: "It's nothing serious, just an arm injury. Don't let my grandfather know."
Bai Tijiang didn't stop walking. Ignoring his words, he went straight to his bedside and threw a report at him.
After throwing it, she turned her back, seemingly furious, waiting for his explanation.
The lights were off, and the curtains were half-closed, casting a faint, cold white light that wasn't enough to dispel the gloom in the room.
Bai Tijiang reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but then remembered he was wearing work clothes and there were no cigarettes available in the hospital. He muttered a curse under his breath.
When she turned her back to look at the person on the bed, she found her eyes were slightly red.
Wanqi Fuze remained quietly with his eyes closed, showing no desire to explain.
"I've heard there have been major changes in the senior management of several companies under your name, and you also sold some shares a couple of months ago... Was your trip to Y Province also to meet with Han Er?"
Wanqi Fuze finally spoke: "No, I just wanted to keep someone company and help them relax..."
Bai Tijiang: "Go relax in the mountains, my ass! Wan Fuze, open your eyes and look at yourself!"
The person resting in bed had a sickly, ashen face and had become even thinner than when I had seen them a month ago. Their right arm, bandaged, was slung in front of them, and their breathing was extremely shallow.
He felt choked with anger, and when he saw the report in the middle of the night, his blood ran cold.
Although he was a surgeon, he was still terrified when he saw that shadow on the CT scan. When he saw Wanqi's family at their wedding banquet earlier this month, he simply assumed it was an old ailment, little did he know…
"Tijiang." Wanqi Fuze called to him, finally opening his eyes to look at his friend, his gaze piercing.
He exhaled forcefully, ignoring it.
"You must help me keep this from the old man." The words were heavy with conviction.
As expected of the Wan family, even in his illness, his first thought was still for his elders. Bai Tijiang dared not think about it; yes, how could he let the valiant Old Master Wan, a man of great courage, bury his son?
It's rare that he puts so much thought into things, yet he never uses it on himself.
Bai Tijiang couldn't help but mock him, "What are you hiding? The gunshot wound? Or the shadow on your abdomen?"
Wanqi Fuze remained indifferent, which chilled Bai Tijiang to the bone.
When did he become like this, where even life and death no longer matter?
"I can't hide a gunshot wound from you. You should have known you were supposed to be keeping it from Aunt Zong when you checked into this hospital. As for your illness—"
"I've already arranged the check-up for you, so don't worry. Early detection and treatment will ensure there's absolutely no problem."
Wanqi Fuze quietly spread his palms, as if he had not heard Bai Tijiang's words.
On his palm, the lifeline was broken halfway. Xu Yi had asked for many amulets for him when he was alive, but indeed, no one can defy fate.
What was pressing down on his lifeline was a piece of glistening orange glass candy. He used his large hand to peel off the small candy wrapper, put it in his mouth, and said nothing more.
Mmm—it's so sweet.
In my memory, she, with her ponytail swaying, put one into his mouth, and then put another into her own.
He mumbled something under his breath.
"It's good to stand up for what's right, but please don't fight anymore, Chen Yixu."
The girl wiped the sweat from her forehead, and her red eyes, which had just been crying for him, made her look even more pitiful.
He blushed and nodded quietly.
The unbearable pain I felt after lying.
Lying to her was both easy and difficult. She so easily believed that he had lied to her, claiming that hitting the boy who called him an "illegitimate child" was an act of heroism. Yet, looking into her tearful eyes, he found deceiving her so agonizing.
If he could, next time he would rather reveal his dark side than lie to her again.
He saw her roughly bandage his head, and then she put another candy into his mouth.
The boy felt the orange flavor spreading in his mouth.
"I eat orange candy whenever I'm nervous, scared, worried, or just generally unhappy."
He watched as she deftly twisted open another candy with her slender, lovely hands, and the orange candy nestled in her palm.
She picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth.
Is it sweet?
So sweet. So sweet, so sweet.
It's so sweet it can drown out all the bitterness in your heart.
I love it.
Even after he fell in love with her and she stopped liking him, he still searched every candy shop and filled every corner around him with glass candies.
That way, I can be like her, popping a piece of orange candy into my mouth whenever I'm nervous, scared, worried, or unhappy.
To alleviate—that which could never be relieved—the unique longing for her.
I don't know why he didn't want to tell anyone when he found out he might be sick. Maybe it was because his father had been away from Beijing for years and didn't want to come home; maybe it was because Sophie had also fled to the United States after her mother and brother's accident and didn't want to come back; maybe it was because she was the only one who was willing to give him her heart after her mother's accident, and after living with him for ten years, she still only felt hatred towards him.
He knew that he had no right to remain silent.
He rarely immersed himself in his own world, and the sweetness of the orange flavor turned bitter. So he didn't see Bai Tijiang's slightly surprised expression when he went out, or He Lingling, who was being held by Aria outside the glass door and suddenly bursting into tears.
P.S.: Yeah, that's why Fuze wanted Lingling to leave.
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