Chapter 87 Barrier
Wen Shiyang was in a car accident; it was very serious.
The car collided with a drunk driver's truck at the bend, just like in real life.
The moment Wen Chu heard the news from Lu Ming, her mind went blank, and the whole world seemed to be filled with a silent yet shrill busy signal. She watched Lu Ming move his lips in front of her with his brows furrowed, but she couldn't hear a single syllable.
"Wen Chu!" Lu Ming suddenly grabbed her arm and shook it forcefully. "Don't panic. The doctors are doing their best to save her. It's not certain she'll be alright. Let's go to the hospital first!"
If Wen Chu still had the energy to pay attention to others at this moment, she would have been able to see that the man's words and expressions were full of concern and anxiety.
Unfortunately, she looked dazed, her mind was blank, and painful memories deep in her memory cortex were dug up again.
In her memory, she rushed to the hospital with weak hands and feet, only to see her father being wheeled out of the operating room covered with a white sheet. She heard the doctor's sorrowful mourning, her own desperate cries, and Yang Lan kneeling on the ground, clutching her heart and sobbing softly.
She took a step back, trying to break free from Lu Ming's touch. Her body's instinctive protective mechanism was activated, and she dodged, saying, "I...I don't want to go."
She seemed to already know the outcome.
Her father will eventually die after two hours and five minutes of unsuccessful resuscitation efforts. His healthy organs will be donated, and her mother will faint and fall seriously ill.
Lu Ming, however, thought she was afraid of a bad outcome, so he grabbed her wrist and tried his best to soothe her in a gentle tone: "It's okay, it's okay... don't be afraid, let's go to the hospital first, okay? Things may not be as bad as we think. Your brother and I will try our best to use the best resources to treat Uncle Wen."
Wen Chu's eyelids twitched, as if a glimmer of hope had returned. Yes, they were rich now, with lots of money and resources. Would the outcome be different?
She managed to calm down, and when she came to her senses, Lu Ming had already led her to the underground parking garage. But as soon as the elevator doors opened, she regretted it and still didn't want to go. She tried to run away, but Lu Ming hugged her from behind, blocking her way out.
"Wen Chu! We're already late, we can't delay any longer, we have to get to the hospital quickly!" Lu Ming said, holding her hand to comfort her.
They've already been in a meeting for a long time.
Wen Chu, nestled in his arms, was oblivious to their inappropriate actions. Her eyes reddened as she questioned him, "Why did you have to hurry? Didn't you say it was okay? If it's okay, why did you have to hurry? What would happen if you did?"
Lu Ming was caught off guard by the question and didn't know how to answer. Wen Chu swallowed, calmed herself down, and whispered as she pushed him away, "I'll drive myself."
"How can you drive in this condition? Sit in mine." Lu Ming forcefully pulled her back. Time was of the essence, and there was no time to waste. He half-pushed and half-carried her into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and immediately drove to the hospital.
He drove extremely fast the whole way, more impatient than ever before. His heart was clenched tightly, and the air inside the car seemed stagnant, stuffy and oppressive.
The woman in the passenger seat sat stiffly upright, her hands clasped together on her lap, her eyes glazed over, completely motionless. The more Lu Ming looked at her, the more panicked he became; his hands gripping the steering wheel were sweating profusely.
He had driven at top speed, and by the time he arrived at the hospital, the operating room lights were already off. He grabbed Wen Chu's wrist, his forehead covered in sweat, and anxiously asked the nurse, Wen Shiyang, which ward he had been taken to. Once he found out, he rushed over.
Before he even entered the door, he heard the whimpering sobs and Wen Heng's agitated phone call. His heart tightened, and after a moment's hesitation, he pushed the door open.
Wen Xue, Wen Heng, and Yang Lan surrounded the hospital bed. The ward was filled with grief and no one paid attention to their arrival. Wen Chu walked in in a daze and still saw the person on the hospital bed with a ventilator.
The other person lay there weakly with his eyes closed, his heartbeat slow on the electrocardiogram monitor. Hearing the door open, he slowly opened his eyes with difficulty, as if he was holding on to something. Finally, he saw Wen Chu walk in, and his expression seemed to relax almost imperceptibly for a moment.
Wen Chu's vision was already blurred, and she seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, but when she saw the man on the hospital bed open his eyes, a glimmer of hope seemed to rekindle in her eyes.
She walked over quickly without saying a word, took the elderly man's hand, her lips trembling slightly, unable to utter a single word.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Wen Chu felt her hand being gently squeezed. The gentle force seemed to contain a thousand words and deep reluctance, but before she could say anything, the man on the hospital bed let out a sob and closed his eyes.
Large, scalding tears silently slid down Wen Chu's cheeks, leaving a trail of tears. The heart monitor emitted a piercing alarm. Wen Xue and Wen Heng, who were kneeling on the ground nearby, rushed over in a panic, trying to shake her awake while shouting hoarsely, "Dad! Dad! Doctor! Call a doctor!"
Wen Chu saw her former self in them. This time, she was so calm, she didn't cry out, she just tilted her head and let the tears fall down her cheeks onto the pale sheets, quietly watching the man who had loved her all his life sleeping soundly on the bed.
Yang Lan fainted from the shock, and Wen Heng panicked and rushed to help her, shouting for a doctor.
Lu Ming clenched his fists, his eyes wide with astonishment. He never expected things to happen so suddenly. His gaze was fixed on the overly calm woman, his Adam's apple bobbing wildly, but he didn't know what to say.
Self-blame, guilt, and panic surged into his heart like a tide, making him feel extremely flustered and helpless.
The doctor rushed over and tried to save him, but ultimately a death sentence was issued.
Wen Chu sat down in front of the man, her hand still tightly holding his slightly aged hand, which was no longer warm; he seemed to be asleep.
"It's all my fault," she said in a hoarse voice, looking at the person. "It's my problem."
Tears streamed silently down her face, blurring her vision.
She only said this one sentence from beginning to end, followed by a long silence.
Lu Ming stood behind her, his palms sinking deep into his fingers, not daring to utter a single word.
If he hadn't insisted on scheduling the meeting at noon out of spite, if he had answered Wen Xue's call midway through, or had someone else answer the phone, Wen Chu might have been able to say a few more words to her father.
If anyone is to blame, it's him.
He has committed a great sin.
It's so big that I don't know how to make up for it.
A suffocating dizziness suddenly struck, causing Lu Ming's vision to go black. He grabbed the door frame next to him to prevent himself from collapsing.
The funeral was held three days later. The unexpected incident shocked the entire industry, and countless people came to pay their respects. Wen Heng was extremely busy, trying to stabilize the company's shareholders while comforting the heartbroken guests around him. He himself was silently shedding tears while arranging the cremation.
Wen Chu, dressed in mourning clothes, had been kneeling in front of the farewell hall for a whole day. She remained quiet and sorrowful throughout, while Wen Xueyi was crying because she couldn't accept it; in reality, she had already cried all her tears in her heart.
Qi Siyan rushed over upon hearing the news, his face also pale. He pushed aside Lu Ming, who was standing not far away, and walked to Wen Chu's side. Seeing the woman's lifeless eyes, he felt a pang of heartache. He knew that any words of comfort would be useless, so he simply said, "I will always be with you," then put the bouquet of flowers on the ground and silently stood aside, staying by Wen Chu's side.
Lu Ming, dressed in a black suit, stood behind them, his gaze constantly drifting towards the two of them. He couldn't quite discern his own feelings; he only felt an unbearable tightness in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He desperately wanted to know Wen Chu's current state, but the reality was that he had neither the reason nor the right to do so.
He wanted to apologize, but he was afraid of seeing the woman's hateful and blaming eyes.
Wen Chu didn't want to say anything, nor did she need anyone's comfort. Few people could truly understand the feeling of losing something, getting it back, and then suddenly losing it again.
She knew why this accident had happened.
Just as she had the thought of abandoning the mission and staying in this beautiful, illusory world, her father had an accident.
This is the system reminding him that the beauty of this world is an illusion, and that it is the master that manipulates everything, ready to shatter the illusion and bring misfortune upon her at any time.
If she didn't want to be controlled by him forever, she had to go toward the goals he set for her, otherwise all the privileges he had given her would be taken back.
The system issued another side quest, just like before, requiring her to agree to be with Qi Siyan. The cold, mechanical system had no heart; to it, Wen Shiyang's death was merely a cautionary tale, insignificant, and it hoped she would quickly skip it, just like it, and continue with her mission.
Wen Chu once again calmly refused to carry out the mission; the words "mission failed" no longer stirred any emotion in her.
After the funeral, Wen Chu did not become dejected as everyone expected, embracing her family and feeling sorry for herself while comforting each other. She even only briefly visited and comforted the ailing Yang Lan, stayed with her for a while, and then returned to Baiyue.
She saw through the illusion of warmth that surrounded her.
She should go back.
She will stop at nothing to complete the mission, break free from the system, return to the real world, and take control of her own life.
It was the system's reminder that made her re-examine the world. This world wasn't as real as she thought. For example, the cars that passed by her on her way to work every day seemed to be the same few types, and the cakes in the dessert shop were just the same few varieties over and over again. This world had a certain degree of randomness, but it was randomness like having a seed. As long as the parameters were set, the random result would be the same.
Then there are the people around them.
She discovered that the personalities of those peripheral figures she didn't get very close to were quite flat, as if a system had randomly assigned them a few personality traits. Their behavior always reflected these traits: gossips were always gossiping, workaholics were always talking about work, and people who loved beauty were always buying all sorts of things to dress themselves up. Apart from that, they didn't seem to show any other characteristics.
Only her and Lu Ming's actions can change the personalities of people they frequently come into contact with, or rather, subtly increase the diversity of their personalities.
She wants to go back.
You need to adjust your mindset.
Wen Chu locked herself in her office, searching for a way to get rid of Wen Xue again.
Only in this way can the initial settings not be reinforced each time, and she can get over her own hurdle and continue the strategy against her will.
She shouldn't develop feelings for Lu Ming here, even though she will forever cherish and remember that time from a month ago.
But when asked if she wanted to do it again, she said no.
It's all fake anyway.
After regaining her composure, her thinking became sharp once again.
Since Wen Xue returned to China because of a company crisis, there might be a hidden thread to uncover overseas. At the very least, it's clear that a rival company is working against her. This might have been a random deduction at first, but as long as she investigates further, the system will fill in the gaps in this thread.
She needed to investigate thoroughly first to see if there was anything she could do. If anything went wrong over there, Wen Xue would have to go back. Then she could continue her one-on-one pursuit of Lu Ming, just like before.
She began to use everything at hand to investigate what had happened at their company. This was quite difficult, but fortunately she had an access card, which made things much easier online. Through circumvention and some shady techniques, she managed to obtain some information.
Before finding a way out, she was even less inclined to communicate with Lu Ming. No matter what he said, she answered only work-related questions like a cold machine, ignoring everything else. She didn't want to waste any more energy arguing and wasting words; it was pointless.
To outsiders, Wen Chu seemed like a different person. She was no longer playful or joking. Although she had come up with many brilliant ideas, she no longer had the smugness she had when she wrote a superb algorithm. Now, she was calm, collected, organized, and emotionally stable.
Her once bright and lively eyes became as calm as the Dead Sea, making it impossible to guess what state she was in.
Everyone was secretly concerned about her mental state, because things tend to go to extremes and this was not a good thing.
She locks herself in her office day and night. People see her in front of the computer screen, but it doesn't seem like she's busy with work.
Qi Siyan was the only person besides her family who gave Wen Chu a slightly kind look. After all, Qi Siyan was the only person she could talk to here without feeling burdened and who still seemed like a real person.
In order to maintain his mental state, Wen Chu's attitude towards people was still acceptable.
They would chat after get off work, and he would often buy her flowers, give her gifts, and invite her out.
She'll accept the flowers, since they'll end up in the trash if she doesn't, but she's always refused to play with them; she simply doesn't have time for that anymore.
She moved back to Xian'an District. Now, she would rather see Wen Heng and Yang Lan than run into Lu Ming and Wen Xue. She didn't want to be reminded of the past, and she didn't want her mother and brother's extra emotions to interfere with her anymore.
From one perspective, she is somewhat cold-blooded.
Occasionally, she would run into Lu Ming at the door as he was leaving or returning home. He seemed to still be troubled by Wen Shiyang's death, always looking at her with a worried, indescribable, and somewhat pitying gaze. He would always try to talk to her, as if he was afraid she might do something rash, or as if he were looking at a pitiful person who had been dumped by the person she liked and lost her loved one in a short period of time.
Wen Chu found it utterly ridiculous. She didn't seem to know this man very well, or rather, she had been blinded by greed and blinded by prejudice, seeing him through a lens that made her think he had no flaws. Now she realized he was full of flaws.
When she clung to him, he treated her like a monster, eager to sever ties with her. But when she actually left him to meet someone else, he became bitter and resentful, unable to bear seeing her doing well. Now that she finally seems to be in a bad situation, he seems to have a guilty conscience, taking on some unnecessary responsibility and showing her some concern.
That's just despicable.
A complete and utter scoundrel.
Isn't Wen Xue enough for him to rack his brains to comfort?
He also needs to find time to give her a look and express his guilt.
Then I'll just feel guilty, carrying this guilt and always owing her.
She didn't want to give them a second glance, directly cutting off any possibility of them speaking through the door. Even so, the other party still wouldn't stop, hypocritically asking Aunt Sun to bring her some food.
Because it was a meal that Aunt Sun had worked so hard to prepare, she didn't spend two minutes going to his house to dump the food on his head. Instead, she just put it in the refrigerator and waited for the maid to come and dispose of it for her someday.
Once she figures out how to get rid of Wen Xue, that troublesome NPC, she can go back to playing along with the others. There's always a way. When she succeeds, she'll make that fake Lu Ming suffer too.
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