Chapter 42 Zhu Meng: "He resigned to avoid me..."
Outside the operating room, a red light is on.
Jiang Shan had rushed over from S City, taking the subway, then a plane, and then a ride-hailing service. Now, with Jiang Hai in his arms, he was sitting still and feeling a little drowsy.
Upon suddenly seeing that glaring red, her pupils dilated instinctively, her eyelashes blinked, and then her eyes silently narrowed.
It has been almost ten hours since Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao were admitted to the hospital.
That's how it is when you're in the emergency room; the longer it goes on, the worse the chances of survival become. As time dragged on, she realized something was wrong.
As expected, it failed.
The breath that had been clenching in his chest finally eased, and Jiang Shan closed his eyes, quietly awaiting the judgment of the doctors and nurses.
Two surgical transport beds covered with white sheets came to a stop in front of Jiang Shan with the gurgling sound of their wheels. The doctors and nurses, looking exhausted, reported the bad news to Jiang Shan, the only family member of the patient who was capable of taking responsibility.
"Ms. Jiang, we have done our best."
Jiang Shan slowly opened his eyes.
Her face was expressionless, and even her blinking frequency was neither faster nor slower than usual.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
Upon hearing the devastating news of her parents' deaths, this young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, simply nodded slightly.
The doctors and nurses both showed a hint of surprise. Generally, when a patient's family hears that the patient has failed to be resuscitated, they will have two reactions: one is to hold the patient's body and cry bitterly, and the other is to point at the doctor and curse angrily.
This was the first time they had ever seen a patient's family member as calm as Jiang Shan, even with a slight smile on their face.
"Hmm... Sister, why are Mom and Dad covered with white blankets? Aren't white and black blankets considered unlucky? Mom? Dad?"
Jiang Hai was holding Jiang Shan's phone, playing Plants vs. Zombies while yawning, when she suddenly saw two transport beds covered with white sheets. She stared blankly at the beds, not even noticing that the monster had eaten three bites of her fully healed carrot.
"...They are dead."
Jiang Shan hesitated for three seconds, but still chose to tell Jiang Hai everything.
It is an established fact that Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao left Earth's biosphere.
Even if she uses the common TV drama trope, "Mom and Dad didn't die, they just went to a very far place, and they will come back when it's time," to deceive Jiang Hai, a child who is not yet seven years old, a lie is still a lie, and there will be a day when the truth is revealed.
Not to mention that Jiang Hai is incredibly intelligent, and coincidentally, she witnessed her parents being hit and covered in blood at the scene of the car accident. It was only a matter of time before she discovered the truth about her parents' death in the car accident, so why not just tell her the truth?
Jiang Hai's eyes widened suddenly.
"They're dead? Will they still pick me up from school, tutor me, cook for me, and talk to me?"
Children's world is simple. Jiang Hai could only think of these everyday things when he associated the word "death". He was afraid that he would have to wait until she was old enough to say something like "How nice is the cool autumn day".
Jiang Shan honestly shook his head.
"No, they're gone forever."
She emphasized the word "already," shattering the little girl's hopes.
Jiang Hai burst into tears, her face contorted with grief. She fluttered her wings like a bird and flew down from Jiang Shan's knees, wailing loudly at the two white sheets.
"Mom, Dad, I don't want you to die! Wake up! Say something to me! Xiaohai doesn't want to live alone..."
Other patients' family members were outside the operating room. Hearing Jiang Hai's heart-wrenching cries, they all turned to look.
Seeing the two hospital beds covered with white sheets and a little girl crying with tears and snot all over her face, I couldn't bring myself to be harsh with her.
Jiang Hai is a man of strong emotions. Jiang Shan had anticipated that she would cry, but he did not expect her to cry so loudly.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She apologized to the group of people around her before tugging at Jiang Hai's hand and trying to persuade him, "But Xiao Hai isn't alone, Xiao Hai has an older sister."
Jiang Hai has cried many times since her parents were taken to the emergency room. Her eyes are swollen like two big walnuts. Although she is young, she knows that she should not make noise in the hospital, because she has been scolded by others with this phrase countless times during the hours her parents were being treated.
But at this moment, her grief reached its peak. She grabbed Jiang Shan's sleeve and howled for more than ten seconds before she could control her volume.
Jiang Shan stared at the white cloth that Jiang Hai had half-lifted, looking at the two people who had brought him into this world and who had just breathed their last, and felt a pang of emotion.
She thought the two of them would be hanging on by a thread, and the doctor would leave the decision of whether to save them to her.
Unexpectedly, there was a result so quickly.
Although her parents' rescue efforts failed, the glaring white sheet and red light cast a deep shadow on Jiang Hai's young mind, but for her... it wasn't all bad.
Perhaps looking at the landscape and the sea, a young woman in her early twenties and a six or seven-year-old girl were all alone and helpless. They had little experience in dealing with the afterlife, as a kind nurse reminded them.
"Ms. Jiang, if you feel you are in good condition, you can go and get a death certificate. You will need it later."
"Thank you." Jiang Shan complied.
The staff member in charge of issuing death certificates handed Jiang Shan a business card while writing the certificate: "Have you found a funeral home yet? If you can't find a suitable one right away, you can consider this one. Our hospital has a partnership with them."
Jiang Shan looked at it, then searched online, and thought the price was quite reasonable.
"Thank you, this is the place then."
The staff were secretly amazed.
It's extremely rare to find a family member of the deceased as emotionally stable as Jiang Shan, not to mention that Jiang Shan's ID card states that he is only twenty-two years old.
At such a young age, to have the ability to handle the funeral arrangements for her family members shows that this girl is destined for great things.
Jiang Shan searched online for "what to do after a loved one passes away," edited the obituary according to the examples, and then turned on the screens of Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao's phones to contact their former workplaces and friends.
...Wait, what were their phone passwords again?
Jiang Shan didn't dare to try rashly, fearing that if he made a few mistakes, their phones would get locked, which would be even more troublesome. So he simply stayed on the lock screen and used his own phone to search on Xiaolushu for "how to unlock the phone after the death of one's parents".
"Waaah, I know the password."
Jiang Hai was sobbing uncontrollably, but he still managed to catch his breath and say, "Before, just to play around, I secretly memorized their phone passwords."
Jiang Shan blinked and handed over his phone.
Although it wasn't a good thing to do, it really helped a lot.
"You won't remember your sister's lock screen password from now on, will you?"
A blush crept onto Jiang Hai's fair face: "...I don't think so, do I?"
Jiang Shan thought about it carefully.
"You're at the age where you love to play, so it's impossible not to. Besides Plants vs. Zombies, I'll download a few other games on my phone so you can play on it when you're free."
"But first, playing games shouldn't interfere with your studies. Second, don't memorize my payment password and secretly spend money in the game, okay?"
Jiang Hai nodded repeatedly.
She was still young and didn't quite understand that once someone dies, there's no other way to see them except in dreams or through VR technology. But her parents' eyes remained closed, and their faces were deathly pale, which made her feel uneasy.
She seems to have at least one older sister, but she already has an older sister.
Seeing the pinned parent group for Class 1 and 2 by Chen Yuan, Jiang Shan felt a little embarrassed. As Jiang Hai's older sister, she hadn't even joined the parent group for Jiang Hai's class.
However, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Previously, Jiang Hai's studies were managed by Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao, and she couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Now that the two of them are gone, she joined Jiang Hai's class group, which is considered taking over, and it's not too late.
After most things were taken care of, it was already Monday afternoon. Jiang Shan contacted the police to go and give a statement the next day, while taking Jiang Hai home.
The hospital was close to her home, only 800 meters away. But it was this short distance that took the lives of Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao.
At the end of September, the sun was still blazing in G City. Jiang Shan didn't take a taxi. Instead, he held Jiang Hai's hand and walked back with the bustling crowd.
As they passed the intersection where Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao had their accident, Jiang Hai tightened his grip on Jiang Shan's hand; her palms were still a little sweaty.
Jiang Shan suddenly understood something, bent down and hugged the trembling Jiang Hai into his arms.
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Hai, I'll carry you over."
Red light means stop, green light means go; Jiangshan walks steadily on the zebra crossing.
They had already crossed the road, but Jiang Hai was still clinging to Jiang Shan's shoulder as if grasping at a last straw. Jiang Shan couldn't bear to put Jiang Hai down like that, so he simply carried her along.
"Jiang Hai." Jiang Shan had only taken a few steps on the sidewalk when a voice suddenly called out behind her.
Jiang Hai nestled in Jiang Shan's arms, showing no reaction. It was unclear whether he didn't recognize the voice. Jiang Shan, however, looked in the direction of the somewhat childish voice.
He was a porcelain-white boy, dressed in a very ordinary-looking shirt and shorts.
However, this unremarkable material often appeared in Zhu Meng's wardrobe, and Jiang Shan vaguely felt that this little boy did not seem to be from an ordinary family.
Not to mention that the little boy wasn't alone; behind him, on the left and right, were two tall men in black clothes. These two men didn't look like the child's family members; they looked more like... bodyguards.
But what kind of connection could this rich and noble young master possibly have with her sister Jiang Hai?
Jiang Shan looked puzzled and bent down slightly to ask the boy.
"Little friend, who are you?"
"Jiang Hai." The little boy seemed not to see Jiang Shan at all, his eyes fixed on Jiang Hai in her arms, his tone unchanged from before.
...It's almost like a precisely programmed robot.
Jiang Hai hummed on Jiang Shan's shoulder, unwilling to turn her head to look at the little boy, but judging from her tone, it seemed that she recognized him.
"Please don't call me, okay? I don't want to talk to you right now!"
The little boy blinked his dark eyes, as if he couldn't understand why his friend, who always smiled at him, would suddenly stop talking to him altogether.
Jiang Shan was momentarily embarrassed.
Based on Chen Yuan and Jiang Tao's style, they would pull Jiang Hai off her shoulder and then force him to apologize to others while bowing and scraping.
She admitted that she couldn't remain untainted by the mud, and subconsciously wanted to do so.
Fortunately, she hesitated for a second, just a second, and decided to prioritize Jiang Hai's feelings.
After all, Jiang Hai isn't impolite every day like she is today. She has just gone through a lot and was ordered by Jiang Shan not to sleep, so she really doesn't have the mood to talk to people outside her family.
Why can't she, as Jiang Hai's family member, be understanding?
She can definitely do it, and even if she can't, she should learn to do it.
Genuine care for your family is far more important than empty pride.
"I'm sorry, she was in a bad mood today. She didn't mean to be mean to you." Jiang Shan smiled apologetically at the little boy, acting as a so-called "bear guardian" who was protecting the child for the first time.
Surprisingly, it feels pretty good.
The little boy ignored Jiang Shan's apology on his behalf. After being yelled at by Jiang Hai, he stood there stunned for several seconds before suddenly raising his hand to the bodyguard behind him.
The bodyguard understood and handed over a framed painting with both hands.
The little boy took the drawing with one hand and stared earnestly at the round back of Jiang Shan's head with pigtails on his shoulder: "Here you go... don't be sad."
Jiang Shan glanced at the painting and saw a little girl in a floral dress with a bright smile on her face—it was Jiang Hai.
"...But I'm really unhappy right now. Whether you give me something or not, I'll still be unhappy. But this unhappiness has nothing to do with you. I don't want to pass on my bad mood to you. Wait until I'm in a better mood before you talk to me."
Jiang Hai disliked formalities and spoke frankly with the little boy, nuzzling his head against Jiang Shan's neck: "Let's go, sister."
Jiang Shan couldn't resist the boy's sincere gaze. Before leaving, he took the painting, said "thank you" on behalf of Jiang Hai, and then left silently under the watchful eyes of the two bodyguards behind the boy.
This small painting, framed, is quite heavy.
Jiang Shan couldn't hold Jiang Hai with one hand, so she had to put the painting in her arms, and they stacked on top of each other like a human pyramid, with her holding Jiang Hai and Jiang Hai holding the painting.
"Xiao Hai, who is he?" Jiang Shan asked her after walking a short distance and making sure the little boy and his bodyguard couldn't hear her.
The river and sea are hesitant and stammering.
"A classmate... the one I told my sister about before, the guy who's so quiet you can't even fart after being hit three times. Didn't my sister tell me to stay away from him?"
Jiang Shan responded with an "Oh".
"Oh, it was him. Although he doesn't seem like a normal kid, he really wanted to talk to you."
"Of course," Jiang Hai shrugged, unconcerned. "I'm so popular in class, everyone wants to talk to me."
Jiang Shan admits that she is attracted to good-looking people, and in most cases, people with high looks have priority in her life.
For example, she had previously told Jiang Hai not to associate with abnormal classmates, but now, upon seeing this little boy's face, she stopped saying anything to stop him.
“You can’t treat him like this. He doesn’t know you went through the loss of your parents. He just wanted to give you something to cheer you up… He doesn’t seem like a bad kid. You can talk to him.”
Jiang Hai didn't notice that Jiang Shan's attitude had subtly changed; he just nodded vigorously, looking as if he had suddenly realized something.
"Oh, I promised my sister I wouldn't talk to him, so I haven't spoken to him for several days. Turns out I can talk to him. I know I was wrong, sister. I won't do it again."
Jiang Shan felt a little guilty and coughed twice.
"A child who admits their mistakes and corrects them is still a good child."
Her phone chimed; it was from the class group chat she had just joined. The class teacher, He Jiaxin, tagged everyone and was enthusiastically creating a lively atmosphere.
"The school has announced that classes will resume on Tuesday! [heart] Parents, please remember to send your children to school tomorrow! [rose]"
Jiang Shan was taken aback, followed by a bunch of replies from "[xx's mom]" and "[xx's dad]" saying "Received".
I almost forgot, Jiang Hai still has class.
Jiang Shan had just gotten home and hadn't even had a chance to order takeout when a message from Zhao Yi popped up.
"Jiangshan, how many days off do you want to take? President Zhu asked Gaoming to ask me. Didn't you inform President Zhu before you asked for leave? I thought you had."
Jiang Shan did not reply immediately.
She's been thinking a lot these past few days, including whether to develop her career in S City or stay in G City to take care of Jiang Hai.
Now she has the answer.
Stay in G city.
At least in G City, she has a house left by her parents where she can settle down. In S City, she only has a small rented room and a job with a monthly salary of less than 10,000 yuan.
Xiao Hai is still a school-aged child and cannot travel the world with her.
Jiang Shan took a deep breath and typed out four words.
"I want to resign."
"What's wrong? You're resigning already?" Zhao Yi quickly sent a second message, "Does President Zhu know you're resigning?"
"I don't know." Jiang Shan answered calmly. She even wanted to ask Zhao Yi if she could just decide this herself, why did she need to let Zhu Meng know?
“Then you should talk to President Zhu first. If President Zhu agrees, I can proceed with the procedures,” Zhao Yi replied.
Jiang Shan urged Jiang Hai to take out his textbook and preview tomorrow's lessons while typing a line of text.
"Could you please pass on a message to Mr. Zhu? I'm not in a very convenient position to contact him right now."
Zhao Yi was puzzled. What did she mean by "not very convenient"?
Zhu Meng's secretary, Gao Ming, sent another message.
"Team Leader Zhao, why didn't Jiang Shan come to work? This is the second time I've asked you this."
The questioning tone was clearly Zhu Meng's.
Zhao Yi initially thought it was just Jiang Shan and Zhu Meng flirting, so she didn't pay much attention. But now that Gao Ming was asking so seriously, she realized she couldn't hide it any longer, so she decided to try anything and tell him everything she knew.
Jiang Shan waited a long time for Zhao Yi's reply. Just as he was about to exit the chat and order takeout for himself and Jiang Hai for dinner, a pure black profile picture popped up on the upper half of his phone screen.
"Zhu Meng" sent a message.
"Did you resign to avoid me?"
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Author's Note: Little Fatty Zhang is here! [Sunglasses]
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