I'll be there
The audio-visual room was dimly lit with only a few ambient lights embedded in the wall.
On the huge screen, the figures in the black and white movie moved silently, the dialogue was in an obscure foreign language, and the subtitles scrolled slowly.
Wen Lingyi curled up in the large leather sofa, her fingertips unconsciously sliding along the wall of the cup, leaving only a thin layer of amber liquid in the cup.
The room was empty and a little cold. She pulled the thin blanket on the armrest to cover her legs. The blanket was soft, but it couldn't dispel the chill that seeped through her bones.
The phone screen suddenly lit up beside the pillow beside her, its pale light piercing the dimness of the corner. She glanced at it and ignored it.
A few seconds later, the muffled vibration sound from the sofa came again, persisting and stubbornly refusing to stop.
She finally put down her glass and reached for her phone.
It was Su Qing. A series of messages popped up impatiently.
Su.Q: "Lingyi, look!!!"
Su.Q: "Open Weibo's trending search now and look at the first one!!!"
Su.Q: "Forget it, I'll just transfer it to you."
Su.Q: “[web link]”
Wen Lingyi frowned slightly.
Su Qing rarely uses such dense exclamation marks, and the urgency in her tone almost overflows the screen.
Clicking the link, the page jumped, and the densely packed words on Weibo's hot search list came into view. Her eyes swept across it indifferently until they stopped at the glaring headline at the top of the list -
#A man in City B attacked a woman on the street and was stabbed while doing something righteous. Her life is in danger#
City B. Woman. Those two words pricked her nerves like a needle.
Wen Lingyi sat up straighter, clicked on the entry, and slid the screen with trembling fingertips, quickly browsing the text description.
Something in her chest slowly sank, causing her internal organs to ache.
Below the entry, there are many videos uploaded by people claiming to be eyewitnesses.
Her fingertips hovered over one of the most-played videos, and she paused for a moment before pressing it.
The picture shook, and noisy voices and screams instantly filled the quiet audio-visual room.
She saw a man committing violence crazily, and then saw a figure rushing out from the crowd and kicking the man hard from the side.
The figure was very tall, wearing a simple black sweatshirt and dark blue jeans, and his movements were reckless and reckless.
It’s Zhou Jianxing.
She saw Zhou Jianxing squatting down, trying to protect the curled up woman on the ground.
He saw the man draw his knife and stab him fiercely. He saw Zhou Jianxing dodge, grab the man's wrist, and wrestle with him.
Then came those quick, short, brutal stabs.
Zhou Jianxing's body suddenly stiffened, and then he fell suddenly like a kite with a broken string.
When falling, he still maintained a protective posture.
The camera moves forward chaotically and shakily.
Wen Lingyi saw Zhou Jianxing looking at the sky with his eyes open. His amber eyes, which were always bright and smiling, were now like a pond covered with a layer of shallow water, and the bottom of the pond was filled with dead leaves, covering up the original brilliance.
Her eyebrows were tightly twisted in pain, like two wriggling caterpillars on her bloodless face.
Tears silently slid down from the corners of her eyes and mixed into the hair at her temples.
In the video, someone was shouting loudly, someone was trying to press to stop the bleeding, Zhou Jianxing's lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.
Finally, the picture freezes on her being carried on a stretcher with her eyes closed.
Life or death is uncertain.
The phone slipped from his suddenly weakened hands and hit the soft carpet with a dull sound. The screen went dark in an instant.
The only sound in the audio-visual room was the exaggerated pantomime performances of the characters in the black and white movie, swaying silently.
Wen Lingyi maintained that posture, motionless, her eyes staring unfocused at the void in front of her, as if her soul had left her body, and the light from the screen flickered on her face.
After a few seconds, she jumped up as if she was scalded, and the thin blanket slid to the ground.
She didn't even bend down to pick up her phone, and rushed straight out of the audio-visual room. Her steps were a little unsteady, and she didn't even notice when she bumped into the door frame.
She's going to City B right now. Immediately.
She must see Zhou Jianxing.
The bone-chilling fear quickly spread to her limbs, making her legs so weak that she could not stand.
She was afraid, afraid that the scenes in those videos would be her last.
I’m afraid that that idiot who is always full of energy, a little silly and extremely stubborn will really disappear just like that.
·
The emergency room of the First People's Hospital of City B is like an independent and bustling world, brightly lit and bustling with people. The smell of disinfectant mixed with various indescribable smells is so strong that it cannot be dissolved.
Wen Lingyi almost ran to the front desk, her breathing was unstable and her hair was a little messy from running.
"Hello," she leaned against the cool countertop, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably as she tried to sound calm. "Excuse me... today's patient, a woman named Zhou Jianxing, how is she... doing now?"
The nurse at the front desk looked up at her, her eyes filled with the fatigue of someone who had seen life and death before, but when she heard Zhou Jianxing's name, there was a hint of respect in that fatigue.
"Are you her family member? She's still in the emergency room, and the results should be out soon." She raised her hand and pointed in a direction. "The emergency room is over there. Take the elevator to the sixth floor and turn right."
"Thank you." Wen Lingyi's voice was dry. She nodded hurriedly and almost immediately turned around and ran towards the elevator.
The elevator door was packed with people, and the indicator light showed it was still on the upper floors. Wen Lingyi squeezed through, her fingers uncontrollably pressing the up button continuously, making a rapid clicking sound.
"Hey, even if you're in a hurry, this isn't the way to press it." An old man waiting for the elevator next to her glanced at her and said in a bad tone, "This hospital is like this. The elevator is slow, and there's no point in being anxious."
Wen Lingyi pursed her lips, took a deep breath, turned around abruptly, and pushed open the door of the emergency passage next to her.
The stairwell was much emptier, with only the pale light above and endless steps.
She grabbed the cool metal handrail and started running upwards.
The footsteps echoed clearly and lonely in the enclosed space.
The stairs seemed to have no end, and my lungs felt burning from the rapid breathing, as if the air was being squeezed out.
But she didn't dare stop.
Every step forward brings you one step closer to Zhou Jianxing.
This thought supported her, and she gritted her teeth and climbed up step by step.
Finally, the door of the emergency passage on the sixth floor was opened. Many people gathered in the corridor outside the emergency room, including the female protagonist in the incident, enthusiastic people, and media carrying cameras.
Wen Lingyi walked through the crowd and came to the closed door of the emergency room, looking up at the bright, glaring red warning light.
Red spread across her vision, as if the whole world was drenched in blood.
She began to pace back and forth in the limited space by the door, her steps fast and chaotic, her handbag unconsciously clutched tightly in her hand, leaving deep fingerprints on the leather surface.
She fished out a cigarette case from her bag, the metal casing leaving a deep dent in her palm.
Countless times, she wanted to go downstairs and find a place to smoke a cigarette, letting the nicotine suppress the blockage in her throat, but she was afraid of missing the moment when the door opened and missing any news.
Time had never passed so slowly and clearly, and every second was like a heavy drumbeat, hitting her tense nerves.
It finally materialized into deep and shallow half-moon-shaped nail marks on the palm of her hand.
Waiting gave her confused thoughts some space to wander.
The last time Zhou Jianxing left her, she thought that the broken thread between them might have a possibility of reconnecting.
She even found an excuse, called Schindler Repair, and specifically asked Zhou Jianxing to come over.
The female receptionist who answered the phone told her politely but distantly that Mr. Zhou was about to leave for City B to participate in a six-month intensive study and would not be able to schedule work in the near future.
When I called Zhou Jianxing again, I heard a cold system prompt tone from the receiver.
Zhou Jianxing was avoiding her in the most thorough way possible.
At that moment, she stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the villa, looking at the dilapidated garden outside the window, and she felt discouraged.
She thought, maybe it really is time to stop here.
Since Zhou Jianxing doesn't want to see her so much, it's better to say goodbye and never see her again.
Now, she just wished that thought had never occurred to her.
Wen Lingyi just wanted to see Zhou Jianxing, and wanted to see Zhou Jianxing standing in front of her in good health.
Even if he looked at her with such a distant and indifferent look, it was better than lying there like this, uncertain whether she was alive or dead.
The white walls of the hospital had heard more prayers than churches, and she suddenly had a religious faith.
I don’t know how long it took, but the red light suddenly went out and turned green.
Wen Lingyi's feet froze in place, her heart almost jumping out of her throat.
The door was pushed open from the inside, and a middle-aged doctor wearing a green surgical gown and a mask walked out.
As he walked, he took off the disposable hat on his head, revealing his sweat-soaked hair and a look of deep fatigue on his face.
"Is the patient's family here?" the doctor raised his voice and asked the crowd in the corridor.
The crowd was in an uproar, everyone looked at each other, no one responded, and finally their eyes fell on Wen Lingyi.
Wen Lingyi raised her hand and took a step forward, her outstretched hand shaking constantly.
"I...I am."
The doctor's eyes fell on her face, and he looked her over. Then his tone softened a little: "The operation was successful, don't worry."
He habitually gives the most important information first.
"The patient was very lucky. A professional doctor was on the scene to help with emergency bleeding control, which bought precious time. Otherwise, the situation would have been very dangerous."
Wen Lingyi's raised hand slowly dropped down.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
Warm liquid rolled down her face, but she didn't wipe it off.
Her nasal cavity was so sore that she had to open her mouth slightly to breathe in order to suppress the broken sobs that were surging in her throat.
She bowed deeply to the doctor again and again.
"Thank you, doctor... Thank you so much... I don't know what to say... Thank you, thank you for saving her..." She spoke incoherently, repeating the simplest words.
She didn't know what else to say except thank you.
Thank him for pulling Zhou Jianxing back from the brink of death, and thank him for giving her the chance to see the living Zhou Jianxing.
The doctor waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to do so.
"Let me tell you about the patient's basic condition." He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "She was in critical condition when she was brought in. Because her phone had a password, we couldn't contact her family. The informed consent form for the surgery was handled urgently by the hospital according to regulations."
He explained in a steady voice, "The right lobe of the liver was ruptured, and 20% of the liver tissue was removed. This tissue can regenerate later."
"But the recovery period after surgery will be very long and the person will be very weak."
"There is a perforation in the right diaphragm. It was repaired after surgery and she needs closed chest drainage. During this period, her breathing will be more painful, so she needs to pay special attention."
"There is a contusion and laceration on the right kidney, and temporary acute renal failure has occurred. A urinary catheter will need to be placed for two to three weeks to observe the recovery."
"There is also contusion in the right lower lobe of the lung. The blood oxygen saturation is not stable and requires intermittent oxygen support."
With every word he heard, Wen Lingyi's heart sank a little.
She could only nod continuously, tears blurring her vision. She raised her hand and wiped it away forcefully, wanting to see more clearly and hear more clearly.
"Post-operative recovery is very important. You family members must be more attentive and cooperate with the treatment." The doctor gave his final instructions, nodded at her, and hurried away.
His back disappeared at the end of the corridor, and he had to rush to the next operation.
·
The intensive care unit was off-limits. Wen Lingyi could only peer inside through the huge glass window.
Zhou Jianxing was lying on the middle bed, covered with a white quilt.
She was wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, with a thick breathing tube inserted in her throat, and her cheeks were slightly puffed up from assisted breathing.
On the life monitor screen nearby, undulating curves and jumping numbers were silently dancing.
The fingers of a hand exposed outside the quilt, which was receiving an IV drip, twitched slightly unconsciously, probably because the anesthesia had not completely subsided.
Wen Lingyi's fingertips gently pressed against the cold glass, tracing the blurry outline of Zhou Jianxing across the unbridgeable distance.
So many tubes and cables connected her to the cold machine, like a fragile precision instrument.
Wen Lingyi stood for a long time, her eyes were dry and sore, and every time she blinked, there was a noticeable pain.
Zhou Jianxing's family hadn't arrived yet. Her cell phone was with Wen Lingyi, but she didn't know the password.
Wen Lingyi thought that at this moment there must be many people like her who were anxiously waiting for news from Zhou Jianxing.
Her heart was half relieved, but those who cared about Zhou Jianxing were still worried.
She didn't know Zhou Jianxing's parents. Friend... She suddenly thought of someone.
I took out my phone, opened the map app, and entered the store name I remembered, "Weiran Flower Shop".
After finding the contact number, she hesitated for a moment and dialed it.
·
"We're already checking in," Chu Wei replied, glancing down at his watch. "We're expected to arrive in six hours."
"Yes, there are six of us in our group." Chu Wei lowered her eyes. "Thank you. I'll leave Xingxing to you for now."
"I'll be here." Wen Lingyi looked through the glass window and answered softly.
The call ended. At the airport, Chu Wei put down his phone and let out another long, slow breath, as if to let out some of the heavy anxiety that had accumulated in his chest.
She looked at Zhou Jianjun and Zhou Shufen, whose eyes were red and who were supporting each other to stand steadily, and then looked at Ajie and Xiaomin, who also had heavy faces, and said in a hoarse voice: "Xingxing's surgery is over, and for the time being...she's fine."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They also rushed to the airport after seeing the bad news on the trending searches.
The direct flights from City C to City B were sold out long ago, and even the first-class seats were sold out. They could only buy the fastest flight to the neighboring City H, and then take a bus to City B after landing.
These few hours were torture for each of them.
If it weren't for Wen Lingyi's call, this worry and fear of unknown outcome would have lasted even longer.
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