Chapter 75 Blindness "If anything happens to her, I will die."...
Eight years ago, on a winter night.
Meng Cenjun returned home weary from her journey, while Lan Jia remained high in fever.
The Yi residence was brightly lit, and he carried the person in his arms as he hurried downstairs.
Twelve-year-old Lan Jia huddled up in a ball, muttering incoherently, "Brother, I'm so cold."
Am I going to die?
No, it won't.
"Brother, I have no strength left. Am I really going to die?"
"No, Lan Jia."
The driver, who was standing by the car, opened the door, and Meng Cenjun carried her in, gently comforting her, "Brother will take you to the hospital now, you'll get better soon."
He took a mink blanket from the maid and wrapped her up tightly.
The car sped along, and Lan Jia, trembling under the blanket, looked at him, her teeth chattering, "Brother, what should I do? I can hardly see your face anymore..."
Meng Cenjun reached out and touched her burning forehead, trying to remain calm as she said, "It's alright, Lan Jia. You just have a minor illness and will recover soon."
"Did you only come back because you knew I was sick?"
She nestled in his arms, still unable to hold back her tears: "Did you leave because I was disobedient? You don't want me anymore, do you?"
Meng Cenjun denied it, then wiped away her tears: "What nonsense are you talking about? This is my home, how could I not go home?"
"But you've been gone for a month, and I've been waiting for you and hoping for you every day, but you haven't come back..."
"Did you get angry with me because I said 'I hate you'?"
"Brother, I'm sorry... I didn't mean what I said. I'll never argue with you again..."
Hearing her heartbroken sobs, Meng Cenyun's throat tightened: "How could I be angry with you? How could I be angry with you..."
"Then swear that you will never leave again."
She looked at him with pleading eyes, her gaze melting his heart.
"I swear, I will never leave you."
"That's good... then I'm relieved. Brother, I really don't want to be separated from you..." She smiled slowly, then closed her eyes, utterly exhausted.
"Lan Jia? Wake up." He finally showed panic and reached out to pat her face: "Not now, you can't sleep at this time."
She stopped moving, even her breath was hot, burning his fingertips.
Meng Cenjun's heart sank, and he called her name several more times: "Lan Jia? Lan Jia? Lan Jia..." His voice grew softer and softer, until finally it became so hoarse that it sounded like someone else's.
His eyes stung, and he suddenly fell silent. He simply pulled the blanket around Lan Jia tighter, pressed his cheek against the top of her head, and tried to transfer all his warmth to her.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Lan Jia was taken away for treatment. Suddenly, his arms were empty. Meng Cenjun stood alone in the corridor, staring at the stark white wall. For the first time, he earnestly prayed to God, willing to give everything in exchange, just to let Lan Jia return to his side safely.
Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The person is still the same, but winter has turned into summer, and the overcoat has been replaced with a shirt.
He remained seated, bloodstains glaringly visible on his body, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the overhead light, like a crazed gambler betting his entire fortune in a final plea to heaven. He wanted her back, he wanted her safe. If that wasn't enough, it didn't matter. He would give up the rest of his lifespan to exchange for her, he would make the exchange right now. He wanted her back, he wanted her back…
[God, please hear my plea; please, don't take away the one I love most.]
The operating room lights were still on; the resuscitation had been going on for a long time.
A large number of people gradually gathered in the corridor outside, all of whom had come after hearing the news.
The first one was Qiao Zimu. He was waiting outside when the incident happened, and he followed the car all the way here.
He ran breathlessly into the corridor, saw the "Operation in Progress" sign, and his pent-up emotions exploded. He charged at Meng Cenjun like a mad beast, yelling, "Bastard! What did you do? What did you do to her?"
Unfortunately, before they could even touch him, they were already being held back by Uncle Chen, the driver standing nearby.
Qiao Zimu struggled desperately, kicking his legs wildly and cursing incessantly: "Meng Cenjun, you bastard! You're a complete bastard! You can't stand to see her happy, can you? You can't stand to see her with me!"
"No wonder she wanted to leave you! No wonder she was in such a hurry to leave!"
"You bastard! You've done this to her, I'm going to fight you to the death!"
"Family members, please calm down and stop making a scene." Their commotion immediately drew the doctor's displeasure and a rebuke.
Qiao Zimu fell silent, panting heavily, and glared hatefully in Meng Cenjun's direction.
When Uncle Chen saw that he stopped moving, he released his grip at the right time. However, as if all his strength had been drained, he went limp and collapsed to the ground. After a while, he hugged his knees and let out a low, helpless whimper.
Throughout the entire process, Meng Cenjun didn't even glance at him; he simply sat there like a statue, showing no reaction to anything.
Not long after, Aunt Ming and Aunt Xiu also arrived in a hurry, supporting the elderly lady who had difficulty walking. The three of them had cold and solemn expressions and looked at Meng Cenjun together.
In an instant, he was the culprit, the target of everyone's anger and hatred, and all the blame and hatred were directed at him.
But they were all elderly people, and they were well-mannered. Even if they were angry, they wouldn't cause a scene in public.
The old lady stood there for a moment, feeling heavy-hearted. She wanted to say something, but her heart was heavy with emotion. So she had to be helped to sit down beside him, her body trembling.
Aunt Xiu brought over a cane, and she rested her hands on it, waiting for time to slowly pass.
The longer it went on, the uglier everyone's faces became.
The old lady glanced at Meng Cenjun, who stood beside her like a statue, and suddenly said in a desolate voice, "Now you should understand why I insisted on opposing you two being together."
Meng Cenjun lowered her eyes, and her whole body seemed shrouded in a gloom, making it impossible to see her facial expression.
She said coldly, "You've made enough of this. Once Lan Jia is feeling better, I'll take her back to the old house to recuperate. The two of you really aren't suited to stay together anymore."
"If she doesn't want to see you in the future, you don't need to see her anymore. This way, it's better for both of you."
After a moment of silence, he said coldly, "Impossible."
The old lady was surprised for a moment. He was usually a very proper and polite person, but now he had changed his appearance and didn't care who was in front of him.
Even though she knew he might be deeply traumatized and out of his mind, she hadn't originally intended to make a big deal out of it. But the more she looked at him now, the more he resembled someone else's past madness, so she couldn't help but raise her voice: "If you force her to stay by your side, there's no guarantee that something like this won't happen again."
"If you can bear it, what about her? Can she endure it a second time?"
Meng Cenjun hung her head, looking at the dried bloodstains on her hands, her voice as painful and rough as gravel:
"If anything happens to her, I will die."
The old lady was taken aback when she heard his resolute words for the first time. She stared at him, speechless for a long time.
She knew all too well that the more restrained a person was, the more powerful they could become when they went wild, often a hundred times more ferocious than someone who was used to indulging themselves.
Since he was determined not to let her go, if she really went all out and fought him to the death, things would only get worse. And Lan Jia could no longer withstand such a blow.
At this moment, although she inevitably felt shaken, her concerns outweighed them.
The problem now rests entirely on Lan Jia's shoulders. How things are going to turn out and what should be done can only be decided after she wakes up.
Looking back on all these years, all the plans and arrangements we made for her have ultimately failed. Perhaps sometimes we have no choice but to accept fate. The younger generation has their own ideas, and blindly interfering too much will only backfire.
She just sat there, and under the pale light, she suddenly felt that her face had more wrinkles, her back was more hunched, and she looked as if she had aged another ten years.
Well, she couldn't care less about that now. Let them settle this mess left by the previous generation themselves.
At this moment, the indicator light went out and the operating room door opened.
As soon as the doctor came out, everyone immediately stood up and surrounded him, listening intently to the verdict.
The doctor adjusted his glasses and spoke with professionalism and seriousness: "The patient is currently out of immediate danger, but the head injury is severe. The CT scan shows intracranial hemorrhage and scalp lacerations. The next 24 hours are critical. If secondary bleeding or cerebral edema is detected, we will consider further craniotomy. We hope your family will be mentally prepared."
Upon hearing the words "brain surgery," everyone's faces turned deathly pale.
The old lady closed her eyes and almost fell backward, but several hands hurriedly supported her and noisily helped her to sit down.
The doctor left after speaking, leaving Meng Cenjun standing there alone.
He listened to the chaotic chatter behind him, feeling a sense of loneliness amidst the noise. When he came to his senses, he belatedly realized that his face was wet.
After Lan Jia finished her observation in the intensive care unit, she was transferred to the VIP ward the following evening. Although her vital signs stabilized, she remained unconscious.
The old lady stayed up all night in fear and anxiety, and felt unwell in the morning. She was persuaded to go home by Aunt Ming and Aunt Xiu.
Meng Cenjun was determined to stay by her side at all times. Everyone now treated him as a dangerous person, neither speaking to him nor daring to provoke him.
Although Aunt Ming resented him, Lan Jia needed someone to take care of her at this time, so she had no choice but to suppress her resentment for the time being, go home to pack some of the siblings' daily necessities, and then come back.
It was already late at night. Qiao Zimu hadn't slept for a day and a night. Seeing that Lan Jia was still asleep, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and curled up on the living room sofa to fall asleep.
A small bedside lamp was still lit in the ward. Meng Cenjun was sitting on the edge of the bed, using a cotton swab dipped in warm water to wipe Lan Jia's dry lips.
Although he hadn't slept for a long time, he felt very calm now. He didn't feel tired, nor did he feel as guilty and sad as he did yesterday.
He was completely numb, only knowing to wait blankly for her to wake up and then await her judgment and punishment.
Being in the same room with her now, beneath the calm, I felt a touch of tender comfort, like a frozen hand approaching a warm fire.
Regardless, she stayed by his side in the end. From now on, no one could separate them.
After replenishing her fluids, Meng Cenjun put down the cotton swab, sat quietly under the lamp and watched her for a while, then bent her knuckles and carefully rubbed her cheek.
With that touch, Lan Jia's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
He stared intently at her, his heart pounding as if resurrected, and called out to her, "Lan Jia..."
She remained silent for a moment, mechanically rolled her dry eyes, and asked in a hoarse voice:
Why aren't the lights on?
Author's Note: I've been hit hard again...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com