Chapter 76 On the isolated island, Meng Cenjun's hands dripped blood like beads from a broken string. ...
Meng Cenjun paused for a second, looked at the lit desk lamp beside him, then at her lifeless eyes. A terrible thought made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
He didn't say anything, but tentatively stretched out his finger and waved it in front of her, but she didn't react at all.
Before he could say anything, tears were already streaming down Lan Jia's face: "I can't see anymore."
"I will never be able to see it again."
"No, it won't happen..."
He calmed her down with one hand, while he himself murmured helplessly, "No, Lan Jia, you'll be alright..."
Lan Jia waved her hands wildly in the air for a while, then suddenly let them fall down and started to sob.
Meng Cenjun then took her hand and leaned weakly against her side.
Occasionally, a sob or two could be heard from the quiet ward. The two people huddled together under the light, like children abandoned by the whole world.
The news of Lan Jia's blindness spread quickly the next day.
The old lady had the strongest reaction; she fell ill as soon as she heard the news and has been bedridden ever since.
Qiao Zimu went completely mad again, causing a huge scene. Realizing it was pointless, he rallied and used his family connections to search for renowned doctors for Lan Jia.
Meng Cenjun stayed at the hospital the whole time, but he couldn't leave his company affairs behind, so he had to temporarily move his work to the ward. He would handle things in his spare time during the day, but Lan Jia had trouble falling asleep at night and often had nightmares in the middle of the night, so he could only stay by her side all night long.
Her illness completely shattered her spirits, and all the past suffering came crashing down on her, tormenting her day and night, almost taking half her life.
Meng Cenyun took care of her closely for a period of time, and also experienced many twists and turns, and was full of thoughts. Like a tree that shared her fate, it also gradually withered away along with her.
Lan Jia spent over a month in the hospital. The bruises from her fall had mostly healed, but her eyesight remained unchanged. She saw many doctors, all of whom diagnosed her with intracranial hemorrhage compressing the optic nerve, causing temporary blindness. Opening the cranium was too risky and not a primary option. Fortunately, the bleeding was minimal, and her condition was relatively stable. The conservative approach was to wait for the hematoma to resolve on its own, and her blindness would gradually return.
All we can do now is wait, but waiting is often the most agonizing thing, filled with the fear of the unknown.
Meng Cenjun remained on edge day and night, while Lan Jia had become completely numb. She was just lying there blankly, unresponsive to anything anyone said, as if she were trapped in a quagmire, knowing that everything she did was futile, so she simply stopped struggling.
Summer is almost over, and it's a drowsy afternoon.
Qiao Zimu visited Lan Jia early in the morning and then left in a hurry, unable to leave behind the work arranged by the family. Aunt Ming came over at noon to feed Lan Jia, sat for a while, and then went back to prepare dinner. Now, her heart is entirely focused on Lan Jia, and she has somehow found some folk remedies. After consulting with the doctor, she tirelessly makes Lan Jia various nourishing soups every day.
Now that everyone else has left, only the brother and sister remain in the ward.
Lan Jia sat up, a rare occurrence, by the window, where the warm sunlight shone on her.
Her world had lost its distinction between day and night, and time had become blurred. Meng Cenjun was afraid that she would fall into a state of emptiness, so he often accompanied her to bask in the sun. The natural warmth transmitted to her body at least made her feel a little bit of reality.
The shadows of the trees outside swayed, filtering out golden light. He touched her pale face and suddenly asked, "Shall I take you home, back to our home?"
Lan Jia didn't move or answer; she just stared straight ahead.
She hadn't lost her ability to speak, so he took her silence as consent.
That same day, Meng Cenjun carried her away from the hospital.
Instead of taking her back to the Louis House in Anfeng, he took her to the top floor of the Park Hyatt, the home that Lan Jia had only visited once.
In fact, this matter has caused a huge uproar countless times.
After he quietly took Lan Jia away, the old lady quickly found out that he had hidden her here. She sent Aunt Xiu over several times, but to no avail. Later, when the old lady was feeling better, she went to the company in person to talk to him. Meng Cenjun was adamant and refused to let him go. She tried everything, but nothing worked. By the end of the conversation, the two were close to breaking off relations.
During the days that Qiao Zimu couldn't see Lan Jia, he became a powder keg. Not only did he cause trouble at Paine every few days, but he also camped out at the top of the Park Hyatt every day, yet he still couldn't get close to Lan Jia. The news of their engagement had spread throughout the Qiao family. The Qiao siblings had an excellent relationship and were known for protecting their own. Seeing their younger brother's dispirited state, Qiao Zimu's eldest brother and second sister stepped in to mediate. However, whenever Lan Jia was involved, Meng Cenjun seemed to become a completely different person, showing no mercy and coldly dismissing them.
In a short period of time, he had offended almost everyone he knew, and those lurking in the shadows seized the opportunity to make a big fuss. Rumors spread like wildfire in the upper echelons of Lijiang's social circles, implying an incestuous relationship between the Yi siblings, and some even boldly speculated that Meng Cenjun's background was also a product of the Meng brothers' infighting and sordid affair.
Meng Cenjun showed neither joy nor sorrow at this, remaining indifferent and unconcerned.
Seeing the rumors escalating and threatening to spread like wildfire, the elderly woman ultimately stepped in to suppress them for the sake of the company's image, and those behind the scenes began to back down.
However, gossip cannot be silenced in private, and Meng Cenjun also inevitably faces some strange looks in the board of directors.
After a busy day, I rushed home, but Lan Jia was still the same as always, sitting there stiffly, motionless.
She was like a plant, uprooted by Meng Cenjun and transplanted into a carefully prepared flowerpot, placed at home and watched every day as she gradually withered away.
She is blind, cannot go out for a walk, cannot move around freely, and has no entertainment.
The maid wanted to turn on the TV or play some music for her, but she refused, saying that the noise made her uncomfortable.
Even if she doesn't do anything, she's already feeling very unwell.
Lan Jia's sleep disorder is getting worse and worse. She finally falls asleep, but then wakes up several times.
Meng Cenjun lived next door to her. Whenever he heard her crying in the middle of the night, he would immediately wake up and rush to her bedroom, hug her, and comfort her, just like when she was a child, to help her escape from her nightmares.
For half a month, night after night, he never slept through the night again.
Later, Lan Jia could only fall asleep by taking medication. After taking it for a while, she started to have a poor reaction to the medication and began to experience serious adverse side effects. Helpless, the doctor could only suggest that she temporarily stop taking the medication.
However, Lan Jia had become dependent on the medication and noticed that the maid was gradually stopping giving her her medication before bedtime, causing her to become irritable and easily angered.
She's like a mindless child now, completely oblivious to the side effects the medication might have. All she knows is that she can't sleep, that she's uncomfortable, that they've hidden the medication, and that everyone is bullying her...
Lan Jia did get out of bed and started talking, but it was nothing more than the same few sentences. She fumbled around in the drawers of the room, making a mess of them, and muttered to herself that she wanted to find her medicine.
But where could she find them? Those medicines had already been disposed of.
Seeing her sitting amidst the mess and crying, the maid Zhou Ma felt sorry for her and wanted to help her up, but she suddenly pushed her hard, causing Zhou Ma to fall to the ground and strain her back.
Lan Jia heard Zhou Ma groaning beside her, stopped crying, and subconsciously looked at her hands, but everything went black.
For some reason, she curled up in a ball with her knees drawn up to her chest and started wailing uncontrollably again.
After this incident, Meng Cenjun decided to move into the master bedroom and eat and sleep with Lan Jia.
When she couldn't sleep, he would coax her all night long. When she was in a bad mood and threw a tantrum, he would endure her beatings and scoldings without complaint.
Usually, by the middle of the night, she would be exhausted and curl up in his arms, defeated. He held her, warm, hot, and soft, as if carefully holding a beating heart, his whole life.
Everything will be alright.
He kissed her, nuzzled against her, and pressed his cheek against the top of her head.
No matter how long it takes, even if he has to spend the rest of his life like this, he will stay with her until the day she is fully recovered.
Another week passed, and Lan Jia gradually began to try to live a normal life, getting out of bed, groping her way out of the bedroom, and becoming familiar with other areas of the house.
Considering her visual impairment, safety measures were installed throughout the house to prevent her from slipping and bumping into things.
Zhou Ma stayed with her the whole time, walking with her countless times along each path. Eventually, Lan Jia was able to go down the stairs on her own, taking small, tentative steps to reach the living room.
She liked staying there; the large floor-to-ceiling windows provided good natural light, and it was close to the entrance so she could hear the elevator.
Zhou's mother was very relieved because Lan Jiaken had started sunbathing on her own initiative. Just like plants, people need sunlight to grow. The fact that she knew what she needed meant that she was getting better soon.
Lan Jia sat in the living room all afternoon, asking Zhou Ma several times about the time. When she figured it was about time, she asked Zhou Ma to peel some fruit for her.
It was rare to hear her take the initiative to say what she wanted to eat, so Zhou Ma was even happier. She smiled and washed a red apple and sat down next to her to peel it.
While peeling, he chattered on and on to Lan Jia about what dishes he had made that evening.
Lan Jia listened silently, without saying a word.
It also seemed like they were waiting for something.
I had only peeled half of the apple when I heard the elevator's crisp ding.
Lan Jia said to Zhou Ma, "Go and see if the soup in the kitchen has boiled over."
Aunt Zhou said in surprise, "So far away, Miss has such sharp ears." After saying that, she put the apple on the coffee table and hurriedly got up to check.
Meng Cenjun returned, carrying a brown paper file folder, looking tired.
After taking off his coat and putting it away, he walked into the living room and saw Lan Jia sitting obediently on the sofa.
She wore a pure white long nightgown, bathed in the soft light of the setting sun, looking like a serene angel waiting for him to come home.
He received the news at the company. Zhou Ma said that Lan Jia had a good appetite today and ate half a bowl more rice than usual at noon. He was happy for a long time after hearing this.
She's eating now, so she must be getting better soon.
very nice.
He softened completely just looking at her, reached out and stroked her cheek, and asked softly, "Are you feeling any better today?"
She felt him approaching, immediately grabbed his hand tightly, and called out, "Brother."
That one sound caused half of his heart to collapse.
For the first time in a long time, she called him "brother".
He still thought she was angry with him.
Meng Cenjun's eyes welled up with tears, and she responded sullenly, waiting for her to continue.
However, the next second, she made him fall from heaven to hell in an instant.
Lan Jia gripped his hand tightly, looked up at him, and said urgently, "Give me the medicine!"
He seemed to freeze instantly, and after a long pause, he replied hesitantly, "There's no more medicine."
"You're lying! You must have hidden it! Give it to me! Give it to me!"
"Listen to Lan Jia, the doctor said you can't take the medicine anymore."
Meng Cenjun stood there, closing her eyes in anguish: "Lan Jia, I won't give you the medicine."
"elder brother……"
Meng Cenjun stopped talking and let her throw a tantrum and roll around on the ground.
After a while, Lan Jia suddenly sat up, held a fruit knife to her neck, and screamed uncontrollably, "Are you going to give it to me or not?"
"Lan Jia!" Meng Cenjun's pupils contracted in fright. He tried to snatch it away quickly, but Lan Jia was one step ahead and blocked his carotid artery.
"Give me the medicine! Give me the medicine!" she screamed in despair.
"Okay, okay, I promise you, put the knife down first."
Zhou Ma, who was not far away, had already come out after hearing the noise. Meng Cenjun gave her a look, signaling her to call the doctor immediately.
Lan Jia had completely lost her temper, shouting frantically as if she were desperate to escape being devoured by ants: "Hurry! Give it to me now!"
In the chaotic scramble and struggle, the fruit knife clattered to the ground, and blood from Meng Cenjun's hand quickly stained the carpet like a broken string of pearls.
Lan Jia was unaware of this; she was still kicking and yelling wildly.
The doctor arrived, and the nurse arrived too. Together with Aunt Zhou, they subdued Lan Jia, pushed her sleeves up to her arms, and injected her with a vial of medicine.
She panted for a while, then quickly calmed down.
Once everyone saw that she had stabilized, they carefully escorted her back to her bedroom upstairs to rest.
Meng Cenjun followed along, standing at the open doorway, and saw Lan Jia being manipulated by them, like a patient with no autonomy.
He thought she was getting better, but in fact she got worse.
Was it wrong to force her to stay by my side? Was it wrong to trap her on this isolated island where he is all alone?
He turned his back, but suddenly his eyes reddened.
Meng Cenjun swayed as she descended the stairs, blood dripping from her hands all the way down.
When he took the last few steps, he suddenly slipped and fell to the ground helplessly.
It seemed as if he would never get up again after that fall.
It was Zhou's mother who was worried about his hand injury. She chased after him and asked if he wanted to see a doctor, but when she saw him sitting alone at the top of the stairs, head down, shoulders trembling slightly, she didn't say anything at that moment.
A pool of blood had formed on the floor, occasionally mixed with a few drops of clear liquid.
On the coffee table in the living room was a forensic report that cruelly confirmed his father-son relationship with someone.
Meng Cenjun had lived for thirty years and was used to a life of strategizing and planning.
At this moment, for the first time, he didn't know how to live his life from now on.
Author's note: It will be alright... It will get better [crying emoji]
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