After sitting in the ward for a while, I finally called Leyao. At this point, Wei Manwen had already made her choice about her life and future. She would no longer build a family with Luo Ben. Therefore, the issue regarding the girl needed to be discussed with Leyao, because once Luo Ben woke up, the harsh reality would overwhelm him, and he wouldn’t even be able to take care of himself, let alone the girl.
Moments later, Leyao answered the call. She asked, “Why are you calling me again? Is it still about the makeup test photos?”
“No, I’m actually quite satisfied with the second set of makeup test photos.”
“Then are you missing me?”
I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. During the silence, I lit a cigarette for myself.
Leyao seemed to sense my mood and softened her tone, asking, “What’s wrong, Zhaoyang?… You seem troubled.”
I sighed, “Teacher Wei and Luo Ben have broken up. Luo Ben also got into a car accident, and his condition is very serious. You need to think about where the girl should go now… If it’s inconvenient for you to take her in, send her back to the small village. Don’t let her keep drifting like this.”
This statement contained a lot of information. Leyao seemed completely unprepared for it and was momentarily stunned. After a long pause, she asked in a low voice, “How could it come to this?”
“Let’s deal with the immediate issue first. As for Luo Ben and Teacher Wei’s situation, as their friends, all we can do is feel sorry for them. No matter what we say or do, we cannot change the fact that their relationship has ended.”
Leyao laughed bitterly, “Haha… The most unstable and unsettling thing in this world is probably this ridiculous thing called love! Teacher Wei is such a fool!”
“Don’t speak so harshly.”
“I don’t think I’m insulting her, because we’ve all been foolish in love before. Her foolishness isn’t betrayal; it’s loving too deeply… Do you believe me? The person she loves the most in her life is still Luo Ben, but precisely because of her foolish love, she had to leave him.”
“What’s the point of saying all this now? Please, as an observer, just handle what you need to do properly, okay?” I was upset about the girl’s uncertain future and took it out on her.
Ignoring my anger, Leyao continued, “Luo Ben’s tragedy lies in his inability to understand what women truly need. He always gives Teacher Wei things she doesn’t need at the most inappropriate times. When I heard they had ended their relationship, I was shocked, but upon reflection, it was inevitable… Because choice is a woman’s instinct, and any choice inevitably brings pain… At this moment, Teacher Wei might be suffering so much that she wants to die. She was foolish; she could have loved Luo Ben less intensely. If she had left more gracefully, why would she feel such pain… Haha.”
After a long silence, I finally said, “Love varies from person to person; don’t lecture me about it… If you’re serious about helping, please come to Suzhou as soon as possible and settle the girl’s issue.”
Leyao was silent for a while before replying, “You take care of Luo Ben first. I’ll take a morning flight back to Suzhou tomorrow… He’s impulsive by nature; you must calm him down and prevent him from doing anything stupid, understand?”
“Yeah, I’ll watch over him.”
…
After sitting alone for a while, I received a call from Mi Cai. She had finished work and I told her about Luo Ben’s accident. I asked her to go to the place where Luo Ben and Wei Manwen used to live and bring the girl to the hospital because I wanted to know what the girl was thinking.
About half an hour later, Mi Cai arrived at the hospital with the girl and some late-night snacks. Her expression was serious as she quietly asked me, “Hasn’t Luo Ben woken up yet?”
“The doctor said it might take between half an hour to two hours… At this moment, I actually hope he sleeps a bit longer.”
Mi Cai nodded and opened the thermos container, saying, “You’ve been busy all night and haven’t eaten anything. Eat something and rest for a bit.”
“I’m not hungry.” I said, then turned to the girl who was silently shedding tears while looking at Luo Ben, and said, “Girl, come here. I have something to ask you.”
Without saying a word, the girl wiped away her tears and stood in front of me. I glanced at Luo Ben, feeling heavy-hearted once again. I grabbed her shoulders and after a long while, I finally said, “There might no longer be anyone in this city who can take care of you… Girl, tell Uncle Zhaoyang, do you want to go back to that small village?”
Without hesitation, she shook her head…
I was somewhat surprised and asked, “Why don’t you want to go back?”
She directly skipped my question and replied, “I can take care of myself. I can cook, wash clothes, clean the house… and I can also take care of Brother Luo Ben! I know Teacher Wei won’t come back. From the kids in the village, I heard she’s about to marry Dr. Zhou.”
I had overlooked the fact that the girl still kept in touch with the other children in the village. She had actually been the first to know that Wei Manwen had changed her heart, but she simply chose not to tell us.
I knew it was cruel, but the harsh reality was right in front of us. I painfully tried to persuade her again, “Go back, girl. You’re still too young. You can’t take care of yourself, let alone your Brother Luo Ben!”
“I can do it. I won’t go back.”
The conversation fell into an impasse. Mi Cai, full of sympathy, pulled the girl into her arms and softly asked me, “Have you spoken to Leyao about this?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s wait for Leyao to come back and handle it… Since she brought the girl out in the first place, I believe she will find a proper arrangement for her.”
Looking at Mi Cai and then at the girl’s determined face, for a moment I even considered taking the girl in myself. But I ultimately couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, because I feared that, like Leyao, I might promise to take care of her but eventually fail to fulfill that responsibility. Mi Cai and I were indeed both too busy. Occasionally taking care of the girl for a few days was manageable, but we truly couldn’t provide her with proper guidance and protection as she grew up.
Finally, I said to Mi Cai, “You’ve had a long day. Take the girl and go rest at our place. I’ll stay at the hospital to take care of Luo Ben…”
“I’ll stay with you…”
I interrupted, “There’s only one bed here for the caregiver to rest. You won’t have space to sleep. Go back instead. Remember to wake up early tomorrow morning to send the girl to school.”
Mi Cai sighed softly. She seemed deeply regretful about how things had turned out between Luo Ben and Wei Manwen. After all, theirs was a love that had endured hardships and left deep impressions. Ending it this way was truly heartbreaking and destructive… Finally, she said to me, “Then I’ll take the girl back to rest first. Remember to eat your late-night snack. Call me if anything happens. I won’t turn off my phone ringer.”
After giving me these instructions, she still seemed somewhat reluctant. She stayed with me for quite a while, bought another late-night snack for Luo Ben, and then left with the girl…
…
In the hospital room, I lay on the caregiver’s bed, staring at the dimly lit ceiling light, lost in thought. Luo Ben’s misfortune gave me much to reflect on. I felt deep sorrow for him, but also began to seriously examine what I had done to the women in my life over the years. What must they have felt when facing my actions? Had I unknowingly already walked down the same path as Luo Ben?
I turned over and found that Luo Ben had already woken up. His expression was numb, making me wonder if he had temporary amnesia, as if the pain he should have felt upon waking had nothing to do with him at all!
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