The train finally arrived at Suzhou Railway Station after more than two hours of travel. As soon as I exited the station, I immediately hailed a taxi to the hospital where Jian Wei was undergoing surgery. Up until this point, I still hadn’t received another call from Yan Yan informing me of the emergency results.
The lengthy surgery time made me increasingly anxious. I clung to the hope that as long as the surgery continued, there was still a chance for life. If the situation were truly beyond saving, it wouldn’t have taken this long. This self-reassurance only momentarily calmed me, quickly replaced by the torment of fear toward the unknown.
The car passed through an intersection, turned north, and after about 50 meters, finally dropped me off at my destination. Without waiting for the driver’s change, I opened the door and ran toward the emergency center. Although I had prepared myself for the worst, this place, like a living hell, still filled me with deep fear. I saw ambulances passing by, flashing their intense lights, yet carrying away innocent souls. People witnessed death in hospitals but never found where the exit from death might be, leaving only the tears and panic of grieving families.
After climbing the heavy stairs, I reached the waiting area for patients’ families. I saw Yan Yan, anxious and dazed, Cao Jinfey and Luo Ben glancing anxiously from a corner, and finally my gaze rested on Mi Cai standing silently beside the bench with her eyes closed. At that moment, she radiated the same seriousness and aloofness I had felt when I first met her. Le Yao had been right—Mi Cai’s mood had changed. But I had no time to dwell on it. All words, all emotions, had to wait until after we addressed Jian Wei’s safety. Right now, I could only pray that she would survive this greatest of life’s crises.
The emergency light was still on. I silently approached Yan Yan without asking many questions, because at that moment, she knew no more about Jian Wei’s condition than I did. I tilted my head back, painfully swallowing my saliva. My soul had already knelt to the ground, begging this world for a merciful Creator to give Jian Wei a path to survival, and to give us who care about her a way out. What we wanted was life—not beautiful fireworks that merely decorate the world. Nothing in this world weighs more than the existence of life itself.
After a while, I finally asked Yan Yan, “What about those who caused the disturbance?”
Yan Yan, overwhelmed with immense pain, stared at me blankly for a long moment before finally responding, “He has been taken under control by the police.”
When will the results of the investigation be provided?
Yan Yan shook her head, tears uncontrollably falling as she whispered, “Wei, you must be okay… Yesterday, you were still packing your suitcase while smiling and telling me that once you settled in America, you would invite our whole family to visit. You can’t break your word… you can’t!”
The impermanence of life touched the most fragile part of my heart. I felt a sharp sting in my eyes, holding back the tears that welled up, forcing myself to think positively. As long as she was alive, there would always be a chance for those plans to come true.
…
In the midst of the sorrowful atmosphere, the door to the emergency room suddenly opened. Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward the weary doctor stepping out of the room, and immediately, the tense emotions spread throughout the waiting area.
In two quick steps, I reached the doctor. Looking at the shocking bloodstains on his gloves, I asked with a trembling voice, “Doctor, how is the patient?”
The doctor removed his gloves, handed them to his assistant, and then took off his mask to address the anxious crowd: “The surgery went relatively smoothly… The patient’s vital signs are stable, so her life has been saved. However, she is still in a deep coma. As for when she will wake up, it depends on her recovery. She might remain in this state indefinitely. We will monitor the effects of further supportive treatments.”
This answer made us feel both relieved and sorrowful. At least her life had been saved, and there was still hope she would awaken. But until she woke up, our hearts would remain in suspense. Common knowledge told us that the longer she remained unconscious, the smaller the chance she had of waking up. Therefore, the next week would be crucial. I had to stay in Suzhou and wait. At the same time, I needed to find out who had orchestrated this conspiracy—who had pushed Jian Wei down the stairs. Was it intentional or an accidental act by an accomplice? This was also key. If it was intentional, then whoever was behind it was truly terrifying. This was premeditated murder, a complete disregard for life. He or she must be punished by law!
Jian Wei was transferred from the emergency room to the intensive care unit. I only looked at her once, but the feeling in my heart was like being stabbed. I could not connect the image of this person wrapped in bandages and wearing a respirator with the former, radiant version of her in the sunlight. I lowered my head, recalling some memories of her…
At this moment, Mi Cai finally approached me and softly said, “Brain specialists from Shanghai are arriving soon. They will develop further treatment plans based on Jian Wei’s current condition. I’m also contacting experts abroad… So please don’t worry. Believe that miracles can happen.”
I looked at her, countless words rising in my heart, but in the end I only said, “Thank you.” She didn’t say much, only reached out to ask for the key to the old house. I knew she would stay there tonight.
I took a bunch of keys from my pocket, separated the key to the old house, and handed it to her.
She took it, paused slightly, then said, “Also, you should call your parents to let them know. They’ve been very anxious.”
“Okay.”
She nodded and prepared to leave. I helplessly watched her back recede… wanting to call her back, but not knowing how to begin!
Perhaps, in her eyes, this incident exposed my lingering feelings for Jian Wei. And I couldn’t clearly explain whether or not that was the case. My feelings for Jian Wei seemed like an instinct carved into my bones, but they no longer felt like love, because after Yan Yan and Fang Yuan’s wedding, I had stopped imagining a marital life with her that I once longed for so intensely…
As I gazed, Mi Cai had already reached the elevator lobby not far away, waiting for the descending elevator. Le Yao nudged me beside me anxiously, saying, “What are you hesitating for? Go chase her quickly! Some things you don’t clarify now might never have another chance… Didn’t you hear what she just said: ‘You should also call your parents’? She no longer envisions a marital life with you… While this thought has just sprouted in her mind, you should take action to remedy it immediately.”
Before I could react, Mi Cai had already entered the elevator. I ran after her, quickly stepping onto another descending elevator…
I left the suffocating emergency building and saw her figure walking desolately in the sunset of the evening… Yes, in this city of Suzhou, we saw the long-missed sunlight again. Yet everything that had happened in the past half day made us feel as if we had lived through an entirely different lifetime. I could sense that her mindset had undergone a drastic change. She was no longer the helpless woman from Xuzhou who needed my comfort and protection. She had returned to being the loneliest CEO Mi Cai… I found it hard to explain anything to her at this moment. Even if I wanted to clarify, I had to first uncover the truth behind this incident… If it was indeed because of my and Mi Cai’s stubbornness that had provoked Yan Zhuo Mei to commit such inhumane acts, I would be betraying Jian Wei, and between Mi Cai and me, there would be an unbreakable chain…
This was also a major reason I suspected Yan Zhuo Mei, because if my relationship with Mi Cai was burdened with such a chain, her goal would have been achieved… But was it really necessary for her to go to such extremes just to separate me and Mi Cai?… I had my doubts!
…
Finally, I caught up with Mi Cai at the hospital entrance. She was dressed lightly, wearing only a simple, elegant women’s blazer, clearly unable to withstand the cold wind as night approached… I took off my coat to drape over her, but she shook her head and said, “There’s a taxi just ahead. I won’t be cold once I get in. You keep it on so you don’t catch a chill.”
My lips trembled for a long time before I finally said, “I know that my leaving the wedding recklessly hurt you deeply.”
“Zhaoyang, I don’t blame you… In the face of life, everything else is trivial. It’s just… don’t you think we were like two hedgehogs in Xuzhou, curled up and licking our wounds, unwilling to face reality? This incident merely tore open the wounds we had to confront, forcing us to rethink and rechoose our lives…!”
“I understand… This is an aggressive world. There has never been an impregnable defense; only offense is the best form of defense. So, seeking happiness by hiding in Xuzhou now seems so naive!”
Mi Cai did not respond directly to my words. She simply placed her hands in her coat pockets, gazing at the clouds where the sunset was about to vanish… Then she walked toward a nearby taxi waiting for passengers… At that moment, we seemed like strangers, merely two newly acquainted friends. I felt a bit sad, my hand unconsciously reaching for the engagement ring in my pocket, the one I had not yet placed on her finger.
I tilted my head back, holding back my tears, letting out a soft sigh, imagining what Mi Cai must have been thinking during the few hours I had been away… And where would our troubled love story go from here?
I even thought about giving up… Because through all this back-and-forth pain, I had realized that my personality could never make her a happy woman. Sometimes, letting go was also a form of love—an act of completion. Yet, she had already reclaimed the city she had long abandoned for me. I couldn’t afford to lose her, or the faith she had rebuilt for me… Even though I had impulsively left the wedding scene out of concern for Jian Wei’s safety and had said hurtful words to Mi Cai in anger, subconsciously, I had never truly considered giving up on this marriage. Especially after I had calmed down, I had no such thoughts at all…
Under the fading sunlight, I instinctively tightened the carefully selected engagement ring in my hand!
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