Hearing Yan Zhuomei’s name from Mi Cai’s mouth once again plunged my mood into gloom. I understood what her return to China meant. This determined woman had never abandoned her idea of persuading Mi Cai to go to America. Although Mi Cai had previously rejected the idea firmly, holding onto the belief of staying with me for life, now we were separated by the river, living apart. Under such heavy contemplation, I couldn’t be certain whether her feelings might change.
I knew at this moment I had lost the ability to influence her decisions. In the end, I simply nodded at her, choosing to wait together with her for the final outcome between us—perhaps today, or maybe at the next midnight.
I followed Mi Cai towards a meeting room inside the hospital. Upon arrival, Mi Cai knocked on the door, and a response came from inside. Then she gestured for me to go in with her.
Inside the meeting room, a young man and two middle-aged men who looked like doctors sat on opposite sides of the conference table. Mi Cai seemed familiar with the young man who exuded a distinctive aura. She said, “Zishige, thank you for coming to Suzhou despite your busy schedule. How is my friend doing now?”
The man named Zishi replied, “We just had an in-depth discussion regarding the current condition of Jian Wei. I consulted with the hospital’s doctors and a neurology expert I brought along. Her current condition is not very optimistic. The nervous system has sustained serious damage, and medical intervention alone may not be very effective. I assume you understand some basic medical knowledge—how complex the brain’s structure is, and how limited our current medical understanding of it remains. However, don’t lose hope. Next, we will conduct a re-examination using functional MRI and PET technologies to determine whether the patient is in a state of complete unconsciousness or retains slight awareness. If it’s the latter, there remains a significant chance of recovery!”
A mixture of sudden tension and hope surged within me as I anxiously asked, “If it turns out to be the latter, how high is the probability of her waking up?”
The man looked at me as if regarding an old acquaintance but didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he cast a questioning glance at Mi Cai. Only after she nodded did he address me, “So you’re Zhaoyang, huh?”
His tone carried an edge that made me frown. Mi Cai, who had been standing in front of me, turned around and said, “Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Mo Zishi, Weiran’s cousin, and also an outstanding neurologist who graduated from Harvard Medical School.”
I hadn’t heard Weiran’s name in a long time. He used to be Mi Cai’s most loyal follower. No wonder this man Mo Zishi harbored hostility toward me. Finally, I responded to him, “I’m Zhaoyang. Thank you for coming to Suzhou to help my friend.”
He smiled slightly and said, “You’re thanking the wrong person. I came to Suzhou entirely to help Betsy. Betsy is like my younger sister—we’ve known each other for many years.”
His words surprised me a little, because Mi Cai had never mentioned this person to me before. Of course, it was also possible that he had just returned to the country recently, and we hadn’t crossed paths before, which was why Mi Cai hadn’t mentioned him. I nodded again and asked once more the question I cared about most, “Then, if she does retain slight awareness, how high is the probability of her waking up?”
Mo Zishi replied, “I understand your concern, but no one can accurately state such a probability. The most important factor is the patient’s own willpower. Moreover, we haven’t yet determined whether she is completely unconscious or retains slight awareness. It’s still too early to discuss this in detail!”
Once again, I felt a lump in my chest. I lowered my head, deeply worried about Jian Wei’s current condition, and refrained from saying anything further.
Mi Cai seemed ready to end the conversation and said to Mo Zishi, “Zishige, although saying thank you might sound too formal between us, I truly appreciate your help.”
“Then treat me to a meal sometime,” he joked lightly. Then, his tone became more serious as he continued, “Actually, it’s we who should be thanking you. Right now Weiran is in America, and Auntie Yan has given him many opportunities. She has entrusted Weiran’s company with many peripheral business ventures related to the enterprise, helping him regain his confidence and recover from the shadow of the family business’s collapse. Auntie Yan has done him a great favor. Compared to that, my small help here is really not worth mentioning!”
“Zishige, you flatter me.”
Mo Zishi smiled first, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, “Oh, by the way, Weiran mentioned that Auntie Yan will return to China this afternoon. I think her intentions this time are obvious. What are your plans?”
Instinctively, I looked at Mi Cai, but her expression remained neutral as she replied to Mo Zishi, “Zishige, please don’t involve yourself in our family matters.”
This response left Mo Zishi slightly embarrassed, but he chose to respect Mi Cai’s wishes without pressing further. After Mi Cai expressed her gratitude again, she signaled for me to leave with her. We once again walked down the hospital corridor, my mood somewhat somber. I knew what it would mean if Mi Cai chose to return to America. I had a strong premonition that this time, she might very likely decide to leave. Her heart had already wavered.
At the elevator lobby, Mi Cai stopped walking. After looking at me for a moment, she said, “Zhaoyang, at 6 tonight, accompany me to meet Auntie Yan. Let’s have dinner together.”
I nodded, “Okay.”
Mi Cai fell silent again for a while before saying, “If you have something to say to me, remember to say it when the time comes.”
I was momentarily confused by her words. But she had already turned and entered the elevator that had arrived at this floor. I stood there, watching the elevator slowly descend to the bottom floor, still unable to understand why the words I wanted to say to her had to wait until I met Yan Zhuomei again. And what else did I even have left to say to her?
…
I did nothing the entire morning, staying outside Jian Wei’s hospital room, waiting for a miracle to happen at any second. But she remained lying there so peacefully, only the heart monitor confirming that she was still alive. I tried hard to control myself, but waves of sadness still surged within me. I really didn’t want this woman who had once accompanied me through countless days and nights to remain asleep forever…
Time trickled away painfully. Around noon, footsteps once again echoed through the previously quiet corridor. I felt numb and didn’t pay much attention to the sound until Fang Yuan stood before me and Yan Yan, who had been sitting beside me, showed a look of grief and anger on her face. This was probably the closest encounter between her and Fang Yuan since their divorce.
Perhaps because of the deep sense of guilt he felt toward Yan Yan, despite their eye contact, Fang Yuan didn’t exchange any words with her. Yan Yan, in turn, deeply resented this awkward confrontation and turned away toward the restroom, distancing herself from this man who had once caused her unbearable pain.
Fang Yuan and I stood face to face. He extended the insulated box in his hand toward me and said, “I cooked some home-style dishes myself. This is lunch for you… Yan Yan has a weak stomach. Try to persuade her to eat something, whether she feels like it or not.”
I didn’t want to exchange too many words with him, so I simply asked him to take the lunch box back. I knew Yan Yan wouldn’t eat anything he had cooked because the familiar scent would remind her of that unbearable past.
Fang Yuan placed the insulated box on the bench, leaving it up to us whether to eat or discard it. He walked up to Jian Wei’s hospital room and looked inside through the glass. With a heavy expression, he asked, “How is she doing now?”
“We are waiting for further test results.”
Fang Yuan nodded, realizing that Jian Wei’s condition was not very optimistic. He fell into a brief silence. After a long while, he spoke again, “Besides checking on Jian Wei, there is another matter I came to inform you about… Starting next month, there will no longer be a Zhuomei in this world. The board has approved the proposal from Ms. Mi to change the company’s name. The current Zhuomei will become the future Wansen Group.”
I was shocked and asked, “What’s the reason? Is this targeting Mi Cai?”
“You don’t need to be so sensitive. It’s just that the future Wansen Group will be involved in large-scale projects like commercial real estate development. The name Zhuomei, which sounds too feminine, no longer fits the board’s vision for the group’s future. Therefore, changing the name is inevitable… However, this will hurt Mi Cai’s feelings. That’s why I’m informing you in advance, hoping you can help her prepare mentally.”
I angrily replied, “You’re taking advantage of her misfortune… or perhaps you have some ulterior motives. Don’t try to sugarcoat it with such lofty words!”
“We do have motives, but definitely not the kind you suspect. I’ve already given you the reason. Besides, the previous failed IPO and the investment scandal have already damaged the brand’s image. The new investors and the board members unanimously believe it’s necessary to reshape the group’s brand image with a fresh start. Therefore, Zhuomei is destined to become history… and no one can change that!”
A wave of shock surged within me. I wondered how Mi Cai would react upon hearing this news, and whether I should even relay this information to her.
Fang Yuan left after saying what he needed to. I tried hard to calm myself and speculate on the intentions behind the name change. Although Fang Yuan had given a sufficiently reasonable explanation from a business perspective, I still believed there must be a hidden conspiracy behind this event. At the very least, after this event, Mi Cai would be deeply hurt. How could she tolerate the efforts of Mi Zhongxin’s lifetime being destroyed by those with ulterior motives?
I shifted my perspective and considered: if Zhuomei were to change its name, what benefits would Fang Yuan and Mi Zhongde gain? Or had I become overly sensitive after being repeatedly manipulated? Perhaps the name Zhuomei, being too feminine, indeed no longer suited the group’s future strategic development. Maybe the explanation Fang Yuan gave me was, in fact, legitimate…
I felt a headache coming on, even more confused. If Mi Zhongde and Fang Yuan truly provoked Mi Cai, what benefits would they gain? It would likely only provoke a fierce counterattack from Mi Cai, which would seem more like a foolish act of creating enemies rather than a conspiracy. Or perhaps, having already achieved total victory, they no longer regarded Mi Cai as a threat and were simply focused on the group’s future strategic interests?
That didn’t seem entirely reasonable either! After all, behind Mi Cai stood her birth mother, Yan Zhuomei—someone not to be underestimated!
Then an answer emerged clearly…
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