The atmosphere in the hospital room was always heavy. Regarding the decision of Qin Yan and Yan Yan to be together, I simply offered a brief blessing. Leaning against the wardrobe, I once again looked at Jian Wei. It had been far too long since we last spoke. I wanted to tell her to be stronger, and I also wished she would tell me what her world looked like at this moment—was it a place of enchanting allure, or a helpless torment?
The night was deep, and the city’s lights gradually dimmed. Although there were still a few people awake at this hour, the vast city eventually fell into silence. My conversation with Yan Yan and Qin Yan also instinctively became hushed. Then Mo Zishi entered the hospital room. After greeting us, he began recording Jian Wei’s physical condition. Once he finished, he said to us, “This afternoon, we conducted a PET scan on Jian Wei. When applying mild pain stimulation, the pain signals triggered large-scale, high-level cerebral cortex activity. Experts from the Mayo Clinic and I have reached a consensus that she has minimal consciousness. In the next step, we will further activate her neural network through other medical interventions. The situation isn’t as bad as initially thought, but it’s not optimistic either. However, compared to being unconscious, this result represents a qualitative breakthrough. Therefore, I hope you all can maintain a calm mindset and be patient with the patient!”
Yan Yan and I instinctively looked at Jian Wei, then exchanged glances. In each other’s eyes, we saw immense surprise and hope. The door of fate had not yet completely closed on Jian Wei, and we all eagerly hoped she would wake up, talk to us again, and see the sunlight of this world once more.
In her excitement, Yan Yan stood up and grabbed Mo Zishi’s hand, tears welling up as she said, “Dr. Mo, you must make Weiwei wake up. She’s truly a good woman, and fate shouldn’t be so unfair to her. She deserves a beautiful life!”
Mo Zishi nodded, offering a comforting smile as he softly replied, “Don’t worry, with doctors from the Mayo Clinic involved, there will be the most scientifically sound treatment plan. Plus, right now, she’s my only patient. It’s hard not to give my all.”
Yan Yan finally calmed her emotions a bit, releasing Mo Zishi’s hand and accepting a tissue from Qin Yan to wipe away her tears.
Mo Zishi continued, “Actually, I came to Shanghai from the United States at the hospital’s invitation to collaborate on a medical research topic. I’m not a doctor from this hospital. Additionally, you should really thank Auntie Yan Zhuomei. Without her, it would be impossible to invite doctors from the Mayo Clinic to provide consultations in China. She pays close attention to the medical industry and annually invests a substantial amount of money into hospitals for medical research. Therefore, without these connections and contributions, it would be impossible to simply pay to bring these doctors here.”
I looked at Mo Zishi in some surprise, as I had never heard before that Auntie Yan was passionate about the medical field.
Mo Zishi, seemingly aware of the background, sighed and after a brief silence, continued, “Years ago, when Uncle Mi Zhongxin was in a car accident, the fatal injury was also to the brain. Upon hearing the news, Auntie Yan wasted no time and immediately brought experts from the United States back to China to assist in his treatment. Unfortunately, Uncle Mi wasn’t as fortunate as Jian Wei—he passed away before the surgery was completed. Auntie Yan has always felt guilty about this incident. She always believed that China’s lagging medical conditions caused Uncle Mi to miss his chance at survival. In fact, as a doctor, I dare not rashly conclude whether it was a medical error that led to Uncle Mi’s death. However, this incident does reflect Auntie Yan’s feelings for Uncle Mi. After this, she became especially concerned about the medical industry. According to her assistant, on the day Uncle Mi passed away, she locked herself in her office the entire day. When she came out, her eyes were red and swollen. Perhaps, in her heart, she had always hoped to remarry with Uncle Mi, but fate was too cruel. Actually, the pain in her heart may not necessarily be less than that of Xiao Cai!”
Hearing this piece of history by chance, I suddenly began to understand why Auntie Yan insisted on taking Mi Cai back to the United States. She might not be as heartless as we thought. It’s just that after enduring so much in the business world, she had become less adept at expressing her tender side. Her lonely life needed her own daughter by her side for comfort. But she couldn’t let go of everything she had built in America, so in her own mind, it was Mi Cai who needed to go to the United States to accompany her, rather than her returning to her roots.
As I thought deeper into the matter, I became somewhat lost in thought until Mo Zishi patted me on the shoulder, bringing me back to look at him.
He said, “I know a bit about the emotional entanglement between you, Xiao Cai, and Wei Ran. Although I don’t have a good impression of you personally, objectively speaking, you are an upright man. It’s not wrong for Xiao Cai to have feelings for you. However, given the current situation, I still want to say a few words. You should stop thinking about Xiao Cai. Let her settle down in the United States, as that is where she belongs. You should also find a good woman in China to move on from your relationship with Xiao Cai. In today’s society, there’s no rule that says two people must stay together forever. If you could fall in love with Jian Wei and then Xiao Cai, you certainly have the capacity to fall in love with a third woman, right?”
Mo Zishi’s words did not soften my heart even slightly. I simply replied, “This is my personal matter, so I appreciate your concern, but it’s unnecessary.”
“No problem, I’ll be staying in China for a while, so we can have more discussions about this. I just want you to find peace sooner rather than later.”
I didn’t respond further, only looking once again at Jian Wei’s quiet face under the light, feeling sadness, worry, and a flicker of hope rekindling in my heart. Because there was still a faint consciousness in her brain, and that was the best news possible.
…
The next day, I returned to Xuzhou early in the morning. This was my first return to Xuzhou since leaving on my wedding day. The people who met me at the station were my father, Ban Da, and my mother. They looked somewhat tired, and I understood the significant impact this half-finished wedding had on them, even though the sunlight was unusually bright today.
Back home, I told Ban Da and my mother everything that had happened recently. Perhaps because a few days had passed, they had had some time to recover and did not react as angrily as I had expected. They simply said that everything was up to me. If I insisted on indefinitely waiting for Mi Cai with what remained of my youth, they would not stop me. However, I must also carefully consider whether this was worth doing. After all, separated by thousands of miles, the only thing connecting us was a promise, and in this fast-changing, unpredictable world, waiting had become the most luxurious word…
In the afternoon, I went to my coffee shop again. I planned to incorporate this coffee shop into the “Artistic Path” project, because Mi Cai’s departure had already infused this coffee shop with a story that would be etched in my heart forever. I thought: I would never forget the way she liked to stand by the glass window at dusk, watching me.
Although I was very busy with matters in Suzhou, I still stayed in Xuzhou for one night. That night, I was immersed in the bittersweet memories of the past. In the room where Mi Cai and I had once slept together, I discovered so many things she had left behind. The civil service exam materials she had read countless times struck me deeply, making me keenly aware of her determination to live with me in Xuzhou. But in the end, we still parted ways on that Mo Chou Road… Therefore, the most painful thing is that she always smiles in my deepest memories, but I have no power to even touch a single strand of her hair.
…
Another day passed, and I left Xuzhou without rushing back to Suzhou. I took a detour to Nanjing, walking along Mo Chou Road under the glaring sunlight. I could still feel the lingering taste of our farewell here. For me, that night was too deeply etched in my memory. Her departing figure remained in my memories and thoughts. So standing on this Mo Chou Road, all I could think about was her…
An idea came to me. I wanted to open a coffee shop on this Mo Chou Road. From then on, every Saturday evening, I would wait for her to return in this coffee shop. To make this long wait less monotonous, I would plant some flowers in spring, raise a dog in summer, buy a wind chime in autumn, and place a stove in winter. Then, before I knew it, a few cycles would pass, and she would return. At that time, the coffee shop would have flowers, a dog, a wind chime, and a stove… She would definitely be delighted by these things, because in my memory, she always loved those little trinkets that could embellish life.
…
At noon, I returned to Suzhou, and at the same time, Zhou Zhaokun also transferred 1 million yuan to my account as compensation for laying off employees. Of course, this money was considered a personal loan from Zhou Zhaokun and was not counted as part of the investment amount.
In the afternoon, the entire 1 million yuan was distributed to the employees who had to leave “Simay Advertising.” Subsequently, I announced my decision at a meeting: Simay Advertising would no longer provide any advertising services other than planning. The company would be streamlined from 12 departments to 5, and the remaining employees would retain their original benefits while also enjoying the company’s year-end profit sharing. I was confident in promising year-end profit sharing because the transformed Simay Advertising could absolutely continue to generate profits. I planned to entrust the planning department of Simay Advertising with integrating and operating both the “Artistic Path” project and the upcoming mobile game company’s planning business. These two projects alone would be sufficient to sustain the streamlined Simay Advertising.
In fact, Simay Advertising now functioned as the planning department for these two projects. The reason for doing this was to prepare for integrating these three independent companies into a comprehensive company in the future. However, at this stage, integration was not pursued because both the “Artistic Path” project and Simay Advertising were currently facing severe brand crises. Forced integration would affect the brand operations of the mobile game company. As for the mobile game company, my positioning was clear: it must be profitable, serving as the engine for achieving my commercial ambitions. I believed in my integration capabilities and was determined to execute these planned matters well. I refused to be someone who had rice but no cooking smoke again!
After leaving Simay Advertising, I rushed to various banks, hoping to apply for a business loan on behalf of Simay Advertising, but the results were not very satisfactory. I tried contacting many relevant connections, but the banks refused my application because they were aware of Simay Advertising’s intricate ties with the couple Jian Boyu and his wife. Thus, this fund meant to repay debts was stuck.
After a tiring day, I walked through the crowded streets at dusk, still thinking about who could help me. I deeply understood that the investments from Zhang Yixi and Zhou Zhaokun absolutely could not be diverted to repay Simay Advertising’s debts. That was the most basic principle of doing business. However, this large sum of money was not something just anyone had the capability to resolve… I felt some difficulties and a sense of helplessness!
In a brief break, I called Zhang Yixi. I wanted to transfer the “Artistic Path” project’s large-scale inn and bar investment in Yangzhou. Actually, the initial investment in Yangzhou was purely for investment purposes, with a very strong commercial atmosphere, and it was indeed profitable, but it did not align with the positioning of the “Artistic Path” project. I discussed with Zhang Yixi, a potential investor, to use the proceeds from this transfer to repay part of Simay Advertising’s debts…
Zhang Yixi understood the difficulties Simay Advertising was currently facing. He agreed to my proposal and stated that An Qi’s Tianyang Group could take over the “Artistic Path” project’s assets in Yangzhou. As long as I set a transfer price, Tianyang Group would evaluate it and then proceed with the transfer.
I couldn’t help but thank Zhang Yixi. For such a massive Tianyang Group, how could they genuinely be interested in just a small inn and bar? It was nothing more than a favor from him, and quite a significant one at that. Because he had always insisted on having no business dealings with An Qi, he would inevitably have to ask An Qi to help expedite the transfer process so I could receive the transfer fee quickly to address my urgent needs and repay part of the debt.
…
After settling this matter, I immediately took the high-speed train to Shanghai. Two days had already passed, and I wanted to visit Jian Wei to see if there were any signs of her waking up. If she could still perceive auditory stimulation, I wanted to talk to her…
On the way, I received a call from an unknown number. I answered with some confusion, asking, “Hello, who is this?”
“It’s Mo Zishi… I got your number from Yan Yan.”
A wave of nervousness surged through me as I asked, “What’s wrong? Is it something about Jian Wei?”
“Relax a bit. I’m not calling you about Jian Wei!”
I couldn’t think of anything else that could bring us together besides Jian Wei, so I asked again, “Then what is it about?”
“Introducing you to a girlfriend… I think you’ll definitely be interested!”
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