After driving for more than an hour, I arrived at the hospital where Jian Wei was. Yan Yan was still staying in the ward to take care of Jian Wei. I approached them quietly and saw Jian Wei’s increasingly thin face. Her body seemed to be throwing a tantrum because her soul had left. She didn’t want to remain lonely in this world, endlessly connected to those cold needles. Yes, there is never perfect loneliness in this world; both body and soul need to sense each other’s existence.
I sat down beside Yan Yan and softly said to her, “You shouldn’t exhaust yourself too much. We should probably hire a professional caregiver soon.”
Yan Yan shook her head and said, “No need. I don’t have anything else to do anyway. I feel more at ease taking care of her myself.”
Her firmness stopped me from persuading her further. Perhaps Jian Wei’s greatest fortune was having Yan Yan, a loyal and devoted friend. This was also a demonstration of gaining support through virtue. Many years ago, Jian Wei had treated Yan Yan like her own sister. She even rarely asked her mother for help when Yan Yan’s parents needed job transfers, and she indeed helped with that. In this somewhat cold world, having just one true friend can warm our entire lives. I genuinely felt happy for Jian Wei.
I held Jian Wei’s hand. Her hand was cold and lacked luster. I suppressed my sadness and smiled at her, saying, “Lately, some memories keep flickering in my mind. I really miss you waking up and seeing the light of this world again, and walking with us on the artistic path we envisioned… By the way, I’ve taken over the artistic path project again. Everyone is helping and supporting the ideological pursuit it represents. Perhaps soon, the artistic path will revive, even better than before… Sometimes, I wonder where you are now… You must be in a place so beautiful it’s almost unbelievable. I always feel that heaven won’t be too cruel. It must have given your soul a good place after letting your body suffer so much, even if it’s only temporary… Be good, play enough, then come back quickly… Don’t let your body bear all the pain… And don’t let us who care about you stay sad for too long…” As I spoke, I became choked up. I was afraid to recall everything she had done for me and afraid to see her, so kind and yet in such a long slumber. Those images of her holding books and waiting for me by the cafeteria, sometimes under the scorching sun, sometimes in heavy rain, were so heart-wrenching… Although we could hardly speak of love anymore, our care for each other should not diminish even a little! Perhaps deep in our hearts, there is something called kinship.
My heartfelt words also moved Yan Yan, and she quietly wept. Perhaps she, too, was reminiscing about their college days when everyone was like family, sometimes eating together, sometimes watching movies, sometimes talking about their hopes for the future while feeling empty… Alas, time brings sighs. The environment around us has changed too much over the years!
I took out the 5 million yuan Yang Congrong had given me at noon from my wallet and handed it to Yan Yan, saying, “This is the 5 million yuan Jian Wei had stored with someone before the accident. Keep it for her. Future medical expenses will come from this money. Please stop using your own money to cover it. You also need some personal savings for your future.”
“I’m fine.”
“Even if you’re fine, take it. If Jian Wei didn’t have this money, it would be one thing, but since she does, we should spend it first.”
Yan Yan finally nodded and took the bank card from my hands. I also told her the card’s password. With this money, Jian Wei’s regular medical expenses would no longer be a concern. In fact, life hadn’t completely plunged us into despair. I dared not imagine how a common family would cope with such massive medical costs.
After staying a little longer, Mo Zishi also arrived at Jian Wei’s ward, but this time he was in casual clothes. He stood by the monitoring equipment for a while, confirmed everything was normal, then adjusted Jian Wei’s posture and gave her a local massage to maintain muscle vitality. He indeed took this matter seriously.
After finishing these tasks, he called me outside the ward and said, “Brother Zhaoyang, are you free next weekend? I’ve found another nice girl for you. This time, I guarantee you’ll be moved!”
“Could you please change your lines? You said the same thing last time!”
Mo Zishi was not bothered by my doubt at all. He earnestly said, “Do me a favor and just go see. This time, to take care of you, I specially arranged for a girl from Suzhou. Please, just trust me one more time!”
“I’ve been really busy lately. Could you please stop bringing this up with me?”
“Why can’t you believe I’m doing this for your own good? Listen, Xiaocai won’t come back. Let me tell you something, don’t be upset. Last weekend, Xiaocai was with my cousin Weiran. They watched a movie together and had a romantic candlelight dinner. As someone who knows the truth, seeing you alone here in China, I really feel sorry for you. Why are you doing this to yourself? With your current conditions, you can definitely find an excellent woman to replace Xiaocai… Please stop torturing yourself, okay?”
Thinking about how Mi Cai had loved me unconditionally before, and now she was watching a movie and having a candlelight dinner with another man, I felt a sudden heartbreak. Then I told myself it couldn’t be true; he must have intentionally said this, so I angrily said, “You’re just a troublemaker! Do you think I’ll believe what you said?”
Mo Zishi pointed at me and said, “Fine, then let me show you evidence so you’ll have no words to say!”
Mo Zishi brought his phone close to me. I really saw photos of Mi Cai and Weiran having dinner and walking on the street… My heart suddenly ached. I instinctively frowned and couldn’t say a word. In my mind, I kept recalling those moments when she held my hand walking on the street and whispered to me while lying beside me… I felt a strong sense of crisis. It seemed like I was about to lose her.
I thought of the Mo Chou Road again and remembered her saying to me: “No matter good or bad, don’t worry… Don’t worry…” I calmed myself down and told myself to trust enough. Finally, I smiled and asked him, “The photos look flawless, but can you tell me who took these pictures for them? Did they bring a chaperone on their date? Or maybe these photos were just taken for me to see, and as for the purpose, I don’t need to say it out loud… Brother Zishi, the more deliberately you show me these things, the more I believe that Mi Cai is determined. Precisely because you can’t find a breakthrough with her, you try to manipulate me by presenting these deliberately fabricated things… Remember, I’m a very wise man. Next time, you can be a bit more sophisticated. If you dare to insult my intelligence again, I’ll…”
After my analysis, Mo Zishi also showed an embarrassed expression. After a long while, he said, “I think we should talk about your blind date matter.”
“If I go on a blind date, will you then send me the photos to Mi Cai again?… You are a doctor who saves lives, can’t you avoid these despicable methods?”
My counterattack seemed to hit cotton. Mo Zishi innocently replied, “Is this despicable? Xiaocai has only been gone for less than a month, and you can’t get out of the feelings you had for her. That’s normal, but what about a year, two years, or even three or four years from now? I believe you will eventually understand my good intentions!”
I smiled faintly, not saying anything else. As long as I firmly remembered the words Mi Cai told me before she left, one day time would give us the ending we wanted. I treated the disturbances during this process as just the test love gives us, and these tests wouldn’t defeat me.
…
This night, I didn’t stay in Shanghai, a city I didn’t particularly like. I overcame my fatigue and drove back to Suzhou, returning to the old house that had given me a great sense of security. It seemed that as long as I slept in this old house, Mi Cai was just by my side, not far away… Yes, my lonely heart really needed this kind of comfort. Although I tried to show indifference about Mi Cai watching a movie and having a candlelight dinner with Weiran, I still felt somewhat lost inside. What supported me from indulging in negative thoughts was this old house and the newly emerged Mo Chou Road in our lives.
I sat on the office chair Mi Cai often used, turned on the computer, and logged onto the Weibo platform. As expected, the number of followers for the official Weibo account of the artistic path had significantly increased. In just one day, it gained nearly 100,000 new followers. The video story about the relationship between artistic youth and the artistic path was also shared thousands of times. Thanks to Leyao, the marketing on Weibo had reached an unprecedented level of popularity. Despite the late hour, I immediately called the company’s planning department and asked them to enrich the Weibo content, push out a new topic-driven post, and further consolidate the marketing results.
I myself didn’t stay idle either. Suddenly inspired, I composed a piece of music on the spot, creating a song titled “No Farewell on Mo Chou Road.” I recorded this new song using recording software, performing it with self-accompanied guitar singing. Then, under the title “The 127th Story on the Artistic Path,” I posted it on the official Weibo account of the artistic path!
Soon, many comments appeared below the Weibo post. They said they heard a sad and winding story from this song. Yes! Music indeed has the power to convey emotions.
This Weibo post was soon re-posted by Leyao. She sent several expressions of admiration and affection, then solemnly stated that the person who sang this song was her close friend before she became famous, and she hoped everyone would support it.
Because of Leyao’s re-posting, the number of Weibo followers surged again. Meanwhile, the planning department appropriately released a long Weibo post about the expression of the artistic path’s spirit, allowing those newly-followed fans to gain a deeper understanding of the artistic path’s message.
After finishing all this, I lit my first cigarette of the day. As the smoke drifted, I closed my eyes. In the deep silence of the night, I habitually thought of Mi Cai again. I really hoped she would follow the artistic path’s Weibo account. If she did follow it, I wouldn’t mind continuing to transform myself into a singer-songwriter in the future, using each song to convey my longing for her.
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