Even the most solid lies will eventually be exposed one day.
Lian Xuan and Lu Zizheng arrived at the hospital and went straight to the emergency department. Fortunately, the doctor on duty hadn’t left and immediately received them in the consultation room.
The doctor said the wound was deep and required seven or eight stitches, but luckily, it hadn’t damaged any tendons or bones and wasn’t serious. He then wrote a prescription, asking Lian Xuan to collect anesthetics and other medications. Upon hearing “it wasn’t serious,” Lian Xuan’s anxious heart finally calmed down. She let out a big sigh of relief and, while walking out with the prescription, said to Lu Zizheng, “Wait here for me, I’ll be right back.”
She went to the hospital lobby’s window to get the medications from the nurse and hurried back. Just as she left the lobby and was about to walk down the path to the emergency room, her phone in her bag suddenly rang urgently.
Lian Xuan was startled by the sudden sound. However, she had no time to worry about it and, after a brief pause, continued walking towards the emergency room without stopping until the phone in her bag rang until it automatically hung up and fell silent…
After handing everything to the doctor and as Lu Zizheng began getting stitches, Lian Xuan finally had the mind to open her bag and check the missed call.
The screen displayed an unfamiliar number that hadn’t been saved. Usually, Lian Xuan wouldn’t pay attention to such unknown calls, knowing that if it were important, the caller would call again. However, this number showed it was from Linzhou, which made Lian Xuan inexplicably concerned.
She hesitated for a moment but still gestured to Lu Zizheng, saying, “I’m going out to return a call.” Then, she quickly walked out and returned the call at the entrance of the corridor.
The call was quickly answered. On the other end was a cool, pleasant female voice: “Hello, this is Jiang Huaixi.”
Lian Xuan was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered and replied, “Hello, I’m Lian Xuan.”
At this moment, Jiang Huaixi was receiving an IV drip at the hospital, and Jiang Huaichuan had rushed over from the company after work. She learned from Jiang Huaichuan that Lu Zizheng had called him and their mother, but he was in a meeting, and their mother’s phone was charging in the bedroom, so neither of them answered. When they tried to call back, Lu Zizheng’s phone was already turned off.
Jiang Huaixi’s brow immediately twitched, and she inexplicably began to feel very uneasy. She was ultimately worried and had Jiang Huaichuan call Lu Zizheng’s mobile phone again. When they couldn’t connect, they called Lu Zizheng’s apartment landline, but no matter what, they couldn’t reach Lu Zizheng. Lu Zizheng rarely contacted Jiang Huaichuan and their mother, and this abnormal behavior and loss of contact made Jiang Huaixi’s unease and anxiety involuntarily intensify. Calling Lian Xuan was really her last resort.
Without any small talk, Jiang Huaixi got straight to the point and asked Lian Xuan: “I’m sorry to bother you. Is Zizheng with you? I just called her phone, but it’s turned off, and no one’s answering the landline at home. I can’t reach her.”
Lian Xuan turned around, looking at Lu Zizheng quietly getting stitches with a slight frown in the emergency room, and let out a deep sigh before honestly replying: “Yes, she’s with me. She couldn’t resist my persistence tonight, so I dragged her to see a sand sculpture exhibition. On the way… on the way, we encountered a robbery. Her phone was stolen, and now we’re at the hospital.”
Jiang Huaixi’s hand holding the phone trembled, and her already pale face suddenly lost all color, startling Jiang Huaichuan beside her, who kept asking, “Sis, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Huaixi felt her heart racing madly, beating so rapidly that she could barely speak. She supported herself on the bed, forcing herself to sit up straight, her back rigid, and calmly asked word by word: “Is Zizheng injured? Where is she hurt? Is it serious? How is she now?”
Hearing her voice calm and composed, with a steady tone showing no trace of outward anxiety, Lian Xuan imperceptibly frowned.
She answered: “She was stabbed in the tiger’s mouth of her hand. The wound is quite deep, but fortunately, it didn’t damage any tendons or bones. She needs seven or eight stitches.”
After saying this, she paused, her fist at her side tightening slightly, and she couldn’t help but add somewhat angrily: “On the way to the hospital, she was very depressed and said… she misses you.” Heaven knows how difficult it was for her to say this to her love rival, that the person she loved missed her. She didn’t know if she was meddling in affairs that didn’t concern her. But she still gritted her teeth and continued: “Miss Jiang, I don’t know how busy you are with work, but since she came here, she’s been waiting for you. You’ve disappointed her time and time again by breaking your promises, leaving her alone in this foreign place to wait indefinitely. Don’t you think that’s a bit too much?”
Jiang Huaixi’s face was pale, her lips white, but her eyes had already turned red. Her expression remained impassive, her countenance stern. The hand receiving the IV drip was clenched into a fist, her neatly trimmed fingertips digging deep into her flesh, the IV long since unable to drip due to her tight grip.
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For a moment, Lian Xuan could only hear Jiang Huaixi’s slightly rapid and heavy breathing. After a long while, she finally heard Jiang Huaixi say in a low, hoarse voice: “You’re right, I’ve been too much. Please take care of her for me. I’ll be there soon.”
Lian Xuan was stunned for a moment, and just as she answered with a “Okay,” the call had already ended. She stared blankly at the now-darkened phone screen for a while, let out a long, slow breath, and then returned to the emergency room.
In the emergency room, Lu Zizheng’s tiger’s mouth had already been stitched up, and the doctor was advising her on some precautions to take afterward, telling her that the stitches could be removed in a week. Lu Zizheng tilted her head, her expression calm, appearing to listen attentively.
After the doctor finished giving instructions, Lu Zizheng thanked him and stood up. Lian Xuan stood beside her, and they walked out together. It was then that Lian Xuan informed Lu Zizheng: “Jiang Huaixi couldn’t reach you, so she just called me.”
Lu Zizheng’s steps faltered slightly, and she turned her face towards Lian Xuan, asking somewhat nervously: “Did you tell her about what happened tonight?”
Seeing her inexplicably nervous expression, Lian Xuan also felt a bit uneasy. She hesitated for a moment but still nodded truthfully, asking Lu Zizheng with concern: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Zizheng lowered her eyes slightly, forcing a smile at Lian Xuan, and said: “It’s actually nothing. I just… don’t want her to worry too much.”
Lian Xuan sighed and said: “Jiang Huaixi said she’ll be here later.”
Lu Zizheng’s heart tightened, and the smile instantly froze on her face.
Lian Xuan, feeling somewhat nervous and confused, carefully asked: “What’s wrong? Could it be… could it be that you don’t want to see her?”
Lu Zizheng laughed ruefully, shaking her head and saying: “How could that be? I just worry that if she comes over on such short notice, it might put her in a difficult position. Her situation doesn’t seem to be very good lately. Besides, I’m going back tomorrow anyway.” As she spoke, she thought for a moment, then somewhat embarrassedly asked Lian Xuan: “Can I borrow your phone? I’d like to give her a call.”
Watching the mixed expressions of joy and worry for Jiang Huaixi on Lu Zizheng’s face, Lian Xuan felt a dull pain in her heart. However, she could only silently hand the phone to Lu Zizheng, watching her as a faint, sweet smile appeared on her lips as she called the person she loved.
On the other end of the phone, after hanging up with Lian Xuan, Jiang Huaixi pressed her lips tightly together. Under Jiang Huaichuan’s worried gaze, she suddenly turned back and pressed the bell at the head of the bed. Then, while telling Jiang Huaichuan “Help me book the earliest flight to X City,” she jumped off the bed, standing barefoot on the ground, her steps weak and unsteady.
Due to the severe side effects of the medication she was taking, Jiang Huaixi hadn’t had a proper meal in several days. After taking her medicine on an empty stomach in the early morning, by nine or ten o’clock, she would start feeling discomfort in her stomach, nauseous and sometimes vomiting if she ate anything. By four or five in the afternoon, she would begin running a low fever that would persist until ten or eleven at night before gradually subsiding. In just two weeks, she had become skin and bones.
Seeing Jiang Huaixi get out of bed, Jiang Huaichuan was momentarily stunned. He quickly squatted down to retrieve the slippers from under the bed for Jiang Huaixi to wear, while anxiously asking, “Sis, what’s wrong? What happened? What’s wrong with Sister Zizheng?”
Jiang Huaixi had already started crouching down to rummage through a nearby cabinet for clothes to change into. Frowning tightly, she took a breath before saying in a low voice, “Zizheng was robbed and injured tonight.”
Jiang Huaichuan was also shocked and hurriedly asked with concern, “Where is she hurt? Is it serious?”
Jiang Huaixi had already gathered the clothes she needed to change into and organized her handbag. She said, “Her hand is injured. She needed several stitches.”
Hearing this, Jiang Huaichuan guessed it might not be too serious, and his worried heart eased slightly. Then he became nervous again and said anxiously, “But sis, how are you going to go there now?” His gaze fell on the long drainage tube behind Jiang Huaixi and the square drainage bottle at the foot of the bed.
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Jiang Huaixi narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing at the calm surface of the water in the drainage bottle. Then, with a cold expression, she said decisively, “Remove it.”
Jiang Huaichuan couldn’t help raising his voice in shock, “Sis, are you crazy? If you remove the tube now, what about the air in your lungs that hasn’t dissipated? Don’t you know your physical condition? If the residual cavity doesn’t clear up, then later…”
Jiang Huaixi’s drainage procedure had been relatively successful, with most of the fluid in her chest cavity drained. However, post-operative complications arose, resulting in hydropneumothorax, which had been compressing her lung for weeks without any improvement. If the residual cavity didn’t clear up, the lung would remain compressed and unexpanded. Over time, this could not only lead to empyema and chest cavity collapse but also cause lung atrophy and reduced function. If drainage couldn’t eliminate the problem for an extended period, they might have to resort to surgery, cutting half a rib and performing a thoracotomy for pleural decortication. However, Jiang Huaixi’s affected area was too close to her heart, making it extremely risky, and her body simply couldn’t withstand such an operation.
So, for the past few weeks, they had been hoping to reduce the hydropneumothorax through drainage, but unfortunately, with little effect.
Jiang Huaixi, holding the clothes she was about to change into and preparing to go to the bathroom, clenched her fist upon hearing this. Suddenly, as if extremely irritated, she angrily threw the clothes onto the bed, glaring at the transparent drainage bottle with reddened eyes, and said through gritted teeth, “If I can’t do anything, if I’m not allowed to do anything, then what’s the use of keeping this life?!”
Jiang Huaichuan was shocked, and her radical attitude also angered him somewhat. Suppressing the fire in his heart, he questioned Jiang Huaixi, “What are you saying? Have you considered how Dad, Mom, and I feel? If Sister Zizheng knew, would she want you to be so self-destructive?”
Jiang Huaixi ignored him, furrowing her brow and impatiently wondering, “Why hasn’t the nurse come yet?” She then simply tore off the tape on her hand and pulled out the IV catheter. She picked up the drainage bottle, ready to rush out of the room to find a nurse to remove the tube herself.
Jiang Huaichuan quickly took a big step forward, grabbing Jiang Huaixi’s hand tightly, and said exasperatedly, “Sis, can you please calm down for a moment?!”
Unable to break free despite her efforts, Jiang Huaixi narrowed her eyes in displeasure, her aura extremely low, and coldly commanded, “Huaichuan, let go!”
Just as Jiang Huaichuan was at his wit’s end, Jiang Huaixi’s phone suddenly rang. Sharp-eyed, Jiang Huaichuan immediately saw that the caller ID showed “Lian Xuan,” and instantly guessed it must be Lu Zizheng calling. As if grasping at a lifeline, he quickly snatched Jiang Huaixi’s phone and answered it, rushing out of the room and closing the door, tightly gripping the doorknob to prevent Jiang Huaixi from opening it.
“Sister Zizheng, is that you?” As soon as the call connected, Lu Zizheng heard a breathless male voice. After a brief thought, she understood and said, “Yes, it’s me. Huaichuan, is that you?”
Jiang Huaichuan asked with concern, “Sister Zizheng, are you alright?”
Lu Zizheng chuckled lightly and said, “I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just a minor flesh wound. Where’s your sister? I was afraid she’d be worried, so I called back to tell her not to worry, it’s nothing serious.”
Inside the hospital room, unable to open the door, Jiang Huaixi coldly snapped, “Jiang Huaichuan!”
Jiang Huaichuan was sweating profusely, knowing his sister was truly angry. Not daring to loosen his grip, he immediately pleaded urgently when Lu Zizheng mentioned Jiang Huaixi, “It’s great that you’re alright, Sister Zizheng. Please, can you talk some sense into my sister? When she heard you were hurt, she went crazy and insisted on going to X City to find you, regardless of the consequences. Once she’s made up her mind, we can’t do anything about it. She’ll only listen to you, so please persuade her. She really can’t leave right now.”
Lu Zizheng’s steps towards the hospital exit faltered. She frowned, paused for a moment, then asked Jiang Huaichuan, “Huaichuan, tell me, what’s really been going on with Huaixi lately? What’s she been busy with?” She paused again and said, “If you don’t tell me the truth, how can I convince her?”
The tug-of-war between Jiang Huaixi and him continued. Jiang Huaixi had stopped struggling to open the door, knowing she couldn’t match Jiang Huaichuan’s strength. She just used an ice-cold voice to threaten Jiang Huaichuan: “Jiang Huaichuan, I’ll count to three. If you don’t open the door, you’ll face the consequences. Three, two…”
Jiang Huaichuan hesitated for a moment, hearing Jiang Huaixi’s cold words. He gritted his teeth and, just before Jiang Huaixi’s countdown ended, confessed, “My sister is sick. She’s been sick since before you went to X City, and she’s now at a critical stage of treatment.”
At that moment, Lu Zizheng felt her ears buzzing. Her foot slipped on the stairs, and she almost fell, fortunately, Lian Xuan quickly reached out to steady her.
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At the same instant, Jiang Huaichuan finally let go, and with a “click,” Jiang Huaixi opened the door. She had heard the conversation between Jiang Huaichuan and Lu Zizheng. She knew she had messed everything up again…
Zizheng, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry…
Lu Zizheng’s vision was still dark, and her head was still spinning. After a long while, she finally found her voice and said to Jiang Huaichuan, word by word, “Give the phone to Huaixi.”
At that moment, facing Jiang Huaixi, Lu Zizheng didn’t question, didn’t accuse, but only said word by word, coldly and firmly, through gritted teeth: “Jiang Huaixi, listen to me. Now, you stay right there and wait for me to come back. Don’t go anywhere. Otherwise, don’t expect me to listen to any of your explanations.”
Her hand gripping the phone was so tight that Lian Xuan suspected the phone might shatter in the next instant. Tears flowed down Lu Zizheng’s cheeks in a steady stream.
Jiang Huaixi held the phone, her usually smooth and beautiful long straight hair now in complete disarray, sticking messily to her face and covering her eyes. Her entire being was like a leaf in the wind, thin and fragile.
After a long while, Lu Zizheng finally heard her squeeze out an “Okay” from her throat.
LP: Re-translated on October 18, 2024