Even the strongest lie will eventually be exposed
Lian Xuan and Lu Zizheng arrived at the hospital and headed straight to the emergency department. Fortunately, the on-duty doctor was available and promptly received them in the examination room.
The doctor mentioned that the wound was quite deep and would require seven or eight stitches. Thankfully, it hadn’t affected any tendons or bones, so there were no major issues. Immediately, the doctor wrote a prescription for Lian Xuan to obtain anesthesia and some other medications. Upon hearing the words “no major issues,” Lian Xuan’s anxious heart finally found some relief. She let out a sigh of relief, took the prescription, and as she headed out, she greeted Lu Zizheng, saying, “Wait for me here; I’ll be back in a moment.”
She went to the hospital lobby’s window to collect the prescribed medications from the nurse and hurriedly made her way back. Just as she stepped out of the lobby and was about to head towards the emergency room, her phone in her bag suddenly rang urgently.
Lian Xuan was startled by the sudden sound, but she couldn’t spare a moment for it. She hesitated briefly, then continued walking toward the emergency room until her phone in the bag rang until it automatically disconnected, making no more noise.
After handing everything over to the doctor, Lu Zizheng began to suture the wound, and only then did Lian Xuan have the presence of mind to open her bag and check her missed calls.
The screen displayed an unfamiliar number that had never been saved. Normally, Lian Xuan would have ignored such an unfamiliar call, knowing that if it were important, the caller would naturally try again. However, the displayed number showed a location in Linzhou, which piqued Lian Xuan’s curiosity inexplicably.
She hesitated for a moment but eventually signaled to Lu Zizheng, saying, “I need to step out to take a call.” Afterward, she briskly walked out and dialed the number at the entrance of the hallway.
The call was quickly answered. On the other end of the line, there was a clear and melodious female voice, “Hello, I’m Jiang Huaixi.”
Lian Xuan couldn’t help but pause for a moment, but she soon responded, “Hello, I’m Lian Xuan.”
At this moment, Jiang Huaixi was receiving an intravenous drip in the hospital, and Jiang Huaichuan had rushed over from work. She had 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 her bedroom, so they had missed the calls. By the time they tried to call back, Lu Zizheng had already turned off her phone.
Jiang Huaixi’s eyebrows immediately shot up, and she began to feel inexplicably uneasy. Her worry persisted, so she had Jiang Huaichuan try calling Lu Zizheng’s phone again. When they couldn’t get through, they even dialed the landline at Lu Zizheng’s apartment, but no matter what they tried, they couldn’t reach Lu Zizheng. Lu Zizheng rarely contacted Jiang Huaichuan and their mother, so this abnormal silence and disconnection only intensified Jiang Huaixi’s growing sense of anxiety and apprehension. Calling Lian Xuan was the last resort for her.
Without much small talk, Jiang Huaixi got straight to the point when she asked Lian Xuan, “I’m sorry to disturb you. Is Zizheng with you? I tried calling her phone, but it’s turned off, and there’s no answer on the home phone. I can’t reach her.”
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
Lian Xuan turned to look at Lu Zizheng, who was quietly stitching in the emergency room, with a slight furrow in her brow. She sighed deeply and honestly replied, “Yes, she’s with me. She couldn’t resist my persuasion to join me for a sand sculpture exhibition at night. On the way… on the way, we encountered a robbery, and her phone was stolen. Now she’s in the hospital.”
The hand holding Jiang Huaixi’s phone trembled, and her already pale face lost all its color, leaving Jiang Huaichuan on the side repeatedly asking, “Sister, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Huaixi felt like her heart was racing uncontrollably, making it hard for her to speak. She braced herself against the bed, forcing herself to sit up straight with her spine erect, and calmly inquired, word by word, “Is Zizheng injured? Where is she hurt? Is it serious? What’s her condition now?”
Lian Xuan listened to Jiang Huaixi’s composed and steady voice, devoid of any hint of anxious emotion, and she discreetly furrowed her brow.
She replied, “She got a knife wound on her palm, and it’s quite deep, but luckily, it didn’t affect any tendons or bones. They’ll need to stitch it with about seven or eight stitches.”
After a brief pause, she clenched her fist at her side, her voice carrying a trace of frustration that she couldn’t contain, “On the way to the hospital, she’s been feeling really down and kept saying… how much she misses you.” Who knew how difficult it was for her to admit this to her love rival – that the person Jiang Huaixi loved dearly missed her so much. Was she meddling too much? Regardless, she bit her lip and continued, “Miss Jiang, I don’t know how busy you are with work, but after coming here, she has been waiting for you the whole time. You’ve stood her up repeatedly, disappointed her, and left her all alone in this foreign place, waiting indefinitely. Isn’t that a bit too much?”
Jiang Huaixi’s face turned pale, her lips losing their color, but her eye rims were red. Her expression remained stoic and stern. The hand receiving the IV was clenched into a fist, and her neatly manicured fingertips dug deeply into her skin, preventing the IV from delivering the fluids due to the force of her grip.
For a moment, all Lian Xuan could hear was the slightly hurried and heavy breathing of Jiang Huaixi. It took a while before she heard Jiang Huaixi’s voice, low and hoarse, as she said, “You’re right. I’ve been way out of line. Please take care of her for me. I’ll be there later.”
Lian Xuan paused briefly, and as soon as she replied with a simple “okay,” the call ended. She stared at the now dark phone screen for a moment, let out a long, slow breath, and then returned to the emergency room.
Inside the emergency room, Lu Zizheng’s palm had already been stitched up, and the doctor was giving her some post-procedure instructions while informing her that the stitches could be removed in a week. Lu Zizheng turned her head, her expression serene, appearing genuinely attentive as she listened.
After the doctor had finished giving all the instructions, Lu Zizheng thanked them and got up. Lian Xuan stood by her side, and they both walked out together. It was only then that Lian Xuan informed Lu Zizheng, “Jiang Huaixi couldn’t reach you, so she called me just now.”
Lu Zizheng’s steps faltered slightly, and she turned to look at Lian Xuan, her expression somewhat anxious as she asked, “Did you tell her about what happened tonight?”
Seeing Lu Zizheng’s inexplicable nervousness, Lian Xuan hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded honestly, asking with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Lu Zizheng lowered her gaze slightly and managed a faint smile at Lian Xuan, saying, “It’s really nothing, actually. I just… I didn’t want her to worry too much.”
Lian Xuan sighed and replied, “Jiang Huaixi said she’ll be coming later.”
Lu Zizheng’s heart tightened, and the smile on her face froze instantly.
Lian Xuan felt a bit nervous and puzzled, so she asked cautiously, “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me… you don’t want to see her?”
Lu Zizheng chuckled, shaking her head, “Of course not. I just didn’t want her to rush over at the last moment, making things difficult for her. Her recent situation doesn’t seem to be very good, and besides, I’ll be leaving tomorrow.” With a brief pause for thought, she then hesitated slightly and asked Lian Xuan, “Could I borrow your phone for a moment? I’d like to give her a call.”
As Lian Xuan watched Lu Zizheng’s mixed expression of joy and concern for Jiang Huaixi on her face, she felt a dull ache in her heart. However, she could only remain silent, handing her phone to Lu Zizheng and offering a sweet, faint smile while she dialed for her beloved.
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On the other end of the call, Jiang Huaixi, after ending the call with Lian Xuan, pursed her lips tightly. Under the worried gaze of Jiang Huaichuan, she suddenly turned and pressed the bedside bell. Then, while saying to Jiang Huaichuan, “Book the next flight to City X,” she got out of bed, standing barefoot on the floor with feeble and unsteady steps.
Due to the significant side effects of the medication she had been taking, Jiang Huaixi hadn’t had a proper meal for several days. Each morning, after taking the medication on an empty stomach, she began to feel slight discomfort in her stomach, accompanied by nausea and occasional vomiting. By late afternoon, she would start running a low fever, which would persist until around midnight before gradually subsiding. In just two weeks, she had become visibly thinner, her body resembling a mere skeleton.
Jiang Huaichuan, noticing Jiang Huaixi’s movement to get out of bed, was taken aback for a moment. However, he quickly crouched down, retrieved a pair of slippers from under the bed, and handed them to Jiang Huaixi. He anxiously asked, “Sis, what’s wrong? What happened? How is Zizheng?”
Jiang Huaixi had already begun searching for a change of clothes from a nearby cabinet as she tightly furrowed her brow. She took a deep breath and spoke softly, “Zizheng was robbed and injured tonight.”
Jiang Huaichuan was equally startled and quickly asked with concern, “Where is she injured? Is it serious?”
Jiang Huaixi had already packed her change of clothes and organized her personal handbag. She replied, “She was injured in the hand, and it took quite a few stitches.”
Hearing this, Jiang Huaichuan speculated that it might not be too severe, and he felt somewhat relieved. However, he soon grew anxious again and asked in a panicked tone, “But sis, how are you going to get there now?” His gaze fell on the long drainage tube behind Jiang Huaixi and the square drainage bag at the foot of the bed.
Jiang Huaixi squinted slightly, glancing at the calm and still surface of the drainage bag. Then, with a cold and resolute expression, she said, “Remove it.”
Jiang Huaichuan couldn’t help raising his voice, exclaiming, “Sis, are you out of your mind? Removing the tube now, what about the lingering air in your lungs? Don’t you know your own physical condition? If the residual air doesn’t dissipate, then later…”
Jiang Huaixi’s previous drainage procedure had been somewhat successful in removing the accumulated fluid in her chest cavity, but it had also led to complications post-surgery: a pneumothorax, where air had accumulated, continued to compress her lungs. For several weeks, there had been no improvement. If the residual air persisted, it could lead to conditions like pleural empyema, causing the chest cavity to collapse, and even lung atrophy with reduced function over time. However, if drainage failed to resolve the issue, surgical intervention might be necessary, involving the removal of half a rib and thoracotomy to perform pleural stripping. Unfortunately, Jiang Huaixi’s condition was too close to her heart, posing extremely high risks. Furthermore, her body simply couldn’t endure such a procedure.
So, over these past few weeks, they had been hoping that drainage could alleviate the pneumothorax, but regrettably, it had yielded little result.
As Jiang Huaixi was preparing to go to the bathroom with the clothes she wanted to change into, upon hearing this, she clenched her fist tightly. Suddenly, it seemed as if she were overwhelmed with frustration. She forcefully threw her clothes onto the bed and cast a resentful gaze at the transparent drainage bag. Her eyes reddened as she gritted her teeth and said coldly, “If I can’t do anything, if I’m utterly helpless, then what’s the use of keeping this life?!”
Jiang Huaichuan was greatly alarmed, and her radical attitude had sparked some frustration in him as well. Suppressing his own anger, he questioned Jiang Huaixi, “What are you saying? Have you considered our feelings, mine, and Mom and Dad’s? Would Zizheng want you to give up like this if she knew?”
However, Jiang Huaixi seemed oblivious to his words. She furrowed her brows tightly, muttered impatiently, “Why hasn’t the nurse come yet?” and simply reached out to tear off the adhesive on her hand, removing the indwelling needle from the back of her hand. She grabbed the drainage bag, intending to urgently leave the room and find a nurse to remove the tube herself.
Jiang Huaichuan quickly took a big step forward and tightly grabbed Jiang Huaixi’s hand, sounding rather anxious as he pleaded, “Sis, can you please calm down for a moment?”
Jiang Huaixi struggled to break free but was unsuccessful. She narrowed her eyes displeasingly and, in a low, commanding tone, said, “Huaichuan, let go!”
In the midst of Jiang Huaichuan’s utter frustration, Jiang Huaixi’s phone suddenly rang. Jiang Huaichuan noticed it right away and saw the caller ID displaying “Lian Xuan.” He immediately surmised that it was a call from Lu Zizheng. Like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline, he swiftly took Jiang Huaixi’s phone, answered it, and hurriedly left the room, closing the door firmly behind him, holding the door handle tightly to prevent Jiang Huaixi from opening it.
“Zizheng, is it you?” As soon as the call was answered, Lu Zizheng heard a hurried, panting male voice. She thought for a moment and then realized, saying, “Yes, it’s me. Huaichuan, right?”
Jiang Huaichuan, full of concern, asked, “Zizheng, are you okay?”
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Lu Zizheng smiled gently and said, “I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious at all. And what about your sister? I called to reassure her so that she wouldn’t worry. It’s just a minor scratch.”
Inside the hospital room, Jiang Huaixi couldn’t open the door, and she coldly shouted, “Jiang Huaichuan!”
Jiang Huaichuan was sweating profusely. He knew his sister was genuinely angry. He didn’t dare to relax his grip on the door handle. When he heard Lu Zizheng mention Jiang Huaixi, he urgently pleaded, “It’s okay, Zizheng, you’re fine, and that’s great. Please, Zizheng, you have to persuade my sister. She found out you were injured, and she’s acting as if she’s gone mad, determined to go to City X to find you. When she makes up her mind like this, there’s nothing we can do to stop her. Only you can convince her. Please, talk to her. She really can’t leave right now.”
Lu Zizheng paused in her steps as she walked outside the hospital, furrowing her brow and remaining silent for a moment. She then asked Jiang Huaichuan, “Huaichuan, can you tell me what’s been going on with her recently? What’s keeping her so busy? If you don’t tell me the truth, how can I persuade her?”
The tug of war between Jiang Huaixi and Jiang Huaichuan continued, with Jiang Huaixi no longer exerting effort to pull the door since she knew she couldn’t match Jiang Huaichuan’s strength. She simply used her freezing tone to issue a stern warning to Jiang Huaichuan, saying, “Jiang Huaichuan, I’ll count to three. If you don’t open the door, you’ll have to face the consequences. Three, two…”
Jiang Huaichuan hesitated for a moment, listening to Jiang Huaixi’s cold words. He gritted his teeth and confessed just before Jiang Huaixi’s countdown ended, “My sister is ill, and she has been sick since before you went to City X. She’s currently in a critical phase of treatment.”
At that moment, Lu Zizheng felt her ears ringing. Her steps on the stairs nearly faltered, but luckily, Lian Xuan quickly reached out and supported her.
Simultaneously, Jiang Huaichuan finally released his grip on the door handle, and with a “click,” Jiang Huaixi opened the door. She overheard the conversation between Jiang Huaichuan and Lu Zizheng, and she knew she had messed everything up.
Zizheng, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. I’m so sorry…
Lu Zizheng’s vision was still dark, and she felt dizzy. After a 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 ask for further details, didn’t accuse her; she simply spoke, each word cold, resolute, and through gritted teeth: “Jiang Huaixi, listen carefully. Right now, you stay where you are and wait for me to return. You are not allowed to go anywhere else. Otherwise, don’t expect me to listen to any of your explanations.”
The hand gripping her phone was so tight that Lian Xuan wondered if it might shatter in the next instant. Tears streamed down Lu Zizheng’s cheeks.
Jiang Huaixi held onto her phone, her usually silky and beautiful straight hair now disheveled and haphazardly covering her face, obscuring her gaze. She appeared fragile and vulnerable, like a leaf in the wind.
After a while, Lu Zizheng finally heard a strained “okay” from her throat.