Chapter 23
[In a world without you, no matter how warm the sun light shines, it cannot warm my cold heart. -XunMi]
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“XunMi.” LaLa stepped forward and lightly pulled XunMi into a hug, silently offering comfort. Not so long ago, she also didn’t care for this Big Miss. Yet she discovered that XunMi wasn’t stupid, or useless. Rather, she was just trying to protect herself.
She grew up in that kind of environment, without a mother’s protection, where her only family member left only cared for his illegitimate daughter. Suddenly her reputation took a turn for the worse, causing her to be unable to make real friends. She has always been a woman army.
XunMi closed her eyes. There were no tears, she was just worn out. She was going to collapse if ZiXi ge really didn’t wake up. In this unfamiliar world with its unfamiliar people, she finally found someone that had forcibly made his way into her lonely heart. But when her happiness was within reach, she ended up falling into a merciless abyss.
“Let’s go in,” XunMi steadied her heart, pulled away from LaLa and walked in. She had turned back into that the proud Eldest Miss Qin that outsiders saw her as.
Numerous doctors were already gathered inside the room, all surrounding the electrocardiogram. Even Jiang Ru had changed into the professional white gown, huddling with the other doctors, not wanting to miss a single moment. Although she didn’t specialize in neuroscience, Jiang Ru was a prestigious surgeon.
Tan ZiXi’s ribs had caved into his chest cavity due to the crash. Although the surgery had allowed them to retrieve the broken pieces of the rib and his vital organs seemed decent, but fractures of the car crash had smashed into the back of Tan ZiXi’s head.
Inertia caused him to jerk forward, his skull fiercely pounding onto the ground and causing a light concussion and brain paralysis.
Everything depended on the patient’s determination. They had originally predicted that Tan ZiXi would quickly wake up but evidently, they had been wrong.
“Beep, beep, beep…” In the quiet hospital room, only the beeping electrocardiogram and the ticking of the clock hands could be heard, the sounds striking onto everyone’s hearts with every beat.
XunMi’s eyes stared foggily at the steadily rising and falling graph on the ECG before turning to the clock just about to point to seven o clock.
Her heart was ruthlessly clinched by an invisible fist, making her unable to breathe.
“It is seven o clock!” A robotic voice announced the time, interrupting the silence.
“Half an hour. If President Tan still won’t wake up by then, then the situation won’t be very optimistic.” The head doctor in charge solemnly stated. They’ve seen this kind of situation numerous times. After all, the place of injury is the brain. Brain surgery was risky and had its fair share of consequences.
Jiang Ru’s hands trembled and staggered back a few steps, leaning on the nurse supporting her. Tan MingYu worriedly looked at pale wife, yet couldn’t step forward, only able to attentively watch her from outside. They could hear the conversation from outside but they were powerless.
XunMi’s mind exploded open. There was nothing in her mind, only boundless white, unable to find its end. She stood straight as a rod, her head held high, her sturdy backbone supporting her slim body, making it seem as if not even a stormy sea could knock her down. Her eyes never left that man’s figure. No one noticed her hands by her side, nails digging into her flesh.
The drip of the IV, the rotating hand of the clock incessantly ticking ahead. The atmosphere became grimmer by the moment. The half hour felt like an entire lifetime long.
A voice sounded, with a sigh: “Ah, it’s been 24 hours. All his numbers seem normal, suggesting that Mr. Tan’s unconscious state isn’t due to his external conditions.” The head doctor analyzed. The other brain specialists nodded in agreement. In this situation, there were two possibilities. One, the patient himself is unwilling to wake up. Two, the patient was suffering a problem with his consciousness and is unable to wake himself up. There was a common method for treating both possibilities: provoke the patient. When provoked to a certain degree, there will be a 50% probability that the patient could be awakened.
After administering a series of electric shocks without effect, everyone turned their attention to the method of a man-made provocation. If someone important to the patient stayed by his side, then it was assumed that the results would be better.
XunMi put on the anti-bacterial outfit without hesitation, pushed open the door and walked in.
With red eyes, Jiang Ru grabbed XunMi by her hands, seemingly hesitating before unable to restrain her words” “Xiao Xun, I’m entrusting ZiXi to you. You must bring him back. If even you can’t, then…” The usually gentle, smiling Jiang Ru finally broke down into tears. That was her son lying on that bed. He was her flesh and blood that she had painstakingly carried for 10 months. She never would have thought that her son, who could return unharmed from dangerous military missions, would be lying here due to a premeditated car crash.
But she couldn’t blame anyone. Her son had chosen to save the person he loved the most. For her, he was even willing to risk his life. How could she blame anymore while knowing this? But she still felt unresigned. Right now, she could only put her hope into XunMi. She hoped that her son would wake up for the person he loved.
XunMi neither nodded or shook her head. Instead she pulled her hands away and walked pass Jiang Ru. As she passed her, softly said: “If he doesn’t wake up, then I’ll go accompany him. I won’t allow him to be lonely.”
Jiang Ru stiffened. Her tone was gentle but there was no denying the severity of her words. XunMi wasn’t giving her a promise or a response. Rather, she was telling her a fact. If her son won’t wake up, then XunMi will definitely go accompany her. Jiang Ru didn’t dare think about what “accompanying” him entailed.
She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to XunMi but finding her already peacefully seated by her son’s bedside. In the nervous and solemn environment, Tan ZiXi laid silently and motionless on the bed. But when XunMi’s fire red figure entered the frame, the entire atmosphere seemed to increase in warmth. Even sorrow couldn’t seem to seep into their world.
Jiang Ru’s eyes were grave, woodenly asking the others in the room to leave. With one last look at the two figures nestled together on the bed, she also turned and left.
XunMi leaned her ear onto Tan ZiXi’s chest, a smile forming on her face as she attentively heard his weak yet steady heartbeat transmit into his ears.
“ZiXi ge, I’m so glad to have met you. So don’t abandon me. If even you don’t want me anymore, then what should I do?