Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
That night, Zhu Hui had a dream. In her dream, she transformed into a beautiful princess wearing Crystal Shoes, surrounded by thousands of admirers as she stepped into a Golden Luxury Carriage. The coachman politely tipped his hat and rose to greet her. Several maids followed closely behind, carefully holding her train as she climbed into the carriage. With the booming sound of cannon fire echoing through the sky, a flock of white doves took flight into the blue. The carriage finally began to move, and the entire Royal Plaza erupted in excitement. People joyfully sang and danced along the sides of the road, bidding farewell to their beloved princess as she set off for her wedding. Their laughter and cheers seemed to infect the fluttering ribbons, which danced even more vigorously in the gentle breeze. The princess was about to step into marriage with her Prince Charming and live the happiest life imaginable. Everything felt so wonderful! Zhu Hui sat in the carriage, unable to resist pinching her own cheek.
“Ouch! That hurts! This isn’t a dream; it’s real! I really am a princess,” Zhu Hui exclaimed, nearly falling out of the carriage in her excitement. No matter what, she was no longer that crude girl without status; she was now a true princess, adored by all.
Thus, under the gaze and cheers of the crowd, the carriage finally arrived at the entrance of a magnificent Cathedral. As the sweet chimes of the church bells rang out, the maids respectfully opened the carriage door and carefully assisted her down. Ah, she had never seen such a scene before; on either side of the red carpet stood countless people welcoming her. They smiled and applauded in tribute, while birds peered out from their nests to join in song, swaying to the rhythm of the wind and melody of the bells, joyfully singing hymns of future happiness.
At that moment, an elderly man dressed in a white robe with a long beard approached her. After reciting a few incantations with reverence, he led her into the church. Just as she stepped inside, a beam of golden light suddenly swept past her eyes. Instinctively, she raised her hand to shield her eyes and took a step back. When she lowered her hand and opened her eyes again, she was stunned by what lay before her. The church was filled with people who stood up in unison to applaud and welcome their bride-to-be. At the end of the red carpet stood a dazzling Golden Cross, beneath which were two figures: one was the officiating priest, and the other was another key character in this wedding—the groom. Dressed in a white suit and holding a bouquet of fiery red roses, he stood with his back to her as if he had been waiting for her for a long time. Just look at that groom's figure; anyone with eyes could tell he was the most handsome prince in the kingdom.
“Prince! Oh! My prince!” Zhu Hui exclaimed as she saw him drawing closer, nearly fainting from excitement. Her heart had never raced so fast before. She couldn’t help but start imagining what this prince might look like—would he resemble Tang Hui? Or could he actually be Tang Hui? The thought that her prince might be someone as unoriginal as Tang Hui sent shivers down her spine and made her break out in a cold sweat. Just as she was only a step away from him, he suddenly turned around to reveal a goat's head. The goat chewed on grass and grinned at Zhu Hui with sharp teeth like those of a lawn mower, bleating at her in fright.
“Don’t—don’t come any closer!” Zhu Hui shouted as she stumbled backward, stepping on her own dress and falling hard. But quickly, she sprang back up from the ground, lifted her skirt, and dashed toward the church entrance while shouting, “Hui! Come save me! I don’t want to marry Male Goat; I want to marry you!”
“Hui…Hui…wake up.” At that moment, Zhu Hui heard Tang Hui’s voice calling from beside her.
Dazed, Zhu Hui opened her eyes gradually; everything became clearer as she saw Tang Hui looking at her with an odd expression as if he were observing something strange.
Zhu Hui felt a jolt of surprise upon seeing Tang Hui and immediately sat up in bed, nervously asking, “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been here all along,” Tang Hui replied with confusion on his face. “I saw you weren’t waking up and just sat beside you watching you dream.” He then asked curiously, “What were you dreaming about? You were pinching your face and saying you didn’t want to marry Male Goat but wanted to marry me.”
“Are you really that dense? Can’t you tell it was about ‘Beauty and the Beast’?” Zhu Hui retorted with flushed cheeks.
“Does Male Goat count as a beast?” Tang Hui pondered aloud while scratching his chin.
“Alright! Stop overthinking it; I can just change one word—it’ll be ‘Beauty and’ instead.”
Upon hearing the word, Tang Hui couldn't help but associate it with the image of a rapist and a child, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He murmured, still shaken, "It would be better to call them beasts!"
"What are you talking about?" Zhu Hui asked, puzzled by his foolish expression.
"Nothing!" Tang Hui quickly pulled himself out of those dirty thoughts and asked, "You can't possibly be referring to…"
"Don't worry, it won't be you! How could I ever marry you in the future?" Zhu Hui interrupted him impatiently before he could finish.
"Are you saying that you plan to marry me in the future?" Tang Hui's eyes widened as he couldn't help but ask again.
"You… stop being so full of yourself. Just now in my dream, that priest held a knife to my throat and asked if I would rather marry the Male Goat or you. Honestly, marrying you is still better than marrying a beast; at least you're human."
Tang Hui couldn't help but burst into laughter at her words.
"Oh right, why did you come to my house so early?" Zhu Hui looked at him, suspicion written all over her face.
"Sister, what time do you think it is? It's still early!" Tang Hui pointed at the clock hanging on the wall.
Zhu Hui glanced up at the clock and exclaimed, "It's almost twelve!"
"Yes, the sun has already risen high." Tang Hui pouted as he complained, "I've been waiting here for over half an hour just for you to wake up."
"Oh really! Do you have something urgent to tell me?"
“There's nothing urgent, but there's something strange,” Tang Hui said, intentionally keeping her friend in suspense.
“Strange? What kind of strange thing?” Zhu Hui asked, more confused than ever.
Tang Hui smiled at her and pulled out a stack of newspapers from behind her, tossing them into Zhu Hui's arms. “You can see for yourself!”
Zhu Hui took the newspapers and opened one, only to let out a surprised scream.
“Jay Chou has a new girlfriend again! This woman looks pretty ordinary,” she commented, pointing at the actress rumored to be dating Jay Chou.
“I didn’t want you to look at the entertainment section,” Tang Hui said, rushing in front of her to snatch the newspaper back. She unfolded it to reveal the second page and complained, “You’re such a good friend! How could you not tell me about this amazing thing you did?”
Zhu Hui, still puzzled, took back the newspaper and noticed a large headline that read: “Emotional Moments on Three Strings—Class Leader’s Dedication to Saving a Friend.” Below the headline was a photo of Zhu Hui playing her violin on the street.
“Wait! How did I end up in the newspaper?”
“I want to know that too! When did Liao Chengwei become your friend?”
Ignoring Tang Hui's question, Zhu Hui continued to stare intently at the article, reading it carefully. After finishing, she muttered to herself, “Who could have told the newspaper about this?”
Seeing her friend’s bewilderment, Tang Hui took the newspaper back from her hands and pondered over the article again. With a thoughtful expression, she asked, “Could it be this person named Ma Lin?”
“Ma Lin—” Zhu Hui was suddenly startled and quickly snatched the newspaper back from Tang Hui's hands. At the bottom of the article, she saw that the author was Ma Lin, and it dawned on her that the young woman who had approached her yesterday was actually a reporter.
“No wonder she investigated me so thoroughly.”
“Do you really know that reporter named Ma Lin?”
Zhu Hui nodded in response. “I ran into her in front of Wuhan Square yesterday, but at that time, I didn’t realize she was a reporter. I thought she was a philanthropist!” She stretched happily and added, “It’s good that it got reported; maybe this will draw more attention to Liao Chengwei and encourage people to lend him a hand. That way, he might really be saved.”
“Zhu Hui, having a friend like you is truly a lifelong honor for me. You are so kind-hearted,” Tang Hui said, gazing at her earnestly.
Zhu Hui smiled back without answering, silently praying that this report would indeed illuminate Liao Chengwei's life and help him break free from the clutches of illness and recover soon.
Since Ma Lin’s article was published, society had been shaken. Zhu Hui’s efforts to save her friend became the focal point of conversations everywhere. While people were moved by Zhu Hui’s actions, they also began to donate money and goods, taking action to save Liao Chengwei’s life. Soon after, with the love and support of the community, Liao Chengwei underwent a successful bone marrow transplant surgery, and in due time, he would be able to recover and leave the hospital.
The morning sun rose high in the sky, peeking through the clouds and playfully shining through the window onto Liao Chengwei’s hospital bed, illuminating the smiles of those who came to visit him, as well as warming Zhu Hui’s heart.
The ward was filled with people, but Zhu Hui remained outside as usual, peering in through the window to catch a glimpse of Liao Chengwei. When she saw his rosy face break into a vibrant smile, tears streamed down her cheeks. After all this time and effort, it hadn’t been in vain. She turned to look at the clear blue sky outside, took a deep breath, and marveled at how life is indeed full of miracles.
She stood there for quite some time without anyone noticing her presence outside the ward until Song Yu walked out and called out to her, breaking the silence.
“How did you know I was standing out here?” Zhu Hui asked with a smile.
“I have a feeling that my cousin will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. I believe you will definitely come to see him,” Song Yu said confidently.
“Really? It seems your intuition is quite accurate!” Zhu Hui smiled, but then suddenly remembered something and added nervously, “But please, don’t tell your cousin that I’m here!”
“Why do you always say that every time you come? Why do you still want me to hide the fact that you’re the one who saved him?”
“He just had surgery. I don’t want him to get too excited; it could affect his recovery.”
“I believe if my cousin knew you were the one who saved him, he would be very touched, not overly excited. Don’t you understand?”
“I understand, but the problem is that ‘being touched’ can sometimes be more harmful.”
Hearing her words, Song Yu was momentarily speechless, unable to respond. Seeing him downcast and silent, Zhu Hui gently patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Alright, you don’t have to worry about anything. I understand your feelings. Once your cousin fully recovers, I will definitely seek justice for what happened. After all, that slap he gave me still hurts even now!” With that, she let out a long sigh of relief and reflected, “Through this incident, I truly understand the value of life. The preciousness of life lies in its rarity, so we should cherish our lives even more moving forward.”
Song Yu nodded repeatedly in agreement with a smile.
Comment 0 Comment Count