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墨書 Inktalez
Xin Yi sat in front of Shen Shanshan's hospital bed, unaware that night had completely fallen. Mother Shen had already been taken home by Shen Liwei. After learning about Shen Shanshan's condition in the afternoon, Mother Shen had fainted from crying. No matter how powerful she usually appeared, a mother's feelings for her children are genuine and unpretentious. The thought that her young daughter might remain in a coma or even lose her life was unbearable. To prevent her from breaking down, Shen Liwei had no choice but to take her home. The rest of the family was also discussing contacting other hospitals. With Shen Dahai's status and connections, he would surely find a skilled neurosurgeon in the country to perform surgery on Shen Shanshan.
As night fell, Xin Yi remained oblivious until a nurse came in to change the IV fluids and turned on the lights in the room. He sat there dazed, staring at Shen Shanshan's pale face, which showed no signs of movement or response—she didn’t speak, drink, or eat anything. Eventually, even the nurse couldn't bear it any longer and reminded him, "Family member of the patient, you should eat something. You can't go on like this without food or water; you'll wear yourself out. Besides, this won't help the patient at all."
Only then did Xin Yi move slightly. Turning to see that it was completely dark outside, he checked his phone for the time and noticed an unread message from Lijie. It reminded him that he had promised to return for dinner that morning. Now that Shen Shanshan was in trouble, going back for dinner was impossible. He decided not to hide the truth from Lijie any longer. Regardless of what happened to Shen Shanshan, he had resolved to care for her for life. He felt that Lijie had the right to know everything and could make her own choices. So, without checking the unread message further, he dialed her number directly. However, strangely enough, Lijie's phone was off. After several attempts with the same result, he began to feel uneasy.
After putting down his phone, he remembered there was still an unread message from Lijie. He quickly picked up his phone again and opened it. Upon reading it, his heart sank further; it turned out that Lijie already knew about what had happened today. The message read: "Xin Yi, please forgive me for following you today. As a woman, I sensed what you were going to do. I should have trusted you to handle everything well, but I couldn't control myself. It's clear that girl truly loves you; otherwise, she wouldn't be so heartbroken. Take good care of her; I'm leaving now—don't look for me; I need some time to calm down."
With that, Lijie had left him. She must have found it intolerable to be deceived by him. Xin Yi dejectedly set down his phone; now two innocent girls had been hurt by him—one was the quietly loving Shen Shanshan, who had loved him for ten years; the other was Lijie, with whom he had shared intimate moments and promised to marry. There was also Shu Rui, who would eventually be hurt by him as well, though he didn't yet know her situation. Was he destined to hurt every girl who got close to him? Was he fated to be alone for life? If being alone meant he wouldn't hurt them, then Xin Yi would rather choose that path. It was only today that he realized hurting any one of them pained him far more than any hurt he could endure himself.
He didn't plan to stop Lijie from leaving; over two hours had passed since she sent the message—she could be anywhere by now. Moreover, as she said herself, she truly needed some time to cool off right now. If she wanted to hide from him, there was no way for him to know where she was; even if he could find her, what could he say? All of this had already happened—could he ignore the fact that both Shen Shanshan, who lay unconscious in the hospital bed, and Lijie, were suffering? That was impossible; Xin Yi couldn't do such a thing. Judging by what Lijie wrote in her message, she likely wouldn't do anything reckless; after all, she could still feel his affection for her—otherwise, she wouldn't have traveled all the way to Lusang Nation just to find him and nearly lost her life in the process. For this reason alone, Xin Yi believed that Lijie wouldn't act foolishly; perhaps she really just wanted some time alone.
Every cause has its effect; this cause was sown solely by him, yet it was his beloved women who would have to swallow this bitter fruit—that was what made Xin Yi feel most sorrowful. It seemed he was indeed cursed with solitude; none of the women who loved him escaped unscathed by his actions. Well then, everything was already done and could not be changed; he might as well let nature take its course—perhaps fate had its own arrangements.
The next morning, members of the Shen Family arrived at the hospital; even Shen Dahai came in wearing casual clothes and looking haggard. The family's eyes were bloodshot from clearly not having rested well over last night's events concerning Shen Shanshan. After taking a glance at her in the hospital room, Shen Dahai went with Shen Liwei to find a doctor while Mother Shen sat by her daughter's bed weeping uncontrollably. Seeing this made it hard for Xin Yi, as tears welled up in his eyes too; two streams rolled down his cheeks. However, he understood that this wasn't a moment for tears—he quickly wiped his eyes and approached Mother Shen, comforting her: "Auntie, please don't worry; Shan Shan will be fine."
"Woo… why is my Shan Shan's life so miserable? Just recently she broke a rib and now this has happened! If she really falls into a deep sleep and never wakes up again... what will happen to her life? As her mother, I'll eventually die too! Who will take care of her after I'm gone? My poor daughter..." As soon as she saw that Xin Yi was trying to comfort her, she cried even harder while muttering.
"Don't worry Auntie," said Xin Yi. "Shan Shan is like this because of me; no matter what happens to her in the future, I will take care of her for life!"
"Really?" Mother Shen turned around and looked at him skeptically: "You really will take care of Shan Shan no matter what happens?"
"Absolutely! No matter what happens to Shan Shan in the future, I will take care of her for life!" replied Xin Yi, resolutely affirming his promise.
"Alright, Auntie didn't see you wrong," Mother Shen said, "From now on, Shanshan will be entrusted to you! Boohoo... my poor Shanshan..." Although Mother Shen spoke with a sobbing tone, a hint of concealed satisfaction flickered in her tear-filled eyes. Xin Yi understood why Mother Shen was doing this; as a mother, it was only natural to use some means to ensure her daughter's future security. Moreover, Xin Yi had already decided to take care of Shen Shanshan for a lifetime, so he didn't take Mother Shen's little scheme to heart.
At that moment, Shen Dahai's authoritative and rugged voice rang out at the door: "What nonsense! Is this how you handle things? If Shanshan really can't wake up, aren't you ruining Xin Yi's life? This is utter nonsense!" Shen Dahai certainly understood the implication behind his wife's words, but Xin Yi was his former superior and lifesaver's grandson. How could Shen Dahai possibly burden him with a liability? Thus, he reprimanded his wife. As he spoke, Shen Dahai and Shen Liwei strode into the ward. Shen Dahai patted Xin Yi's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we still have a chance. I just spoke with the doctor. We're transferring Shanshan to Capital Military District Hospital right away; they have the best neurosurgeons in the country, and that expert is my comrade. I just got off the phone with him."
Before Xin Yi could respond, Mother Shen suddenly stood up, grasping Shen Dahai's arm anxiously and asking, "Is this true, Old Shen? Your comrade is really the best neurosurgeon in the country? So does that mean Shanshan is saved?"
"Yes, don't worry," Shen Dahai reassured his wife. "If he can't even treat such a minor intracranial hemorrhage, then what kind of top neurosurgeon is he? You can rest easy about this."
"Ah, thank goodness! My Shanshan is finally okay! Old Shen, you really are capable!" Mother Shen felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had never doubted anything Shen Dahai said, so since he claimed he could cure their daughter’s illness, she believed it wholeheartedly.
"Sigh," Shen Dahai sighed inwardly and said to Shen Liwei, "Dawei, go with your mom to handle the transfer paperwork. I need to talk to Xin Yi for a moment."
Mother Shen happily followed Shen Liwei to take care of the transfer procedures. Shen Dahai turned to look directly into Xin Yi's eyes and sighed again, saying, "Xin Yi, what I just said was to comfort your aunt."
"I know," Xin Yi replied. "I could see from Liwei's face that Shanshan's condition couldn't be that simple. What do you want to tell me?"
"Indeed," Shen Dahai continued. "I learned from the doctor that the best neurosurgeon in the country is someone I served with in the military. I did speak with him on the phone; however, the outcome is not optimistic. He communicated with the doctor about Shanshan's condition and believes that the location of her intracranial hemorrhage is not suitable for surgery because operating there could mean she might not come off the operating table..." At this point, even this seasoned major general who had faced many battles choked up. In peacetime, separations due to life and death were already rare in the military; let alone when it came to his own daughter.
"What if we don't perform surgery? What would happen then?" Xin Yi asked.
"If we don't operate, there could be two outcomes: either she remains in a coma... or if she wakes up... her brain function will be affected..." Shen Dahai answered.
Although Xin Yi had prepared himself for the worst possible outcome, hearing the authoritative expert's conclusion still brought a wave of sadness over him—not for himself but for Shanshan, such a kind-hearted and devoted girl. Even though he had decided to care for her for life, what the expert described undoubtedly sentenced Shanshan’s future to an indefinite imprisonment. Remaining in a coma would mean becoming a vegetable; having affected brain function could lead to dementia. While both outcomes still meant she was alive, they were far more cruel than losing life itself. However, if Shanshan were to die on the operating table, Xin Yi couldn't accept that result either—it would mean he had become a murderer who killed his beloved with his own hands. How should one choose in such circumstances?
Xin Yi remained silent for a moment before asking Shen Dahai, "How did you decide?"
"Let's transfer her first. After the transfer, the specialists will conduct a comprehensive examination, and then we can make a decision. What do you think?" Shen Dahai replied.
"I hope Shanshan can survive, no matter the circumstances. I have said it before, I will take care of her for the rest of my life," Xin Yi answered.
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