“Yes.”
Xie Qian had already lost all desire to communicate with the doctor.
He silently swore that once he sent today’s message to let Hamster know he was safe, he would never utter another word to this doctor.
Medical school is notoriously difficult to get into. Anyone working in a hospital of this calibre, even a random passing resident, had been an academic star at university.
Xie Qian’s doctor still had no idea he had been labelled “too stupid”. If he ever found out… well, there would be nothing he could do about it. The patient lying in that bed had scored 745 in the gaokao, a mark that would have gained him entry to any medical school in the country. The doctor could hardly argue with Xie Qian’s judgement of intelligence.
Oblivious to all this, the doctor nonetheless refused Xie Qian’s request.
“Mobile phones are not allowed in the ward.”
Xie Qian fell silent.
“Your most important task right now is to recover. Once you’re better, everything will be fine.”
Xie Qian remained silent.
“If you really need to contact someone, you can ask a family member to send the message for you.”
Xie Qian closed his eyes.
A principled academic god never compromises lightly, unless there truly is no other choice.
In the end, Xie Qian opted for the message-relaying service.
His phone had been destroyed at the scene of the accident. Everyone had been focused on saving his life; nobody thought about retrieving the phone. Even the custom-made gift had only been collected from the traffic police later, after Jiang Youjia signed for it.
Jiang Youjia had retrieved the gift, but the phone was almost certainly wrecked in the crash. It had not been seen since.
Those first chaotic days, Jiang Youjia had more pressing things to worry about. Only after Xie Qian woke did he remember to get a replacement SIM card.
When he learned Xie Qian wanted to contact Wen Ying, Jiang Youjia asked cautiously, “Do you want her to visit the hospital?”
“No.”
Jiang Youjia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Good. If she came and saw Xie Qian lying in that bed, Wen Ying would probably cry herself to death.
One lie requires ever more lies to sustain it.
Under those circumstances, Xie Qian did not regret lying to Wen Ying.
He had genuinely believed he was going to die.
What then?
He had promised Hamster he would live to a hundred, yet here he was, about to break that promise at eighteen.
He was eighteen. Hamster was eighteen.
If he died, Hamster still had decades of life ahead of her.
She would cry terribly.
She would investigate the cause of his death.
She would devote everything to avenging him.
The Wen family was just an ordinary family. Clever and talented as Hamster was, compared to truly ruthless people her world had been far too sheltered… In that desperate moment Xie Qian had no time for better arrangements. All he could leave Wen Ying was a clumsy lie.
If everyone repeated the same lie, even if Wen Ying doubted it she would at least hesitate.
The first month, she would suffer terribly.
The second month, she might curse him.
The third month, her feelings would gradually settle, sorrow sinking deep into her heart.
The fourth month… one year, two years, three years.
They had known each other three years. The memories they had made together, after another three years, would probably be overwritten by new ones.
Xie Qian could not bear the thought of being forgotten by Wen Ying.
But if “remembering” meant pain, he hoped Hamster would meet someone new.
He did not regret the lie. He simply had not expected Wen Ying would refuse to wait and see. She seemed to half-believe his sudden “going abroad” story while simultaneously contacting his uncle Xie Yuping and sharing information at once.
While he was unconscious, Xie Qian kept hearing someone talking in his ear about “responsibility”.
Only on the third day after waking did Jiang Youjia tell him that, during his coma, Zhuo Yue had been proven not to be his father’s biological daughter, and his mother had successfully divorced his father!
What about the responsibility he had been left with?!
Jiang Youjia said Wen Ying had also negotiated extremely tough additional clauses, so that when Xie Jinghu signed the divorce agreement, the woman surnamed Zhuo had looked as though both her parents had died.
Unfortunately Jiang Youjia had not been present to witness that expression firsthand. He had only heard about it later from Zhong Yong.
Zhong Yong was excellent in every way except one: his gossip was never vivid enough. When Jiang Youjia retold the story to Xie Qian, he added considerable artistic embellishment and creative flourish.
Of course Xie Qian knew Jiang Youjia was deliberately trying to cheer him up.
Jiang Youjia also said Peng Guoqing had rushed to Shanghai, loudly demanding to fulfil his shareholder duties.
More importantly, Jiang Youjia had tried to give the custom gift to Wen Ying, but she had refused it.
“You have to get better quickly, you hear? You need to hand the gift to her personally. You can’t keep the girl waiting too long!”
At this moment Jiang Youjia had completely forgotten his earlier doubts about Wen Ying, forgotten his suspicions about her character. His words and actions no longer resembled Xie Qian’s cousin-in-law, but Wen Ying’s, terrified Xie Qian might let her down.
The doctor was too stupid.
Jiang Youjia was too noisy, chattering endlessly.
Only when Jiang Youjia finally stepped out for a break did Xie Qian have the chance to make his request. “…Help me send a message.”
Jiang Youjia held his breath and listened.
Speaking was still exhausting. The doctors would not discuss his condition directly with him, but Xie Qian could guess he was in bad shape.
Surviving such a severe accident was already a miracle. Full recovery would take a very, very long time.
“Send it exactly like this: I’ve come across a very good project abroad. It will take time to investigate, so I may delay enrolment, but I will definitely attend according to my original choices.”
Was he really going to say that?
Jiang Youjia wanted to point out that Wen Ying was not stupid.
Then he thought better of it. No one understood Wen Ying better than Xie Qian. If this was what Xie Qian wanted, then so be it.
The doctors did not want Xie Qian expending too much mental energy. Jiang Youjia had already used up today’s talking quota.
Out in the hospital corridor, surrounded by the smell of disinfectant, Jiang Youjia carefully typed the message.
When he finished, he read it back to Xie Qian once more despite the doctor’s warning glare. Only after receiving Xie Qian’s nod did he press send.
…
Wen Ying felt her phone vibrate twice.
She was queuing at security and could not check immediately.
Her father had paid out of his own pocket for the overseas trip. Besides the Wen family, the Wu Chunqin family of three was coming too.
Wen Ying had been worried about Xie Qian, so her enthusiasm for the journey had plummeted. She had considered backing out at the last minute, but did not want to disappoint the other five, so she stuck to the original plan.
Wu Chunqin noticed Wen Ying seemed subdued and quietly asked Chen Ru what was wrong.
Chen Ru hesitated. “…She might be heartbroken.”
Wu Chunqin was full of question marks. “When did she even start dating? And now she’s already heartbroken?”
Excellent question.
For the entire three years of senior high, Chen Ru had worried Wen Ying might fall in love early and kept a close eye on her.
After the gaokao, Chen Ru adopted a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy regarding romance, neither encouraging nor opposing.
Wen Ying’s “heartbreak” had arrived so suddenly that Chen Ru had no idea when the relationship had even begun!
Wu Chunqin comforted Chen Ru instead. “Come on, it’s just young people having a tiff. They’ll probably make up in a few days. Pretend you know nothing!”
Chen Ru was indeed trying to pretend she knew nothing.
Wen Dongrong, that hopeless man, genuinely knew nothing at all.
Dragging his suitcase through the airport, Wen Dongrong was in high spirits.
When Wen Dongrong wasn’t showing off, he was actually an impressive man in every respect, someone you could proudly introduce. Beaming, he chatted happily with Professor Shen. Hearing that Wen Dongrong would soon be working in Jinling, Professor Shen praised his boldness.
Professor Shen had no interest in power struggles and was unsuited to administrative roles, but his knowledge was vast.
He could discuss literature with Wen Dongrong one minute and Jinling’s current economic situation the next. Wen Dongrong could not have been happier.
Shen Huan trailed behind Wu Chunqin. Overhearing the conversation between his mother and Chen Ru, he asked Wen Ying quietly after clearing security.
“I heard you’re heartbroken? Was your boyfriend handsome? Was it that guy with green hair who came to our house before?”
Even at his young age, Shen Huan already possessed the ability to infuriate without consequence.
The one with green hair was Peng Guoqing.
Wen Ying did not look down on Peng Guoqing, but make him her boyfriend?
A “Crouching Dragon” like Peng Guoqing was beyond her ability to tame. She was no Phoenix Chick.
“Shen Huan, got nothing better to do…?”
Wen Ying drew out the last syllable. “I’ll have to ask Auntie Wu whether she forgot to pack your exercise books before we left.”
Shen Huan’s face changed dramatically. He was instantly ready to abandon all childish dignity and beg for mercy.
While he wavered, Wen Ying pulled out her phone.
Shen Huan could not describe the expression on her face.
She froze for a moment, then radiant light slowly burst across her features.
She was overjoyed.
She wanted to cry aloud.
She wanted to jump and dance.
Yet in the end she restrained the surging emotion. Her fingers flew across the keyboard: Got it. Take your time with the project. I’ll wait for you to come back. By the way, I’m going abroad with my family. If you need me, you can send an email!
Looking at her now, no one would ever think she was heartbroken. In dramas, heartbroken heroines sobbed until they looked half-dead.
Wen Ying’s good mood spread through the entire airport. Even random strangers suddenly seemed pleasant. Naturally she was indulgent with Shen Huan.
“Fine, fine. It’s a rare trip. If you didn’t bring any books, just enjoy yourself~”
She patted Shen Huan’s head and, ignoring his reaction, bounced over to join her father and Professor Shen’s conversation.
Shen Huan: ???
Not only Shen Huan was baffled. Chen Ru was too. Only Wu Chunqin struggled to hide a laugh. “See? I told you. Young couples argue. It’s no big deal. After the fight they’ll be closer than ever!
Was that how it worked?
Chen Ru hoped so.
No mother wants her daughter to be unhappy.
Besides, this was the family’s first overseas holiday together. Once Chen Ru relaxed, she grew excited for the trip ahead.
…
At the airport, Wen Ying received the message from Xie Qian’s number.
That simple “I’m safe” message meant the world to her.
She no longer had to guess. She knew, without doubt, that Xie Qian was alive.
How wonderful.
There could be no better news.
To Wen Ying, that single text was the very best gift of all.
In stark contrast to Wen Ying’s joy, the Zhang household in Beijing was sleepless.
Everyone was kept awake by the sudden appearance of Zhang Zhijun’s illegitimate daughter.
Zhang Nan vomited until she was a wreck, still declaring between retches that she would jump off the tallest building in the city. The Zhang family could not possibly let their little princess, cherished for over ten years, suffer.
One side was the treasure they had held in their palms for more than a decade. The other was an illegitimate daughter they had never even met.
Without hesitation, the entire Zhang family chose Zhang Nan.
