novelraw Chapter 545 - 247. [Summer of Dew] Wanxia smiled charmingly with eyes like silk,
Chapter 545 - 247. [Summer of Dew] Wanxia smiled charmingly with eyes like silk,
The most beautiful season in An City is summer.The plane trees lining the roads stand in neat rows, lush and vibrant. A gentle breeze passes by, making the layers of leaves rustle against each other.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting speckles of light on the ground.
It’s no different from the summers of past years.
Ji Wanxia stands in this city she left four years ago and suddenly feels a bit of unfamiliarity. An City has indeed changed a lot over these four years.
On the giant advertising screen across the square, a promotional video for the new album of the popular star, Shen Weiyi, is playing. Every frame captures the goddess from her most beautiful angle.
At the end of the advertisement, Shen the Superstar finally faces the camera, her exquisite and beautiful features displaying a flawless smile, making everyone viewing the advertisement feel as though the goddess is gazing directly into their eyes.
The men and women waiting at the bus stop are showering the screen with praises.
Ji Wanxia patiently watches until the end, raises her hand to put on her sunglasses, and a barely perceptible smile curls at her lips. "Miss Shen, I hope you’re doing well."
Her voice is very low, and as a breeze blows past, it vanishes without a trace.
...
Ji Wanxia has been standing at the entrance of the hospital for over twenty minutes. The summer evening is the hottest time of day, and beads of sweat form on her forehead, yet her face is somewhat pale.
Four years.
A friend she had known for twenty years has been asleep in this hospital for four years.
It was only when the hospital security noticed something was off about her and approached to inquire that she finally moved her stiff legs and walked through the door of the inpatient department.
Standing too long in the sun left her throat dry, her voice slightly hoarse, "Hello, could you tell me which room Xu Qiubai is in?"
The woman asking wore sunglasses, her slightly curly long hair draped over her shoulders; two-thirds of her small face was covered, making it difficult for the nurse to discern her appearance.
"And you are the patient’s...?"
Ji Wanxia’s fingers tightened unconsciously on the strap of her purse, and she answered lightly, "A friend, we are friends."
The nurse surveyed her from top to bottom. With such demeanor and attire, she seemed like a daughter of a wealthy family, not someone with ill intentions.
"Xu Qiubai, right? Please wait a moment while I check," the nurse typed the name into the computer, "Room 1807, on the eighteenth floor."
Ji Wanxia politely nodded in thanks, "Thank you."
It was during the peak time for hospital staff shift changes, and the elevator was crowded, stopping at nearly every floor. It took Ji Wanxia a full three minutes to go from the first to the eighteenth floor.
1801, 1803, 1805...
Just less than two meters from room 1807, her steps felt as heavy as if they weighed a thousand pounds, making it impossible to move forward.
Her fingers hanging at her side clenched tightly.
Ji Wanxia, what are you afraid of?
If you don’t see with your own eyes the way Qiu Bai looks lying in bed, with what will you support yourself to return to Shen Weiyi the retribution she deserves?
Half a minute later, Wanxia removed her sunglasses and moved forward.
The sun hadn’t completely set yet, and the orange-yellow light made the entire ward look less blindingly white; she could see everything inside clearly through the glass on the door.
Xu Qiubai lay quietly in the hospital bed with his eyes closed, as if he were simply asleep.
A peer of Wanxia’s, both his parents were ordinary teachers in An City, yet he spent the years in life meant for striving on a hospital bed.
Looking at Xu Qiubai on the bed, all of the confusion Wanxia had felt since approaching the hospital disappeared. In this moment, she knew clearly what she had to do.
Never had it been clearer than now.
"Is it... Ji, girl?"
A tentative voice came from behind, uncertain but carrying a hint of expectation and joy.
Wanxia’s body stiffened, mechanically turning around to see Mr. Xu with a thermos food container in the corridor. His originally black short hair was now more than half white, and the wrinkles on his face were much deeper than before.
She managed a difficult smile and replied softly, "Uncle Xu, it’s me."
You see, Shen the Superstar continues to live a glamorous life, while those who bear the pain are the most innocent people.
Mr. Xu was filled with emotion, stepping closer. His hand, covered in wrinkles, trembled as it patted Wanxia’s arm. "Wanwan, where have you been all these years? Why didn’t you keep in touch with uncle?"
Wanxia pressed her lips together, "I’m sorry, uncle, I... I’ve been in Qingtang this whole time."
Qingtang was the home of Xia Qian’s grandparents.