novelraw Chapter 65
Chapter 65
"Doctor! What's happening?!" Song Xici urgently asked.
"Please wait a moment, Miss Song." The doctor said before entering.
Song Xici involuntarily clenched her hands, her heart rate increasing rapidly. A strong sense of foreboding spread through her, causing her to pace back and forth at the door.
Outside a small villa in the Shao Yihua Estate in Rongcheng.
An elderly woman with graying hair, hunched over and holding the hands of two children with bloodied foreheads and sugar-coated hawthorns, stood on the road, glancing at her watch.
Just then, a young man on roller skates suddenly rushed towards them—but he passed right through their bodies, high-fiving a companion behind them.
The old woman then walked a few steps with the children, stopping at a bench.
She was responsible for guiding children who had passed away in this area to reincarnation, so she passed by here almost every day. For the past few days, she had noticed something.
On the balcony of the second floor of the small villa, a girl had been standing there continuously. She had long black hair and delicate features, wearing a shirt and jeans. However, her shirt was covered in blood, looking quite disheveled.
From midnight to midnight, this girl stood there, gazing outside longingly, clearly... not a living person from this world.
"Young lady, why do you keep standing here?" The old woman finally couldn't help but approach her.
"I can't get out on my own," Tang You'an looked at her, her face pale and frightening, stained with blood, a hint of despair in her pupils.
"Hasn't a guide come to take you away?" the old woman asked.
Tang You'an shook her head.
"How careless of them... Well, why don't you come with me? Although I'm not usually in charge of people your age... There's a barrier set by a human master in this villa, but I can break it," the old woman sighed. "I can also take you to the place of reincarnation."
With that, the old woman tremblingly took out a small round mirror from her bag, closed her eyes, and rubbed it with both hands. After a moment, a halo appeared on the mirror, and the old woman reopened her eyes, pointing the mirror at the villa's balcony.
Suddenly, the air on the seemingly normal balcony distorted, creating a tear.
Seeing this, Tang You'an looked around, then supported herself on the railing and jumped down.
"Come with me, child," the old woman put away the small mirror and looked at her, speaking softly.
However, after a moment of silence, Tang You'an shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't. Because I promised to stay with her for a lifetime."
"Her? Who are you talking about?" The old woman was taken aback.
Tang You'an looked up at her, hesitated to speak, then shook her head again.
"If you don't hurry to catch the cycle of reincarnation, it's not good! You'll vanish into thin air after a while, truly disappearing forever. Aren't you afraid?" the old woman continued to ask.
Tang You'an stood there, clenching her fist. "But I really can't leave."
"Ah," the old woman's eyes dimmed. "So stubborn, you... ah..."
However, Tang You'an just stared at the ground, no longer paying attention to what the old woman was saying.
"Are you sure you won't go?" The old woman looked at her. "Is worldly love more important or reincarnation?"
"I'm sorry," Tang You'an bit her lower lip, then knelt on one knee. "She's important."
At that moment, a car whizzed by, passing through Tang You'an's body and driving into the distance.
"Very well, do you know how to go?" the old woman asked.
Tang You'an looked at her, glanced around, then lowered her head.
The old woman stared at her for a long while, finally sighing and shaking her head. She took out her phone and made a call. After hanging up, she turned back to look at Tang You'an. "So it's you."
Hearing this, Tang You'an looked up at her.
"Your body is in Rongcheng First People's Hospital," the old woman's eyes looked slightly gray and cloudy.
"Go—!" With that, the old woman suddenly extended her left hand, her index finger twirling in the air. Instantly, the wind rose, and Tang You'an felt herself floating into the air...
When Tang You'an woke up, she rolled her eyes and slowly opened them, only to find that everything she saw was wrapped in a thick fog, barely able to make out vague outlines.
"Xi..." Suddenly remembering the last scene before she was stabbed, Tang You'an, wearing an oxygen mask, tried to sit up forcefully.
However, this movement caused a tearing pain in her body, making her furrow her brow and lie back down, covered in sweat.
At this moment, a flurry of footsteps sounded in the room. Tang You'an turned her head with difficulty and swallowed. "Who..."
"Miss Tang, I'm your attending doctor. Please relax." The doctor, hearing Tang You'an's voice, was obviously surprised but quickly regained his composure.
Then, the doctor walked to her side and began various examinations and recordings.
Tang You'an clenched her fist, feeling somewhat agitated.
At this point, the doctor finished his examination and had the nurse remove her oxygen mask. His brow furrowed deeper.
This... wasn't very scientific. The patient's condition shouldn't have been so critical before, but it was, which was unscientific. And now, when the patient should have been in terrible condition, she woke up, which was highly unscientific.
The nurse had just informed him that the patient's condition was rapidly deteriorating, with her heart stopping for five seconds at one point. But when he rushed over, he found that not only had Tang You'an woken up, but everything was recovering at an extremely fast pace—
"I want to see my wife, where is she..." Tang You'an's dry lips parted. Being unable to see made her even more anxious.
"She's just outside, don't worry, she's fine," the doctor reassured her.
"Then let me see her—" Tang You'an's forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.
"Miss Tang, please relax first. Calm your emotions, don't move and risk tearing your wounds. After I complete a thorough examination, I'll bring her to see you, okay?" the doctor quickly said.
Hearing this, Tang You'an finally let out a breath, closed her eyes, and nodded.
After a while, as she felt the doctor examining her eyes, Tang You'an spoke again: "Doctor... is my eyesight beyond saving?"
The doctor responded soothingly, "Not necessarily. There's still a chance for recovery. Don't think of the worst."
Tang You'an listened, turned her head, her unfocused eyes looking to the side, silent for a moment before closing them and nodding.
After the examination, the doctor left.
Outside, Song Xici immediately stood in front of the doctor, her hands nearly crushing each other, staring at him nervously.
"How is You'an, doctor?!" Song Xici's eyes were wide, wiping her nose with a tissue.
The doctor nodded: "Miss Song, your partner's vital signs are very stable, but her vision hasn't recovered. However, she can be moved to a regular ward now. She's also asking for you, insisting on seeing you to make sure you're alright. She won't cooperate otherwise."
"Yes, the first thing she did when she woke up was ask for you. She's something else. I told her she needed to behave to see you, and only then did she stop moving around," the nurse beside him added, her eyes curved in a smile.
In that instant, Song Xici, whose heart had been in her throat, finally relaxed. She clutched the diary to her chest, standing there with tears of joy.
"If you agree, please come and complete the paperwork," the doctor continued.
"Yes, yes, of course!" Song Xici nodded repeatedly.
After completing the formalities, Tang You'an was wheeled out by the nurses, ready to be moved to a regular ward. However, as she came out, though Tang You'an turned her head from side to side, her gaze didn't settle on Song Xici.
Seeing Tang You'an's reaction and recalling the doctor's words, Song Xici realized she still couldn't see, and her heart clenched.
"You'an..." The moment Tang You'an was wheeled out, Song Xici hurriedly stood beside the stretcher.
Upon hearing Song Xici's voice, although Tang You'an still couldn't see anything, she turned towards the direction of her voice.
"Xici..."
"Yes, yes, yes, it's me, I'm here. You lie still and listen to the doctor, okay?!" Song Xici's hair swayed from her neck as she walked alongside the nurses, carrying her bag.
Once in the hospital room, after the medical staff finished their care and left, Song Xici quickly sat down next to Tang You'an.
"You..." Song Xici stared at her, her mouth opening.
"Xici..." At this moment, Tang You'an reached out a hand, letting it hang in the air.
"I'm here, I'm here!" Song Xici hurriedly grasped her hand, then sat even closer to her.
"I want to sit up..." Tang You'an said.
"Wait a moment!" Song Xici said, quickly raising the bed, allowing Tang You'an to sit up, then holding her hand again.
Afterward, Tang You'an slowly let out a breath, licking her dry lips. "I..."
"Are you hungry? Or thirsty?" Song Xici quickly asked. "What do you want to eat? I'll go get it for you right now!"
"No," Tang You'an shook her head, her long lashes casting a shadow under her eyelids. Then she suddenly smiled faintly. "I'm just happy..."
"You, you almost scared me to death, you know? You..."
"So you really are alright. I'm happy..." Tang You'an squeezed Song Xici's hand, the corners of her lips still slightly upturned. "It's good that you're alright, it's good..."
Hearing this, Song Xici froze, staring at Tang You'an. Suddenly, her nose tingled, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. "The one who almost died was you, okay?"
"...Xici?" Tang You'an was stunned, turning her unfocused eyes towards Song Xici, then paused before slowly speaking.
"Mm, I'm here..." Song Xici gripped her hand tightly, nodding.
"Are you crying?" Hearing the thick nasal tone in Song Xici's voice, Tang You'an asked after a moment.
"No," Song Xici raised her hand to wipe her eyes, stubbornly shaking her head, but as soon as she spoke, she almost broke down.
"Then why does your voice sound..."
"I'm just..." Song Xici opened her mouth, this time with an unmistakable tremor in her voice, "scared..."
"I'm sorry for worrying you..." Tang You'an withdrew her hand, instead reaching out to touch her face, using her thumb to wipe away the tears. "But don't be afraid. Look, I pulled through... If you keep crying, you'll become ugly... Then when others see you, they'll say, 'See, the three great Asian sorceries of plastic surgery, makeup, and Photoshop are real. Look at that Song Xici, she's so ugly without makeup...'"
"Let them say whatever they want..." Song Xici pressed a tissue under her eyes.
"Then aren't you afraid I'll see you with puffy eyes?" Tang You'an asked again.
"But when will you be able to see me..." Song Xici's voice was thick with tears.
"Xici..." Tang You'an was taken aback.
"All in all, it's really great that you woke up!" At this moment, Song Xici, who had been crying non-stop, suddenly laughed, wiping the tears from her face haphazardly, then laying down on the bed next to Tang You'an, resting her head on her arm and slowly closing her eyes.
Probably because she had been extremely tired these past few days, Song Xici soon fell asleep there.
"Xici?" Tang You'an called out softly, receiving no response.
So, Tang You'an prepared to pull out her hand to stroke her hair. However, at this moment, Song Xici in her sleep, probably thinking Tang You'an was about to leave, grabbed her hand. "Don't..."
Hearing this, Tang You'an's lips curved into a smile, and she nodded. "Mm."
Another week passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Tang You'an underwent eye surgery and continued to stay in the hospital. When her wounds had healed well, after completing the discharge procedures, Song Xici took Tang You'an home secretly. She then turned down all work that came her way, focusing on taking care of Tang You'an at home.
After this incident, it could be said that the media and netizens were nearly driven crazy with worry, especially since neither Tang You'an nor Song Xici had posted on Weibo. Everyone was making all sorts of wild guesses.
Even in the past two days, some people had been saying that Tang You'an must have died, but the higher-ups were being held hostage by someone seeking revenge, so the news hadn't leaked. Originally, Song Xici hadn't been focused on the internet, but when she learned of this, she was stunned.
So, Song Xici opened her phone camera, sat next to Tang You'an, and took various posed photos together, then posted: "Thank you everyone for your concern. We're both doing fine right now."
As soon as the Weibo post went out, it was flooded with comments.
"Is this really posted by you?!"
"An'an, Xici, don't be afraid!"
"Are you really okay? I'm just a passerby, but I'm still so worried about you..."
"Oh my god, finally a post! I'm shocked and happy, but what if you're being coerced? Wah QVQ"
……
In that instant, Song Xici, looking at everyone's comments and seeing so many people genuinely worried about them, suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Fortunately, Shao Yihua, Qi Sheng, and Gu Boning had all been arrested, and a drug trafficking ring had been exposed in the process. It seemed to have drawn a conclusion to the matter.
In the following days, to prevent Tang You'an's condition from worsening, Song Xici carefully checked her wound healing progress daily.
Additionally, Song Xici had obtained nutritional meal plans specifically designed for people in Tang You'an's condition from a nutritionist, preparing different dishes for her every day. Of course, she cooked everything herself. Previously, she hadn't minded occasional takeout, thinking it harmless, but now with Tang You'an injured, the mere thought of outside food made her think of bacteria.
Fortunately, Tang You'an was also resilient. Over the course of half a month, her wounds healed remarkably well. From being in pain with every movement and out of breath after a few steps, to her current state, it hadn't taken long.
Since the doctor had advised against staying in bed at home all the time even when injured, and recommended occasional walks, Song Xici would often take Tang You'an for short walks nearby.
Today was no exception. As they were leaving, Song Xici glanced at a small ornament nearby and realized she now looked just like any ordinary housewife.
Originally, Song Xici could have let someone else take care of Tang You'an, but she didn't trust others, so she did it herself. Song Xici suddenly understood why some mothers, even if they could afford it, would exhaust themselves rather than hire a nanny.
"Here, your milk," After going out, Song Xici inserted a straw into a carton of milk and handed it to Tang You'an.
But just as Tang You'an took a sip, Song Xici's phone rang. So, Song Xici answered the call.
As they walked, people passed by, and Tang You'an heard a woman talking on the phone. She seemed to be troubled about whether to divorce. Her husband had gone bankrupt and broken his leg, and she had been taking care of him for years, putting on a brave face every day. Now she felt tired and wanted to leave, but felt guilty about it.
Listening to this, Tang You'an, holding the milk carton, suddenly became lost in thought.
"Ah, it's so nice..." At this moment, Song Xici hung up the phone and sighed.
"Hm?" Tang You'an tilted her head slightly.
"The weather is so nice today, all the flowers in this area have bloomed. It's so nice to take a walk with you like this," Song Xici linked arms with Tang You'an, resting her head on her arm. "I want to walk with you like this for a lifetime."
Tang You'an listened, pressing her lips together.
"As long as you don't mind that I might be blind for life," After a moment, Tang You'an turned her head slightly, though her gaze still didn't meet Song Xici's. "Then, I will definitely stay by your side for a lifetime."
"What are you saying?" Song Xici's expression suddenly became serious.
"I'm... just being honest..." Tang You'an let out a breath. "After all, it's possible that I'll never see again... If that happens, it would bring a lot of inconvenience to both our lives. I'm just... afraid of burdening you..."
"Tang You'an." Song Xici stared at her, her eyes filling with tears again.
"I don't know what I'm saying. It's just, if I become a burden and cause you trouble, please don't keep it to yourself... Tell me, and I'll leave..." Tang You'an continued.
"Tang You'an, what on earth are you thinking all day?!" As she spoke, tears rolled down Song Xici's cheeks. "Do you have so little confidence in yourself? Or do you just not trust me that much?"
"I don't..." Tang You'an was stunned, quickly shaking her head. "I just..."
Hearing this, Tang You'an paused, her mouth opening, slightly choked up.
"If you say something like that again, I won't talk to you anymore!" As Song Xici spoke, she let go of her hand and walked to the side.
Suddenly let go, Tang You'an stood there, like a child who had lost her mother's protection, at a loss. She turned to the side, rotating: "Xi, Xici... I was wrong..."
Song Xici had originally just wanted to scare her a little, but she didn't expect to actually frighten Tang You'an. So, Song Xici let out a breath and walked back, taking Tang You'an's arm.
"Listen here, Tang You'an, I'm telling you this once and for all. First, if they can't cure you here, I'll take you to another hospital. With technology so advanced nowadays, I refuse to believe we can't cure you! Second, even if you can't be cured, don't think about running away. You're mine for life now.
"I'm an extremely possessive psycho, so be prepared to be mine whether you go deaf, blind, or even if your face is disfigured! Even if you turn into a pile of ashes, you can only be stored in Song Xici's personally customized box!" Song Xici moved closer to Tang You'an, took the milk from her hand, took a sip, then gave it back to her. "You're making me so angry, actually thinking about running away."
Tang You'an stood there holding the milk, stunned for a second, then the corners of her lips slowly curved upward.
"I understand," Tang You'an held her hand tightly. "I won't say such things again. Please don't ignore me..."
"Anyway, if you bring up this topic again," Song Xici took her hand, opening her palm, "I'll have to slap your hand!"
Tang You'an continued to smile gently: "Okay."
After taking a walk outside, Song Xici helped Tang You'an sit on the sofa at home, then checked the time before taking out a bag of snow peas from the refrigerator and starting to shell them.
Tang You'an couldn't see anything, she could only hear, but she still fumbled around to help Song Xici remove the strings from the snow peas. In between, as usual, Song Xici would occasionally share some interesting news from the internet with Tang You'an.
A world without visuals seemed a bit monotonous, not quite complete, but it also felt... somewhat peaceful. Small details that usually went unnoticed now became little moments of beauty.
This included the sound of Song Xici turning the faucet on and off, her footsteps as she moved around the house. It turned out that when Song Xici was learning to do something, she would occasionally talk to herself, saying things like "Is it like this... Yes, it's like this. Oh, where did it go... Ah, there it is! Perfect~"
Listening to Song Xici's terribly off-key, comedic rendition of "Big Head Son and Small Head Dad" floating from the kitchen, Tang You'an closed her eyes, turned her face towards the balcony, and smiled softly in the sunlight.
Twenty minutes later, Song Xici set the table and came to fetch Tang You'an.
As they were eating, Tang You'an felt the outlines of the food in front of her become slightly clearer, so she turned her head to look towards Song Xici.
But her vision blurred again. So, Tang You'an let out a soft sigh, saying nothing.
"Here, have a piece of beef. It's good to get more protein, it's good for your eyes," Song Xici said, using her chopsticks to feed a piece of beef to Tang You'an's lips.
"Mm." Tang You'an nodded, taking the beef into her mouth. The beef was stewed, and although it was relatively light, it was incredibly flavorful. There was a bit of tendon attached to the meat, giving it a nice texture.
During this time, Song Xici's culinary skills had improved dramatically. Tang You'an almost thought she had been replaced by someone else.
At this moment, Song Xici's phone rang. After answering the call, she quickly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and ran out.
Hearing Song Xici's quick footsteps, Tang You'an smiled softly again. However, in that instant, the world in front of Tang You'an's eyes suddenly became brighter. She could even see the lace pattern on the tablecloth.
Touching the tablecloth, Tang You'an furrowed her brow, then lifted her gaze from the table, looking around. Afterward, she walked to the refrigerator.
The refrigerator door was covered with various small labels.
Lifting one of the labels, she saw it read: "Tomorrow's lunch menu item 1! Carrot and corn stewed with pork ribs—Rich in vitamins A and C, promotes wound healing."
As she looked at these, the corners of Tang You'an's lips involuntarily curved upwards. However, her eyes were currently very sensitive to light, so she couldn't look for too long and let go of the note.
Then, Tang You'an returned to the table, picked up the remaining bowl of soup, and drank it all in one go.
"Thud—" At that moment, there was a sound from the front door, followed by a series of footsteps.
"Oh, a food delivery arrived..." Song Xici said as she walked in carrying a box.
Song Xici, who hadn't taken much care of her appearance for many days, was wearing a loose, simple home outfit today. Her hair wasn't styled either, just tied back with a hair tie, though it was a bit loose, so some strands had fallen down, floating around her cheeks.
After examining the box, Song Xici took a knife to open it, then took out a bag of walnuts. She looked at them, tore open the bag, took one out and squeezed it, then put it to her mouth and cracked it open with a snap.
"Ptui ptui ptui... This is really hard to deal with..." Song Xici rolled her eyes and spat out a mouthful of shell fragments inelegantly. She put the bag on the cardboard box and pushed it aside, then rummaged through the handful of walnut pieces in her palm to find a kernel and popped it into her mouth, pouting, "Why are they all broken..."
However, at that moment, a hand reached out to her cheek, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
In that moment, Song Xici stared blankly at the table, then quickly turned her head to look at Tang You'an sitting beside her, her mouth open, unable to speak.
"You... you can see now?!" After a moment, Song Xici grabbed Tang You'an's hand, nervously examining her face.
"Mm." Tang You'an smiled slightly and nodded.
Seeing this, a sheen of tears appeared in Song Xici's eyes.
"Really? How many fingers am I holding up?!" Song Xici still couldn't believe it, and held up her left hand showing a number.
"Two." Tang You'an looked at her slender fingers, her expression as gentle as ever.
"Then, how about this?!" Song Xici quickly held up her left hand again.
"Still two." Tang You'an's lips curved up slightly.
"Wuu..." Song Xici stared at her, then quickly brought both hands back to cover her mouth, her eyes bright and shining.
"Silly..." Tang You'an stood up, raised her hand to Song Xici's head, gently stroking it, then pulled her into an embrace.
With her face buried in Tang You'an's neck, Song Xici's hands came around from behind, tightly gripping Tang You'an's shoulders. Even though she was gritting her teeth, she finally couldn't hold back, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Song Xici hugged Tang You'an even tighter, then opened her mouth, letting out a trembling breath. She didn't know what she was thinking, she only knew that she really wanted to hold onto Tang You'an tightly and never let go.
"Xici?" Tang You'an turned her head, softly calling her name.
"Mm..." Song Xici sniffled, still buried in her shoulder as she nodded, secretly wiping away her tears.
"See, I'm getting better and better..." Tang You'an said with a smile.
"Good..." Song Xici uttered a hoarse syllable, then coughed. "Actually, I don't mind the trouble. If you couldn't see, I could be your eyes. I would take care of you for a lifetime. But I was so afraid that if you could never see again, you'd slowly forget what I look like, forget..."
Hearing Song Xici's choked voice, Tang You'an let out a breath, gripped her shoulders, and gently pushed her away from her embrace a little, examining her carefully. "Hey... who made our Xici cry so hard? I'll go beat them up..."
Tang You'an raised her hand, pretending she was about to slap herself.
"Don't be silly! Stop..." Song Xici looked at her with tear-filled eyes, grabbing her arm.
Tang You'an looked at her and nodded, then smiled. "Mm... You should believe that I won't forget you."
Tang You'an's eyes were full of tenderness. Many people say promises are powerless things, but looking at her, Song Xici couldn't help but nod.
Afterward, Song Xici coughed a few times, nodded, quickly wiped away her tears, and finally looked up at her. "By the way, when did you start being able to see?!"
"When you just came in," Tang You'an answered.
"Then, does that mean you saw me messily eating walnuts just now..." Song Xici's eyes darted around.
Oh no, thinking Tang You'an couldn't see, she hadn't bothered to maintain her image at all...
Tang You'an didn't speak, just lowered her head and smiled.
"I don't care, you must forget that scene!" Song Xici immediately said.
"I don't want to," Tang You'an shook her head.
"You..." Song Xici pretended to be very angry. "If you don't listen, you'll get punished!"
Tang You'an looked at her, using her fingertip to wipe away a bit of walnut skin from the corner of Song Xici's mouth, then slowly moved her finger down to grasp her delicate chin.
"What are you doing..." Song Xici looked up and met her gaze for a brief moment, her cheeks flushing.
"I don't want to forget anything about you," Tang You'an said, her gaze gradually shifting from Song Xici's face to her pink lips. Then she tilted her head slightly and kissed her soft, warm lips.
Author's note: I've been feeling particularly down these past few days, and with the New Year being busy, that's why the update was delayed. Please forgive me...