"Brother, will you sleep with me? It's so cold." After saying this, Le Xi shivered in perfect unison. Qi Hui had no choice but to take off his coat and lean against the headboard, pulling Le Xi into his arms. Feeling warm, Le Xi sighed contentedly and closed her eyes peacefully.
Where is complete happiness?
The sleeping person is blissfully immersed in sweet dreams, but the awake person is suffering terribly. Half of their body is numb, yet they dare not move an inch, lest they disturb their peaceful slumber. They can only try to distract themselves with small movements.
Gently stroking his soft hair, which had grown quite long, his bangs almost completely obscuring his eyes. His eyelashes were long and naturally curled, casting shadows beneath his eyes. Perhaps due to recent academic pressure and lack of sleep, his eyes were slightly puffy, and there were dark circles under them. Brushing his hair aside, his small earlobes were faintly visible through the black hair; they felt cool to the touch. His lips were slightly parted, perfectly shaped, and the way he leaned against me was undeniably inviting.
Qi Hui sighed, catching his slightly erratic breathing, and shifted his gaze back to work: What problems needed to be addressed at headquarters in City C? What were the results of the annual management review? ... Sure enough, the workaholic Qi Hui soon returned to normal. He turned slightly, intending to retrieve the PDA from his coat to study the documents, but the person in his arms stirred, opening their eyes and looking at him. Qi Hui smiled: "Did I wake you?"
"Brother, it hurts..." Lexi whispered.
Where? Where does it hurt?
“Here…” Le Xi pointed to her chest, hummed softly, and frowned.
"What's wrong?" Qi Hui helped him sit up and gently rubbed the spot he had described.
"I don't know... I feel so bad..." Le Xi said weakly, leaning on Qi Hui's shoulder.
"How about we go see a doctor?"
“Okay…” Le Xi nodded, letting Qi Hui put his clothes on for him. His obedient appearance made Qi Hui even more worried—Le Xi’s aversion to hospitals had reached an incomprehensible level, and persuading him to go to the hospital was a very difficult thing.
"Come on. Let's go to the hospital now. Can you walk?" Qi Hui helped him stand up and carefully checked his complexion. His delicate little face looked grumpy, covered in fine beads of sweat, and his breathing was shallow and rapid; his condition was not good.
"Hmm..." Le Xi responded softly, and stood up with Qi Hui's help, but she swayed twice as soon as she stood up, and after taking a few steps, she slid down Qi Hui's body.
"Baby!" Qi Hui was terrified and quickly scooped him up. At first, Le Xi's eyes were fixed on Qi Hui, softly calling "Brother," but gradually she stopped responding to Qi Hui's calls, and her gaze became unfocused, seemingly looking at Qi Hui, yet also as if staring at the wall behind him.
It was a week later when Shi Lu saw Le Xi at the hospital. Le Xi had gotten into a fight with his classmates, and the day after the academic affairs office posted a notice announcing that the entire class would have to retake the exams and what would happen to the students who got into the fight, Shi Lu's mother was very worried about Le Xi. She couldn't think of a good way to comfort him, so she could only use the old method—making him delicious food to cheer him up.
Tragedy struck on her way home from selling vegetables. The roads were slippery due to snow, and a truck from out of town, unfamiliar with the area, made an illegal U-turn. Ms. Shi, unable to avoid it, was struck and knocked down. She was taken to the hospital in a deep coma. She survived after resuscitation efforts, but doctors said she might not wake up.
In just one week, Shi Lu seemed to age prematurely, suddenly becoming silent, spending day and night by his mother's bedside, tightly holding her hand and refusing to let go. In front of those who came to offer their condolences, the usually humorous and playful Shi Lu unexpectedly burst into tears. His mother now lay quietly in the hospital bed, her body covered in tubes, her life sustained entirely by medication and various machines. The once cheerful, humorous, and optimistic person had become pale and lifeless.
Having taken leave from school, Shi Lu stayed by her mother's side for several days, becoming utterly exhausted. After a quick meal in the hospital cafeteria, she ran into Zi Jie and Chen Song in the hospital corridor. From afar, she heard Zi Jie's exaggerated exclamation: "Isn't this Teacher Shi? What are you doing here? No wonder we haven't seen each other in so long, so you've been sick too?"
Shi Lu wasn't in the mood to argue with him. He simply said that his mother was in the hospital, and without saying anything more, he turned and left with a gloomy expression. Zi Jie called out to him, "Teacher Shi, I'm sorry. I didn't know Auntie was also sick. I just wanted to tell you that Le Xi is also sick, in this hospital. You can come and see him when you have time."
"Okay." Shi Lu forced a smile, then turned and left without saying another word.
I fetched water, washed my mother's face, and massaged her limbs. Finally, I sat down to rest, and when I looked at the time, it was already past seven in the evening. I sat by the window for a while, lost in thought, before remembering what happened with Zijie at noon. I tried hard to recall the ward number Zijie had mentioned, sighed inwardly, and pulled myself together to walk out of the room towards Lexi's ward.
The wards weren't too far apart, but the conditions were much better than his mother's. It was a private room with a small meeting room outside. When Shi Lu entered, Chen Song was sprawled on the sofa, dozing, his mouth slightly open, a suspicious, glistening liquid clinging to the corner of his mouth. The coffee table was piled high with documents, cell phones, laptops, cigarette cases, and coffee cups scattered haphazardly. Hearing the door open, Chen Song yawned and sat up. Seeing Shi Lu standing in the doorway, he nodded to him, then lay back down, mumbling, "Xiao Yao's inside, probably asleep already."
Shi Lu smiled, gently pushed open the door to the ward, and went inside.
Lexi was asleep, his head tilted to the side, facing inwards. An oxygen tube was inserted into his nose, and an IV drip was in his hand. Shi Lu walked over and sat down on the chair in front of the bed, quietly watching his sleeping face.
Perhaps because the heating was on, Lexi's complexion looked quite good, rosy, though her lips were a little pale. I didn't really know why he was hospitalized; I hadn't seen him since our breakup, and because of my mother's situation, I hadn't had the heart to care about him. But looking at the bluish-purple needle marks on the back of his hand and the oxygen tube in his nose, I figured it must be quite serious. Suddenly, I felt that fate was rather ironic, always playing these ridiculous jokes, preventing those around me from experiencing complete happiness. I inexplicably recalled a poem someone had written, which contained this line: "I only want to kneel down and raise my hands to ask the heavens, 'Do you dare answer: In the next life, you be human, and I will be heaven!'"
I feel like crying.
At first, I thought he was spoiled, but after getting to know him better, I realized I had misjudged him. The more I got to know him, the more I felt sorry for him. And he himself didn't know when he had become so deeply attracted to me.
Shi Lu shook his head, took Le Xi's hand that was outside the blanket. His fingers were a little cold, so he carefully avoided the needle in the back of his hand and put his hand under the blanket. In the end, he still accidentally touched the IV tube. The sleeping person seemed to be in a little pain, frowned slightly and whimpered, and then fell back asleep peacefully.
Shi Lu suddenly felt a lump in her throat, thinking of her mother lying motionless on the hospital bed, seemingly dead. Wasn't being alive the most beautiful thing in the world? But could one truly feel happiness living without any awareness? Yet, she thought, as long as her mother was alive, it was a sign of God's love for her. At least there was still hope in her heart, hoping that one day her mother would wake up and smile at her. That alone was enough.
It turns out that just watching him sleep peacefully in front of you can feel like the greatest happiness in the world.
Meeting again
Shi Lu sat by Le Xi's bedside and fell asleep without realizing it. He only woke up later when the nurse came in to change the IV bag. Looking at the time, he realized he had slept for an hour right there by the bed. When he opened his eyes, he saw Le Xi smiling at him. Shi Lu sat up and forced a smile at him, noticing that he was wearing a trench coat.
"Even though the room is heated, it's still easy to catch a cold if you sleep like this," Le Xi said in a low voice, sounding somewhat unsure of herself.
"Thank you." Shi Lu smiled again, suddenly realizing that smiling had become quite difficult for her lately. "How are you feeling? I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to see you."
"It's alright, nothing serious." Lexi glanced at the large IV drip bottle the nurse had hung up and made a face. "It's just that I've been on IV drips all day long, and I keep needing to go to the bathroom. I haven't even been able to drink water..."
Shi Lu couldn't help but chuckle, staring blankly at Le Xi's hand resting on the edge of the bed. Lately, perhaps truly affected by his mother's situation, he found himself not only in a terrible mood but also somewhat reluctant to speak.
"I heard from Zijie that Auntie is also in this hospital. Did something happen?" Lexi asked after a while.
"Yes, a car accident."
Is it serious?
"The person has been saved, but may not wake up," Shi Lu said calmly.
Lexi paused, offered a few words of comfort, but found them weak and ineffective, and the two fell into an awkward silence again. After a while, Lexi asked, "Has the date for the re-examination of the final exams been set?"
"Yes, it's settled, the 25th. I heard it from a colleague."
"The 25th? That's only a few days away."
"Yes. Are you able to take the exam? How about we arrange a deferred exam?"
"No, I'm almost fully recovered. I might even be discharged in a couple of days!" Le Xi smiled. "I went to the temple near the school to pray to Manjushri Bodhisattva for blessings. I'm sure I'll do well on the exam this time, and maybe even get a scholarship. How can I ask for a deferred exam?"
"As a college student in this new era, how can you still believe in these things?" Shi Lu frowned, making an incredulous expression.
"I heard from my seniors that it's really effective! They all went to ask for it when they took the CET-6 (College English Test Band 6), and then they passed," Le Xi said confidently.
"Fake."
“Really, really! If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Yan. She had to ask for it back then too!” Le Xi patted the edge of the bed, raising her voice as if to prove he was telling the truth.
"You believe her nonsense! She even said she saw a ghost in her dorm room using a Ouija board! Do you believe that?"
"Huh? I've never heard her mention that! She knows how to use a Ouija board? I'll ask her how when she gets back. Hehe..."
Shi Lu rolled her eyes in exasperation, almost falling off her stool: "These are all lies to fool young girls, and you actually believe them..."
"Hey, you don't have to insult me because I'm a girl!"
"Have you ever seen any guys doing this in their dorm rooms?"
"I've never lived in a dorm room, how would I know what they're up to?"
"Yeah, right! I remember when I was in college, I would stand on the balcony at night and watch the girls' dorm across the way, play cards, play games, watch porn or something."
"Oh my! Watching porn? That's so lewd."
"Tch! I don't believe you haven't seen it."
"I...I just haven't seen it..."
"Then what do you watch? GV?" Schru asked sarcastically.
"I haven't seen anything! Do you think you're like me?" Le Xi's face turned red to the roots of her ears, and she pretended to be angry, turning her head away from him.
"Hey, we're all guys, why are you shy? Just look and that's it!"
"I haven't seen it!" Le Xi pouted, giving Shi Lu a resentful look, like Dou E.
Shi Lu pretended not to see his expression and continued to tease, "Yeah, right! Those two in your shop, don't they write and direct their own videos every day? They don't even need to watch gay porn anymore!"
"You...you...don't talk nonsense! Zijie and Chen Song aren't as lewd as you say! They do *that* at home, and besides, it's not like they do it every day..." She suddenly realized she'd said something wrong and instinctively covered her mouth. "I...I didn't say anything..."
Schlu laughed so hard he almost fell over: "I didn't hear anything!"
The two chatted for a while, rambling on and on. Shi Lu recounted many amusing anecdotes from his university days, even sharing some embarrassing stories about Yan Shuang. Finally, noticing Le Xi's pale face and listless demeanor, he realized he had perhaps pushed him too hard, preoccupied with his own idle chatter without considering whether Le Xi's physical condition was suitable. However, after leaving Le Xi's hospital room, Shi Lu felt much better; the gloom and despair that had lingered in his mind for the past week vanished instantly.
Shi Lu stood in the corridor for a while, about to return to his mother's ward, when he saw Qi Hui walking towards him. Shi Lu stood there and forced a smile at Qi Hui, who nodded back.
"Hello, Teacher Shi." Qi Hui, carrying various sizes of insulated boxes, stood in front of Shi Lu and was even slightly taller than Shi Lu.
"Hello." Shi Lu subconsciously took a step back. "Long time no see."
"Yeah, my Lexi is a picky eater. He wanted to eat pumpkin sago pudding from the south of the city, so I drove over to buy it for him. There's also a whole bunch of other random stuff. It's driving me crazy to find it." Qi Hui waved the things in his hand and smiled.
"Why is Lexi sick? She was perfectly fine before." Shi Lu ignored the deeper meaning in Qi Hui's words and spoke indifferently.
"The pacemaker leads came loose from the fight, and it's also possible that he didn't take good care of himself after his surgery. The doctor said there are signs of infective endocarditis, and he needs to be hospitalized," Qi Hui replied calmly.
"I see..." Shi Lu suddenly felt a bit weary of Qi Hui's covert confrontation, and sighed, "Is it serious?"
"As long as the treatment is effective and he is well cared for, there shouldn't be any major problems. Besides, he has always been very strong."
With Qi Hui's help, Shi Lu contacted leading domestic experts to perform surgery on her mother to remove the blood clot in her brain. The experts will arrive in L City next week. If the surgery is successful, her mother will wake up.
On the 25th, after receiving the doctor's permission, Lexi returned to school to retake the exam. Shilu, relieved that her mother's surgery was now confirmed, volunteered to be the proctor for the retake exam so she could take care of Lexi.
When Shi Lu arrived at the hospital in the morning, Qi Hui was helping Le Xi get dressed. As he pushed open the door, Le Xi stood obediently like a schoolchild, looking down as Qi Hui zipped up his down jacket, his lips pouting so much they could hang oil bottles: "Brother, why do you have to wear so much? Are you trying to kill me with heat?"
"Wear more clothes, the classroom heating isn't warm enough. You've been getting fevers a lot lately, if you catch a cold you'll be getting injections and IV drips." Qi Hui pinched his cheek, his voice full of affection.
"Oh. To avoid getting a needle prick, I'll reluctantly wear more layers! Even though I already look like a dumpling..." Le Xi nodded.
"Come on, put on the gloves." Qi Hui grabbed Le Xi's hand and put the gloves on.
"Wrap the scarf properly." The scarf was wrapped around and around again.
"That's all, right?" Le Xi pouted.
“That’s all…” Qi Hui looked at Le Xi, who was fully armed by him, with satisfaction, nodded, and then narrowed his eyes, “What, baby, do you have a problem with that?”
“No… I have no objection…” Le Xi lowered her head.
Giving the middle finger to fate
Upon leaving the hospital, Qi Hui told Le Xi and Shi Lu in the lobby to go get the car first and ask them to wait there. After driving the car to the entrance, Qi Hui ran in to greet them. As they were going down the steps, a little boy ran over, stumbling and chasing after a small ball that was being blown around by the wind.
The ball blew to Le Xi's feet. He bent down, picked it up, and handed it to the little girl. The little girl looked at Le Xi, who was wearing a melon-shaped hat, a mask, and a scarf, and was being supported by Qi Hui. After thinking for a while, she said in a childish voice, "Thank you, Grandpa." Qi Hui and Shi Lu couldn't help but chuckle.
"Heh...hehe..." Le Xi laughed awkwardly, and only after watching the children run far away did she turn back and glare at the two of them. Later, still feeling unsatisfied, she glared at Qi Hui again before angrily getting into the car.
The car drove smoothly. After arriving at the school, Qi Hui escorted Le Xi to the classroom door before handing him over to Shi Lu.