Another loud thud, like the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground with glass.
Wu Qianyue's lips trembled slightly, she hesitated, her eyes filled with disbelief and panic. This time, Zou Yibei also turned around and saw something. She blankly let go of Qi Yi'an and walked in that direction.
What exactly happened?
Qi Yi'an finally turned around and looked up at the building in the dim light. On the 9th floor, a window that was dark had shattered. Shards fell and littered the ground.
Something fell onto the shards. It was a human-shaped object. The outline of a person.
The outline is spreading; what is that? Dark and indistinct—is it liquid?
The world was so quiet. Silence, yet deafening. The sky slowly began to brighten.
Qi Yi'an seemed to see scattered strands of hair and dark red blood. Zou Yibei and Wu Qianyue rushed over to see what was going on, then frantically called for a doctor. Scene after scene, the people's actions and expressions, were like a shaky, slow-motion film, stuttering frame by frame before her eyes.
Qi Yi'an couldn't hear anything anymore. It was as if she was the only one standing silently in the world, and that other person lying silently on the ground.
The window on the 9th floor. It can't be room 9.11.
Although they are roughly in the same location, it's impossible.
-----
The pale, yellowish dawn slowly emerged, a cool breeze began to blow, and the leaves rustled. Not far away, she lay silently on the ground, her hair fluttering in the wind, blood slowly flowing. Her pale, delicate hands were exposed. There were dark red wounds on her hands, and something reflected a faint glimmer of the sky.
Qi Yi'an was exhausted and injured; her eyes were bloodshot, her lips were terribly chapped, and she felt incredibly cold. She opened her eyes wide, trying to make out what it was. It was a ring.
impossible.
She could not feel sound or emotion, her breathing grew heavier and heavier, and she commanded herself to stumble and shuffle through the shaky world, step by step, toward that person.
impossible.
As if she had lost all sensation and strength in an instant, she collapsed heavily to the ground. Her wounds hurt terribly, and the pain throughout her body made everything go dark.
What kind of world is this?
Why.
Qi Yi'an struggled to her feet and crawled toward the mangled body not far away. The wound on her shoulder tore open again, seeping out patches of blood. She crawled on, enduring the excruciating pain, until she reached her side. She crawled into the spreading crimson blood, until her blood became one with hers.
She was so lost. So lost.
"An'an..." Zou Yibei arrived with the emergency medical personnel, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow at the sight before him. Qi Yi'an, covered in blood, knelt beside the motionless, mangled body. She was trembling, her long black hair disheveled by the wind and stained with blood of unknown origin. Her face and lips were deathly pale, and her eyes were frighteningly dry and empty. She wasn't crying; instead, she was intently picking up or gathering the human remains mixed with blood and shards of glass. She gathered the scattered brain matter into a ball in her hand. Her other hand continued to pick up fragments of skull and scalp, trying to put the indistinct remains of flesh and blood back into the body. It seemed that if she could just put them back together, that person would come alive again, smiling and calling her "little friend" as before.
"An'an... Qi... Qi Yi'an!" Zou Yibei couldn't bear to watch any longer and followed the medical staff over to help her up.
As the doctor approached, Qi Yi'an's blood-stained hands gripped the white coat, leaving stark bloodstains. His other hand held some skull fragments and brain tissue, and he murmured, "Save her...save her...there's still hope...there must be hope..."
Zou Yibei knew that this person had lost his mind.
She was equally bewildered. This person was Qin Ruoshui? Why? How could this be? Zou Yibei stared blankly at the distraught person on the ground, unsure of what to do.
After the doctor completed the examination, he confirmed that the person was dead.
He's dead. How could that be? How could that be? His blood and body are still warm, how could that be?
"Impossible... Doctor, please save her again, there is still hope, there must still be hope..." Zou Yibei had never heard Qi Yi'an utter such a shrill voice in his life.
In that deathly quiet yet noisy morning, the light slowly brightened, a bright and clear day with a high sky. The sky was blue and clear, and as the warm sunlight fully rose and illuminated the city, Qi Yi'an finally lost consciousness and collapsed in a pool of blood that was gradually darkening, cooling, and congealing.
Author's Note:
It feels so good to update two chapters in one go, haha!
Chapter 32 Find Her.
Breathing was a little difficult. Qi Yi'an tried to turn over, but found that his shoulder was so painful that he couldn't move it. The pain slowly brought him back to consciousness.
"Awake?" Li Feiyan was idly playing with a syringe by the bedside. "You've been asleep for three days."
"...Ugh..." Qi Yi'an slightly opened his eyes, letting out a long sigh, as if he had just had a long and terrifying dream. Ah, it was all a dream, thank goodness, it was just a nightmare.
"what happened?"
"You were caught in the blast wave during the explosion, injured, and then passed out," Li Feiyan said casually. "Eat something first."
Qi Yi'an answered a call from Zou Yibei on his phone.
“Hello…” “Ah! Qi Yi’an, you’re finally awake!” Zou Yibei was so excited on the other end that he seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"Uh...it's so noisy, please keep your voice down...what did I do?"
"You forgot? After you fainted, Dr. Li, your private doctor, quickly came and took you to a private hospital for treatment. I went with you there, and then, seeing that you were alright, I came back. How are you now?"
"...It's okay." "Then you should get some rest. I'll come see you after get off work."
When Zou Yibei pushed open the door to the ward, he was slightly surprised to see Qi Yi'an drinking soup as if nothing had happened. Was she already better?
"You're here, have a seat." Qi Yi'an smiled and waved when he saw her. "Have you eaten? Want to have something with me?"
Zou Yibei hesitated as he sat down on the edge of the bed, secretly wondering, "How...are you feeling right now?"
Qi Yi'an seemed to be in a good mood. "Ah, it's alright." Noticing the faint worry on Zou Yibei's face, he asked, "What's wrong?"
“These past three days…” Zou Yibei opened his mouth, wanting to mention Qin Ruoshui, but then hesitated, afraid that she couldn’t handle it, and changed his words, “You were unconscious for three days, and everyone was very worried about you.”
"Don't worry, I'm fine, just a little hungry." Qi Yi'an smiled easily. "Want to try this? It's delicious."
Looking at the person before her, Zou Yibei couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. She couldn't understand whether Qi Yi'an was now at a state of transcendence, capable of singing and drumming on a basin, or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to excessive trauma, or perhaps amnesia? Whatever the reason, Qi Yi'an's abnormal behavior was heartbreaking. Three days ago, Qi Yi'an's appearance made it hard for her to believe that she could wake up one day and instantly achieve enlightenment and transcendence. So... perhaps amnesia was the best option for her to protect herself.
"Dr. Li, thank you." Zou Yibei looked at Li Feiyan, who was standing to the side, with a complicated expression. Li Feiyan understood and walked towards the door.
"Of course. I'll go check on the other patients first, you two can chat." Li Feiyan's acting skills were truly superb; from the moment Zou Yibei walked in, she instantly transformed from a carefree and cynical person into a capable and gentle doctor.
Zou Yibei stood up. "I'm going to the restroom. Does Dr. Li know where it is?"
"Okay, I'll take you there."
Once they reached a quiet spot on another floor, Zou Yibei finally spoke, "Does Dr. Li know the specifics of Qi Yi'an's current condition?"
"Xiao Zou, right? You saw it too, her condition is quite stable now, there's no need to worry too much." Li Feiyan took out her glasses from her pocket and put them on.
"But judging from her appearance, does she not remember anything about what happened three days ago? The person who fell from the building three days ago was someone very important to her. She was so traumatized at the time, but now she seems to not care about that matter at all. This is very unusual."
"There is a possibility of PTSD. Don't worry, I will conduct further examinations."
"Then... do you think it's okay to bring up things related to trauma with her?"
"It is advisable not to agitate the patient; a stable mental state is very important for physical recovery."
“…But…” Zou Yibei hesitated. Would she be willing to forget everything and not see her one last time?
"Who was that woman who fell to her death to Qi Yi'an?" Dr. Li's glasses reflected the pale fluorescent light, and Zou Yibei couldn't see her expression.
"To be honest... it was her lover of many years. She saw her lover die tragically in front of her..." Zou Yibei couldn't bear to continue.
“…”
The white-walled corridor under the pale fluorescent lights was eerily quiet.
-----
"Beep...beep...beep..." After waking up from that dream, Qi Yi'an kept trying to contact Qin Ruoshui, but no one answered the phone.
"How are you feeling? Any better?" Li Feiyan walked into the room with her hands in her pockets.
Qi Yi'an hung up the phone. "Hmm." "Was the target confirmed dead after the explosion that day?"
"Yeah, you've probably seen some news reports on your phone these past few days," Li Feiyan said, showing her recent news on her phone.
"An explosion occurred at a hotel in the western district of G city... number of deaths... number of injuries... the specific cause is still under investigation, and the hotel's estimated losses..."
"A few of them were lucky; they only suffered minor injuries, but I had them healed in time."
"Hey, Mr. Li, you've lost a lot of money this time. So much money gone just like that, it's heartbreaking," Qi Yi'an teased, looking at her with a smile. Li Feiyan rolled her eyes and then laughed heartlessly a few times. "Yeah, but it was pretty fun, wasn't it?"
"I have a question for you." Qi Yi'an smiled innocently.
"explain."
"How is Lin Yan's...wife in the explosion?" Qi Yi'an recalled that he had pushed her into the pool on the downstairs terrace. That area was surrounded by vegetation and water. The news footage showed that the area was not damaged much, so it was highly likely that Qin Ruoshui would not die, but she might be injured.
But that dream... dreams are always the opposite.
"Lin Yan's wife?" Li Feiyan's expression was ambiguous behind her glasses. Sure enough, Qi Yi'an was still thinking about that woman. But then again, Qin Ruoshui was indeed very captivating; it was a pity. Even after painfully letting go of her, Li Feiyan still felt regret. "I haven't paid much attention to her. What's wrong?"
"I have to go find her." Qi Yi'an said, and began to change his clothes and pack his things in an orderly manner. This person is always so gentle and slow.
"Who is she to you?" Li Feiyan casually stroked Qi Yi'an's hair, cheek, and neck. "Have you taken a fancy to her? Aren't you afraid I'll get jealous?" Although she had taken a fancy to her too.
Qi Yi'an looked up and met Li Feiyan's gaze. He had expected it to be sharp, but instead, a hint of desolation flashed in her playful eyes.
"You can get jealous?"
"Oh, I've really shot myself in the foot. I even helped you get rid of Lin Yan. Shouldn't you thank me?" Li Feiyan lightly pecked Qi Yi'an's lips and smiled.
"Didn't I help you take him down?" Qi Yi'an laughed and leaned over to gently bite Li Feiyan's lower lip.
"Go ahead, let me know when you find it." Li Feiyan smiled and saw her out.
She couldn't find it. Li Feiyan knew this better than anyone else.
Author's Note:
Three chapters in one go!!! I hope it ends soon!!!
Chapter 33 Awakening.
Almost half a year had passed since her body gradually recovered. After that, Qi Yi'an moved back to their small house. After waking up from the nightmare during her coma, she called Qin Ruoshui, but she didn't answer. Qi Yi'an figured Qin Ruoshui probably needed a lot of time to deal with the family changes after Lin Yan's death, and it wasn't uncommon for them to lose contact for a while, so she didn't investigate too much.
But there was no trace of her ever being in the house again. One month, two months, three months, half a year. Qi Yi'an kept avoiding thinking about that terrible dream, even though it was vivid in his mind day and night. During the days he lost contact with Qin Ruoshui, the shadow of that dream lingered in his mind. But it was just a dream, wasn't it?
Qi Yi'an asked Zou Yibei, but Zou Yibei only comforted her by saying that dreams are always the opposite of reality and told her not to think about it anymore.
She couldn't go directly to the Qin family, because they were inextricably linked to the explosion that killed Lin Yan. So she kept searching, and searching. She searched the whole world, going to all the places they had been and lived in. The more she found nothing, the more frantically she searched.
She replayed the scene from that day over and over, recalling their words. She shot Lin Yan, fled with Qin Ruoshui, and was pushed out by the explosion... She was severely injured and unconscious, having a long, long dream, and then she remembered nothing.
What exactly happened? Why does no one know? Did Qin Ruoshui die in the explosion? Or did she die in that dream? Or perhaps because she killed Lin Yan in front of her, Qin Ruoshui harbored resentment and never wanted to see her again?