There was another poster in front of me, very close to me. The person in the poster was wearing a mask and looked like a doctor.
Faintly, I seemed to hear a voice loudly proclaiming, "He's awake! Alright, alright, his eyeballs can still move, that means he's awake."
The flashlight was immediately moved away, and the hand that had pried open my eyelids withdrew. I let out a groan:
"Hmm..."
My mind was still foggy, and I seemed to see another person standing in front of me. He looked somewhat like Brother Huan, but I couldn't make out who he was.
"Xiao Wu, how are you? Can you speak?"
I tried to open my lips, and managed to utter two words: "I... am thirsty..."
Then, I closed my eyes and fell asleep again.
When I woke up again, my head didn't hurt as much, and at least my consciousness and senses were basically back under my control.
I was lying on a bed, which looked like a hospital room. My head was still a little dizzy, but I felt much better. I tried to gently twist my neck, and thankfully, it was fine. I just felt a bit tight in my chest, and if I moved it a little too much, I felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.
I raised my hand slightly. My left arm was in a thick cast, which was very heavy, while an IV drip was inserted into the back of my right hand.
I felt relieved; at least this situation confirmed that we were rescued!
I swallowed hard and realized my throat was so dry, as if there was a fire burning inside. My lips were also chapped, and I couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
The sound I made immediately startled the people nearby.
"You're awake?" A soft, pleasant female voice asked. I turned my eyes to the right side of the bed and saw a slender woman sitting at the head of my bed. She looked at me as I woke up with a face full of joy. She was dressed in a professional nursing uniform, somewhat like a nurse, but the uniform was not white; it was blue.
I opened my mouth, and she immediately leaned down, getting close to me: "What did you say? How are you feeling?"
"I'm thirsty." I took a breath and forced a smile. "I need some water."
The woman immediately turned around and brought me a bottle of water, but instead of giving it to me, she picked up a cotton swab, carefully dipped it in water, and evenly applied it to my lips. At the same time, she said in her soft and pleasant voice, "You can't drink water right now. You should rest for a while first."
I felt a moist taste on my lips and immediately sucked hard. Unfortunately, this little bit of moisture was not enough to quench my thirst. The more I sucked on my lips, the thirstier I became. I couldn't help but whisper, "I want to drink water."
“No.” The nurse’s reply was gentle yet firm: “I’ll go get the doctor.”
A short while later, the nurse brought in a doctor, and Jinhe came in with him.
The doctor picked up a flashlight and walked over to me. He gently pried open my eyelids, shone the light into my eyes, and carefully asked me if I felt anything. I told him I was thirsty, wanted to drink water, and felt dizzy and nauseous.
"He's alright now." The doctor nodded, turning to look at Jinhe. "He's fine. The dizziness, nausea, and vomiting are just mild concussions from the head injury. He'll be fine after some rest. As for his injuries, they're nothing serious. He just needs to rest and recuperate for a while."
I struggled for a moment, then pleaded in a hoarse voice, "I want some water."
The doctor glanced at me and said to the nurse, "You can drink a little glucose water, but don't drink too much." Then he left the ward.
The nurse went out to prepare glucose for me, leaving Jinhe and me in the room. He finally came over to my side, sat down, and said seriously, "Xiao Wu, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." I forced a smile. "I'm alright."
"Hmm!" Jin He nodded, his expression calm. "My men and Yang Wei's men found you together. Now tell me what happened, be careful, don't miss anything."
I sighed and slowly recounted the events to Jinhe, recalling what had happened as I spoke. Jinhe listened quietly without interrupting, his expression gradually darkening. I couldn't help but add in a low voice, "Jinhe, I feel something's strange about this."
"Hmm..." He nodded. "How do you feel?"
"I don't know, I can't figure it out right now. My head is throbbing." I smiled wryly. "But they clearly followed us there and then ambushed us. And one of the guys was pretty good at martial arts, almost as good as me. I don't think these people are from America..." Then I described the appearance and attire of the people who ambushed us in detail, and when I talked about the guy who fought me for a few rounds, I specifically mentioned that he seemed to be good at grappling.
A glint of light flashed in Jinhe's eyes, then he glanced at me and said, "Xiao Wu, you...you should focus on recovering. Huan-ge told me to tell you that he will handle this matter."
He had already stood up, ready to leave, when he suddenly turned around, looked at me, and said in a strange tone, "Brother Huan, it's strange. Why were you with Yang Wei tonight?"
"It was a chance encounter," I said softly. "I went out for a walk tonight and ran into her."
Jinhe looked at me and said in a deep voice, "Alright, no matter what, it's fortunate that you were there to save her life... I will investigate this matter thoroughly. You should rest assured and let the nurse know if you need anything. She is a nurse I hired at a high price, and she will take good care of you."
After saying that, Jinhe seemed to be about to leave, and I couldn't help but call out to him, "Jinhe..."
"What?"
"I..." I thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "I heard Yang Wei say that she suspects someone from within our organization... She said that someone in Huan Ge's organization seems to be against this deal, which is why..."
"You don't need to overthink it," Jinhe stopped me from continuing. "These aren't issues you should be considering right now."
Jin He left with a somewhat unpleasant expression after saying "Get some rest" in a hurry.
Actually, there was a question I really wanted to ask him: how was Yang Wei? Was she badly injured? But I didn't ask.
A short while later, I heard the door to the ward open, and a woman pushed it open and walked in. I initially thought it was the nurse, but upon closer inspection, I was taken aback – it was Yang Wei!
Her face was covered with tape, and she was wearing a long trench coat, but she looked quite energetic.
"Jinhe is gone?" Yang Wei walked into the room, smiled at me, and said, "I came up after I saw his car leave."
I have some doubts.
"Chen Yang, I've come to say goodbye." Yang Wei looked at me with a faint smile on her face: "I'm going back to America tomorrow."
I frowned: "Why...why are you avoiding Jinhe? Besides, are you leaving tomorrow?"
Yang Wei seemed to be smiling, her tone calm and composed: "It's all over! Our business has also been temporarily suspended by the family. Upon learning that I was nearly assassinated, the family was furious and put a lot of pressure on Ye Huan. Considering the instability within Ye Huan's organization, the family has decided to temporarily freeze our cooperation plan... Otherwise, given the current instability within your organization, and the possibility that they might even send someone to assassinate me... Under such circumstances, the family suspects that their interests would be difficult to guarantee in our cooperation."
Yang Wei finished speaking in a seemingly indifferent tone, then looked at me with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Looking at Yang Wei smiling in front of me, a thought flashed through my mind, and I blurted out, "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?!"
Yang Wei didn't speak. She stared into my eyes for a while, then slowly walked to my side and smiled, "You're tired. These aren't things you should be worrying about... Chen Yang, you shouldn't be in this circle. Remember what I said... You're actually very kind, but in this circle, your soft heart can become your fatal flaw at any time."
Then, she suddenly smiled gently and said, "I'm leaving. I think we probably won't see each other again."
Before I could react, Yang Wei suddenly bent down and gently kissed my cheek before gracefully leaving.
I was completely stunned, my mind went blank, and the faint scent of her lip gloss still lingered on my cheeks...
I can only hear my own heartbeat...
Yes, the kiss certainly shocked me, but what shocked me even more were Yang Wei's words!
She's gone! She's left! She's gone back to her family!
Business has been suspended!
Isn't all of this exactly what Yang Wei hoped for?
From the moment we were attacked until afterward, she remained calm and composed, only occasionally showing a hint of panic on her face. Yet, the gaze in her eyes remained cold and unwavering, like the cold moon... Was this due to her exceptional courage, or because she was completely in control? Or perhaps all of this was simply part of her plan...?
This...woman...
When the nurse entered the ward, I suddenly struggled to sit up and gritted my teeth, saying, "Call me, quick!"
"You can't move!" The nurse came over to stop me from getting up, but I pushed her hand away and shouted, "I said give me the phone! Quick!!"
The nurse looked somewhat helpless and annoyed, but her excellent professionalism allowed her to control her emotions. She turned around, took out a cell phone from her coat, and handed it to me: "This is my phone, you can use it for now... but you can't get up! The doctor instructed that you can't move around too much because your ankle is injured!"
I nodded and said, "Thank you." But after dialing a few numbers, I suddenly stopped.
Should I really call Huan Ge?
What did I say? I said I suspected that this sneak attack and assassination was deliberately orchestrated by Yang Wei in collusion with others, just to sabotage our business cooperation plan?
Do I have evidence?
Involuntarily, I recalled Yang Wei's smiling face, her soft whispers in my ear, and the genuine, joyful smile on her face when she listened to my jokes...
Is it her?
Not her?
I held the phone for a full minute, but couldn't decide whether to make the call...
Just then, the nurse handed me a towel and wiped my cheek, her tone a little strange.
"There's a lipstick mark on your face..."
Part One: In the Martial World, Unable to Control One's Own Fate, Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Private Nurse
"Want some more?" Amei asked me, sitting on the chair by my bedside with an apple in her hand.
"I'm not eating anymore." I leaned against the bed, shook my head, and puffed out my cheeks to indicate that I was full. Actually, I don't like apples; I love oranges the most. Unfortunately, oranges are too heaty, so Amei doesn't allow me to eat too many.
Oh, Amei is the nurse next to me. She's very young, only twenty years old (by Chinese reckoning), and quite pretty. Although she's not a stunning beauty, she has a very cheerful personality. She's been taking good care of me these past two days, and she always has a gentle and meticulous quality, like a girl from a modest family.
I've been in the hospital for three days now, and no one has come to see me. Huan Ge and Jin He haven't come either; only A Mei is with me. I asked her, and she said she was hired by a professional nursing company. She's young, but she's already one of the company's top nurses.
I hesitated for a long time that day, but in the end I didn't call Huan Ge to tell him about my suspicions about Yang Wei.
I don't know if what I did was right. Perhaps, deep down, I really didn't want to doubt Yang Wei.
Do I have evidence?
No!
Since there's no evidence, what's the point of me saying anything? Would Huan-ge believe me? Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't... or perhaps, Huan-ge would figure it out himself without me even saying anything. He's always been so shrewd!
As for me, I don't know why I refuse to doubt Yang Wei... I only know that after Yang Wei said goodbye that day, I always felt empty inside. I don't know how to describe this feeling...
There was a touch of bitterness, a touch of sadness, and something else entirely... I would remember that night when the two of us rolled down the hillside, and she carried me, badly injured, as we staggered away.
The two huddled together for warmth in that little hollow, shivering from the cold, but deliberately told jokes to distract themselves. And... she tore her own underwear to bandage the wound on my head.
How should I put it? It felt like we were sharing a hardship together.
If I were to doubt her now... wouldn't that be tantamount to forcing me to admit that everything that night was a lie? That it was all a pretense?
I really don't want to do this!
I admit I have some inexplicable feelings for that woman... especially when I think about that kiss she gave me before she left...
Why did she kiss me?
Perhaps it was out of gratitude that I saved her? For breaking my leg for her? Or perhaps it was because I kept her company by telling her jokes until midnight?
Or perhaps it's simply a matter of etiquette when Americans say goodbye?
Every time I think about this, I can't help but mock myself: Chen Yang, stop dreaming!
Of course, these fanciful thoughts are best left unsaid, even if they only cross my mind occasionally. It's not like I've never seen a woman's infatuation before. But if a man spends a night alone with a stunning beauty like Yang Wei in the middle of nowhere, sharing a hardship, huddling together for warmth, and she even tears off her underwear to bandage his wounds…
After all that has happened, it would be a lie to say you weren't attracted to her!
Fortunately, I've calmed down a lot in the past two days and I'm no longer thinking about those thoughts. I occasionally tease Amei for fun.