Just as he was pondering this, Siwan, her face ashen, pushed open the door and came in.
"Aheng, what do you mean by this?" He suppressed his anger, but his eyes flashed with cold light. "Where is Yan hope now? Has the police been called?"
Ah Heng hadn't slept for two days and two nights. His voice sounded tired, but he forced himself to stay awake and said calmly, "I've already asked Brother Hu Ba to look for him. I heard from Da Yi that he doesn't have much money on him, and his visa is about to expire, so he should still be in City B."
Siwan suddenly became furious, her chest heaving – “Aheng, Yanxi has always treated you well. He’s been missing for two whole days, and you’ve sent some lowlifes to look for him. What are you thinking!”
Aheng remained silent, simply watching him.
Is Tiger King not even in the mainstream? Ha, then who are the mainstream people?
Siwan looked around. There was still a pot of tea brewing on the table. Seeing that Aheng was also calm and composed, she snorted coldly and laughed instead of getting angry. "Was it Grandpa who gave Aheng this idea? Anyway, whether Yanxi lives or dies is none of your business."
Ah Heng lowered her head and smiled—"The relationship between Yan hope and you, and the relationship between Yan hope's grandfather and his grandfather, are all there. It's too much to say."
She kept calling him "Yan hope," but to Si Wan it sounded incredibly sarcastic. Si Wan felt a pang of pity for Yan Xi; after all, she'd cherished him for a year, and normally, if anyone said a harsh word to him, Yan hope would roll up his sleeves and fight them to the death. Now…
"Fine, I understand. I'll go find Ah Xi myself. Don't bother with this..." Si Wan's expression darkened, and her tone became cold.
Ah Heng smiled and said, "In my opinion, it's better not to look for it anymore. Even if you come back, you'll just be harmed by someone."
Siwan was stunned. After a long while, she smiled bitterly and said, "Wen Heng, I underestimated you before. I never thought your heart wasn't made of flesh and blood."
Ah Heng stood up, her expression turning stern—"Did I say anything wrong? Young Master Wen is so eager to find his brother, yet he hasn't said a word about who forced his brother to this point. Are you going to bring him back only to let those murderers get away with it again and hurt him once more?"
Siwan clenched her fist—"You knew everything?"
Aheng looked at him coldly—"Which one are you referring to? Was it Lin Ruomei who sent people to insult Yan hope, or drove him insane? Was it that you knew who the mastermind was but pretended not to know, or that you followed Grandpa's wishes and befriended the Lu family?"
Siwan's face turned deathly pale. After a long pause, she finally spoke, a faint taste of blood rising in her throat—"I'm not sure if Aunt Lin is the one who harmed Yanxi... She's always been very kind to people... She wouldn't do this to Axi... Axi told me he was drugged and then... by a woman..."
Ah Heng frowned, knowing that Yan Xi had lied, but her heart ached even more.
However, his expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of unease, and his tone was calm—"Siwan, now that you know, what are your plans?"
She looked at him, her gentle gaze unwavering.
Siwan looked back at her, thought for a moment, and then said dejectedly, “Wen Heng, since you share the same surname as me, I have just as many of the hardships you have.”
Ah Heng laughed, but with a hint of sorrow—"My brother is someone else's brother, my mother is someone else's mother. Even though I'm in my own home, I feel like I'm living under someone else's roof. I want to protect some people, but I still have to scheme and plot. Does Si Wan have this too?"
Siwan couldn't believe it and fell silent, murmuring sadly, "I didn't know you would think this way... Your surname is Wen, the same as ours..."
“Siwan is right. I lost control. Please don’t take it to heart, brother.” Aheng smiled, suppressing the pain in his chest, and nodded. “However, now I have something on Lin Ruomei’s hands. She will definitely not let this go. I need your help now. If Wen Heng does anything in the future, I hope you can mediate. Grandpa will turn a blind eye.”
Siwan was dazed—"You want to be with her..."
Ah Heng smiled faintly and spoke gently, "If Grandpa is willing to help, it's her life or my life; if not, it's a fight to the death."
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When Aheng met Yan hope, he was sitting in a secluded alley watching the sunset, wearing that gray sunflower scarf, looking quiet and well-behaved.
Hu Ba looked at the boy, a question forming in his mind—"Aheng, when I first found him, I spoke to him, but he didn't respond at all. What happened? Did he get angry with his family and run away from home?"
Ah Heng bowed to Hu Ba and said, "What Ah Heng said that day still stands. If Brother Hu Ba needs anything in the future, Ah Heng will definitely do it."
Hu Ba was surprised, but laughed – “Kid, thinking so many random things. I’ll never hesitate to ask you for help in the future. Go and see Yan hope.”
The surrounding sunlight was bright and beautiful.
The boy sat on the steps, holding something in his hand, gazing into the distance with a somewhat bewildered expression.
"Yan hope".
She walked to his side, gently called his name, and finally, a smile appeared in her eyes.
This was the time in the past few days when she resembled Wen Heng the most.
He remained unresponsive, almost motionless.
She squatted down in front of him, looked at his clothes, frowned, and smiled—"You're running outside without a coat, aren't you cold?"
The tone was exactly like that of someone talking to a child who had run out of the house to play.
She reached out and took his hand. His fingertips were icy cold, but they twitched slightly as her hand approached.
He slowly shifted his gaze, his empty eyes lingering on her face for a few seconds before slowly looking away.
Brief attention span.
Ah Heng's expression froze, and she raised her voice slightly—"Yan hope!"
His fingers twitched, and the thing he was holding in his left hand seemed to tighten up a bit.
When Siwan Dayi arrived, a group of people hurriedly lifted Yan hope into the car. Aheng gazed at him, but his eyes only stared blankly at the sky as his body lay flat.
That color, the blue, is very beautiful.
Da Yi sat in the car, his eyes red-rimmed. He only said one sentence from beginning to end: "Two years ago, he was just like this."
Siwan's face was gloomy. She held Yanxi's right hand and remained silent.
Like this...
Yan hope sat there, her skin fair, her eyes dark and clear, but without her usual sharpness, just quiet, like a large doll displayed in a shop window of a very high-end store.
Ah Heng watched the car drive away and asked Si Wan, "Where are you going?"
Siwan's answer was concise: "The hospital."
Ah Heng lowered her head, her gaze landing precisely on Yan hope's left hand.
Slender, long fingers, bent in a crooked posture, tightly gripping something; outside the circle formed by the hand, faintly visible, is something shiny with iron.
Ah Heng remembered something that struck her heart, causing her pain so intense that she couldn't catch her breath for a long time.
Watching Siwan lead Yanxi with practiced ease, the hospital's signboard gleamed in the setting sun.
Capital Tianwu General Hospital.
A hospital renowned for its treatment of mental illnesses.
Ah Heng Dayi was blocked outside the hospital by Si Wan. He said, "Don't come in. You're not used to it here."
He was already used to it, and gently took Yan hope's right hand, taking each step away from them.
Da Yi looked away with a sigh, then saw the alarming bloodshot eyes in Aheng's eyes and mocked, "Aheng, did you do something naughty in the middle of the night? Your eyes are so red."
Ah Heng rubbed her eyes and smiled—"Yes, I did something bad. I thought about it for two days and one night, and finally came up with a plan to torment you."
Da Yi ruffled his messy hair, his smile not as bright as usual—"Go ahead."
Ah Heng spoke gently, "How about you go to the early market tomorrow and buy some pork ribs for Yan hope?"
Da Yi asked in a hoarse voice, "That's it?"
"What else do you want?" Aheng nodded, her eyes clear and bright. "For someone like you who loves to sleep in, this is already a huge punishment."
The boy's eyes reddened again, and he roughly wiped them with his right hand, saying, "Wen Heng, you don't need to comfort me like that. As a brother, to end up like this, Yan hope must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes!"
Ah Heng sighed, "Da Yi, you didn't do anything wrong."
Xin Dayi said in a hoarse voice, "Aheng, why are you pretending to be so mature for your age? You're more upset than anyone else, but you still have to act like a little adult. It's really annoying!"
Ah Heng smiled, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "Da Yi, I'm a little sleepy. Can I lean on your shoulder for a while?"
Da Yi sighed helplessly, only saying "you, you" while gently patting A Heng's head onto his shoulder. The gesture was rough but tender.
"Wen Heng, I've never been in love with a woman in my entire life. You are the first."
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When Siwan led Yanxi out, her face was already deathly pale.
"Siwan, how is Yanxi?" Aheng asked him.
Yan hope stood to the side, his eyes fixed on a fixed corner in the distance, silent and still.
Siwan's face was pale, and she gave a bitter smile—"Aheng, I won't hide it from you, anyway... I can't hide it anymore. Two years ago, Yanxi had her first attack, and we used psychotherapy. Her condition kept recurring, and it took more than half a year to cure her. At that time, Dr. Zheng... was Yanxi's attending physician. He said that if Yanxi's illness relapsed a second time, and psychotherapy couldn't cure it, we could only control the condition, and there would be very little hope of a cure."
"What exactly is Yan hope's illness?!" Xin Dayi grabbed Si Wan's collar, her patience reaching its limit.
Siwan remained expressionless—"Hysteria."
Ah Heng remembered Grandpa Huang, her former neighbor in Wushui Town. Because his son and grandson were in a car accident, he couldn't bear the blow and developed hysteria. Every day he would either cry and scream or sit in front of his door, constantly chanting his son's name. In the end, he hanged himself, and was only discovered by his neighbors several days later.
When I was a child, I would always pass by Grandpa Huang's house after school. He would sit in front of the door, and his gaze would be dull and empty.
There is no hope.
She was lost in the past, but suddenly felt a discomfort in her throat. A mouthful of metallic sweetness welled up to her lips, and she opened her mouth and spat it out.
Vibrant and splendid, it resembles a camellia in its first bloom.
"Aheng!" Siwan helped her up.
She looked up and saw Yan hope standing there, silent and lifeless.
She fell silent, pushed Siwan away, wiped her lips, smiled, walked to Yanxi's side, gently tucked her scarf under his chin, and spoke softly, "Yanxi, shall I take you home?"
Yan hope tilted his head and looked at her. After a while, he covered his chest with the thing in his left palm. It was a square sign with faint marks: 08-69.
He spoke earnestly, his dry lips trembling slightly as he clutched his chest, his voice monosyllabic and indistinct.
"Home, yes."
Chapter 45
Yan hope took another leave of absence from school. This was the second time.
According to Elder Wen, they should immediately call the United States to inform the Yan family. However, Siwan stopped them, saying that the condition might improve, and that making the call so hastily would definitely cause resentment among the Yan family because the Wen family had not taken good care of Yan hope.
After much deliberation, Old Wen gave Siwan and Aheng three months. If Yan hope's condition did not improve within three months, he would definitely have to give his old friend an explanation.
Aheng remained silent and said nothing, then took Yanxi home.
Outside the door, where the door number was originally placed, was completely bare. Ah Heng smiled and asked the silent person next to her for a door number, but the person seemed not to hear her, clutching the number plate tightly in his hand.
He held it while eating, while showering, and while sleeping.
The knuckles of his left hand were very prominent, and his clenched fist was pale and bloodless.
Ah Heng wasn't really sure what hysteria actually was, but she vaguely guessed it was what the old folks in the countryside called madness. However, Yan Xi looked like a child.