Chapter 114
It seemed as if Xin Ying had used up all her strength to put this ring on Lin Leyao's finger.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and my body gradually lost consciousness under the continuous pounding of the raindrops.
Xin Ying rested her chin on Lin Leyao's shoulder, her right arm hanging limply at her side, while her other, uninjured hand gently stroked Lin Leyao's back.
After an unknown amount of time, Xin Ying's body gradually lost its support, and she slowly nestled in Lin Leyao's arms.
Her movements became lighter and lighter, and Xin Ying slowly closed her eyes and began to speak.
“I had a dream last night. I dreamt of you when you were little. You were such a cute little chatterbox, always wanting to stay by my side and talk to me. But it was a nightmare. One day you suddenly appeared at my apartment door and told me you were dead. I didn’t believe it. How could you be dead? You saved my life. Even if someone had to die, I should have died first.”
Xin Ying's body was starting to heat up, burning hot, and she kept mumbling incoherently.
The icy rain relentlessly lashed at Xin Ying, whose senses had become dulled. She leaned motionless against Lin Leyao's shoulder, and Lin Leyao could only hold Xin Ying tightly, using her own body to shield her from the onslaught of the rain.
Xin Ying in his arms seemed oblivious, still talking to herself with her eyes closed.
“I’ve wanted to die for a long time. When I was sixteen, I found out I had leukemia, and I was so happy. How great it would be to die! I could finally get my revenge on these people. After my fifth brother was framed and killed by Xin Hechang, my life became incredibly important. Isn’t it ridiculous? A life I don’t care about, but others care about it so much. My father, my brother, they don’t dare let me die because my fifth brother is already dead. Xin Hechang has one family member’s life, which is not the same as two. My existence is the fig leaf for this family. If I live, this family can continue to exist; if I die, this family will be completely finished. Back then, they tried everything to save me, but they were actually saving themselves. They were all doing it for themselves…”
Xin Ying seemed to want to reveal all the things she had kept hidden in her heart all these years. Lin Leyao realized for the first time how much bitterness Xin Ying had been suppressing, and with tears in her eyes, she hugged Xin Ying tightly.
Before Xin Ying could finish speaking, her breathing suddenly became rapid. She took two deep breaths and swallowed the blood in her mouth: "I have undergone ten years of psychological treatment. I have lived in pain for so many years. Why doesn't the madman who hurt me need treatment, but instead makes me take medicine? Le Yao, why me?"
Xin Ying managed to utter her last words with her last breath, when suddenly she began to cough violently. With a "poof," Lin Leyao felt a warm sensation near her ear.
Lin Leyao's eyes widened suddenly. Xin Ying, who had been holding on tightly in her arms, finally lost her strength and slowly slid down from her embrace.
A beam of silvery light shone directly onto the two mud-covered figures in the orchard from a short distance away. The rescuers shouted with joy, "We've found the missing persons! They're both here!"
With a whoosh, all the rescuers swarmed around.
On a muddy, rainy day, two young women lay unconscious on the ground.
Lin Leyao didn't know how long she had been asleep, but she vaguely heard someone talking at the head of her bed. The voice sounded like the buzzing of a mosquito, and she couldn't make out what the other person was saying at all.
Time passed slowly, and Lin Leyao's mind was in a state of constant buzzing and unusual silence until one day the thin membrane covering her eardrums was finally peeled off, and all sorts of noises entered her ears.
There were the voices of doctors and nurses, the voices of my grandfather and mother. Xiao Yan had been here, Xin Wenwen and Iris had been here, and Grandpa Ji had also stayed here for a long time.
Finally, Lin Leyao opened her eyes.
As soon as Lin Leyao opened her eyes, she saw the white ceiling and smelled the disinfectant in the hospital.
She tilted her head slightly and met the gaze of the person sitting next to her. Lin Leyao was quite surprised to see him.
Lin Zhipei also looked at Lin Leyao in surprise. She did not expect that Lin Leyao would wake up during the time she was taking care of her.
The two stared at each other for more than ten seconds before Lin Leyao spoke up: "Why did you come back to China? Aren't you going to school anymore?"
Lin Zhipei replied, "I returned to China as soon as I saw the news about your mudslide. There's no rush to go back to school in a day or two."
Lin Leyao nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."
Lin Zhipei felt a little awkward after being thanked. She glanced at the white sheets at the foot of the bed and said, "Mom and Grandpa stayed here last night. They just went back to the hotel to rest not long ago. I'll go tell them you're awake now."
After saying that, Lin Zhipei got up and left the ward. Lin Leyao wanted to say that there was no rush, but she didn't have time.
Silence fell in the room again. Lin Leyao closed her eyes and opened them again, repeating this several times before she finally felt that "it's all over now."
She was in a private hospital room and didn't know what was happening to Xin Ying. Lin Leyao was anxious and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her lower back and her legs still wouldn't obey her.
The movement, which lasted only a few seconds, immediately caused Lin Leyao to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
Lin Leyao propped herself up on her arms and sat up. She was already covered in sweat from exhaustion when the ward door was suddenly opened from the outside.
A group of doctors and nurses walked in and immediately widened their eyes to stop Lin Leyao when they saw her actions.
After a series of examinations and instructions from the doctor, Lin Leyao finally felt relieved about her condition.
She had previously injured her lumbar spine, making it impossible for her to walk, but after the doctor's explanation, she learned that there was no major problem and that her leg sensation would gradually return after a period of time.
After the examination, Lin Leyao pulled the doctor aside and asked, "How is the girl who came to the hospital with me?"
It took the doctor a while to realize who Lin Leyao was talking about: "That lady is under the care of another doctor, so I don't know the specifics. Ms. Lin, if you have any problems with your health, you can have someone come to me immediately. The examination just now didn't show any major issues, so you can lie down and rest."
After all the medical staff left the ward, only Lin Leyao and Lin Zhipei remained in the quiet room.
The medical equipment in the room was making faint noises, and a bad premonition slowly rose in Lin Leyao's heart.
Lin Zhipeng noticed Lin Leyao's probing gaze. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sister Xin's condition is more serious than yours. She's still in the ICU."
Lin Zhipeng glanced at Lin Leyao's expression, hesitated for a few seconds, and then continued, "After she fell off the cliff with you, her internal organs were displaced, her ribs were broken and punctured her lungs, and she was bleeding from her pelvic cavity. She was sent to the hospital and received two critical condition notices before she was saved. She has been in the ICU for three days now."
As Lin Zhipei spoke, Lin Leyao's face turned deathly pale inch by inch.
Lin Leyao vaguely remembered that after the two fell off the cliff, Xin Ying proposed to her and said so many things. How could she have been so badly injured in that state?
"Take me to see her where she lives."
Lin Zhipei advised, "Your leg still needs to recover..."
Before Lin Zhipei could finish speaking, Lin Leyao raised her hand to interrupt her.
A few minutes later, Lin Zhipei pushed her wheelchair out of the room, just as Xin Sinan appeared at the door of the ward.
Seeing Lin Leyao, who was awake and sitting in a wheelchair, Xin Sinan was overjoyed: "Leyao, you're awake?"
Lin Leyao nodded.
Xin Si Nan asked, "Where are you going now?"
Lin Leyao replied, "To the ICU ward."
Upon hearing these words, Shin Minami's expression instantly turned serious.
Lin Zhipei was about to leave, pushing her wheelchair, when Xin Sinan advised, "The visiting hours for the ICU have already passed. Le Yao, why don't you go see her tomorrow?"
Without turning her head, Lin Leyao said, "I'll just take a look from outside the ward."
Seeing that Lin Leyao was determined to go, Xin Sinan said, "Then I'll go with you."
Finally, Lin Zhipei handed the wheelchair to Xin Sinan, who then pushed Lin Leyao to the ICU ward entrance.
Inside the ward, Xin Ying lay motionless on the hospital bed with her eyes closed, surrounded by various medical instruments.
This was the first time Lin Leyao had seen Xin Ying so lifeless. Her face still bore some bruises, marks left from the fall off the cliff and collisions with various rocks and trees that day.
As Lin Leyao watched, her eyes gradually reddened. Not far away, in another ICU ward, the family members of patients were squatting in the lobby, wailing loudly. Their heart-wrenching cries pierced the hearts of everyone waiting at the ward door.
Lin Leyao leaned her head against the door, tears streaming silently down her face for a long time.
Xin Sinan watched silently from behind. After a long while, he said, "If nothing unexpected happens after tonight, Xiaoying will be able to be transferred to a regular ward. Her health will get better and better. At least she's alive, and everything is moving in a positive direction, isn't it?"
Lin Leyao didn't turn around, and said sullenly, "What if she doesn't want to live anymore?"
Xin Sinan's face instantly showed astonishment. Lin Leyao didn't look at his expression. She said softly, "Fourth Brother, can you tell me in detail what happened when Aying was sixteen years old?"
“Ah Ying told me that, apart from herself, no one in the Xin family wanted or dared to let her die. Did you think the same way back then?”
Xin Sinan's face shifted rapidly, but after a long while, his expression finally calmed down. Looking at Lin Leyao's slender back, he slowly uttered a single word: "Yes!"
One person's head was pressed against the door of the ICU ward, and another person stood not too far behind her. Xin Si Nan slowly began to talk about what happened back then.
"Back then, Xin Hechang plotted to kill his fifth brother. After committing this heinous crime, he realized the enormity of his mistake and took Xiaoying abroad as a hostage, intending to use her to threaten his father and sixth brother. Initially, Xin Hechang concealed these actions from Xin Pengchi, who probably didn't know what Xin Hechang was doing either, so he often helped Xin Hechang with his tasks. Later, Xiaoying was tricked into going abroad and imprisoned by Xin Hechang, at which point Xin Pengchi realized something was wrong. This madman, Xin Hechang, fearing Xiaoying would escape, fed her various sedatives, rendering her paralyzed and useless every day." Paralyzed in bed, it wasn't until several months later that Xin Pengchi noticed something was wrong with Xiaoying and took her to the hospital. Only then did her father find her and rescue her. You can't imagine what Xiaoying looked like when she was first rescued. The once beautiful girl was found emaciated, her arms covered in needle marks, her nose bleeding uncontrollably, and her body covered in bruises from even the slightest exertion. At that time, Xiaoying had a severe stress reaction to strangers; she would bite anyone who approached her. Doctors had to provide her with both physical and psychological treatment.
You said, "What if she doesn't want to live anymore?" At that time, Xiaoying really didn't want to live. She wanted to harm herself every moment. Her emotions would only stabilize after she took her medication, but that stability was like that of a wild beast that had been tamed in an iron cage for many years; her eyes were dull and lifeless. Back then, we would only visit Xiaoying after she had taken her medication. At that time, Xiaoying was not aggressive and could quietly look at you and talk, but I will never forget her empty eyes.
Aying wants to die, but we won't and can't let her. Xin Hechang killed Xin Ting'an. This fratricidal tragedy is devastating for both us brothers who share the same blood as Xin Hechang and our sixth brother and sister who share the same blood as Xin Ting'an. It has deepened the rift that was already there because of our different mothers, and our family is beginning to fall apart. Xiaoying is our last straw. As long as Xiaoying is alive, we can still breathe a little longer. But if she dies too, at Xin Hechang's hands, there will be no possibility of reconciliation for the entire Xin family.
Xin Yinan finished speaking in one breath, and Lin Leyao finally couldn't help but turn around and stare at Xin Yinan, pressing her for answers: "Xin Ying survived and is still alive and well. The culprit didn't receive the punishment he deserved but died of cancer, and the other was expelled abroad without any real consequences. You chose to use Xin Ying as a fig leaf, and under this fig leaf, you continued to live lovingly as members of the Xin family. Xin Ying's sixth brother chose the Xin family. He chose to back down, but staying at home made him feel guilty towards his deceased fifth brother and his hurt sister, so he went to a distant city and pursued a career completely unrelated to the Xin family. In the end, you all dumped everything on Xin Ying. All the hurt and all the responsibility were borne by Xin Ying alone. She underwent ten years of psychological treatment and took medication for ten years. How much of that medication was for you, her family?!"
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Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 16:08:55 on May 29, 2022 and 21:23:51 on May 30, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: CM靇1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Zhenzhen (50 bottles); Beiq7 and Polaris (10 bottles each); 55157345 (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 115
After a long silence, Xin Sinan broke the stillness: "At that time, perhaps influenced by my brothers and my own age, I shared the same thoughts as everyone else. But later, my thoughts changed. You might not believe it, but over the years, I am probably the only one among my brothers who has no attachment to this family whatsoever."
“I know that more than ten years have passed since Xiaoying turned sixteen, and every day she has lived has been much harder than mine. I also know that her resistance to the Xin family has never diminished. Although it's not outwardly apparent all these years, she has always been unwilling to have much contact with others or for anyone to enter her life. So when I first heard the news that she wanted to marry you, I was very surprised. I was curious about what kind of person could break through the layers of barriers in her heart. Later, I thought, it might not be that you broke through those barriers in her heart, but rather that you were already in her heart before she even closed them off.”
This was the first time Xin Sinan had spoken so much to Lin Leyao. Over the years, Xin Sinan had kept many things bottled up inside, and today it was as if a hole had burst open, and she poured everything out in one go.
Inside the ward, Xin Ying lay quietly on the bed, completely unaware of the series of events that were happening outside.
When Lin Leyao returned to her hospital room, her grandfather and Ji Rong had already rushed over upon receiving the news that she had woken up. The two were very excited and hugged Lin Leyao tightly.
Looking at Ji Hongchen's graying hair, Lin Leyao felt extremely guilty. Her grandfather should be enjoying his retirement, but because of her repeated worries and fears, he had suffered both physically and mentally.
Lin Leyao's red eyes never returned to normal after her family members appeared in the ward. When Grandpa Xin learned that Lin Leyao had regained consciousness, he also rushed over to visit her.
Lin Leyao's awakening was a great thing, and everyone was very happy. However, after the initial joy, the thought of Xin Ying, who was still in a coma, brought a sense of worry to everyone's smiles.
In front of others, Lin Leyao maintained a strong spirit, but as evening fell and the visitors gradually left the ward, the smile that had been on Lin Leyao's face vanished instantly.
Previously, Ji Rong and Grandpa Ji wanted to stay at night to take care of her, but Lin Leyao persuaded them to go back. Now, besides Lin Leyao, there is only one caregiver in the ward.
Lin Leyao lay in bed with her eyes open for a long time. The caregiver sat on the sofa and took a nap with her eyes closed. Lin Leyao left the ward with her crutches and arrived at the door of the ICU ward.
At this time, there were still many patients' family members in the lobby outside the ICU ward, all of them with grief on their faces.
She flipped through her phone's photo album today and found many old photos from her childhood. She looked at an old photo of herself and her father for a long time.
She had looked at this photo countless times since she was a child, but she always overlooked the background behind her.
Today she finally remembered that this was a photo of herself and her father taken in the park across from the hospital when she was a child.
At that time, she didn't know what bone marrow donation was; she only knew that she could save a little girl's life. At such a young age, after being asked by her father, she readily agreed to donate.
More than ten years have passed since this incident, and the memory of donating bone marrow has become very blurry in her mind, to the point that she later forgot about it and also forgot about the young lady she had saved.