MNL Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Wind and Snow

Xu Jing had a very long dream. …

Because he couldn’t get a taxi for a long time, Xu Jing walked three kilometers against the wind and snow to get to the hospital. The road was wet and slippery, and because he was anxious, he fell several times in the snow. By the time he arrived at the hospital, his whole body was frozen numb.

Then he stumbled all the way to the emergency room. When he saw the light above still on, Xu Jing’s highly strained nerves finally relaxed a little.

At this time, there were three people standing in the corridor: Jiang Pei, who had just called him; Shen Linzhi; and Liu Xiaoguang, who was standing beside him.

The man leaning against the window smoking immediately turned grim and terrifying when he saw Xu Jing at the entrance of the corridor. He put out his cigarette, rushed forward, and punched Xu Jing in the face without saying a word, his voice cold and harsh, “I should have taken him abroad long ago. It’s all because of you. You’re the one who hurt him.”

Xu Jing’s mouth was bleeding from the punch, and his cheek instantly swelled up. However, even his high self-esteem had been worn down by the wind and snow along the way. At this moment, Xu Jing did not fight back, but leaned against the wall and stood up, staring blankly at Shen Linzhi and asking, “What are you saying?”

Shen Linzhi’s reaction would make anyone who saw this scene think that he was a good father who had lost his mind because he was worried about his son.

The conditioned reflex of anger even made Shen Linzhi himself feel that way for a moment.

But he was the only one who thought so.

Jiang Pei ran up and pushed Shen Linzhi away, pointing her finger at his nose and scolding, “Who the hell are you putting on this act for? What are you pretending to be so devoted? Where were you when Aunt Zhong passed away? Where were you when Shen Yan was handling the funeral alone? Where were you when he took sleeping pills and tried to commit suicide? You’re the one who has wronged Shen Yan the most from beginning to end. What right do you have to accuse others here!”

Having struggled in the business world for so many years, no one had ever dared to talk to him like this. Two cold and stern gazes collided in the air. Because it touched upon the things he least wanted to face, Shen Linzhi’s face turned livid, and he was already enraged. However, he considered himself a gentleman and adhered to the principle of not hitting women. In the end, he threw his hand and walked to the other end of the corridor.

Jiang Pei turned her head and saw that the thin sweater Xu Jing was wearing was already soaked. She took off her coat and draped it over Xu Jing’s shoulders, a few traces of heartache flashing in her eyes, “He hurt you, didn’t he? Why didn’t you fight back just now?”

“What exactly happened?” Xu Jing’s throat was sore from the cold wind all the way, and now it was already hoarse.

Jiang Pei’s eyes darted around, hesitant to speak.

Xu Jing grabbed Jiang Pei’s arm, his voice was very soft, but very firm, “Tell me.”

Jiang Pei bit her lip and replied, “I only found out today that Shen Yan, he, has a heart problem.”

Xu Jing suddenly raised his eyes.

“He participated in the city’s Taekwondo Championship and fought for three whole days, ten matches.”

The last bit of luck spread in the air, and finally collapsed suddenly in the silence. Xu Jing’s lips were trembling as he tried his best to suppress it, “And then?”

“It was an acute myocardial infarction. He actually knew how risky the last match was, so he called me to go.” Jiang Pei took out an extremely exquisitely packaged bag, her eyes gradually reddening, “This is what he asked me to give you, a birthday present.”

Xu Jing’s hand lingered in the air for a long time. Even his fingertips were trembling when he took the bag.

The scene in front of him gradually became blurred. Xu Jing’s Adam’s apple rolled, and he didn’t seem to notice the tears flowing to the corners of his mouth until he tasted the salty, wet, and bitter taste.

At this moment, a nurse ran out in a hurry and shouted, “Shen Yan’s family, where is Shen Yan’s family?”

Shen Linzhi quickly stepped forward and said, “That’s me, I’m his father.”

“The patient’s condition is very bad. His heart just stopped beating. This is the critical illness notice. Please sign it.”

The nurse handed over a document. Shen Linzhi’s eyes darkened, and he finally closed his eyes heavily and took it.

In an instant, all the sounds around him became distant and blurred, and his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of gray mist. He tried desperately to concentrate his ethereal attention, but his consciousness began to wander. Xu Jing leaned against the wall, large drops of hot tears falling down and hitting the floor of the hospital corridor. Endless pain and despair were slowly swallowing him, and he couldn’t break free, as if he was about to fall into endless darkness.

Before that, he only asked that Shen Yan could live. He prayed in his heart again and again.

Shen Yan, please live.

Please…

“Doctor, the patient has ventricular fibrillation!”

“Defibrillator! 200 joules, clear!”

“200 joules, one more time, clear!”

“Puncture, prepare to implant a stent.”

…

The surgery lasted for more than three hours. During this time, Shen Yan’s heart stopped beating many times. There was one time when even the doctor was ready to give up and walked out, but at this time, the person inside miraculously showed signs of life again.

In the end, although the operation was successful, Shen Yan was still unconscious in the ICU.

Shen Linzhi asked someone to guard the door of the ward. Xu Jing knew what it meant and sat in the corridor waiting.

It wasn’t until Shen Linzhi came to the hospital again that night that Xu Jing’s eyes moved, and he stood up, stopped Shen Linzhi who was about to go in, and said in a very soft tone, “I want to see him.”

Shen Linzhi said without turning his head, “Don’t come looking for him again.”

Xu Jing’s face was tense, and he said, “This is between him and me.”

Shen Linzhi paused, turned around and said coldly, “Have you forgotten why he’s lying here now?”

Xu Jing’s back was stiff, and he raised his bloodshot eyes, his voice soft, “I only need ten minutes.”

After a moment of eye contact, Shen Linzhi didn’t know what he thought of, his expression softened slightly, and finally he gave way.

In Xu Jing’s heart, Shen Yan could be high-spirited on the podium, he could be laughing heartily after teasing him, or he could even be silent, crying and choking.

But he couldn’t accept Shen Yan like this, he couldn’t accept Shen Yan just lying there quietly, his face pale and calm, as if he was asleep. He couldn’t accept that so many tubes were inserted into his body, but he didn’t have any reaction.

The whole room was filled with the sound of the heart monitor, as if a judgment between life and death was being made.

Xu Jing lowered his eyes and said softly, “I said I didn’t want that racing car model. Who allowed you to make your own decisions? Do you think I would be very touched?”

“You lied to me again, I will never believe you again.”

“Didn’t you say you were going to pick me up at the station? Didn’t you say that all my wishes would come true? Didn’t you say you would always be by my side… You promised me, how can you go back on your word?”

“If you don’t wake up again, I won’t like you anymore.”

Xu Jing reached out to touch Shen Yan’s face, but what he touched was a thick needle tube. His Adam’s apple rolled with difficulty, and he raised his eyes and found the obvious blue mark on Shen Yan’s arm.

Xu Jing’s lips trembled, and he slowly rolled up Shen Yan’s sleeves, which were covered with scars left from boxing, shocking, but still only the part he could see.

Shen Linzhi had been at the door, listening to the incoherent nonsense coming from inside, and the uncontrollable crying that followed. He seemed indifferent, and even his expression didn’t change, but ten minutes had long passed, but he still didn’t go in to interrupt.

Xu Jing walked out from inside, his whole person seemed even more dejected.

“I will take him abroad for treatment,” Shen Linzhi said calmly.

Xu Jing’s footsteps stopped, his thin shoulders trembling slightly, his head lowered, and even his always straight back seemed to be bent by something. Just as Shen Linzhi thought that Xu Jing was going to say something, he found that the other party didn’t even turn his head, let alone say a word, but just walked away with heavy steps.

He walked very slowly and quietly.

After a while, Shen Linzhi was about to ask Liu Xiaoguang to go through the discharge procedures when he heard a “bang” in his ear.

He looked up and saw that the person at the end of the corridor seemed to have lost his support and fell straight down like that.

·

Xu Jing had a very long dream.

When he was five years old, Qin Xin cut off all sources of sweets because he had tooth decay. He went back to his room in anger and went on a hunger strike. It wasn’t until Qin Yan came to his room to see him that night and took out a string of candied hawthorns from her arms. He smiled very happily and said that the first thing he would do when he grew up was to marry his aunt.

When he was six years old, in order to be angry with Qin Xin who had broken her promise, he secretly ran out of the kindergarten while the teacher wasn’t paying attention, but he ran into the boy sitting on the steps crying secretly. By the moonlight, he could see the boy’s appearance clearly. He wanted to be friends with him, so he gave away his most cherished racing car model.

When he was eight years old, Xu Huaiyang and Qin Xin took him to the amusement park. He saw a man in the street raising his hand and slapping the woman beside him in the face. The boy standing beside them clenched his fists and his face was cold. He had never seen this boy in his memory, but he inexplicably had a familiar feeling.

When he was fourteen years old, Yan Zhe dragged him to watch a solo basketball game. When the award was presented, he saw the first-place boy turn around and leave, leaving behind a tall and slender figure, which caused a lot of sighs from the audience.

When he was sixteen years old, he was locked out of the house and raised his head to meet a pair of indifferent eyes.

So at that moment, those black and white pictures shattered with one blow, and his world became a bright and humid blue.

The sea breeze caressed his skin lingeringly, and in the sound of the waves, he heard a voice behind him.

“Deskmate.”

He turned his head instantly and saw the boy wearing a blue and white shirt, with one hand in his pocket, looking at him with a smile.

“I’ll take you to catch the sea!” He heard his own joyful voice.

Under the melody of seagulls and wind, he took that hand and ran all the way along the coastline, countless pieces of fine gold dust sprinkled on their intertwined fingertips.

However, the temperature from the palm of his hand became lower and lower. He turned his head again, but found that the boy was long gone.

The tide broke, the sky began to press grayly towards the sea, and the seagulls sent out bursts of mourning. Everything in the dream began to collapse. The sea waves rolled into whirlpools and churned frantically. A huge sense of suffocation came over him, and he began to struggle, but to no avail. He could only continue to sink and fall.

Until the last bit of faint light disappeared, he finally closed his eyes, letting the sea water pour into his mouth, nose, and lungs.

His dream shattered.

Along with the person in the dream, they disappeared together.