MNL Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Begonia, Begonia blossoms, the wind and snow have stopped…

“Not good, it’s burning up again.”

“40.6 degrees, go get Doctor Zhao.”

“Hurry! The patient is convulsing.”

…

Xu Jing woke up two days later. When he pried open his eyelids and saw the white ceiling, he had a sense of being in another world.

It wasn’t until Qin Xin’s tearful voice of joy came from his ear that he was completely pulled back to reality.

“Xiao Jing, you’re awake, you’re finally awake. Mom will go call the doctor.”

The on-duty doctor arrived quickly. After completing the routine examination, he instructed, “The fever has subsided. You must rest well for the next few days. Remember not to catch a cold again, otherwise, with such a high fever, you may not be so lucky next time.”

His throat was so swollen and painful as if a blade had been inserted. Xu Jing swallowed with extreme difficulty. Qin Xin poured him a glass of hot water, and only after drinking it was he able to speak.

“How is the patient in room 503?”

The doctor replied while making notes in his book, “Are you talking about the boy with the acute myocardial infarction? His condition is not good. The examination revealed that several indicators related to his heart are not optimistic, and there may be signs of heart failure. He completed the discharge procedures this morning and I heard he’s going abroad for treatment.”

Xu Jing’s eyes unfocused, and he slowly closed them.

The doctor glanced at him twice and, before leaving, told Qin Xin again, “Although the patient’s fever has subsided, you still need to pay more attention. Emotions can also affect physical recovery.”

“Thank you, doctor. I understand.”

Qin Xin closed the door, adjusted the back of the hospital bed to a suitable position, and, after a moment of gazing at Xu Jing’s distracted face, sat down and said softly, “Xiao Jing, birth, aging, illness, and death are the most helpless things in this world. Since Xiao Yan has gone abroad with his father for treatment, we can only pray that he gets better soon. As for anything else, there’s nothing we can do.”

That’s not true.

Shen Yan suffered all of this because of him. If it weren’t for him, none of this would have happened.

Xu Jing clenched his fists tightly, turned his head, and used almost all his strength to avoid showing any signs of weakness in front of Qin Xin.

At this moment, the door of the ward was suddenly pushed open, and Jiang Pei rushed in wearing a mask. When he saw that Xu Jing was awake, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The plane takes off in an hour. Hurry! There’s still time to go now.”

Xu Jing was stunned for a moment, then immediately threw off the covers and got out of bed. Qin Xin stood up and walked over, saying, “You’re not allowed to go.”

Xu Jing endured the piercing pain to get up, completely ignoring Qin Xin’s words. He was about to run out without even putting on his coat when Qin Xin reached out and grabbed Xu Jing, her tone with unprecedented firmness, “Xiao Jing, I said, you’re not allowed to go.”

Xu Jing, as if he had lost his mind, directly shook off Qin Xin. Qin Xin was caught off guard and almost fell to the ground. Jiang Pei, who was at the door, immediately stepped forward to help her.

Xu Jing, realizing what he had just done, froze, stopping in place.

Qin Xin asked back, “What can you do by going now? Stop him from going abroad for treatment and then let him die in the hospital?”

The hands hanging by his sides suddenly clenched tightly, then slowly released. Xu Jing’s body slumped powerlessly, and he eventually sat back down on the hospital bed.

He had obviously made his choice.

Qin Xin said to Jiang Pei beside her, “Thank you for coming to inform us, but Xiao Jing is not feeling well right now. If they are destined, they will definitely meet again in the future.”

Looking at Xu Jing, who was so weak that he seemed like he could collapse at any moment, Jiang Pei hesitated again and again, turned his head, and finally left the ward.

The entire ward fell into a deathly silence again, and the surrounding air became heavier and heavier, making people feel like they were trapped in a cage, unable to breathe.

Qin Xin stood in front of Xu Jing, her lips moved, and she said, “Xiao Jing, are you…”

“Yes.” Xu Jing raised his head, his voice extremely hoarse, but unusually firm, he said, “I’m gay.”

Qin Xin’s face turned pale, and she stumbled backward as if struck by lightning. It turned out that she had guessed right from the beginning. Those things that made her suspicious were not just random guesses.

Now that things had come to this point, Xu Jing had decided to throw caution to the wind. His voice was very soft, but it was particularly clear in the quiet room, “I fell in love with him when I was in the first year of high school. We held hands, kissed, and even did more excessive things. I was the one who took the initiative. I just like him. I liked him first.”

Qin Xin’s lips trembled slightly, and she said, “Stop talking.”

Xu Jing’s expression was blank, he raised his head, and looked at Qin Xin and said word by word, “Mom, your son is gay.”

“Slap!”

A loud slap in the face took away Qin Xin’s last bit of sanity. The woman who had always been elegant and gentle now had red eyes, trembling all over, and angrily said, “I told you to stop talking!”

Xu Jing’s head was turned by the slap, and his cheeks swelled up instantly, but he couldn’t feel any pain. Instead, he felt a sense of pleasure in making an unspeakable secret public.

Now he could finally say this sentence frankly, no longer having to hide like a sewer rat, and finally being able to admit his feelings for Shen Yan to others openly.

Her palm was still numb from the force she had just used. Qin Xin began to feel a little dazed. What had she done?

This was the first time she had ever hit Xu Jing, and even before this, she had never even said a harsh word to her son.

Qin Xin’s lips moved, but she was unable to make a sound, closed her eyes, and walked out.

At the door, Xu Jing’s soft voice came again.

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

Qin Xin’s hand, which was supporting the wall, paused, and her nose twitched, almost bringing her to tears.

The moment the door closed, Xu Jing seemed to have been drained of all his strength and fell backward. His tears wet the pillow and then slowly dried up. The turbulent emotions collided within his body, eventually gradually calming down.

The clouds drifted, and the chill dissipated.

His youth was eventually submerged in this long winter.

No one knew, no one resonated.

·

A continuous spring rain knocked down begonias all over the ground.

Rainwater slid down the glass windows of the classroom. Xu Jing propped his head up, looked at the blurred teaching building outside the window, and listened to Liang Yin’s gentle and powerful voice, “Everyone performed very well in this midterm exam. The overall score far exceeded the grade’s average. I would also like to congratulate Xu Jing, who ranked first in this ten-school alliance exam.”

Xu Jing came back to his senses in the noisy applause. He saw Cha Fei’ang turn his head to give him two thumbs up, saying, “Brother Jing, you’re awesome.”

Xu Jing didn’t react at all, he just withdrew his gaze and took out his textbook.

Cha Fei’ang looked at Liang Yin somewhat awkwardly, and Liang Yin just sighed, her eyes indicating: Are you not used to it yet?

Although this semester started later than before, everyone was obviously more diligent than before because the next semester would be the third year of high school. During breaks, they were either discussing problems or burying themselves in their books at their seats.

Regarding Shen Yan’s withdrawal from school, there were all kinds of rumors at the beginning. It was also during that time that Xu Jing was criticized for fighting every now and then, and he repeatedly refused to mend his ways, until no one in the school dared to discuss the matter any further.

As for Shen Yan’s seat, Liang Yin originally wanted to have another student move over, but Xu Jing disagreed and his attitude was very firm. Considering Xu Jing’s recent abnormality, Liang Yin was afraid of something happening and acquiesced, so the corner seat remained empty.

The bell rang for the end of lunch break, and the people in the class scattered. Cha Fei’ang walked out the door before realizing it, and then returned to ask Xu Jing, “Brother Jing, aren’t you going to eat?”

Xu Jing didn’t even lift his head and said, “No.”

Cha Fei’ang glanced curiously and found that Xu Jing was doing English questions in the tutoring book. If he remembered correctly, this was the third book Xu Jing had done this month.

He was already smart, and with this kind of crazy study method, who else would be number one if not him.

“Okay, then I’ll go to the supermarket later and bring you back something to eat.”

Not long after Cha Fei’ang left, another shadow fell on the textbook. Xu Jing looked up and found that it was Lu Haichuan.

“Where exactly did Shen Yan go?”

Xu Jing’s hand holding the pen paused, and he said, “Get out.”

Lu Haichuan ignored the coldness in Xu Jing’s words and continued to ask, “Is he sick?”

A fierce look suddenly flashed in his eyes. Xu Jing threw the pen in his hand, got up and grabbed Lu Haichuan’s school uniform collar, and said coldly, “Don’t you understand when I tell you to get out?”

Lu Haichuan almost instinctively fought back with Xu Jing, but when he thought about the special relationship between him and Shen Yan, he held back.

“I just want to know his current situation. Why did he suddenly drop out of school?”

Compared to the curiosity and gossip of those around him during these days, the concern in Lu Haichuan’s eyes seemed particularly sincere. After a moment of eye contact, Xu Jing finally let go of his hand, turned around and sat back in his seat, his calm voice without the slightest fluctuation, “He went abroad because of an illness.”

“What illness? Is it serious?”

Seeing that Xu Jing didn’t answer for a long time, Lu Haichuan asked again, “Then how is he now?”

Xu Jing was silent for a while, and said, “I don’t know.”

Memories of Shen Yan quietly flooded in. Xu Jing didn’t know when Lu Haichuan had left. When he came back to his senses, the classroom had become quiet.

Xu Jing slowly put down his pen, his eyes falling on the table next to him.

After returning to the apartment that night, the items in room 601 had been emptied, leaving only two green potted plants that Shen Yan had personally planted on the table. Xu Jing sat in 601 for a night, and when he left, the potted plants on the table were also gone.

Unconsciously, he pulled out the textbook in the drawer. Xu Jing’s eyes slowly swept across the clean and concise notes on it. Those slightly messy handwriting, with vigorous and powerful strokes, revealed a sharp beauty, just like the person himself.

The raindrops outside the window gently tapped the window, making a crisp sound. Xu Jing closed his eyes, trying to recall the person’s appearance in his mind, but the more he thought about it, the more blurred the figure became.

So he kept indulging in that short and profound beautiful dream, even if he was pricked with blood by the soft fragments of the past, he was unwilling to wake up for a long time.

Just because when the dream ends, the begonia blossoms, and the wind and snow have stopped.

Everyone is moving forward.

Only Shen Yan is left, forever in that cold winter.