Still Frame Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Pain Like Flowing Water (3)

Why wasn’t it me?

The person who asked this question was his own father. A sharp pain shot through his chest again, and his left leg stung as if it were on fire. Zhang Liuxin thought he had completely accepted any attitude Zhang Jiming might have towards him, but this single, short sentence easily crushed him.

Levi helped Zhang Jiming out and closed the door.

He was alone in the ward again. The monitoring equipment emitted a very soft, steady sound. Zhang Liuxin stared vaguely at the ceiling, but the expanse of white made him dizzy.

He closed his eyes.

Zhang Liuxin wanted to ask Zhang Jiming, why would it be him? He originally… didn’t want to go. It was Zhang Jiming’s good son, Zhang Qiannan, who forced him.

But the thought of Zhang Qiannan brought back what Levi had said: Zhang Qiannan was now in a vegetative state.

Who could he blame?

Now, whenever he thought about the day of the car accident, he felt as if his entire body was being pierced by ten thousand sharp swords. The pain seeped out from every organ, every bone seam in his body. This immense suffering, like flowing water, would never run dry.

“No matter what you think of him… don’t harbor inappropriate thoughts. How could Wen Jin possibly look at someone like you…”

Zhang Qiannan’s words were etched into his mind like a curse. He even felt that every breath he took caused that curse to stab his heart again.

Was he wrong?

Should he never have coveted his brother’s fiancé? Should he have fled back to school that night, or caused a scene to get out of the car halfway? But he did nothing. Was it just because he feared Zhang Qiannan’s threats? Was it only because of Zhang Qiannan’s coercion?

No, that wasn’t it.

That voice deep inside him emerged again… Actually, you weren’t coerced, were you? Actually, before going downstairs that day, you specifically went to the bathroom to fix your hair, didn’t you? Actually, in the car that day, you were already mentally rehearsing the scene of meeting Wen Jin, weren’t you?

You brought this upon yourself.

Zhang Liuxin closed his eyes in despair, feeling enveloped by cold stillness. Endless loneliness and exhaustion washed over him.

He didn’t dream of his mother that night. Perhaps his mother had forgotten him, or perhaps she couldn’t bear to see him so miserable and thus refrained from entering his dreams. Zhang Liuxin preferred to believe the second possibility.

But he dreamed of Wen Jin.

It’s been a long time… Senior.

Wen Jin was still tall, handsome, and stood before him with a straight posture. But Zhang Liuxin couldn’t control his body; he was bound and unable to move. He could only strain to lift his head, trying to see Wen Jin’s face.

But he couldn’t see clearly. He couldn’t make out Wen Jin’s expression.

He could only sense Wen Jin’s usual calm demeanor, watching him quietly, looking down at him. They were clearly so close, yet so far, as if he could never touch him in a lifetime.

How could the moon ever be within reach?

Zhang Liuxin resigned himself. Someone of his status was destined only to look up at him. So he closed his eyes, and tears slipped from the corners, leaving a cool, faint trail.

Something seemed to brush against his cheek, touching the skin near his temple, as if wiping away his tears.

Who was it? Zhang Liuxin wanted to see. Was it Wen Jin? Surely not.

But only endless darkness remained before his eyes, and the faint scent of pine that haunted his dreams completely vanished.

When he woke up, there was no one else in the ward. Zhang Liuxin rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling slightly better, but his throat was dry and sore. He propped himself up, dragging his numb and aching leg to sit up a little, intending to reach for the water cup nearby. Unexpectedly, he lost strength and failed to hold it steady. The cup fell to the floor with a crisp sound.

“Zhang Liuxin?” Levi entered. He had changed clothes, but his complexion was poor, looking as if he hadn’t slept all night.

“Do you want water?” Levi signaled someone to come in and clean up the glass shards. He placed the coffee he was holding aside and poured Zhang Liuxin a cup of warm water. “Drink slowly.”

“Thank you.”

After drinking the water and soothing his throat, Zhang Liuxin felt better. He glanced at a bouquet of fresh flowers on the bedside table and asked, “Did someone send these?”

He didn’t think anyone would visit him.

Levi put the water cup aside. Hearing his question, he picked up the bouquet and brought it closer. “These are from the Wen family.”

Zhang Liuxin froze, the fleeting image of Wen Jin from his dream last night flashing through his mind.

“The Wen… family?”

“Yes. The Wen and Zhang families have an engagement. It would be impossible for them not to express concern.”

The bouquet was a mix of light purple delphiniums, light pink roses, white ‘Ice Maiden’ lilies, and light purple hydrangeas, tied with a pale purple ribbon. It looked fresh and elegant, emitting a faint fragrance.

Zhang Liuxin stared at the flower stamens for a moment before slowly nodding. “Oh.”

So that was it.

The two families had an engagement. Since Zhang Qiannan was in a car accident, the Wen family certainly had to offer condolences. What about Wen Jin? Had Wen Jin visited his fiancé? Four days had passed since the unveiling ceremony.

“Um… where is my phone?” Now that he was much more lucid, Zhang Liuxin suddenly remembered something very important: his internship at the TV station.

Levi retrieved it from the cabinet and handed it to him. The screen was shattered, but it could barely turn on.

Levi frowned, drained the coffee beside him, and pulled out his own phone. He told Zhang Liuxin, “I’ll have someone send you a new phone.”

Before Zhang Liuxin could say no, Levi was already on the phone and left the ward.

There were many missed calls. Zhang Liuxin scrolled through them. Besides Jiang You, who was saved in his contacts, there were several unknown numbers that had called multiple times. Seeing that the calls were from three days ago, he knew something was wrong.

He opened his email and indeed saw several messages from his internship team leader at Silver Mirror Station, asking where he was, why he wasn’t answering calls or replying to messages, and if he still wanted the internship.

Zhang Liuxin quickly replied, explaining that he had been in a car accident and had only just gotten his phone back today.

He was extremely anxious and tried calling the team leader, but the call was only briefly answered before being hung up without Zhang Liuxin getting a word in. The background noise was loud, suggesting the person was busy.

No matter how anxious he was now, he was helpless. He could only leave a message for the team leader, asking them to contact him as soon as possible.

After dealing with the internship matter, Zhang Liuxin checked messages from others. One was from Jiang You, who hadn’t been able to reach him and asked what had happened.

Jiang You had just started working, and Zhang Liuxin didn’t want her to worry, so he replied that he was fine and was dealing with family matters recently, telling her not to worry.

There was also a message from Li Xingzhou. Their last conversation was about both getting into Silver Mirror Station. Li Xingzhou had messaged him yesterday asking if he hadn’t shown up at the TV station.

Zhang Liuxin didn’t know how to reply. After a while, he said that he had an accident in the past couple of days and his work might have to be put on hold.

There were no other messages. After all, very few people in this world would notice that Zhang Liuxin hadn’t appeared for a few days.

His phone battery was critically low. Zhang Liuxin noticed a unique profile picture at the bottom of the screen. He instinctively clicked on it and saw a photo posted by the contact saved as “Senior Wen Jin.”

Wen Jin rarely posted such updates. Before Zhang Liuxin could react, he zoomed in on the picture. It was from the unveiling ceremony day. Wen Jin was wearing a black suit, standing among a group of older leaders, looking exceptionally refined and handsome.

When was this posted?

Zhang Liuxin backed out, wanting to check the time, but just as the string of numbers flashed, the screen went completely black. His phone had died.

He remembered the last date was the 2nd. Did that mean it was posted on the day of the unveiling ceremony?

Besides that, he noticed something else… The account was the one he had added with Wen Jin in the library, the one Wen Jin used for club activities. To avoid confusion, he had added the suffix “Botany Club” to the contact name.

Before he could figure it out, Levi came in, his expression looking somewhat complicated. Zhang Liuxin felt a bad premonition.

“Is… something wrong?” Zhang Liuxin asked cautiously. “Also, could you help me get a charging cable?”

Levi nodded, found a charging cable, and plugged in his phone. Zhang Liuxin was very grateful to him. He had been waking up intermittently these past few days and could almost always see Levi. So, he sincerely said, “Thank you. You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

He didn’t ask why only Levi was looking after him. The reason was too easy to guess.

“It’s nothing,” Levi sat down on a nearby chair, looking rather casual. “It’s quieter watching over you. The company, Mr. Zhang’s home, and the Young Master’s side have all been in chaos these past few days.”

Zhang Liuxin smiled, then shifted slightly. He still felt that the pain in his left leg was severely wrong. “I wanted to ask when I can be discharged? I feel like my head and chest don’t hurt as much, but my left leg is still very painful and numb. When can I get back on my feet? I still have work at the TV station.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on Zhang Liuxin’s left leg, which was covered by the blanket. Zhang Liuxin could read something in that look.

“The common peroneal nerve in your left leg suffered a very severe injury. You won’t be able to bear weight for a while, and you’ll need a long period of rehabilitation afterward.”

Hearing Levi’s words, Zhang Liuxin’s throat tightened, and he could barely make a sound. A wave of sorrow sank in his heart. After a moment, he stammered, “What happened? Is it that serious? Will there be… will there be permanent side effects? Will I be able to walk like before?”

The sensation of his left leg being crushed by heavy force in the car compartment surged back. It felt like ten thousand ants were crawling on his calf, feeding on flesh and blood. The burning sting almost twisted his face. He gripped the bedsheet tightly with the hand beneath him to keep himself from losing control.

Noticing his distressed expression, Levi quickly patted his back and said gently, “If you recover well, there shouldn’t be any major problems. Don’t worry too much. Focus on healing for now.”

How could Zhang Liuxin not worry? His eyes were red. He grabbed Levi’s arm and said, “But I have my internship, the job at Silver Mirror Station. I can’t keep missing it.”

The stubbornness in the young man’s eyes was like a wildfire. He was already skin and bones, yet so headstrong. Levi almost couldn’t bear to tell him the other, more difficult news.

Once Zhang Liuxin’s emotions had calmed down a bit, Levi found an orange in the fruit basket and asked if he wanted some. Zhang Liuxin nodded blankly, picked up a segment, put it in his mouth, and chewed expressionlessly.

Levi ate a segment too, wincing at the sourness. He even wondered if the car accident had somehow altered Zhang Liuxin’s sense of taste.

Just as the last segment of orange was finished, the ward door was pulled open. Zhang Liuxin looked over at the sound, thus missing the slight change in Levi’s expression beside him.

The visitor was Zhang Jiming. Completely different from yesterday, his demeanor today was almost manic, his face flushed with a kind of rosy glow, like a final burst of energy. The moment Zhang Liuxin saw his face, he remembered the vicious, indifferent way he had said, “Why wasn’t it you,” yesterday. The hand beneath him involuntarily clenched again.

“Liuxin, my good son.”

Zhang Jiming wore a smile Zhang Liuxin couldn’t decipher. He came to the bedside and took Zhang Liuxin’s hand. The feeling made Zhang Liuxin’s skin crawl. He instinctively knew that Zhang Jiming wouldn’t say anything good next.

“Wen Jin agreed! Wen Jin actually agreed!”

Zhang Jiming’s expression was fanatical, his pupils reflecting an extremely pathological excitement. He gripped Zhang Liuxin’s hand, which was receiving an IV drip. Sweat from his palm stuck to the back of Zhang Liuxin’s hand. Zhang Liuxin’s body stiffened, his brain completely unable to process Zhang Jiming’s sudden statement. The IV line in his hand backed up with blood, and his left hand felt cold and dull.

“Wen Jin agreed to marry you! Our family will still be in-laws with the Wen family. We’ll hold the engagement banquet as soon as you’re discharged.”

Zhang Jiming’s words struck Zhang Liuxin, making his vision go black and the world spin.