DDT - Chapter 68
Chapter 68: School Tyrant × The Pushover (Side Story 2) [Caution]
"The patient's vital signs have stabilized. If there are no major issues after another night of observation, she can be transferred out of the ICU." The doctor in the white coat gave a few more instructions before pushing the door open and leaving.
There were still ten minutes of visiting time left. Chi Junluo's father had gone to pay the fees, leaving today's visiting slot to Yi Shuhan.
Half a month had passed since the harrowing suicide attempt. Chi Junluo had been lying in the ICU for half a month, and thanks to the doctors' unremitting efforts, they had finally pulled the girl back from the brink of death. She had multiple fractures all over her body; it was a miracle she hadn't died.
According to the doctor, Chi Junluo had regained consciousness briefly twice in the past few days but had quickly fallen back into a coma. After observation tonight, if all her vitals remained stable, the patient should gradually awaken after being transferred out of the ICU.
Yi Shuhan was a little happy when she heard the news. She sat by the bed, looking at the girl's pale cheeks and bloodless lips, her heart filled with anticipation.
Ten minutes passed quickly. After removing her isolation gown and shoe covers, Yi Shuhan walked out of the room, which was filled with the beeping of instruments.
On her way, she ran into Chi Junluo's father, a somewhat downtrodden middle-aged man. That day had been the first time she had ever met him. He was a large part of the reason for Chi Junluo's suicide attempt, and Yi Shuhan had originally wanted nothing to do with him. But seeing him weeping with remorse, she suddenly didn't know what to say.
They had ridden in the ambulance together. Both were so concerned about Chi Junluo's injuries that they had no time to speak to each other. She had only heard the man crying shamelessly, shouting things like "Dad was wrong" and "I'm sorry," and she couldn't help but feel a mix of sorrow and anger.
Why did some people only learn to cherish something when they were about to lose it?
The ambulance went to the nearest private hospital, where Chi Junluo received emergency treatment.
The man was rather embarrassed to see Yi Shuhan, his eyes filled with unstoppable gratitude. This girl had spent nearly every day waiting outside the ICU. She must be a very good friend of his daughter's. Her parents had visited once—they were elegantly dressed and carried themselves with grace. He had felt so ashamed of his own inferiority that he hadn't dared to show his face.
"Hello, Uncle," Yi Shuhan said. She figured he was Chi Junluo's father, after all. Even though she didn't like him, she still had to show basic courtesy.
The man nodded frantically, scratching his head. "I'll go see her," he said, flustered. "Thank you for all your hard work. You should get some rest."
Watching the man slip past her, Yi Shuhan paid him no mind and walked straight to the front desk. She made a call home on the way. If Chi Junluo could be transferred out of the ICU tomorrow, she hoped to arrange a VIP room for her. Although this hospital wasn't under the Yi family's name, with her family's influence, spending a little money to secure a high-end room was more than easy.
No matter what, she had to give Chi Junluo the best possible environment to recover in.
"Dr. Li, Chi Junluo has been out for a whole day. Why isn't she awake yet?"
In a daze, Chi Junluo heard someone calling her name. She wanted to open her eyes but found her eyelids incredibly heavy. Her entire body was devoid of strength, unable to move, as if she were bound.
A chattering voice buzzed in her ear, making her want to sleep. She drifted off again in a haze.
When she woke again, she heard the chirping of sparrows outside the window. Other than that, it was very quiet. Her eyes twitched, and she forced them open with great effort.
Her gaze fell upon a white ceiling and an unlit lamp. A few rays of sunlight streamed in from the window to her side.
So quiet.
Where was this place?
Chi Junluo turned her head and saw two IV bags hanging high up on her right.
This must be a hospital. How did she end up in a hospital? What happened?
She tried to move her hands and feet but felt only numbness, a very uncomfortable sensation, as if they were wrapped in something thick. Her body was weak, as if bound by countless strips of cloth.
With a click, the sound of a door opening came from her left. Chi Junluo painstakingly turned her head to the left.
A strange girl with long hair, who looked about her age, walked in.
The girl walked straight to a table, seemingly carrying some food and drinks. She didn't notice Chi Junluo lying in the hospital bed with her eyes open.
Could there be another patient in the room? Was this girl a family member of another patient? But besides the bed she was lying in, she only saw empty beds…
Could this girl be a patient too?
Chi Junluo's mind raced with wild thoughts. She felt thirsty, her lips terribly dry. She wanted to speak but found she couldn't make a sound. She must not have spoken for many days.
She had no choice but to give up and quietly observe the girl who was busy tidying up the table. She had delicate features and was quite pretty, with a quiet demeanor.
Finally, the girl finished organizing the previously messy tabletop, took a sip of water, and turned around.
Their eyes met.
She suddenly saw a look of astonishment on the strange girl's face, followed by delight. "Luo Luo! You're finally awake!" the girl exclaimed.
Luo Luo??? Was she talking to her? Why did this unknown girl seem so familiar with her?
Yi Shuhan saw the blank look on Chi Junluo's face and the trace of vigilance in her eyes. It was suddenly like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. The smile vanished from her face as a bad premonition rose within her.
Hearing that the patient was awake, the doctors bustled in and out for a while, running checks. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the girl in the bed, they gradually left the room. During this time, Yi Shuhan called Chi Junluo's father to tell him the news.
Once the doctors were gone, Yi Shuhan carefully helped Chi Junluo drink some water. Chi Junluo cleared her throat and was finally able to speak.
"This might be a bit rude, but… may I ask who you are?" Chi Junluo hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
Yi Shuhan's hand tightened around the cup. She looked at Chi Junluo in disbelief. She didn't recognize her.
Yi Shuhan didn't rush to tell her who she was. Instead, she began to ask Chi Junluo questions one by one. Who are you? How old are you? Do you remember where you go to school…
Although Chi Junluo no longer remembered Yi Shuhan, her body reflexively answered the pretty girl's questions. Was she a latent face-connoisseur?
Yi Shuhan frowned. After a few questions, she discovered something obvious: Chi Junluo had lost her memory, but only the memories from the second semester of her third year of high school.
What the hell was this?! She even had selective amnesia…
With a click, the door opened again. The two of them stopped talking and looked toward the entrance. It was Chi Junluo's father, who had rushed over as soon as he got the news.
Chi Junluo's face hardened, clearly displeased to see him.
Yi Shuhan nodded a greeting to Father Chi and then left the room to the father and daughter.
She needed to calm down.
"What are you doing here?" Chi Junluo's tone was not the least bit polite.
Now that his daughter was truly awake, Father Chi felt the urge to retreat again.
Father Chi wrung his hands, pulled over a stool, and sat down by the bed.
"Luo Luo, I know you don't want to see me, so I won't stay long. I don't want to upset you and affect your recovery. But that young lady has been running around for you all these days. Her family even helped arrange this high-end room. You have to thank her properly later."
After rattling this off, Father Chi didn't know what else to say. He just sat there on the stool, his head bowed, not daring to look directly at the child in the bed.
Chi Junluo didn't speak either. From her earlier conversation with the girl, she had learned that she had forgotten the last six months of her third year of high school. She figured she must have met that girl during that time, and they seemed to have a very good relationship.
After Father Chi left, a doctor came for a routine check-up. Chi Junluo learned from him that she had multiple fractures all over her body, but luckily, no internal organs were injured.
In the afternoon, her lackeys heard from Yi Shuhan that their boss was awake. They came to the hospital to visit, bringing plenty of nutritional supplements and fruit.
From her lackeys, Chi Junluo learned the story of herself and that girl.
She also learned that her terrible injuries were the result of a suicide attempt.
She had a strong memory of the suicide attempt. She had started planning it at the end of her second year of high school. She never expected to be lucky enough to survive, though she did lose some of her memories. Now, it seemed those memories were quite precious.
After all, that girl cared so much for her.
Although she had lost her memories, Chi Junluo always felt she owed that girl a great deal.
Not long after she woke up, the college entrance exam results were released. She had actually scored in the top ten in the entire province. Although she had diligently done practice problems and studied every night, she had never imagined she could do so well. What on earth had happened in those six months?
When it was time to fill out her university application, the girl came again. She asked if Chi Junluo wanted to attend the same university as her. This body seemed incapable of refusing the girl, and she nodded in agreement.
When she received the acceptance letter from Beijing University in her hospital bed, Chi Junluo still felt like she was dreaming. But her body wouldn't allow her to run around. Including rehabilitation, she would have to stay in Qingyun City for at least another six months. Unexpectedly, the girl didn't go either. She took a leave of absence from school and stayed with her for over half a year, until she could stand and walk again.
She learned from her lackeys that the girl's name was Yi Shuhan. A very beautiful name.
Yi Shuhan was very good to her, but Chi Junluo always felt that she was looking at someone else through her.
Once Chi Junluo had mostly recovered, the two of them went to Beijing together.
She remembered one time when she was getting the dressing on her left hand changed. The gauze was removed, and Yi Shuhan stared at her empty left wrist for a long time. For the rest of that day, Yi Shuhan was very strange, constantly zoning out as if lost in thought.
In private, Chi Junluo asked her lackeys if anything had happened to her left wrist. They said that a year ago, she had gotten a golden pattern tattooed on her wrist, but for some reason, the pattern had later disappeared.
Yi Shuhan gradually discovered that this rescued Chi Junluo was different from the gentle, domineering, considerate, and fragile Chi Junluo of the past. It was as if she had become a different person. Even the golden tattoo on her wrist had inexplicably vanished. Having spent so much time with Chi Junluo, Yi Shuhan could tell whether the tattoo on her left wrist was real or not.
How could it just disappear after a suicide attempt? In the years that followed, the more time they spent together, the more certain Yi Shuhan became that they were not the same person. The Chi Junluo from those two different periods was not the same person.
But who would believe her? Sometimes, even she thought she was going crazy. It was clearly the same person, so why did she give her such a different feeling?
The person she was looking for, or rather, the person she was waiting for while Chi Junluo was in a coma, was the Chi Junluo from the latter half of their third year of high school. The Chi Junluo who had saved her from dire straits, the one who was a little domineering yet gentle—not this current one, who was only domineering, a bit dense, and not the least bit thoughtful.
Years later, Yi Shuhan and Chi Junluo were still the best of friends, but Yi Shuhan could never again find that faint flutter in her heart that she once felt for Chi Junluo.
Due to her dysfunctional family, Chi Junluo no longer believed in love or marriage. She never married. But Yi Shuhan, who was more outstanding than her, also never married. Despite being such an exceptional girl pursued by many excellent boys, her heart was never moved.
Chi Junluo once curiously asked Yi Shuhan why she didn't date or get married. Yi Shuhan took a small sip of wine, her gaze seeming to look past her at someone else. She said, "I'm waiting for someone, to see if she'll ever appear again."
There was that look again. Chi Junluo didn't press further, but a faint ache bloomed in her chest. She took a gulp of wine to suppress it.
It wasn't until her twilight years that she gradually realized that within that faint ache was a trace of unwillingness. Just a trace, and nothing more.
Yi Shuhan remained unmarried for her entire life and never sought a partner. She simply stayed by Chi Junluo's side, waiting for that impossible chance.
They remained the best of friends, yet an invisible chasm separated them.
Yi Shuhan thought to herself that perhaps, once something is missed, you can never wait for it again.
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