Chapter 46

“You go. I’ll stay with Hongxia.”

Chen Jiayi’s voice was calm, devoid of emotion.

Shen Hongxing knew that extreme grief could manifest as calmness, but the pain would return later.

It was even more heartbreaking.

She didn’t know how to comfort Chen Jiayi.

Cao Hongxia and Chen Jiayi had been inseparable since they were ten.  Cao Hongxia was the closest person to Chen Jiayi.

How could she let go?

Shen Hongxing looked at Cao Hongxia.

Suddenly, she saw a glistening liquid flowing from Cao Hongxia’s eyes.

Tears.

Thinking she was mistaken, she rubbed her eyes.

She saw it clearly this time.

Cao Hongxia was crying.

As long as there was a glimmer of hope, she wouldn’t give up.

The doctor and Lu Jiaoyang rushed in.

Everyone saw Cao Hongxia crying.

The doctor immediately ordered, “Quickly, take her to the emergency room!”

Cao Hongxia was rushed back to the emergency room.

Xu Shuangshuang leaned against the wall, biting her finger.

Chen Jiayi sat on a bench, hands clasped, praying, “God, please let Hongxia wake up! I’ll give up twenty years of my life! Please!”

Shen Hongxing stood at the emergency room entrance, watching the light above the door.

Afraid to miss anything.

“She’s crying, meaning she’s conscious and can hear you. Don’t worry! She’s fighting. She’ll be okay,” Lu Jiaoyang whispered.

Shen Hongxing nodded, “Yes, Hongxia will be alright!”

After a long time, the light in the emergency room went off.

The doctor came out, relieved, “Chief Lu, Cao has a will to live. Her vital signs have stabilized!”

Hearing this, Chen Jiayi jumped up, screaming, “She’s alive! God answered my prayers!”

Xu Shuangshuang snapped out of her daze.

She hugged Chen Jiayi excitedly.

They screamed excitedly.

Remembering they were in a hospital, they covered each other’s mouths and laughed.

As they laughed, tears fell.

Shen Hongxing hugged them, “Hongxia is alive. Don’t cry, okay?”

Soon, a nurse wheeled Cao Hongxia out.

She was still unconscious.

The doctor said, “She’s stable, but her injuries are severe.  When she wakes up depends on her.”

Cao Hongxia was taken back to her room.

Shen Hongxing felt sorry for Xu Shuangshuang and Chen Jiayi, “Shuangshuang, Jiayi, you’ve been here all night. You’re exhausted. Go to the guesthouse across the street and rest. I’ll stay here.”

Xu Shuangshuang and Chen Jiayi were worried, “No, we’ll stay with her until she wakes up!”

“Shuangshuang, Jiayi, look at your dark circles. If you collapse, who will help me take care of Hongxia?”

Chen Jiayi agreed.

She pulled Xu Shuangshuang, “The boss is right. Let’s go rest.”

Only Lu Jiaoyang and Shen Hongxing remained in the room, along with the sound of the respirator.

“Chief Lu, thank you. Without you, Hongxia would be…” Shen Hongxing finally thanked him.

“How would you like to thank me?”

As soon as he asked, Shen Hongxing regretted it.

It sounded awkward and ambiguous.

Lu Jiaoyang checked his watch, put on his hat, and handed her a note, “Cao Hongxia needs to recuperate in Haicheng. Staying at the guesthouse isn’t ideal. A friend has a spare apartment.  You can stay there if you want.”

Shen Hongxing hesitated before taking the note.

188 Jingbei Road, Xipu District.

A future wealthy residential area.

The rent must be expensive.

Shen Hongxing didn’t answer, “We’ll see in a couple of days.”

“Okay.”

Lu Jiaoyang had a meeting. Shen Hongxing saw him off.

Watching his car disappear, she opened the note again.

Was this his handwriting?

It was beautiful.

Suddenly, she found the handwriting familiar.

Shen Hongxing remembered when the Shen family took her back…

On her birthday, Shen Jianguo, his wife, and other relatives sang happy birthday to Shen Jiaojiao.

Shen Jiaojiao wore a new princess dress.

And her best hair clips.

Shen Hongxing only wore Shen Jiaojiao’s discarded clothes and was ignored.  Heartbroken, she slipped away from the wool mill and went to an abandoned train station.

Soon, a thin yellow kitten appeared, rubbing against her legs.

As if begging for affection.

She saw herself in the kitten, tearfully holding it, confiding her sadness.  In the evening, a young man in camouflage uniform passed by.

He wore a hat, so she couldn’t see his face, but he seemed tall.

And handsome.

His appearance was like a savior.

She stared at him.

Until he disappeared.

Later, she saved some food and secretly brought it to the station to feed the kitten.

One day, she found a yellowed letter in a train car.

It was for her.

He included fifty kuai for the kitten’s food.

She took the money home to buy food but Shen Jiaojiao saw it.

Shen Jiaojiao cried to Shen Jianguo that she’d lost fifty kuai.

Everyone in the Shen family, except her grandfather, accused her of stealing it.

She denied it.

Shen Jianguo slapped her in front of everyone at the wool mill to force a confession.

Crying, she ran to the station and saw a tall young man feeding her cat.

It was Lu Ping’an.

She thought he wrote the letter and that she loved him.

She was devoted to him, believing everything he said.

She had been wrong all along.