Chapter 7 Hospitalization

By the time Jian Meng opened the door to her apartment, the pain was unbearable. She stumbled to the bedside table in search of her medicine. In her haste, the bottle slipped, spilling pills all over the floor with a loud clatter.

Trembling, she managed to swallow two painkillers before curling up on the ground, her body wracked with pain. Only after two minutes did the medication start to take effect, gradually easing her suffering. She was drenched in sweat.

Slowly, she got up and carefully picked up each pill, placing them back in the bottle. After tightening the lid, she returned the bottle to the nightstand.

Shanghai was growing colder by the day, and Jian Meng had no desire to go outside. She had always been afraid of the cold.

Sitting by the balcony again, she draped a thin wool blanket over herself. She gazed at her hand, where a silver ring gleamed.

Ji Jing’an was getting married.

There’s only room for one ring on a person’s right ring finger, and he would have to wear Lin Qing’s.

Which meant hers was no longer needed.

The thought brought tears to Jian Meng’s face. She had no idea how her eyes could produce so many salty tears. Her chest felt tight, making it hard to breathe. It was as if her heart had turned into a heavy block of lead—cold, hard, and sinking, ready to fall out of her chest.

Jian Meng had lost a lot of weight since the early days of her marriage. The ring slid off easily, leaving behind only a pale mark.

She had once thought that she would never be able to remove it, that it was a part of her forever. Yet it came off so effortlessly, leaving only a faint scar that would eventually heal.

She tossed the ring aside. It rolled under the bed, out of sight, just like the broken promises of the past.

Had Ji Jing’an ever thought of the child Jian Meng lost when he had his own child aborted?

Jian Meng drifted back to sleep.

No one called her to wake up this time, and it was late by the time she stirred. When she did, she realized her chest was covered in blood from a nosebleed.

She didn’t have the strength to wash her clothes. Despite her lifelong habit of thriftiness, she packed the clothes and wool blanket into a bag and threw them into the trash.

It was surprisingly easy to throw away things you didn’t like—much easier than cleaning them. No wonder Ji Jing’an always replaced broken things with new ones.

Finally, another painful day had passed.

—

Lin Chenyang was bored out of his mind, driving aimlessly around the city, when he somehow found himself back in District X. He remembered the pitiful woman he had come across that day outside the hotel.

She was actually quite pretty. He just couldn’t understand why she would fall for a man who had let her down. Maybe it was for money, but who could say for sure?

His sister was about to get married too. Her fiancé was the CEO of an up-and-coming company, the kind of man who seemed like a deeply calculating fox. It was obvious he would never truly love her sister.

In fact, anyone could tell that he wasn’t the kind of man capable of genuine love.

Men like him—who could they ever truly love?

Anyone who fell for him was in for a miserable fate.

Just as Lin Chenyang was about to leave, he suddenly spotted that same woman again.

She was dressed in a thick white down jacket, but she looked even thinner than before. Her face was so pale, she looked like someone terminally ill—or at least that’s what Lin Chenyang thought.

Jian Meng got into a taxi and left. Lin Chenyang, feeling a sudden surge of curiosity, decided to follow her like it was some kind of game.

The taxi’s final stop was at a hospital.

Lin Chenyang felt a jolt of unease.

Lin Chenyang’s mother had died of leukemia in this very hospital when he was young. His father had wanted to treat her, but his mother refused. He remembered asking her why.

She had said, “It’s nothing more than draining myself for a brief extension of life. I’d rather live the days I have left well.”

Lin Chenyang had been only eight years old. He didn’t understand her reasoning then. To him, living was what mattered most. You lived for as long as you could.

But in the end, his mother passed away.

So, was this woman sick too?

Without thinking, Lin Chenyang got out of his car and followed her into the hospital.

There was a strange sense of hope within him—a hope for a stranger. After all, even though this hospital was renowned for treating blood diseases, not everyone who came here had one. She could have just had a cold or a fever…

But then, he saw Jian Meng take off her thick down jacket and walk into the chemotherapy ward.

Jian Meng had gone in alone, and she came out the same way.

Only, when she came out, she was terribly weak, nearly delirious. She moved slowly, clutching the wall in agony. She was on the verge of collapsing when someone caught her.

When she woke up, she felt warmth—more warmth than in her own home.

Jian Meng was still in pain. She could smell the sharp scent of disinfectant and realized she was in a hospital room.

“Big Sis, you’re awake?”

Jian Meng turned toward the voice, and for a moment, her memory overlapped. She almost thought she had woken up in that unfamiliar boy’s house again, like she had that morning.

But this time, Lin Chenyang seemed much more polite… at least he hadn’t made fun of her age.

“Why are you here?”

Lin Chenyang half-opened his mouth, speechless, unable to think of an excuse. Finally, he stammered, “I… was just wandering around the hospital.”

The moment he said it, Lin Chenyang realized how ridiculous it sounded. Who wanders around a hospital for no reason?

Jian Meng suddenly winced in pain, and Lin Chenyang quickly moved forward to check on her.

“You need to be admitted to the hospital. I’ve already taken care of the paperwork. You need proper treatment.” There was a hint of childlike bossiness in Lin Chenyang’s voice as he spoke.

Jian Meng looked at him, filled with doubt. Why would this boy, a stranger, go to such lengths to help her?

“If you don’t get treatment, you could die. So, you need to take care of yourself.”

Lin Chenyang’s voice softened as he tried to explain.

A hint of melancholy crept into the air as Lin Chenyang seemed lost in thought.

“Why do you keep saving me, again and again?” Jian Meng asked, her voice soft but filled with confusion.

“Because when I was young, I couldn’t save someone like you,” Lin Chenyang replied solemnly, his expression suddenly heavy with emotion.

Jian Meng was bewildered by his words. She didn’t quite understand, nor did she have the energy to delve into someone else’s story. Now that she was already in the hospital, there was no point in insisting on leaving. Lin Chenyang was right, and the doctor had also recommended that she stay.

In the past, she had refused hospitalization because she didn’t want to leave that home. She had feared that if Ji Jing’an came back, the house would feel cold and empty without her.

Later, she realized that Ji Jing’an was never coming back. The house had always been cold; the only one who had been neglected was her.

So, whether she stayed in the hospital or not, whether she knew or didn’t know, it made no difference to Ji Jing’an. He wouldn’t care either way.

“I have money. I’ll pay you back,” Jian Meng said as she stood up to look for her bag. There were still tens of thousands of yuan in her account.

“No, no!” Lin Chenyang suddenly stopped her, pressing her hand down. “I have money! Think of it as charity.”

“I don’t need anyone’s charity,” Jian Meng tried to refuse, but Lin Chenyang frowned.

“Just take it,” he said, noticing that Jian Meng responded better to softness than force. He changed his tone and added, “How about this? I tend to spend money recklessly. You can hold onto it for me, and when I need it, I’ll ask you for it.”

Jian Meng stared at him, puzzled. There were so many things she didn’t understand, especially why, in her current fragile state, she kept getting entangled with this boy. She didn’t want to waste her energy trying to figure it out.

In the end, all she said was, “Thank you.”

Lin Chenyang smiled and told her it was no big deal. Then, he sat by the bedside, watching as Jian Meng fell asleep again. The sunlight streamed in, casting a soft, warm glow on her face, highlighting her delicate features with a fuzzy layer of light.

In truth, she didn’t resemble his mother at all. His mother had been decisive, bold, and never hesitant. She had loved skydiving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing—anything that pushed boundaries and defied rules.

Yet, for some reason, Lin Chenyang couldn’t help but feel that Jian Meng was fragile and pitiful, someone who needed care and protection.