Volume Two, Chapter Thirty-Nine: Recuperation (Part 2)

Lingjing's face had a large chunk of rouge eaten off by Shasha, and Shasha's mouth was also stained crimson. The two girls quickly ran to the restroom. By the time they came out, Lingjing had washed off all her makeup, her hair was back in a fresh ponytail, and she was wearing a princess dress, looking stunningly beautiful. Before long, Mom Ye, who worked at this hospital, brought their dinner, and the three of them began to eat in the ward. At this time, the nurse also brought dinner to Yuechi Xun. Although she was alone here, the hospital knew her family was a powerful clan in Japan, so they naturally didn't dare to neglect her.

However, despite being assigned a special nurse, the hospital was short-staffed. Yuechi Xun was usually quiet and could take care of herself for things like going to the restroom. Although the bill might already be marked with high nursing fees, the nurses were always called to help elsewhere in the hospital, only coming when she ate or needed something and pressed the call button.

The hospital food was nutritious but, frankly, tasted bad. Seeing Yuechi Xun eating in small bites, Lingjing initiated the idea, and the three of them shared some of Mom Ye's home-cooked meal with her. Lingjing had heard about her experience and felt some sympathy for the girl who seemed pitiful and had been beaten along with Jiaming.

This time, Yuechi Xun said "thank you" in English instead of "arigato." Lingjing, being a good student who had studied English for a year and a half, immediately started a simple conversation with her in English, saying "You're welcome" and "My name is Ye Lingjing." They exchanged a few words while eating, and Yuechi Xun, using English, asked for their names. She repeated the name "Gu Jiaming" several times.

After dinner, the two girls started doing their homework in the ward. Soon after, Jiaming asked about the recitation competition, and Lingjing's pleasant and gentle voice filled the room:

"...Now I am slowly walking through this garden, rocking my wheelchair, and I often have a feeling that I have been out playing by myself for too long. One day, I was organizing my old photo album, and I saw a photo taken more than ten years ago in this *** park—a young man sitting in a wheelchair, with an old cypress tree behind him, and beyond that, an ancient altar. I went to the garden to find that tree. I found it quickly by looking at the background in the photo. By looking at the shape of its branches, I was sure it was the one. But it was dead, and a vine as thick as a bowl was wrapped around it. One day, I met an old lady in the garden, and she said, 'Oh, you're still here?' She asked me, 'Is your mother well?' 'Who are you?' 'You don't remember me, but I remember you. Once your mother came here looking for you, and she asked me if I had seen a child in a wheelchair...' Suddenly, I felt that I had come into this world alone and had been playing for too long. One night, I was sitting alone under a streetlamp by the altar reading a book, and suddenly a sound of suona came from the dark altar; surrounded by towering ancient trees, the square altar occupied hundreds of square meters, vast and open, facing the sky alone. I couldn't see the person playing the suona, only the sound of the suona echoed in the sparsely starlit night sky, sometimes mournful, sometimes joyful, sometimes lingering, sometimes desolate. Perhaps these words are not enough to describe it. I clearly heard it resonating in the past, resonating in the present, resonating in the future, swirling and lingering, never-ending.

One day, I will hear someone call me back..." (Me and Diztan)

The girl's voice was pleasant and heartfelt, and reading this piece from "Me and Diztan" would undoubtedly win an award. However, in Jiaming's ears, it sounded a bit affected. Of course, he wouldn't say that.

Around nine o'clock in the evening, the two girls went home with Mom Ye, who was off work. The nurse checked on them a few times, but most of the time, only the two children stayed quietly in the ward. Jiaming would read a book in bed, while Yuechi Xun lay on the hospital bed looking at the ceiling. Sometimes she would glance over, and when Jiaming noticed, she would shift her gaze back to the ceiling.

A little after ten, Jiaming got out of bed and turned off the lights. Since Yuechi Xun just stared blankly, he figured she wouldn't have any objections. However, not long after, he heard Yuechi Xun say, "Gu... Jiaming..."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"Keep my secret, and I'll thank you too," Jiaming said in Japanese.

The next day was Saturday, and the two girls came early to bring Jiaming hot preserved egg and lean meat congee. Yuechi Xun naturally got a bowl too. Lingjing inevitably exchanged some English with her again. She always knew that to learn English well, one had to converse with English speakers. Although she only had a little over a year of foundation, she chatted enthusiastically with the other girl. When she encountered words she didn't know, she would have Yuechi Xun write them down and then look them up in an English dictionary to understand the meaning. If she couldn't say something herself, she would find a bunch of words in the dictionary to piece together. The Japanese girl, after guessing the meaning, would then help her sort out the grammar and write the correct sentence.

Yuechi Xun was probably bored at this time, so she stayed there with Lingjing, speaking English and writing sentences. After half the morning, the two had clearly become friends. Shasha would occasionally come over to check, but the tadpole-like script on the paper made her dizzy, so she quickly retreated and stayed by the bedside, chatting and gossiping with Jiaming.

Around ten o'clock, Mom Ye came to tell them that the police would be coming in the afternoon to take statements and that Jiaming should organize his thoughts. In fact, Jiaming had already told the fabricated story about that day, and the police had largely believed him. This visit was just a routine matter. Around two o'clock in the afternoon, a female police officer pushed the door open. The moment Jiaming saw her, his gaze sharpened abruptly.

The situation was abnormal, because the person entering now was highly suspicious in Jiaming's eyes.

The cap was pulled down slightly. The woman entering was too young, at most like a high school student. Although some women naturally have baby faces, Jiaming could tell from her demeanor that she was likely still a student. The way she held her handgun seemed a bit stiff, and... her clothes were slightly ill-fitting, which made no sense...

When things are abnormal, there must be a reason. Jiaming often pretended to be young and played the fool himself. The first thought that flashed through his mind was that someone was coming to test him, or perhaps to send a young female assassin to kill him. He glanced at a fork on the small cabinet nearby, then looked at Yuechi Xun on the other bed. He saw that she also had a look of confusion in her eyes, though not as deep as his.

"Ahem, you are Gu Jiaming," the female officer said, deliberately adopting a mature tone. First, she put the items on the small cabinet, including the fork, into a drawer, and then placed a statement book on it. This made Jiaming even more certain of his judgment.

"My name is Mu Zhenzhen, and I'm here to take your statement," the female officer said, symbolically flashing her police badge. Naturally, no one could clearly see the photo or name on it.

Looking at Lingjing and Shasha, who were still in the ward, Jiaming's mind raced. He had barely managed to hide his abilities from Shasha. If he had to act now, wouldn't everything he had hidden be exposed?

Or should he leave everything to this Japanese girl?

*******************

With over 20,000 clicks, less than 1,000 votes... This book isn't that tragic. Esteemed readers, please help, don't make Banana look too bad...

.