A man lay on the bed, but I couldn't tell roughly how old he was.
That was because he had already withered away to almost nothing.
His hair looked like a handful of dead grass, his face like skin stretched over bone. His complexion was waxy yellow, and his eyebrows had fallen out completely.
If he hadn't been wearing a breathing mask, I would have suspected that even breathing could exhaust him to death.
His eyes were indeed open and fixed on me, but he couldn't speak or move his body. Only his head and neck could move a little.
I walked over and studied him closely, noticing that he bore some resemblance to Liu Haicheng.
This was probably Liu Haicheng's son.
I had fished for information from Liu Haicheng during the day. He hadn't said much, but he had told me one thing: he had a son, and his son was unmarried.
He had also expressed a strong desire for a grandson.
Seeing his son now, I could understand why.
How could someone this sick possibly get married?
The young man seemed conscious. He showed no fear of me, an intruder. Instead, he actually gave me a look that resembled... a plea for help.
At first, I didn't understand what he wanted help with, but soon two trails of tears ran down his face, as though he wanted to tell me something.
"Un... un..."
I quickly leaned in, putting my ear close to him and listening carefully to what he was trying to say.
He kept repeating a sound like "un."
Gradually, I seemed to understand what he meant.
"You want me to unplug your ventilator?" I asked.
He nodded, barely moving his head, perhaps because he was too weak.
I lifted the thin blanket covering him and took