A Chan – CH 087

Chapter 87: Third Rewrite (2)

Zhang Jingchan glanced at her, his gaze deep and still. His pupils lost focus, and he collapsed. Li Weiyi shuddered, her soul nearly leaving her body, until he fell on top of her, at which point she frantically caught him.

The surroundings were so dark; the bucket, like a ghost, slowly retreated into the darkness.

Li Weiyi held Zhang Jingchan’s body, his eyes closed, unconscious. Her hands touched the back of his head and found a large, sticky liquid. Her mind was blank; her mouth seemed unable to open, unable to utter a sound. Her fingers felt like they were covered in thorns, making it difficult to hold him securely.

“Zhang Jingchan!” she finally managed to utter, “Zhang Jingchan—”

But his face was as white as paper, unresponsive.

In that instant, Li Weiyi’s heart felt like it was being torn apart. She slowly reached a hand under his nose, then turned to wipe away her tears on the arm she was holding, but new tears immediately welled up.

Her breath was barely audible.

Li Weiyi lowered her hand, trembling. She heard her own short sobs and the sound of her teeth chattering. She pulled out her phone, dialed 120, and then shouted with all her might, “Zhong Yi! Zhong Yi—”

Zhong Yi, who was fighting in the factory, heard this piercing cry, and his heart pounded. He kicked the worker opposite him to the ground and ran for his life towards the gate.

When Zhong Yi arrived, Li Weiyi had already finished dialing the emergency number. Her phone lay in a pool of blood. She knelt on the ground, holding Zhang Jingchan tightly in her arms, seemingly in a daze.

Seeing this, Zhong Yi felt his heart clench violently. For a moment, he didn’t dare to ask her a single question. Then, Li Weiyi pointed to the wall beside her. Zhong Yi looked up and vaguely saw the corner of an excavator. He immediately rushed out.

A sudden stop saw Li Yunmo slam on the brakes, pulling the car alongside the two people. Startled, he jumped out and cried, “What happened to her?” Suddenly, Li Yunmo realized what was happening, his eyes widening as he screamed, “Brother Chan—it’s Brother Chan—”

The ambulance lights flashed; Li Yunmo collapsed to the ground, sobbing; Zhong Yi dragged back an unassuming worker, pinning him to the ground, the worker’s eyes darting around; two veterans, having subdued all the workers, rushed over; Liu Ying had vanished in the chaos…

In the chaotic factory street, Li Weiyi held Zhang Jingchan tightly, pressing his face against hers, cold and painful, and closed his eyes.

—

The hospital.

11:35 p.m., outside the emergency room.

Li Weiyi and Li Yunmo sat on the ground outside the door like two homeless puppies.

Mr. and Mrs. Li and Li Xiaoyi were all there. Wu Xinhui, having received Li Weiyi’s distress call, also came and helped find the city’s best specialist. She gazed at her distraught son, then at the heartbroken Li family, and sighed deeply.

Mr. Li’s eyes were red, his gaze fixed on the empty space ahead like a statue. Mrs. Li wept incessantly. Li Xiaoyi was also wiping away tears. Zhong Yi sat beside her, offering only a few words of comfort, when Li Xiaoyi pushed him away: “Get out! I thought you were steady and sensible. How could you involve Weiyi in such a dangerous matter? Don’t touch me!”

The Li family only knew that their “daughter” had been accidentally killed by workers who had caused a disturbance at the Zhang family’s factory.

Zhong Yi’s eyes were also red, and he lowered his head in self-reproach.

Suddenly, Mrs. Li stood up and walked to Li Weiyi’s side. Li Xiaoyi quickly followed her. Mrs. Li said, “Ah Chan, you’ve always been kind to our family. We’re grateful, and my husband and I are willing to do anything to repay you. But why did you take her with you to such a dangerous event as the workers’ disturbance? She’s not even an adult yet; she’s a fragile girl. Why?”

Faced with her mother’s tearful accusations, Li Weiyi felt an unbearable pain in her heart. She buried her face in her hands, repeatedly saying, “It’s my fault…it’s all my fault…I didn’t protect him…he was still trying to protect me…it’s all my fault, I’m so useless…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

Seeing this child crying, even more heartbroken than they were, the Li family couldn’t utter a single word of blame. Mrs. Li sighed heavily and slumped back down.

Wu Xinhui, watching from the side, also began to cry.

Li Yunmo, who had been hanging his head in a sullen mood, began wiping away tears again upon hearing this, softly calling, “Brother Chan… Brother Chan…”

After another ten minutes or so, the light in the emergency room finally went out, and the door was pushed open.

Everyone in the doorway stood up.

The doctor came out, looked at the Li family, and said, “The surgery was successful. There’s no danger to her life, but she still needs observation…”

Almost everyone wept with joy, except for Li Weiyi, who stood at the back of the crowd, staring blankly through the gaps between the doctors and nurses at the person on the hospital bed inside.

In truth, she couldn’t see clearly at all; she only saw the blue surgical drape and a head wrapped in many bandages.

“But…” the doctor said regretfully, “The patient suffered a severe head injury, resulting in a severe concussion and aftereffects, as well as some blood stasis compressing nerves…”

Mr. Li asked anxiously, “What will happen to my daughter?”

The doctor sighed and said, “There’s a high probability she’ll become a vegetable. We’ll see if she wakes up tonight.”

Mrs. Li collapsed to the ground, helped up by Li Xiaoyi and Zhong Yi.

Mr. Li was stunned.

Li Yunmo jumped up from the ground, muttering, “A vegetable… a vegetable… Brother Chan…” He glanced at Li Weiyi, then looked down at his watch: “Eight minutes until midnight…”

Li Weiyi smiled bitterly and whispered, “If he can be brought back, I’ll be at peace.”

Li Yunmo understood, tears welling up in his eyes. He grabbed her arm and said, “Sister-in-law, he’ll wait for you; he will definitely wait for you.”

Just then, a hospital bed was wheeled out and taken to the adjacent intensive care unit. A group of people rushed forward, but were stopped by the nurses. Li Weiyi only caught a glimpse of him lying in bed from afar before being stopped by a nurse outside the intensive care unit.

Li Weiyi glanced at the time; six minutes remained.

She dialed Zhang Moyun’s number, but it was still switched off. He was still on his flight back to Xiangcheng.

Li Weiyi stared at her phone and dialed Xu Yi’s number.

That number was also switched off.

Xu Yi had gone to Beijing with Zhang Moyun; they should be on the same flight.

Li Weiyi let out a long sigh, looked up, and pulled Li Yunmo, who was peering out of the ICU door, back to her. “Come with me,” she said.

Li Yunmo, confused, followed her to the dimly lit, deserted stairwell. Li Weiyi peeked around to make sure no one was there, then pulled a recording pen from her pocket and said, “I’m leaving soon. You absolutely must give this to Zhang Moyun yourself. Don’t let anyone else pass it on, and don’t let anyone see it. Can you do that?”

Li Yunmo, his eyes red, mumbled, “Yes!”

Li Weiyi said, “This is something your Brother Chan risked his life for.”

Li Yunmo said fiercely, “The pen lives, I live; the pen dies, I die!”

Li Weiyi smiled and wiped away her tears, saying, “That’s not necessary.” She patted his shoulder and said, “Let’s go; see you in 2022.”