Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Xixi brought Huang Yuanrui home.
After a round of examinations at the hospital, Huang Yuanrui’s condition was far from reassuring. In addition to the impact injuries to her head and face, she was also hypoglycemic. On top of that, she was far too thin and somewhat malnourished. She would need to stay in the hospital for a while and receive IV fluids every day.
Before Huang Yuanrui had even finished telling her everything, Xixi could barely hold herself back.
“Call the police!”
Huang Yuanrui patted the back of Xixi’s hand and said calmly, “No.”
Xixi pulled her phone out of her bag. “Then I’ll find someone to deal with him.”
Huang Yuanrui waved weakly. “Don’t. Listen to me.”
Xixi was starting to get angry. “What is going on? He almost killed you, and you’re still protecting him?”
Huang Yuanrui raised her head. There was no emotion in her eyes. “I want to handle it my own way.”
Xixi put down her phone and said seriously, “Leave it to me, okay? Look at what you’ve become… Stop exhausting yourself over this man! What you need to do now is rest and get your health back. You can’t keep tearing yourself apart like this.”
Huang Yuanrui sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Xixi said, “If this leaves lasting damage, you’ll suffer for the rest of your life. Let’s focus on getting you healthy first. After that, whatever you want to do, I’ll be with you. Okay?”
Huang Yuanrui looked at Xixi, her eyes faintly reddening.
After thinking for a moment, she said softly, “Then help me with one more thing over the next few days.”
Xixi said, “Tell me.”
Huang Yuanrui said, “My phone is with him, and he knows my passcode. Every few days, send messages to my WeChat and ask why I haven’t said anything. Make one or two voice or video calls too. The more realistic, the better.”
Xixi’s eyes shifted as she thought it over. “You want me to pretend I don’t know anything, right?”
Huang Yuanrui nodded. “That’s right.”
Xixi said, “I’ll do it. But you have to promise me too. For the next half month, you’re going to be happy and not secretly get all emo.”
Huang Yuanrui smiled. “Mm. I’ll try.”
Xixi asked, “Should we tell Nian Gao about this?”
Huang Yuanrui shook her head. “No. She’s too innocent. I’m afraid it would scare her. Besides, this situation is too unusual. The fewer people who know, the better.”
That night, Xixi gave Huang Yuanrui a SIM card and a brand-new phone.
“Here. Use this. Watch some funny short videos, or movies or something, so you won’t be bored.”
Huang Yuanrui obediently opened the phone’s packaging and inserted the SIM card.
Xixi pulled a stool over and sat down beside the hospital bed, peeling a tangerine for Huang Yuanrui.
“Find a comedy later. We’ll watch it together.”
As Huang Yuanrui plugged in the charging cable, she asked, “Did you message that WeChat account of mine?”
Xixi nodded. “Mm. I sent a few.”
Huang Yuanrui asked, “Any reply?”
Xixi handed her a few segments of tangerine. “Not yet. Did you feel dizzy today?”
Huang Yuanrui touched the gauze on her head. “Not too bad. Once or twice.”
Huang Yuanrui stayed in the hospital for several more days. Xixi remained by her side every day, barely leaving her for a moment except to step out of the ward and make the occasional phone call.
That day, her appetite finally seemed to have returned. Playing with her fingers, she said to Xixi, “I want something tasty.”
Xixi’s eyes lit up. “You’re craving food now? That’s great, that’s great! What do you want to eat? I’ll order delivery for you.”
Huang Yuanrui tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, “I want… the rice noodles from that place on the southwest corner of Market Street.”
Xixi said, “Rice noodles?”
Huang Yuanrui swallowed. “I kept remembering the taste of those rice noodles this morning. I haven’t had them in so long.”
Xixi said, “Do you mean the place with the chubby owner? The one where his son is always doing homework in the shop?”
Huang Yuanrui nodded: “Yeah, that’s the one.”
Xixi flipped through her phone: “They don’t do delivery, the place is too small… I’ll go buy it for you.”
Huang Yuanrui: “Maybe I’ll eat something else. I just remembered, Market Street is narrow and dirty. Your car won’t have room to drive or park there.”
Xixi: “What’s the big deal? I’ll just walk, it’s only a ten-minute walk anyway. I’ve been cooped up here with you day after day, my legs are about to swell up, a good walk will do me some good!”
Huang Yuanrui gave an apologetic smile: “Sorry to put you through this.”
Xixi rolled her eyes: “Quit pretending, don’t give me that polite crap!”
Watching Xixi leave, Huang Yuanrui threw off the blanket and quickly yanked out the IV needle.
She sat on the edge of the bed, took off her hospital gown, put on a plain dress Xixi had brought her, grabbed a plastic bag from the nightstand and stuffed it with a bunch of food and drinks, popping two pieces of candy into her mouth on the way.
After doing all that, she grabbed her phone and Xixi’s car keys and headed downstairs.
Her ID was still at 302, and she didn’t want to take public transportation and leave a trace. She could only brace herself and drive there herself.
On average, she had dizzy spells several times a day. Driving on the road like this was really dangerous.
But she had no choice. Huang Yuanrui couldn’t lie on that white hospital bed for another minute.
She knew Qin Song too well. With his personality, he must have hidden away in some corner by now.
He was just an ordinary man, not mentally strong enough to kill someone and act like nothing happened.
Every day she lay in that hospital bed on IV drips, the back of her hand swollen like a steamed bun. She had a cleanliness obsession, yet she had to put up with the hospital toilet. She wished she could hold it all day and only go once, but with all the fluids pumped into her body, she had to run to the bathroom over and over…
During her hospital stay, she hadn’t slept a full night’s rest. At midnight she’d suddenly dream of Qin Song clutching an ashtray and swinging it at her, or dream of him standing by a pit, frantically swinging a shovel…
She had nearly drained herself dry. How could she let him be free, building a new life alone?
She had to find him, use her own methods to ensure he would never know peace.
Huang Yuanrui drove Xixi’s car, stopping and going, resting at service areas when tired.
Whenever she saw something to eat, she bought a little and put it in the car. It was her only source of security. She felt her body was like a barrel with a hole in it; she had to constantly refill it with water and food to slow the draining of her energy.
A day later, she finally arrived in City A.
By then, Xixi’s car was almost stuffed full with all kinds of chocolate, bread, chips, and coffee that Huang Yuanrui had bought.
Huang Yuanrui’s heart started pounding.
She felt no fatigue at all, and wasn’t the least bit sleepy.
She parked near Qin Song’s company and sat in the car until late at night.
As the sky darkened, Huang Yuanrui’s eyes glowed with two green gleams in the car.
She stared out at the road, mechanically chewing chips and chugging down half a bottle of coffee.
Approaching midnight, Huang Yuanrui saw Hu Heng’s car slowly driving over.
His car passed right by Huang Yuanrui’s, and he glanced inside her car.
Huang Yuanrui shrank down into her seat and turned her head away.
Hu Heng’s car drove past.
Huang Yuanrui opened her phone, checked the video backed up on her cloud drive again, got out of the car, and followed Hu Heng upstairs.
When she entered, Hu Heng had just finished using eye drops and was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.