The red light in the emergency room of the hospital was on all the time. Xia Ziming, who was leaning against the wall of the corridor, bit his right thumb unconsciously. His heart was beating violently in the cold air of the hospital. He kept turning his attention to the red light in the emergency room anxiously, not knowing when it would go out.
Shen Qianxue's appearance ignited his frenzy at the moment.
Xia Ziming grabbed her shoulders angrily, and the brute force seemed to crush her shoulder blades: "Shen Qianxue, do you know what you have done?"
"It hurts." Shen Qianxue looked at Xia Ziming in fear. He was like an angry lion, his eyes full of rage.
"You still feel pain? When you pushed Lin Miao down, did you ever think about how she would feel pain?" Xia Ziming let go of Shen Qianxue and forced her to retreat step by step until she had nowhere to retreat and her back was against the wall of the corridor. "You are so cruel! I didn't expect you to do such a cruel thing!"
Che Xiaoman, who came in a hurry, stopped Xia Ziming and defended Shen Qianxue sincerely: "Ziming, Qianxue would do stupid things because she cares about you..."
Shen Qianxue, who was in a panic, did not realize that Che Xiaoman's defense almost put the blame for Lin Miao's injury on her.
"So you just pushed her down the stairs?"
Shen Qianxue shook her head in fear: "No, I didn't..."
Xia Ziming waved his hand, interrupting her, or rather, he simply didn't want to listen to her quibbling: "Shen Qianxue, do you know why I like Lin Miao? Because I'm tired of your gentleness. You never have your own stance, no opinions. Ha, you can't even get angry or jealous. You don't know what kind of lover I want!"
Shen Qianxue looked at Xia Ziming without blinking. She thought there would be no disputes or conflicts between them, but it turned out that conflicts had always been there.
She once thought that as long as she was strong enough and worked hard enough, she could cross the river called reality that separated them.
But she was wrong. She walked into the river step by step. She could not cross the river and would only drown.
"On Christmas Day you told me that if I didn't like you, I would tell you. What did I tell you? You knew I deliberately stopped contacting you, but you never asked me why. It was you who pushed our relationship into the abyss step by step!" Xia Ziming clenched his fists and slammed them heavily on the wall behind Shen Qianxue's head.
The dull sound attracted the attention of others. Xia Ziming lowered his head and bit his lips tightly, as if to explain: "Lin Miao just showed up at this time."
But it’s actually a verdict.
There was a sudden silence around them, the smell of disinfectant became stronger, and the two looked at each other in silence.
The red light in the emergency room turned green, and the sound of the door opening interrupted everyone's thoughts.
Lin Miao was pushed out of the operating room by the nurse. Her face was wrapped in gauze and only her tightly closed eyes could be vaguely seen.
Xia Ziming's sight shifted, and Shen Qianxue's breathing seemed to stop at this moment. Just when the two wanted to ask the doctor about the condition, Lin Miao's parents came in a hurry.
"Doctor, what happened to my daughter?"
"I heard that she was pushed down the stairs and injured. Is she serious?"
Lin Miao's parents chased the doctor to ask questions. The doctor took off his mask and explained calmly: "The patient's body is not seriously ill. The wounds are all on the face. As long as there is no inflammation in the next few days, there will be no major problems."
"That's good. That's good."
"You guys go and pay the hospital fees first. The patient needs to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation." After the doctor said this, he put on his mask and went to another ward.
Lin Miao's father hurried to pay the hospital bills, but Lin Miao's mother noticed three people in the corridor.
"Who pushed my daughter down the stairs?" Lin's mother's expression became terrible, and her angry eyes seemed to be bleeding.
The three of them were stunned at first, and then Che Xiaoman slowly stepped back, looking at Shen Qianxue worriedly and embarrassedly: "Qianxue..."
Lin Miao's mother keenly noticed Che Xiaoman's action and expression, and she turned to look at Shen Qianxue.
Shen Qianxue trembled all over and wanted to say something sorry, but her voice was stuck in her throat. She even stammered when she said the word "Auntie": "Ah...Auntie, I...I..."
Before Shen Qianxue could finish her words, a heavy slap landed on her face.
Mother Lin shouted and rushed towards Shen Qianxue with her teeth bared: "You are the one who pushed my daughter, right? If anything happens to my daughter, I will tear your face off!"
Che Xiaoman hurried forward to hold Lin's mother, but because she was not strong enough, she was pushed away: "Auntie, Qianxue didn't want this either. This was an accident."
Xia Ziming didn't want Lin's mother to attack Shen Qianxue, so he hurried forward to stop her: "This was an accident, Auntie, don't get excited."
Shen Qianxue stood in the corridor, being pushed and insulted, but she did not react at all. Because during that time, her mind was blank, and everything around her seemed to have nothing to do with her.
The hospital bed was pushed past, electronic equipment was running, the woman was cursing, Xia Ziming and Che Xiaoman were trying to dissuade her, all the sounds mixed together, buzzing in Shen Qianxue's ears.
When Zhang Meiwen arrived, she scolded Shen Qianxue again without saying anything. Everyone in the hospital looked in their direction. Zhang Meiwen asked Shen Qianxue about the compensation with a smug look on her face. Shen Qianxue reacted and wanted to defend herself, but she slapped her in the face and ordered her to shut up. Zhang Meiwen finally paid the medical expenses and angrily dragged her disappointing daughter out of the hospital.
Shen Qianxue could no longer remember the curses she heard on the way home. She only remembered that she was very tired that day, both physically and mentally.
Until she fell asleep, Shen Qianxue kept asking herself:
What am I did wrong?
I'm not a boy, am I wrong?
I'm not self-confident enough, am I wrong?
Xia Ziming has fallen in love with someone else. Am I wrong?
Lin Miao slipped and fell and got injured, was it also my fault?
Is it because I am too weak that everything is my fault?
is that so?
Shen Qianxue lay on her side on the bed, her pillow soaked with tears. In deep doubt and fatigue, she fell into the cage of nightmares.
After Lin Miao was injured, he has been hospitalized for observation. Because Lin's mother was there, Shen Qianxue did not dare to visit him, so she could only ask Che Xiaoman to help check on Lin Miao's condition. Shen Qianxue hated Lin Miao, but she hated her own weakness and compromise more than she hated Lin Miao.
No one knew when the rumor spread, and the fact that Shen Qianxue caused Lin Miao to be hospitalized became news on campus, and almost everyone knew about it.
Whenever Shen Qianxue walked on campus, she could see people pointing and talking at her, and could feel the terrifying gazes of the people around her.
Lin Miao became a "poor man" in everyone's eyes, and Lin Miao's love affair also became true love. Because of this accident, Shen Qianxue went from being right to being right and had no place to complain.
Everyone was targeting her and ostracizing her.
She hoped that Lin Miao would get better soon. She didn't want to be a sinner in everyone's eyes and didn't want to be blamed by anyone again.
But who made her a sinner?
It was Xia Ziming, the Xia Ziming she loved deeply.
"Qianxue, what are you and Xia Ziming going to do now?" A week later, Che Xiaoman asked Shen Qianxue to go out and relax.
Shen Qianxue was silent for a long time, and finally just smiled and said nothing, but she seemed to have an idea between her eyebrows.
So on that evening when the sunset was as blood-red as ice, Shen Qianxue mustered up all her courage, asked Xia Ziming out, and talked about breaking up at the place where they had their first date.
Shen Qianxue returned the necklace Xia Ziming had given her to him, and returned all the items to their original owners. She didn't want to owe him a penny, including her feelings.
Unexpectedly, Xia Ziming, who was always cold and arrogant, grabbed her and said, "Break up? Lin Miao and I didn't do anything that crossed the line. Why break up? You hurt innocent people. Why do you dare to break up?"
"Because I like you very much, and you already like someone else."
Shen Qianxue put the bracelet into Xia Ziming's hand, and then shook his hand away. Just like she once said, if one day you don't like me anymore, tell me and I will leave.
Shen Qianxue is such a cowardly person, she takes everyone and everything around her seriously, doesn't know how to fight for it, and is afraid of getting hurt. She once humbled herself to the dust because she liked Xia Ziming, but he completely crushed this dust.
Maybe she was not mature enough to forgive the betrayal, so she did not choose to face it but chose to escape.
Shen Qianxue tried hard to hold back the tears in her eyes, but she didn't know that Lin Miao in the hospital was almost going crazy.
Lin Miao sat upright on the bed, and the nurse carefully helped her unwrap the gauze. Lin Miao inadvertently glanced at the mirror beside her, covered her face and screamed: "My face! Why is my face like this? What is going on? This is not my face! It's not mine!"
Lin Miao had been waiting for the day to remove the gauze, but the moment the gauze was removed, she was shocked by the mottled and scary face in the mirror.
How could that be her face? She was so pretty and had such fair skin, how could she have a face full of scars?
"Impossible, impossible, this is definitely not my face, no, no!" Lin Miao shouted and overturned everything on the table.
The mirror fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. All the potions spilled on the ground. Lin Miao shrank back, "Why is my face like this? This is not my face, not mine, not mine!" Lin Miao kept shaking his head, tears falling like beads from a broken string.
Fear dominated this body, causing it to tremble constantly. Lin Miao cried and laughed, as if he had suddenly gone crazy: "This is not my face, my face can't be like this!"
Lin Miao's parents looked at her with pity, wanting to go forward to comfort her but not daring to.
"It was Shen Qianxue! It was Shen Qianxue who hurt me! It was Shen Qianxue who pushed me. If she hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have fallen down, and my face wouldn't have become like this! Call the police to arrest her, call the police to arrest her!" Lin Miao suddenly ran to her parents like crazy, she spoke incoherently, "It was she who made me become like this, we can't let her get away with it, call the police, call the police!"
Lin Miao was screaming like crazy in the hospital, while Xia Ziming, who was far away in the campus, was having the final entanglement with Shen Qianxue. The two sat across from each other at the table, with swords drawn, or it could be said that Xia Ziming was unilaterally furious.
"Shen Qianxue, are you breaking up with me for such a ridiculous reason?" Xia Ziming grabbed Shen Qianxue's arm. He couldn't accept being abandoned. "I said, Lin Miao and I are not dating at all. There is nothing between her and me. Why don't you believe it?"
"Even if you are not dating, Lin Miao already exists between us. I can't pretend that nothing happened, and I can't face Lin Miao." Shen Qianxue couldn't shake off Xia Ziming's hand, but she responded with the loudest voice.
"You've actually wanted to break up with me for a long time, right? You've already decided to be with that Zheng Sheng after the breakup, right?" Xia Ziming angrily smashed the bracelet to the ground, and the black beads scattered all over the floor. "I saw it all. He came to see you on Christmas Day. You actually already had a backup plan, right? You were waiting for me to make some news so you could get away with it completely!"
People around gathered around to watch the fun.
Shen Qianxue looked up, her eyes full of disappointment and confusion: "In your heart, I am this kind of person."
After a commotion, several policemen came in from behind the crowd and said, "Move aside, move aside. Who is Shen Qianxue?"
The crowd dispersed, and the police came face to face with Shen Qianxue and Xia Ziming. The leading police officer looked at her and said, "Shen Qianxue, since you are suspected of intentional injury, we police now ask you to assist in the investigation."
"What do you mean by intentional injury?" When Shen Qianxue reacted, there was already a policeman standing on each side. They raised their hands to press on her shoulders to prevent her from resisting, and pushed her away.
Shen Qianxue was taken to the police station in full view of everyone. The police subjected Shen Qianxue to a series of interrogations, each sentence forcing her to confess her crime.
The policeman who was recording the confession sat opposite Shen Qianxue and asked in a rough voice: "We received a report that you deliberately pushed Lin Miao down the stairs. Please briefly describe the situation at that time."
Shen Qianxue would never admit to something she hadn't done. She looked at the police officer resolutely, insisting that she was innocent: "I didn't push her. I was going to fall down, and Lin Miao wanted to pull me up, but I slipped and fell down."
"But there were many people present who saw you do it." The police emphasized the witnesses around him again.
"I told you, I didn't push her. If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance." Shen Qianxue didn't know why the police insisted that she confess, but she hadn't done it, so she was not afraid.
"Then you stay here and tell me after you think it through." Finally, the policeman became impatient and left the interrogation room, leaving Shen Qianxue behind.
Zhang Meiwen arrived at the police station in the evening, five hours after Shen Qianxue was brought to the police station. The first moment Zhang Meiwen saw Shen Qianxue, she did not ask her if she felt wronged, but cursed: "Why did I give birth to such a useless thing like you? What else can you do besides causing trouble all day? You haven't even learned how to make money, and you only know how to make me follow you around and lose money!"
"What sin did I commit in my previous life?"
"Don't even think about me using money to redeem you! I'm telling you, I don't have any money!"
"You just stay here until your dad gives me money!"
Zhang Meiwen did not bail out Shen Qianxue. Her curses echoed in the police station, and then she left under the impatient gazes of the police.
Shen Qianxue looked at the incandescent light above her head and sighed. This is what it felt like to be hated by the whole world, as if she shouldn't exist.
Not long after Zhang Meiwen left, Xia Ziming arrived. Xia Ziming and Shen Qianxue sat across a long table from each other. Xia Ziming leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table, looking very relaxed.
He asked lazily, "Does it feel bad here?"
Shen Qianxue stared at him from bottom to top, "Are you here to laugh at me?"
"If you promise not to break up, I can bail you out, and I can also prove that Lin Miao's fall was an accident." Xia Ziming looked at Shen Qianxue with an arrogant expression, as if saving someone was just a matter of words from him.
Shen Qianxue lowered her head and smiled: "Xia Ziming, do you think it's interesting to be a couple like us? We actually need to rely on a deal to decide whether to break up, don't you think it's ridiculous?"
"Ridiculous? No one can get off the car when I don't want to stop, Shen Qianxue, not even you." Even when it came to the moment of breaking up, Xia Ziming still maintained his arrogance. He never lowered himself, and never let others go.
"What's the point of doing this?" Shen Qianxue asked with a wry smile.
Unexpectedly, Xia Ziming became aggressive: "Do you know why you are locked up here? Because your family is poor, not as rich and powerful as Lin Miao's family, so without me to protect you, you will be bullied." Xia Ziming couldn't hold back his temper at Shen Qianxue's indifference, "If you were still my girlfriend, I could bail you out openly and tell everyone that you are also a victim."
"What if I insist on saying no?"
"Shen Qianxue!" Xia Ziming slammed the table and stood up, obviously unable to control his anger, "It will do you no good to go against me now!"
"When I obeyed you, you said I had no personality." Shen Qianxue looked up at Xia Ziming's angry eyes, with an indescribable smile on her lips, "Now that I don't listen to you, you say I have changed. Xia Ziming, what do you want?"
"You!" Xia Ziming was speechless.
"We have broken up. It has nothing to do with you whether I have someone to bail you out or not. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with me. The innocent will be innocent!"
"Shen Qianxue, you will definitely regret this!" Xia Ziming said this and left.
The surroundings were finally completely quiet.
The next day.
Shen Qianxue was released on bail by Shen Shaohai, and the police released her for two reasons: first, the school's surveillance video did not record anything, and the crime of intentional injury could not be established due to insufficient evidence; second, Che Xiaoman also came out and provided a confession, proving that it was Lin Miao's own mistake and had nothing to do with anyone else.
Lin Miao's parents were unwilling to give up, and they asked the police to detain Shen Qianxue and Shen Qianxue's parents to pay civil compensation. However, there was no evidence to prove Shen Qianxue's guilt, and there was no way to prove that Lin Miao's fall was directly related to Shen Qianxue. Therefore, even though Lin's mother shouted at the police station for a whole day, in the end, even civil compensation could not be reached.
The matter was decided at the police station and a result was reached, but public opinion seemed to be divided. Rumors were spreading in the school, and no matter where Shen Qianxue went, all she could hear were the discussions of her classmates.
"Look, isn't that Shen Qianxue?"
"I heard that she was arrested by the police not long ago on suspicion of wounding someone. How come she was released just like that?"
"I heard that the girl named Lin Miao seemed to be disfigured."
"What a pity! Lin Miao used to be the most beautiful girl in the school."
"How come Shen Qianxue still has the nerve to go back to school?"
Shen Qianxue walked in the midst of rumors and tried to defend herself, but only received more discussion. Shen Qianxue walked to an empty corner, squatted there, and cried with her head in her hands. It turned out that rumors were so terrible, they could distort all the facts and turn everything into a huge stone falling on one's heart.
Why does everyone say this about her? Why?
The faint sobs were carried away by the dying summer breeze. Shen Qianxue squatted in an empty corner and cried until she could no longer shed tears...
After the Lin Miao incident, Shen Qianxue didn't dare go back to school. Although the counselor knew the police station's decision on the matter, because of the rumors in the school, he could only suggest that Shen Qianxue find a place to intern first.
Shen Qianxue followed the advice, prepared her resume, and went looking for an internship company, hoping to get rid of all the public opinion. But something more terrible than public opinion came again.
Che Xiaoman called Shen Qianxue to tell her that the wound on Lin Miao's face had festered for the second time: "Qianxue, I just heard from someone in the department that the wound on Lin Miao's face had festered and she is now being treated urgently in the hospital. Should we go see her?"
Shen Qianxue realized the seriousness of the situation. She was originally going to a company for an interview, but after receiving a call from Che Xiaoman, she rushed to the hospital.
In the intensive care unit of the hospital, a woman's heart-wrenching cry was heard: "Mirror, give me a mirror, let me see what's wrong with my face! I want a mirror, let me go, let me go!"
When Shen Qianxue stopped at the door of the ward, Lin Miao was being forcibly held by several nurses. She screamed hysterically and looked for a mirror like crazy. Shen Qianxue could not see her disfigured face because her whole face was wrapped in gauze. Apart from the pair of eyes full of anger and madness, Shen Qianxue could not see anything.
"Don't be too excited. This is not good for the wound." The nurses hurriedly dissuaded him, their expressions showing great worry.
"Shen Qianxue?" Lin Miao suddenly became quiet and looked at Shen Qianxue at the door of the ward. Just when the nurses thought she was about to calm down, she suddenly pounced on Shen Qianxue.
"You are the one who hurt me, you are the one who wanted to hurt me!" Lin Miao tightly pinched Shen Qianxue's neck, his eyes were red, like a devil, "Why did you change my medicine, why did you want to hurt me! Why! Shen Qianxue, you will not die well, you will not die well!"
"The patient's emotions are out of control."
The nurse hurried forward to hold Lin Miao, and the doctor skillfully injected Lin Miao with a sedative: "Give her a sedative to prevent her from getting too excited and tearing the wound."
Lin Miao slowly loosened his grip on Shen Qianxue's neck, and the anger in her eyes was replaced by sleepiness.
The nurses came forward and helped her back to bed to rest.
"I won't let you go!" Lin Miao's eyes were fixed on Shen Qianxue. Her voice became very low, but it could reach deep into Shen Qianxue's brain.
"Qianxue, are you okay?" Che Xiaoman came over at this time and looked at her worriedly.
Shen Qianxue used her long hair to cover the bright red finger marks on her neck, not wanting to be noticed by too many people.
Che Xiaoman seemed to have arrived at the hospital earlier than Shen Qianxue, but Shen Qianxue didn't bother to ask why she showed up only now. Che Xiaoman pushed her and said, "I think Lin Miao has gone crazy. Let's go back. Otherwise, when Lin Miao's parents come, we won't be able to explain it to them."
Shen Qianxue nodded and left the ward with Che Xiaoman.
Before leaving, Shen Qianxue glanced at Lin Miao, who was lying quietly on the hospital bed, looking so helpless.
Suddenly, Shen Qianxue didn't hate Lin Miao so much anymore. She felt that Lin Miao was more pitiful than anyone else now.
"Qianxue, stop looking at her. She is a lunatic. Let's go." Che Xiaoman pulled Shen Qianxue, who kept looking back, out of the hospital.
The news that Lin Miao was completely disfigured came two weeks later. At that time, Shen Qianxue had just found an internship and had not been working for a week when she received a call from home.
"Qianxue, come back soon, something happened at home." When Zhang Meiwen called, Shen Qianxue was printing meeting documents in the printing room.
Shen Qianxue knew Zhang Meiwen. If it wasn't something very important, she wouldn't call.
"Manager Li, I need to take an afternoon off. Something urgent happened at home, so I need to go back." Shen Qianxue handed the printed document to Manager Li. Before Manager Li could reply, she had already run away.
"What? Why are today's interns so impatient? They ask for leave after only a few days on the job." Manager Li complained and gave Shen Qianxue a bad review of her work attitude.
When Shen Qianxue rushed home, Zhang Meiwen was standing at the door of her house. Their door was splashed with red paint, and a big "Go to hell" was written on the door. There was also a lot of garbage dumped at their door.
"Who did it?"
"Call the police."
"terrible."
"Did you offend anyone?"
The neighbors also gathered around and talked about it.
"Mom, what's going on?" Shen Qianxue walked in from the crowd, looking at a loss.
"What's going on? It's all because of you. I made you try to climb up the social ladder and compete with rich people at school. Look at what has become of our family!" Zhang Meiwen started scolding without giving any explanation.
When the neighbors saw her starting to teach her daughter a lesson, they all dispersed.
"Mom, let's call the police."
"Call the police?" Another strange voice came from the stairwell.
Shen Qianxue and Zhang Meiwen turned around and saw a group of people dressed like delinquents holding baseball bats walking down the stairs.
"How dare you call the police? My sister was disfigured by you, and the police have settled this account?"
"Your sister? Lin Miao? I didn't cause Lin Miao's disfigurement, so stop slandering me!" Shen Qianxue stepped forward and protected Zhang Meiwen.
“No matter if it is true or not, if the police won’t give us justice, we will find it ourselves!” The leading man widened his eyes and waved his hand, and the group of young people behind him rushed forward.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Meiwen wanted to stop them, but the group of people had already broken into their home.
The sound of smashing and destroying things rang out, and the ears were filled with the sound of glass breaking into pieces. Shen Qianxue looked at everything in the house being smashed in a daze.
The group kicked down all the doors of their bedrooms and searched through the drawers and cabinets to find all the valuables.
Shen Qianxue panicked all of a sudden. She stood there, her body like it was under a spell, unable to move. Besides calling the police, who else could she turn to?
Che Xiaoman!
Yes, Che Xiaoman!
Che Xiaoman can definitely help, definitely can!
The first person Shen Qianxue thought of was Che Xiaoman. Her hands holding the phone kept shaking, and she dialed Che Xiaoman's number in panic.
"Hello, Xiaoman, something happened at my home..." After the call was connected, Shen Qianxue said in panic.
But before she could finish, a man's panting sound came from the phone.
"It's Qian..."
Before Che Xiaoman finished saying her name, a familiar male voice came: "There's no need to answer anyone's call at this time!"
Shen Qianxue trembled all over, and felt that something in her body had cracked.
The phone slipped from his ear and landed on the floor with a thud.
Shen Qianxue didn't know whether she was under a spell of immobilization or her soul had left her body. She watched her home turn into a mess but was unable to move away.
Those humiliating voices kept lingering in her ears.
Why was Che Xiaoman with Xia Ziming? What were they doing? She must have heard it wrong. It must be like this.
Shen Qianxue stood there in a daze, with countless questions in her mind.
Zhang Meiwen's voice brought Shen Qianxue back to her senses: "What are you doing? Robbers, that's my money, give it back to me!"
The scene in front of Shen Qianxue gradually became clear. She watched Zhang Meiwen rush forward to snatch her savings.
The man who led the riot frowned and kicked Zhang Meiwen away: "This one thousand yuan is not even enough for us brothers to have a meal! Get out of here!"
Zhang Meiwen staggered backwards and fell on the broken glass. Her hands were covered in blood, but she did not cry: "Give me back my money!" Zhang Meiwen grabbed the pieces of glass and rushed forward again.
"Get out of here, crazy woman." The man who was scratched by the glass shards yelled and swung the baseball bat at Zhang Meiwen 's head. This time, Zhang Meiwen fell to the ground and never stood up again.
"Mom! Mom!" The frightened Shen Qianxue trembled all over, and her feet, which seemed to be nailed to the spot, finally moved forward.
She rushed forward, half-picked up Zhang Meiwen, and shook her continuously.
"Brother, I thought someone might have died." The person behind him said to the man who was beating someone.
"I don't even need this little bit of money! I'll give it back to you!" The man who beat her looked righteous and threw the money at Zhang Meiwen.
Red banknotes fluttered in the air and fell to the ground accompanied by cries.
Zhang Meiwen was hospitalized, and the thousand yuan she swore to defend was not enough to pay for her medical expenses. For a moment, Shen Qianxue's world was dark. Shen Qianxue took out her savings and barely paid for her medical expenses and hospitalization fees.
Shen Qianxue stood in front of Zhang Meiwen's bed, looking at her who hadn't woken up yet, feeling full of guilt. She turned around and asked the doctor who came to check on her: "Doctor, how is my mother? Why hasn't she woken up yet?"
"Your mother only has a slight concussion. It's not a big problem. But for safety reasons, she should stay in the hospital for observation for three days." The doctor told the truth. "It's getting late now. You can go back and come back tomorrow."
"Thank you, doctor." Shen Qianxue's expression was gloomy, and she left the hospital in a daze.
After returning home, she began to pack up her things at home. It was not until after three in the morning that she finished everything.
Shen Qianxue was lying on the sofa in the hall, feeling exhausted. Her cell phone screen showed many calls from companies, but she didn't want to call back any of them.
The window had no glass, and the curtains were blown by the wind from outside, fluttering under the light. Shen Qianxue closed her eyes, and all the happiness and unhappiness were replaced by fatigue. The moment her eyelids fell, a crystal teardrop quietly slid down.
Morning arrived once again.
Without glass in the house, the sound insulation effect was even worse. The music played by the kindergarten outside woke Shen Qianxue up. Shen Qianxue opened her eyes and looked at the bright sunshine outside the curtains.
The phone on the coffee table buzzed a few times. It was a WeChat message from Che Xiaoman.
"Qianxue, let's meet at the usual place at three o'clock in the afternoon. I have something to tell you." Shen Qianxue looked at the WeChat message, not knowing what to feel.
Another text message suddenly popped up. Shen Qianxue clicked it and it was from Manager Li: "Shen Qianxue, do you still want this job? What time is it? Why haven't you come to work yet?"
Two hours later, Shen Qianxue walked out of the towering office building. She was holding a cardboard box, and like all the unemployed people, she left the place where she used to work. Shen Qianxue stood outside the office building, and the glass curtain wall faithfully reflected her appearance at the moment: a girl with dull eyes.
Two hours ago, Shen Qianxue was still standing in Manager Li's office, asking for leave because her mother was hospitalized: "Manager Li, my mother is in the hospital, I want to take a week off."
But Manager Li didn't give her face, and told her to pack up and leave: "Please take a leave. How long have you been working? Did we invite you here just to ask for leave? If you have a problem at home, don't come to work! Go back and deal with it before looking for a job!"
Shen Qianxue was kicked out and became a homeless person after receiving three days' salary. Unexpectedly, her first internship ended like this. Shen Qianxue did not miss the place too much. She hurried to the hospital and made a meal for Zhang Meiwen. After she finished eating, she rushed to the place where she had agreed to meet Che Xiaoman.
Three o'clock in the afternoon, guarding the coffee shop.
Shen Qianxue pushed open the door of the coffee shop, and the wind chimes on the door rang, with a clear and pleasant sound.
There were many people in the Japanese-style decorated coffee shop. Shen Qianxue stopped at the door for a while, and then quickly found Che Xiaoman who was sitting by the window.
"Qianxue, you're here?" Che Xiaoman was as enthusiastic as ever. When she saw Qianxue coming, she hurriedly called the waiter to take the order.
Although Shen Qianxue didn't feel like laughing, she still kept her usual smile. Che Xiaoman, who was sitting opposite her, was wearing a purple chiffon dress, with her slender arms exposed and her long legs elegantly crossed. She had her curly hair tied into a bun, revealing her smooth forehead, and she looked like a little princess.
"Qianxue, when you called me that day... Actually, actually Xia Ziming and I..." Che Xiaoman looked embarrassed, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally told the truth.
Although Shen Qianxue had already guessed it, when she heard it with her own ears, it still felt like something was coming from a distance, splitting her soul and body apart. At this moment, her vision was blurred, her ears were buzzing, and what she saw and heard was not real.
"That day, Ziming drank too much. He refused to go home and insisted on spending the night in the hotel. Then... he mistook me for you... we..." Che Xiaoman said as she started crying, as if she was also a victim.
Che Xiaoman still had a pitiful look on her face as she cried: "Qianxue, I know I am sorry for doing this, but Xia Ziming and I are already like this. If he doesn't take responsibility for me, I will be too ashamed to see anyone..."
"Qianxue, you can understand me, right?" Che Xiaoman said to herself, looking at Shen Qianxue expectantly, holding her hand tightly, and finally begging, "Qianxue, since you have broken up anyway, can you give Ziming to me?"
Shen Qianxue was distracted and didn't know what to say.
Is Xia Ziming taking revenge on her? Is he doing this with her best friend just to take revenge on her?
At this time, the wind chimes guarding the coffee shop rang again. Che Xiaoman couldn't help but look in that direction, and saw Xia Ziming, dressed casually, walking in and approaching them.
Xia Ziming pulled out a chair and sat next to Che Xiaoman: "Qianxue, you came just in time, let me introduce you again - my girlfriend, Che Xiaoman." He put his hand on Che Xiaoman's shoulder and looked at Shen Qianxue with interest. His expression seemed to say, I told you that you would regret it.
Shen Qianxue stood up, raised her hand and slapped Xia Ziming: "Xia Ziming, do you know what you are doing?"
Xia Ziming touched his red cheek and smiled disdainfully at Shen Qianxue: "Of course I know, I will be responsible for her." His eyes were arrogant and his tone was still mocking, "You don't want to get back together with me, so why do you care who I date?"
"Qianxue, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have shown up when Ziming was drunk. Ziming just mistook me for you." Che Xiaoman cried and defended Xia Ziming. Her pitiful appearance attracted a lot of attention.
Shen Qianxue frowned, her heart filled with guilt and self-blame.
Xia Ziming said sarcastically: "I'm not that unconscious. Of course I know who I'm with."
Shen Qianxue raised her hand but failed to hit him. Che Xiaoman stepped forward and grabbed her wrist: "Qianxue, please don't hit Ziming anymore. I am sorry for you because I have always liked Ziming, so... I volunteered..."
Shen Qianxue was stunned, and her raised hand couldn't help but tremble.
Why did this happen? The person she loved the most was with her best friend in order to get revenge on her. What was even more ridiculous was that her best friend had been longing for this to happen from the beginning. In this case, why did she have to pretend to be pitiful in front of her?
The person she loved most and the best friend she cared about most became thorns in her heart at this moment.
At this moment, the only thing Shen Qianxue could think of was to escape. She couldn't continue to stay in this suffocating environment. She turned around and ran, but the person behind her chased her out the door and grabbed her hand.
Xia Ziming said arrogantly: "I gave you a chance to make peace with me."
Shen Qianxue shook off Xia Ziming's hand: "Then should I thank you for being so generous? Xia Ziming, from now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other."
Shen Qianxue turned her head and left, leaving Xia Ziming with a resolute back.
Shen Qianxue wandered on the street for a long time. She never thought that she would encounter such a thing. Her ex-boyfriend got together with her best friend to avenge her. She used to think that such things only existed in novels and TV dramas, but she didn't expect that these things came from real life.
How ironic.
The neon lights on the street were on, cars were busy, and pedestrians were coming and going beside Shen Qianxue.
It was clearly the end of summer, but Shen Qianxue felt an inescapable chill in her heart. The chill eroded her and enveloped her in deep darkness, as if every breath of air she took was dark. Apart from darkness, what else did she have left?
Oh, and mom.
Shen Qianxue seemed to see a ray of light in the darkness, and that light guided her to run towards the hospital.
She bought dinner near the hospital and walked towards Zhang Meiwen's ward with joy.
When she reached the door, she heard Zhang Meiwen's scolding in the ward: "Why didn't you give us the living expenses for the past few months? Do you want to starve us to death? Then you and your lover can live forever!"
Shen Shaohai's voice came from the speakerphone: "Qianxue is about to graduate now. I heard that she has already started an internship. She should be financially capable. Why are you still asking me for money?"
Before he could continue to argue, Zhang Meiwen started to curse again: "Shen Shaohai, I think you want my daughter and I to go to your house with a sign hanging, right?"
"Zhang Meiwen, I warn you, don't say such things again. Our relationship has come to an end a long time ago. It has nothing to do with other people."
"It's irrelevant? Shen Shaohai, what you said is really high-sounding. If I hadn't had heavy bleeding when I gave birth to Qianxue and it was difficult for me to get pregnant again, if I hadn't been unable to give you another son, would you have said such a thing?"
"You also know that you gave birth to a money-losing baby? Of course, you suffered during childbirth, but I have done my best to raise you all these years! Zhang Meiwen, you can't blame me. I never thought of abandoning you and your daughter. If you didn't chase me and argue with me all day, I would have raised you. Who do you blame for what has happened to you now? It's because you are a shrew!" Shen Shaohai said righteously, putting all the faults of their failed marriage on Zhang Meiwen.
Endless quarrels echoed in Shen Qianxue's ears. She has been living in such quarrels from her childhood to now.
"I'll transfer your living expenses in a few days." Shen Shaohai said impatiently, then hung up the phone.
"Shen Shaohai! Shen Shaohai!" Zhang Meiwen's eyes were red. She didn't even have the chance to tell him that she was in the hospital.
"Mom." Shen Qianxue carried the porridge and walked to Zhang Meiwen's bedside.
Zhang Meiwen was furious when she saw Shen Qianxue's disappointing face: "You money-loser, why did you come back?"
As soon as Shen Qianxue opened the lunch box, Zhang Meiwen waved her hand and spilled all the scalding hot porridge onto the ground.
"Mom, don't get excited."
"You still have the nerve to call me mom? You only know how to cause trouble!" Zhang Meiwen became more and more angry. She had such a tough personality, but her daughter was so cowardly and incompetent that she didn't even dare to speak loudly. I really don't know how she could give birth to such a daughter!
"I'm sorry..." Shen Qianxue lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, unable to control herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, who are you sorry to! What else can you do besides crying and saying sorry? Have you ever fought for yourself? What have you done for this family? What have you done besides causing trouble and living like mud?" At this time, Zhang Meiwen could no longer control her anger.
"Aren't you very powerful? Isn't your boyfriend very rich? If you get into trouble, just live with your boyfriend. Why do you still want to go home? You still have the nerve to come back!"
Shen Qianxue lowered her head, holding back tears: "Mom, Xia Ziming and I have broken up."
When Zhang Meiwen heard the news, she pointed at Shen Qianxue and yelled, "You money-loser, you shamelessly clung to me in the beginning, and now that you've been dumped, you come back to find your mother. How dare you live until now? So many people are going to die, why don't you go!"
"Will you feel better if I die?" Such desperate words came out from Shen Qianxue's mouth who was already on the edge of despair.
If I die, will I no longer be sad and upset, and no longer be a burden to anyone?
The ward fell into deathly silence.
Zhang Meiwen didn't say anything else and remained silent for a long time.
"How great it would be if you were a son. In this way, your father would not leave us. If your father hadn't found a woman outside, I wouldn't have to live such a hard life." Zhang Meiwen snorted sarcastically, and her sharp voice became vicissitudes, so vicissitudes that people felt sad, "Qianxue, in fact, you shouldn't have come into this world." In this way, you don't have to suffer with me.
Zhang Meiwen did not say the last sentence. Her self-esteem did not allow her to say it.
Shen Qianxue picked up the fast food box on the ground and left the ward. Zhang Meiwen thought she had gone home, so she didn't call her anymore, but just shed tears secretly.
Shen Qianxue returned home, took out all her cards, wrote down the passwords on a piece of paper, and pressed the remote control on the coffee table. She also took a piece of paper and prepared to write something, a feeling of grievance and the injustice of the world to her. Before she put pen to paper, Zhang Meiwen's words rang in her ears again: "So many people are going to die, why don't you go?"
What else could she say? She was already a burden in the eyes of others, and she would rather die than say anything more.
Shen Qianxue stumbled out of the house and just smiled weakly when she met her neighbor. The neighbor seemed to be afraid of getting into trouble, his face changed, and he lowered his head and pretended not to see it.
Shen Qianxue laughed at herself, recalling the happiest time in her mind: she was still young that year, and her family of three still lived in a bungalow. In the summer of that time, there were cicadas chirping everywhere, and the sun fell on the mountains, on the mottled leaves, on the clear stream, and on her. The cats and dogs of the neighbors were running in the alleys, and the children in vests were running on the country roads. Her parents held her hands and walked on the path in the fields.
She once had beautiful memories and was happy, but those images were like a fragmented dream , leaving her with endless paleness.
Shen Qianxue came to the beach with despair and exhaustion.
In the darkness, she stepped into the cold sea water step by step. When the sea water reached her chest, she already felt it was difficult to breathe. Just as she was about to move forward, the song "Insomnia Book" sung by Tan Weiwei came in the wind.
The female voice chanted softly, urging her to walk slowly into the darkness.
No one knows, the flying bird is lost in the sky.
Unfortunately, there are no street lights at night.
She would probably just end up in the belly of a fish. Shen Qianxue closed her eyes, and then she would end up in the belly of a fish.
"Hey, if you're upset, don't stay here. I don't want to be arrested by the police as a suspect the next day." A young voice with a distant feeling came from not far away.
Shen Qianxue turned around and saw a young man sitting on a rock not far behind him. The young man was wearing a black coat, blending in with the darkness around him. The only light source was the screen of his mobile phone with music playing.
The whistling sea breeze hit his face and made his hair fly in disarray.
Shen Qianxue said that life was too painful. But the unromantic boy said, "It's right to be miserable. After all, comfort is for the dead."
The boy's tone seemed to be that he just wanted her to stay away, and because of his unwillingness to dissuade her, she hesitated. She stared blankly at the dark sea and the falling night.
The young man sitting on the big reef had been observing Shen Qianxue, observing the intruder, until he was sure that she was upset, and then he spoke.
"I saw on the news that there will be a Leonid meteor shower tonight. If you don't mind waiting until I'm gone before jumping into the sea, why don't you come and wait for the meteor shower with me?"
"Don't you think it's romantic to watch a meteor shower before you die?" The young man continued to coax her. In fact, he was afraid that Shen Qianxue would not look back. After all, he couldn't swim, and if something really happened he wouldn't even be able to call for help.
Shen Qianxue hesitated for a moment, and before she could figure out what was going on, she saw the young man extending his hand towards her.
How blessed does a drowning person need to be to meet someone who is willing to lend her a hand?
As if being lured by that hand, Shen Qianxue stopped walking deeper. She walked to the reef and held the hand that the boy extended.
Shen Qianxue was pulled onto the reef by him and sat down beside him.
This is a strange person, Shen Qianxue's thoughts were all over the place. Suddenly, a coat was put on her. She was startled and looked up. The bright moonlight allowed her to see the boy beside her clearly. The sea breeze blew the boy's clothes into wrinkles. The moonlight was soft and the sea breeze was low. When their eyes met, Shen Qianxue saw the boy's eyes, which seemed darker than the night, but the light in them was far brighter than the sun.
People with such beautiful eyes must be full of hope, right?
Have you ever seen such a person? There was a familiar feeling about this person. Shen Qianxue was puzzled in her heart, but finally shook her head to deny it.
While Shen Qianxue was daydreaming, she heard the boy say, "My wish is to feel the sunshine. What about you? Do you have any wish? Don't tell me that your wish is for me to leave quickly so that you can continue what you were doing just now."
"Wish? I don't even know why I'm alive." Shen Qianxue lowered her head.
"Have you heard of photophobia?" The boy took a deep breath and continued, "Photophobia is also called porphyria, a disease that makes people unable to see the sun. I have congenital photophobia and cannot see the sun. It is easy to die if I go out during the day, and the death is very ugly."
The tone in which this person talked about "death" was very casual, but it was inexplicably persuasive, as if he had always been on the verge of death. Shen Qianxue stared at him blankly, and for the first time believed that maybe life would always be so painful.
"Don't think you can just jump into the sea and be washed away by the waves. Besides, if you soak in the sea for too long, you will get swollen, and there will be all kinds of fish coming to eat you. Just think about it..."
It seems that there are always people who find joy in adversity.
Shen Qianxue looked at the light in his eyes and felt relaxed for the first time in some time.
"Even though life is difficult, I still want to live well. There are still many things in this world that I have not seen, and many delicacies that I have not tasted. God wants me to come to this world, and I will not leave until I have had enough fun!" The young man lowered his head and smiled faintly, without saying anything else.
Time passed by minute by minute, and the deep night was starless, as if the news of the coming meteor was false.
Shen Qianxue felt a little sleepy, and her heavy head unconsciously leaned on the boy's shoulder.
"It's past four o'clock now. The sun will come out in two hours." The boy suddenly shook his shoulders and stood up.
Shen Qianxue also woke up because of his sudden standing up. She looked up at his angular face and felt that he standing in the sea breeze was a shining star in the night.
"It looks like there will be no meteor shower tonight." The young man sighed and looked ready to leave.
"Hey, are you interested in watching artificial meteors?" The boy's eyes sparkled and his smile was like the April breeze, bright and clear.
"What is an artificial meteor?" Shen Qianxue suddenly forgot the purpose of her coming here. She was a little confused and didn't know what the artificial meteor that the boy was talking about was.
"Come and help." Seeing that Shen Qianxue was interested, the boy took her hand and ran towards the beach behind the reef.
The boy dug out a pile of fireworks from the sand pile, which he had buried there in advance. If there was no meteor shower tonight, he would create a fireworks meteor shower.
"Stick all these fireworks vertically in the sand, and I'll go dig out the lighter." The young man directed Shen Qianxue, then ran to the side to dig out the lighter.
Shen Qianxue had never set off fireworks by herself, and she was a little excited when she held those fireworks. Under the guidance of the boy, she stuck all the fireworks into the sand.
"Okay, step back." The boy began to light the fireworks one by one.
Fireworks burned one by one, and with a snap, the bright fireworks bloomed in the dark night sky. The second, third, fourth... all the fireworks were launched into the night sky, and almost in an instant, the falling fireworks passed by like shooting stars, hiding all the darkness.
In the eyes of the young man and Shen Qianxue, there were bright fireworks. The fireworks were like a split rainbow, breaking through the darkness and blooming recklessly.
"Now, make a wish." The boy looked at the fireworks, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and made a wish.
Shen Qianxue looked at the boy's profile in the light of the fireworks. The profile seemed to be carved, as smooth as jade and exuded the scent of sunshine.
Shen Qianxue also followed his example, closed her eyes, and made a wish.
But what other wishes could she make?
Shen Qianxue opened her eyes and looked at the boy beside her. The boy had his eyes closed, looking hopeful. The sea breeze gently blew his fluffy hair, and the fireworks illuminated his gentle face.
Shen Qianxue stared at him blankly, then closed her eyes and said silently in her heart: "I hope that the boy in front of me can see the sun one day."
After making a wish, Shen Qianxue opened her eyes and continued to watch the fireworks.
Fireworks burst in the night sky, and colorful lights blended together like a hundred flowers blooming.
"Let's make a bet?" The young man slowly opened his eyes and set his gaze on Shen Qianxue. His gentleness was like water, making Shen Qianxue blush.
"What?"
"Let's make a bet."
"What's the bet?"
"Let's bet on whose wish can come true." The young man smiled, with fireworks blooming in his beautiful eyes. "If you are not afraid of death, then live well and make this bet with me. My wish is to travel around the world and enjoy the sunshine in the future. I bet my wish will come true faster than yours."
Shen Qianxue suddenly found it a little funny. After all, her wish was that the boy in front of her could bask in the sunshine. This was clearly the same wish, and there seemed to be no point in making a bet.
"What happens if I win? What happens if I lose?"
"If you win, I'll give you a bigger fireworks display." The boy thought for a moment and then said, "If I win, you'll travel around the world with me."
"What if neither of us wins?" Shen Qianxue asked back.
"Well, let's wait until the next meteor shower comes, then we'll make a wish together and make another bet." The young man seemed to say this on purpose. He wanted Shen Qianxue to live well so that he could continue to bet with him.
"My name is Shen Qianxue. What's your name? Leave me your phone number so that we can know who won and who lost later."
"Ming, my name is Ming, the Ming that makes a splash."
"You're not going to tell me your full name?"
"Suspense, if we meet again, you will eventually know my full name." The boy smiled and reported a number, "This is my number, I will only tell you once, if you can remember it, you can add me on WeChat, if you can't remember it, we can only meet again if we are destined to meet again."
Shen Qianxue murmured the string of numbers and memorized them firmly in her heart.
That night, there were no shooting stars, only a grand fireworks display. After the fireworks faded, a circle of faint light appeared on the distant horizon.
The young man looked at the faint light on the horizon and took a deep breath: "I'm leaving. You keep the coat and return it to me when we meet again." The young man put his hand on Shen Qianxue's head, rubbed it lovingly, then turned and left.
Shen Qianxue put on the boy's coat and watched his back disappear into the darkness.
The light on the sea surface gradually emerged. Shen Qianxue turned her eyes and looked at the sea in the distance. The light was like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Shen Qianxue suddenly understood that darkness and light are two sides of a person. There is no eternal darkness or eternal light in this world. People cannot always indulge in their own misfortunes and pains, but must learn to face pain, learn to transform, and learn to move towards the future with these emotions.
Only by breaking out of the cocoon can one become a butterfly. She should learn to be a butterfly that breaks out of the cocoon and fly into the future.
The ray of light shining through the clouds seemed to be able to shine into Shen Qianxue's heart and melt away all the haze in her heart.
Shen Qianxue clenched her fists, stood in the sea breeze and swore to herself: From today on, I will no longer be the Shen Qianxue who was bullied in the past. From today on, I will be a strong person, I will live better than those who look down on me, and I will prove to everyone that I am not a coward!
The morning light that completely jumped out of the sea fell on her, the sea breeze lifted her long hair, and her skirt fluttered in the wind like a moving painting.