"…At about 10:00 am on x month x, a major accident occurred at the x airport. The airport shuttle bus collided with an out-of-control work vehicle, which caught fire and caused flight delays. After preliminary verification, the work vehicle did not follow the established route and suddenly accelerated on the way, hitting the shuttle bus that was transporting passengers on flight x. The driver has died, and the cause of the accident is under further investigation. As the shuttle bus was crowded, the specific number of casualties needs to be further confirmed…"

Below are some photos of the fire scene taken with a mobile phone. The chaos at the scene can be felt through the pixels of the phone.

Assistant Zhao: "Our boss is in this class. I booked the ticket. Mr. Song..."

"Go to hell, it's okay," Song Lianyuan took a breath and said to his assistant in a calm manner, "The shuttle bus has to run several times, I don't know which one it is, I'll call him and ask."

Assistant Zhao's expression didn't improve: "I called... the phone is turned off."

Song Lianyuan waved his hand at him rudely, not believing him. He insisted on sitting down and calling again in person, but the phone was still turned off.

For someone like Xu Xilin who makes 160 calls a day, he would not turn off his phone unless the flight attendant reminds him. If a flight is delayed due to an accident at the airport, he would notify everyone immediately.

Assistant Zhao looked at his face anxiously, "Boss Song, what should we do?"

Song Lianyuan stayed there for a few seconds, and then he seemed to no longer believe himself. He unconsciously dialed another number and listened in vain to the cold electronic sound again. He felt a little numb.

To be honest, if this happened to someone else, Song Lianyuan's first reaction would be "How is this possible? How could he be so unlucky?", but when it happened to Xu Xilin, the first thing that came to Song Lianyuan's mind was "It can't be true."

Xu Xilin was often sick when he was a child and lost his father before he could grow up. There is a saying in Song Lianyuan's hometown that people who have experienced too many hardships are born with evil spirits and are prone to attract bad things. He always wanted Xu Xilin to worship some god of some religion and seek protection when he has time, but that little bastard always turned a deaf ear to his words.

Song Lianyuan: "Go to the airport."

It takes more than an hour to drive from the base to the airport. Assistant Zhao exceeded the speed limit and violated traffic rules all the way. Song Lianyuan didn't bother to say anything to him because he was distracted.

He couldn't stop having wild thoughts - if he went over and found out it was a false alarm, he would smash Xu Xilin's phone. He never let go of his phone when playing WeChat, and he couldn't find anyone when something happened. What a joke!

But just in case...

Song Lianyuan didn't dare to think too deeply and almost burst into tears.

He had been following his mother to visit the Xu family every year for New Year's greetings since he was twelve years old. He had seen Xu Xilin grow up from a snotty little kid who used to cling to other people's backs to this age. After he could talk, he followed him around, calling him "brother" and being so sweet to them.

During those years, the two of them traveled around the country together and almost depended on each other, but he couldn't accept it emotionally.

When Song Lianyuan was a child, his mother was beaten by his scumbag father. The mother and son were in constant fear all day long. It was Lawyer Xu, who often patronized their bun shop, who ran around for them, helped them find a classmate who specialized in divorce cases, and also helped them to advance money. Song Lianyuan swore at that time that when Xu Jin got old, he would take care of him in his old age, and when Xu Jin passed away, he would be there to see him off. His son was his real brother, and if his brother was capable, he would never get close to him and be annoying, but if his brother was incompetent, he would take care of him for the rest of his life... If something really happened to someone under his nose, how would he explain in the future?

Putting aside morality and emotion, Xu Xilin is also his half.

For the "village", Song Lianyuan is the founder and Xu Xilin is the soul. This family business can be lost even if no one else is.

When Song Lianyuan arrived, he found the scene was still in chaos, even more tragic than he had imagined. The local news had already been released, and the number of casualties was rising. Because it was not certain what the driver had crashed into, and the possibility of a terrorist attack could not be ruled out, the cordon was pulled high, and security checks were instantly raised several levels.

Song Lianyuan got excited and wanted to rush in, but was stopped by the police and ground staff. He stated his identity incoherently and handed over his ID card, driver's license, mobile phone and credit card all at once.

The receptionist returned the mobile phone credit card to him with a smile, turned around and gestured to his colleague, and said to him kindly: "Sir, please don't worry, sit down for a while, we will verify the situation immediately."

The word "verify" touched Song Lianyuan's sensitive nerves. He looked up and saw the staff inside flipping through something. He immediately realized that they might be checking the confirmed death list. Song Lianyuan's legs went weak, and all his hopes hung on the staff. He saw him quickly browse through a piece of paper and shook his head at him.

Song Lianyuan almost went crazy on the spot.

What does shaking your head mean?

“Gone” or “Not on the list”?

Seeing that he looked unhappy, the receptionist said hurriedly, "No, he is not on the list of deceased persons whose identities have been confirmed. Please calm down, sir. We will check for you right away."

Later, Assistant Zhao said that the police and airport staff were actually quite efficient, but for Song Lianyuan, every second was like a boiling oil pan, repeated torture. Twenty minutes later, the two found out where the hospital was, refused the airport car, and rushed there at lightning speed.

Assistant Zhao felt that the big boss's eyes were wide open, so he quickly said, "Boss Song, don't worry, everything will be fine."

Song Lianyuan didn't listen. If something happened, the first thing to do after sending the person to the hospital would be to notify the family. Xu Xilin had no family, so he could barely be considered an emergency contact. Even if his phone was broken or couldn't be found, as long as the person was still conscious, they would not let him go around without any information.

The more Song Lianyuan thought about it, the more he trembled. He was almost scared to death and couldn't help but call Gao Lan.

The moment he heard her voice, the fear in his heart seemed to burst through a dam, and his nose felt sore before he could even say anything.

"What's wrong, Lao Hei?" Gao Lan asked, "Don't be anxious, listen to me, take a deep breath, and speak slowly. The sky won't fall."

Song Lianyuan covered his face with one hand and leaned heavily on the back seat.

Men like these usually think they are indomitable and omnipotent. They are too embarrassed to cry or show weakness. They boast that they are as strong as mountains. Therefore, once they feel pain or encounter a hurdle, it is like a "landslide", which makes it even more unbearable. They always need that person…even if she is not around, even if they know that "life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are in the hands of God", it will be of no use for that mortal to know. But when they hear her voice, they feel that this pile of rubble has come alive again.

Song Lianyuan explained the situation to Gao Lan and felt much better. He hung up the phone and sat quietly for a while. He remembered Xu Xilin's words "My wife will keep the inheritance" and suddenly asked Assistant Zhao who was driving, "Do you have the contact information of a person named 'Dou Xun'?"

Assistant Zhao really does have it.

Xu Xilin sent him to deliver things to Dou Xun several times, so Assistant Zhao thought Dou Xun was an important client and even saved his phone number.

Song Lianyuan sighed at the contact information provided by Assistant Zhao and felt that he must be sick.

Dou Xun had already arrived at the airport and brought a book to kill time, but he couldn't finish reading it, so he flipped through the chat records that Xu Xilin sent him - the chat records during this period were enough for him to kill an hour.

As he was flipping through the pages and grinning unconsciously, Dou Junliang suddenly called.

Dou Xun seemed to be eating a delicious dish, but a blind little fly flew into his soup. Although it was not disgusting, he still felt a little unhappy about being disturbed when he picked up the phone.

Dou Junliang's attitude was a bit deliberately flattering, and he asked him about his recent situation in a roundabout way. Dou Xun heard that he had something else in his words, so he interrupted and asked, "What's the matter with you?"

Dou Junliang stammered, "You've been back for half a year now, and you haven't been home yet. Come back to see dad when you have time. That...that person is not here."

Dou Xun was puzzled, thinking, doesn't he already have a child, why does he still need to satisfy his desire to be a father?

So he said perfunctorily: "Well, okay, I won't be busy for a while."

Dou Junliang hesitated to speak: "Dou Xun..."

Just then, a strange phone call came in.

Dou Xunzheng was too lazy to deal with Dou Junliang, and didn't care whether it was a courier or a junk advertisement. He directly cut off Dou Junliang's words with the excuse of "I have something else to do": "Hello, hello."

There is no sound on the phone.

Dou Xun: "Hello, who are you looking for?"

Song Lianyuan couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart, so he held the phone and put it to Assistant Zhao's ear: "Talk to him."

Dou Xun urged several times and was about to hang up impatiently when a voice came over the phone, "Hello Mr. Dou, I'm Xiao Zhao, the one who delivered things to you several times."

Dou Xun still had one hand on the cold railing in the airport exit hall. He was surrounded by people waiting to be picked up, coming and going. The person in charge of the tour group was holding signs and small red flags to organize a sunset tour group of middle-aged and elderly people to line up, and they passed him by in a chaotic manner... But Dou Xun was completely unaware, as if the air had frozen.

"Hello," Assistant Zhao's voice came from the receiver, "Hello? Mr. Dou, are you still there?"

Dou Xun hung up the phone abruptly.

He felt that he was still very calm at this time, because his first reaction was that the phone of Xu Xilin's assistant, who looked stupid at first glance, had been hacked, and the scammer might have been particularly sophisticated and had eavesdropped on the call records.

Dou Xun designed a perfect telecom fraud scheme for the fraudsters in a few moments. He tried to laugh at himself and searched the news online to prove that the news was fake. Unexpectedly, his palms were covered with cold sweat and the metal shell slipped out. Dou Xun realized that his hands were shaking.

A girl who was waiting for someone nearby picked up his phone for him. When she looked up, she was frightened by his expression and asked, "Are you okay?"

Dou Xun forced a smile at her and hurriedly re-entered the airport name and major accidents.

The girl saw him staring at his phone for a moment, then he seemed to have been hit hard, and he leaned down on the railing, and his fingers like a spasm pinched the metal railing. The girl stepped back half a step in fear. Several people nearby were startled by him and gathered around to ask about the situation.

At this time, Dou Xun's cell phone rang again. The ringtone was the cheerful but out-of-tune singing of the grey parrot, which grabbed his terrified consciousness and forcibly twisted it and pulled it back.

Dou Xun picked up the phone like he was grasping at a straw: "Hello..."

"It's me again. You may have hung up the phone accidentally just now," Assistant Zhao said. "Well, could you please send me your ID number? Our boss just said that the airline you are traveling to and from is responsible for..."

Dou Xun interrupted him: "Is the person still alive?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, it seemed as if the barrier around him was broken, and his three souls and seven spirits rushed back to their places. The first thought in Dou Xun's mind was - as long as the person is alive, he can accept what he becomes.

Assistant Zhao was stunned.

Song Lianyuan was asking someone nearby about Xu Xilin's condition when a man who was either a policeman or a medical worker came out carrying a bag of things: "Xu Xi..."

Song Lianyuan quickly said: "Yes, yes!"

Then he seemed to be strangled by the neck. There were only a few personal belongings there, boarding pass stub, ID, wallet... and a bloodstained coat.

Song Lianyuan almost knelt down.

Assistant Zhao quickly grabbed him and said weakly to Dou Xun who was holding his breath on the other end of the phone: "We should think positively when encountering things..."

Dou Xun's heart sank coldly.

Dou Xun had no recollection of how he changed from picking someone up to flying there himself. He was struggling to pull his cumbersome body along with the huge roar in the cabin. His face was calm and he mechanically followed the person, took a taxi, registered at the hospital, and found someone, all in an orderly manner... The whole process was automatic.

Assistant Zhao and Song Lianyuan, who had a complicated expression, were found first in the hospital.

Song Lianyuan nodded to him with a reserved look on his face. Dou Xun greeted him calmly, and when he turned around, he saw Assistant Zhao's red eyes.

Assistant Zhao was completely confused until now, and he didn't know what Dou Xun did. He just wanted to grab everyone he met to vent his emotions. He held Dou Xun's hand and shook it up and down vigorously a few times: "Don't worry, the doctor said it's okay, the operation is over, and you can visit after a while of observation..."

Dou Xun only saw his mouth opening and closing, as if he had aphasia and could not understand a word of Chinese. He waited quietly for Assistant Zhao to finish speaking: "Excuse me, where is the person? How can I get there?"

Song Lianyuan thought he was unusually calm at first, but later he realized something was wrong, because no matter what others said to him, he would just nod, and his only response was always "Where are you?". He didn't seem calm, but seemed a little abnormal.

Assistant Zhao: "Mr. Song..."

"Come this way." Song Lianyuan waved to Dou Xun.

Dou Xun: "Thank you."

The intensive care unit is not open to visitors at will. The corridor is dark and narrow, with many people coming and going, and an indescribable smell. Various family members are waiting in the corridor and whispering. The cheers of the medical staff inside are like thunder, striking people's hearts directly. When they passed by, a woman who had been sitting blankly on a chair in the corridor suddenly burst into tears. Her cry was like a cold awl, and Song Lianyuan got goose bumps for no reason.

Dou Xun, however, seemed to have heard nothing and was still immersed in his own world.

Next to the ICU is a lounge for family members, which is spacious and bright, and there is also a place to lie down. They waited there for a day and a half. Dou Xun sat down and began to stare blankly. He ate when he was asked to eat and rest for a while, so he lay down and did not move for a long time. Song Lianyuan went over to take a look and saw that his eyes were open.

Dou Xun lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. Song Lianyuan was watching him from the side. At first, he felt uncomfortable watching him, but later, he couldn't bear it anymore and went over to talk to him, "Did you ask for leave from your company when you came here?"

Dou Xun stared back at him blankly.

Song Lianyuan sighed, tentatively stretched out a hand, and placed it on Dou Xun's shoulder: "It's okay... It's okay, I asked everything clearly, they said the car crashed in the middle, he was at the rear, he wasn't seriously affected, all skin injuries, he was just hit by someone when he was thrown out... Acute gastric bleeding, it looks scary, but now he has had a blood transfusion and surgery, as long as there are no other lesions, it shouldn't be a big problem..."

Dou Xun didn't know whether he heard it or not. He nodded slightly after a long while.

Song Lianyuan was about to say something when he was interrupted by a noise next to him - it was a middle-aged couple, their child was being rescued for a heart attack, and they heard someone come over and say something to them, suggesting that the news might not be good, and the man knelt down on the spot.

For more than twenty hours, people were born and died around him, coming and going. Song Lianyuan wanted to say something, but finally swallowed it back.