Volume One, Chapter 82: Massive Hemorrhage

That was the first time Jiang Wan broke down in tears in front of him.

At the time, he thought something terrible had happened to her mother, but later, he learned she was pregnant.

When he found out, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

As an outsider, Lu Wenzhou felt it wasn’t his place to say anything; all he could do was stay by her side in silence.

He didn’t try to comfort her with words; he simply accompanied her as she vented. He let her smash anything she wanted in the house, took her wherever she wished to go, and, through his actions, told her: you still have me.

Because of him, after nearly a month of gloom, Jiang Wan’s spirits finally began to recover.

But the peace was short-lived.

Just as Jiang Wan had pulled herself out of one emotional vortex, he dealt her a second, even heavier blow...

Recalling all this, Jiang Wan’s eyes regained their former coldness.

She curled her lips into a mocking smile. “Compared to what came after, that was nothing but child’s play.”

Her tone was calm, yet every word she uttered was like a thorn, stabbing deep into Lu Wenzhou’s heart.

In the darkness, his eyes grew even deeper and more somber. His Adam’s apple moved up and down, his expression tense.

He knew exactly what she was referring to.

It was easy to imagine how devastated and hopeless she must have been during that time.

His jaw clenched, again and again.

Though they stood outdoors, it felt as if something was enclosing them, sealing them off from the world.

The air ceased to flow, making it hard to breathe.

Just then—

Light snowflakes began to drift down from above. Tiny dots, scattered and sparse, landed on their faces, melting into droplets with the warmth of their skin.

Only then did Jiang Wan realize it was really snowing.

The first snowfall since winter began this year.

Those memories, always lurking inside her, surged uncontrollably, threatening to drag her under once more.

Jiang Wan bit her lip hard.

“I hate winter the most,” she said, each word deliberate as she stared at the man beside her, “and I hate the snow.”

Lu Wenzhou’s throat tightened. As he swallowed, the taste of blood spread in his mouth.

“I know,” he replied. His voice was light, but every syllable weighed heavy.

To Jiang Wan, that winter, she lost the only three people she loved in the world.

From then on, her world was hers alone.

She fought on, alone and unyielding, until now.

Lu Wenzhou’s arrival had disrupted her set course, thrown her plans into confusion, and dragged her back into the quagmire of memories.

It was as if the snow from that winter had started to fall all over again.

Tiny flakes drifted down, delicate and silent.

Jiang Wan pressed a hand to her chest, feeling a suffocating tightness.

Not long after, the commotion from the rescue team shattered the silence.

She and Lu Wenzhou were both escorted down the mountain by professionals, taken straight to the nearest hospital.

*

After the doctor’s examination, it was determined that Jiang Wan had a fractured right foot and multiple soft tissue contusions, requiring a cast for immobilization.

By the time all the procedures were done, night had fallen deep outside.

Jiang Wan was settled in a hospital room, her right leg in a cast suspended high.

Her filthy clothes had been replaced by a hospital gown.

When Lu Wenzhou appeared again, he was still in his mud-stained suit, holding a transparent plastic bag.

He came to her, set up the little table, and laid out the food he'd bought: wonton soup, millet porridge, pan-fried buns, and noodles with fried bean sauce.

Jiang Wan glanced over the food, but couldn’t ignore the hand moving back and forth in front of her.

The side of his hand was slashed, blood streaks still fresh—the wound hadn’t been treated yet.

Sensing her gaze, Lu Wenzhou explained, “There’s not much to eat nearby; most places are closed.”

Seeing her remain silent, he added, “I’ve already sent Qi Mo to Yuehua Restaurant. For now, eat a little to fill your stomach.”

Hearing the restaurant’s name, Jiang Wan was reminded of the last time in the hospital, when he’d also brought Yuehua’s food to her.

Ji Jiali had been there too, sleeping the whole afternoon in her room.

Thinking back, she must have already been pregnant then—though perhaps she didn’t know yet, which allowed her to be so at ease.

But now, things were different.

No amount of Cantonese food could mend what was broken.

Jiang Wan said nothing, her appetite gone.

“I’m not hungry,” she said, lying back on the bed. “Tell Qi Mo to come back. Don’t trouble him.”

Lu Wenzhou wanted to say more, but Jiang Wan turned away and added, “You should get your hand treated as well.”

With that, she closed her eyes and turned her head aside.

Lu Wenzhou, standing beside her bed, stiffened for a moment.

“All right,” he replied softly.

Within the ward, the atmosphere shifted in silence.

Since Jiang Wan didn’t want to eat, Lu Wenzhou didn’t press her.

After a brief pause, he left the room to tend to his wound.

Once he was gone, Jiang Wan, lying on her side, opened her eyes.

Facing the window, she saw the room reflected in the glass by the light.

She glanced at her suspended leg, then out the window…

The snow that had only lightly dusted the mountain earlier was now falling harder, painting the darkness outside with a faint layer of white.

Jiang Wan couldn’t help but knit her brows.

Watching the snow fall, she felt an inexplicable discomfort.

Her heart felt empty, as if something was being gouged out.

She forced her eyes shut, hoping that out of sight would mean out of mind.

But in the darkness, her hearing became unnaturally sharp.

Before long, she heard a phone ringing in the hallway, and Lu Wenzhou’s calm voice answering.

“What is it?”

Then, his tone sharpened. “What did you say?!”

Hearing the change in his voice, Jiang Wan’s eyes flew open almost by instinct.

“I understand. Contact the hospital immediately, get an emergency team ready, and prepare a room for resuscitation.”

Listening to Lu Wenzhou’s voice, Jiang Wan’s beautiful eyes trembled, fear flickering in their depths.

Her restless heart leapt to her throat.

A terrible premonition swept over her.

She pushed herself upright, breath catching painfully.

She couldn’t breathe.

Outside, she heard Lu Wenzhou’s footsteps suddenly change direction.

She couldn’t see him, but she sensed every shift.

She set down her suspended leg and got out of bed barefoot.

The cast on her right foot wasn’t even dry yet.

But she had no time to care, hobbling along the wall out of her room.

In the corridor, she saw Lu Wenzhou at the nurses’ station, urgently instructing the nurse on duty.

The nurse’s face paled as she immediately picked up the phone.

Lu Wenzhou, meanwhile, continued speaking into his cell.

They were separated by the length of the corridor, but Jiang Wan’s ears seemed to fail her; she heard nothing.

Until Lu Wenzhou, spotting her, strode quickly toward her.

Just as her legs nearly buckled, he caught her arm.

Jiang Wan looked up at him.

She couldn’t utter a word, but their expressions alone made everything clear.

Her eyes trembled, a lump in her throat.

Lu Wenzhou understood what she wanted to ask.

His face was grave, his tone complicated: “Your mother… she’s hemorrhaging badly. She’s unconscious.”