newbobooks Chapter 121 The Final Farewell
Chapter 121 The Final Farewell
The bustling crowd became a blur, and the black and white scene became the view before Shen Xi's eyes.
But she stood there with her back straight, still serene and beautiful.
After making sure she could barely see, Shen Xi forced a smile at herself in the mirror. She pressed her chapped lips together until they regained some color.
Don't be afraid, Shen Xi.
...Maybe you'll be able to go home then?
She smiled broadly at herself in the mirror.
As he laughed,
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
The sounds around me gradually faded away, and everything seemed to return to its original state.
After a long pause, Shen Xi wiped her eyes, picked up her things, stopped feeling sorry for herself, and turned to leave.
……
When Shen Xi groped her way into the elevator and reached the third floor,
In the quiet hospital corridor, white light shone on the cold floor.
Jiang Ci leaned against the wall with one foot, his head slightly lowered. His profile was strong and his features were sharp and angular.
He had one hand in his pocket, staring blankly at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened.
Shen Xi slowly walked out of the elevator. She felt a little cold, so she wrapped her coat tighter around herself and stood quietly at the elevator door, squinting as she made out the person.
It is Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci sensed Shen Xi the moment she stepped out of the elevator. He turned his head to look at her, pulled his hand out of his pocket, and naturally walked towards her.
As he approached, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He glanced at the corner of Shen Xi's coat peeking out from him and asked in a soft voice, "Did you hurt yourself when you fell outside?"
Shen Xi paused for a second, not quite understanding, and asked again, "What?"
I don't know if my hearing was affected by not being able to see clearly or if I simply didn't hear it.
Anyway, Shen Xi didn't hear what he said clearly.
Jiang Ci approached Shen Xi and gently touched the hem of the woman's camel-colored coat. There was a noticeable water stain, and it was obvious to anyone that she had fallen.
"Your coat is soaked in water on the back, your back is all wet."
Shen Xi didn't notice the water stain. She glanced down at the hem of her coat, patted it, and offered a more obvious explanation.
"I didn't notice the water on the floor in the bathroom on the first floor, so I slipped and fell. It's nothing serious."
Jiang Ci's jaw tightened slightly. He took the bag from Shen Xi's hand, looking ready for anything. "This area is soaked; it looks like you fell pretty hard. We're at the hospital anyway, so let's go get checked out together... okay?"
Jiang Ci's tone weakened noticeably towards the end, because he saw Shen Xi's obvious resistance.
as predicted,
The next second, Shen Xi rejected him without hesitation, "I already said it didn't hurt, it was just a slight fall, it's not like I'm a porcelain doll that breaks easily."
Is Xiaoman still receiving intravenous fluids?
Shen Xi didn't intend to continue the conversation on this topic. She turned around and leaned out of the large, empty hospital room to ask a question.
Jiang Ci: Fine, the ancestors don't want to talk about it anymore.
Helplessly, he unbuttoned her coat, helped her take it off, and then draped his own black coat over her shoulders.
The men's coat made Shen Xi look even more petite and cute.
He chuckled teasingly, "What are we going to do? Xiaoman just fell asleep not long ago."
Jiang Du had just recovered and wasn't in the best mental state. He kept his eyelids open, waiting for Shen Xi to return, but in the end he couldn't hold on any longer, so Jiang Ci forced him to lie down and rest properly.
She promised that he would see his mother when he woke up. The little boy felt relieved and lay down, falling asleep almost immediately with his face on the pillow.
"It's alright, he was just a little late. He won't be asleep for long, he'll wake up soon."
In the end, Jiang Ci couldn't bear to see Shen Xi sad. He watched Shen Xi silently looking inside, but didn't step in. His heart ached with bitterness.
At least, that's how Jiang Ci saw Shen Xi.
In fact, not long after Shen Xi stood there, it felt as if someone was deliberately pulling on her brain nerves, and tightly tugging at the string in her brain, causing her to feel dizzy from the intense tearing sensation.
But she still didn't show any pain on her face, she just looked a little weak and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
After a while, finally...
She recovered and suppressed the metallic taste in her throat. "He seems to be doing quite well."
Even though she was already standing at the door, her vision was still blurry, and she couldn't see what was inside.
But judging from Jiang Ci's words, there probably won't be any other unexpected events.
That's good.
Jiang Ci's eyelids twitched. He had sensed from the very beginning that Shen Xi was acting strangely today.
Her eyes were filled with indifference and detachment, like an observer watching everything without adding any emotion.
"Xixi, go in and see him, just take a look at him."
Jiang Ci didn't know why he said those words, but he said them anyway.
Shen Xi stood there without moving. The next second, when Jiang Ci stood on the same line as her, Shen Xi quickly grabbed the corner of Jiang Ci's white shirt.
"Let's go inside and take a look."
Jiang Ci's heart sank to the bottom. His voice was a little hoarse, and he waved his large, well-defined hands in front of Shen Xi's eyes.
Shen Xi was both amused and exasperated. She wasn't completely blind; she could still see when someone waved their hand at her.
What are you doing?
Jiang Ci blinked and asked, "Can you see what I'm doing?"
Shen Xi rolled her eyes in a rather unladylike manner. "I'm not blind, why are you doing this in front of me?"
Jiang Ci's expression was grave. His dark pupils were fixed on Shen Xi's eyes, which she was deliberately avoiding. At this moment, he could clearly sense that Shen Xi seemed to be unable to see clearly.
Jiang Ci turned around, took a few steps back without making a sound, picked up the thing from the ground with his empty hand, and stood still, his voice ethereal and dreamlike, "How come there's a little toy that fell down?"
He was still carrying the things Shen Xi had bought in his left hand.
That location was already out of Shen Xi's sight. She followed her hazy gaze and saw a misty white mass.
You can vaguely see that Jiang Ci is holding something in his hand.
She became less wary, thought for a moment, and followed Jiang Ci's words, asking, "Did your family buy it?"
No one except the Jiang family can enter the third floor of this hospital.
but,
Jiang Ci's right hand was empty; his palm was open... there was nothing there.
When... did she lose her sight?
Jiang Ci seemed somewhat dazed, his dark, deep eyes fixed on Shen Xi without blinking.
He heard his own voice, calm and steady.
"Maybe."
Shen Xi breathed a sigh of relief and didn't think much of it; it seemed there really was something on the ground.
She lingered as she walked inside, trying to find a place to sit down. She just couldn't feel well anywhere. For someone who had been able to see the light for a long time to suddenly have their eyes covered was just... terrible.
Jiang Ci walked quickly and strode up behind Shen Xi. Watching Shen Xi walk steadily yet cautiously, his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he couldn't make a sound.
A light drizzle began to fall outside, and raindrops, like lines, sprinkled on the window. The sky gradually became shrouded in mist, and everything seemed to be covered with a gray cloth.
Shen Xi sat on the chair in front of the hospital bed. She slowly sat down, but she didn't sit steadily. Instead, she sat on the corner of the chair, which made a creaking sound.
The instant Shen Xi stood up again
Jiang Ci subtly adjusted his chair, then withdrew his hand, his fingertips icy cold.
Shen Xi spoke softly, "The bag contains some toys that children Xiaoman's age like, as well as some snacks. You can put it by the bedside so the child can see it when she gets up."
Jiang Ci tightened his grip on the bag, making a rustling sound.
Jiang Du, lying in his hospital bed, heard a sound in his sleep. He opened his big, sleepy eyes and immediately saw his mother sitting in front of the bed.
"Mommy~"
Jiang Du's voice, soft and sweet, sounded like she was being coquettish as she woke up.
Shen Xi stroked the child's head and gave Jiang Ci a reproachful look.
I should have known better than to let him put the bag in; it made a lot of noise and woke Xiaoman up.
Where Shen Xi couldn't see, Jiang Ci's face looked even worse than that of a dying woman.
The little boy looked at his father, puzzled, and Jiang Ci silently shook his head at him.
Xiao Jiangdu looked at his father with a dazed expression, then turned to look at his mother. His rosy cheeks, flushed from sleep, shyly rubbed against Shen Xi's approaching face.
"Mommy, I'm awake! Don't be scared anymore. Jiang Du promises to take good care of myself from now on and never get sick again!"
Shen Xi felt a pang of sadness at the child's heartfelt words. She gently patted the child's head, her voice soft and tender.
"You have the right to get sick. Everyone gets sick. There's no need to be so strict with yourself. As long as Xiaoman is happy in the future, that's all that matters."
Xiao Jiangdu clenched his claws and nodded vigorously.
But seeing that his parents didn't look too good, especially his father, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot, he decided that he would wear two coats when he went out in the future to protect himself.
Jiang Ci looked at the warm scene of the two people in front of him, one big and one small. His gaze fell on Shen Xi's thin and frail back. His eyes twitched violently as he suppressed the complex and painful emotions in his heart.
"Hello, Jiang Ci, Jiang Ci?"
Shen Xi called out two or three times, but Jiang Ci did not respond. She looked up in confusion.
What's wrong with me? I seem completely distracted.
Jiang Ci blinked very slowly.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"If you keep holding onto the little guy's gift, he'll get angry."
Shen Xi looked at him teasingly and pointed to the bag in his hand.
Xiao Jiangdu tilted his head and joined in the fun with his mother, covering his mouth and giggling.
"Dad wouldn't want to keep the gifts Mom gave me, would he? Dad is so mean."
Jiang Ci handed the bag to the child, her voice a little hoarse, "No, it's all yours."
The little guy took the bag, happily opened it, and found some small toys and snacks inside.
And... a peculiar painting.
He peered at the painting for a long time, his little head craning in. It looked like his mother's work.
But why is this painting different from Mom's usual style? It looks so strange, all crooked and uneven in color.
Has Mom started to like this style now?
He solemnly picked up the painting and looked at it for a long time.
Perhaps because he's been feeling more love lately, Jiang Du no longer hesitates when asking questions.
He asked in confusion, "Mom, have you been liking abstract paintings lately?"
Shen Xi was stunned for a moment before realizing that the child was referring to the painting she had drawn at the street stall.
Her lips twitched; she might not be entirely sure whether drawing abstract art was truly abstract or not.
But her current feelings are still quite abstract.
It's possible that she has a visual problem, which caused her drawing skills to repeatedly falter.
This painting... is probably terrible.
She asked softly, looking at the little boy in front of her with eyes like a galaxy, "Is this painting ugly?"
She pursed her lips, her fair hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her coat; she was terrified of hearing that answer.
Painting is one of the few things that has accompanied her throughout her life, almost a part of her body. The lack of artistic sense and blindness are both fatal blows to her.
Shen Xi's heart was pounding like a drum, her palms were sweating, and the anxiety and fear in her heart made her restless.
At this time,
A little boy's cheerful, childlike voice rang out.
"No, I think it looks great, and I'm also happy that my mom's art style is finally somewhat similar to hers."
His words acted like a tranquilizer, calming Shen Xi's anxious and restless heart.
Jiang Ci didn't utter a sound from beginning to end. His dark and unfathomable gaze remained fixed on the woman sitting obediently in the chair in front of him. He watched her as she remained seated without moving, either talking to the child near the bed or sitting quietly.
She seemed nervous when the painting was mentioned.
Jiang Ci's eyes reddened slightly; he wanted to ask,
why?
Why don't you say anything?
Does he still not deserve to be trusted?
She's a liar! She even said she was getting married next fall.
She doesn't seem like she'd want to marry him at all.
An unnamed sorrow gradually rose in his heart, as if he felt sorry for himself, or perhaps for Shen Xi.
"Mom, this watermelon candy is so sweet!"
Xiao Jiangdu held the red watermelon candy that Shen Xi had handed him, looking somewhat conflicted.
Shen Xi smiled and took the watermelon candy from his hand. "I gave it to the wrong person. I wanted to give you a different flavor to try."
Xiao Jiangdu was very well-behaved. He rummaged through the bag himself and asked his mother, "Mom, which flavor is it?"
A sly glint flashed in Shen Xi's eyes.
"It's the yellow one, open it and try it."
Xiao Jiangdu trusted his elderly mother completely. After finding the yellow candy, he opened the outer packaging and put it in his mouth.
Under Shen Xi's increasingly amused gaze, Xiao Jiangdu wrinkled his chubby face in disbelief, sticking out his tongue and looking like he was in pain.
"Mom...Mom...Is this a god?"
He started slurring his words.
Shen Xi blinked. "It's sour candy."
She called Jiang Ci on her way here. Old Yan said that it was appropriate to give the child some sour things to eat. Shen Xi had a bad idea when she passed a snack shop.
Seeing his son's crooked eyes and smirking expression, Jiang Ci leaned close to Shen Xi's ear and said, "Sister, you've been busy for so long, go back and rest for a bit."
He was very close. Shen Xi looked up and could clearly see that Jiang Ci's eyes were bloodshot, as if he was suppressing something.