Home/ The Selfish Gene/ Chapter 68
On the way to the hospital for an examination, Xu Xi suddenly called but I couldn’t speak, so I had to ask the medical staff to communicate with her.
“Hello, yes, he can’t answer the phone right now… I’m a doctor from Hong City No. 3 Hospital. He just came out of the fire scene and may have inhaled the smoke. We won’t know the details until the hospital conducts a detailed examination…You don’t have to worry, there should be no big problem… No, no, no, he is still conscious…Hello?”
The medical staff said “hello” a few times, took the phone away, looked at it, and handed it back to me, saying, “It’s out of battery.”
I took the phone and tried to turn it back on, but nothing happened. It seems that the only option is to go to the hospital to find a way to charge it.
The ambulance arrived at Hong City No. 3 Hospital in just ten minutes, and I was sent to the emergency room for treatment. After a series of examinations, the doctor diagnosed me with moderate inhalation injury and asked me to stay in the hospital for observation.
“The initial symptoms of moderate inhalation injury may not be very obvious, and there may only be some irritating coughing in the early stage. However, once it enters the peak period of tissue edema, respiratory obstruction may occur at any time, which can be life-threatening.”
It was just a few puffs of smoke. Is there a need to be so exaggerated?
I didn’t take the doctor’s words to heart and only asked what I thought was important.
I pointed to my throat. Since I couldn’t make a sound, I could only communicate with the other person through some gestures.
“Glottic edema usually lasts for three to four days after the injury. When the edema period passes, the voice can be slowly restored.” Fortunately, the doctor understood what I meant.
As several more wounded people from the fire scene arrived one after another, the doctor asked the nurse to give me oxygen and then hurriedly went to see other patients.
“If you feel difficulty breathing, be sure to ring the bell. Don’t lie down for the next two days, just sit back like this. Do you understand?” The young nurse told me what to pay attention to in the next few days while putting on an oxygen mask for me.
Nodding, I remembered my dead cell phone and was about to ask her if I could borrow a charging cable, but she had already turned around. She didn’t notice my gesture at all. After closing the curtain for me, she went to do other things.
“That place in Fly City is too unsafe. If it catches fire, it will burn down.”
Through the curtain, conversations could be heard beside the hospital bed.
“I heard that the fire started this time because someone was burning charcoal at home, and the sheets were set on fire.”
“Burning charcoal in the summer? Suicide?”
“I don’t know, the person disappeared in the ambulance and was taken directly to the morgue.”
“Hey, why implicate others if you want to commit suicide.”
Thanks to the oxygen mask, the pain in my lungs doesn’t seem to be that bad. The exposed skin on the palms that were clenched tightly at first was covered with black and gray, causing the red velvet ring box to turn black. I blew on it, but it didn’t come off, then I rubbed it on my pants, but it still didn’t come off. I frowned in frustration and simply put it into my trouser pocket, out of sight.
Pulling out the oxygen mask and coughing, I went to the nurse’s desk and shook my dead phone, asking if it could be charged.
“Put it here to charge.”
Pulling out a charging cable from under the table, the nurse plugged in my phone. After waiting for a moment, I was finally able to turn it on smoothly. I immediately sent messages to Ji Chenfeng and Xu Xi respectively, reporting my safety, but there was no response from them for a long time.
I left my phone at the nurse’s desk to charge, and then went back to the hospital bed to continue receiving oxygen.
With nothing to do and feeling a little uncomfortable, I tilted my head and leaned against the bed, closed my eyes and fell asleep. After an unknown amount of time, I vaguely heard my name.
“……Where is he?”
I opened my eyes, and the next second, Ji Chenfeng, who looked pale and breathing rapidly, opened the curtain and appeared in front of me.
As if he had run a long way, his chest was heaving violently, and he walked slowly towards me.
“Uncle Li told me there was a fire at home. I couldn’t find you since your phone was turned off. I made many calls and found out that the injured in the fire were sent here, so I came here.”
Why show such an expression? Aren’t I sitting here in good condition?
Because I couldn’t speak, I could only tell him through sign language that I was fine, so that he didn’t have to worry.
“You see, I was very foresighted and learned sign language in advance.”
I thought joking could ease Ji Chenfeng’s mood, but he seemed to have been shattered by my words, or rather by my use of sign language.
Sitting down on the stool next to the bed, he stared at me for a long time. The ups and downs of his chest did not subside, but intensified.
“Sang Nian…” He closed his eyes and suppressed some surging emotions, but with little effect.
There was no other way, so he had to bend down and cover his face.
Breathing heavily, his whole body was shaking. The air flow rubbed against his respiratory tract, making every breath he took seem like an uncontrollable choking.
“Don’t let me go through this again.” All the strong emotions finally turned into an extremely brief sentence. Ji Chenfeng was not good at showing pain, this was already his limit.
Not only my lungs, but my heart also began to throb.
I shouldn’t have gone back to get the ring. If I had known that Ji Chenfeng would be so worried about me, I would never have gone back.
Isn’t it just a pair of rings? Even if they are of extraordinary significance, their main function is to please Ji Chenfeng. What’s the use of having them if he’s unhappy about it?
The palm of my hand hovered above Ji Chenfeng’s head, hesitating for a moment, then gently fell down, sliding through the short and stiff hair, all the way down to his ear. I gently caressed the shell of his ear and finally held his hand.
He didn’t resist and let me hold him, revealing his red eyes without tears.
Fortunately, he didn’t cry.
“I’m sorry.” I brought his hand to my lips, kissed his fingertips, and gestured with sign language with my other hand to soothe him as much as possible.
Holding my hand with his backhand, Ji Chenfeng tightened his grip until I felt pain. He didn’t further express his fear, but only obtained a sense of security from me in this restrained way.
His thick eyelashes drooped down, covering the thin redness under his eyes. His breathing became even and his trembling stopped. Apart from his sweaty hair roots, there was nothing about him that showed how anxiously he rushed into the emergency room to confirm my safety.
I want to kiss his eyes, feel the trembling of his eyeballs through the eyelids, caress his eyelashes with my lips, and trace the reddish ends of his eyes with the tip of my tongue.
The fragile Ji Chenfeng made me want to wrap him up in cloth and hide it in the closest position to my heart so that no one could see it.
Mine. I declared sovereignty over him in my heart.
In order to monopolize him for a longer period of time, I will never die easily.
I once prayed to the gods to let Ji Chenfeng look at me again, even at the expense of half of my life. But now I regret it.
I want it, I want to live longer.
I will do many, many good things to make up for my renegade, and I will become more devout than anyone else, so… please don’t take back my lifespan.
I prayed to God again.
I want to spend more time with this person, until my hair turns white, my teeth fall out, and deep grooves grow on my face. I am not greedy and don’t insist on a long life of a hundred years, as long as I live one day longer than Ji Chenfeng. In this way, he won’t have to experience the passing of his loved one.
Xu Xi found Ji Chenfeng when he went to handle the hospitalization procedures.
Stepping on her high heels and a high ponytail, she opened the curtain aggressively, and when she saw my embarrassed appearance, she came up and slapped me.
Although it didn’t hurt, it still knocked me out.
I wanted to ask her why she hit me, but I couldn’t make a sound and could only accuse her with my eyes.
“This is the second time, Sang Nian…” She pointed at me with her index finger, her eyes turning red a little bit. She said through gritted teeth, and two full tears burst out of her eyes.
Behind her, Ji Chenfeng happened to return to the emergency room with the receipt at this time. He was originally going to the nurse’s desk, but when he saw Xu Xi’s figure next to the hospital bed, he changed his direction and walked this way.
“Do you remember what I said when you tried to commit suicide last time? I said I don’t want you to scare me like this again. I only have one expectation for you, that is, you must be healthy and happy.”
“I asked you to contact me if you had any problems, but I still need to know from Xiao Tang that you were kicked out by the landlord and had no place to live. I thought you had cheered up and could live a good life, but you started burning charcoal again?”
Xu Xi punched me on the arm with resentment: “You live in a place like Fly City and you don’t tell me anything. When have you suffered such hardships since you were a child? Come to me if you have no money. Will I not help you? A company as big as mine can’t give you a bite to eat?”
Ignoring Ji Chenfeng’s expression, I tried my best to shake my head and blink at Xu Xi to stop her from continuing, but she didn’t get my hint at all.
“Did you stop taking the medicine on your own? At that time, I asked you to live with me, but you didn’t want to. This time, even if I have to tie you up, you will stay with me. I will personally watch you take the medicine. Do you hear me? Why are you shaking your head!”
Why does she always think I am trying to commit suicide? It was indeed easy to cause misunderstandings last time, but this time it was someone else who burned the charcoal, and I was just a fish in the pond who was accidentally implicated. Does this also count on me?
“I heard from Xiao Tang that you wanted to get Chenfeng’s forgiveness, but he didn’t want to accept it.” After Xu Xi calmed down, she sighed and softened her voice, “It’s normal to fall out of love. Where can’t you find men? There are so many people around me who have long been interested in you. As long as you nod, I will immediately give you their contact information.”
“Stop talking…” I struggled to make a sound, and the pain in my throat suddenly intensified, and I couldn’t help but cough violently.
Ji Chenfeng walked past Xu Xi and quickly stepped forward to pat me on the back.
“Don’t use your voice. Tell me what you have to say and I’ll explain it for you.”
Xu Xi, who thought I was frustrated because of failure in love and couldn’t bear to commit suicide twice, was shocked. She looked at Ji Chenfeng like a ghost and even forgot to shed tears.
“Auntie.” When Ji Chenfeng saw that I stopped coughing, he straightened up and nodded to Xu Xi.
“You…” Xu Xi stared at me, then at Ji Chenfeng.
“These days, Sang Nian has been with me. He lives in Fly City because my home is in Fly City.” Ji Chenfeng explained to her, “Also, this fire has nothing to do with Sang Nian. He was just implicated because of others.”
Xu Xi just spoke with some contempt for Fly City. After listening to Ji Chenfeng’s words, her expression became embarrassed, and she realized that she had made a big mistake, and her face began to turn red.
“I heard from the family members of the patients outside… Someone committed suicide by burning charcoal and set the house on fire. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, so I thought it was Xiao Nian.” She gradually felt guilty and her voice became lower.
“That person is dead.” Ji Chenfeng said calmly.
Since I was conscious, Xu Xi has never been afraid of anyone. Even when facing Sang Zhengbai, she is neither humble nor arrogant, and will not lower her head a bit. But today she actually shrank in front of Ji Chenfeng, showing a worried expression that she knew she was wrong.
Searching for wet wipes in her bag, Xu Xi hurriedly pressed the scented wet wipe on my face: “You, you, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
I almost laughed out of anger. Who slapped me as soon as we met? Even if I could say it, did I have time to say it?
She wiped my face with extra force when she touched the area where I was hit, as if cleaning a crime scene and afraid of leaving evidence of her crime.
“He inhaled a lot of smoke and can’t speak right now.” Ji Chenfeng answered for me. Maybe he couldn’t bear to see Xu Xi treating my face like this, so he stretched out his hand to block her. He took out the wet tissue that had already been dyed gray from the other person’s hand and stuffed it into my hand, saying, “You wipe it yourself.”
“There’s more…” Xu Xi diligently handed over the entire pack of wet wipes.
I took the wet tissue from her hand in anger, and even without words, she should be able to clearly feel my disgust towards her from my expression.
Xu Xi smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Ji Chenfeng.
“I have something I want to ask you. Can you take a moment to speak?”
The action of wiping my cheeks paused, and I looked up at Ji Chenfeng, knowing that he must want to know the details of my last “suicide” from Xu Xi. I quickly used my poor vocabulary to express to him in sign language that everything was just a misunderstanding, and I didn’t try to commit suicide at all.
“It was an accident, I didn’t mean it.”
He saw it but was unmoved, and still went outside with Xu Xi.
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