The winding path led to tranquility, a small bridge over flowing water, and a secluded pavilion in a serene garden, as if time itself had paused.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, and the water murmured, creating an atmosphere of peaceful sanctuary.
Looking at the scene across the water, Chu Rong felt his heart still, just like the surrounding environment.
A stunning woman gazed lovingly at two angelic children playing. The children darted through the woods, exploring. Soon, the boy seemed to discover a treasure and shouted, "Mom, come quick!"
The woman walked over swiftly.
They were talking about something.
Chu Rong watched the scene quietly until the word "Mom" made his heart clench. Immediately, an overwhelming sense of suffocation gripped him.
Chu Rong clutched his chest, gasping for air like a fish stranded on shore.
But the numbness in his body grew heavier, and his brain reeled from lack of oxygen. Gradually, he felt the world spin, and his stiff legs finally gave way, sending him crashing into the roadside bushes.
With a "thump," or perhaps the sound of rustling leaves, it echoed in the quiet bamboo forest.
Quan Jiu and the two children looked towards the sound, but saw nothing.
"It must have been a bird," Mimi said, pointing at a bird flying out of the woods.
Quan Jiu checked the time. "Let's go to the restaurant, it's almost time."
Tutu, clutching the bamboo beetle in his hand, asked curiously, "Mom, did you really eat this when you were little?"
Quan Jiu smiled gently. "It tasted very special when cooked. There was a bamboo forest next to your great-grandmother's house where we could catch many in the summer. If you broke off their front legs and tied a string around them, you could lead them around like a pet. It was one of my few toys as a child."
Tutu stroked the bamboo beetle's smooth shell, thought for a moment, and then released it. "Never mind. Even though it's a pest, it looks quite pitiful all alone."
Through the gaps in the bushes, Chu Rong watched the receding figures of the three, his consciousness fading, and finally plunging into darkness.
...
Quan Jiu brought Mimi and Tutu to the second floor of the pavilion. Since the children were with her, she ordered some snacks first. However, as the appointed time drew closer, the person they were meeting was still nowhere to be seen.
Just as Quan Jiu was wondering whether to send a message, she received a message from Lin Zhongren, or rather, his assistant: "Teacher Mitu, hello. I'm very sorry, but my boss suddenly fainted and has been sent to the hospital. He cannot make the appointment today. Please forgive us."
He had been hospitalized! Quan Jiu was surprised. After all, he was her biggest fan. She immediately expressed her concern, "How is he? Which hospital is he in? Is it convenient to visit?"
Wang Xiao looked at his still unconscious boss and thought for a moment before replying, "The boss hasn't woken up yet. I'll inform you as soon as he does."
Quan Jiu had no choice but to comply, expressed her concern, and put down her phone.
Mimi, seeing her troubled expression, asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Mom?"
"That Uncle Lin Zhongren is sick and hospitalized." Quan Jiu stared at her phone, suddenly remembering that when she was fifteen, her grandmother had suddenly fainted. She had waited at school, hoping for her grandmother's discharge, only to receive a death notice in the end.
It was also then that she vowed to become a doctor.
Alas, fate played its tricks.
Quan Jiu took a deep breath and unconsciously clenched her fist: If not for her own stubbornness back then, would she be a doctor now?!
But fortunately, she had found her way back. She would never again lose herself in love as she had five years ago, nor would she be merciful to her enemies.
"He'll be fine. Medical technology is advanced now, and that old gentleman is wealthy, so he'll surely be okay," Tutu comforted her.
Quan Jiu smiled resolutely. "Yes. But since we're here, let's eat before we go." She called a waiter and ordered a family set meal.
...
People's Hospital, VIP ward. Yuan Zijun anxiously asked the attending physician, "It's been half a day, why isn't he awake yet? Could there be something wrong with his brain?"
The attending physician was also somewhat puzzled. "He fainted due to a sudden strong stimulus. All his bodily organs are healthy. If he's still not awake at this point, it's likely his subconscious mind doesn't want to wake up."
"How long will this state last?" Chu Zhenhua immediately pressed.
The attending physician shook his head. "It's hard to say. We've encountered such situations before. If we can find the reason why the patient doesn't want to wake up and treat it accordingly, it should help."
Yuan Zijun looked at Wang Xiao.
Wang Xiao appeared troubled. "The boss had an appointment with the artist 'Mitu' at noon today. Since it was the weekend, the boss didn't ask me to accompany him, so I don't know exactly what happened."
Yuan Zijun's eyes welled up with tears. "Rong'er has always been strong-willed. What could have hit him so hard? He wasn't like this even when my good daughter-in-law left."
Mentioning her daughter-in-law, Yuan Zijun's thoughts drifted again. "Right, didn't Jiu'er come back before? What happened afterwards? Did they meet again?"
Wang Xiao shook his head. At least, he hadn't seen them meet again.
Yuan Zijun's tears flowed more profusely. "See, I told you retribution would come. He didn't cherish such a good wife and insisted on flirting with others. Now, here it is, the retribution."
"What about the surveillance footage? Have you checked it?" Chu Zhenhua patted his wife comfortingly and asked Wang Xiao.
"We're already checking, but that section happened to be a blind spot for the surveillance. The technical team is investigating suspicious individuals through other cameras." Wang Xiao added mentally, "It's probably not very objective."
"Mom," suddenly, a child's cry sounded in the hallway, drawing everyone's attention.
Chu Rong, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly opened his eyes and stared fixedly in the direction of the door.
Wang Xiao glanced twice, wondering which child was being mischievous and if they had disturbed the boss.
He instinctively looked back and felt a sudden chill run down his spine: a pair of sharp eyes were fixed on him.
Wang Xiao's hair stood on end, and he couldn't help but let out a small cry. Then, he quickly reacted and shouted towards the door, "He's awake."
Yuan Zijun, who was crying at the door, immediately dropped her husband and ran into the ward. She saw her son awake, but his expression was stern and cold, looking not quite right.
"Son, what's wrong? Tell Mom, whoever dares to bully someone from my Chu family, Mom will dig up their ancestors for eighteen generations," Yuan Zijun said fiercely, sitting by the hospital bed.
Chu Zhenhua also hurried to the bedside and asked, "The doctor said you were stimulated. What happened to you?"
Chu Rong looked out the window; dusk was approaching.
He suddenly rolled over, pulled out the IV needle from his arm, and hurried out.
"Keys." Passing by Wang Xiao, Chu Rong said faintly.
Wang Xiao's brain took a second to process before he immediately produced the car keys and handed them over.
Yuan Zijun and Chu Zhenhua were both startled, then they quickly stood up and blocked him from the left and right.
Yuan Zijun asked worriedly, "Son, where are you going?"
Chu Rong remained silent, his face stern. He bypassed them and left the ward.
Yuan Zijun and Chu Zhenhua were stunned and blank. After a while, Yuan Zijun remembered and called out, "Shoes, son, you haven't put on your shoes. Where are you going?"
Wang Xiao quickly grabbed the slippers from the floor and rushed out. But before he could speak in the parking lot, he was sprayed with exhaust fumes.
...
Six forty. Chu Rong glanced at the time.
At this time, she should have been home, perhaps making dinner. Chu Rong's mind conjured images of their life in Shujing five years ago. When he came home early, he would often see her busy in the kitchen.
Was she busy like that now?
Chu Rong stood outside door 1004, but his outstretched hand hesitated to press the doorbell.
After standing there for an unknown amount of time, he finally lowered his hand, turned, and entered room 1003.
Chu Rong casually lay down on the sofa, quietly gazing in the direction of the door.
Mimi and Tutu, Mitu, Ah Jiu, after five years, you truly surprise me.
Do you know, we are destined to be entangled.
A faint smile touched Chu Rong's lips.