Chapter 94 Separation
The night rain in Bashan raises the autumn pond; C City’s autumn nights are so refreshing and wet. After the midnight bell tolled, the continuous drizzle once again descended upon the earth.
With long hair cascading over her shoulders, wearing a snow-white long-sleeved shirt, a black bow tie, a black suspender dress, adorned with white buttons. It is uncertain when Jiang Yan gradually solidified her dress style, predominantly in black and white, exuding more steadiness than vibrancy.
The dress was bought last time by Jiang Yao; it is almost certain that Zhong Jing had a hand in it. Jiang Yan had grown indifferent to this, as Zhong Jing’s “invasion” of their home had probably numbed her to a certain degree.
Having changed into this outfit early, Jiang Yan was sitting on the sofa closest to the entrance, her elbow resting on the arm of the sofa, supporting her chin with her palm, blankly staring at the street outside the glass wall.
Raindrops mixed with the glow of the streetlights, splattering in tiny dances upon the pavement. Occasionally, vehicles rushed by, leaving behind rapid flashes of light.
The girls who had changed their clothes one by one finished work. Even Jiang Yan, who usually seemed aloof, would occasionally hear friendly farewells; after all, a half-blood baron, fresh from battle, brought a sense of security to the hyacinths.
However, tonight was clearly different. Most of the girls quietly left Jiang Yan’s side, not daring to disturb this aloof girl with black hair whose expression had turned distant since the afternoon.
“Sis, I’m ready. Did you call for the taxi?”
Jiang Yao walked over, holding a large bag of fruit pieces culled from the fresh fruit preparation area.
“Hmm?”
Jiang Yan returned to her senses, realizing she had forgotten to call for a taxi while waiting for Jiang Yao to change.
“Autumn in C City tends to be rainy at night; others are wishing for rain, but it’s inconvenient for us. Once it’s past midnight, it becomes hard to catch a taxi when it rains.”
Seeing the relentless night rain outside the glass wall, Jiang Yao sat down beside Jiang Yan, boredom settling in, and suddenly remembered something, quickly nudging the latter’s body, “Oh right, Sis, tomorrow we have a day off, why not go buy a vehicle? Look at Xiaoping, Xiaoi, and Xiaodong; they usually drive to and from work!”
“Sure, just make sure you can find parking near home.”
Jiang Yan nodded, a bit absent-minded yet hitting the nail on the head, instantly extinguishing Jiang Yao’s enthusiasm.
After realizing that you had chatted with Zhong Jing at noon, your mood shifted entirely. Jiang Yao circled back to the side of the sofa, crouching next to Jiang Yan, somewhat angrily, “Is that He Jianqing still targeting us?”
Looking at the other’s somewhat agitated expression, Jiang Yan straightened her back and took out a small box from her skirt pocket, placing it on the sofa armrest, “From Meng Huai, sent by Zhong Jing.”
“How can Meng Huai send something to you? Is it to curry favor?”
Jiang Yao furrowed her brow, snatching the small box and opening it on the spot.
“Oh my God! First-Class Merit!”
Jiang Yao jumped up, almost dropping the medal she held, “He… he’s dead? Shouldn’t this thing be placed in his home?”
Jiang Yan sighed softly, non-committal, took the small box back, stood up, and walked toward the staff passage without looking back, “Is Sister Xiaodong staying tonight? I have something to borrow her car. You take a taxi home…”
Staring blankly at Jiang Yan’s back disappearing into the dim end of the hall, Jiang Yao remained stunned from the shock.
……
……
After one o’clock in the morning, in the Army General Hospital, a tall girl in a white shirt and black skirt walked gracefully down a corridor of a certain inpatient building, her shoulders slightly damp, with a cold expression, her mid-heeled shoes making slow but steady rhythms.
That night’s disappointment had caused a complete loss of contact between Jiang Yan and Meng Huai for six days. Now, the already precarious relationship seemed to be in its final flickering moments.
“Hey, this is the special ward area… Oh, you’re… are you Major Meng Huai’s girlfriend?”
The night-shift nurse looked up from the nurse station, her first instinct was to stop the visitor, but seeing the girl’s appearance, she paused.
“Do I need to register again?”
Jiang Yan smiled faintly, standing in front of the nurse station.
“Um… not really… why didn’t you come by a few days ago?”
The nurse glanced anxiously toward a room deep in the corridor, her voice lowered, “Major Meng Huai’s condition has been fluctuating, sometimes stable and other times slipping into unconsciousness. It’s a strange condition. A few of the senior doctors in our hospital are involved in the consultation; I heard some experts from the capital have also come.”
“His family and unit leaders have been coming to visit continuously these days, but he has refused any companionship!”
“Sorry, there was something at home the other day, I couldn’t leave.”
Jiang Yan didn’t explain further, simply took the registration form, filled out her visiting information, and walked toward Meng Huai’s room, while the nurse behind her let out a heavy sigh.
Upon reaching the room, she found the door slightly ajar, dim light seeping through the two fingers wide gap, mixed with a hint of second-hand smoke.
On the long bench outside the door, Zhong Jing sat in a daze, resting with his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.
Hearing someone approaching, Zhong Jing opened his eyes and looked at the suddenly appearing Jiang Yan, his expression somewhat surprised.
The two’s gazes briefly met, but neither spoke. Seconds later, Zhong Jing pulled out a cigarette, waved his hand dismissively, and walked toward the window at the end of the corridor.
Gently pushing the door open, in the entire special senior ward, only a dim bedside lamp in the bedroom was lit, resembling a mourning hall.
On the bed in the middle, there was no one; the patient gown lay haphazardly at the foot of the bed, with wires from several unknown medical devices hanging lifelessly on either side, as if no longer needing care, draping messily over the bed, seemingly abandoned.
Looking towards the window, a tall young man in military uniform leaned against the balcony railing, staring at the night rain outside. A wisp of smoke was rising slowly from an unseen angle, gradually diffusing, somber and bleak.
“Even if you die, you must do so like a soldier, right?” Jiang Yan approached the balcony entrance and whispered, “It seems you are without fear, or are you simply giving up?”
Meng Huai turned his head, glancing at the half-burnt cigarette in his hand, a hint of a smile appearing on his pallid face: “First time smoking, feeling a bit dizzy.”
“I’ll try too.”
Jiang Yan chose to lean against the balcony railing next to Meng Huai, looking at the darkened night scene, extending her hand.
The night wind carried a few tiny raindrops, splashing against the girl’s face, as if desperately trying to stop the approaching burning cigarette butt but helplessly leaving just a bit of moisture on her red lips.
Taking a puff, a strong sensation of dizziness surged in her mind, akin to having received a painkiller, light-headed, followed by an intense discomfort like needles pricking her lungs, making Jiang Yan unable to help but cough lightly.
“To maintain my position, aside from occasional drinking and staying up late, I basically avoid anything harmful to my body. I’m quite fortunate to have lasted over seven years in my previous role.”
Looking at the other person who frowned and coughed after just one puff, Meng Huai felt a bit panicked but couldn’t express it.
Seven years of struggle for a First-Class Merit would probably seem worthwhile to most soldiers.
Jiang Yan took out the small box from her skirt pocket, examining it closely under the small light at the balcony side, “Meng Huai, if time could turn back, would you still choose this path?”
Meng Huai paused smoking, slowly turned back, quietly watching the serious expression on the young girl beside him, and after several seconds, slightly shook his head.
“If time goes back to before I was four, maybe. After four, I had no other choice. My weight is not as significant as you think; I’m just doing what I must do, not at all special.”
In these past months, especially today, Jiang Yan finally pieced together another side of Meng Huai’s life from the fragmented accounts provided by Kuan Yue and Zhong Hao.
These are memories Meng Huai never shared with Xia Yan or anyone else, as well as nightmares and mental states that ordinary people would never be able to comprehend.
The familiar and the unfamiliar Meng Huai finally awkwardly and laboriously stitched together at this moment, yet still remained fragmented and incomplete, painfully heartbreaking.
“Meng Huai, since you don’t want to worry about anything, why give me the medal? You’re just teasing me.”
Jiang Yan tossed aside the cigarette she had only taken two puffs from, her body pulling away from the balcony railing, her expression somewhat unnatural.
Meng Huai smiled and shook his head, remaining silent.
“You should keep it for your family; that would be worth your concern.”
Jiang Yan bit her lip, still trying to prove that some things were not as she had assumed.
“Who can I worry about? I’m not interested. I just choose who is the last to forget me, including those stories I’ve already told her.”
As Meng Huai’s words fell, Jiang Yan felt as if she had been hit hard in the head by a heavy fist, buzzing and her vision blurred.
Meng team, you never spoke of your past truth. I never told you my present truth…
I always thought we were both the kind who didn’t wish to be remembered by others.
You remember many of your former comrades, including the past Xia Yan, as existing in your world as heroes. I realize how lavish and privileged it is not to be forgotten.
Perhaps, if Xia Yan and Gu Yao had not become the targets that the shadow force wished to eliminate swiftly, they would have already been forgotten by now? And you would probably be the last one to forget them.
Feeling wet on her face,
Jiang Yan quickly turned her head, vigorously wiping her face with the back of her hand, but no matter how she wiped, the tears continued to flow, taking over her cheeks, then her chin.
“I’m sorry, my thoughts are a bit absurd and selfish.”
Meng Huai turned to look at Jiang Yan, his face calm and unperturbed.
“Luckily, if it were me, I might do even worse than you. Thank you for your gift; I’ll accept it and take my leave.”
Jiang Yan directly used her forearm to wipe away all the traces of wetness on her face, turned around, and smiled naturally. She raised the small box in her hand and brushed past Meng Huai.
The footsteps behind slowly faded away, Meng Huai let out a long breath, facing the rainy night without looking back.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached, and a soft body gently wrapped around him. Meng Huai stiffened all over, a slight blush creeping up his neck, and his heartbeat quickened.
“Haha, I guess apart from your mom, you haven’t been hugged by a woman before, have you?”
“It doesn’t matter; I’ll consider you haven’t been hugged by any other woman.”
“Alas, the first time I met you, I felt you were pitiful.”
“You’re too cold; no wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Don’t turn back; it’s my first time hugging a man.”
A pair of soft arms wrapped from behind to the front, gently patting his chest, a calm and gentle voice whispering on his back, intermittent yet sweet.
Complex feelings mixed with wonderful physical sensations merged together at this moment, melting both body and heart, making one forget the passage of time.
Meng Huai felt as if he had returned to before he was four years old, relishing in the feeling of being embraced by his mother, Meng Xiang.
Unknowingly, the night rain outside the balcony had stopped, leaving behind only the faint dripping sounds from the eaves, and the soft touch behind him had quietly vanished as if it had never happened.
Meng Huai turned back, looking at the empty balcony, a radiant smile on his face.
After three o’clock in the morning, in a special senior ward of the Army General Hospital, Meng Huai, in a neat military uniform, was discovered collapsed on the balcony by the night shift nurse during rounds, his condition deteriorating once again, showing signs of multiple organ failure.
Doctors who were woken up from the on-call room and home rushed to the hospital one after another, emergency reports were directly sent to the capital, and Meng Huai was promptly transferred to the intensive care unit.
Before dawn, a military transport plane arrived at a certain military airport in the outskirts of C City, S Province.
