Chapter 60: Troubled Times, Misfortunes Never Come Alone
“I have never... liked hospitals.”
“Of course, nobody does.”
“That smell is nauseating. Some say the scent of disinfectant in hospitals brings a strange sense of anxiety, and that's true... It's as pungent as the odor of decaying corpses.”
“I remember, back when I was a teenager, I often came to the hospital—not because I was sick, but because my mother’s health was deteriorating.”
“Even now, as an adult, I still dislike this place. No one wants to meet someone they know in a hospital... because it means something bad has happened.”
Drip… drip…
Each drop of water slid slowly down his cheek, and Qi Yan could distinctly feel the coldness as it traced down to his neck…
His gaze was vacant, fixed on the spotless glass mirror before him, staring at his haggard reflection—perhaps the result of a sleepless night and panic, or maybe because the terror inside him had grown so large it threatened to swallow him whole.
At any rate, these few minutes seemed to stretch endlessly for him. The sounds around him faded, leaving only a faint buzzing in his mind, accompanied by his own inner monologue.
“There was a professor in college who once said that the world is full of contradictions. Each of us is alive, struggling in endless conflict; right or wrong... it all depends on how you choose.”
“Some say, ‘Good begets good, evil begets evil.’ Others say, ‘The kind are bullied, the gentle are ridden.’ Or ‘Untainted by the mud,’ and ‘Those near ink are stained’... Or perhaps, ‘Double happiness arrives,’ and ‘Blessings never come in pairs, misfortune never walks alone’…”
“They all seem reasonable. How do you tell them apart?”
“I stumbled upon the Yin token. In one sense, it protects me; in another... it quietly, imperceptibly, begins to drain my life. To be precise, my life has been turned upside down because of it. Everything has its cause and effect. Anyone who deals with the darkness must pay a price.”
Qi Yan exhaled deeply, closing his eyes, refusing to meet his own gaze in the mirror.
At that very moment, a hurried figure passed behind him, brushing past.
It was... Li Ruoke. Her expression was deeply anxious, eyes slightly red. Although she walked right behind Qi Yan, both were so distracted that neither noticed the other.
...
Hours earlier—about ten hours ago, just after they’d flown back to the country that evening, at around nine.
Qi Yan’s home and Keke’s studio were in different directions, so they each took separate taxis home.
Qi Yan was clear about what had happened last night, but what he hadn’t expected was that at that same time, each of them faced their own troubles, and nobody had the chance to inform the others.
The nightscape of Xinzhou was quite stunning. Sitting in the moving car, the city lights beneath the night sky rushed past, creating an almost magical beauty.
“Sis, after this semester starts, can I live in the school dorm?” Li Lan asked from the back seat.
Li Ruoke lazily scrolled through her phone in the passenger seat, replying absentmindedly, “What do you think?”
“Oh... I’m grown up now, living with classmates won’t be a problem. You shouldn’t worry so much. Last time, you let me go to Thailand alone to pick up your goods, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and that was a mistake. Need I remind you what happened afterward?” With the driver beside them, Li Ruoke couldn’t be too explicit, so she reminded him obliquely, “Listen, even if college classes are loose, don’t wander too much. Two points only—school and home. Without my permission, don’t run around.”
“But I’m old enough to have my own life. I can’t even go to a movie or sing karaoke with classmates, it’s just…” Li Lan felt aggrieved, especially since after he and Qi Yan had been abducted once by those people, his sister’s control had grown even stricter.
Li Ruoke cut him off sharply before he could finish, “I’ve made myself clear! I don’t want to repeat it, nor hear your complaints. Even if you’re now an adult and in college, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you please!”
Li Lan usually never dared talk back to her, but as a young man, when life became too stifling, resistance was inevitable. He turned to stare out the window, muttering under his breath, “All I want is to sleep in the dorm like most students, not to go mountain climbing or risk my life… You can treat me as a child forever, but... but you’re not Mom or Dad.”
Li Ruoke froze, gripping her phone tightly. She slowly turned to him with a complex look in her eyes, asking in a low voice, “What… did you just say?”
Li Lan didn’t reply, not daring to meet his sister’s gaze. In that moment, his words had slipped out because he felt so wronged, and he regretted them instantly—but Li Ruoke heard every word. Perhaps it was the first time he’d ever spoken to her like that…
The driver was no fool; he sensed the tension between the siblings and gave a hearty laugh to lighten the mood, “Ha, just back from an overseas trip, huh? Which country did you visit?...”
He tried to ease the tension, but Li Ruoke ignored him, staring at Li Lan for a long time. Li Lan didn’t dare meet her eyes, sweat beading on his face, elbow propped on the window as he bit his thumbnail to calm his nerves.
All the way to Keke’s studio—their home—the atmosphere in the car was unbearably heavy.
After the car stopped, Li Ruoke unfastened her seatbelt, her face so dark it seemed ready to rain.
She said nothing, didn’t shout or yell. Besides anger, her heart harbored a deep loneliness… She got out first, opened the trunk, and took out their luggage.
She carried both heavy suitcases herself, striding swiftly ahead.
Li Lan, watching through the car window, could sense her feelings by her silhouette alone. He wasn’t afraid of her anger, but feared his careless words had wounded her.
Several seconds passed before Li Lan came to himself, digging in his pockets to pay the driver.
Li Ruoke was already ten meters away, dragging the suitcases. She walked so quickly because she was about to lose control of her tears.
Li Lan wasn’t wrong—he was old enough to have his own life.
But Li Ruoke knew, leaving aside all other messy concerns, his dangerous condition was troublesome enough.
The siblings had depended on each other since childhood—their parents’ tragic death had forged a bond stronger than most brothers and sisters.
So, she simply worried… just worried.
Bang!
A sudden, thunderous crash erupted behind Li Ruoke, shattering her sorrow in an instant.
She spun around, only to see that the taxi they’d just been riding in had been rear-ended by a private car!
The front of one car slammed into the rear of the other; both were mangled.
Pedestrians and other drivers nearby were startled.
And Li Lan… was still inside, waiting for the driver to give him his change, so he hadn’t gotten out yet…