Chapter 64: The Rag Doll

When Qi Yan saw Li Ruoke so fragile for the first time, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. In his memory, she had always been strong—stronger than most men. Astute, capable, clever, blessed with both beauty and intelligence; every adjective seemed to fit her perfectly.

She was just a girl, yet when her parents died unexpectedly, she shouldered all the burdens alone, fought for herself in this bustling metropolis, and sacrificed so much for her younger brother. People like her do cry and feel sorrow, but they bury their weakness deep in their hearts. Compared to Qi Yan’s own self-deceptive bravado, she was the truly strong one.

Li Ruoke wept for a long time before she finally managed, haltingly, to recount the details of the car accident. Qi Yan listened quietly beside her. He could imagine the terror, but forced himself to remain calm. After all, isn’t friendship about supporting each other in moments like these?

“All right, all right. From now on, don’t worry about anything else. Just stay here in the hospital and take care of your brother. But remember this: while you’re looking after him, you must take care of your own mental health, too. You understand, don’t you? You two must not fall together.”

“My vacation is ending early. You don’t need to worry about the shop. I’ll handle everything at work, got it?”

Li Ruoke hadn’t stopped sobbing yet. She looked up at Qi Yan, her voice still choking with tears. “Th-thank you… and… and the cats and… and the dogs…”

Qi Yan, who was already feeling sad himself, couldn’t help but smile wryly when he heard this. “Yes, yes, the cats and dogs too…”

“By the way, why did you come to the hospital?” Li Ruoke wiped her tear-stained face, suddenly remembering to ask him.

“I… I have a friend who’s been hospitalized, so I came to visit him,” Qi Yan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn’t mention running into the ‘Red Silk.’ At least not now—her and her brother’s situation was no better than his own. Everyone had suffered misfortune, and there was no need to ‘share’ their calamities…

…

In the same hospital, but another dimension.

Li Lan was feeling much better, for just now he’d overheard the attending physician talking with Li Ruoke. Though his injuries were severe—fractures and head trauma—he had just passed the critical phase. He would remain unconscious for a while longer, but believed he would soon truly awaken.

Luckily, he wasn’t entirely alone. Beside him was a girl even more pitiable, and these two strangers had met in such extraordinary circumstances. Fate—there was no other word for it.

At first, it was Li Lan who kept talking. Normally, he wasn’t good at communicating with girls, but perhaps he was trying to mask his nerves, so he became unusually talkative. He chatted about his family and his life.

If both of them were healthy, Li Lan would never have dared to speak so much. But these were exceptional times. Like travelers crossing paths in some distant place, sometimes you open your heart to strangers and share things you’d never reveal otherwise.

After recounting most of his childhood experiences, Li Lan realized he might be talking too much, and apologized, “Sorry… My sister has always been strict with me, so I didn’t have many friends growing up. I never had anyone to confide in, so I just ended up saying so much in front of you. You must think I’m annoying, right?”

Shen Lixin rested her chin in her hands and shook her head with a gentle smile. “Not at all. Actually… I hardly have any friends either. After falling into a long coma, I’ve felt even more lonely. Come to think of it, my only childhood playmate was ‘Little Red.’”

“Little Red?” Li Lan repeated, perplexed.

Shen Lixin nodded, sitting on the corridor railing, her legs swinging lightly back and forth. “Yes, ‘Little Red’ was a cloth doll my mother made for me, crafted to resemble me as a child. My mother loved red, so I did too. She gave it to me on my eighth birthday—a gift more exquisite than any store-bought figure, wearing a tiny red dress and with straight, jet-black hair…”

“My mother’s work kept her so busy, and my health was poor, so keeping pets wasn’t possible. Every day, it was just me and Little Red in that empty, big house. It was my only friend. I would talk to it, hug it to sleep. But… I lost it eventually, misplaced it somewhere, and cried for a long time.”

As Shen Lixin spoke, her expression grew desolate, but she quickly turned to Li Lan. “Do you think I’m strange? Aside from a doll, I had no other friends…”

“No… not at all, how could I? Hehe,” Li Lan replied, grinning sheepishly. “Will your mother visit you, too?”

Shen Lixin pursed her lips. “She will, but only once a week. Usually, the nurses take care of me.”

…

Li Lan didn’t ask any further.

The two teenagers sat side by side on the railing, watching people walk up and down the corridor. What began in panic gradually became… warm and comforting.

“Li Lan,” after a brief silence, Shen Lixin spoke again. “I’m glad to have met you. You must get better, okay?”

“Mmm! I will,” Li Lan nodded vigorously. “You too. No matter how slim the chances, as long as you’re still alive, no one should give up so easily. Miracles do happen. If possible, once I recover, I’ll come visit you often, talk with you, just like now. I’ll share stories from the outside world. My constitution is special, so I should still be able to communicate with you then.”

Shen Lixin’s smile was gentle, as soft as a spring breeze. “Thank you…”

…

While Qi Yan, Li Ruoke, Li Lan, and the couple Dong Ye were all in the hospital, at the international arrivals exit of Xinzhou Airport—

Xuanyuan carried bundles of luggage out from inside, where an orange car was already waiting for her.

The window rolled down and Uncle Yan snapped his fingers at her. “Xuanyuan, over here!”

Xuanyuan loaded her bags into the trunk, settled into the passenger seat, and let out a heavy breath. “Phew—so exhausted. I didn’t expect the weather to be this hot back home!”

“Ah, it’s the autumn tiger,” Uncle Yan said, starting the engine as the car slowly moved off.

Fanning herself carelessly, Xuanyuan turned to ask outright, “So, you called me back from abroad. Now I’m here—tell me, what trouble are you planning?”

“Hehehe,” Uncle Yan grinned, rolling his shoulders. “Let’s find a place for barbecue and some beer first, then we’ll talk… hehe.”