After Being Widowed For Ten Years - Chapter 5

“What do I have to be afraid of? You’re the one who faints at the sight of blood, you should be the scared one!”

An Rong was completely terrified by the scene before her.

The slick, warm sensation on her face sent goosebumps rippling across her entire body.

The sharp stench of blood rushed into her nose, mingled with the faint scent of alcohol, neither of which were smells An Rong liked.

But because the person bringing these scents was Pei Chongxi, her heart ached deeply for her.

“Stop talking. I’m taking you to the hospital right now.”

Sweat poured from An Rong’s forehead in her panic. She reached out, snatched the phone straight out of Pei Chongxi’s pocket, and hurriedly tried to unlock the screen.

But how could a phone today compare to one from ten years ago? An Rong had only ever used old-fashioned PHS phones, she had never handled a modern smartphone.

After trying several times, the screen only displayed password errors.

Beads of sweat rolled down An Rong’s forehead, mixing with the dark red blood and dripping onto the phone screen.

Soon, a hand reached over and pressed against the display.

“An An, are you really that worried about me?” A pair of pitch-black eyes locked into An Rong’s line of sight.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking? Of course I’m worried about you!”

An Rong cursed out of sheer desperation, quickly fumbling her way to the dial pad.

Just as she was about to call emergency services, another hand covered the screen.

“Mm… my injury isn’t serious. It just needs a quick wrap. No need for the hospital.”

Pei Chongxi’s voice was incredibly slow, as if the person injured wasn’t her at all.

Her seaweed like, long black hair fell over her shoulders, making her look at this moment like some sort of mermaid like monster that had crawled up from the depths of the dark ocean, murmuring bewitching words.

The light in the entire art studio was dim.

An Rong noticed a half-burned cigarette clamped between Pei Chongxi’s slender fingers, its thin wisps of smoke drifting upward.

The smell of tobacco quickly filled An Rong’s nose.

An intense wave of anger surged within An Rong from out of nowhere.

She snatched the cigarette away, ripped it into several pieces, and threw it forcefully onto the floor.

A look of astonishment crossed Pei Chongxi’s face. She stared at the young girl standing before her, dressed in her own camisole. Those eyes, which usually held a gentle smile, were now narrowed at her in fierce anger.

A powerful wave of panic struck Pei Chongxi’s heart.

“An An, are you angry?”

What she feared most was An Rong getting angry and then vanishing from her world entirely.

No matter what it took, no matter how many pills she had to take, she had to make An Rong stay.

For ten years, every single day had continuously eroded her emotions. She had become incredibly humble when it came to her feelings, acting almost like a devout believer facing their only deity.

The white shirt, still warm with An Rong’s body heat, was wrapped tightly around Pei Chongxi’s injured forearm.

An Rong stood in place for a long moment before speaking in a commanding tone, “Now, go to the hospital.”

What on earth was going on?

The Pei Chongxi from ten years ago was someone who fainted at the sight of blood, someone with a fragile personality who needed her care.

Back then, if she so much as nicked her finger while cutting vegetables, her vision would go black instantly and she would pass out on the spot.

However, the Pei Chongxi from ten years ago and the Pei Chongxi of ten years later shared the same attitude of complete neglect toward their own wounds.

Ten years ago, it was because she was genuinely too dizzy and had to wait until she recovered her senses to tend to the wound.

Ten years later, it was pure, utter carelessness.

If ten years hadn’t left her appearance largely unchanged, An Rong would have doubted whether she had found the right person.

Pei Chongxi pressed her fingers against An Rong’s shirt, crumpling the white fabric and leaving stark, jarring bloodstains on the pristine material.

She’s worrying about me…

“Hurry up!” An Rong ordered from above.

“Coming right now.”

Pei Chongxi paused for a moment. Ultimately, as if completely surrendering to the hallucination, she stood up resignedly.

Step by step, she followed An Rong down the stairs. Her pace was incredibly slow. She didn’t look at the steps, nor did she look at her injury, her eyes remained fixed solely on An Rong’s figure.

Pei Chongxi thought to herself: Is the hallucination really this vivid?

The An Rong in her hallucination was exactly like before, furrowing her brows tightly at her whenever she was angry, and when pushed to her limit, putting her hands on her hips with an attitude that screamed, “I’m never looking after you again.”

If it were possible, Pei Chongxi was willing to spend the rest of her life infatuated inside this illusion.

Many of the cars in the underground garage belonged to Pei Chongxi.

Compared to her throbbing, aching wound, Pei Chongxi was far more infatuatedly staring sideways at An Rong.

Suddenly, she leaned in closer. Using her clean, bloodless hand, she hooked her fingers around An Rong’s palm, their pinkies gently brushing against each other.

“An An, which one do you like? Why don’t you get a driver’s license later? You can drive any of my cars. If you like a different one, I’ll buy it for you.”

An Rong gave her a baffled look, and then, her anger flaring even more, she snapped, “Just get to the hospital already.”

Pei Chongxi sheepishly shut her mouth, pulled open the door of the nearest sedan, and sat in the driver’s seat.

An Rong smoothly clicked her seatbelt into place.

Throughout the ride, her gaze remained locked onto Pei Chongxi’s wrist. She supervised Pei Chongxi as she set up the navigation, drove the car out onto the road, and merged into traffic, keeping a sharp eye on the road ahead and the scenery flashing past outside.

While she took in the modern cityscape, she was also secretly on guard to ensure Pei Chongxi wouldn’t skip out on the hospital.

“Actually, my wound just needs a basic bandage. There’s really no need to go to the hospital.”

Driving the car, Pei Chongxi kept her eyes on the road ahead. Her voice wasn’t loud, sounding as if she were talking to herself. “Why did you only show up now?

“…Where were you when I got hurt before? Was it because the previous injuries weren’t severe enough? No… if getting hurt in this spot keeps you caring about me, then next time…”

An Rong interrupted, “What are you mumbling over there? Speak up.”

Pei Chongxi shut her mouth.

After arriving at the hospital, they went through the familiar routine of registering, getting a consultation, and sitting down in the outpatient surgical room.

An Rong watched as the doctor disinfected the wound and then escorted Pei Chongxi to another room for stitches.

Standing to the side, An Rong whispered, “Is there a way we can pay a bit extra so it won’t leave a scar?”

An Rong leaned in close to Pei Chongxi, looking around anxiously, before carefully looking up at the doctor to ask, “My sister has always been quite afraid of pain. Can you please be gentle when you stitch her up, or maybe give her some anesthesia?”

Pei Chongxi knew An Rong was just a hallucination. If she responded to her words, she would probably need to go upstairs to the psychiatry department to get more medication.

The doctor operated with practiced efficiency, stating while suturing, “Anesthesia has already been applied. We’re using cosmetic sutures, which are a bit more expensive and aren’t covered by medical insurance. It won’t leave a noticeable scar afterward, but she’ll need to apply ointment during recovery.”

An Rong gave a thoughtful “Oh.”

In truth, she barely understood half of what the doctor was saying.

Yet this completely ordinary exchange struck Pei Chongxi’s ears like a sudden thunderbolt.

She abruptly snapped her head up to look at the doctor, and then turned to look at An Rong, who was standing submissively behind her, looking so frightened she seemed on the verge of tears.

An Rong asked weakly, “Is it very serious?”

After finishing the five stitches, the doctor nodded and replied, “Stick to a light diet. Keep the wound away from water, and change the dressing regularly every day.”

An Rong gave another “Oh” and took the payment slip. She couldn’t understand the names of the medications listed on it.

During the entire process, Pei Chongxi kept looking up at the doctor and An Rong. Suddenly, the world swam around her, and a buzzing ache throbbed at the back of her head.

The hallucination… was getting worse.

Without uttering a single word, Pei Chongxi took the prescription slip from An Rong’s hand, went to pay, picked up the medicine from the pharmacy, and drove them back home.

Like a little shadow, An Rong followed closely behind Pei Chongxi, offering a suggestion, “Should we go buy some bone broth?”

As her best friend, An Rong felt she should be the one paying out of her own pocket.

She pulled a handful of cash from her pocket and counted the bills one by one. There was a total of sixteen yuan and fifty cents.

“This should be enough to buy a little…”

Pei Chongxi’s gaze flicked toward the crumpled paper bills before she looked away and said, “No need.”

While in the car, An Rong used her peripheral vision to carefully scan the windows for any job postings. However, because the car was moving too fast, many of the hiring notices flashed by in the blink of an eye.

She hadn’t even graduated from high school yet and didn’t have a diploma. With that kind of education, it would probably be very difficult to find a job.

If An Rong had ears on top of her head, they would be drooping completely flat right now.

If she had a tail behind her, it certainly wouldn’t be wagging excitedly, it would be hanging down listlessly.

“I won’t just freeload at your place. I’ll look for a job later.”

The world ten years into the future had completely exceeded An Rong’s expectations.

After returning home, Pei Chongxi personally went to the kitchen to cook dinner.

She didn’t take a single bite herself. Instead, she sat across from An Rong, watching her clear every last bit of food off the dining table. Her gaze converged entirely on An Rong’s soft, pale-pink lips.

As the chopsticks pressed down slightly, An Rong’s lips yielded softly, bearing the vibrant hue unique to young girls.

Whether it was from blood loss, dizziness, or severe insomnia, a wave of trance like disorientation washed over Pei Chongxi.

“An An, go get some rest first. I still have some work to handle tonight.”

An Rong said angrily, “Your boss is way too much! You’re injured and you still have to work.”

Pei Chongxi merely smiled, turned around, and walked upstairs to the bathroom.

Pei Chongxi detested the smell of hospitals.

She drew a bathtub full of water and fully immersed her exhausted body into it.

Her injured arm hung loosely over the edge of the tub.

The hot water, infused with sleeping essential oils, sent streams of warm steam swirling upward.

Her nerves, which neither sleeping pills nor melatonin could usually soothe, finally relaxed at this moment. A heavy wave of drowsiness crashed over her.

As she closed her eyes and her consciousness began to blur in her final waking moments, the image of An Rong’s snow-white teeth biting down on the chopsticks and her soft lips being slightly pressed down flashed through her mind.

Back when they were still in school, An Rong loved to suddenly wrap her arms around her and plant a loud kiss on each side of Pei Chongxi’s face.

“Sister Pei, let me copy your homework, okay? I really don’t want to write it. You know I’m just not cut out for studying.”

Pei Chongxi would try to refuse, but before the words could leave her mouth, she would be interrupted by a sudden kiss placed gently on her neck.

Pei Chongxi’s face would instantly turn bright red, her entire brain losing the capacity to think.

An Rong would cover her face, giggling uncontrollably. “I’m not a guy, why are you blushing?!”