The most painful thing in life is waking up only to find there's no way out. If only one didn't have to face the cruel reality and could just indulge in a dream forever. Just like now, floating in the void of nothingness, until a beam of light shines down from above. Should one reach out to grab it?
"Her finger moved!"
"Finally, there's a reaction. She should wake up soon."
The movement of her finger became more and more obvious, and the lost strength gradually returned to her body. Xie Bingxia opened her heavy eyelids and rolled her eyes to get familiar with the surrounding scene.
There were the nutrient solution drip bottles, the electrocardiogram monitor for monitoring, the doctors and nurses in spotless white uniforms, and the overly luxurious intensive care room.
"Are you awake? Are you awake?" An oily middle - aged man rushed in anxiously, his face beaming with joy. "Great! You've been in a coma for almost a month."
Xie Bingxia opened her mouth and then closed it, silently watching the man beside the bed hold her hand. Why... was she beside Chen Laojiu? Where was Gu Bei?
"Don't be afraid..." Chen Laojiu seemed to see the panic in her eyes and comforted her. "You're safe with me. I'll treat you well, a hundred or a thousand times better than Gu Bei." As he spoke, he stroked the back of Xie Bingxia's hand.
"Gu Bei...?" Xie Bingxia uttered two words in a hoarse voice. Chen Laojiu's tone suddenly turned unpleasant, with a warning in it. "You're with me. Don't even think about going back. Gu Bei is dead. It's no use going back."
Dead?! Xie Bingxia could hardly believe her ears. Her pupils shrank instantly.
"His car exploded. He bled to death," Chen Laojiu explained as indifferently as if he were reporting the morning news. "The Xie Group is in a mess. No one can protect you anymore, except me."
Xie Bingxia covered her throbbing head, looking extremely confused. "Sorry... my head hurts so much. I seem to... remember nothing... What are you talking about... Gu Bei... and the Xie Group?"
Chen Laojiu was stunned. "You don't remember?" After asking, he immediately turned to the doctor. "What's going on?"
The doctor flipped through the materials for a long time. "The brain waves during the coma were relatively normal. But since her head was strongly impacted in the explosion, it's very likely that it stimulated the hippocampus and affected her memory."
"Do we need to arrange an examination?"
"No!" Chen Laojiu stopped him. "As long as all her physical indicators are normal, it doesn't matter whether she remembers the past or not."
"Who am I?" Xie Bingxia asked softly. Chen Laojiu replied happily, "You're my fiancée!" He completely put on the face of a kind - hearted person and continued, "You just focus on recovering. Don't worry about other things."
Xie Bingxia nodded and smiled. "Thank you."
Chen Laojiu puffed out two streams of air from his nostrils, and his eyes were almost heart - shaped. The Miss Xie of the Xie Group, who was once so difficult to approach, had turned into a cute and sweet bunny. He was overjoyed!
After chatting for a few more words, Chen Laojiu finally left. Xie Bingxia lay quietly in bed, but the waves in her heart were like rough seas, pounding against her heart one after another. The situation was very unfavorable to her now. She could only feign amnesia for the time being to deal with Chen Laojiu and gain some time to think of a countermeasure.
Moreover... how could Gu Bei die so easily? She would never believe it!
But a few days later, Li Yishan unexpectedly appeared in front of her.
Li Yishan walked slowly into the room, holding a bunch of flowers in her hand. Xie Bingxia was sitting by the bed, pretending to receive a stranger with a blank expression.
"I'm on a business trip in Hong Kong. I dropped by to see you," Li Yishan said as she put the flowers into a vase filled with water.
"Sorry, I don't remember you."
"It doesn't matter. I know you've lost your memory." Li Yishan turned around and sat beside Xie Bingxia. Without caring whether she really understood or not, she began to chatter. "The Golden Pier project has been handed over to Chen Laojiu. I promised to help him with the design so that I could come and see you."
"After Gu Bei's death, the Xie Group is temporarily managed by Xie Shuwen, but there have been constant disputes with Gu Bei's remaining subordinates. The situation is not good. There's also a young man named Qin Feng who has come to the Xie Group several times to ask about your whereabouts. Your relationship should be very good, right?"
Xie Bingxia tried her best to suppress her emotions and said indifferently, "I... don't remember, so I don't know what you're talking about."
Li Yishan forced a smile. "Haha, all these were told to me by Secretary Zhang. Just listen casually..."
"But, but..." Li Yishan's voice suddenly choked. Xie Bingxia saw that the fingers clutching the hem of her skirt were tightening and even trembling. "But, while everyone is suffering, why can you just forget everything as if nothing had happened, just because... you've lost your memory!"
"Miss Li?"
Li Yishan grabbed Xie Bingxia's shoulders with both hands and roared, "Gu Bei is dead. He died to protect you from the second explosion. He used his own body to block the iron block! The iron block pierced into his back, and his blood soaked half of his clothes, but he still protected you tightly under him! He... he..."
Strings of tears dripped onto Xie Bingxia's chest. Li Yishan lowered her head and sobbed uncontrollably in her arms.
Xie Bingxia frowned and clenched her fists. She asked Li Yishan indifferently, "What do you want me to do? Accompany that guy named Gu Bei in death?"
"You—" Li Yishan raised her tear - filled eyes and stared at Xie Bingxia. Her extremely cold face was really chilling.
"If you want me to atone for my sins, I can accept it. After all, it was because he saved me that I'm still alive. But if you want me to feel empathy, I'm really sorry. I can't do it. There are no pictures in my memory that are related to this person. I can't fabricate non - existent feelings."
"No, I should be the one to apologize," Li Yishan let go of her hands and calmed down a little. "I forgot that you're a patient."
Saying that, she stood up. "Sorry to bother you today."
It wasn't until Li Yishan disappeared behind the door that Xie Bingxia slowly let go of her clenched fist. In the palm of her hand, the wounds scratched by her nails were covered in blood. This pain was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.
Gu Bei was really dead... It wasn't a joke. Xie Bingxia covered her face. She wanted to cry, but found that she couldn't shed a tear. No, she should be happy. The target of her revenge had finally gone to hell. Isn't this exactly what she had been eagerly looking forward to?
Laugh! Laugh out loud! You've won! Xie Bingxia raised her face and looked at the pale ceiling.
Laugh! Laugh! Why don't you laugh! Finally, Xie Bingxia let out two dry laughs from her throat, and a tear rolled down from the corner of her eye.
Li Yishan closed the door. Chen Laojiu was waiting at the door and couldn't wait to ask, "How was it?" Li Yishan took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears on her face. She said very calmly, "Don't talk here. Let's go somewhere else."
Chen Laojiu led her to the living room and carefully closed the sliding door of the living room. Li Yishan sat on the sofa, took out a ladies' cigarette from her backpack, and lit it. "She doesn't seem to be faking it."
"Then she really lost her memory?" This result was exactly what Chen Laojiu wanted. He laughed out loud. "Great! I'll find a chance to sleep with her soon and make it a done deal."
"Aren't you afraid that Gu Bei will come back as a ghost to settle accounts with you?"
As soon as Chen Laojiu heard this, he immediately got scared. "He, he, he didn't die, did he?"
As soon as the news media reported Gu Bei's death, he had specifically asked someone to investigate the details, including how his body was handled after his death, how the funeral was arranged, and all the places where he might appear. It would probably be harder than climbing to heaven to fake it.
Li Yishan held the cigarette and exhaled. "In the public's understanding, he is indeed dead, completely dead. But..." She blew out a smoke ring and smiled mysteriously. "What we see may not be the whole truth. There could be accidents..."