The TYG team had just won their first match, marking their entry into the first gate of the finals. They returned to their hotel in Los Angeles. Lu Jiaming, with his team members, discussed strategies for the next match, which lasted until late into the night. After everything was settled, some team members went to train, others to sleep. Lu Jiaming sat alone in the hotel conference room, watching today’s match replay. His eyes held an unreadable emotion. Usually, An Yunxing was the one who watched replays with him, but now, there was no one by his side. There was no one to discuss strategies with. His phone on the table vibrated. Lu Jiaming glanced at the caller ID, quickly answering. A lazy voice came from the other end: “Hey, Lu, how long has it been since you last called to catch up? And now you call just to have me track someone down.” Lu Jiaming’s tone turned cold: “This is very important to me.” The person on the other end sighed, their voice languid and content: “An Yunxing is in a hospital in Los Angeles undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer, and Wen Shixiu, the brain specialist, is in room 11-5. Go check it out yourself.” Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaming’s breath nearly stopped; the call had already been hung up. His hand trembled as he set down the phone, disbelief filling his eyes. An Yunxing was undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer… and Wen Shixiu was just her doctor, a brain specialist. Was the male voice he heard in the game at 3 AM that of the brain specialist? No wonder her voice sounded weak, as if it might fade away any second. He had been wondering if An Yunxing had a new lover? In his daze, he recalled something Tang Xiaoyue once said to him: “The pain you’re feeling now isn’t even a fraction of what An Yunxing is going through!” Without further thought, Lu Jiaming grabbed his phone and rushed to the hospital.
At the Los Angeles hospital, Lu Jiaming, clad in a black coat, hurried over. Following the investigation, he headed straight to the 11th floor, about to approach room 6. But at the end of the hallway, the emergency room lights dimmed at that moment. “Xingxing… Xingxing, how are you feeling?” Tang Xiaoyue’s voice came from there. Lu Jiaming’s gaze immediately shifted to the medical staff emerging from the emergency room. Tang Xiaoyue was following them, pushing a hospital bed towards him. On the bed lay a small, frail figure, eyes tightly shut, seemingly enduring immense pain. It was An Yunxing, the one he had been thinking about day and night. In that instant, Lu Jiaming felt his heart drop from a great height, shattering into countless pieces, scattering across the floor. He took a few quick steps forward, seeing An Yunxing up close, now so thin and haggard he hardly recognized her. “Xingxing?” Lu Jiaming gently took An Yunxing’s hand, his voice hoarse and trembling: “Xingxing, it’s me, I’ve come…” Wen Shixiu watched Lu Jiaming squeeze through the crowd, slightly furrowing his brows, and asked in a deep voice, “Excuse me, sir, you are…?”
“Lu Jiaming, what are you doing here?!” Tang Xiaoyue gritted her teeth and pushed Lu Jiaming away, forcing him to leave An Junxing’s bedside. Seeing the situation resolved, Wen Shixiu instructed the nurse beside him, “Take the patient back to Room 6 and start her on the nutrient solution.”
“Yes,” responded the nurse, quickly wheeling An Junxing back to her room, where the medical staff began their work with efficiency. Lu Jiaming followed behind, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes upon hearing Wen Shixiu’s orders. Was An Junxing now dependent on nutrient solutions to survive? The pain in his heart swelled.
Lu Jiaming watched the busy figures in the hospital room and was about to enter when Tang Xiaoyue blocked his way again, “What are you doing?”
“I’m here to see her,” Lu Jiaming explained without any resentment, his eyes fixed on An Junxing on the bed, as if she might disappear if he looked away for a second.
Tang Xiaoyue found it somewhat amusing, “Lu Jiaming, do you think pretending to be deeply in love now means anything? Did you ever regret leaving her alone in Los Angeles, did your conscience ever hurt?”
Lu Jiaming’s heart, already pierced with countless holes, clenched into a fist as he lowered his eyes in pain, “I’m sorry…”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it!!” Tang Xiaoyue used all her sharp and harsh words on Lu Jiaming, saying fiercely, “Star has turned into this because of you, you’re nothing but a disaster, get out, she doesn’t want to see you now!”
“I can’t do that.” Lu Jiaming looked up, his stern face showing a hint of determination, “I need to take care of An Junxing.” Having finally found her, there was no way he could let go. Absolutely not!
Tang Xiaoyue was taken aback, “What did you say? Don’t you know seeing you makes her upset? Haven’t you harmed her enough?”
“There are too many misunderstandings between us that need to be cleared up.” Lu Jiaming looked at Tang Xiaoyue, enunciating each word, “This is our private matter; we need to sort it out ourselves.”
“You…” Tang Xiaoyue was momentarily at a loss for words to refute him.
“Xiaoyue… you’re being so loud…” A gentle voice came from the bed as An Junxing struggled to open her eyes and sit up, pain immediately shooting through her limbs. Last night, she had undergone another emergency surgery, and only now had she been moved out of the recovery room. This meant the cancer cells had already spread throughout her body. Every part of her hurt now, she couldn’t eat, vomiting anything she tried, surviving solely on nutrient solutions.
As she was wheeled out of the recovery room, in her half-dream state, she seemed to hear her Brother Lu calling her Star. The agony in her mind was momentarily pulled back by that voice.
Both Wen Shixiu and Lu Jiaming noticed An Junxing’s movement and reacted. Wen Shixiu, being closer, helped her sit up first.
An Junxing finally focused on the visitor, her expression stiffening for a moment, “Brother Lu…” But the next second, she murmured while clutching her forehead, “Am I dreaming?”
Lu Jiaming couldn’t help but choke up, “Star, it’s me.”
An Junxing’s face froze. It was Lu Jiaming’s voice… Had he finally come to see her? Her heart was filled with both sorrow and joy.
An Junxing looked at Lu Jiaming, her voice flat, “Brother Lu, why are you here? We ended things, didn’t we?”
“I never agreed to that,” Lu Jiaming said word by word.
An Junxing, enduring the intense pain, sighed and looked at Tang Xiaoyue, “Xiaoyue, please leave us.”
Tang Xiaoyue knew they probably had a lot to talk about, so she reluctantly pulled Wen Shixiu out of the room.
Once everyone had left, Lu Jiaming approached An Junxing’s bedside and sat down. Looking at her features, he slowly reached out to touch her emaciated face, but she turned away, not allowing him to succeed. Lu Jiaming’s eyes flickered with pain, but he chose to let his hand drop, “Brain cancer… how long?”
“Since the preliminary rounds of the winter tournament,” An Junxing answered honestly.
Lu Jiaming’s pupils dilated in shock, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” She had been suffering since the winter tournament, and he hadn’t noticed.
“I didn’t want to delay the competition,” An Junxing said with a faint smile, “Brother Lu, you once told me that as professional players, we must take every match very seriously.”
“Who would compare their life to a game?” Lu Jiaming’s voice grew heavier, his heart aching to the point of suffocation.
An Junxing continued calmly, “I thought about telling you, but when Cheng Xinxin came back, I thought you might not care. I just wanted to spend the remaining time with you. Who knew you’d abandon me in Los Angeles…”
At this point, she tried to keep her face composed, but her eyes were already slightly red.
