Yue Ze touched her face and left. Tao Yu sat in a daze for a while, startled by the sudden sound of a TV. Looking up, she saw the TV was on somehow. She rubbed her eyes and watched the morning news with interest.
Recently, she had done nothing but eat and sleep, so even a news program seemed interesting. Listening to the newscaster’s emotionless mechanical voice, Tao Yu gradually became more alert. Just as she was about to find someone to change the channel, she heard Yue Lin’s name mentioned on the TV.
Tao Yu froze, instinctively looking at the TV. Her ears were suddenly filled with words like “seriously ill,” “incurable,” and “critically dangerous.” A clip of the butler’s press conference played, and when she heard that Yue Lin was in danger, her ears roared, and she stood completely stunned.
When Yue Ze returned, he saw Tao Yu staring blankly at the TV screen. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ran to block the TV, placing the yogurt in her hand: “They didn’t have your usual brand. You can try this one; it should taste good.”
“You knew, didn’t you?” Tao Yu looked at him in disbelief.
Yue Ze pushed the yogurt into her hand and took out a sandwich: “I was afraid you’d find plain bread monotonous, so I had someone make a sandwich. The flavor is light and won’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Yue Ze, you knew, didn’t you? You’ve been hiding this from me.” At that moment, she suddenly understood why the hotel TVs had conveniently broken, just on the day of the butler’s press conference.
Yue Ze’s hand paused, and after a while, he lost his smile: “I knew. So what? He and we are just strangers.”
“…But you’re brothers,” Tao Yu said, though she knew about their conflict, she still found his coldness hard to accept.
Yue Ze looked at her expressionlessly: “I’d rather not be.”
Tao Yu stared at him for a long time, then softly said: “Do you know why he’s always been hard on you? It’s because of something you both experienced back then…”
“I know,” Yue Ze interrupted her, and after she looked at him in shock, he sneered, “I know, but so what? If I knew the price of being rescued first was to lose everything completely, I’d rather have been the one abandoned.”
Now, the choice was meaningless, so he could only transfer his hatred towards everyone onto Yue Lin, just as Yue Lin had done to him.
Tao Yu slightly parted her lips, unable to speak for a long time. Yue Ze laughed, his face without a trace of gloom: “So, are you going to abandon me like those people?”
Tao Yu’s fingers clenched tightly, then slowly relaxed, her voice rarely cold: “I won’t abandon you.”
Yue Ze waited quietly for her next words, and sure enough—
“But he’s running out of time. If I don’t go see him, I might never see him again. Wait for me, I’ll be back soon, and then we’ll go abroad together.”
Tao Yu knew that even if she kept saying she wouldn’t abandon him, this decision was essentially equivalent to leaving him in Yue Ze’s eyes. She had ultimately chosen Yue Lin.
If she had known about the two alter personalities from the beginning, she would have definitely chosen the one in critical condition. But by a twist of fate, she had chosen Yue Ze and stubbornly continued until now. With Yue Lin critically ill, it seemed to tell her that her initial choice was wrong.
At this moment, she was like the parents of the two alter personalities, completely setting aside personal thoughts, choosing the critically ill child and only hoping to minimize the loss, thus necessarily ignoring the other alter personality’s feelings.
Yue Ze’s eyes showed no emotion, as if he had anticipated this scene when he first saw her lying on Yue Lin’s bed, or perhaps he had grown accustomed to the feeling of being robbed of everything by Yue Lin over the years.
“I’ll give you one more chance. Come with me, and I’ll pretend you never said those words,” Yue Ze said coldly.
Whether as brothers or the same person, even their threats sounded similar. Tao Yu gave a bitter smile, and after a moment, pulled his collar and kissed the corner of his mouth before rushing out without giving him time to react.
Yue Ze’s hand clenched into a fist, standing rigidly in place, watching her leave helplessly. It wasn’t until much later, when more people entered the waiting room, that he expressionlessly pulled his luggage and left the airport, casually tearing up his ticket as if he had never harbored hopes for the future.
Tao Yu ran like crazy with red-rimmed eyes, stopping a taxi and urging the driver to go to the hospital quickly. Her breakdown affected the driver, who sped and delivered her to the city hospital. After paying, Tao Yu rushed upstairs and was stopped at the top floor until a familiar doctor opened the door for her.
The doctor told her about Yue Lin’s condition, and seeing her frown deepen, sighed and let her pass.
She swept through the hall like the wind, stopping just before the glass wall, and when she saw Yue Lin with closed eyes, she suddenly felt a sense of timidity.
Was he critically ill because of getting caught in the rain, or because of emotional distress? No matter the reason, it was all because of her. Would he worsen if he saw her?
With too many thoughts racing through her mind, Tao Yu took a step back, wanting to hide. Yue Lin seemed to sense something, opening his eyes at the moment she retreated. They looked at each other through the glass wall, and after a long time, tears rolled down Tao Yu’s cheeks.
Yue Lin kept watching her, a slight smile gradually forming at the corner of his mouth. Tao Yu wiped her eyes, changed into a sterile gown, and entered the intensive care unit.
Without the wall between them, they still said nothing. After a long time, weariness appeared in Yue Lin’s eyes, and he hoarsely said, “You’re back?”
“…Yes.” Seeing his exhausted appearance after just a few days, Tao Yu clenched her fists tightly.
Yue Lin’s eyelids grew heavy, and after a long pause, he softly said, “Let’s get married, Tao Yu.”
Long after his words, the room remained silent. Finally, Tao Yu responded in a hoarse voice, “…Okay.
Several people rushed into the hospital in a chaotic manner. After sending Yue Ze into the operating room, the chubby guy began to queue up to pay the fees. By the time he finished all the procedures, half an hour had passed.
He returned to the operating room door and saw An An’s father, spat on the ground, and complained, “What kind of situation is this? Just because they’re both young masters of the Yue family, one is preparing for a grand wedding, while the other has to queue up with others to enter the hospital. If I’m not mistaken, this is the hospital where Yue Lin lives.”
“Say less,” An An’s father looked displeased.
The chubby guy shut up sheepishly, still feeling indignant for Yue Ze. The two waited at the door for a long time. An An’s father went to pick up An An from school in between, and they all waited there until the doctor came out to tell them everything was fine, only then did they completely relax.
Yue Ze was in a private ward, the only patient in the room, with a relatively quiet environment. An An sat there doing homework, while the two adults, exhausted, fell asleep in the corner.
As night fell completely, Yue Ze opened his eyes, feeling dull for a long time before noticing he wasn’t at home. He moved his fingers and tried to prop himself up, but as soon as he raised his head, he fell back, his breathing becoming heavy.
An An noticed the movement behind her and rushed to his side, excitedly saying, “Uncle, you’re awake!”
The little girl’s voice was sharp and thin, and her words immediately woke up the two adults in the corner. The chubby guy, without fully waking up, ran out to find the doctor.
