He just wanted to see someone.
But he had no reason, and couldn’t find a reason to see her.
Not contacting each other anymore was probably the best outcome. After all, he was in this state now. Even if she didn’t look down on him, he would still feel extremely embarrassed about his condition.
But after all this time, after seeing her again.
Just saw her once, twice. What he thought would be just a small intersection, he never imagined that the desire he thought he had controlled would resurface continuously because of this encounter.
He wanted to see her, very much wanted to see her.
So he racked his brains, wringing out every bit of ingenuity to create an excuse.
All just to see her once.
After placing the last domino, Xie Ruhe pulled the wheelchair over and, using the strength in his arms, gripped the armrests, gritted his teeth, and tried to sit back in the wheelchair.
Fang Wencheng shifted his feet but didn’t step forward to help.
Because he knew Xie Ruhe didn’t need it.
After quite a while, Xie Ruhe sat in the wheelchair, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Seeing him like this, Fang Wencheng hesitated for a few seconds, then reluctantly reminded him, “Young Master, you haven’t done your rehabilitation today. The rehabilitation physician has already arrived.”
Xie Ruhe remained silent, not getting angry. His fingers tapped on the armrest, one after another as if playing some tune. His mood seemed poor, and his voice sounded dejected.
“Is it useful to do it?”
He would suddenly have such emotions.
He would feel hopeless, thinking many things were futile even if done, feeling that nothing was worth his effort. He just wanted to give up directly, to live the rest of his life in degradation, which didn’t seem so bad.
“It helps. And if you don’t do it, then there’s truly no hope. Your muscles will atrophy,” Fang Wencheng earnestly persuaded. “Even if there’s only a tiny glimmer of hope, I hope you won’t give up.”
After a long while, Xie Ruhe said, “I understand.”
Fang Wencheng sighed in relief. “Then I’ll go tell the physician to prepare.”
Before leaving, Fang Wencheng turned the speakers back on for Xie Ruhe.
The loud rock music filled the empty room again, the drumbeat vibrating, making one’s body go numb. Xie Ruhe lowered his eyes, looking at his legs, pressing his lips together, lost in thought.
After some time, as if thinking of something, Xie Ruhe silently called out “Shu Nian,” and then, as if in a trance, said something.
Softly, as if it would dissolve into the air.
“I don’t want to be a cripple.”
Shu Nian went back to her life as a “studio worm.” Every day she would rush to various recording studios as soon as she woke up, not leaving until midnight, then going home, taking a shower, and going straight to sleep.
Day after day, it was the same life.
Deng Qingyu had tentatively asked if she wanted to try a different job.
Shu Nian rejected the idea without a moment’s consideration.
She believed that living meant doing what you loved. She loved voice acting, loved this profession, loved the feeling of being in a recording studio, loved using her voice to shape a character, and loved the charm that her voice brought her.
Doing what she loved.
Living this way, this long life, seemed not so difficult to endure.
In the blink of an eye, November was coming to an end.
Shu Nian had no work recently, and realizing the busy season was approaching, she decided to give herself a day off and didn’t go to the recording studio. It happened to be Thursday, so she scheduled her treatment time with Dr. Wang Yue for the morning.
During the treatment, most of the time it was Shu Nian talking, with Wang Yue guiding the conversation.
Afterward, Wang Yue conducted various examinations on Shu Nian and flipped through the papers in her hand.
“Shu Nian, according to your symptom self-assessment scale, all your indicators are within the normal range. And now you can control your emotions well, with no significant impact on your daily life.”
Shu Nian looked at her like an obedient child waiting for praise.
Wang Yue’s voice was gentle. “I think we can extend the treatment cycle. How about having your next follow-up visit in a month? Would that work for you?”
It was moving towards complete recovery.
Shu Nian’s mood brightened, and she quickly nodded. “Yes, that works.”
A moment later, Shu Nian said goodbye to Wang Yue and left the department. She took the escalator down to the third floor. Just as she was about to turn a corner to continue going down, someone suddenly called out to her from behind.
“Shu Nian?”
Hearing the voice, Shu Nian instinctively turned around.
The man was tall and broad-shouldered. The sleeve of his left arm was pulled up to his elbow, revealing half of his forearm wrapped in bandages, indicating he was injured. Compared to the last time they met, he looked more disheveled, as if he had just returned from a mission.
Shu Nian stood in place, glancing at the wound on his hand.
“Officer He, you’re injured?”
He You raised an eyebrow, looking down at his arm, not caring much about a wound that was like a mosquito bite. He casually curved his lips, completely informal. “Worried about me?”
Shu Nian was used to his demeanor but still shook her head.
“Be careful.”
He You had always been casual and didn’t take her words to heart, snorting lightly. “What’s there to be careful about with a wound like this? Even if I got stabbed a few more times, it would feel like someone tickling me.”
Shu Nian’s eyes widened in surprise. “You think getting stabbed feels like being tickled?”
He You yawned lazily and gave an affirmative “mm.”
Shu Nian didn’t understand. “Then why did you come to the hospital?”
“…”
He You was momentarily speechless. He looked at her, his expression indescribable. After a long moment, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
The next moment, Shu Nian’s phone rang. She withdrew her gaze and looked down.
It was a call from Li Qing.