Awakening 155

  In Sun Langzhong's pharmacy.

  Zhang finally came to after being in a coma for half a month, slowly opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was a bottle of saline solution, dripping down through a semi-transparent tube.

  Her hand had a thin needle inserted into it, wrapped with a cloth strip and secured to the bed frame.

  Her gaze slowly shifted to the side, a figure in red clothes was busy wiping the surrounding tables and chairs, she opened her mouth but didn't even have the strength to open it, only letting out a weak cry.

  Xing'er heard the noise, turned around, was stunned for a moment, and her expression on her face gradually changed from surprise to excitement. She threw down the towel in her hand and rushed out of the door. All that could be heard was her excited shouting outside the door: "She's awake! She's awake! Zhang sister is awake!"

  Sun Langzhong and Huan'er heard this and pushed open the door curtain, walking in from outside.

  Xing'er laughed and cried: "Godfather, your operation was successful, Zhang sister is alive!"

  Among these people, no one was more excited than Sun Langzhong.

  This was his first time performing surgery, and he was clumsy with the procedure, completely relying on the obscure medical books that had been passed down to him. He didn't expect not only to save a dying person from the brink of death but also to witness the miraculous art of blood transfusion. He practiced medicine for a lifetime, and today was his proudest day.

  After examining her body and testing her reaction, Zhang found that she was no longer in serious condition. As long as he followed the methods described in the medical book given by Zhenming, and provided meticulous care, recovery was only a matter of time.

  "Miss Zhang, can you hear an old man speaking?"

  Zhang's eyes were dull and he had lost all desire to live. He nodded slightly but didn't say a word.

  "Silly girl, don't ever think of doing something so foolish again. What's the point of not speaking clearly and instead seeking death? If it weren't for your bad luck that brought you here in time, the consequences would be unthinkable."

  Upon hearing Zhen Ming's name, Zhang's expression showed some resistance, she turned her head away, closed her eyes, and tears flowed down silently.

  Sun Langzhong sighed, and the heart medicine can only be cured by the heart. No matter what these outsiders say, they cannot heal the harm that Zhen Ming has done to her. He glanced at Huan'er and Xing'er beside him, and Xing'er carefully checked the room to make sure there was nothing that could harm Zhang Shi before turning around and leaving.

  Zhang silently shed tears, thought wildly, and fell into a deep sleep.

  ……

  When she woke up again.

  It was already sunset, with the sun slanting down outside the window and its afterglow shining into the room.

  Her hand was held by someone, she opened her eyes and looked up to see that familiar face etched in her vision, the scar on his face was his one-of-a-kind mark.

  Zhen Ming was staring at her with a tense face, the familiar smile that seemed to be indifferent to everything was gone, replaced by a complex expression of guilt and excitement.

  Did he just stare at her blankly all day?

  Does he know heartache too? Didn't he leave? Isn't he not caring about her anymore? Doesn't he hate her? What is he doing holding her hand? Doesn't he know she doesn't want to have anything to do with him anymore?

  She closed her eyes and turned away.

  "Zhi Zhi." Zhen Ming softly called out her milk name.

  She had made up her mind, no matter what he said, no matter how he coaxed her, she would not soften again. As soon as he opened his mouth, tears flowed uncontrollably, but she never opened her eyes.

  Zhen Ming silently stood guard beside her, saying nothing.

  There were only two people in the room, her and him, so quiet that all they could hear was each other's breathing.

  After a long time, he finally said: "Sorry, I'm really an asshole."

  The house fell silent once again.

  Outside the house, a tense voice came faintly: "Xing'er girl, what are you doing under the window?"

  "Shh! Keep your voice down, or Zhen Gege will discover me and I won't forgive you!"

  The commotion caused by Xing'er being eavesdropped outside the house suddenly made the atmosphere inside much more relaxed, except that Zhang's wife still refused to open her eyes and look at him.

  After a while, Zhen Ming gently placed her slightly cold small hand on his scorching chest. Zhang's body trembled, and she struggled, but couldn't break free, so she gave up and let him hold it.

  All I heard was Zhen Ming saying bitterly: "Ge Ge, let me tell you a story."

  Zhang was silent for a long time, and then heard Zhenming say slowly: "Twenty years ago, there was a little boy who was abandoned by his parents at the gate of an orphanage when he was born. He grew up in the orphanage from a young age. When he was six years old, the director died, and he also got burned on his face. He wandered around with a vagrant because of the ugly scar on his face, so he had no friends since childhood. His uncle told him that having scars on his face wasn't his fault, it was others' fault for not liking him because of his appearance. Even if everyone in the world looked down on him, he couldn't belittle himself. He should live happily every day."

  "When he was seven years old, his uncle sent him to elementary school, and for the first time he saw so many little friends..."

  "When he was in second grade, he was eight years old. That year, he saw a little girl in their class who looked like a doll, the first time he had ever seen such a pretty girl since he was aware of things. He became her deskmate very fortunately."

  "In this way, he was in the same class as her for five years, and in this way, they continued all the way up to junior high school."

  "In the same class for five years, he rarely spoke to her. The most words they exchanged was when she asked him where the girls' bathroom was in junior high school, and he turned around and ran without saying a word."

  Zhen Ming bitterly said to himself, Zhang also finally opened his eyes and listened quietly.

  "When he came back, sweating all over, she was already gone. He had forgotten to tell her that he actually went to help her find a toilet." Zhen Ming's thoughts drifted away at this moment: "That girl didn't do well in school and her family's economic situation wasn't good either. Every day after school, she would go home and help her parents with many household chores, so she couldn't spare any time to study. Therefore, every day she would stay in school for self-study until very late before going home. The little boy often pretended to be studying in the classroom too, accompanying her until she went home after school."

  Every time she goes home, she turns back to smile sweetly at the little boy in the corner of the classroom, and says goodbye to him. He never dares to greet her, every time he waits until she walks far away before daring to see her off through the classroom window as she rides her tattered bicycle away. Because of her, he thinks her tattered bicycle is the most beautiful, one-of-a-kind bicycle in the world. At that time, in his heart, the meaning of going to school every day was just to see the girl's smile, hear her say goodbye to him, and then see her off home.

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