Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At six thirty in the morning, the sky was already bright. Qi Luoling hurriedly got out of bed, dressed, and washed up. After tidying everything up, she left her bedroom and went to the living room.
The living room was quiet. Qi Luoling glanced at Aunt Wang's door, which was closed. According to usual practice, Aunt Wang should have already gotten up to prepare breakfast.
Aunt Wang must still be sleeping. Perhaps her hand was hurt last night and she wasn't feeling well. However, it was fine; she could rest a little longer.
Qi Luoling took yogurt and bread from the refrigerator, locked the security door, and hurried off to the hospital.
Since it was early and there was no traffic, Qi Luoling arrived at the hospital ahead of time. There weren't many patients in the hospital. She first went to the place where Gu Tianye was resting; generally, the doctor's lounge is next to the hospital office, and she quickly found the doctor's lounge.
The door to the lounge was slightly ajar. Qi Luoling pushed the door open and entered a very small room. The cramped space contained two bunk beds and a computer desk, almost occupying the entire lounge.
Gu Tianye was lying on the lower bunk, quietly asleep.
After a busy day and night, he must be very tired. Qi Luoling didn't want to disturb him and quietly exited the lounge, closing the door behind her.
Qi Luoling went to the doctor's office on the fifth floor and approached her attending physician Dr. Chen's desk.
"Dr. Chen, I'm here."
Dr. Chen, just over forty years old, was not tall, with a rosy complexion and bright eyes that made him look very capable. He was engrossed in checking some information when he heard Qi Luoling's voice and quickly looked up, saying, "I was just wondering why you hadn't come yet. Where's your husband?"
"He's sleeping in the lounge; I didn't wake him up. What exactly is wrong with my test report?"
"Well, regarding your post-surgery blood routine check report, I found that your serum potassium level is abnormal. To be safe, I've written you a lab order for a blood routine test, an electrocardiogram, and kidney function tests. You should get these checked again," Dr. Chen said seriously as he put down his materials and looked at her.
Upon hearing this, Qi Luoling felt uneasy and nervously took the lab order. After an hour of testing, she finally completed all the tests.
She sat quietly on a bench in the hall waiting for the results as a sense of foreboding spread through her like a drop of dark ink dissolving in pure water.
Half an hour later, Dr. Chen hurriedly approached her with Gu Tianye.
Walking up to her, Gu Tianye looked flustered as he grabbed her hand and led her into the doctor's office, with Dr. Chen following closely behind.
"What happened?" Qi Luoling's heart raced.
"According to your serum potassium concentration report, it has far exceeded 5.8 meq/l, and your electrocardiogram shows significant abnormalities. This indicates that you are experiencing potassium poisoning, classified as moderate hyperkalemia. You need to be hospitalized immediately."
"How could this happen? How could I be poisoned? What is going on?" Qi Luoling exclaimed in shock.
"I want to ask you, have you felt any discomfort recently? Have you experienced bradycardia, weakness in your limbs, confusion, or any abnormal symptoms?" Dr. Chen asked seriously.
"Yes, I've had these symptoms all along," she replied affirmatively.
"For how long?"
She thought carefully and said, "Maybe three or four months."
Dr. Chen's mouth dropped open in surprise as he quickly asked, "Have you been taking any potassium-containing medications for a long time?"
Potassium-containing medications were something she didn't quite understand, so she turned to Gu Tianye for help.
Gu Tianye thought for a moment and said, "She has never taken any."
"Has she ever had acute or chronic renal insufficiency?"
"No," Gu Tianye replied firmly.
"Then how could she have high potassium levels?" Dr. Chen murmured quietly.
Perhaps due to excessive anxiety, Qi Luoling felt tightness in her chest, and the world around her began to spin; she nearly fainted.
Gu Tianye hurriedly supported her, and the two helped Qi Luoling onto the hospital bed, allowing her to rest for a while.
Suddenly, Gu Tianye seemed to remember something, and a scene flashed in his mind.
“Dr. Chen, please take care of my wife for me. I’ll be back soon,” he said, and then Gu Tianye rushed out like a whirlwind.
Dr. Chen was about to say something to Gu Tianye, but realized he had already run far away and shrugged helplessly.
Gu Tianye drove quickly on the expressway, the wind rushing in through the one-inch-wide open window, his mind unusually clear. In that moment, he suddenly understood a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy.
When the car reached the entrance of his community, Gu Tianye immediately parked at the street corner. Although parking was not allowed here, he could not care less at this moment.
Gu Tianye ran into the community as fast as he could, took the elevator, and entered his home.
His heart raced as he forcefully pushed open the study door. This study had been converted into Aunt Wang's bedroom since she came, filled with her personal belongings.
As Gu Tianye expected, the scene inside the study was indeed chaotic.
The two doors of the wardrobe at the back of the room were left open, revealing an empty space inside, with only a few blue plastic hangers hanging crookedly on the stainless steel rod. At the bottom of the wardrobe lay several black t-shirts meant for summer.
On the small double bed, the sheets were clearly not tidied up in time, crumpled all over. A white quilt with blue flowers was also left unfolded, haphazardly wrapped into a bundle.
In front of the bed was a yellowish desk cluttered with various items taking up all available space.
All of this indicated that Aunt Wang had been in a hurry to pack her things and left in such a rush that she must have overlooked something important.
Gu Tianye first rushed to the bedside table, pulled open the first drawer, and turned everything inside upside down—nothing! Then he opened the second drawer and third drawer—still nothing!
Sweat had already formed densely on his forehead as he kept thinking about where she could have put that item.
He checked the drawer of the desk by the bed, under the bed, and even the corner behind the door, but found nothing. Where could she have put it?
He stood there, surveying the entire room once again. Suddenly, his gaze fell on the wardrobe. In the corner against the wall of the wardrobe, he found several opened packs of aluminum-plastic medication. He flipped over the back of the medication and was shocked to see "****** Extended Release Tablets" written there.
He was stunned once again, standing there in a daze. His legs felt numb and weak, and he finally collapsed onto the floor. Bowing his head, tears began to fall drop by drop...
This Aunt Wang was not someone he had hired from the labor market; she was introduced by Nie Xiaoyu, who said she was a distant relative of hers, efficient in her work and down-to-earth. At that time, he was blinded by infatuation; logically speaking, how could he hire his lover's relative as a maid for his own home?
But she said that Aunt Wang was divorced and alone, supporting her daughter through college, living in somewhat difficult circumstances. However, she was honest and hardworking. If he kindly employed her, it would be like doing a good deed, helping her solve her financial difficulties. If he was worried, he could try employing Aunt Wang for a while.
Most importantly, she swore that Aunt Wang did not know about their relationship; even if Gu Tianye hired Aunt Wang, she would tell Aunt Wang that this job was arranged through an employment agency.
After hearing this from Nie Xiaoyu, Gu Tianye thought about how hard it must be for Aunt Wang and softened his heart, agreeing to it.
As Nie Xiaoyu had said, Aunt Wang was indeed very diligent and straightforward. After some time of observation, he found that Aunt Wang performed her duties as a maid responsibly, which made him and Gu Luoling feel at ease.
Not only did she keep the house spotless and tidy, but she also cooked delicious meals, so they began eating out less frequently. At that time, Qiluo Ling, who was pregnant, gradually became reliant on the nutritious meals prepared by Aunt Wang.
Every evening after dinner, Aunt Wang would accompany Qiluo Ling in the living room to watch some television and chat. The topics mostly revolved around her experiences and some customs from the countryside. Qiluo Ling listened with great interest each time, finding it fresh and entertaining. Seeing his wife so happy made him very satisfied.
However, he hardly spoke with Aunt Wang; whenever he entered the house, she would nod at him with a smile that seemed very genuine. Sometimes during meals together, she would ask him, "Xiao Gu, do you find the food to your liking?" He would reply, "Not bad, it's okay." Then she would say, "If there's anything you don't like or if you want something else to eat, just let me know." She had a warm and humble demeanor.
In truth, he also wanted to know whether Aunt Wang was aware of his relationship with Nie Xiaoyu. But he couldn't ask directly because if she didn't know about it, then asking would imply something suspicious and could lead to trouble. The only thing he could do was observe further.
One time, he tried to ask her casually: "Do you have any relatives in the city?" She replied: "Yes, I have a distant niece named Nie Xiaoyu at Huashan Hospital. I registered at the labor agency through her guarantee; that's how I ended up being hired by you."
Her attitude while speaking was very calm and sincere; her eyes looked genuine and did not seem like she was lying. He believed her and felt relieved.
Two months ago one day, as he passed by her bedroom with the door slightly ajar, he heard a loud noise coming from inside as if something had fallen down.
He was startled and hurriedly pushed the door open. It turned out that the suitcase had fallen from the wardrobe, and its contents were scattered all over the floor. Aunt Wang was squatting down, hurriedly picking up the items and stuffing them back into the suitcase.
Seeing him approach, she pointed to a nearby stool and said nervously, "I intended to step on the stool to take the suitcase down from above to find something, but my hand slipped, and the suitcase fell. I'm sorry for scaring you!"
"It's fine," he replied with a smile as he walked away. As he left, his gaze swept over two boxes of medicine that had fallen from the suitcase. Perhaps due to professional habit, he paid special attention; the boxes were green and white, with three large characters on the front reading "Buda Xiu****** Sustained Release Tablets." He was very familiar with this medication because it treated hypokalemia caused by various reasons. In simple terms, it was for potassium supplementation.
When Qiluo Ling experienced potassium poisoning, Gu Tianye couldn't help but think of the pills in Aunt Wang's suitcase.
However, a terrifying thought suddenly invaded his mind.
Could Qiluo Ling's miscarriage be related to this?
Hyperkalemia is particularly toxic to the heart, causing bradycardia, arrhythmias, conduction block, and even cardiac arrest. Similarly, potassium ions can cross the placental barrier and accumulate in the fetus, leading to potassium toxicity and potentially causing cardiac arrest.
Thinking of this made his heart race violently.
Since Qiluo Ling had noticeable fetal movements during her pregnancy, he accompanied her every night when he wasn't working late. Before sleeping, he would lie on Qiluo Ling's belly to listen to the baby's movements, feeling the miracle of life.
Just a day before the baby’s incident, he had listened to the baby's movements as usual but felt that they were less pronounced than before; it wasn't as vigorous as usual. He found it strange but thought perhaps the baby was just asleep and didn't pay much attention. Little did he know that the next afternoon, when Qiluo Ling went for a check-up at the hospital, they discovered that the baby no longer had a heartbeat.
All evidence pointed to one person: Nie Xiaoyu.
Thinking of her made his head buzz with an uncontrollable rage. His eyes flickered with an unquenchable fire as he let out a roar like an injured lion, his hands clenched into fists as he struck the wall with force.
Comment 0 Comment Count