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墨書 Inktalez
When Shu Ran returned home, the incredulous expression of Xu Yan Ying still lingered in her mind.
Indeed, it was hard to believe that anyone would accept her being with Qin Xian.
Yet, despite the disbelief, he could only awkwardly smile and thank her again.
What followed was a mutual silence between them.
However, when he was about to leave, he asked her for a hug.
If Qin Xian hadn't given that warning, Shu Ran might not have refused. But Qin Xian had said not to have any contact with him, not even a little.
With that said, Shu Ran could only apologize and turn him down.
Fortunately, Xu Yan Ying didn't say much more; she simply retracted her hand with a disappointed expression that was hard to conceal.
Ke Shuran, however, couldn't afford to care too much about that.
She had always been clear about these relationships and could be ruthless when necessary.
If she didn't like someone, she couldn't give them hope.
Shu Ran stood at the door, bending down to take off her shoes and casually placing her bag on the rack. She still remembered what Qin Xian had said about calling him when she got home.
The house was quiet without a sound, but the lights were on in the living room and the stairs; yet there wasn't a single person in sight.
Strange. Usually at this time, Shu Mother should be home watching dramas, but today she was nowhere to be found.
Shu Ran walked into the living room in confusion, wearing slippers, and heard a faint bubbling sound of water boiling. She approached and saw that the kettle on the tea table was boiling water. She didn't know how long it had been boiling; the bottom of the kettle was nearly dry, and the tea leaves beside it had long since cooled.
This was strange.
This should be her mother making tea, but given the situation, had something suddenly happened?
Otherwise, how could she forget to turn off the water and even leave the light on?
But with Shu Mother’s calm and orderly personality, something serious must have occurred to make her so hurried and careless.
Shu Ran felt a bit worried and picked up the phone next to her, dialing a series of familiar numbers.
The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering.
Shu Ran dialed several times in succession, but each time it was the same; the call would end automatically after ringing out.
Feeling inexplicably anxious, a sense of foreboding quietly surged in her heart.
Shu Ran did not hang up the phone; she set it aside and let it continue dialing. Meanwhile, her steps quickened as she thought she heard a noise coming from upstairs.
Shu Ran was scared. She wanted to go to the door to grab her phone and call her brother, but as she passed by the stairs, the noise from upstairs seemed to grow louder.
Her legs felt weak; she was particularly afraid that a thief or something might suddenly appear in their home.
But more intense than her fear was her worry—her worry for Shu Mother.
So she almost didn't think and ran straight upstairs.
The closer she got to Shu Mother's room, the faster her heart raced.
"Ding ding ring..." The sound of the phone ringing in Shu Mother's room was particularly loud in the otherwise silent space.
Ke Shuran found it especially chilling.
Thinking back, as soon as she returned home, the kettle was boiling, the phone was ringing, and the lights were on. Yet there was not a single person in sight; her mother had vanished without a trace.
Shu Ran almost stumbled as she approached Shu Mother's room. She trembled as she grasped the doorknob and gently turned it open with a creak.
Shu Ran clenched her fists and stepped into the room, but the first thing she saw was Shu Mother collapsed on the floor.
"Mom!"
...
At midnight, the empty hospital was filled with a deathly silence, with the smell of formaldehyde disinfectant lingering in the air, heavy with sorrow.
In the intensive care unit, Shu Ran sat beside her frail Aunt with red, swollen eyes and disheveled hair. Her gaze was vacant, her whole being felt hollow as if everything had been stripped away, leaving only an empty shell.
This despondent state had begun since she saw Shu Mother's medical records.
"Shu Ran, you should go rest. Leave this to your brother."
Shu Yi rushed over as soon as she received the call, suppressing all the painful emotions surging within her to complete the necessary procedures.
Upon returning to the hospital room, she saw her sister in a state of despair. It was as if everything in the world had been cast aside, leaving no concerns behind, ready to fall apart at any moment. She looked just like she did five years ago, which made Shu Yi feel both heartbroken and pained.
Shu Ran simply shook her head, remaining silent, yet her resolute demeanor spoke volumes.
Seeing her attitude, Shu Yi didn’t press further; she quietly stayed by Shu Mother’s side.
Yu Xinyou was also at the hospital, but it was getting late and Yuyu was tired, so Shu Yi suggested they head home first.
In the stillness of the night, only the sound of the IV drip could be heard in the room, while the patient on the bed rested peacefully. After a long day of busyness, Shu Yi was exhausted and dozed off at the bedside.
At some unknown point, Shu Ran quietly got up and silently left the room.
Wandering aimlessly in the hospital corridor, she felt cold all over and nearly weak with exhaustion.
Without direction or purpose, she didn’t know where to go. Spotting the stairs, she began to descend.
Meanwhile, her phone in her pocket had been vibrating incessantly since that evening, as if it would never tire.
Shu Ran felt so tired, so uncomfortable, so pained, and so heartbroken that she could barely hold on.
She walked while crying.
“Late-stage malignant brain cancer; there is almost no possibility for surgical removal. Moreover, the patient has already missed the optimal time for surgery. If surgery is forced now, there is only a 7% chance of success.”
"Under the current circumstances, we can only use targeted traditional Chinese medicine instruments for treatment to alleviate the present symptoms and suppress the growth of cancer cells."
"But how long one can live mainly depends on the patient's mental willpower and the progression of the disease."
Each word echoed back, and Shu Ran was in tears.
She could not accept the fact that her mother was about to leave her.
Just this morning, her mother was fine, reminding her to heat up her lunch before eating. She reminded her that it was cold today and to wear an extra coat when going out. She reminded her not to overexert herself and to take care of her rest.
Those loving reminders still seemed to linger in her ears. But at this moment, she lay weakly on the hospital bed, barely clinging to life.
The clock of life was counting down, and it was a piercing pain.
That feeling of loss had burned her deeply five years ago, and she had spent five years without recovering from it.
Now, she was about to endure it a second time.
They say life is unpredictable; just let nature take its course.
But why did these eight words sound so heavy, so powerless, and so hateful at this moment?
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