Translator: Henyee Translations   Editor: Henyee Translations
âPei Jingzhou!â When Li You saw Pei Jingzhou, the haze above her head dissipated. She slung her bag over her arm and ran quickly in Pei Jingzhouâs direction. She ran to Pei Jingzhou and stopped, panting.
Pei Jingzhou reached out and tidied her bangs that were messed up by the wind. He deliberately teased, âItâs only been two days since we last met. Do you miss me so much?â
Li You looked depressed. She threw herself into Pei Jingzhouâs arms and hugged him. âPei Jingzhou, Iâm in a bad mood.â
Pei Jingzhouâs slowly raised hand froze. The words of concern were on his lips, but he did not ask a single question. It was not appropriate to stand here and talk. He took her hand. âGet in the car first.â
She obediently followed Pei Jingzhou into the car. In Country T, Pei Jingzhou drove himself. Li You sat in the front passenger seat. Pei Jingzhou adjusted the route to go to the hotel he always stayed at.
Along the way, Li You told Pei Jingzhou about her suspicious guesses. After saying that, she even asked, âDo you also think that Iâm letting my imagination run wild?â
The traffic light was ahead, and the car slowly stopped. Pei Jingzhou looked at her sideways. âYouâre not wrong to be worried about your mother. This isnât letting your imagination run wild. Also, havenât you always trust your intuition?â
These words reminded Li You.
Yeah, sheâd always trusted her intuition. But this time, she was actually convincing herself that it was an illusion of her imagination running wild. Pei Jingzhou adjusted the GPS. His destination was Li Youâs address. âIâm not sure what happened just now. Since I know the general situation, itâs better to go back to your house first.â
Li You nodded. âThatâs good. Before 1 left the consulate just now, I called Mom.
She said she was at home.â
Pei Jingzhou said, âItâs good that Auntie is at home. Youâll be at ease when you see her later.â
These words were also to comfort Li You. After a ten-minute drive, they arrived at Li Youâs address.
Pei Jingzhou parked the car and got out to accompany Li You. As soon as she walked into the neighborhood and saw the dark two-story windows, Li Youâs expression collapsed. âPei Jingzhou, thereâs no one at home.â
Pei Jingzhou naturally saw it too.
Li You took out her phone and called Father Pei, but he did not pick up. She called Mother Pei again. The system voice message told her that it was not convenient for the other party to pick up the call for the time being.
Li You was clearly anxious. She had called her mother before she left the consulate. At the time, her mother had answered her call and said that she was at home. But when she called again now, no one answered.
She was so anxious that her face turned pale. She paced back and forth, eager and calling her motherâs number repeatedly.
Pei Jingzhou grabbed her arm and stopped her from pacing back and forth. He gently comforted her anxious mood. âDonât be anxious. Uncle and Auntie must have something on. They canât answer the phone for the time being.â
âIt had better be like this, but⦠when 1 called Mom ten minutes ago, Niom even answered my callâ¦â Li You was so anxious that she was about to cry.
After she made five or six unanswered calls, Li You received a call back from her father. When she saw the name âDadâ on the caller ID, the weight on Li Youâs mouth suddenly lightened. When she picked up the phone, she suppressed her tears. âDad..â
Li Huaishengs tired voice came from the phone. âLittle You, donât worry. Your mother is fine. Iâm staying by her side.â
For Li You, who did not know anything yet, Father Liâs words undoubtedly confused her. She asked hesitantly, ââ¦Whatâs wrong with Mom?â
Li Huaisheng did not want to tell Li You this cruel truth over the phone, so he only told her the hospital address.
After hanging up, Li You was so distracted that her cell phone almost fell to the ground.
Pei Jingzhou did not hear the conversation between Li You and her father. He took the phone from her and gently pulled her into his arms. âDonât think too much about it first. Do you remember how often you mention Murphyâs Law to me? The more you think about bad things, the more they will happen. Donât think about those bad things. Do you want to stay at home and wait for them to come back, or do you need to go somewhere?â
Li Youâs eyes were red as she pressed her forehead against Pei Jingzhouâs chest. âMom is in the hospital.â
Pei Jingzhou put his arm around her back. âSince Uncle told you that Auntie is in the hospital, he must have told you the address of the hospital. Do you want to go to the hospital or stay at home and wait for them to come back?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Li You replied firmly, âTo the hospital.â
Pei Jingzhou agreed. âOkay, weâll go now.â
On the way to the hospital, Li You was very silent. She almost did not say a word.
She thought about Pei Jingzhouâs reminder not to think about those terrible things. The more she thought about it, the easier it was for them to happen. Why not calm down and wait until she sees her mother in the hospital?
Pei Jingzhou did not drive very fast and arrived at the hospital at a constant speed. Before getting out of the car, Pei Jingzhou received a call.
Seeing the caller ID, Pei Jingzhou glanced at Li You. Li You was very sensitive now. Pei Jingzhou glanced at her and guessed that this call should be from her father.
She was right.
It was her father.
She subconsciously looked at her cell phone. It was not switched off and the signal was good. However, her father must have something to tell Pei
Jingzhou alone. He had to avoid her and not let her hear it.
Li You suppressed the urge to take the cell phone from Pei Jingzhouâs hand and said in a low voice, âAnswer it.â
Pei Jingzhou nodded and picked up Father Li t s call in front of Li You.
Li You did not deliberately want to hear what her father said to Pei Jingzhou.
She only paid attention to Pei Jingzhouâs expression. Unfortunately, Pei Jingzhouâs expression had always been reserved. She could not see any changes.
When the call ended, Pei Jingzhou put away his cell phone. Under Li Youâs urgent gaze, he said, âUncle told me the ward number.â
Li You felt a lump in her throat. ââ¦Is there nothing else?â
Pei Jingzhou looked at her eager expression and suppressed his softened heart. âThereâs nothing else.â
Li You did not ask again.
On the way in, she was still very quiet. She did not ask Pei Jingzhou all sorts of questions and walked obediently beside him until she arrived at the floor where her mother was hospitalized. In the long corridor, she saw Father Li, who had become extremely haggard after not seeing him for only an afternoon.
There was still a long way to go between them.
She was stunned for a long time before she called out, âDad.â
When Li Huaisheng heard Li Youâs voice, he looked over. He seemed to have been waiting there for a long time. Only when Li You appeared did a very difficult smile appear on his face. However, to Li You, it was a smile that was uglier than crying.
âDad.â
âDadâ¦
Her cries were very loud. She let go of Pei Jingzhouâs hand and walked towards Father Li while sobbing.
Her face was filled with grievance, and her mouth was pouting. Just like when she had been wronged when she was young and went to look for her father to support her, she walked to her father while sobbing.
When she approached Father Li and had yet to cry about why they did not pick up after calling so many times, she choked on the words.
Because through the single pane of glass in the ward door, she saw her mother lying on the bed in the ward, wearing a ventilator..