Shen Ruozhen was transferred from the operating center to the ward, and it is unknown when he will wake up.
Xiang Mingzhang looked through the glass wall of the treatment room. Shen Ruozhen seemed to have lost weight overnight, and the outline of his body was faint under the quilt.
Xiang Mingzhang came up with some fragmentary plans. He would replenish Shen Ruozhen's body after he woke up and recovered a little. He didn't have a greedy mouth and only liked to eat a few things, so he would be fed every day.
The shocking shirt was disposed of, and the other clothes were thrown away. A new set was to be custom-made as compensation to him.
There were also cell phones. Both of them had lost theirs, so they just replaced them with the same one.
The most important thing is the pocket watch. Xiang Mingzhang wanted to compensate for it but was powerless because it was of such profound significance. Even if he went to Switzerland to customize a new one, it probably wouldn't be worth even a fraction of the price.
"Shen Ruozhen, when will you wake up?" Xiang Mingzhang asked, his breath condensing into mist on the glass.
Xu Liao completed various formalities for Xiang Mingzhang and Shen Ruozhen. During this time, his cell phone rang countless times, saying, "Your mother and Mrs. Chu have settled down in New Zealand."
Xiang Mingzhang finally walked out of the treatment room. He took the phone and called Bai Yongti to report that he was safe.
The phone was handed over to Mrs. Chu, who asked a lot of questions. Xiang Mingzhang was afraid that the other party would be frightened, so he avoided the main point and concealed the situation of Shen Ruozhen.
After hanging up the phone, Xiang Mingzhang took off his suit jacket. The dried blood clots stuck several layers of cloth together and tore the wounds. There was almost no good flesh on his waist, back, shoulders and arms.
Even though he had been a policeman and had seen a lot of things, Xu Liao still felt that the situation was serious and said, "Your ward is on the same floor. Can you let the doctor treat your wound?"
Xiang Mingzhang said "hmm" indifferently.
Xu Liao said: "You really want me to tell your mother, right?"
"You won't. You care more about her emotions than I do." Although Xiang Mingzhang was injured physically, his mind gradually stabilized. "How many people were caught on the yacht?"
Xu Liao replied: "Five. Uncle Qi was shot in the abdomen and survived."
Xiang Mingzhang had seen Shen Ruozhen's shooting skills, and he didn't hit the vital parts with that shot because he wanted to save Uncle Qi's life. The same reason why he stabbed the shoulder instead of the heart with the pen was also behind this.
The kidnappers are just small fry who do things for money. Uncle Qi, as Xiang Xingzhao's right-hand man, is much more important.
The police will contact the Xiang family when they go to Jingpu mansion for questioning. Xiang Huan and Xiang Kun should both know that Xiang Mingzhang has been kidnapped, but as long as Uncle Qi is behind it, Xiang Xingzhao will continue to act crazy and stupid.
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Uncle Qi will have the police to investigate. Wait for the news first and call the lawyer and Xiang Yue's assistant tomorrow."
Xu Liao asked: "If your family members want to come to the hospital, will you see them?"
"I won't see anyone." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Since I'm not dead, there will be plenty of opportunities to 'get together' in the future."
After finishing the explanation, Xu Liao urged: "Go and treat your wounds quickly. When Mr. Chu wakes up and sees your face like this, he will be either scared or disgusted."
People dress to please themselves, Xiang Mingzhang finally listened. He hadn't slept for two days and one night, and had experienced the ups and downs of life and death. The bow that was about to break suddenly loosened, and his steps became a little weak.
Xiang Mingzhang returned to the ward for examination, treated his wounds, and endured the pain to wash his head and face.
In less than two hours, Xiang Mingzhang changed into hospital gown and pushed the infusion stand back to Shen Ruozhen's ward.
Dawn was rescued, and in the blink of an eye, dusk fell. The extremely torturous day was about to end. Xiang Mingzhang, lying on a blanket, stayed on the sofa in the outer room to keep watch.
He slept uneasily, waking every half hour, and then simply sat up and found something to do.
Xiang Mingzhang used an alcohol cotton pad to wipe the sacrificed pocket watch. The movement was too delicate and the blood was deeply hidden. He added "Amitabha" while wiping it.
The doctor took three things from Shen Ruozhen, including the pocket watch, a soaked will, and a necklace that she never took off.
The pocket watch was returned by Xiang Mingzhang, the will was written by Xiang Mingzhang, and the necklace was given by Xiang Mingzhang.
The blood stain oxidized into dark red. Xiang Mingzhang carefully polished the necklace to bring out its original silver luster, wrapped it around his finger and walked into the treatment room.
He remembered that the first time he saw Shen Ruozhen was in the ward. He stopped beside the bed and Shen Ruozhen was lying quietly on the bed.
The instrument displayed a stable status. After a long time, Xiang Mingzhang's first words this time were "Thank you".
"Thank you for surviving." He hooked the necklace and shook it. "If you want to keep it, take it to the store to have it cleaned someday. If you think it's dirty, I'll give you another one."
"But the pocket watch can't be repaired. Let's go to Switzerland to order a new one. Should we also engrave the Buddha pattern on the watch cover? You decide. It's up to you."
"You said you knew about the Swiss Bank, so why not go take a look and open a joint account as a souvenir?"
Xiang Mingzhang kept talking, unable to forget reciting the elegiac couplet to Shen Ruozhen. He sat down beside the bed and said, "How about I recite the Caged Eagle Poem to you?"
When reciting the last verse, Xiang Mingzhang got stuck and could only repeat over and over again: "Qing Shang. Qing Shang?"
Shen Ruozhen didn't respond, but Xiang Mingzhang was not discouraged: "In fact, I have memorized the closure announcement of Fuhua Bank."
On the pillow, Shen Ruozhen's temple was red from being hit by the gun muzzle, the lower half of his face was hidden under the oxygen mask, his eyes were covered by his thick eyelashes, and he was experiencing a long period of chaos.
The long summer was lingering, Shen Ruozhen sat under the sycamore tree in the mansion holding his pipa, tightened the thin strings and plucked them. He had been busy with official business recently, so his hands were a little unfamiliar. He played a mild piece of literature, and when he finished the piece, he looked up and saw Xiang Mingzhang standing in another sparse shadow.
Shen Ruozhen changed into long boots, put on a helmet, and rode a horse in the countryside to enjoy the autumn maple leaves. A man passed him with outstanding grace, rode his horse back and looked back to challenge him. It was Xiang Mingzhang with his unruly and handsome face.
The sun sets early in winter, and Shen Ruozhen got off work at night. Not seeing the car or the driver, he walked slowly on the thin ice. The soles of his leather shoes were slippery, so he half-knelt to tie his shoelaces. He looked up and saw Xiang Mingzhang, who was exhausted and looked like he had come from some time ago.
On a bleak March night, Shen Ruozhen sat at his desk in his study, lighting a lamp. He had just written a line when he crumpled up the white paper and threw it away. He continued writing, spending most of the night to finish the closure notice. The moment he put down his pen, the paper turned yellow and damaged. He and Xiang Mingzhang stood side by side in the exhibition hall in the center of the room.
The scenes were so intertwined that it was hard to tell the old from the new. Shen Ruozhen was almost dizzy and rubbed his eyes in his dream in an unbearable state.
Xiang Mingzhang kept silent and held his breath, watching the tips of Shen Ruozhen's eyelashes tremble, and the clarity in his eyes slowly revealed.
At least he was still mature and stable, because this man had gone mad and collapsed, and now he had turned into a helpless young boy.
Shen Ruozhen stopped looking at him and turned his eyes to look at the ceiling.
Xiang Mingzhang was a little panicked: "Do you know what your name is?"
The oxygen mask blocked the faint sound. Xiang Mingzhang leaned over and heard Shen Ruozhen's answer: "My name is Ling Tuaner."
Xiang Mingzhang was fooled by Shen Ruozhen. How could he control him when he was so weak? He smiled willingly and said, "Okay, you can call me whatever you want."
Shen Ruozhen looked back, his eyes were moist, and his eyeballs looked black against his snow-white face, as if they were painted.
Xiang Mingzhang told him: "It was the pocket watch on your chest that saved your life."
Shen Ruozhen paused for a moment and said with difficulty: "It is my parents who bless me."
Xiang Mingzhang nodded: "Yes, how do you feel now, does it hurt?"
Shen Ruozhen said, "You cried at the sea."
Xiang Mingzhang was embarrassed to admit that he cried more miserably outside the operating room than in the past thirty years. It was hard for him not to notice the gauze on Shen Ruozhen's chest, and he suddenly felt a lump in his throat again.
Shen Ruozhen lost too much blood and was only awake for a few minutes. When the doctor came to check on him, he fell asleep again. He did not wake up at dawn and slept for the entire day.
Later, he woke up occasionally, and every time he opened his eyes, Xiang Mingzhang was guarding by his side. He slept intermittently for two days. His fatigue was relieved, but he could not sleep because of the pain in his wound.
In the evening, Xiang Mingzhang fed Shen Ruozhen some painkillers, drew the curtains, and brought a hot water towel to wipe Shen Ruozhen's body.
In order to avoid embarrassing the thin-skinned Master Shen, Xiang Mingzhang said, "Close your eyes and go to sleep."
The pants were off, and it felt cold. Shen Ruozhen said, "I can't sleep."
Xiang Mingzhang wrung out a wet towel and hypnotized him: "Let me tell you about SFA. It is a business component of the CRM system."
Shen Ruozhen didn't understand. His wound hurt. He took off all his clothes and let others wash him like a disabled person. He covered his forehead and said sullenly, "I'm so annoyed. Please don't bother me."
Xiang Mingzhang grabbed his other leg and changed his mind: "Then let me tell you how my uncle pursued my aunt."
The business topic suddenly turned into family gossip, from Xiang Huan to Xiang Kun, and then to the eldest aunt, each one was interesting in its own way, and Shen Ruozhen felt like he was listening to a short opera.
In the old days, my grandparents would invite an opera troupe to perform every month. When Shen Ruozhen went there as a child, he would occupy a table alone and eat preserved fruits and peanuts until his throat hurt.
The hot towel happened to touch his neck and Shen Ruozhen couldn't help coughing. Xiang Mingzhang fed him a spoonful of warm water.
He swallowed it and asked, "You're not going to talk about it anymore?"
The painkillers should have taken effect. Xiang Mingzhang covered him with a blanket and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Shen Ruozhen was no longer in so much pain, but he hated the bitterness of the medicine and wanted to hear sweet words. He knew that someone as smart as Xiang Mingzhang would satisfy him.
"If I don't survive," he asked, "will you forget me in the future?"
Xiang Mingzhang replied: "Maybe, time can dilute everything."
Shen Ruozhen suspected that he had heard it wrong, and asked again: "Will you like someone else again in three to five years?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "It won't take three to five years."
Shen Ruozhen frowned: "Are you serious?"
Xiang Mingzhang wrung out the towel and said, "Because I can no longer adapt to being alone. If you leave me, I don't know how to live."
Shen Ruozhen took a few seconds to understand. This was not what he wanted to hear. However, he knew Xiang Mingzhang's expression and tone too well. He said it in a nonchalant manner, neither too light nor too heavy, which actually meant that he had made up his mind.
He said sympathetically: "You shouldn't think like that."
Xiang Mingzhang reached out and touched Shen Ruozhen's face, as lightly as if he were touching a piece of tofu, and said confidently: "Didn't you ask me to believe in the afterlife? Once I believe it, I will practice it."
Shen Ruozhen: “… Nonsense.”
Xiang Mingzhang hypothesized: "Maybe we will not die, and we will go to another time and space and return to your era."
Shen Ruozhen said: "Then you will really have nothing."
"Well." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Could Butler Yao retire early and make room for me to serve you?"
Shen Ruozhen couldn't help laughing, and he gasped in pain from the wound. Xiang Mingzhang quickly lowered his head, not daring to say another word.
After recovering from the shock, Shen Ruozhen said, "Serving others is hard work. I can find you a job at Fuhua Bank."
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "What?"
"There are two vacancies. You can choose your own." Shen Ruozhen said, "One is the guy who sweeps the steps in front of the door, and the other is the secretary of the president."
Things change over time. Xiang Mingzhang didn't expect that he would have to look back on the past. He accepted it and said greedily, "I'll do it all. The current situation is not good. The more money I make, the better."
Shen Ruozhen felt that his revenge had no effect. He had limited energy, so he asked listlessly, "Aren't you afraid of hard work?"
Xiang Mingzhang leaned against the railing beside the bed, bent down and kissed Shen Ruozhen's forehead, answering the dream and asking for a new life: "Then please stay with me, please."
(End of this chapter)