IJLHTW - 39

Huo Ci’s heart sank, but her mind remained clear. She immediately asked, “Where are you?”

“We’re at Military General Hospital. Our leader just had her stomach pumped, and I’m with her in the ward, resting,” Mo Xingchen was actually making the call from outside. She had used the excuse of getting water to find a moment alone.

She was usually a very careless person, but facing this situation, she truly panicked. Her mind was a blank, and all she wanted to do was call Huo Ci. With the two of them together, Huo Ci was always the backbone. But she had called ten times, and no one answered. Now that the call finally connected, her tears fell uncontrollably.

Huo Ci was stunned, realizing that Military General Hospital was practically the only hospital left in Beijing.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it, saying in a deep voice, “Take care of her first. I’ll be right there.”

Mo Xingchen had originally braced herself for the worst-case scenario that Huo Ci wasn’t in Beijing, but hearing her say she was coming, she truly breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly hung up and went back to take care of Shao Yi.

She never expected “right there” to mean ten minutes.

And Huo Ci was pushed in on a wheelchair.

Shao Yi was already awake and on an IV drip. Both she and Mo Xingchen looked at Huo Ci, dressed in a hospital gown and arriving in a wheelchair, their expressions changing.

Mo Xingchen was about to cry again, asking with a sobbing voice, “What the hell happened to you?”

She had been counting on Huo Ci to support them, but she was in this state.

Huo Ci’s face was cold, her brows tightly furrowed: “Appendicitis, just had surgery.”

Bai Yu, standing behind her, almost twisted his face in anger hearing her talk nonsense. But looking at the girl lying on the bed, he really couldn’t say anything else and simply shut up.

The two on the opposite side, however, both breathed a sigh of relief.

Shao Yi on the hospital bed sighed and said, “I even told Xingchen not to call you. She’s just making a big fuss.”

“You’re in the hospital getting your stomach pumped, and that’s just making a big fuss?” Huo Ci raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. Her expression was genuinely haggard.

Shao Yi had a peaceful disposition, but she wasn’t a bookworm. In college, she took good care of the three of them, and after one left, she took care of the remaining two. Once, when Huo Ci collapsed from overwork and was on an IV drip for a week at the campus hospital, Shao Yi secretly used a stove in the dorm to cook porridge for her. Unexpectedly, the fake, shoddy electric stove she bought short-circuited the entire building’s power.

Later, the whole school issued a public criticism, and she wasn’t even allowed to be nominated for scholarships.

Huo Ci was a cold person and had even fewer friends. These two college roommates were her most cherished friends.

Shao Yi looked a bit embarrassed and explained, “Don’t listen to Xingchen’s nonsense. I really didn’t commit suicide. I just took two sleeping pills, and after I couldn’t fall asleep, I got up and had some wine. I really forgot about taking the sleeping pills.”

Mo Xingchen beside them almost jumped up. She looked at Huo Ci and said, “Huo Ci, do you believe that? Forget a doctor, even someone without medical knowledge knows that alcohol and sleeping pills can’t be taken together.”

Mo Xingchen’s eyes were red; she was truly frightened.

If she hadn’t gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and seen Shao Yi passed out outside, she might have truly seen a corpse the next morning.

Shao Yi still firmly defended herself, saying she really couldn’t sleep and got up. Then she saw the wine in the refrigerator and forgot about having taken the sleeping pills earlier.

Huo Ci leaned back in the wheelchair, quietly watching the two of them, then suddenly spoke: “Then who can tell me exactly what happened?”

At this question, both of them deflated.

Shao Yi lowered her eyes, still on an IV drip on the back of her hand, lying quietly.

Mo Xingchen’s eyes darted around. She wanted to speak, but she carefully glanced at Shao Yi lying on the bed.

“Bai Yu, you go out and wait for me first,” Huo Ci said blandly.

Bai Yu also noticed that something was amiss. He acknowledged and went out, closing the door behind him. It was fortunate that the person in the bed next to them wasn’t there, probably out for a walk or for medical tests.

Mo Xingchen waited for a long time, seeing Shao Yi not speak. She hardened her heart and simply said, “Let me tell you. Chen Xin cheated.”

Chen Xin was Shao Yi’s boyfriend. They had been classmates since college, dated for six or seven years, and were about to get married.

Before Huo Ci arrived, she had already guessed the general situation in her heart, but hearing it now, her mind exploded unexpectedly. She glanced towards the window and coldly spat out, “That idiot.”

He was indeed an idiot. She always felt that cheating was the most gutless and thankless thing in the world. Yet, some people still tirelessly indulged in it, one after another.

Mo Xingchen finally found a kindred spirit. Ever since she learned about this, she had been holding her breath. In front of Shao Yi, she couldn’t curse too harshly.

“Do you know what’s most outrageous? He actually created a new small group chat for our class, and didn’t include you or me. If other classmates hadn’t secretly asked me, I wouldn’t have even known that idiot was getting married.”

Bang! Mo Xingchen knew she had triggered a bomb as soon as she finished speaking.

She couldn’t keep a secret. She had managed to hold it in and not tell Shao Yi, but seeing Huo Ci there was like seeing her backbone, and she poured everything out to her.

Shao Yi looked up. This time, the expression on her face was no longer calm. It was full of disbelief and devastation. It was heartbreaking to see.

She asked, “He’s getting married?”

Chen Xin had suggested breaking up last week. In truth, Shao Yi had noticed his growing coldness some time ago. But she kept thinking it was because he was too busy with work. After all, hospital work, seeing so many patients every day, consecutive surgeries, and shifts, it was normal to be tired. She couldn’t believe it until he actually suggested breaking up.

They had even discussed marriage during Christmas.

Mo Xingchen hung her head and whispered, “Liu Ting from our class said it. You know she’s a bigmouth.”

“Do you know where he’s getting married?” Huo Ci asked blandly.

There was no expression on her face, no sign of anger, just a detached calm. Like she was wearing a mask, her eyes and brows were devoid of emotion. Mo Xingchen had known her for so many years and understood her well enough to know that this demeanor was the most frightening.

Mo Xingchen cautiously asked, “Huo Ci, what do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do?” Huo Ci looked up at them both, reaching out to brush back her long hair from her ear, and softly said, “We’ve known each other for so many years, it would be too disappointing if we didn’t go to his wedding, wouldn’t it?”

Huo Ci looked out the window. Beijing’s winter was truly cold.

She softly said, “In a few more days, it will be New Year’s.”

At the mention of New Year’s, Mo Xingchen looked at the two beside her—one who had her stomach pumped, the other who had her appendix removed. She complained pitifully, “What’s wrong with the end of the year? Why are there so many things happening?”

Huo Ci was too lazy to bother with her nonsense and looked directly at Shao Yi, asking her, “Shao Yi, what matters most is your thoughts.”

Shao Yi looked at her in silence.

Huo Ci said, “Right now, you might be very angry, hating his betrayal. But if you don’t get a clear answer, slowly, you’ll start wondering if there was something you didn’t do well enough that made him treat you this way.”

Becoming a doctor through prolonged illness, Huo Ci had once seen a psychiatrist for psychological issues. In many cases of cheating, the abandoned woman would end up blaming herself. They would become depressed, lose faith in love, and eventually lose confidence in themselves.

Shao Yi was not a strong person, but she was never weak. Huo Ci only hoped that she wouldn’t go down that path.

Mo Xingchen still had some tricks up her sleeve and managed to find out the location of Chen Xin’s wedding. She reported a hotel name, a five-star one, which required booking at least half a year in advance. Either the family had connections to cut the line, or they had booked the place half a year ago.

Mo Xingchen snorted coldly, “He’s putting on airs, booking such a fancy place.”

“Chen Xin’s family is from the county, their financial situation is average,” Shao Yi whispered.

The room immediately fell silent. Now, even the reason for the cheating was known. A wedding at such a five-star hotel would cost hundreds of thousands. If Chen Xin’s family truly had that much money, he wouldn’t have dragged his feet on getting married before.

He must have climbed the social ladder.

There was no point in saying more. Shao Yi said she was tired, and seeing Huo Ci’s state, she also told her to hurry back and rest.

Mo Xingchen escorted her to the door. She didn’t dare to go far, just stood at the entrance and whispered to Huo Ci, “I asked around. Chen Xin and the mistress supposedly met when she was seeing a doctor.”

Huo Ci raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. She really underestimated Mo Xingchen; she had even managed to find that out.

Mo Xingchen said angrily, “That scumbag is now telling everyone that he and Shao Yi broke up half a year ago, but just didn’t tell anyone. He says it was love at first sight with the mistress, that he found the right person, and they decided to get married in two months. My God, that scumbag’s audacity is thicker than the Great Wall! I’ve known him for so many years and never saw it coming; I was truly blind.”

These words were pieced together by Mo Xingchen from various classmates. If Chen Xin were in front of her right now, she’d want to slap him senseless.

Huo Ci’s eyes were icy, a sarcastic smile on her lips.

As she was leaving, she said, “Don’t worry, he won’t be jumping around for much longer.”

________________________________________

**

The saying “all’s well that ends well” probably referred to the current situation.

After Huo Ci slept for a while, Liu Ruhan arrived. There were many people at the Military General Hospital, and she was afraid of running into Old acquaintances of Shen Fangtang, so she simply had Bai Yu call Liu Ruhan and tell her that she had undergone an appendectomy at the Military General Hospital.

Bai Yu had already briefed the nurses, asking them not to spill the beans.

When Liu Ruhan arrived, she brought the family’s nanny, who was carrying soup and rushed over.

She sat down and looked at her with heartache: “Why didn’t you tell Mom earlier? I would have come to be with you.”

“Just a minor surgery,” Huo Ci said coolly.

Liu Ruhan didn’t get angry. She personally ladled out soup and handed it to her. Seeing her obediently take it, her heart eased, but then she said with renewed tenderness, “I told you long ago, you should find someone who cares for you.”

“Okay,” Huo Ci replied, and Liu Ruhan’s eyebrows almost flew up in delight. Then she said blandly, “You find me a nanny too.”

Liu Ruhan choked, staring at her with her beautiful eyes.

After a long time, she changed the subject, saying, “Do you still remember Lu Lulu?”

Huo Ci continued to drink her soup.

“That girl who used to always play with Shen Qian. She’s getting married soon, and her husband is actually your schoolmate, and he looks quite familiar to me. She’s even younger than you, and she’s already...”

She didn’t finish nagging before Huo Ci looked up, her gaze as sharp as an icy needle, piercing into people’s hearts.

“Which classmate of mine?”

Liu Ruhan thought she was angry and laughed awkwardly, “It’s not necessarily your classmate, probably just from the same school, anyway, he graduated from B University too.”

“What’s his name?”

Liu Ruhan thought for a moment; “It seems his surname is Chen. Her mother personally delivered the invitation to our house yesterday and talked for a long time. Anyway, she’s quite satisfied with this prospective son-in-law. She said the young man looks good and has a good education.”

Many children around them were getting married, and Liu Ruhan had watched Huo Ci for so many years without ever having a serious boyfriend. How could she not be anxious?

Moreover, what she feared even more was that Huo Ci hadn’t let go of Shen Sui’an.

“Chen Xin, right?” Huo Ci finished her soup and casually said the name.

Liu Ruhan paused, then realized, “He really is your classmate!”

“Where’s your invitation? I happen to be going that day too. I’ll pick you up at home, okay?” Huo Ci looked at her, saying blandly.

Liu Ruhan didn’t expect her to proactively say this and didn’t even care why she was asking for the invitation. She nodded repeatedly with joy.

For the invitation, Huo Ci had Bai Yu send them back, and conveniently retrieved the invitation.

After getting the invitation, Huo Ci looked at the bride and groom in the wedding photo on it, sneered, and called Mo Xingchen.

As soon as the other side connected, she asked, “Mo Xingchen, do you want to go stir up some trouble with me?”

Mo Xingchen was stunned and foolishly asked in return, “What kind of trouble?”

“Let’s kill that idiot Chen Xin.”