FY - 41

The hospital room was eerily quiet.

Si Wen hadn’t left Zhou Yan’s side for a second, his eyes fixed on her, afraid that if he blinked, she would be gone.

The legalization of marijuana in Canada had been a high for many drug addicts.

This was the first step. They firmly believed that where there was a first step, a second one would follow.

Tragedies caused by marijuana overdoses were reported in the news every now and then.

In the eyes of the vast majority, marijuana was a drug.

And so, this majority began to wonder if drugs were worth trying. Perhaps they were just like cigarettes, but with a more intense reaction, and the toxicity might be similar to cigarettes, something the body could tolerate and control?

But if that were true, International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking would be a mere decoration.

The anti-drug police officers who were skinned, dismembered, and whose entire families were wiped out would have died in vain.

The slums of Vancouver were a “hell on earth,” and calling them a melting pot of good and bad would be too kind.

Si Wen had dealt with drug dealers and drugs for many years, but he had never seen a place like it.

It was a place where drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, and murderers were everywhere, and violent crimes were frequent. Every so often, gunfights would erupt. One morning, the streets would be littered with bodies, riddled with bullet holes like a sieve.

Is this the life they wanted?

If they were sober and hadn’t been corrupted by drugs, and were asked again, “Is this the life they wanted?”

The answer would undoubtedly be no.

Addicts not only lose control after taking drugs, but their mental state can also be very unstable when a craving hits. Their minds are absent, and their bodies feel like they have been replaced by a different soul, turning them into strangers. This is when they often commit horrific acts—killing their mothers, wives, children, or even entire families.

Just like himself. Drugs had changed part of his nature. He was still ruthless, but sometimes he couldn’t control his limits.

His addiction, to put it nicely and more respectfully, was a “medication addiction,” but opioids were drugs.

He sacrificed himself for others and was brutally abandoned, which was heartbreaking. It was perfectly acceptable for him to seek revenge, an eye for an eye, as long as he could bear the consequences. But that was no reason for him to repeatedly harm innocent people.

Even if he was helpless, he still had to take full responsibility for the harm he caused.

He was willing to accept and bear it.

As long as he still had a chance to make amends.

________________________________________

Zhou Yan was unconscious for ten hours and woke up at two in the morning.

The moment she opened her eyes, Si Wen panicked and knocked over a cup, which shattered on the floor with a loud CRASH.

He reached out to touch her face but pulled his hand back before making contact. Unable to bring himself to do it, he instead observed her breathing and heart rate. “Is something bothering you?”

Zhou Yan stared at the ceiling and didn’t answer.

During the stomach-pumping, her consciousness was blurry, and she desperately wanted to sleep, but she couldn’t. The feeling of suffocation was constantly hanging over her.

After it was over, she finally had a chance to sleep and closed her eyes.

She had a very long dream. In it, she lived with Zhou Siyuan and had everything. She wasn’t a prostitute, and everyone around her was kind. There were no enemies on all sides or rumors and gossip.

In the dream, she also had a man who loved her. He would kiss her tenderly and call her “Yan Yan” with a smile.

She was very happy.

But in the blink of an eye, Si Wen’s face appeared in the scene, distorted with rage. He demanded, “Zhou Yan! Who is that man!”

Scared, she ran away with all her might. She ran and ran, and when she got home, she shook her sleeping lover to wake him up, intending to tell him that Si Wen was going to kill him. But when he turned around, it was Si Wen.

Her lover was actually Si Wen.

The dream was so terrifying that she couldn’t stand it and woke up.

When she woke up, she still saw Si Wen’s face, and he was gripping her hand tightly.

She pulled her hand away and turned over, not wanting to look at him.

Si Wen’s eyelids twitched, making his eyelashes flutter as if a breeze had touched them.

He hurt when he did that.

Zhou Yan watched the medicine from the IV drip enter the veins on the back of her hand and could feel her dehydration symptoms disappearing.

Her life had been saved, but she didn’t feel the joy of a second chance. Perhaps the previous dream was too eerie, or maybe the gates of hell were so bitter that she couldn’t escape the memory of Si Wen’s viciousness.

Whatever the reason, she decided that this was it.

This was the ninth time; if she didn’t leave now, she would truly be pathetic.

Si Wen called for the doctor. Zhou Yan refused to be examined and didn’t answer any questions.

The doctor was helpless, looking at Si Wen, hoping he could find a way to at least get the patient to say what was bothering her.

Si Wen tried to reach out to Zhou Yan, but the moment he touched her, she slapped his hand away.

The doctor also got annoyed and said, “If you don’t cooperate, you might suffer from long-term side effects. It’s your own problem. Nobody can stop you from wanting to die, but it’s basic human decency not to involve others in your anxieties.”

He spoke so quickly that even with Si Wen’s quick, arrow-like glare, he couldn’t stop him.

After saying it, he saw Si Wen’s face turn furious, and he felt a chill down his spine, subtly looking away.

Si Wen reached for Zhou Yan again. This time, whether she dodged or hit him, he was determined to hold her hand.

Zhou Yan glared at him and tried to pull her hand back. “Are you sick? Don’t touch me!”

Si Wen didn’t let go. He repeated the doctor’s questions one by one: “Are you dizzy?”

Zhou Yan, unable to match his strength, bit his hand, hard enough to draw blood, but he didn’t let go and showed no reaction on his face.

She released her bite and turned to bite herself instead.

As expected, Si Wen released her and quickly stopped her.

Zhou Yan seized the opportunity to get out of bed, barefoot, and ran past the doctor toward the elevator.

Si Wen chased after her, stopping her in three steps, pinning her in his arms. No matter how much she struggled, he didn’t let go. He even took off his shoes, hugged her waist, and lifted her to put on the shoes.

Zhou Yan refused to wear them, insisting on being barefoot and kicking his shoes far away.

Si Wen bent down, lifted her by her thighs, and carried her in a bear hug.

Zhou Yan, unwilling, struggled desperately in his arms, scratching and biting, leaving bloody marks on his neck and ears.

Her hands used to be gentle, but after being with Si Wen for so long, she learned from him not to be gentle, to be vicious, to be as cruel as possible, and to make the other person remember where the pain came from.

She struggled with Si Wen until she was exhausted, and the fatigue from the stomach-pumping came back. She stopped. “Put me down.”

Si Wen didn’t. “You have to go back to the room.”

“If you don’t let go, I’ll bite off my tongue.”

Si Wen put her down.

Zhou Yan walked to the elevator door and pressed the down button.

Si Wen followed her.

Zhou Yan walked out of the hospital, passing the Dong Sheng Pharmaceutical staff.

Her blue and white striped hospital gown stood out clearly and beautifully among the black suits.

Si Wen walked behind her, at the same pace, into the city’s central avenue, a street that never slept.

The secretary and the Dong Sheng Pharmaceutical executives seemed to have planned it in advance, leading their entire team to follow them.

Zhou Yan looked straight ahead, walking slowly.

Si Wen was about three meters behind her. About six meters behind him, the neatly suited, freshly trousered “robots” from Dong Sheng Pharmaceutical followed like puppets.

It was a grand and frankly ridiculous sight.

The city’s night owls on the central avenue all stopped and watched this bizarre spectacle in a shared understanding.

They didn’t recognize the person in the hospital gown leading the way, but they certainly recognized the man behind her, whose eyes were fixed on her.

It was Si Wen.

The man who could control everything and turn the world upside down.

Si Wen was worried about Zhou Yan’s health and wanted to go forward and carry her, but he was also afraid that if he got any closer, she would harm herself.

When Zhou Yan’s body started to sway and her steps became increasingly unsteady, he made up his mind, went over, and picked her up. He placed the hands he had put under her arms to her mouth, letting her bite them, to prevent her from actually biting off her tongue.

Zhou Yan opened her mouth and bit down.

Si Wen didn’t care how much it hurt.

He carried Zhou Yan back home.

The crowd of Dong Sheng Pharmaceutical staff once again stood guard at the bottom of the apartment building.

Once inside, Si Wen carried Zhou Yan into the walk-in closet, sat her on a stool, and put on a pair of thick cotton socks for her. But her feet were still cold, so he cupped them in his hands to warm them. When that didn’t work, he buried his face in them and gently breathed on them.

Zhou Yan watched his actions.

He was truly charming. Even in a moment like this, holding her feet, it didn’t diminish his nobility in the slightest.

Tears fell from Zhou Yan’s eyes, dripping onto Si Wen’s hands.

Si Wen stopped, looked up at her.

He was in pain again.

“Let me go,” Zhou Yan said.

The last dry patch in Si Wen’s heart began to thunder and rain. A dark cloud of despair spread across his face.

How could Zhou Yan leave him?

He hugged her, holding her tightly. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

Zhou Yan repeated herself: “Let me go.”

Si Wen hugged her even tighter. “Should I give you money? I’ll give you five million? Fifty million? Or do you want Dong Sheng Pharmaceutical?”

As he spoke, he was already on the phone with his secretary, instructing her to transfer all the available cash from Dong Sheng Pharmaceutical’s accounts to Zhou Yan’s account.

Zhou Yan, taking advantage of him using one hand for his phone, pushed him away, ran out the door, and grabbed her bag from a cabinet in the entryway.

Si Wen threw his phone down and rushed to follow her.

At the entrance to the residential complex, Zhou Yan withdrew a whole leather bag full of cash. Standing outside the ATM booth, she threw handfuls of money at Si Wen’s face. “You have money, you’re awesome, but whether I want it or not is up to me.”

Si Wen stood still, letting her do as she pleased.

When she was finished, he walked over and hugged her, his voice becoming soft and weak. “What do you want, then?”

“I want to leave you.”

Si Wen wouldn’t allow it, and his arms held her shoulders in a death grip. “You’re sick. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m not sick.”

Si Wen kissed her face and neck. “You’re sick. Your body is ice cold.”

Zhou Yan, despite her difficulty moving, managed to pull out a hand and slap her own face. “It’s warm now.”

Si Wen let out a low roar, like a lion, and pushed her against the glass door of the ATM booth. His eyes were filled with ferocity. “The month isn’t over yet! You can’t leave! I’m going to have you! I’m going to have you again! I can still have you!”

Zhou Yan pulled down the collar of her hospital gown. The buttons on the top were torn off and flew open, revealing her pink chest to him. “Come on. After you’re done, can I leave?”

Si Wen’s composure was instantly shattered. The string of prayer beads that had been lingering in his heart was cut by Zhou Yan’s invisible blade. The beads clattered to the ground, more fiercely than a summer downpour, leaving him terrified.

His breathing became irregular and short, and his pale lips trembled like a sieve, portraying a clear and vivid image of defeat.

He had lost her.