Dudu dudu—
—
Shen Yue had fallen asleep early, her phone resting on the nightstand. The ringing had gone on for a long time before she groggily reached out from under the covers to find it.
Without looking at who it was, she answered.
"Hello?"
Her voice was soft and light, tinged with obvious sleepiness.
"Hello, this is People's Hospital. Your friend is injured. Can you come to the hospital?"
Friend?
Shen Yue jolted awake from her grogginess. She glanced at the unfamiliar number displayed on her phone and hesitantly asked, "May I ask what your friend's name is?"
The nurse on the other end hesitated. She glanced at Sang Fan, who had remained silent since the call was connected.
Sang Fan's face was half-hidden in darkness, his features indistinct. The bloodstain on his forehead had not yet been cleaned, and although he looked disheveled, it only accentuated his powerful, aggressive aura.
He stared at the nurse, or more accurately, at the phone in her hand.
The nurse felt a prickle of unease. She handed the phone to Sang Fan. "You can speak to your friend."
Sang Fan took it and remained silent for a long time. It was only when the girl's soft, questioning voice came through the phone that he stirred.
"Are you still there?"
A torrent of thoughts surged through his dark eyes. Sang Fan picked at his fingers, his grip tightening slightly. He lowered his voice. "...It's me."
The line went completely silent. Perhaps she had recognized his voice. After an unknown amount of time, when the nurse thought the other party might have hung up, the girl spoke again, but her voice was much colder this time.
"What is it?"
Sang Fan became even more nervous. He fiddled with his fingers incessantly, his knuckles turning white. He lowered his gaze, hiding the tumultuous, rampant thoughts within.
He remained silent, his heart feeling as though it were being clutched, a dull ache spreading through him.
Shen Yue said, "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Shen Yue was still quite polite and didn't simply hang up the phone.
Sang Fan didn't know what feeling prompted him to speak. His long eyelashes hid the emotion in his eyes, his voice dry. "I... I'm injured. I'm at the hospital, People's Hospital."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sang Fan's heart leaped into his throat.
"And then?"
These three words stunned Sang Fan. He suddenly felt lost and couldn't collect himself for a long time.
He didn't clearly hear what Shen Yue said afterward. He only felt numb all over. The call was disconnected. He clutched the phone, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, as if containing immense strength, as if wanting to crush it into pieces.
The nurse was terrified, suspecting that this young, handsome boy might have some mental issues. "Can... can you give me back the phone, please?"
She feared that if she delayed any longer, her phone might be destroyed by the boy.
Sang Fan returned the phone and forcefully pressed the back of his neck, as if to ward off the onslaught of pain.
The nurse didn't leave immediately. She asked again, "Would you like to complete the hospitalization procedures first?"
"No need," Sang Fan replied gently, his eyes unreadable. A smile curved his lips. "She'll come."
His tone was so certain, so utterly convinced.
The nurse wanted to say something but hesitated. She felt it awkward to mention that the girl on the phone had already refused and, at this late hour, was unlikely to come.
However, she didn't have the courage to say it. Sang Fan's demeanor was somewhat terrifying. He was smiling, but there was no mirth in his eyes, a disturbing hint of obsession and morbidity.
The nurse dared not speak. She left awkwardly, muttering softly, "Such a handsome young man, and yet his mind is troubled. It's true that when heaven opens a door for you, it closes a window."
Handsome but foolish, and therefore useless.
Soon, he was alone again in the hospital corridor.
Perhaps the air conditioning in the corridor was set too low. Sang Fan, who was over 1.9 meters tall, sat on a chair, his long legs curled up. The bloodstains had congealed. His dark eyes seemed ready to bleed.
He couldn't see the time, but he could feel it slowly ticking away.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps a very long time, the nurses had changed shifts. They looked at the boy sitting on the chair, but none dared to approach him. Perhaps it was something the previous nurse had said.
She wouldn't come.
She would never come again.
He adjusted his breathing to conceal the pain in his heart, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
Sang Fan rested his head against the cold wall and slowly closed his eyes. The hand holding the shattered phone trembled uncontrollably. Tears streamed from his closed eyelids, tracing his temples and flowing into his hair, silently, unnoticed by anyone.
In a haze, he thought he heard faint footsteps approaching, finally stopping beside him.
Summer rarely brought much rain, but tonight, a rare downpour had begun. Outside, the wind and rain raged, while inside, there was a profound silence, broken only by the stark, glaring white light.
Someone sat down next to him, making a faint sound.
Sang Fan didn't open his eyes. He merely turned his head to the other side, seemingly not wanting anyone to notice his distress.
After a moment, he heard the girl's soft sigh.
Extremely faint, extremely light.
Sang Fan's entire body trembled. He abruptly opened his eyes, his pupils dilated. Like an old, rusted machine, he turned his head with great difficulty. The familiar face came into view, and it was as if the last string of reason in his mind had snapped.
The girl was sitting beside him, wearing a thin, floral-patterned jacket. Her pale skin was exposed. The light from the overhead lamp shone on her, casting a soft, translucent glow, like a piece of broken porcelain.
She didn't look at Sang Fan either, but stared straight ahead, silent.
Sang Fan's hands, the veins on the back standing out, seemed to be restraining something.
He paused, the words he was about to speak becoming exceptionally difficult, bitterness spreading in his mouth.
The girl sat beside him for a while, not even glancing at him. Finally, her long, thick eyelashes gently drooped, her lips pursed. Her profile was beautiful and pale, devoid of any aggression, like a white rose without thorns. Even with a blank expression, her lips held a soft curve.
He looked at the girl, carefully testing the waters, his voice sounding choked, sour, and unpleasant. "...Are you here to pick me up?"
It was only then that Shen Yue turned her head to look at him.
They hadn't seen each other for a long time. Shen Yue met his gradually moistening eyes. He tried to adjust his breathing, but his damp eyes were already glistening with tears.
Pathetic, disheveled.
These two adjectives simply didn't fit Sang Fan.
He was arrogant, conceited, and at the same time, brilliant and spirited.