Xie Chi snapped out of his daze and stormed out of the house. Sticky blood seeped from the whip wound on Jiang Ciyou's back, staining her clothes. Her face was ghastly pale, yet she seemed immune to the pain as she climbed up from the floor and followed him.
Why? Why did Wen Zhishao still commit suicide?
What went wrong? She was perfectly fine just moments ago...
The digital numbers on the dashboard climbed higher and higher, the world outside the window blurring into a chaotic streak of colors. The closer they got to the hospital, the faster Jiang Ciyou's heart beat.
She was terrified—terrified of hearing the news that Wen Zhishao was dead.
Minutes later, they finally arrived. Xie Chi jumped out before the car had even come to a complete stop and strode into the hospital.
A nurse ran over, her face full of anxiety. "The patient is in hemorrhagic shock. We have a critical shortage of Rh-negative blood in our inventory..."
"I am. Take mine."
Xie Chi rolled up his sleeve without blinking an eye. As bag after bag of fresh blood was sent into the operating room, his face grew paler by the minute.
But it still wasn't enough. Wen Zhishao had lost too much blood; she needed double the amount to survive.
"Continue. I can take it."
"No, you can't donate anymore! You've already exceeded 600ml... if we continue, your life will be in danger!"
The nurse refused outright, but Xie Chi held onto the needle, refusing to let go.
"Let me do it." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper. "Consider it my atonement."
Xie Chi finally let go, looking at her with a complicated expression.
Jiang Ciyou offered no further explanation. In her past life, her obsession had led her to personally destroy the person she loved most. In this life, all of this stemmed from her indecisiveness, her finding countless excuses to stay when she should have left.
Scorching blood was drained continuously from her body. The rapid blood loss made Jiang Ciyou's body tremble uncontrollably.
Beside her, Xie Chi didn't notice a thing. His eyes were fixed dead on the lit sign above the operating room, his brows knitted tight in worry.
In her daze, she thought to herself: So, this is what Xie Chi looks like when he loves someone.
He was so vivid, so emotional... nothing like the cold, unfeeling statue he was when he was with her.
The wound on her back began to throb with pain again.
It wasn't until the nurse finished drawing the last bag that she finally couldn't hold on any longer. Her head tilted to the side, and she lost consciousness completely.
When Jiang Ciyou woke up, it was already the next day. The nurses were gushing about how deeply affectionate Xie Chi was.
It turned out that after she had fainted, there still wasn't enough blood. Xie Chi had disregarded everything and forced the nurses to draw more of his own blood, nearly causing a coagulation disorder that almost cost him his life.
Silently, she climbed out of bed. She processed her discharge papers, returned to the house, and packed away the very last of her belongings.
Jiang Ciyou sat in the vehicle designated to pick up the team members. While waiting for her colleagues, she received a call from Xie Chi.
His voice was hoarse, steeped in exhaustion. "Zhishao is out of danger. I won't be coming back for the next few days. For the sake of the blood you gave, I won't lay a hand on you again regarding what happened."
She listened in silence, offering not a single word of defense.
She had explained herself so many times before, but in Xie Chi's heart, she was a woman of corrupt morals. He would never believe her.
Hearing only silence from the other end, Xie Chi's expression grew darker. He closed his eyes and finally made his decision.
"Jiang Ciyou, go. Leave this place and never come back."
Jiang Ciyou nodded, then realized he couldn't see her. She whispered softly, "Okay."
She waited for Xie Chi to hang up, but after a long pause, she heard him speak in a cool, detached tone:
"Let me know when you find a place to live. I will come to visit you in the future."
"Okay," she replied obediently.
The call that had been maintained for so long was finally disconnected. Outside the window, the rising heat distorted the view of the world.
Everyone had arrived. The bus finally rumbled to life. Xie Chi watched the vehicle pass by his location and clicked his tongue in inexplicable irritation.
He didn't see that inside the bus disappearing from his view, Jiang Ciyou was making her final farewell.
A smile of release graced her face. Her tone was light as she waved at him silently through the glass.
"Xie Chi."
"The me that you hate so much... will never appear before you again."
In the rearview mirror, the man vanished completely. Jiang Ciyou withdrew her gaze and deleted every single contact method she had for Xie Chi.
As the plane took off, the roar of the engines left the hustle and bustle of the city far behind. She closed her eyes wearily and fell into a deep sleep.
In the distance, the sun was just beginning to rise—just like her tomorrow.