"Alright, stop arguing. This is a hospital, and your aunt is a respectable person. Give her some face."
Lu Qingxu roughly pushed Zhou Jinbei's hand away.
"Regardless of whether my brother wakes up or not, I am utterly disappointed in you. Don't call me again, and I won't be coming back. Figure it out yourself!"
He rushed out of the corridor like a gust of wind.
Mother Lu's tears streamed down her face, her lips trembling, her eyes rolling back.
Zhou Jinbei quickly went back to comfort her. After a long while, her emotions finally stabilized, and the emergency room door was finally opened.
Zhou Jinbei supported her as they went to meet the doctor.
The doctor said, "Fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time. He's out of danger now. However, the wound is very close to the heart. It's advisable to communicate properly in the future and avoid agitating the patient."
"Patients who resort to impulsive self-harm often have underlying signs of depression. Family members should provide more companionship and guidance. Otherwise, if this continues, it could develop into depression, which would be troublesome."
How ridiculous, how absurd! The most preposterous and laughable person in the world was Lu Mingzhe.
As a psychologist, he could save others but not himself.
He spoke eloquently about others' problems, only to realize the excruciating pain when it came to himself.
Losing a relationship almost cost him half his life.
Mother Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief and assured the doctor she would no longer upset him.
After some time, Lu Mingzhe was wheeled out of the emergency room.
He was shirtless, with thick layers of gauze wrapped from his left shoulder to his right armpit.
There were faint bloodstains seeping through the gauze, the bleeding originating from the area near his heart.
Zhou Jinbei imagined the scene and realized he had stabbed himself in the heart in a fit of anger.
This showed how furious Lu Mingzhe must have been.
For such a shameless, bright, and cheerful person to be driven to such a state.
Alas, a human tragedy.
Mother Lu sat beside her son, looking at his pale face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Zhou Jinbei stayed by their side.
After an unknown amount of time, a nurse came looking for her.
Zhan Beijue had woken up and was being moved to a regular ward. She was asked to look after him.
Mother Lu then realized, "Weren't you here to see Ah Zhe? Ah Jue is also hospitalized? What happened?"
"Fever, pneumonia."
She hadn't expected these two unfortunate souls to meet in the ward.
Zhou Jinbei said, "How about this? Let them share a room. They can talk when they wake up, and I can stay with you."
Mother Lu agreed, and soon, Zhan Beijue was brought in.
An hour later, Zhan Beijue woke up once. Hearing Zhou Jinbei say that Lu Mingzhe was lying next to him, he wanted to see him.
However, he was delirious from the fever and lacked the strength. He fell asleep again shortly after.
The next time, Lu Mingzhe woke up before Zhan Beijue.
Seeing her son finally open his eyes, Mother Lu rushed forward and tightly grasped his hand.
"Son, you're awake? Does the wound still hurt? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? If so, you must tell your mother."
Lu Mingzhe stared at her with unfocused eyes. After a few seconds, he slowly closed his eyes and pulled his hand away from hers.
Mother Lu's heart ached, and she cried again, "Ah Zhe, Mom knows she was wrong. I truly know I was wrong."
"Those things were done before Xiang Wan left. Didn't you already know and forgive Mom?"
"I've been trying to make amends recently, truly. I no longer intend to interfere with you. I really want to compensate you."
"I've been sending people to inquire about her whereabouts, but unfortunately... but don't worry, I won't give up. As long as I'm alive, I'll do my best to help you find her. Don't be angry with Mom, I beg you, forgive me just once."
For the first time in her life, Zhou Jinbei saw Lu Mingzhe shed tears.
From such a gaunt, emaciated, and dejected face, tears flowed from beneath his tightly closed eyelids, truly touching.
Although her relationship with Lu Mingzhe wasn't deep, seeing two streams of tears flow down his cheeks and into his ears, she couldn't help but cry as well.
Lu Mingzhe finally spoke, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.
"Let me be quiet for a while. You should leave."
Mother Lu was about to say more, but Zhou Jinbei quickly wiped her tears and went to comfort her.
"Auntie, you can rest assured with me here. Nothing will happen. He's still very weak and needs rest. Don't agitate him further."
"You are his mother; no matter what, your relationship cannot be severed. There's no need to rush. Why don't you go back?"
"If you want to know anything, send me a message, and I promise to tell you immediately."
Mother Lu reluctantly left the ward, still giving instructions to Zhou Jinbei as she walked away.
"Be sure to take good care of him. Keep this a secret; don't let your uncle know."
Lu Mingzhe didn't want to speak, nor could he. Zhou Jinbei dried the tears from his eyes and consciously retreated to a corner, becoming invisible.
The ward was as quiet as a chicken. The two patients took turns sleeping and waking until dark.
Zhou Jinbei, sharing their low spirits, hadn't eaten all day.
During dinner time, Chen Jiaojiao sent a message in their group chat, asking if anyone was free.
"I've been busy for several days and finally have a day off. Shall we go out for a meal together?"
Jiang Nan Fang had just returned from Jiangcheng and had to accompany her children, so she didn't see the message immediately.
Zhou Jinbei sent a reply from the hospital bed.
"I'd love to, but how can I get there?"
Chen Jiaojiao zoomed in on the picture she took, looking at it again and again.
"Who are you taking care of in the hospital? Whose bed are you by? The picture is unclear. Is Ah Zhong's father sick again?"
"Pah, pah, pah, don't jinx it! Can't you wish us something good?"
She stood up, took a sneaky photo of Lu Mingzhe, and then one of Zhan Beijue.
"It's quite a coincidence, I'm looking after both of your ex-husbands. They're both sick at the same time, both just rescued and sleeping. Isn't that tragic?"
Chen Jiaojiao sent two surprised emojis.
"What happened? How could so many accidents happen in the two days I haven't contacted you? What happened to them? Did they fight? They really went hard!"
"How could such good brothers for so many years beat each other to the point of hospitalization? What was it about?"
Zhou Jinbei said, "Put away your imagination. There was no fight. One was self-harm, and the other was self-abuse."
"Alright, alright, it's hard to explain over the phone. I'm starving after not eating all day. If you really want to know, bring dinner to the hospital and find me."
Jiang Nan Fang only had time to check her phone after settling the children and putting them to sleep.
It was a shock. Like Chen Jiaojiao, she was surprised.
What happened? They were talking fine at midnight, and now they were in the hospital for emergency treatment?
She replied in the group chat, "Are you two still in the hospital?"
The two of them didn't dare to talk in the ward. They ate dinner at the doorway and chatted about gossip.
Just as Chen Jiaojiao left, Zhou Jinbei replied to her.
"You finally saw the message. My second brother has a fever that developed into pneumonia."