"Zhan Bei Jue! Zhan Bei Jue!"
"Don't sleep! Get up! Wake up!"
"I'm Jiang Nan Fang, you're about to become a cripple with one leg. I've come to laugh at you, wake up!"
Zhan Bei Jue's thoughts slowly returned.
He heavily lifted his eyelids and saw Jiang Nan Fang's face in his dream.
"If you don't have the surgery, you'll have to amputate, lose a leg. Are you sure you want to give yourself such a big gift for your thirtieth birthday?"
"Let me tell you, even if you lose a leg, I won't pity you. I'll refund your money, and I'll even laugh at you. I'll drag Ke Teng and Zhou Jin Xiu with me, and laugh at you for the rest of my life!"
"You finally can't compare to them anymore. From now on, you'll forever be a cripple stuck in a wheelchair. Do you want to see Ke Teng and Zhou Jin Xiu laugh at you?"
No, he didn't want to.
Zhan Bei Jue had never been so glad that Jiang Nan Fang was still by his side.
He regretted his past pretense, his past stubbornness that led to suffering.
If he had been more honest, perhaps Jiang Nan Fang wouldn't have left him time and time again.
His body ached, his arm hurt so much he could barely lift it, but to grab Jiang Nan Fang, he still tried his best.
Fortunately, Jiang Nan Fang grasped his hand in time.
"You, you're not allowed to leave."
"Promise me, you won't leave, and I, I'll have the surgery."
Although his words were absurd, as if the surgery was for his own sake,
Jiang Nan Fang agreed in a moment of impulse.
"I won't leave. Be good and go for the surgery quickly. I won't leave."
Finally, Zhan Bei Jue was wheeled into the operating room.
Although it was just a minor surgery to remove necrotic tissue, due to Zhan Bei Jue's continuous high fever for three days and severe lung infection, he was transferred to the intensive care unit after coming out.
He lay there quietly and unconsciously, while Jiang Nan Fang spoke with Ah Zhong outside.
Jiang Nan Fang asked Ah Zhong, "We've known each other for so long, and I still don't know where your home is."
Ah Zhong said, "West City, not far from here. That's why I chose to attend Nan Da for university."
"How far is not far? How many hours does it take by highway?"
"About two hundred kilometers. By highway, if there's no traffic, it takes a little over two hours. If there's traffic, it's hard to say."
"It's already this late, everyone is preparing for the New Year. There shouldn't be any traffic, right?"
Ah Zhong said, "There shouldn't be. Rushing home at this hour must mean they're very busy."
"How many people are in your family?"
"Two. Just my dad and me."
"So you haven't seen him for a year?"
Ah Zhong said, "Half a year. The last time I passed through West City on a business trip, I went back once."
"Is your dad's health good?"
"It's okay. He likes to work, he considers it exercise. His body is very strong."
"How old are you this year?"
Ah Zhong scratched his nose, "I'm a year older than you. I'll be 29 after the New Year."
"Doesn't your dad urge you to get married?"
Ah Zhong sighed, "Of course he does. I was planning to get married at the end of this year, but fate didn't allow it."
Jiang Nan Fang turned to look at him, "I didn't like your previous girlfriend. It's good that you broke up."
"...You only met her once, how could you..."
"Some people's thoughts and desires are all written on their faces. Men don't understand, only women do."
It was similar to what Zhou Jin Bei had said.
Ah Zhong couldn't help but gasp inwardly.
It seemed his own judgment was too poor. He hadn't seen through something that others could see at a glance in years.
Jiang Nan Fang seemed to know what he was thinking and smiled faintly.
"You don't need to blame yourself for thinking your judgment is poor. Loving someone adds a filter to them, so it's normal not to see through it."
"Just like when you look at men in reverse, some people are clearly scumbags, obvious to everyone, but their girlfriends are devoted to them."
Ah Zhong also smiled, "Miss Jiang is very good at comforting people."
"I'm also very good at taking care of people."
Jiang Nan Fang turned and patted him, "Alright, your boss Zhan should be fine. Go back and spend the New Year with your dad. I'll take care of things here."
"...Jiang..."
"You don't need to be polite, no need to waste words with me. I know what you want to say."
"Anyway, I have no relatives or friends. I'll be alone if I go back, so I might as well stay here and do a good deed."
"Then I..."
"You don't need to stay. With an extra person here, I'll have to say more and also consider your feelings. It's too tiring."
"Consider it a break for me. You go. If Mr. Zhan dares to criticize you for this later, tell me, and I'll deal with him for you."
Ah Zhong smiled.
Zhan Bei Jue wouldn't punish him for this.
He could clearly see how happy President Zhan was every time he was with Miss Jiang.
He liked spending time alone with her, and his staying would indeed be superfluous.
It's just that he was afraid he wouldn't wake up.
"But..."
"If such a minor illness could take his life, then Zhan Bei Jue's life would be too worthless."
"Don't worry, good people don't live long, but villains live for a thousand years. Your President Zhan is so bad, he won't die so soon."
"..." Ah Zhong could only leave.
"Then please, send me a WeChat message as soon as President Zhan wakes up."
"Understood. Be careful on the road, don't rush, drive slowly. Say hello to your dad for me."
"Okay." Ah Zhong nodded, "Then Miss Jiang, Happy New Year in advance."
The new year had arrived again.
Jiang Nan Fang nodded sincerely, "Happy New Year."
"I hope next year we will all be healthy and our dreams will come true."
"Good. I also hope your romance blossoms next year, and I'll attend your wedding."
The two said goodbye amidst forced cheerfulness.
Ah Zhong left. The hospital corridor on New Year's Eve was long and cold, leaving only Jiang Nan Fang alone.
She was like duckweed floating in the wind. Without the wind, she lost her buoyancy and didn't know what to do standing there.
She could only repeatedly look through the glass of the intensive care unit, eagerly awaiting Zhan Bei Jue's awakening.
Perhaps when he woke up and continued to spar with her, she could find some momentum to float.
Two hours later, the doctor came for rounds and, after a moment, notified Jiang Nan Fang to come in.
"Mr. Zhan has woken up and wants to say something to you. You have one minute, hurry."
Jiang Nan Fang put on a protective suit and walked in gently.
On the hospital bed, the once distinguished and commanding Zhan Bei Jue was now covered in tubes.
His voice was too weak, so Jiang Nan Fang had to lean her ear closer. "What did you say?"
Zhan Bei Jue smiled at the corner of his mouth, "You, you said you weren't coming, didn't you?"
It's good. He's fighting with me as soon as he opens his eyes. It seems he's not going to die.
Jiang Nan Fang glared at him, "You wanted to give me a leg as a gift to vent your anger. Such a good thing, shouldn't I come and see?"
Zhan Bei Jue continued to smile, "Are you disappointed then? You didn't receive the gift."
"Even if I didn't receive a leg, I received a few pounds of flesh. What's there to be disappointed about?"
Jiang Nan Fang retorted, "The doctor cut off a lot of bad flesh from your left leg. This leg will be too ashamed to be seen by anyone in the future."
"That's good," Zhan Bei Jue still smiled, "Anyway, besides you, I don't want anyone else to see it. As long as you don't mind."