Chapter 102: Memoirs of a Deceased Wife

The small hours of the morning.

When Liang Shining regained consciousness, he was jolted awake by a frantic shaking.

He sat up abruptly; in the dim corridor lighting of the Hospital, the moment he raised his eyes, they met Li Xiang's anxious expression.

'Liang-ge........'

Liang Shining's mind was a blank haze; for a moment he couldn't process what had happened.

He rasped, 'What's wrong........'

He reached to pull off the jacket draped over him, but the next second heard Li Xiang speak quietly: 'He's been brought back.'

Liang Shining's grip on the jacket tightened abruptly; the phone in his pocket slid out with the movement and dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.

The memories from before he fell asleep flooded back in an instant, and Liang Shining's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He instinctively lowered his gaze—the phone screen on the ground had somehow unlocked itself, displaying countless missed calls that had failed to connect.

Liang Shining kept his eyes lowered; the faint glow of the phone screen cast his face in an odd, pallid light.

Li Xiang fumbled somewhat to pick up the phone for Liang Shining.

'Liang-ge........'

Liang Shining raised his eyes, somewhat dazed with apprehension.

He watched Li Xiang look at him with something like pity, and heard him speak again slowly: 'Teacher Ying Huai's remains have already........ been brought back to the Morgue at Liangshi General Hospital.'

·

Liang Shining stood silently at the Hospital entrance.

The weather in City P was changeable—yesterday, on Ying Huai's birthday, the sky had been clear and boundless, but that same evening a rain had fallen without warning.

Now the downpour had just ceased; the air was thick with a damp, heavy smell that made the heart uneasy.

With a soft 'click,' Li Xiang pushed open the Hospital's main door and hurried over.

'I've already coordinated with the company's PR department. They didn't suppress the news of Teacher Ying Huai's passing—they're only working to control the malicious side of public opinion, so there won't be any negative impact on Teacher Ying Huai. Don't worry, Liang-ge.'

Liang Shining's expression didn't change; he only responded in a low voice: 'Mm.'

Li Xiang watched the weariness in Liang Shining's expression, hesitated, wanting to ask what Liang Shining had been doing all night, but after a moment's pause, ultimately didn't voice the question.

Though it was clearly morning, the sky had already grown overcast; a muffled thunderclap suddenly rolled in from the distant horizon. Li Xiang's body shivered instinctively, and he finally couldn't help steering the conversation to another topic.

'What are you going to do next, Liang-ge........'

Before he could finish, he suddenly heard Liang Shining speak in a low voice: 'How is he....... now?'

Li Xiang was momentarily stunned.

He realized something in an instant, and silently parted his lips.

Liang Shining's 'he' had no antecedent, but Li Xiang knew—for a long time to come, this 'he' would refer to only one person.

Seeing that Li Xiang hadn't spoken, Liang Shining rubbed his brow and repeated in a low voice: 'Tell me everything that happened in the hours I was gone, from the very beginning.'

Li Xiang clenched his jaw.

He drew a deep breath and spoke quickly: 'After you called 120 and 110, Teacher Ying Huai was immediately sent to the nearest Hospital under Liangshi Group, but........'

But by the time the doctors arrived, Ying Huai had no vital signs. Li Xiang had nearly exhausted himself barely managing to drag Liang Shining—who was trying to push through the crowd and rush forward—back.

Fortunately, Liang Shining quickly regained his composure.

He only hastily instructed Li Xiang, 'Follow them to the police station, contact me with any updates,' and then quickly left the banquet hall where Ying Huai had been injured.

Li Xiang didn't know what Liang Shining had been doing all night; he only received another message from Liang Shining in the early hours, telling him to come back to Liangshi Hospital after the autopsy was complete.

Now, watching Liang Shining's unusually calm expression, Li Xiang could hardly reconcile this person with the one from just hours ago—wild-eyed and frantic.

He clenched his jaw and continued speaking.

'The police are still investigating further; the autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Teacher Ying Huai will be... staying at our Hospital for now. Don't worry, Liang-ge.'

Li Xiang glanced at Liang Shining, hesitated, then spoke again quietly.

'Also....... I asked the doctor who rode in the ambulance. He said Teacher Ying Huai likely had a fairly serious heart condition, which is why this time there wasn't enough time........'

The moment Li Xiang finished speaking, he saw Liang Shining's body sway involuntarily.

'Liang-ge—'

Li Xiang stepped forward instinctively in a panic, but the next second saw Liang Shining instantly steady himself, as if that brief moment of uncontrollable emotion had never happened.

'Ying Huai had a heart condition?'

Liang Shining turned his head abruptly, bloodshot veins bursting in his eyes: 'Since when? I didn't know........'

'It was probably congenital. At first it might not have been so serious, and Teacher Ying Huai had been managing it with medication, so basically no one ever noticed.'

Watching Liang Shining's expression go pale in an instant, Li Xiang spoke in a panic: 'Teacher Ying Huai must have deliberately hidden this, so most people didn't know. Liang-ge, what's wrong........'

Liang Shining bent over uncontrollably, as if in terrible pain, pressing hard against his chest.

Li Xiang was nearly frantic; he reached out in a panic to steady him, opening his mouth to call for help.

But Liang Shining gripped his arm and gave a slight shake of his head.

Li Xiang could only freeze in place.

Fortunately, after a few seconds, Liang Shining straightened up again and gently pulled free of Li Xiang's arm: 'I'm fine.'

Li Xiang looked up hesitantly, but Liang Shining spoke first in a low voice: 'So right now........ Ying Huai is still in the Hospital Morgue, isn't he?'

Li Xiang nodded hesitantly.

Liang Shining drew a deep breath, then suddenly reached out and pressed a stack of documents into Li Xiang's hands.

Li Xiang took them instinctively, glanced down at them, and his expression froze for a moment.

'This is........'

'Last night's footage of that fan entering the banquet hall, and....... all the surveillance tracking after the incident,' Liang Shining said hoarsely.

'I contacted the police immediately and sent people to follow. They've already caught the person, and I've had these materials pulled and sent to the police.'

Liang Shining drew a quiet breath: 'Have our lawyers continue to follow up on this.'

Li Xiang instantly realized what Liang Shining had been doing all night.

That banquet hall happened to be a subsidiary of Liangshi Group.

With the banquet hall a chaotic mix of people the night before, Liang Shining's immediate dispatch of people to track that fan's movements had saved the police considerable time.

Li Xiang flipped through the documents in his hands, a hint of surprise in his expression: 'This much material—Liang-ge, you didn't sleep at all last night, did you......'

'Did you reach all the people I told you to contact individually?' Liang Shining suddenly cut in.

Li Xiang hurriedly nodded: 'I did, but........'

Before he could finish, he saw Liang Shining suddenly step around him and stride quickly out of the Hospital.

Li Xiang hurried forward to follow.

'Where are you going? Liang-ge, are you going to see Teacher Ying Huai now?'

Since Ying Huai's accident, Liang Shining had only briefly confirmed things when the stretcher with the white sheet was wheeled out—he hadn't seen him since.

Li Xiang assumed Liang Shining wanted to see Ying Huai and instinctively tried to stop him: 'I just heard the police say no one is allowed to view the body before the autopsy, and there should be police guarding the Morgue.'

Watching Liang Shining's reaction, Li Xiang hesitated, clenched his jaw, and still spoke softly: 'But if you really want to see Teacher Ying Huai, maybe I can try to arrange it for you........'

He spoke while quickly pulling out his phone, but the next second heard Liang Shining's hoarse voice.

'No need.'

Li Xiang was momentarily stunned, then heard Liang Shining speak almost inaudibly: 'Right now....... I can't see him yet.'

Li Xiang didn't immediately process what he'd heard.

Just as a 'why' rose to his lips, the next second he heard Liang Shining speak again.

'How did it go with the people you contacted?'

Li Xiang came back to himself and spoke quickly.

'After you told me last night, I immediately informed........ Ying's father, Lu Jing, Xin Wan, and Su Xin of Teacher Ying Huai's passing, but most of them........'

Li Xiang hesitated, didn't finish, and turned to glance nervously at Liang Shining.

—Most of them had simply hung up. Whether out of indifference....... or disbelief at the news.

But Liang Shining seemed to understand what Li Xiang hadn't said; he said nothing, only gave a casual acknowledgment.

He walked quickly to the Hospital elevator, glanced at the directory beside it, stepped in, and pressed the button for the Morgue floor.

Li Xiang hurried in after him.

He looked at Liang Shining beside him, hesitated, and finally spoke quietly: 'Liang-ge, if you're hoping they'll come to Teacher Ying Huai's funeral, I don't think they will........'

'Who said anything about them coming to Ying Huai's funeral?' Liang Shining suddenly cut him off.

He turned his head and looked at Li Xiang with perfect calm.

Li Xiang was momentarily thrown by Liang Shining's attitude.

He paused, then instinctively said: 'Then why did you have me contact them........'

The elevator chimed softly with a 'ding,' followed by the creak of the doors opening.

Liang Shining didn't reply, simply stepped out.

Li Xiang snapped back to attention and jogged after him.

'I don't think we should have told them at all, Liang-ge,' Li Xiang said, somewhat indignantly.

'They clearly don't care about Teacher Ying Huai. Some of them even laughed coldly and told me to 'go find someone else,' saying they 'can't be scammed out of money using Ying Huai.' Not a single one of them asked me what actually happened, or how Teacher Ying Huai is now.'

Li Xiang followed behind Liang Shining.

Though he didn't know what special relationship Liang Shining and Ying Huai had, nor why Liang Shining was so invested in this matter.

But thinking back on those people's attitudes during his phone calls, Li Xiang's expression couldn't help but carry a trace of anger.

'I don't think we should have notified them at all. We should have let them find out through the news themselves, realize they'd misunderstood, and regret it for the rest of their lives........'

'They are Ying Huai's family and friends. They have the right to be told individually,' Liang Shining said quietly, cutting him off.

He turned a corner, his voice calm as if stating a fact: 'I'm only doing what should be done.'

Li Xiang was momentarily silenced by Liang Shining's words.

He said, somewhat deflated: 'I know. I just feel it's not worth it... for Teacher Ying Huai........'

'Do you know what's the most painful thing of all?' Liang Shining cut him off again.

The sign for 'Morgue' finally appeared around the corner. Liang Shining's steps paused briefly, then quickened.

'It's losing someone through a twist of fate.'

Liang Shining's fingers unconsciously found the phone in his pocket; the cold edges of the device pressed painfully into his skin.

'I gave them one last chance. They didn't treasure it themselves.'

Liang Shining drew a quiet breath, his voice barely audible: 'Then they will have to pay....... the price they deserve.'

—Himself included.

Li Xiang didn't notice Liang Shining's subtle shift in emotion; watching his pace quicken, he instinctively broke into a small jog.

'So what exactly are we doing here, Liang-ge? You can't go see Teacher Ying Huai, so why come to the Morgue........'

Before he could finish, he saw Liang Shining's steps halt.

Li Xiang hurriedly stopped as well.

Realizing something, he slowly raised his head and, as expected, saw Liang Shining standing still at the doorway.

Then he heard Liang Shining speak hoarsely: 'Come here. Wait for them to come.'

·

Li Xiang stood at the corner of the corridor's far end—the point farthest from the Morgue—watching hesitantly the figure standing motionless in the center of the hallway.

He had already been standing here with Liang Shining for half an hour.

Police guarded the Morgue entrance, and Liang Shining didn't approach too closely, only silently staring at the door before him.

Li Xiang let out a silent sigh.

For some reason the temperature outside the Morgue corridor was especially low; Li Xiang hadn't been standing long before his lips began to tremble uncontrollably, forcing him to retreat to the farthest corner.

He wanted to urge Liang Shining to stop waiting—those people had made their attitudes clear on the phone, how could they possibly come to the Hospital in person.

But looking at Liang Shining's abnormally calm expression, the words of persuasion died on his lips no matter what.

He didn't know how long passed before a sudden clap of thunder sounded outside. Li Xiang shivered, his stiffened body from the cold struggling briefly upright.

He finally couldn't help turning: 'Liang-ge, maybe we should........'

Before he could finish, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor behind him.

Li Xiang turned in surprise and came face to face with a middle-aged man leaning on a Cane, his expression dark.

Li Xiang instinctively stepped forward: 'Are you........'

But that man's gaze didn't so much as touch Li Xiang; he walked straight past him and said through gritted teeth: 'Get out of the way.'

Hearing his voice, Li Xiang instantly realized something.

He drew a deep breath, stepped forward quickly, and blocked Ying's father's path: 'President Ying, you can't enter the Morgue right now........'

Ying's father coldly cut Li Xiang off: 'Why shouldn't I see him? Ying Huai is my son. I'm taking him away........'

He spoke as he shoved Li Xiang aside and strode forward.

But he had only taken one step when, the next second, his wrist was suddenly seized in a firm grip.

'I'm sorry, but you cannot take Ying Huai away right now.'

Ying's father's movement was finally forced to a halt.

He frowned and turned his head, glaring at the person blocking him: 'Who are you? Why shouldn't I take my son away........'

Liang Shining gave a slight shake of his head toward the police in the distance who had noticed the commotion and were about to approach, signaling that everything was fine.

He turned to look at Ying's father and spoke calmly: 'Ying Huai's death was accidental and falls under a criminal case. Until the autopsy results are out, you cannot take him away.'

The moment he finished speaking, he heard Ying's father laugh coldly: 'An autopsy? Who agreed to let you dissect my son?'

His grip on the Cane tightened bit by bit.

'My son is already dead. In life he brought no honor to the Ying Family; in death he should at least preserve what little face the Ying Family has left. This is illegal—I'm going to sue you........'

'Then report it to the police.'

Liang Shining, as if he had long expected Ying's father to say this, calmly cut him off.

Liang Shining's tone was too calm; Ying's father was momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling an inexplicable sense of being humiliated.

He suddenly raised his head: 'You—'

But Liang Shining ignored him and glanced toward the distance: 'By the way, the police are right behind you. You can take this up with them directly.'

Liang Shining's grip on Ying's father's wrist tightened bit by bit.

'However, I should remind you first—Ying Huai's death is a criminal case, and the cause of death is currently unclear. Obstructing the autopsy also carries legal consequences.'

Liang Shining raised his head: 'My lawyers have already entered this case. If you really go through with it, I will take you to court as well.'

Liang Shining's voice dropped very low: 'When the time comes, you'll need to think carefully....... whether it's me or you who's breaking the law.'

Ying's father's expression suddenly froze.

He raised his head, nearly furious with humiliation: 'You—'

Before he could finish, the next second he felt Liang Shining suddenly release his wrist.

Ying's father stumbled back a step, watching Liang Shining step back slightly and gesture toward him with an inviting motion.

Ying's father's grip on the Cane tightened bit by bit.

He clenched his jaw, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to actually go find the police as he'd just threatened.

He stared at Liang Shining with a face full of dark fury, and finally couldn't help bursting out again: 'How dare you do this? I'm his father—how dare you threaten me........'

'Because when I called to inform you of Ying Huai's death, you hung up without a moment's hesitation. Because nearly a full day passed before you finally deigned to show up.'

Liang Shining's voice suddenly went cold.

He raised his head to look at Ying's father, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly: 'Do you know what the temperature inside the Morgue is?'

Ying's father didn't know why he was suddenly asking this.

He paused, then said impatiently: 'Why should I know........'

'Minus twenty degrees Celsius.'

Liang Shining said softly, cutting him off: 'You don't know, but Ying Huai does.'

Ying's father's movement froze for a moment.

He listened as Liang Shining said quietly: 'Your son is lying in there, his body freezing cold, and instead of caring about the truth of his death, you're here making a fuss to preserve whatever scraps of face you imagine you still have.'

Liang Shining raised his head; at some point, fine veins of blood had burst in his eyes.

'And you dare to say what you just said.'

'You—'

Ying's father suddenly raised his Cane.

The next second, Liang Shining suddenly stepped aside, revealing the police behind him.

The two officers, seeing Ying's father's movement, instantly became alert.

'What are you doing? Put that down.'

One officer stepped forward immediately.

'You cannot make a disturbance here. Please leave immediately.'

Ying's father clenched his jaw and was forced to slowly lower the Cane.

Li Xiang, not far off, hurried over with Hospital security. 'Liang-ge, go back and rest first. I'll have people stationed here. Nothing will happen.'

Li Xiang had at least managed to doze for a bit at the police station last night, while Liang Shining had spent the whole night arranging people to track that fan's movements and had probably slept only a few hours at most.

Liang Shining said nothing; he cast one last deep look at Ying's father, then finally turned and walked away.

'Arrange twenty-four-hour shifts tonight. Cooperate fully with the police.'

Liang Shining said hoarsely.

'Until the autopsy results are out, no one is allowed to see Ying Huai.'

·

When Liang Shining returned home, a heavy rain had already begun outside.

The sky beyond the window was overcast, not a trace of sunlight to be seen, and the house carried an inexplicable heaviness.

Liang Shining didn't turn on the lights. He quietly closed the door and stood in the dark entryway, motionless for a long moment.

After a few seconds, he suddenly bent over, braced his hands on his knees, and buried his head down hard.

The emotions he had forcibly suppressed outside seemed to explode all at once the moment the door closed.

Liang Shining's fingers gripped his knees in near-spasmodic fashion, his breathing growing rapid without his noticing.

The next second, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from inside the room, hesitant.

'........Where is this?'

The voice was too familiar; Liang Shining's eyes flew open and he raised his head sharply.

Then he saw the person he hadn't dared to visit at the Hospital, standing quietly before him.

Liang Shining's eyes widened slightly.

He stepped forward in disbelief, his voice trembling: 'Ying Huai........'

Ying Huai stood in the living room.

Hearing Liang Shining's voice, he instinctively turned his eyes and tilted his head slightly.

Liang Shining came back to himself in an instant.

He realized something, and his expression instantly cooled.

—A hallucination.

Ying Huai was already dead. This was a hallucination his own mind had conjured.

Liang Shining closed his eyes briefly.

He curved his lips in a self-mocking smile, didn't look again at the figure in the living room, and walked straight past Ying Huai toward the bedroom.

He also didn't notice Ying Huai's gaze following his movement, tilting slightly, as he spoke hesitantly.

'Liang Shining?'

'Am I....... dreaming?'

·

Liang Shining opened the bathroom door and slowly walked out.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed the hallucination seemed to be sitting against his headboard; upon seeing him come out, it only lazily raised its eyelids, showing no intention of getting up at all.

—But it matched his long-standing understanding of Ying Huai.

Liang Shining's lips curved instinctively, then he realized something and instantly suppressed the smile.

—He wasn't so weak as to need a hallucination to ease his pain.

He couldn't allow himself to become dependent on this hallucination.

Liang Shining drew a deep breath and simply sat down right next to 'Ying Huai,' beginning to dry his hair on his own.

The hallucination seemed startled by his action, suddenly sat up straight, looked at him with interest, and said something else.

Liang Shining didn't react, still keeping his eyes lowered as he went about his task.

The next second, he felt a rustling of movement behind him, followed by a familiar voice carrying a teasing smile that suddenly sounded in his ear.

'Why aren't you answering me, little disciple?'

Liang Shining's expression suddenly froze.

The voice was extremely close; apart from the absence of real breath, it was as if it were pressed right against his ear, murmuring the words.

An involuntary flash of awkwardness crossed Liang Shining's expression.

—This hallucination was too lifelike.

—It perfectly replicated Ying Huai's usual....... irreverent manner.

And it also caused the psychological defenses he had barely managed to build up to nearly collapse in an instant.

Liang Shining clenched his jaw and quickly shifted his body slightly to the side, but his eyes grew involuntarily hot and stinging.

'I can't answer.'

Liang Shining drew a deep breath and said hoarsely: 'You're not real. You're just my hallucination. I can't let myself sink into a hallucination........'

The person behind him seemed to pause for a moment.

The next second, he said with interest: 'Is that so?'

'Am I really just your....... hallucination?'