Chapter 108: Memoirs of a Late Wife

Ying Huai felt the noise around his ears was constantly clamoring.

He always felt like he had forgotten something, struggling to wake up, but his consciousness seemed pressed beneath a pile of rubble, even breathing was nearly impossible.

He seemed to hear Song Si Lan's urgent yet calm voice saying something near his ear.

"Check breathing, heartbeat, consciousness..."

"Blood pressure has dropped significantly, symptoms of cardiogenic shock appearing, pulse cannot be detected..."

Ying Huai felt someone holding his wrist tremble for a moment, followed by Yu Wu's unusually calm voice suddenly rising.

"Open IV access, IV push epinephrine, maintain patient's body temperature."

Yu Wu's calm voice seemed to come from a distant place, as if through a layer of fog.

"Calm down, Si Lan."

The surroundings seemed to quiet for a moment, Ying Huai felt his consciousness drifting toward chaos again.

But he struggled not to let himself fall back into darkness, his breathing growing more and more rapid.

Amid a dizzying ringing in his ears, Ying Huai finally felt someone carefully wrap his hand in their palm.

He felt his consciousness seem to clear for a moment, struggling to respond.

But in reality his whole body was buried under the oxygen mask and ECG monitoring wires, completely limp, not even the strength to lift a hand.

But he finally heard Liang Shi Ning's slightly trembling voice fall into his ears.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Ying Huai..."

The consciousness Ying Huai had barely maintained almost dissipated in an instant.

His mind gradually relaxed, unwilling to force himself to hold on any longer, wanting to let himself finally fall asleep, but the next second he heard Liang Shi Ning speak again.

"I'm sorry."

These three words took several seconds before they fell into Ying Huai's gradually muddled thoughts.

He froze for a moment, then his whole body suddenly tensed up.

—He instantly realized that Yu Wu had told Liang Shi Ning everything that happened during the treatment.

Ying Huai struggled to open his eyes.

Unfortunately, this thought only appeared in his mind for an instant, the next second, he suddenly lost all consciousness.

A sharp alarm suddenly rang out beside them, Song Si Lan abruptly turned his head, watching the person who had been lying unconscious on the bed suddenly convulse.

·

Huff—

Huff—

When Ying Huai regained consciousness again, the first thing he heard was the regular sound of a ventilator.

He realized something, his eyelashes trembled, he struggled to pry open a slit between his eyelids.

The next second, there was immediately a slight but hurried sound from beside him.

Every part of Ying Huai's body ached, not even the strength to move a single finger.

He could only struggle to turn his head, slowly shifting his gaze to one side.

As expected, he met Liang Shi Ning's somewhat agitated expression.

"...You finally woke up." Liang Shi Ning's voice was pressed very low, but the excitement in his tone was hard to conceal.

He seemed to instinctively want to hold his hand, but in an instant remembered he was wearing sterile clothing, and could only force himself to withdraw.

Ying Huai's eyelids trembled slightly, his first reaction in a daze was—why are Liang Shi Ning's eyes red again.

He opened his mouth to say something, but his lips only moved slightly, and his brow immediately furrowed.

Liang Shi Ning also quickly realized something, and quickly said in a hoarse voice: "Don't move yet, you're still intubated, don't talk now."

He looked at the gaze Ying Huai had shifted back over, paused, and continued to explain.

"Song Si Lan performed surgery on you, I just pressed the call button to have him come over."

He turned his head to glance at the cardiac monitor beside him, then continued speaking slowly.

"There's nothing... major wrong with your body, it's just that Song Si Lan isn't at ease, he's preparing to observe you in the ICU for a while longer before transferring you back to a regular ward, don't worry..."

If Ying Huai were fully lucid, he would surely notice the tension Liang Shi Ning couldn't conceal beneath his calm tone.

But his whole body was almost in a half-dazed state.

Liang Shi Ning also knew Ying Huai wasn't in good condition, he didn't rush, just continued sitting by Ying Huai's bedside, seemingly casually speaking softly.

Ying Huai actually couldn't quite hear what Liang Shi Ning was saying, or rather he heard it but couldn't really understand.

His thoughts were scattered into chaos by the medication, even maintaining a surface-level clarity was almost using up all his strength.

But he was very willing to listen to what Liang Shi Ning was telling him, it allowed him to briefly escape for a moment from the dull pain in his chest.

Unfortunately, after a while, Ying Huai found he could barely maintain even this last thread of clarity.

Song Si Lan, who had rushed over, was quickly and carefully examining him, Ying Huai's eyes slightly open in a somewhat unfocused way, wanting at least not to have any abnormalities appear at this time.

But his eyelids still uncontrollably drooped bit by bit, his weak neck unable to support his heavy head.

Ying Huai's head unconsciously tilted slightly to one side, the light in his eyes completely unfocused, settling on one side and unable to focus for a long time.

He didn't want to fall asleep again like this, his breathing unconsciously growing more rapid.

Song Si Lan beside him seemed to realize something, slightly furrowed his brow, took out a syringe and slowly injected it into his body.

A familiar coldness and sluggishness spread through his blood vessels to his whole body, Ying Huai quickly realized Song Si Lan had given him a sedative.

"Don't..."

Ying Huai anxiously opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word except for increasingly rapid gasps.

The next second, a calm voice came from beside his ear.

"It's okay, don't be afraid, Ying Huai."

"If you're tired, sleep a while longer, it's okay."

Liang Shi Ning's suppressed rapid breathing sounded in Ying Huai's ear.

"When you wake up again, I'll still be here."

"Don't worry."

Ying Huai's eyelashes trembled.

As if he had received some promise, his throat moved weakly, and he almost instantly lost consciousness again.

·

When Ying Huai woke up again, he finally noticed with some pleasure that the tube in his mouth had been removed.

Before he could open his eyes, he heard Liang Shi Ning's voice beside him, unable to conceal his joy.

"Ying Huai?"

The moment Ying Huai opened his eyes, everything around him was spinning, he could only half-close his eyes and softly 'mm' in response.

His throat was still a bit sore from the intubation, this sound was so weak it was barely audible.

But Liang Shi Ning still let out a heavy sigh of relief, immediately pressed the call button beside him, and slowly raised the head of the bed a little more.

He carefully held Ying Huai in his arms, Ying Huai still had almost no strength in his body, and kept sliding down as soon as he sat up.

Ying Huai felt a bit panicked inside, but Liang Shi Ning's expression remained calm.

While softly comforting the person in front of him, he firmly held Ying Huai's waist, letting him rest his head against his neck, shifting his entire center of gravity onto him.

"Is this better?"

Liang Shi Ning rubbed his somewhat stiff waist muscles, and said softly: "Song Si Lan said that sleeping for too long causing muscle weakness is normal, after a couple days of activity it'll be fine."

Ying Huai nodded slightly, watching Liang Shi Ning take a cup of warm water from the bedside table beside him.

He instinctively opened his mouth wanting to drink, but the next second saw Liang Shi Ning slightly turn aside, dip a cotton swab in some warm water, and gently dab it on his lips.

Ying Huai: ?

He somewhat discontentedly raised his head, but Liang Shi Ning didn't look at him, dipping more warm water from the cup and slowly moistening his lower lip as well.

"Song Si Lan said your stomach is too weak, if you rashly eat or drink, it will cause stomach irritation leading to nausea and vomiting, your heart can't handle it right now, you've been on nutrient IV fluids these past two days."

Liang Shi Ning immediately saw his confusion, and said softly: "Bear with it a little, in another day or two it should be fine."

The moment his words fell, the next second he heard Ying Huai suddenly speak in a hoarse voice: "...Who said one or two days?"

Liang Shi Ning, hearing Ying Huai's long-absent voice, was momentarily stunned.

The corner of his mouth couldn't help but curve up, he lowered his eyes and dipped the cotton swab in the warm water again: "Song Si Lan said so."

Liang Shi Ning had originally thought mentioning Song Si Lan would make Ying Huai more trusting, but he didn't expect the person in front of him to laugh softly after hearing it.

"How could Song Si Lan's 'one or two days' be trusted?"

Liang Shi Ning: ?

After waking up, Ying Huai's mood had improved considerably, he turned his head and coughed weakly twice, ignoring Liang Shi Ning's dissuasion, and continued speaking in a lazy, unhurried manner.

"Last time I was hospitalized he said, cough cough... in another day or two I could be discharged, but the result was... he stubbornly kept me for another week."

The moment his words fell, the next second an annoyed voice came from the doorway.

"That's because after I told you this, you lived up to expectations and ran a fever for another week."

Song Si Lan walked into the room, saw the person on the bed finally awake, and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Be reasonable, the culprit in that incident was you, not me."

Ying Huai, who had completely forgotten about this: ?

He tried to argue: "How come I don't remember..."

Song Si Lan stepped forward and pressed Ying Huai's pulse, took a flashlight and observed his pupillary reflex, finally a hint of smile appearing on his lips.

"How could you possibly remember, you were practically cooked, you were getting injections and sleeping the first two days."

Song Si Lan released his hand and glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curving up in a half-smile.

"Where would you remember it? In your dreams?"

Ying Huai: ......

He opened his mouth wanting to argue further, but Song Si Lan's expression had already sobered again.

"Alright, where else are you uncomfortable? Dizzy? Chest tightness? Any urge to vomit..."

He took out his stethoscope and gently placed it on Ying Huai's chest, Ying Huai's body involuntarily shrank back, meeting Song Si Lan's probing gaze, he slightly shook his head.

"It's nothing, just a slight stinging pain... chest is a bit tight, but I think it's because I've been lying down too long and can't quite catch my breath, everything else is fine."

Song Si Lan hummed softly, gestured for Liang Shi Ning to help the person lie down a bit, and continued examining his heart.

Ying Huai's body still couldn't lie completely flat, it was easy to lose breath.

He was held by the back of his neck by Liang Shi Ning, propped up halfway on the bed, letting Song Si Lan 'manhandle' him for a while, finally unable to resist speaking.

"So what exactly... happened to me?"

Song Si Lan looked up and glanced at him, his voice flat: "What do you think happened to you?"

Ying Huai silently opened his mouth, hesitated, and said nothing.

Song Si Lan wasn't in a hurry, he just carefully re-examined Ying Huai's body, and finally slowly straightened up.

He rarely saw Ying Huai this obedient, his expression unconsciously softening a bit, he turned his head just about to say something, but the next second heard Ying Huai speak softly.

"Am I... allergic to glucose?"

Song Si Lan's expression froze.

Ying Huai looked at Song Si Lan's reaction, hesitated, then spoke softly: "It couldn't be that Doctor Yu put... poison in that glucose bottle for me, could it?"

Yu Wu, who had just pushed the door open: ??

He immediately loudly protested: "What are you saying, Teacher Xiao Huai, I'm wholeheartedly good to you, how could you think of me like that..."

He hadn't finished speaking, the next second he saw Ying Huai frown slightly, and press his hand to his chest as if in discomfort.

Immediately, Yu Wu directly earned Song Si Lan's displeased expression.

Yu Wu was at a loss, unable to cry.

Having gotten his revenge, Ying Huai covered his lips and raised his head, winking at him with a half-smile.

Yu Wu: ........

Song Si Lan beside them didn't notice the 'undercurrent' between the two.

He stepped forward to turn up the oxygen flow, then abruptly turned his head to look at Yu Wu.

"Shut up."

Yu Wu couldn't defend himself no matter what, he could only aggrievedly stop talking.

Song Si Lan took a deep breath, turned to look at Ying Huai again, and said in a disgruntled tone: "Stop changing the subject, you had an acute myocardial infarction induced by heart disease."

Ying Huai was stunned for a moment, a flash of surprise crossing his expression.

His body had been gradually nursed back to good health by Liang Shi Ning recently, apart from occasional habitual palpitations when waking early or sleeping late, it had been a long time since he'd had an episode.

He hadn't expected that when it did strike, the reaction would be so severe.

Song Si Lan seemed to know what he was thinking, and glanced at him.

"Being fine normally doesn't mean those hidden dangers don't exist, you should be clear that your heart is a ticking time bomb, you can't—"

"Can't get too emotional, can't have great joy or great anger, can't get to the bottom of everything, living day by day can only count as getting by."

Ying Huai looked up and glanced at Song Si Lan, sighing with a half-smile.

"I know, Doctor Song, but this really isn't... something I can control every time."

Liang Shi Ning beside him couldn't help raising his head at Ying Huai's words, but Ying Huai didn't look at him, still lowering his eyes and unconsciously gripping the bedsheet beneath him.

Song Si Lan was quiet for a moment.

He rarely said nothing more, only after a while slightly nodding: "I know."

Song Si Lan looked at Ying Huai's somewhat lost expression, silently sighed, and suddenly spoke softly.

"But the heart □□ surgery went fairly well, take good care of yourself, you should be stable for a while."

Ying Huai was stunned for a moment.

A flash of surprise crossed his expression: "You did that surgery on me..."

—He had originally thought Song Si Lan had only routinely performed surgery to address the acute myocardial infarction.

Song Si Lan glanced at him, and rarely nodded with some pride.

"Yes, during the rescue we found that besides the myocardial infarction, your heart had some other abnormalities, so we took the opportunity to address them surgically."

Ying Huai's eyes flickered.

He said it lightly, but Ying Huai knew clearly that the situation wasn't as simple as Song Si Lan made it sound.

A scheduled surgery and this kind of emergency surgery situation are completely different.

Not long after Ying Huai and Liang Shi Ning got married, Song Si Lan proposed performing this surgery on him.

But Ying Huai's physical condition could barely be maintained above the standard line for any sustained period; it often happened that even after being admitted to the Hospital, the surgery would be postponed due to sudden physical abnormalities.

Dragging on intermittently for almost half a year, Ying Huai had almost given up, only Song Si Lan still persisted in trying to help him find a suitable time.

His sudden onset this time, rather than being "just right" for surgical resolution, was more because the situation had reached a critical level, and they could only take a risk and alleviate it through surgery.

Ying Huai's eyes flickered, and after a while he gently exhaled: "Thank you, Doctor Song."

Ying Huai rarely thanked him so formally; Song Si Lan was stunned for a moment, a flash of unnaturalness crossing his expression.

"What are you doing, being so formal makes it seem like I'm going to pack up and leave after this one surgery, I'm telling you, no way."

Song Si Lan coughed lightly, turning his head away in a covering manner, trying to hide his reddening face.

"These two days... no, this month, stay properly in the Hospital, don't keep making trouble."

A crack instantly appeared in Ying Huai's calm expression.

"A month? Why so long..."

"You just said thank you, don't I have to do my best?"

Song Si Lan glanced at him, took the record sheet and walked out, turning to glance at Liang Shi Ning beside him.

"Today continue with the nutrient IV, tomorrow see if you can have some liquid food depending on the situation."

As he said this he remembered something, his gaze moving from Liang Shi Ning to Ying Huai, then quickly turning back as if casually.

"Alright, you two chat... pay attention to the patient's emotions, don't let him get agitated again."

Ying Huai and Liang Shi Ning's expressions both paused at the same time.

—They both knew clearly that what Song Si Lan was referring to was what had happened before.

Song Si Lan paused, giving them both a warning glance.

"If you dare to get yourself into the ICU again within this week, I'll really just pack up and leave."

·

The Hospital room fell quiet for a moment, Ying Huai half-reclining in Liang Shi Ning's arms, his eyes slightly lowered, unclear what he was thinking.

After a while, Liang Shi Ning finally couldn't help speaking first.

"Shifu..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

Ying Huai looked up at the sound, a smile in his eyes, seemingly nothing abnormal.

But Liang Shi Ning's heart grew more anxious.

He shook his head, but still couldn't help speaking softly: "That thing you asked me about before..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly saw the person in his arms tremble, turn their head, and cough in a suppressed manner.

The thoughts in Liang Shi Ning's mind were instantly forgotten completely.

"What's wrong, Shifu, where does it hurt, I'll go call Song Si Lan for you..."

"I'm fine, maybe it's just that... cough, I talked too much just now."

Ying Huai took a light breath, bracing against Liang Shi Ning's hand and barely curving his lips.

"I'm a bit tired, can you help me lie down and sleep for a while?"

Liang Shi Ning didn't dare say anything more, nodded somewhat flustered, and helped the person lean back against the bed.

Ying Huai seemed truly tired; not long after lying down his breathing gradually became even.

Liang Shi Ning helped him turn off the room lights.

He was still somewhat uneasy in his heart, hesitated for a moment then slowly stood up, wanting to go find Song Si Lan again.

The Hospital room door was gently pushed open, a breeze blew into the room, the person on the bed unconsciously shrank a little, but still kept their eyes tightly closed, wearily sunk in a deep sleep.

Liang Shi Ning silently exhaled, gently closing the Hospital room door.

The room was left with only the slight hiss of the oxygen tube.

In the darkness, the person on the bed who had seemingly fallen into a deep sleep silently opened their eyes.

He gazed at the tightly closed door, and after a while let out a low sigh.

·

Ying Huai stayed properly in the Hospital for half a month.

Song Si Lan was initially wary of his rare obedience, but over time he found that this time Ying Huai really didn't mean to fuss about being discharged, seeming to truly want to recuperate peacefully.

As time went on, Song Si Lan gradually relaxed his vigilance, and even when Ying Huai told him one day that he wanted to go out for a stroll, he rarely agreed.

"Don't run around, just take a walk in the park nearby and come back."

Song Si Lan carefully cautioned: "Don't think that just because you can walk on your own recently you can relax your vigilance, your body has only recovered to the state when you first got sick, the foundation is still weak, don't stay in the wind too long or you might catch a fever again..."

Ying Huai obediently agreed, a smiling expression that showed nothing abnormal.

Song Si Lan was relieved, and after confirming that Ying Huai wasn't going out alone, didn't ask further.

He just didn't expect that this "not alone" didn't refer to Liang Shi Ning.

And when Song Si Lan made his evening rounds and saw the empty Hospital room, he realized that the one who had relaxed his vigilance was—himself.

·

Elsewhere, in a coffee shop ten kilometers away.

The sound of the door opening brought a pleasant wind chime, and before Ying Huai could turn around, he heard Xin Wan's excited voice coming from behind.

"I'm here! Little shidi!"

Ying Huai, half-propping his chin, lazily turned his head.

Before he could say anything, the next second he saw Xin Wan's brow suddenly furrow.

"You're sick? Little shidi?"

Ying Huai: ?

He instinctively looked down to confirm he hadn't worn the Hospital patient gown over, then slightly shook his head.

"No."

He had been rather seriously ill this time, so he hadn't told anyone about the hospitalization and surgery, even deceiving his own big brother with every possible excuse about traveling.

—Besides having to send a "travel scenery photo" to worried Ying Qi every day, there was nothing else that wasn't good.

Ying Huai was thinking in his heart about finding some excuse to fool Xin Wan too,

Unexpectedly, Xin Wan seemed particularly certain, and spoke directly.

"You are sick."

"You've lost a lot of weight, little shidi, your complexion doesn't look good, and I feel like your breathing seems very unsteady, is your heart uncomfortable?" Xin Wan said seriously.

Ying Huai silently opened his mouth.

He instinctively opened his mouth to retort, but the next second saw Xin Wan suddenly step forward two steps to his front, and then his expression instantly changed dramatically.

"You were even hospitalized?"

Ying Huai: ........???

He really couldn't help looking up: "How did you know?"

"You smell like Hospital disinfectant all over."

Ying Huai: "........Are you a dog's nose?"

He had specifically sought out Xin Wan, the most careless of the three, but didn't expect to not cover it up at all, and was exposed on the spot.

"I care about you."

Xin Wan sat down beside Ying Huai with a thump, speaking worriedly: "What exactly is wrong with you, little shidi? What happened? Why didn't you tell us you were sick..."

Ying Huai's body shifted back somewhat unnaturally: "Sit across from me."

"The wind is strong here, sitting here I can block the wind for you."

Xin Wan seriously answered, continuing to chatter and press: "What exactly is wrong with you, little shidi? Does Liang Shi Ning know you're sick? Are you uncomfortable anywhere right now..."

"I already said I'm not sick." Ying Huai couldn't bear it any longer and interrupted him.

Seeing Xin Wan open his mouth to say more, he gritted his teeth and spoke first: "If you ask me one more question, I'll leave immediately."

Xin Wan instantly shut his mouth.

Although Ying Huai's attitude toward them had softened during this period, it was limited to tacitly allowing them to hang around him when they had nothing to do; he had never taken the initiative to contact them.

Xin Wan especially cherished this hard-won opportunity, and hastily spoke: "I won't ask, I won't ask, little shidi, but if you're uncomfortable you have to tell me right away..."

Meeting Ying Huai's slightly furrowed brow, he instantly changed the subject: "So little shidi, you called me here today, is there something going on?"

Ying Huai took a deep breath.

He was quiet for a few seconds, then finally spoke softly: "It's about the previous life."

Xin Wan's body instantly stiffened.

He raised his head somewhat flustered, but the next second heard Ying Huai speak softly: "I want to know, in the previous life, when did Liang Shi Ning... pass away."

"And how did he..."

Ying Huai's voice caught for a moment.

He didn't finish speaking, but Xin Wan instantly understood something.

He was stunned for a moment, then somewhat hesitantly spoke: "Why are you suddenly asking this, little shidi..."

"Just tell me the answer." Ying Huai spoke in a hoarse voice.

Xin Wan still didn't answer: "Maybe you should go ask Liang Shi Ning about this, I'm not really..."

"Liang Shi Ning won't tell me."

Ying Huai calmly interrupted him.

He looked up at Xin Wan, his voice unconsciously softening somewhat: "Now even you are unwilling to answer my questions, shixiong?"

Xin Wan was instantly sent into a full-body shiver by this long-awaited "shixiong" from Ying Huai.

He instantly straightened up: "It's fine, shixiong will tell you, whatever Liang Shi Ning won't tell you, shixiong can tell you!"

Although he said this, when he spoke again, his tone ultimately slowed down again.

"Liang Shi Ning passed away... a year after your accident, Xiao Huai."

He paused, then continued: "I'm not really sure exactly how Liang Shi Ning... passed away."

Xin Wan looked at Ying Huai, and carefully spoke: "But the news reports at the time just said it was an accidental death."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Ying Huai's breathing instantly become rapid.

"Are you okay, little shidi, are you dizzy? Should I go get someone..."

Xin Wan instantly stood up in a panic.

Ying Huai waved his hand, covering his lips and coughing a few times, "I'm fine, I just got a bit worked up for a moment."

Although he said this, the hand hanging at his side unconsciously tightened little by little.

Xin Wan looked like he wanted to say more, "But your face is so pale? Have you been discharged? You didn't sneak out on your own, did you? Little shidi, tell me the truth, or I'll contact..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly heard Ying Huai's phone ring softly.

Ying Huai lowered his eyes in a covering manner, seeing it was a message from Ying Qi asking how his day was and if he had any new travel photos.

Ying Huai's mind was still somewhat dazed.

He didn't have the mind to make up a story to reply to Ying Qi, just instinctively selected the newest photo from the album and sent it over, then put the phone face-down on the table again.

He looked at Xin Wan wanting to speak again, but the next second, the phone violently vibrated.

Ying Huai originally didn't want to pay attention, but the person on the other end was persistent, and after the call automatically hung up, directly called back again.

Ying Huai frowned, and had to flip the phone over again.

The next second, his whole body instantly froze.

—Just now he hadn't paid attention for a moment, and had sent the photo he had casually taken in the Hospital garden this morning when he was discharged to Ying Qi.

Ying Huai now looked at the two big characters "Ying Qi" on the phone call interface, and truly felt his vision go dizzy.