Waterbound Love - Chapter 46

“What are you doing here?” Du Bai frowned displeasedly upon seeing Wei Wen standing outside with many items in his hands.

“Ruoruo, won’t you forgive me yet?” Wei Wen said with a face full of grievance as he squeezed through the door. Du Bai blocked the entrance with one hand, “You don’t think that by taking down Ji Feiling, I would gladly accept you, do you? Really?” She scoffed, “You really know how to demean me. Sadly, Ji Feiling is not worth that much.” Seeing the pale look on Wei Wen’s face gave Du Bai a sudden rush of satisfaction.

“I know it’s hard for you to cool off right now, Ruoruo, don’t be too hard on yourself. These things are good for your health,” Wei Wen said, placing the items gently by the door.

Good for whose health? “Should I say thank you? Or should he?” she said, touching her still flat belly.

“Du Ruo, can’t you stop being like this?” Wei Wen’s voice was full of pleading.

Du Bai gave a coldly charming smile, “Like this? How exactly? This is just the way I am. Whether you accept it or not is your problem. As for changing me, that seems rather difficult.” Her gaze turned frosty, “Please, don’t show up in front of me again.” She then pushed to close the door.

Wei Wen, seeing the door about to shut, felt an indescribable tightness in his heart. Without thinking, he stopped the door with his hand, pain shooting through him, and despite being prepared, he couldn’t help but let out a suppressed “Oof.”

Du Bai looked at him coldly, gradually increasing the pressure in her hand, as if his hand was nearing shattering every second, teetering on the edge. “I thought Mr. Wei would be smart enough not to see me as some naive fool. To think you would resort to such a self-sacrificing scheme, do you really think so little of me?” After pressing hard for a moment, she let go of the door, since she couldn’t afford to cause a scene.

Wei Wen leaned on the door, his face covered with beads of sweat, gritting his teeth and taking deep breaths to ease the pain. Slowly calming down, he said, “I know you’re upset with me. If this helps you feel better, I don’t mind.” After enduring the pain for a while, he added, “I heard that Ji Feiling fled before the disciplinary team arrived. Be careful, don’t-”

Du Bai slightly furrowed her brow, “I was actually hoping he would come. No need for you to worry about that.” With that, she closed the door.

He fled? To know, the joy of fishing lies in the struggles of the fish, the more it struggles, the more it suffers. Such tormenting of an enemy is a kind of pleasure.

Du Bai thought to herself, perhaps she was somewhat sadistic. But she relished this kind of sadism, seeking to doubly reclaim what she had endured. Shouldn’t she?

Despite Ji Feiling’s escape, Du Bai continued her life as usual, unaffected. Patience is essential for anyone aspiring to succeed.

As things began to settle, the desire to see Tinna grew stronger. Du Bai knew what she was doing was far from enough, but at least it was a start.

“To Central Hospital, please,” Du Bai hailed a taxi and instructed the driver.

The car didn’t move very fast. Looking through the window, Du Bai quietly watched the receding buildings and the hurried pedestrians flash by. What compels them to chase after such mundanity with such persistence? Life, which should be lived slowly and enjoyed, is turned into frantic busyness. Should one be grateful or mournful? Perhaps fulfillment is just a disguised cycle, and enjoyment is a malformation of boredom.

The true meaning of life is unclear to anyone; those wise monks are merely observers of others’ lives, synthesizing and selecting the desirable aspects to praise and promote. Perhaps it can be seen as using others’ methods against them. In the end, we are merely influencing ourselves with others serving merely as mediums.

Listening quietly to the ringtone on her phone, Du Bai was captivated the first time she heard it, and it had remained her ringtone for years, never growing tired of it. Today was the first time she paid attention to the lyrics, finding them equally captivating.

She is both the flame and the blame.

She is the pain and the afflicted.

She runs, she searches

Across golden hills.

She hurts, she waits, for that special someone.

She tries, she gathers, all the gems from the streets.

She dances so enchantingly, fleeing with the demons in haste.

She is my name, and my pain.

She is my honor, and my gain.

Besure

Special

Looking at the flickering name on the screen, could it be her? Closing her eyes, she recalls that day in the parking lot, chuckling and shaking her head.

Shen Yan stood in Du Bai’s house, frowning at the busy signal on the phone. Ji Feiling had vanished, and his whereabouts were unknown. He knew that with Du Bai’s plans, it would be hard to calm the anger, and there was a risk of desperation. Du Bai was now in great danger.

“Hello, Chief An, I need to locate a mobile phone. Could you please handle that for me?”

“Sure, thank you. Let’s have dinner together sometime,” Shen Yan said before hanging up the phone. Shortly after, she received a notification, grabbed her clothes, and rushed to Central Hospital.

Du Bai held Tinna’s hand, quietly wiping it with a towel. The fiery person who now lay quietly on the bed was a sight of such sorrow.

It seemed she wasn’t strong enough; facing her like this still made her heart ache uncontrollably.

Perhaps too absorbed in her sadness, Du Bai didn’t notice a figure approaching stealthily. Before she could turn around, she was struck on the back of the head, plunging into darkness.

Dressed as a doctor, Ji Feiling looked at Du Bai, who had collapsed on the floor, and smirked coldly. His eyes softened as he turned to Tinna on the bed, hesitating as he saw the tubes connected to her. The pain in his eyes was palpable. He wanted to touch her face but stopped mid-air, perhaps still cowardly. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he turned to Du Bai with tender eyes. He carefully placed her in a wheelchair and slowly pushed her out of the room, looking back at the source of warmth one last time.

“I’m sorry, goodbye. And I love you, even if I have no right to say so.”

As the door slowly closed, no one noticed the slight fluctuation in the monitor’s steady waveform.

Shen Yan hurriedly pressed the elevator button, feeling uneasy. When she reached the floor, the elevator doors opened, and she brushed past a doctor pushing a wheelchair. Shen Yan didn’t pay him any mind and ran towards Tinna’s room. Inside, she found Tinna lying quietly on the bed, with a crumpled bedsheet and Du Bai’s phone, keys, and other belongings scattered on the floor.

Shen Yan seemed to realize what had happened, fury burning in her eyes. She commanded herself to calm down. Something felt wrong; recalling the recent events, a nurse ran into the room. Shen Yan thought to herself, the one pushing the wheelchair must be a nurse; why would a doctor do that? With this thought, she rushed out.

“Du Bai, you can’t be hurt. Please, let her be okay.”

Time seemed to heat up, causing an indescribable irritability, a bitter taste filling her mouth. The only thing unstoppable was her running, a run without speed.