Kang Wei’s last memory was of the crash.
A car had suddenly rushed toward them. He’d frozen in fear, and then Xia Xiaolan grabbed the steering wheel. There was a loud bang, and Kang Wei knew he’d hit his head.
The windshield had shattered.
He had no memory of what happened afterward. When he woke up, the anesthesia had worn off, his head was killing him, and he couldn’t move. Kang Wei thought he’d just been pulled from the car, unaware that he’d already undergone surgery.
He could barely open his eyes to a slit.
It took a while for his vision to focus before he could make out several people standing by his bed.
“Mom, Auntie Guan…”
Why was he seeing his mother and Auntie Guan?
Shouldn’t they be in Beijing?
Doctors in white coats surrounded Kang Wei, examining him thoroughly.
Xie Yun held his hand, “I’m here, Mom’s. Don’t worry, let the doctors examine you.”
“Yes, we’re all here!”
If Kang Wei hadn’t woken up, Xie Yun would have surely broken down.
“You’re in the hospital now. We performed emergency surgery, and your condition is stable. You’ll gradually recover.”
The doctor soothed him while briefly explaining the situation. Accident victims often experienced memory gaps, with some forgetting their experiences and becoming panicked.
Beyond his headache, Kang Wei couldn’t summon strength in any part of his body.
His throat was parched. As a nurse moistened his lips with a cotton swab, Kang Wei remembered: “…Xiaolan, Sister Xiaolan?”
“She’s fine, just some scratches.”
Kang Wei sighed in relief.
Thank goodness she was alright. How could he face Brother Zheng Cheng otherwise?
It wasn’t just about Zhou Cheng—after knowing each other for over a year, Xia Xiaolan had become Kang Wei’s good friend. Getting into an accident while driving her would have weighed heavily on his conscience.
As Kang Wei tried to speak, the door opened and Kang Lianming entered, radiating cold fury.
Behind him was Xia Xiaolan, her face swollen. Kang Wei didn’t dare divert his attention to speak with her. While Kang Lianming usually showed him a smiling face in public, Kang Wei had always found that smile particularly fake.
Today Kang Lianming wasn’t smiling, and Kang Wei felt even more uncomfortable.
Kang Wei called out “Second Uncle” in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
Coming closer, he realized how terrible Kang Wei looked—if not for his voice, Kang Lianming wouldn’t have recognized his nephew. Fortunately, the Kang family elders didn’t know, especially Grandmother Kang—seeing Kang Wei’s condition would have given her a heart attack.
Hearing that mosquito-like voice made Kang Lianming’s heart ache.
“Where does it hurt? I’ll have the doctor give you painkillers.”
Painkillers couldn’t be used carelessly. Kang Wei was in severe pain, but the doctors needed to control the dosage.
The doctors hadn’t refused, but they needed to carefully consider the amount.
Kang Wei thought his brain must be addled from the impact—he seemed to hear panic and helplessness in his second uncle’s voice. Was that possible? If not for technological limitations, Kang Wei would have suspected his second uncle was a robot programmed to fake smiles.
He tried to say he wasn’t in pain but only managed a groan.
Damn, of course, it hurt!
When Kang Wei hit his head, he thought he was done for. He hadn’t expected to survive, but he was angry—angry enough to want to crush the other driver!
Amazingly, Kang Lianming seemed to read his mind. He bent down to adjust Kang Wei’s blanket and said softly:
“Focus on recovery. Once you’re better, you can settle the score yourself. The Kang family won’t stand for anyone treating your life as worthless.”
The young nurse holding the cotton swab was closest and trembled at these words.
Well, this had nothing to do with the nurses. The perpetrator was a Hong Kong merchant, the victim was a high-ranking cadre’s son, and even Mayor Tang had personally visited. The young nurse could only pretend she hadn’t heard.
Kang Wei didn’t stay conscious for long. After the family’s visit, the doctor said rest was a priority.
He managed to wiggle his fingers at Xia Xiaolan. Though her face was swollen and her hands bandaged, she was standing, showing she wasn’t seriously injured. This reassured Kang Wei.
Kang Wei’s awakening was like a shot of adrenaline for everyone.
The doctors’ judgment was correct—Kang Wei’s surgery had been successful, his cognitive abilities weren’t impaired, and the impact hadn’t left him mentally disabled.
Now they needed to focus on post-operative care and watch for complications. Any brain surgery was major, especially given the limited medical conditions of 1985.
Guan Hui’e helped Xie Yun to the corridor and urged Xia Xiaolan to rest while worrying:
“Have you told your mother about the accident?”
Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “I’ll tell her when I return to Shangdu. By then, my facial injuries should be mostly healed.”
She had discussed this with Tang Hong’en, and both felt there was no need to tell Liu Fen yet.
This was different from the Ji family incident. Compared to Kang Wei, Xia Xiaolan’s injuries were superficial, not severe.
Liu Fen would surely rush over if she knew. Xia Xiaolan wanted to wait until her injuries looked less horrific.
Guan Hui’e thought ten Xie Yuns combined couldn’t match Xia Xiaolan’s strength.
With Kang Wei awake, Guan Hui’e’s rationality kicked in. She knew the accident happened in a remote area: “What were you and Kang Wei doing there… seeing Zhou Cheng?”
Xia Xiaolan smiled awkwardly—wasn’t that exactly what they were doing?
Kang Wei’s awakening didn’t just restore Guan Hui’e’s rationality. Xia Xiaolan belatedly remembered Zhou Cheng saying he’d try to meet more often when they parted. Her facial and hand injuries wouldn’t heal in a couple of days—could makeup cover them?
“Auntie, Zhou Cheng doesn’t know about the accident yet. What should we do?”
…
Zhou Cheng couldn’t look back.
If he looked back, he wouldn’t be able to let Xia Xiaolan leave.
The instructor followed him step by step. Zhou Cheng tried to reason with him, saying how difficult it was to maintain a relationship, and asking if they could meet more often.
Looking at this overly handsome young face, though tanned, and thinking of Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend, the instructor thought Zhou Cheng was talking nonsense. At just 22, he’d already settled half his life’s major decisions. So many bachelors in the unit, some even forced by the organization to marry and reluctantly return home for arranged marriages… that was truly difficult!
Zhou Cheng didn’t care. He just kept pestering the instructor.
This person must either be connected to Xia Xiaolan or known to the Zhou family, otherwise he wouldn’t be so accommodating to them.
Zhou Cheng abandoned all pretense of being “Captain Zhou” and followed the instructor, who maintained a cold expression. About forty minutes after Xia Xiaolan left the base, Zhou Cheng suddenly felt his heart racing.
He clutched his chest, struggling to breathe. The instructor thought he was acting at first, but seeing Zhou Cheng’s sweating, quickly supported him.
“Zhou Cheng, don’t pull this trick!”
Zhou Cheng lost all interest in the conversation. Just moments ago he’d been shamelessly persistent, and now his whole body felt awful.
Though the feeling lasted only a moment, Zhou Cheng remained restless.
When lights out came that night, he couldn’t sleep at all!