The drunkard’s emotions collapsed, and he frantically hung up the phone, cutting off Qing Yi’s increasingly anxious voice.
He held onto the phone tightly, clutching his head, curling up his body, striving to suppress the tears that were about to overflow.
The bag of medicine lay discarded at his feet.
The doctors and nurses passing by occasionally, the background behind him, and the scent of disinfectant pervading the air all exacerbated his sorrow.
Such a scene was heartbreaking to behold.
Even people passing by him could sense his despair, helplessness, and fear.
The phone rang repeatedly, vibrating incessantly in his hand, making it impossible for him to calm his emotions at that moment.
He didn’t know when the calls stopped, nor when or how he left the hospital. He didn’t take the bag of medicine, which remained discarded on the steps, uncertain whether he forgot or simply didn’t want it.
And the lab reports ended up in the trash can.
He didn’t know when he regained his composure, nor where he found the courage to dial Qing Yi’s number.
He only knew that the moment he proactively dialed Qing Yi’s number and heard his voice, he felt very calm.
Truly calm, so calm that he himself found it unbelievable.
Calm to the point... it scared him a little.
"Don’t worry, it was just a bad signal earlier," the drunkard said on the phone, walking while talking to Qing Yi, explaining the previous situation.
His voice sounded no different than usual, even Qing Yi didn’t suspect anything but believed him.
"Really, it’s nothing. Why install a tracker? I’m not going to get lost. Where am I now? Let me see... I’m on *** Street." The drunkard looked at the street sign across the road, calmly replying to Qing Yi.
"No need, I can take a taxi back myself. Okay then, I’ll wait for you here. Got it, I promise not to wander off."
The drunkard hung up the phone, the smile on his face gradually faded away, and his eyes turned dull. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel•fire.net
He walked toward the opposite street, stood by the street sign, lost in thought, quietly waiting for Qing Yi’s arrival.
More than half an hour later, Qing Yi, who had originally headed to the bar to find him from the company, rerouted to this location, appearing before the drunkard.
Qing Yi stopped his car, only to see the drunkard standing under the street sign as if he hadn’t seen him arrive, his head slightly lowered, staring blankly at the ground, deeply absorbed in thought.
He lowered the car window but still didn’t draw the drunkard’s attention.
And he did not call out to him either.
As time passed, Qing Yi suddenly felt an inexplicable twinge of sorrow inside.
He didn’t even know why he felt sorrowful, and it was the kind that made his heart ache.
Though only two meters apart, it felt like the distance of a thousand mountains and rivers.
He suddenly pressed the horn, startling the drunkard out of his trance.
The moment the drunkard looked at him, all the negative emotions in Qing Yi’s heart instantly dissipated.
It turned out his discomfort was solely because the drunkard hadn’t seen him.
The drunkard lifted his head, seeing Qing Yi who had appeared out of nowhere, hesitated for a moment, then broke into a smile.
He simply looked quietly at Qing Yi, even forgetting to get into the car.
Seeing the drunkard smile, Qing Yi also smiled, patiently waiting for him to get in.
But the drunkard seemed to have forgotten, standing there just smiling at him, with no intention of getting into the car.