Beijing in the golden autumn of October was already cooling at night, and with only two months left of 2010, Zhou Yiyi wrapped herself tightly in her clothes as she gazed at the fallen leaves blanketing the ground of the residential area. It was barely twenty-two o’clock, but the streets were empty; only the thousand lights in people’s hos decorated the area, otherwise, how bleak would it be?
Thinking back, she had returned to Hua Country over three months ago; even the green vegetables and cabbages had grown tall in the garden by her door, yet that person had not called her even once.
Reflecting on the years of emotions, Zhou Yiyi felt an indescribable bitterness in her heart.
Even Lin Mu made sure to drop her off at the residential area before leaving, but that person, who was thousands of miles away, did he still not know that she had returned to the country?
Zhou Yiyi staggered into the entrance of her building, the absence of light prompted her to stomp her foot forcefully, activating the sound-controlled lights just in ti.
As she was fishing for her keys in her bag, a shadow suddenly lunged from behind, grabbing her by the neck. Instinctively, Zhou Yiyi delivered a perfect over-the-shoulder throw, and amidst the assailant’s cries of pain, she swiftly executed a grappling hand maneuver, pinning him to the ground before starting to call for help, shouting loudly. The attacker, who clearly had a knife in hand but hadn’t even managed to make a threat, was thus subdued by Zhou Yiyi.
Upon their arrival, the police officers gave her thumbs up: "Impressive, young lady, with such formidable skills. This guy is a habitual thief, and not just a thief, he’s also a rapist. With your move, you’ve helped us crack a serial killer case. However, we’ll need to trouble you to co with us to give a statent, don’t worry, no matter how late, we’ll ensure you get ho safely."
Zhou Yiyi thought to herself, living in an M Country where guns were drawn at the slightest provocation, how could she not have honed the skills of her past life as Long Gang?
The quicker her reflexes, the more it proved how difficult her four years in M Country had been. Because she was Asian and a Hua Country person, she had suffered from discrimination and harassnt. Being cute and sweet-looking, the number of scumbags lurking around her was unimaginable. Were it not for her reliance on her space and excellent reflexes, she would have died countless tis.
It might sound exaggerated, but that was indeed how she had survived. Even when she worked part-ti jobs to earn money, she encountered harassnt from employers. She had thought more than once, why is it so hard to be a woman? There were so many international students abroad, how did they manage to get by?
Thus, when she returned to her ho country, her constantly anxious heart finally found a place to rest. Unbelievably, it was not even ten o’clock, and soone had followed her ho. When had this person begun targeting her? If she had reacted even slightly slower, would she have t with a fate of having her throat slashed?
It was only upon her arrival at the Police Station that she learned the knife in the criminal’s possession had already ended the lives of four won, the thought alone sent chills down her spine.
She remained at the police station until two o’clock in the morning before they sent her ho. Upon locking her door and lying down on the couch, her tears of grievance couldn’t be held back any longer, cascading down as she thought about her situation, growing increasingly upset. Unable to help herself, she dialed his number, only to be t with the cold voice of a female operator, informing her that the custor she was trying to reach was out of the service area.
She stubbornly called over ten tis, each with the sa result.
Eventually, Zhou Yiyi gave up, wiped away her tears, and went to the bathroom, allowing the hot water to wash over her until clarity returned. She then walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, overwheld by exhaustion, and with a lack of security, could only fall asleep hugging a Doraemon plush toy.
The next day she found herself unable to get up, dizzy and completely drained of strength, yet her consciousness remained clear. She hadn’t been sick for many years, and she realized she might be running a fever. When she touched her forehead, it was scorchingly hot, scarily so. She had no idea how she remained conscious in such a state, but during her years in Beijing, she had no close female friends—aside from Zhou Mo, there was only Lin Mu.
Her university roommates had scattered in different directions over the years: so had gone abroad, while others relocated to Hong Kong and Shanghai, leaving her alone in Beijing.
She knew better than anyone how busy Lin Mu was. In a crucial mont, she cynically thought that perhaps only dialing 120 would give her a sense of security.
Zhou Yiyi dragged her heavy body to change clothes and then called 120, fearing she might faint. While still conscious, she made sure to unlock her door before collapsing onto the sofa.
When she awoke, the first thing she saw was an IV drip hanging above her, and the sll of disinfectant filled her nostrils. She frowned and turned her head to find that she was still feeling woozy. The nurse next to her took a long breath of relief: "Thank goodness, you’ve finally co to."
Apparently, she had passed out while waiting for the ambulance. With a high fever of 42 degrees Celsius, she had convulsions by the ti she was brought to the hospital. Fortunately, her strong constitution and infrequent use of antibiotics allowed her to get the situation under control quickly. Nevertheless, there were signs of pneumonia, so she needed to be observed in the hospital for several days until her vital signs stabilized before she could be discharged.
After the nurse explained the situation, she reminded her, "We couldn’t get in touch with any of your family mbers. Just now, soone nad Brother Lin called for you. We answered and inford him about your condition. He said he will be coming over soon. With your current state, you can’t handle the admission procedures yourself; surely you can’t stay in the ergency room indefinitely?"
Zhou Yiyi checked the ti in a rush and called the assistant from her calligraphy studio. After explaining the situation, she told her to notify the children’s parents not to make the trip and that this week’s classes were temporarily canceled. It was fortunate that it was the weekend; otherwise, she would have had to request leave from the university as well.
She had undergone nurous tests while unconscious. As a respiratory physician, she knew all too well that her current condition was not suitable for discharge.
"You don’t need to co; I’m already awake. There’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a fever, isn’t it?"
Before falling into a coma, Zhou Yiyi had clutched her bag to her chest, which contained her health insurance card, ID card, bank cards, and mobile phone, items which the doctors and nurses had brought along with her.
"How could you suddenly co down with a fever like this? Don’t try to be too tough. I’ll arrange for a private nurse for you. I’ll co visit you later; let Xiao Ai take care of you for now." Xiao Ai was Lin Mu’s life assistant, usually managing his daily als and other sundry matters.
No matter what Zhou Yiyi said, Lin Mu insisted, and it felt like there was sothing withheld in his tone. Not long after hanging up the phone, Xiao Ai arrived.
Xiao Ai was very familiar with Zhou Yiyi because they had been in constant contact over the years, and since Xiao Ai always accompanied Lin Mu, she was considered one of their own.
Due to Lin Mu’s high profile, even Xiao Ai arrived on the scene wearing a mask and baseball cap, incredibly low-key. But seeing Zhou Yiyi lying weakened on the hospital bed brought her great distress: "Yiyi, ah, how are you feeling?"
Xiao Ai was three years older than Lin Mu, but she didn’t let them call her ’sister’, saying it made her feel old. So, they always called her Xiao Ai.
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