Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Chinese were more traditional and conservative than others. To most people, contracting AIDs meant that the person led a messy life or had unsavory relationships with people.
Even if they died, no one would sympathize with them. In fact, their reputations would be tarnished while their families would be gossiped by the others as well.
Xia Yanran did not dare to go to Renxin Hospital since Junyuan worked there, so she went to the city’s Peoples Hospital instead.
Xia Yanran got into a queue number for a checkup.
When she finally got into the doctor’s office, Xia Yanran recalled what happened to the doctor calmly.
The doctor asked, “Let me see the injury caused when you were struggling against the AIDs patient.”
Xia Yanran rolled up her sleeve. There was a cut on her fair arm, by now, scabs already forming over it.
“So you are saying that he bled a lot at the time, so your cut came into contact with his blood as well?”
Xia Yanran thought for a while, her long lashes fluttering as she replied, “I think so.”
The doctor got the nurse to take a blood sample from Xia Yanran. “Let’s do a preliminary test.”
Xia Yanran nodded.
An hour later, the results of the preliminary test were out.
There was no trace of HTV present in Xia Yanran’s blood.
Xia Yanran sighed in relief. However, what the doctor said next threw her back into hell.
“There’s a three month window for AIDs. The current results cannot confirm if you have AIDs yet. Like you said, your injury came into contact with the patient’s blood, so there is a chance that you may have contracted it as well. I suggest you come back three months later for another test. If it’s negative then, we can confirm that you have not contracted AIDs.”
Cold sweat started to form on Xia Yanran’s forehead.
Three days was already so torturous for her, and now she had to wait another three months. This unknown panic and helplessness felt even worse than dying.
But what could she do?
The test results now were not accurate, so she could only return three months later.
After Xia Yanran left the hospital, she walked along the streets aimlessly. The bright golden sunlight shone on her, but she felt extremely cold.
This illness was not a normal illness. Once a person contracted it, all that was left for them was death.
Xia Yanran did not dare to return home to stay with Junyuan and their younger sister. She did not dare return to work either.
If she had really contracted AIDs, she preferred to die alone and not implicate her family, colleagues and friends.
Xia Yanran was a decisive person. Once she made the decision, she requested for extended leave from work, before she lied to Junyuan that she was going on a business trip and left Ning City.
It was for the best.
…
After Xiao Yi returned to Hong Kong and instructed his men some work, he flew to Ning City once more.
He called Xia Yanran, but no one answered.
She did not reply to his messages either.
After she returned to Ning City, she probably went to take a checkup at the hospital. Had she really contracted the illness?
Not being able to find her, Xiao Yi had no choice but to approach her newspaper company.
The old President of the newspaper company said that she requested for extended leave.
Having no choice, Xiao Yi approached Junyuan.
Junyuan never liked Xiao Yi. Back when Xiao Yi was still in Ning City, he was already against Yanran being with him.
To Junyuan, Xiao Yi was the wild and hard to tame type of man. With just a curl of his fingers, countless women would climb into his bed. Not only that, Junyuan had seen women by his side in a bar before.
However, Yanran, that foolish girl, ignored his advice and was determined to be with Xiao Yi.
In the end, she was hurt so badly her heart was about to get smashed into pieces.
When Junyuan saw Xiao Yi, who had appeared in his office, his expression was completely dark. “Why am I so honored to have Mr Xiao here to visit me?”
“Where’s Yanran?”
A loud bam sounded in the room, as Junyuan slammed down his pen, all the while glaring at Xiao Yi with a dark expression. “Where Yanran is has nothing to do with you. You have already broken up with her, so please stop looking for her in the future, Mr Xiao!”
“Her company said that she requested for extended leave. As you are her older brother, can I ask what she told you?”
Junyuan froze.
Yanran told him that the company was sending her to a country in Africa that had just finished a war for a show and that she might not be able to contact her for now.
Yanran liked adventures and challenges, and even once became a field reporter. Junyuan could not control her even if he wanted to, since she had her own thoughts for everything she did. As a result, when she said that she was going to Africa for an interview, he did not suspect a thing.
When Xiao Yi saw Junyuan’s expression, he knew already that Xia Yanran was not where she said she was.
Seeing Junyuan’s expression, Xiao Yi turned around, walking out with large strides.
Junyuan chased after him. “Xiao Yi, what do you mean? Did Yanran not go to Africa?”
Xiao Yi stopped, glancing at Junyuan. “Give me some time, I’ll bring her back!”
Junyuan furrowed his eyebrows. He did not know what exactly happened.
When he returned to his office, Junyuan called Xia Yanran, but he was told that the phone was turned off.
Where had she gone?
…
After Xiao Yi left the hospital, he went to the apartment he once stayed at with Xia Yanran.
He did not enter, merely leaning against the wall as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips.
His fingers played with his lighter agilely, but he never lit it up.
That foolish girl must have hid herself in some corner to cry alone in fear of hurting her closest people!
She was a strong and stubborn person, her personality too independent as she would rather suffer by herself than make others worry for her once she was caught in a problem!
Xiao Yi looked up slightly at the ceiling.
If she was not at her office or at home, where did she go?
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow, the words she had once told him suddenly appearing in his mind.
“Xiao Yi, I might have wanted to hold onto you back when we broke up in Ning City. I came to Hong Kong to open a branch here without any regard for anything, and paid attention to your news like crazy.”
Since she still had feelings for him, would she have gone to that place?
Although it was shabby there, with no electricity or Internet, the two of them had a sweet and comfortable life there.
At this thought, Xiao Yi rented an SUV and rushed over there hurriedly through the night.
…
Indeed Xia Yanran had gone to that cave.
The villagers all knew her, since she would come over once in a while ever since she broke up with Xiao Yi.
She kept blankets and bed sheets at the Lady Boss’ house.
After she arrived at the cave, she tidied the bed and took out a battery lamp from her luggage. She sat in front of the desk, reading as she ate some bread.
She did her best to not think about AIDs.
There would only be two types of results three months later. One was positive, while the other was negative.
There wasn’t any point to think about it. Once she did, she would think that she surely contracted the illness.
Calming her mind, Xia Yanran quietened down to read.
An hour later, Xia Yanran felt a little dizzy, so she lay on the table and fell asleep.
When Xiao Yi arrived, it was already deep in the middle of the night.
He parked his car at the bottom of the mountain, and from afar, he could see a faint light from the cave.
So she was really here!
His tense heart finally relaxed a little.
He took a deep breath, before he started to walk towards the cave with large strides.
The village at night was rather quiet, with only the sound of crickets from time to time.
Xiao Yi was very fast, arriving at the cave very quickly.
Since he had left this place, he had never come back. However, it was tidied up cleanly, with even flowers of all colors planted around it.
When the night breeze blew, the fragrance from the flowers was really nice and comforting.
