”Fifth Brother’s brain waves are very active,” he said. “He’s seemingly unresponsive to outside stimuli but it’s clear that he’s dreaming a lot based on his brain’s activity rate. At least, I see no damage in his brain. This is very similar to his brain scans during his previous coma. Oh, and Xiulan’s, too.”
Long Jinjing and Grandpa Lu hung on to Wang Yingjie’s every word. Iris and Jin Liwei were also present.
Wang Yingjie looked at the private doctor. “I’m more familiar with Fifth Brother and Third Sister-in-law’s very similar medical cases. Although we haven’t figured out the exact cause why the two have a tendency to fall into coma now and then, we already know that the common denominator between the two of them is their history of experiencing severe injuries that left them comatose for the first time—almost dead, basically. Both of them also experienced some drastic changes in their personalities after they miraculously woke up. Just like before, we can only conclude that their tendency to fall into coma might be one of the sequelae both of them need to live with after their life-altering injuries back then. All of these are just deductions, nothing concrete yet.”
He was speaking to everyone but his gaze was on Iris. “If you all want more definite answers than what I’m providing you right now, then Fifth Brother and Third Sister-in-law Xiulan must consent to letting me and maybe some of my medical peers to study the two of them.”
Jin Liwei frowned and pulled his wife closer to him. “Absolutely not.”
Wang Yingjie sighed but didn’t insist. He already expected this answer.
”I don’t want to become a test subject,” Iris said. “I’m sure that Big Brother won’t want to become one either.”
Long Jinjing bit her lower lip. Like Grandpa Lu, she wanted more definite answers than mere assumptions but couldn’t argue at what Iris said. Knowing her husband, Lu Zihao would most likely flip out if she tried persuading him to become a medical case study.
Grandpa Lu narrowed his wizened eyes at Iris. She wasn’t unnerved at all and looked back calmly at the old man. He harrumphed but didn’t try forcing her into anything that she didn’t want to do.
”May I speak to Big Brother?” Iris asked Long Jinjing.
Long Jinjing hesitated before nodding. “You can go in now. Grandpa Lu and I will continue talking here to Second Brother and the doctor.”
Iris and Jin Liwei entered the hospital room together. She sat on the chair beside the bed and studied her unconscious brother. Jin Liwei stood behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder, silently sending her his support.
Lu Zihao’s features had become sharper as he lost some weight after being unconscious for this long. His impressive muscles were all still there, but if he remained in coma for longer, then he would surely lose some of them.
”Big Brother, I’m here,” Iris spoke in Russian.
No response.
”I just want to tell you…that I’m not sorry for all the things I said to you when we fought. I meant everything I said that day. I still believe that…you should prioritize your family over the need to avenge what happened to us back then.”
Silence.
Iris sighed but wasn’t dejected. “As for me, I’m now willing to face my past life unlike before. But it’s only because I want to protect the family that I built with Liwei, so I don’t want anything from our past life to interfere with my happiness right now. This is not revenge but a self-defence mechanism. I’m not saying that your method of dealing with our past life is wrong and I’m right or vice versa. My point is that I prefer for us to focus more on living in the present to the best of our abilities especially since both of us already have our own families. We have spouses who’ll be heartbroken if something bad happens to us, and of course, young children who depend on us.
”Hopefully, this time, I’m able to convey my point to you more clearly than the last time. I hope that you’ll understand where I’m coming from. It’s not that I’m criticizing you. I’m just worried about you and your family. I don’t want us siblings to lose each other again. One time is enough. I don’t want to experience it a second time. I’m sure that your wife and children wouldn’t want to lose their husband and father either. Please understand, Big Brother.”
Her eyes reddened but she was able to control her emotions better this time. She continued to observe her unconscious brother, hoping to detect any tiny signs that he might wake up soon. No such luck, unfortunately.
She touched his hand. It felt cool to the touch and rough from the scars. “Please wake up. Your wife looks terrible from worrying day and night about you. At this rate, she’ll waste away just like you.”
As usual, there was still no response.
Iris glanced at her husband. Jin Liwei rubbed her shoulders, comforting her.
”Let’s go?” she asked.
”En, in a minute,” he replied. “Let me talk to my brother-in-law first.”
”Okay.”
Jin Liwei moved and stood right by the bed. He looked down at the unconscious man lying on the hospital bed.
Right at this moment, Lu Zihao didn’t look intimidating at all. He looked almost the same as Jin Liwei’s original fifth brother, the one he grew up with since childhood.
Jin Liwei’s heart softened at this thought but once again hardened upon remembering that the man in front of him was no longer his fifth brother but his brother-in-law instead.
”Nikolai,” he called in a soft, measured tone.
No response.
No surprise there.
Jin Liwei leaned a little over the bed. “It’s fine if you want to stay comatose like this.”
Iris frowned when she heard what he said but didn’t say anything for now. She waited what else her husband was going to say to her brother.
”As your brother-in-law, I can at least afford to have you taken care of in this hospital wing for as long as you want. Years, decades, no matter how long you want to waste away in this bed, it’s no problem. This is the least I can do for my wife’s brother.”
”Liwei,” Iris interrupted, unable to stop herself anymore.
He gestured for her to trust him. She hesitated but still acquiesced. Nevertheless, she was ready to force him to stop if needed.
Jin Liwei continued speaking to Lu Zihao, “Just so you know, your wife, Long Jinjing, is still young. Your children are also still young. It’s not impossible for her to give up on you especially since none of us are sure when you’ll wake up again. Long Jinjing is not bad. She’s also quite successful in her career. Only a blind and foolish man will dismiss someone like her.
”When she moves on from you, she’ll surely get together with another man. Then your children, Little Misha and Little Dima, will grow up calling and treating another man their father. Maybe they will also change their last name from Lu into something else. I guess it doesn’t matter to you whether they change their last name or not because you yourself don’t like being Lu Zihao anyway. You prefer to go back being Nikolai Vetrov.
”Don’t worry, Nikolai. Your sister and I will continue to dote on your children as our beloved nephews even when they start calling another man their father. They might also have other siblings—half-siblings when Long Jinjing gives birth to her new man’s children. I’m sure everything will be okay. Rest assured that Evelina and I won’t let your children be bullied by their step-father and step-siblings.”
Iris was staring at her husband in disbelief. She was too speechless to stop him from going too far. At the same time, what he said wasn’t completely impossible. That was the crazy part. Everything sounded logical.
Although Long Jinjing was extremely devoted to Lu Zihao right now, who was to say that she would remain this way if her husband failed to wake up from coma after a long time? What if she really met another man who would give her what Lu Zihao couldn’t?
Iris was confused why her husband would goad her brother like this right now. It didn’t seem right but she still chose to trust him. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and continue to watch her husband’s antics.
”What do you think of Alric Bauer?” Jin Liwei asked. “The man is smart and respects Long Jinjing. What’s more, they work in the same company together. It’s not impossible for something to develop between the two of them.”
Iris’ jaw fell.
”What about Amanpio Kileksky? Now this man is many times smarter than Alric. He’s a certified genius just like my wife. He’s not a bad choice either. A little crazy but what do you expect from a genius?”
Iris glared at him. She looked a little offended.
”Who else? Hmmm. Oh, right. There’s also René Alejandro. Didn’t he happen to meet Long Jinjing in a store somewhere and even helped her choose a gift for you? Although he’s suspicious, he has always treated Long Jinjing with courtesy. If we can prove that the man is really clean, perhaps—”
”Shut…the fuck…up,” a hoarse voice interrupted him.
Iris covered her mouth and gasped. Her eyes welled with tears.
Jin Liwei smirked. “Welcome back to the living, asshole.”
