Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Since Her Departure, Only Darkness Lies Ahead
Chapter 158 Since Her Departure, Only Darkness Lies Ahead
“No… that can’t be right, Xiaocheng… Xiaocheng is dead?”
Su Tao lowered her head, looking at her trembling hands, subconsciously murmuring Chi Xiaocheng’s name.
Her gaze anxiously swept around the hospital, like a mentally disturbed patient with strange pupils, her hands tightly clutched to her head, her dark pupils darting up and down in her eye sockets.
It was as if she was afraid of something, yet also searching for something.
The images in her mind flickered repeatedly between Chi Xiaocheng’s smile and her deceased face.
Because of the pain, she had chosen to forget.
But now, memories were forcibly returning to her brain.
The Xiaocheng after her suicide attempt was very docile; Su Tao only felt the relief of surviving a catastrophe, never considering how Chi Xiaocheng, after writing such a suicide note, could act as normally as before.
The three days in the dark room, she had merely taken as an ordinary game, thinking that as long as she stayed by her side, things would return to normal.
She hadn't thought that if Chi Xiaocheng could calmly utter the words "dark room," her mind must already have been somewhat unstable.
The bright red orange juice she drank daily was the epitome of her obsession; Su Tao had only thought it was the source of her own suffering, but didn't realize it was Chi Xiaocheng's way of trying to hold onto her.
One dream after another clearly told her that if she forcibly tried to change the outcome of being with Xiaocheng, she would enter a bad ending, yet she still paid no heed.
Si Chen and Dongfang Yang had both told her to accept her, to force herself to love her.
What she had given in return was avoidance.
She finally didn't want to avoid it anymore, but Xiaocheng… would never hear it.
The scene froze on the last moment: Chi Xiaocheng rested in her arms, also resting in the vivid red orange juice, like a long river woven from the petals of red spider lilies.
Su Tao was on one side of the river; Chi Xiaocheng had already stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness, blooming with flowers.
No matter how she called out, even with the long-awaited confession, the person she held dear did not turn back.
Only a wisp of tea-colored hair drifted in the wind.
Memories transformed into petals, gently caressing Chi Xiaocheng’s hair, carrying past beauty, and settling upon Su Tao.
As Chi Xiaocheng moved step by step towards the other side of the bridge, the vibrant red spider lily petals gradually faded and withered.
With her gone, only darkness remained ahead.
After regret and breakdown came the inability to accept such a reality.
Su Tao looked up at Professor Su, tears flowing again.
Crying and crying, she then laughed, "Professor Su, Xiaocheng said she wouldn't leave me, right?"
Professor Su remained silent.
Su Tao walked closer to her, punching Professor Su's shoulder, but being so weak, she couldn't exert any strength, her soft fist merely tapped, and her body couldn't help but lean against Professor Su.
Sobs escaped her, "Please, Professor Su… tell me this is all fake, tell me it’s just a joke, a prank from you and Xiaocheng, please… please…"
Her mind didn't collapse from the overwhelming information, but the emotions she had instinctively guarded could not, in the end, face such terrible news.
"Where is Xiaocheng?"
Su Tao pushed Professor Su aside and walked towards the door.
"Professor Su, tell me where Xiaocheng is!"
Su Tao reached the doorway, stumbling and gripping the doorframe. "I'm going to find her, I'm going to find her. She absolutely can't wake up without me by her side, I must stay with her…"
However, upon stepping out, Su Tao saw Dongfang Yang, who had just walked up and was standing in front of her.
Just as she was about to grasp this last straw and speak, Dongfang Yang suddenly roared, "Su Tao, can you not be a little more clear-headed!"
"Chi Xiaocheng died to protect you, she hopes you live well, and what about you?"
"When she was alive, you avoided her, and after her death, you can't accept it. Look at yourself now, what's the difference between you and those crazy women outside?"
Dongfang Yang suddenly gripped Su Tao's shoulders forcefully, shouting, "What do you want to do now? End your own life to go find Chi Xiaocheng? How can you have the face to meet her down there when you can't even take care of yourself!"
"The murderer who killed Chi Xiaocheng is still at large. He might be somewhere drinking fine wine and enjoying beauties. Shouldn't you avenge Chi Xiaocheng?"
Perhaps Dongfang Yang's words struck a chord within Su Tao; at this moment, for Chi Xiaocheng's sake, she should indeed live well.
Or perhaps it was the words "avenge her" that resonated with Su Tao.
The girl, who had originally been unable to accept reality and had collapsed, gradually quieted down.
Her arms fell limply, and she remained silent for a long time.
Dongfang Yang, confirming Su Tao's emotional state wasn't as bad, finally let go of her. "It's come to this, and you still want to avoid reality? Chi Xiaocheng is dead, died to protect you. What good is avoiding reality, except for making her unable to rest in peace even in the underworld?"
Su Tao lowered her head, asking in a hoarse voice, "Where is Xiaocheng?"
Dongfang Yang exhaled, turning and pointing straight ahead, "The first room at the end of the corridor, around the corner."
There, her remains were kept.
Su Tao finally stopped making a fuss, simply limping in the direction Dongfang Yang pointed.
She still didn't seem to have regained her "soul."
Professor Su walked out of the ward, sighing deeply. "It will probably be very difficult for her to return to normal. The one who tied the bell must untie it, but the one who tied it is no longer here."
Dongfang Yang's expression was helpless and pained. "Look at her state, how can I be her spiritual pillar as you suggested before? Now, we should hope that hatred can restore some of her sanity."
"At the very least, she needs to get her body in order first."
Professor Su was silent for a while. "Actually, when Miss Su woke up just now, she selectively forgot about Miss Chi's death, but I told her directly. Would it have been better to keep it from her for a while?"
Dongfang Yang looked at Professor Su more closely. "You're a doctor, and you're not sure?"
Professor Su's expression was complex. "Whether it's initial hardship followed by eventual reward or initial ease followed by eventual difficulty, if the reward is still there, then there's a choice. But for Miss Su, only bitterness remains. What I was thinking was, why let this pain linger in the future?"
Reality must be faced sooner or later.
Just like Su Tao, she stood stunned in front of a ward door, staring blankly at Chi Xiaocheng, who lay on the hospital bed, almost covered in various medical instruments.
She glanced sideways at the instruments nearby; the electrocardiogram was a flat, straight line.
But the doctors, whether comforting her or truly not giving up, still had life-sustaining equipment attached to Chi Xiaocheng.
It was as if they were telling her that although her ECG indicated death, there was still a possibility of bringing her back.
Truly an absurd joke beyond belief.
Su Tao moved a small stool and sat by Chi Xiaocheng's hospital bed.
She couldn't help but tremble as she held that tender little hand.
It was cold, almost without any warmth.
Su Tao gripped it very tightly, very hard.
She wanted to try her best to transfer a trace of warmth.
But no matter what she did, the person on the bed showed no reaction.
Finally, only drops of tears fell onto that delicate hand,
and then slid to the floor.
"Xiaocheng…" Su Tao reached out and kissed her hand, once again sobbing uncontrollably. "I want to drink your orange juice. Will you wake up, please?"
She, too, had to face this reality.
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