“Yi?”

The boy looked up from the passenger seat as his uncle stepped on the brakes when they reached the red light.

“Are you tired? We’ll be home soon. You can sleep throughout the day if you want. I don’t think classes will resume any time soon. The storm is going to continue for about three days according to the weather forecast,” Shen Jinxiu said, trying to gauge his nephew’s mood at the moment.

Ever since they left the hotel where the Lus was staying, the boy hadn’t uttered a single word to him. He was worried that the boy was also smitten by Little Xinxin and didn’t want to leave her side.

“Sleep sounds enticing right now,” the boy admitted.

Shen Yi looked outside and thought how everything about the city was bland and monochrome although the passersby seemed busy with their own lives.

On a normal day, the city was a vast, intricate labyrinth of noise, streets, and alleys. One could hear the incessant honking of the vehicles even before the sun rose. Impatient businessmen who had to get to the office; mothers who had to leave their children at their schools, facing the puzzling challenge of navigating through the crowd; and people who had businesses of their own.

After every person had reached their respective destination, the traffic congestion cleared significantly as if humongous snakes that had eaten their fills and were retracting back into their dark and eerie caves.

However, today was different. The usual crowd of people was nowhere to be found; only the thick layer of snow could be seen everywhere. It was as if the whole city became a barren wasteland overnight.

The winter wind howled through the desolate streets, and that was able to bite one’s skin from its coldness. The bleak gray cloud overhead reflected Shen Yi’s grey mood inside perfectly. These short days, these long nights… made him wish for spring to come.

“Come on, Yi. Don’t tell me you also don’t wanna go to school?” Shen Jinxiu grumbled. His nephew had skipped a grade twice and was now the youngest in his class.

“What do you expect me to do, Uncle? Play hide-and-seek with my classmates?”

Shen Jinxiu laughed at his nephew’s annoyed expression.

“I haven’t seen you play with other kids before, but you did with Xin’er.” He pointed out. He resumed driving, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

“It’s not that I have a choice in it. You’ll surely blame me again if she cries.”

“Glad that you are aware.” The man burst into laughter, seemingly enjoying the annoyed expression on his nephew’s face. There was something different about him that the young Shen Yi noticed. Shen Jinxiu’s eyes were bright, and his smile reached his ears, contradicting the gray weather of the day. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

“What was the favor you asked Madam Lu?” Shen Yi eyed his uncle. The young boy got the impression that whatever his uncle asked Sun Meixiu had something to do with this rare smile he got on his face.

“It’s a secret. Only the two of us should know, or else you’ll sell me out to your Dad and Grammie,” his uncle replied.

Their car passed a green light without stopping. Neither of the two expected another car barreling towards them from the uncle’s side. A loud screeching sound blared before Shen Jinxiu realized what was happening.

“Yi!” Shen Jinxiu yelled as he released his seatbelt and threw himself to cover his nephew’s body with his. The other car then hit them at full force, sending their car to the other lane of the icy slippery road.

The car had been hit so hard that it made Shen Jinxiu lose consciousness from the impact.

The moment the other car hit them, young Shen Yi assumed he was about to die. He could taste the coppery blood pooling in his mouth and could feel it coating his teeth and soaking his tongue. He felt the aching of his muscles and cracks in his bones. Each crack felt like rocks were burrowing into his skin.

Shen Yi sucked in cramped air, feeling his lungs caving in on themselves. He saw the spots in the corners of his vision, making his head hurt. He heard a buzzing noise, filling his ears. He felt like the time had slowed down, and he was there for hours, slowly fading. His last thought shifted to the young girl he left at the hotel, her face etching itself in his memory. It was the only thing he could think before everything turned black.

—

“Where is he?! Don’t just stand there and tell me where he is!” A furious voice of a woman echoed in the busy hallway of the emergency room.

Sun Mingai yelled at the poor nurse who just arrived from the operating room. Other visitors winced at her voice. She’d lost her cool, and she panicked as she looked around, hoping someone could tell her what Shen Jinxiu’s condition was.

When she received a phone call that he was involved in a car crash, she felt her heart stopped. She left her meeting without a word and drove straight to the hospital. Her car sped up despite knowing the danger she could also sustain from the slippery road which was caused by the blizzard yesterday.

A doctor came out and saw the awkward situation before he stepped up to clear it.

“I’m Dr. Zhou; I’m one of the doctors in charge of Shen Jinxiu. He is currently in critical condition. May I know what this Miss’s relationship is to him?”

“I’m Sun Mingai. I’m his girlfriend,” Sun Mingai said in gritted teeth.

Just as the doctor was about to explain Shen Jinxiu’s condition, the Shen Matriarch and Shen Huang arrived. Because they were the nearest kin of the patient, Sun Mingai was easily ignored and could only listen to the doctor’s words as he told them that Shen Jinxiu might not be able to make it because of his injuries.

At that moment, Sun Mingai stepped back, her body leaning against the wall behind her for support. Her mind insisted that she couldn’t lose him, not now when they were getting along well; and she was doing her best to become a better person.

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