The girl lay quietly on the hospital bed, the soft light casting a gentle glow on her face. Her faint eyebrows were tightly furrowed, her sleep deeply unsettled.
The pristine white sheets and her pallid complexion made her seem almost indistinguishable from the sterile hospital room.
Tong Yao wanted to hug her, but her trembling hands hovered in the air, too afraid to touch.
At this moment, Bai Song was like a piece of weathered paper, the slightest touch might cause her to crumble and scatter with the wind, never to be found again.
“H-How could this be?” Tong Yao covered her face, struggling to suppress her sobs.
“I haven’t even made you regret leaving me yet. I haven’t let go of my hatred for you. How can you have an incurable disease?” Her voice grew louder, as if she were interrogating Bai Song. “Bai Song, are you just determined to oppose me? Bai Song, I’m warning you, don’t think death will free you. Even if you die, you’ll still be my ghost. Bai Song, you won’t escape my grasp, not even in death.”
“So?” Tong Yao’s hand finally touched Bai Song’s cheek, her scalding tears dripping onto Bai Song’s eyelids. She pleaded desperately, “Don’t die. I won’t let you die.”
It was just as Bai Song had once begged her for mercy heart-wrenching and hopeless.
Bai Song’s eyelids twitched slightly, and Tong Yao tensed instantly but she didn’t wake.
Disappointment flooded Tong Yao’s eyes. She lowered her head, pressing her forehead tightly against Bai Song’s.
Bai Song’s body was burning up, even hotter than her own. She could feel Bai Song’s scorching breath against her face. How could such a vibrant life just fade away?
Tong Yao clutched Bai Song’s hand tightly, as if that alone could anchor her to this world.
She closed her eyes and stayed like that, motionless.
The moment Bai Song woke up, she heard the excited voice of the system in her mind: “The blackening level dropped! I detected that Tong Yao’s hatred for you has lessened! Ahhh, Song Song, we did it! Going home is within reach!”
Bai Song gritted her teeth. “Keep it down. You’re about to blast a hole through my eardrums.”
The system pouted. “I’m communicating with you telepathically directly in your mind. It doesn’t involve your eardrums at all.”
Bai Song rubbed her earlobe. “Then you’re about to crack my skull open.”
The system: “…” It couldn’t help but feel that the Bai Song who had endured Tong Yao was different from before.
Bai Song sighed dramatically. “After being thoroughly tormented body and soul by a psychopath, did you really expect me to stay the same pure little victim?”
Whether she was still a “little victim” or not, the system couldn’t say, but it was certain of one thing, she definitely wasn’t pure anymore.
The system reminded her, “Even though it’s dropped, it’s still not within the safe range yet.” The revolution wasn’t over, no room for complacency. The numbers could still rise.
Bai Song was brimming with confidence, as if she wanted to thump her now-nonexistent chest. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”
The system was curious. “Let’s hear it.”
Bai Song smirked mysteriously. “Spoilers ruin the fun. By the way, have you contacted Lu Xuanxuan yet?”
The system replied, “As you requested, I sent a heartfelt, deeply moving plea for help to her email. The last time I checked, it had already been read.”
Bai Song: “That’s good. Only when all the actors are assembled can the show begin.”
Bai Song was too thin, with barely any flesh left on her hips. After sitting for just a short while, her legs went numb, making her extremely uncomfortable, so she had no choice but to lie back down.
The hospital room was equipped with surveillance. The moment Bai Song opened her eyes, Tong Yao received the news.
She was in the middle of a video conference and didn’t even have time to say a word of greeting before she hurriedly left. The remaining branch managers were left staring at the suddenly vacant CEO’s seat, exchanging bewildered glances. They thought something major had happened and began speculating wildly in their minds.
Tong Yao rushed to the hospital without stopping. What she saw was Bai Song lying lifelessly on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She tried her best to tread lightly, but the sound of her high heels on the floor was still loud.
Bai Song’s eyes shifted slightly, noticing her arrival, but she quickly averted her gaze, showing no intention of speaking to her.
Seeing Bai Song’s indifferent expression, Tong Yao’s heart clenched painfully.
Bai Song: “You already know everything?”
Tong Yao disliked her tone but still nodded, frowning slightly.
Bai Song said, “I’m someone who’s about to die. Do me a favor and just let me go.”
Tong Yao’s voice trembled: “You knew all along?”
Bai Song pursed her lips and lowered her head: “Not all along. Just about five months ago.”
That was around the time Tong Yao first discovered Bai Song’s infidelity. A bold suspicion formed in her mind, but she didn’t dare believe it.
Because if she did, she would never forgive herself, even in death.
Bai Song asked again, “For the last stretch of my life, I want to walk it alone.”
Tong Yao stared at her intensely, her eyes filled with suppressed emotion. She bit her lower lip so hard it drew blood: “Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Bai Song smiled faintly and replied nonchalantly, “What would be the point of telling you? Are you a doctor?”
Tong Yao gritted her teeth so hard they creaked. She took a deep breath, mustering all her self-control to stop herself from rushing forward and demanding answers.
It would have mattered! If she had known, she wouldn’t have treated her so cruelly. Maybe, just maybe Song Song’s illness could have been cured!
Tong Yao clenched her jaw: “If you knew so early, why didn’t you seek treatment sooner? It’s not like you didn’t have the money?” She had even given all her money to that senior, did she not want to live?
Bai Song lowered her head: “I didn’t want chemotherapy. It makes you ugly.”
Tong Yao listened to her half-hearted answer, knowing it couldn’t be trusted, but she didn’t dare press further. She was afraid, afraid of the answer she couldn’t bear to hear. The version of herself that had stripped away all pretense and inflicted pain on Song Song was nothing but a monster, yet she had derived pleasure from those very atrocities.
She hated herself, but there was no chance left for redemption.
She desperately wanted to see Bai Song, with so much to say, but she didn’t know where to start nor did she dare.
Tong Yao quietly watched Bai Song’s serene profile, waves of sorrow crashing over her heart.
The days that followed were dull and monotonous. Chemotherapy was excruciating, but because of it, Bai Song was finally free from Tong Yao’s coercion. Though her body grew thinner by the day, it was solely due to her illness. In truth, her spirits were quite light.
Ever since she woke up, Tong Yao had been by her side almost constantly. She worked from Bai Song’s hospital room, frequently glancing up to make sure Bai Song was still alive, still there in front of her only then could she feel at ease.
More than once, she wanted to tell Bai Song, “I regret it. As long as you live, even if you leave me, I’ll let you go.”
But these words were nothing more than empty lamentations, utterly meaningless.
All she could do was silently stay by her side, not daring to hope for Bai Song’s forgiveness.
Tong Yao still had a massive company to manage. Usually, she would take video meetings in the adjacent room while Bai Song was asleep, handling matters as quickly as possible before returning to Bai Song’s side.
That day, the moment she stepped out, Bai Song opened her eyes.
Because the system told her, the reinforcement had arrived. Lu Xuanxuan had already reached the island and was heading straight for the hospital.
Tong Yao, of course, received the same news. But after a brief hesitation, considering Bai Song’s recent listless state, she decided not to stop their meeting.
Though she was reluctant to admit it, she couldn’t deny that she wanted Lu Xuanxuan’s words to reignite Bai Song’s will to live.
She could clearly sense that while Bai Song was outwardly compliant with treatment undergoing every test, taking every prescribed medication her heart had already died.
Even if the doctors could cure her illness, they couldn’t save her life. And with a disease like cancer, mindset was crucial. Bai Song simply had no desire to live.
Lu Xuanxuan encountered no obstacles and smoothly made her way to Bai Song.