He was originally contemplating whether to give Song Rui a bottle of system-produced Life Potion. If it was just a regular injury, he would be bouncing back and full of life in a day.
"The reason for inviting you to the sanatorium isn’t really because of me..."
As he said this, Song Rui seemed quite embarrassed, but finally, he bit the bullet and said, "Zhou Wang, can I ask you for another favor?"
"What is it?"
Having an inkling, Zhou Wang’s brow slightly furrowed.
"Could you meet Cheng Yiyi again? She... she’s not doing very well right now."
"So, it’s actually Cheng Yiyi who’s here?"
Zhou Wang wasn’t surprised, "What do you mean by ’not doing well’?"
"I’m not quite sure if it’s related to the kind of drug Xue Peng gave her. The doctors say it’s a banned substance from abroad, very potent, and although it was expelled in time, it’s hard to say if there will be any aftereffects."
"But primarily, it seems to be psychological trauma. After she woke up and knew the whole story, she seemed to have been triggered by something and was a bit delirious..."
Song Rui explained, "Later, she got a bit better, but as a whole, she’s still quite dazed, not really communicating with the outside world. She also didn’t allow me to contact her parents, so as a last resort, I brought her to this sanatorium. Her psychologist said that she has an unresolved emotional knot..."
"Do you think her emotional knot is me?"
Zhou Wang raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, it might not be what I think. If it’s convenient, Zhou Wang, you’ll know once you go up and see her... Can you?"
Song Rui cautiously asked.
Zhou Wang didn’t speak for a moment, and finally sighed, glancing at Song Rui, "You’re really dedicated to her. I hope she can realize who truly cares for her."
"Actually, I’ve come to terms with it. Helping her now is just out of friendship or maybe for old times’ sake. Her parents have been kind to me..."
Song Rui waved it off.
"Oh?"
Zhou Wang looked at Song Rui with surprise, seeing that his expression didn’t seem fake, somewhat astonished.
The reason the devoted admirer is both hated and pitied is because it’s often difficult for the person to come to their senses. Previously in Hang City BSK, although Song Rui was dealt a blow, he still had lingering feelings for Cheng Yiyi. Zhou Wang sensed this during their meeting in Beidou.
Perhaps he thought he had come to terms with it, but that was just self-deception.
But now, Song Rui seemed genuinely different.
"After that night, I completely understood; neither Cheng Yiyi nor Xu Jing really suited me."
Song Rui said with a carefree smile, "Once Cheng Yiyi returns to normal, I plan to follow my parents’ arrangements, go back to Yangcheng, and take over the family business. There are also a few blind dates waiting for me. If all goes well, I might even get married at the beginning of the year, Zhou Wang. You must come then, and if it’s not too much, be the best man for me..."
"No problem. I’ve never been a best man before. If you’re quick enough, you can be my first!"
"Hahaha, that sounds great!"
After a laugh, Song Rui called in the head nurse waiting by the door to escort Zhou Wang upstairs, while he accompanied Qiu Zeyu, who was idly passing time, to the reception room for tea and conversation.
Zhou Wang glanced at Song Rui, who indeed seemed to have matured considerably, and then followed the head nurse into the building.
Upon reaching the room furthest down the second floor, Zhou Wang first chatted briefly with the psychologist waiting there, who then opened the room door, gesturing for Zhou Wang to enter.
"Mr. Zhou, Miss Cheng’s emotions overall are quite stable, so you needn’t worry. I’ll just be outside the door. If there’s anything, you can call for me directly or press the service bell on the wall."
"Alright, thank you."
After nodding to her, Zhou Wang entered the ward.
The ward wasn’t small, but maybe due to observation needs, the space was wide open. As Zhou Wang entered, he immediately saw Cheng Yiyi.
Cheng Yiyi, wearing a loose light blue hospital gown, was squatting by the coffee table, engrossed in sketching something with a pencil, showing little reaction even as someone entered.
Zhou Wang didn’t speak, merely walked over quietly. After getting a closer look at Cheng Yiyi, he was somewhat surprised.
It’s only been a week, but Cheng Yiyi had noticeably lost weight. She already had an almond-shaped face, with her chin now even sharper, her makeup-free features pale, exuding a sense of elegance and calmness.
Though she seemed rather malnourished and lacking the vibrant vitality of youthful collagen, for some reason, the pale and delicate Cheng Yiyi appeared more pleasing than before...
For the first time, Zhou Wang found her no-makeup look actually quite beautiful.
Zhou Wang moved in closer, seeing that she was indeed drawing, though the style of lines was peculiar, not quite the typical flow of a sketch.
To her right was a stack of finished works. Zhou Wang froze as his gaze shifted.
Only now did he understand why Song Rui was certain that Cheng Yiyi’s mental knot had to do with him...
The drawing was of him.
Or more accurately, it was a portrait of him.
Cheng Yiyi clearly had some artistic skills. While not to the point of lifelike resemblance, the drawings captured about seventy percent of Zhou Wang’s spirit.
But as he continued to look, Zhou Wang felt something was off. He reached out, picked up the top portrait, and after examining it, a flash of shock appeared in his eyes.
Because the portrait was composed of countless Chinese characters pieced together. Zhou Wang had only seen this technique in short videos and hadn’t expected someone to actually accomplish it in reality...
Of course, Zhou Wang wasn’t an art student and didn’t know how challenging this technique was, but seeing that it was densely covered with his name, he was naturally quite astonished.
The characters "Zhou Wang" filled the portrait.
Including the one Cheng Yiyi was currently drawing, all the finished portraits were of him.
Laughing Zhou Wang, eyebrow-raising Zhou Wang, contemplative Zhou Wang, spirited Zhou Wang...
As Zhou Wang felt his emotions grow increasingly complex, Cheng Yiyi finally realized something was amiss and raised her head in displeasure.
"Didn’t I say not to touch my..."
Mid-sentence, Cheng Yiyi’s voice faltered.
She stared blankly at Zhou Wang in front of her, her pupils losing focus for a moment.
"Zhou, Zhou Wang... Is it really you?"
After a long pause, Cheng Yiyi finally reacted, her voice trembling.
Upon Zhou Wang nodding, her eyes quickly reddened.
She clung tightly to Zhou Wang’s leg, her tears streaming down:
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault... Sob, I’m sorry, Zhou Wang, will you forgive me...please..."