Xiaoya genuinely cared for every patient from the bottom of her heart, even when Tongtong was a girl with a bit of a difficult temperament.
But she still treated Tongtong very well.
Tragedy struck not long after, Tongtong's parents could no longer afford the exorbitant medical expenses, and when various ailments began tormenting Tongtong...
They pleaded with Xiaoya to make Tongtong suffer less.
Tongtong also repeatedly uttered words like, "Sister Xiaoya, I don't want to live in this world anymore."
Xiaoya shed tears many times, because the child was so young to have said such words.
Tongtong's parents even asked several times if there were any drugs that could allow their child to die peacefully.
But Xiaoya always managed to comfort them.
However, as Tongtong's suffering increased, and her parents continued to plead...
Finally, one day, she couldn't bear it any longer...
She secretly adjusted the settings on Tongtong's pain relief pump, far exceeding the safe dose.
That night, Tongtong finally felt no pain.
But after all, Xiaoya was just a nurse; there were many things she didn't understand.
Her actions resulted in Tongtong never waking up again.
Tongtong died.
At this point, Tongtong's parents were devastated, and they began to question the hospital as to why their child suddenly died.
An investigation began and ended quickly, as the matter was too simple.
Soon, Xiaoya's actions became known to the hospital and everyone.
Tongtong's parents publicly criticized and attacked the hospital in interviews. To calm the situation, the hospital offered Tongtong's parents a substantial sum of money.
At the same time, the hospital needed someone to take the blame, so Xiaoya was dismissed and suspected of a crime.
Her life, we can say, was destroyed just like that.
But the apocalypse came, and order and law broke down.
No one judged Xiaoya, only her own conscience judged her.
She regretted and blamed herself constantly, questioning why she had done such a thing.
She lived in perpetual remorse, desperately wanting to say sorry to Tongtong.
...
...
In a surge of mixed emotions, Wen Xishu instantly understood everything.
He realized why Xiaoya insisted on letting Tongtong in.
At that moment, he faced a choice.
Wen Xishu had a premonition that perhaps Tongtong really wouldn't harm Xiaoya.
But there were other people here.
He couldn't gamble; he couldn't risk betting that ghosts target only a specific person.
After all, in everyone's stereotype, ghosts can indiscriminately kill.
Wen Xishu said:
"I've heard about Tongtong."
Instantly, Xiaoya lifted her head, looking at Wen Xishu with some surprise.
"I'm not here to judge your right or wrong. The truth of this matter is actually very complex. As a nurse, you did make a mistake, but if I were in Tongtong's environment... just personally speaking..."
"Perhaps I would be grateful to you for allowing me to leave this world peacefully in the end."
"The arrival of the apocalypse has made us endure many losses, but correspondingly, it has also reckoned with our past sins."
"Xiaoya, I can't let you open this door; we can't make such a mistake."
"You have already let a life go through your presumptions, now... you can't repeat the same mistake."
"Drinking the blue drink might show you the image you wish to see."
"Tongtong becoming healthy and starting to thank you... that's certainly good, but that's not reality."
"Drinking the red drink will make you feel pain, but isn't that what we ought to endure?"
Wen Xishu raised the red glass and handed it to Xiaoya.
"Drink it, and go bid a final farewell to Tongtong."
Xiaoya was in tears.
Actually, Wen Xishu didn't really console her; he just said one sentence—
I would be grateful to you for allowing me to leave this world peacefully in the end.
Perhaps Tongtong didn't feel that way; perhaps it was all just in Xiaoya's imagination.
But she really needed someone to say this, to allow her foolish actions at that time to carry at least a bit of kindness.
"Thank you... I'll listen to you..."
Everyone felt relieved, even Zhang Qiang slowly lowered his gun.
Because Xiaoya drank the red drink.
Everyone also drank the red drink. Only Wen Xishu hadn't drunk his yet...
He said to Xiaoya:
"Go say goodbye."
Xiaoya nodded and walked towards the door, Zhang Qiang raised his gun again.
But Wen Xishu was confident that Xiaoya wouldn't do anything foolish.
Xiaoya said:
"I'm sorry, Tongtong. That night... I shouldn't have done that. No matter what, I didn't have the right to take away your life."
"Actually, I never wanted you to die... I just thought about making your pain less severe."
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Xiaoya apologized with tears streaming down her face.
The ghost outside the door further attempted to break down Xiaoya's defenses:
"Sister... do you know... why I... don't feel pain anymore?"
"Because... you! Killed! Me!"
The Tongtong outside banged her head against the door.
"Let me in... let me in, and I'll forgive you!"
Xiaoya was truly in agony, and everyone was extremely tense, afraid that this woman would open the door to ease her own guilt.
But sometimes, people really do grow up in an instant.
Besides, she'd already borne a lot of blame and thought about this matter for a long time.
At this moment, Wen Xishu's words echoed in Xiaoya's mind.
She finally mustered the courage to say:
"No... Tongtong, for everyone's safety, I can't let you in."
"If it were just me in this room, I'd definitely let you in, but I can't be selfish anymore."
"I'm sorry, Tongtong, I shouldn't have made decisions on my own back then, I shouldn't have presumptuously thought you didn't want to live in this world. I really didn't mean to harm you, I just didn't want you to suffer too much."