Chapter 64: He Has Left

Chapter 64: He Is Gone

When Wang Guocheng saw that Fan Xiaoxiao had fainted, he hurriedly picked her up with a face full of worry, shouting to the doctors in the emergency room, "Doctor, she’s passed out!"

The doctors, seeing that another person had fainted, quickly instructed their assistants, "Take the deceased patient inside to the mortuary first, and notify the family to come and handle the procedures."

As he spoke, the doctor cast a meaningful glance at Fan Xiaoxiao and shook his head. As a doctor, he could not lie, but since he had been entrusted by Tim, he had no choice but to falsely claim that Tim could not be saved.

When Tim was wheeled out covered by a white sheet, Fan Xiaoxiao, having already fainted, did not get to see him one last time. She was placed on another operating bed, which crossed paths with Tim's—one going in, the other coming out.

Such is the nature of life’s regrets—meeting the wrong people at the wrong time, ending only with a sigh.

After Fan Xiaoxiao was taken into the emergency room, Wang Guocheng noticed that the doctor from before had not gone in. He asked, "Doctor, my fiancée… aren’t you the one attending to her?"

The doctor looked at Wang Guocheng, noting his deep concern, and quickly reassured him, "It’s alright, your fiancée only fainted from the shock of the patient’s passing. There’s no need to worry too much."

Having said this, the doctor pushed Tim out, Wu Yang weeping all the while.

Just as they were about to turn out of the corridor, Wang Guocheng caught up with them. In that brief moment, he had noticed that the "corpse" beneath the white sheet still had a rising and falling chest, and the doctor’s expression was oddly tense.

He tried to lift the sheet, but Wu Yang stopped him.

Wu Yang stood guard, saying, "Wang Guocheng, what do you mean by this? How can you be so disrespectful to the deceased!"

Ignoring Wu Yang, Wang Guocheng grabbed the doctor’s hand. "Doctor, what’s going on here?"

The doctor sighed lightly, gently lifting a corner of the white sheet. In a calm voice, he said, "See for yourself."

What Wang Guocheng saw made his heart freeze. Half of Tim’s face, though improved by stitches, still bore jarring scars that were hard to look at.

Tim spoke weakly, his voice so faint that Wang Guocheng had to lean in to hear.

"Wang Guocheng, please take good care of Xiaoxiao for me. For the sake of starting a new life, and to lessen her guilt, please keep this secret for me. From today on, Tim will no longer exist in your lives."

Wang Guocheng gazed at the gravely injured Tim, who was still conscious even after such a major operation and anesthesia. His heart ached for the man before him. "Alright, I promise you. Your injuries…?"

Tim replied, barely above a whisper, "I’ll get the earliest flight back to R Country. My family will pick me up."

With that, Tim beckoned to Wu Yang. Wu Yang, who had just been sobbing, now cried tears of joy. "You’re alive… Thank goodness!"

After a few words to Wu Yang, Tim was wheeled away by Wu Yang and the doctor.

Watching Tim’s receding figure, Wang Guocheng’s vision blurred. He could not help but feel sorrow for Tim—loving someone so deeply, yet unable to marry her. Was this fate’s cruelty, or something else?

Lost in thought, Wang Guocheng was startled as the emergency room door opened and Fan Xiaoxiao was wheeled out. The doctor turned to Wang Guocheng to inform him, "Family of the patient, she’s alright now. She’ll need to stay for observation tonight, but you can handle discharge procedures tomorrow when the weather clears.

However, since she’s prone to fainting, be careful not to let her emotions fluctuate too much, and pay attention to her diet as well."

Wang Guocheng listened earnestly and thanked the doctor.

When Fan Xiaoxiao was placed in her hospital room, she was still unconscious. Wang Guocheng sat by her bedside, keeping her company.

He watched her brows knit tightly even in sleep. Wang Guocheng gently smoothed her brow, sighing inwardly at his own helplessness. He had not expected Tim to become a barrier neither of them could ever cross.

Suddenly, Fan Xiaoxiao’s hand flailed in the air as she murmured repeatedly, "Don’t go, don’t go, don’t take him away… don’t…" The sound wrung Wang Guocheng’s heart.

Sweat beaded on Fan Xiaoxiao’s forehead, her cries growing louder and louder, until at last she sobbed, "Please spare him, don’t…"

She woke with a start. Seeing the white surroundings, she realized she was still in the hospital.

Wang Guocheng, noticing she was awake, quickly handed her a cup of warm water and softly said, "Here, have some water first."

Fan Xiaoxiao, slightly embarrassed, accepted the cup and sipped the warm water. As Wang Guocheng turned, she caught his hand. "Guocheng, I’m sorry."

After putting the cup on the bedside table, Wang Guocheng took Fan Xiaoxiao’s hand in his and gripped it tightly. "Xiaoxiao, don’t apologize to me. It’s alright."

Thinking of the news she’d heard earlier, Fan Xiaoxiao asked softly, "Did he… did he really… leave?"

Fearing her emotions might spiral, Wang Guocheng sat beside her, drawing her into his arms and speaking gently.

"Xiaoxiao, you have to live on bravely. In his final moments, he asked the doctor to give you a message: That he missed his chance with you in this life, and he hopes you’ll live on for him and find happiness."

Though it was a lie, it was a kind one. Wang Guocheng comforted himself with this thought.

Fan Xiaoxiao’s tears broke free again, and she sobbed into Wang Guocheng’s chest. "I hurt him. I shouldn’t have said those things. I feel so guilty, so regretful. If I hadn’t met him today, maybe… maybe he would still be alive…"

Wang Guocheng listened silently to her grief, his heart aching more than ever for her. He resolved that once he returned to the border town, he would settle matters there quickly and come to Kangcheng to be by her side.

He gently patted her back, consoling her. "Xiaoxiao, don’t cry. If you grieve like this, Tim won’t rest in peace. His last wish was for you to live well, to live for him, to feel happiness in his stead…"

Tear-stained, Fan Xiaoxiao looked up at Wang Guocheng and gripped his hand tightly. "Guocheng, take me to see him. I want to say goodbye. Where is his body now? Come, take me to him, please."

Wang Guocheng pulled the agitated Fan Xiaoxiao into his embrace, holding her tightly as he choked out his words, "Xiaoxiao, you have to let go. He’s gone, truly gone. His body has already been taken away by his wife. They’re returning to R Country tomorrow."