Overdo

The long night seemed endless, as if dawn would never come. A single lamp in the lounge cast a hazy glow, like tearful eyes, blurred and stinging. The chaotic footsteps finally stirred the deepest agony, like a child who had just realized they were lost from their parents—overwhelming panic and despair gripped him as he stared fixedly at the doctor's face. Under Murong Qingyi's intense gaze, the doctor dared not meet his eyes. Madam Murong asked softly, "Just tell us the truth—what is the situation?"

"Intracranial bleeding. We—we can't stop the bleeding."

Murong Qingyi finally spoke, "What do you mean by that?" His eyes were bloodshot, entwined with a despair as haunting as a nightmare, sending a chill down the doctor's spine. Madam Murong gently took his hand and said, "Good child, go see her." Weiyi could no longer hold back, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she sobbed. Murong Qingyi shook his head slightly, then, after a moment, frantically shook off Madam Murong's hand and staggered toward the hospital room door. Jin Rui, seeing him nearly fall, rushed to support him but was pushed aside, stumbling.

Susu's arm lay limp by the bedside, and the room was so quiet that the drip of the IV seemed audible. He lifted her hand, solemnly and slowly pressing it to his cheek. Her face was utterly pale, her faintly trembling lashes like the most fragile stamens in the wind. Each shallow, rapid breath beneath the oxygen mask felt like a knife, slowly slicing and twisting his insides. He had never felt so cold, as if trapped in an ice cellar, his very blood threatening to freeze. He would rather it were him—he would rather face death himself than witness her like this. So cruel—she was so cruel in her defiance through death, choosing to die rather than face him again. His heart sank to the depths, leaving only despair. So this was it—she would rather die than have him.

This realization nearly drove him mad. He slowly bowed his head, despair and sorrow overwhelming him. "I beg you," he whispered, "I've never begged anyone in my life, but I'm begging you now—you must live. I promise you can leave me, I promise I'll never appear before you again. Even if I never see you for the rest of my life, I only ask that you survive."