46 Staying With You Until Here

Returning home, Jiang Ci paid no attention to anything else and ran straight upstairs, while Zhang Heyu waited downstairs.

The auntie was still inside the house waiting for Jiang Ci. As Jiang Ci reached the doorway, her gaze was suddenly caught by a newspaper discarded in the corner.

Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Ci hurried back to her room. Before the auntie even had a chance to tell her about her grandmother, she watched the girl rush into the bedroom.

Jiang Ci pulled open the drawer and rummaged through it until she pulled out a newspaper identical to the one she had picked up on the stairs.

Just as she was trying to make sense of it, the auntie called out to Jiang Ci from outside, snapping her back to reality.

Jiang Ci came out of the room again, grabbed a few simple necessities, and followed the auntie as she locked the door and left.

Suddenly, remembering something, the auntie said to Jiang Ci, "Recently, a rather unfamiliar person came to our neighborhood and chatted with your grandmother a few times."

"This morning, your Aunt Hu also saw that man looking for your grandmother," the auntie said. "That man had a fierce-looking face. Who knows what he was up to."

Jiang Ci's heart skipped a beat, and a repulsive face flashed violently in her mind. "What did he look like? Did he have a tattoo on his neck?"

"Oh, you know him?" The auntie had assumed Jiang Ci didn't recognize him. "If you know him, then it should be fine. I thought he was a bad person and warned your grandmother about him a few days ago."

As soon as the auntie finished speaking, Jiang Ci's delicate face instantly turned ashen.

The auntie was just about to urge Jiang Ci to hurry to the hospital to see her grandmother, but before she could speak, Jiang Ci bolted down the stairs in a panic.

"Hey! Jiang Ci!!"

The auntie shouted from behind, but Jiang Ci ran off, the string in her heart tugging and causing her chest to ache.

Seeing the girl suddenly rush out of the stairwell, her head covered in cold sweat, Zhang Heyu paused, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

Standing at the neighborhood entrance, he called out to her, "A'ci."

Jiang Ci bit her lip hard, casting a brief glance at Zhang Heyu. Her eye rims were frighteningly red, cold sweat beaded on her skin, and damp strands of hair stuck to her face.

She stopped in her tracks, her voice trembling as well, "Zhang Heyu, I need to go to the hospital."

When the two of them rushed to皋 the hospital, the red light above the emergency room was still on.

Jiang Ci sat unexpectedly calmly on the cold chair, biting her lip tightly and staring wordlessly at the illuminated emergency room light.

From the moment she entered the hospital until now, Jiang Ci had not said a single word.

Zhang Heyu knew she was enduring it.

As the seconds ticked by, Zhang Heyu noticed cold sweat occasionally beading on the girl's forehead and her lips bitten white, so he stood up and walked away.

Jiang Ci didn't ask where he was going.

A short while later, Zhang Heyu returned with two cups of freshly prepared warm water and handed one to Jiang Ci.

"A'ci, have a sip."

Jiang Ci raised her face to look at him, her eyes red-rimmed, looking pitiful and heartbreaking.

Zhang Heyu pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, bent down, and gently wiped the cold sweat from the girl's forehead.

The last time, Zhang Heyu had been right beside her like this too.

At this thought, Jiang Ci lowered her head and pressed her lips together, her nose stinging with sourness. After a long while of calming herself, she spoke, "Zhang Heyu, you should go back."

"I'm not leaving."

Jiang Ci was slightly startled.

She hadn't expected Zhang Heyu to answer so quickly, as if he had anticipated she would say that.

Yet her mind was in complete chaos right now; she simply had no emotional capacity to face Zhang Heyu.

"A'yu, I want to be here alone," Jiang Ci shook her head, her tone drifting and ethereal. "Is that okay?"

How could Zhang Heyu have ever seen Jiang Ci like this? It felt as though something was clutching his heart, making it ache.

After a moment of silence, he replied, "Alright."

After Zhang Heyu left, Jiang Ci was left entirely alone in the desolate corridor.

After an unknown length of time, the emergency room light went out, and her grandmother's attending physician walked out.

Jiang Ci stood up, her tone urgent, "Doctor, my grandmother is fine, right? If she's alright, I'll go pay the medical fees. Could you please arrange a ward for her?"

Dr. Shi paused.

Finishing her words, Jiang Ci turned around and had barely taken two steps forward when she heard the doctor behind her speak.

"I'm sorry, we did everything we could. You can go in to see the patient for the last time."

Those two comforting phrases felt like insignificant pebbles tumbling down a mountain, cascading into a mudslide that pressed down so heavily Jiang Ci could barely breathe.

Jiang Ci clenched her fists unconsciously, pressing so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms, causing a sharp pain.

Dr. Shi looked at Jiang Ci's back and sighed, "Go take a look at your grandmother."

Jiang Ci couldn't breathe; she could only gasp for large gulps of air as a sharp, twisting pain gripped her heart.

Catching her breath, she nodded, "Okay."

Her steps entering the emergency room were heavy. Her legs felt weak, and she supported herself against the wall as she walked inside step by step.

When she saw the white cloth covering her grandmother's face, Jiang Ci drew closer, her fingertips trembling as she reached to pull back the cloth.

"Grandmother..."

Jiang Ci choked out, lifting the white sheet to reveal the familiar face.

Jiang Ci knelt beside the bed, calling out to her grandmother over and over again, yet the person on the bed remained completely motionless.

"You left me behind after all..." Jiang Ci wept uncontrollably. "Grandmother, how could you just leave A'ci behind and go? Just this morning you were smiling and telling me you'd make sesame paste for me when I got home..."

"What should I do without you..."

"..."

Crying until she was exhausted, when Jiang Ci finally emerged from the room, apart from the lingering tears at the corners of her eyes, her expression was unnaturally calm.

She had thought Zhang Heyu had already left, but when she saw him standing before her once more, her suppressed tears surged forth again.

"Zhang Heyu..." Jiang Ci choked out as she threw herself into his arms, weeping softly.

Knowing Jiang Ci worried about her grandmother and worrying about her himself, he hadn't left the hospital, choosing instead to wait downstairs.

Fearing for her, he had intended to secretly check on what she was doing, only to hear the devastating news of her grandmother's passing.

Zhang Heyu held the girl, patting her back rhythmically to help her regulate her breathing. "I'm here, I'll always be here."

Jiang Ci was on the verge of a complete breakdown; her mental state could simply not endure the shock of losing her grandmother a second time.

Aside from the procedures that strictly required family members to handle in person, Zhang Heyu took care of everything else on her behalf.

Once arrangements were settled, Zhang Heyu took Jiang Ci away from the hospital.

Perhaps from crying for too long, Jiang Ci's voice was hoarse beyond recognition. "Zhang Heyu, I'm scared to go home."

Zhang Heyu reached out and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. His own heart ached terribly, but he couldn't show it, lest the young girl feel she lacked a proper pillar of support.

He said, "I'll go back with you."

Arriving at the front door, Jiang Ci unlocked it, experiencing a momentary trance.

Dazed, Jiang Ci walked toward the kitchen with an unsteady gait, "Grandmother..."

Seeing this, Zhang Heyu quickly followed her, "Jiang Ci."

"Where is grandmother?" Jiang Ci shook her head, "Why isn't she home..."

"Jiang Ci."

"Zhang Heyu, can you go help me see where grandmother went, please?" Jiang Ci grabbed the hem of his shirt, weeping as she pleaded, "I'm begging you, please..."

It felt as though a sharp blade had pierced straight through Zhang Heyu's heart. He extended a long arm, pulling her into his embrace and holding her tightly.

"A'ci, grandmother is still here," Zhang Heyu comforted her while speaking, "Death is not the end of life; being forgotten is. Those who leave are simply waiting for us in another place. As long as they are remembered forever, they never truly leave."

"Grandmother has never left your heart."

"Zhang Heyu." Jiang Ci pulled back slightly from his embrace, her voice choked with tears as she asked, "Will you leave me?"

"Never." Zhang Heyu gave his answer without a moment's hesitation.

Jiang Ci didn't ask why; she simply rested against his chest and nodded.

The young girl was likely exhausted. Her crying ceased, and she whispered softly, "Zhang Heyu, I want to sleep."

"Alright, go to sleep. I'll always be here."

Jiang Ci lay in bed while Zhang Heyu sat beside it, holding the girl's hand tightly as he watched her drift off to sleep.

Zhang Heyu reached out, his fingertips gently brushing away the strands of hair clinging to her cheek.

Seeing the girl he loved in such agony turned the dull ache in his chest into a sharp blade twisting inside, hurting so much he could barely breathe.

He wished he could do something to ease his girl's suffering.

Ten thousand thoughts ultimately melted into a single kiss planted gently on her forehead.

"Goodnight, A'ci."

Jiang Ci's sleep was far from peaceful. She had numerous dreams, each one acting like a small box trapping her inside, offering no escape.

She dreamed of her childhood, the first time Jiang Ci brought home a merit certificate from school, and her grandmother praised her with a smile, "Our A'ci is so amazing, winning a merit certificate just after starting elementary school."

Jiang Ci smiled brightly as well, "Because I want to study hard and take grandmother out to see the world when I grow up."

"Silly child." Her grandmother looked at Jiang Ci's certificate with a face full of smiles, "Let's put A'ci's certificate up on the wall, fill a whole wall with them."

Not understanding why her grandmother wanted to do this, Jiang Ci asked, "Grandmother, why do we need to put them up?"

"Because A'ci is brilliant, and putting them up is an honor."

As Jiang Ci watched her grandmother paste the certificate up, the figure before her suddenly dissolved into wisps of light, scattering into the bright sunshine outside the window.

Startled, Jiang Ci followed the beams of light to the windowsill, watching them dissipate. "Grandmother..."

Suddenly—

A familiar voice sounded from behind.

"A'ci, why are you still standing there?" Her grandmother emerged from the kitchen carrying steaming hot dishes. "Go wash your hands and come eat."

Jiang Ci turned around to see her grandmother standing by the dining table, her tears flowing uncontrollably. "Grandmother, please don't leave me."

"I'm right here, aren't I!" Her grandmother wiped her hands, wanting to pinch Jiang Ci's cheek.

Yet the moment her fingertips touched Jiang Ci's skin, they turned transparent.

Jiang Ci stared at the sight in disbelief.

Pausing, her grandmother seemed to realize something as well, though the smile on her face did not fade. "A'ci, grandmother can only accompany you this far. I don't want you to live in a daze. Live well, and see the outside world for me."

Jiang Ci shook her head, her tears already streaming down freely. "I don't want to, grandmother, I don't want to be alone..."

"Our A'ci is the best girl, isn't she? So don't cry," her grandmother said. "I want A'ci to smile as she sends me off."

With those words, everything around them collapsed, and the bright, sunny weather outside plunged into darkness in an instant.

Jiang Ci was swept into the freezing ocean waters, struggling desperately to surface, yet unable to break free from that overwhelming force.

The very next second, just as she felt she was suffocating, Jiang Ci snapped awake from her dream.

As consciousness returned, she found that Zhang Heyu was no longer in the room.

Jiang Ci sat up, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in them as she sobbed quietly.

Suddenly, a familiar, refreshing scent drifted into her nose, followed immediately by her tumbling into a warm embrace.

"Had a nightmare?" Zhang Heyu murmured softly, gently rubbing the back of the girl's head as he coaxed her.

Jiang Ci nodded.

After her emotions settled, Jiang Ci noticed the bright sunshine outside the window and asked, "Did you stay awake all night?"

"I slept for a few hours," Zhang Heyu wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "I made some food. You haven't eaten all night, you must be hungry."

Jiang Ci had no appetite and wanted to refuse, but Zhang Heyu gave her no room to say no.

After getting up and simply washing up, she emerged from the room to find breakfast laid out on the table.

Jiang Ci drew closer, her gaze finally landing on a bowl of black sesame paste.