Chapter 157: Misunderstandings and Separation

Liu Jiaoyue had never thought about this proposition—what life would be like if she hadn't met Yang Tianxing.

She had, however, thought about what life would be like after meeting Yang Tianxing.

Very ordinary, and also very simple.

Study hard while in college, help Yang Tianxing with his tasks;

After graduation, see what plans Yang Tianxing had, and just follow along.

Further on, get married and have children, take care of Yang Tianxing's parents, support her own mother-in-law, and manage a household; in her mind, these were such simple and traditional concepts.

She had no grand ambitions, nor was she willing to accept trendy ideas, yet she happened to meet a boy like Yang Tianxing who didn't really follow the rules, along with the people and matters entangled around him.

Liu Jiaoyue looked up; the freshman junior before her was just such an existence.

"Senior sister, actually, my feelings for Yang Tianxing are truly deeper than yours, and I am willing to do anything for him."

Zheng Xuan stared at Liu Jiaoyue, and after finishing, turned and left Room 101.

Liu Jiaoyue stood silently for a while; just as she wanted to continue cleaning, she felt a tightness in her chest again, as if her breath were stuck in her throat, and no matter what, she couldn't catch it.

She leaned on the broom and slowly squatted down, only feeling better after a while, and insisted on finishing the cleaning before locking the door to return to the dormitory.

The next morning, Yang Tianxing came to 101 as usual, carrying a bag in his hand, which was rare, and Liu Jiaoyue bought him breakfast just as she always did.

"What's wrong with your complexion?"

Yang Tianxing asked suddenly; Liu Jiaoyue's mental state looked somewhat haggard.

"It's nothing, the weather is too hot."

Liu Jiaoyue said in a low voice.

Recently, it was the tail end of summer; with one more rain, Chang'an could officially enter autumn.

"Freeze in spring and bundle up in autumn; you can't just change clothes whenever you want lately. Back in the day, my mom would hold a stick and force me to wear long sleeves."

Yang Tianxing reached out to pick up the breakfast, but in that instant, his wrist was also exposed.

Actually, with a scumbag's usual meticulousness, the wound on his wrist had already been treated; if one didn't observe intentionally, it was hard to discover, which was why he dared to walk boldly in front of Liu Jiaoyue.

Yang Tianxing did not know that Zheng Xuan had already created a misunderstanding; Liu Jiaoyue noticed it, but she lowered her head and said nothing.

After Yang Tianxing finished eating, he raised the bag in his hand and said, "Today I'm going to the Runxing Electronics Factory; there's a project that needs my participation."

"Mm."

Liu Jiaoyue nodded, but just as Yang Tianxing was about to leave, Liu Jiaoyue suddenly said from behind, "In the evening, let's eat together, okay?"

"In the evening?"

Yang Tianxing felt a bit strange, but he truly hadn't done anything to wrong Liu Jiaoyue lately, so he replied candidly, "It's hard to say about the evening; this project is very important, and I might even have to pull an all-nighter. Let's eat after I'm done and back."

Liu Jiaoyue gave an "mm," sent Yang Tianxing to the door, watched his departing back, and rubbed her chest as she sat back down on the chair to rest.

Yang Tianxing went to the Runxing Electronics Factory to participate in the initial seminar for the MP3 project; he participated as an administrative staff member to take notes, synthesize the various opinions from the meeting, and finally reach a tentative conclusion.

Ordinary administrative staff couldn't do this job because they couldn't thoroughly understand Zhao Qingxun's intentions, so it had to be completed by Yang Tianxing, this "male best friend"; besides, he was also the initiator of the MP3 project.

For a large factory of 1,000 people to establish a new department or conduct project feasibility studies, the time required is often very long.

It was often: hold a meeting for 2 hours, rest for 15 minutes, hold a meeting for another 2 hours, prepare to eat, continue holding a meeting for 2 hours after eating, rest for 15 minutes, and so on, repeating constantly.

Fortunately, Yang Tianxing had been mentally prepared; he knew that this 200,000 remuneration wouldn't be earned too easily, and plus, this was also a learning process, so he didn't have any psychological burden doing it; on the contrary, Zhao Qingxun felt a bit bad about it.

"I'm really sorry; you've been busy from morning until night, I almost forgot you're still a college student."

Yang Tianxing smiled: "If it weren't for the frequent class or student union affairs that need handling, I would have almost forgotten it myself."

Past 11 p. m., the first feasibility meeting at Runxing Electronics Factory finally reached a tentative decision: to allocate all resources in the factory to establish a new department and to invite bids for manufacturers to produce MP3 displays.

The MP3 is mainly composed of a central processor, a display, and a memory card; Runxing Electronics Factory focuses on developing the core central processor, while the display business will be provided by contracting with partner manufacturers through bidding; there are already several electronic display enterprises locally in Chang'an.

"I'll have the factory driver take you back."

Zhao Qingxun was very satisfied with Yang Tianxing's contribution today; although he didn't say much, the summary and synthesis of opinions were very complete, which showed that Yang Tianxing had a deep, overarching understanding of the project.

"Then thank you, President Zhao; I'll come back tomorrow."

Yang Tianxing didn't stand on ceremony either; it wasn't very convenient to hail a taxi so late, so he let the factory driver take him back to the school.

When they arrived at the gate of the Finance Institute, the driver turned his head and said, "Secretary Yang, we're here."

Yang Tianxing was thinking about something; hearing this title, he grinned—what is a secretary for if not for doing things?

After a night's sleep, it was dawn again; in the morning, Yang Tianxing came to 101 carrying his bag again and found Liu Jiaoyue slumped over the desk.

"Are you not feeling well?" Yang Tianxing hurried over and asked.

Liu Jiaoyue raised her head; her originally rosy face was slightly pale, and her whole person exuded a sense of powerlessness.

"It's nothing, you eat breakfast first."

Liu Jiaoyue raised her head and took the breakfast out of the bag.

Yang Tianxing touched Liu Jiaoyue's forehead; it was burning hot, as if she were running a fever.

"Let's go, to the hospital."

Yang Tianxing made a prompt decision and immediately pulled Liu Jiaoyue toward the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Chang'an District.

Along the way, Yang Tianxing asked in detail about Liu Jiaoyue's symptoms; besides the fever, there were a series of symptoms such as chest tightness, anorexia, insomnia, and weakness.

These didn't look like symptoms with special characteristics, so Yang Tianxing registered for an expert in internal medicine.

The female internal medicine expert in her 50s not only had a high registration fee but also didn't have a very good attitude.

After hearing Liu Jiaoyue's situation, she directly wrote an order: "Go get an X-ray first to rule out organic lesions."

Yang Tianxing was startled: "Is it that serious, that an X-ray is needed?"

The female expert raised her eyelids and glanced at him: "I already said it's to rule it out; if there are no organic lesions in the chest and lungs, that would certainly be for the best."

Yang Tianxing nodded and said nothing; what the female expert said also made a lot of sense.

There were many patients queuing in the radiology department; it was clamorous and noisy, with some people talking loudly on their phones, some sitting blankly on the cold stainless steel chairs, and some running back and forth on the hospital stairs.

A hospital—this is a place where hope and disappointment coexist.

Liu Jiaoyue looked at the room full of people; she felt a bit fearful, turned her head to look at Yang Tianxing: "I feel much better, can I go back to school? You need to go out too, right?"

Yang Tianxing had originally intended to go to the Runxing Electronics Factory, but he had been given a huge fright by the doctor; if he didn't see the report, he probably wouldn't have the heart to do anything else, so Yang Tianxing stretched out both hands to wrap them around Liu Jiaoyue's slender waist: "It's fine, you are the most important."

Perhaps because they were in a hospital, the act of "hugging" felt very warm; although Liu Jiaoyue was also very shy, she still gently rested her head on Yang Tianxing's shoulder, closed her eyes, and listened to his heartbeat.

Generally, X-ray results come in two parts: one is the report, and one is the black-and-white film; some people were waiting here just to get the black-and-white film, and with a constant stream of new patients pouring in, it appeared crowded.

The two doctors performing the X-rays were not very old, and they had very impatient temperaments; they shouted in shrill voices: "After the scan, you all go to the window on the right to get the report first. Once the registering doctor has looked at it and there are no issues, you come back to get the film, because the film takes a bit longer to come out."

"Also, be careful not to cut in line, because there are no names on the films; be careful not to get them mixed up."

However, the environment here was too noisy, and not many people heard the doctors' instructions; the female doctors didn't want to repeat themselves a second time and went about arranging for people to enter the shielding room on their own.

Yang Tianxing checked the time and said to Liu Jiaoyue: "In a moment, I'll go get the report and take it to the registration specialist to look at, while you wait here for the film; splitting up our actions will save time."

Saving time was one aspect, but on the other hand, Yang Tianxing really needed to know the result to put his own mind at ease.

Very quickly, Liu Jiaoyue's report came out at the window; when he heard the name "Liu Jiaoyue" called out, Yang Tianxing's heart actually contracted rapidly; he took a deep breath and walked over to collect the report.

Just as he received the report, Yang Tianxing's first reaction was to glance downward; only when he saw the line "no abnormalities seen in lungs" in the examination results column did he feel his heart settle.

Yang Tianxing thought it was a bit funny; he turned his head to look at Liu Jiaoyue, who was still obediently waiting to collect the black-and-white film.

There were many people in line; the way Liu Jiaoyue kept her head lowered looked a bit bashful and also a bit foolishly cute.

Yang Tianxing smiled gently and took the report to ask the internal medicine specialist.

"There is no organic lesion; this chest tightness should be caused by two reasons simultaneously."

The female specialist did have some real skill after all; she quickly analyzed it: "The first is that the recent pressure has been too great; the fever and anorexia are both complications. You can let her try changing her living environment."

Yang Tianxing was in a bit of a dilemma: "She is still a university student; unless she rents a place outside, how can she change her environment?"

The female doctor shook her head and said: "Changing the environment doesn't necessarily mean changing the living environment; sometimes, staying away from the person causing her psychological pressure is also a type of changing the environment."

Yang Tianxing remained silent.

"Also."

The female doctor continued: "There is another reason. Your girlfriend has a very good figure; I suggest having her undergarments custom-made at a lingerie shop, because the undergarments currently on the market may not fit perfectly, and being constricted tightly might also be a reason."

Yang Tianxing nodded; only then did he set his mind at ease, tucking the report into his bag before leaving.

Actually, the external reasons were easy to solve, nothing more than spending money to have undergarments custom-made, but the internal reason was Yang Tianxing himself, and that was a bit difficult to solve.

Yang Tianxing found Liu Jiaoyue again; he couldn't directly speak of either of these two reasons, so he could only vaguely say: "Don't worry, there's no major problem; I'm going to the factory first."

Liu Jiaoyue nodded; just as she was queuing alone, a middle-aged woman carrying a bag walked over diagonally, holding a child in her arms and a report in her hand, her face looking very anxious.

The middle-aged woman asked one by one: "Excuse me, can I cut in line? The doctor said there's a problem with my report and told me to hurry and get the film for her to look at in detail, because she's getting off work at noon."

No one in front paid her any mind; when the middle-aged woman walked up to Liu Jiaoyue, her eyes were full of anticipation; Liu Jiaoyue didn't speak, but moved back a little to give up her spot.

"Thank you, thank you."

The middle-aged woman thanked her profusely, but some people behind were not happy: "University student, if you want to be a good person, then just give up your spot completely and go to the back to queue again; we all have things to do."

Liu Jiaoyue didn't argue; she lowered her head and stood at the end of the line.

However, the order for collecting reports was fixed; because of Liu Jiaoyue's kindness, the X-ray films for several people, including herself, all got mixed up, so when it was her turn, the female doctor looked up twice and suddenly called Liu Jiaoyue into the room.

"Did you come alone?"

The female doctor asked with a serious expression.

Liu Jiaoyue was a bit at a loss: "I, my boyfriend is here too."

"Where is he?"

"He, he left."

"Where is your examination report?"

"It's not with me either."

The doctor in charge of the examination sighed helplessly: "Then what are your symptoms every day now?"

"Chest tightness, anorexia, weakness."

Liu Jiaoyue replied; her heart suddenly began to beat violently.

"That's it then, the symptoms are about the same."

The female doctor nodded: "Although I can't see your report, the film shows that it has already begun to spread."

Whatever the doctor said afterward, Liu Jiaoyue didn't take in a single word, as if she were in a fog; in her mind, there was only one impression—cancer cells spreading.

"......... In this situation, I suggest you be hospitalized for further examination........."

Finally, the doctor concluded like this.

"I have cancer; what will happen to my mother-in-law, what will happen to my younger sister, and what about him?"

Liu Jiaoyue's mind seemed to have gone blank; she slowly walked to the hospital lobby, where an ambulance pulled up at the entrance with a piercing siren, and doctors and nurses rushed to carry a patient on a stretcher toward the emergency room, shouting: "Make way, please don't block the path."

Immediately afterward, a large crowd of people surged in; Liu Jiaoyue stood in the center of the human tide, feeling as if she were a transparent person.

At noon, the sun was at its peak; the bright white sunlight passed through the leaves of the plane trees, leaving round spots of light on the ground; Liu Jiaoyue walked outside the hospital, and her legs suddenly lost all strength; she slowly sat on the nearby curb.

Watching the vehicles shuttling back and forth, the bright red cold noodles at the snack stall, and the pedestrians rushing past, Liu Jiaoyue breathed in two mouthfuls of stifling air; she felt her soul slowly returning.

"Is all of this going to have nothing to do with me anymore?"

Liu Jiaoyue was trying hard to convince herself to accept this "fact" when she suddenly felt her mouth taste a bit salty; she didn't know when the tears had started flowing.

She picked up her Little Lingtong; as long as she pressed the call button, she could immediately connect to Yang Tianxing's mobile phone, because only his number was saved in this Little Lingtong.

But just at this moment, she suddenly remembered the Korean dramas that He Yulin had watched a while ago.

"Jiaoyue, if I got leukemia like the heroine in *Autumn in My Heart*, I would find a place with the most beautiful scenery and die quietly."

"Why not tell your parents?"

"I wouldn't want to let them follow along in sadness and grief; anyway, these diseases can't be cured."

He Yulin had argued convincingly: "You can't tell your lover either, because that would drag him down; find a legitimate reason to break up; after all, everyone has times when they are powerless; it's really cruel........."

"A legitimate reason."

Liu Jiaoyue thought silently to herself.

At noon, the radiologist returned after lunch, checked the information, and suddenly said: "Oh no, someone took the wrong film this morning, Liu Jiaoyue's is still here!"

…………

Past 7:00 in the evening, Yang Tianxing, who had been in meetings all day, finally walked out of the office, looked up, and said: "It's raining."

"Yes, the first autumn rain."

Zhao Qingxun followed him over: "Are you staying for dinner tonight?"

Yang Tianxing waved his hand: "I can't eat at all, my head is full of numbers."

Zhao Qingxun did not force him; Yang Tianxing had put in a lot over these two days, and the results were obvious, so the 200,000 remuneration was well worth it.

The factory driver consciously drove the car over, and Yang Tianxing said goodbye and left.

The continuous high-intensity work seemed to have restored Yang Tianxing to his work state from his previous life, feeling somewhat irritable and weary, but thinking that he would see Liu Jiaoyue in a moment, Yang Tianxing felt some anticipation in his heart.

"Boom!"

A sudden clap of thunder startled Yang Tianxing awake; the car was already close to the school gate. The driver wanted to take him inside, but Yang Tianxing refused and told the driver to drive back directly.

He jogged all the way to 101, and Liu Jiaoyue was indeed inside.

For some reason, Yang Tianxing suddenly felt something was wrong; he walked around once and discovered that 101 had been thoroughly cleaned, even the potted plants had been wiped down again.

"Why clean on a rainy day?"

Yang Tianxing said dismissively: "It'll just get dirty from footprints again anyway. Have you eaten dinner?"

"I have."

Liu Jiaoyue raised her head, her mouth moved, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Yang Tianxing was very observant; while wiping his hair with a towel, he said: "It's okay, just say whatever it is, it doesn't matter."

"I, let's break up."

Liu Jiaoyue said suddenly, her voice like a candle flame in the wind, without any strength.

"Crack!"

A flash of lightning streaked by, followed immediately by a low, muffled rumble of thunder in the sky, shaking tightly.

"What?!"

Yang Tianxing was one hundred percent sure he had misheard.

Break up? Liu Jiaoyue looked at Yang Tianxing, clenched her fists tightly, her toes pressing against the corner of the table to find some support, and repeated: "Let's break up."

Yang Tianxing finally heard clearly; he slammed the towel onto the table with a "slap" and looked at Liu Jiaoyue: "Did you take the wrong medicine tonight?"

In fact, Liu Jiaoyue was incredibly terrified; she had to endure her own panic while facing Yang Tianxing's confusion, her hands nervously gripping the table.

"Let's break up, okay?"

Liu Jiaoyue could no longer hold on, letting her tears fall, dripping onto the floor one by one along her chin.

Yang Tianxing calmed down: "Can you tell me the reason?"

"The tooth marks on your wrist."

Liu Jiaoyue raised her head, tears already covering her entire face: "That was bitten by a girl, and that girl during the quarantine—whenever I think of these things, I feel worried in my heart."

"Worried about what?"

Yang Tianxing asked with a cold face.

"Worried that you will leave me."

Liu Jiaoyue looked at Yang Tianxing and pleaded: "I beg you, can you let me live alone?"

Looking at Liu Jiaoyue like this, Yang Tianxing suddenly remembered what the doctor said: "Sometimes, staying away from the person who causes her psychological pressure is also a way to change the environment."

He walked over and, while helping Liu Jiaoyue wipe her tears, said: "Such a big problem happened during the quarantine, and you didn't leave me; now you definitely won't leave because of the tooth marks on my wrist."

Yang Tianxing understood Liu Jiaoyue very well: "The tooth mark on my wrist is a misunderstanding, and your rambling this time must also have a reason, it should also be a misunderstanding. Can you tell me?"

Liu Jiaoyue actually wanted to tell Yang Tianxing, but just as He Yulin said, this is an illness that even a lover is powerless against.

So she didn't speak, just cried and shook her head.

At this moment, the door of 101 was suddenly pushed open, and Deng Yidi entered while closing her umbrella: "The rain outside is really heavy, I'll take shelter here for a while..."

As soon as she looked up, she also froze, not expecting to see such a scene.

Liu Jiaoyue was not used to shedding tears in front of others; she stood up, walked to the door, and turned back to look deeply at Yang Tianxing.

This look was complex, containing dependence, reluctance, sweetness, and also grievance, but in the end, it only gathered into one sentence.

"You must take good care of yourself."

After Liu Jiaoyue finished speaking, she rushed into the rain, her figure appearing lonely and small in the heavy downpour.

"Do you want to go..."

Deng Yidi had just started to speak when she saw Yang Tianxing bolt off to chase her.

"Yang Tianxing and Liu Jiaoyue, broke up?"

This information flooded Deng Yidi's mind; the rain was getting heavier, and she gritted her teeth, suddenly took off her high heels, held them in her hand, and chased after them barefoot.

Yang Tianxing finally caught up to Liu Jiaoyue at the entrance of the girls' dormitory; he shouted loudly from behind: "Whatever problem you have, say it out and we can definitely solve it, but you just walking away like this—my side is not a place where you can come and go as you please."

"If you leave this time, don't even think about coming back next time!"

Liu Jiaoyue's footsteps faltered, but she still didn't look back and rushed into the girls' dormitory. At the corner of the stairs, Liu Jiaoyue could no longer hold it in; she crouched on the steps, hugged her knees, and cried helplessly.

"I also really want there to be a next time, Yang Tianxing."

…………

Watching Liu Jiaoyue leave just like that, Yang Tianxing was suddenly a bit dazed, letting the rain wash over his body.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Deng Yidi also chased over; she saw Yang Tianxing standing all alone downstairs at the girls' dormitory and suddenly understood something.

She pulled Yang Tianxing under the small garden corridor, and only then did Yang Tianxing snap back to his senses.

He took out a cigarette wanting to smoke, but the rainwater had already soaked the entire cigarette, and it hung limply from his lips; Yang Tianxing irritably crushed the cigarette directly in his palm, leaving his hand covered in sticky tobacco leaves.

Deng Yidi felt a pang of heartache, watching the drops of rainwater fall from Yang Tianxing's hair along the strands, looking somewhat disheveled; this was Yang Tianxing, after all—rascally and high-spirited—when had he ever looked like this?

She hugged Yang Tianxing from behind, her body pressed tightly against his back, and comforted him, "If you want to cry, just cry; I am still by your side."

"Stinky little sister, what is wrong with you?"

Yang Tianxing abruptly broke free from Deng Yidi's embrace, water droplets still dripping incessantly from his hair: "Why would I cry? Starting today, I am a single scumbag again; I should be celebrating instead!"

Yet that very night, Yang Tianxing, who had always been in good health, ran a high fever of 40 degrees.