At Jing City Union Hospital, after seeing off the attending doctor, Liu Jinxia returned to the bedside and sat down. Looking at her pale-faced husband, Xu Dafu, who lay on the bed with his eyes closed, she let out a deep sigh.
Xu Dafu had suffered from high blood pressure since his youth. By the time he reached fifty, he relied on blood pressure medication every single day just to get by. The year their daughter, Xu Huanhuan, passed away, Xu Dafu suffered a sudden heart attack and had to undergo heart bypass surgery.
So many years had passed since then, and Xu Dafu's health had always been fairly good. Who could have imagined it? The unexpected always strikes just when people least expect it.
Yesterday evening, after dinner, the two of them had even gone out for a stroll. Upon returning home, Xu Dafu mentioned he was tired and wanted to lie down for a while. She did not think much of it. However, when it was time for his medication and she still had not seen him get up, she immediately sensed something was wrong and went to the bedroom to check. She arrived just in time to see Xu Dafu struggling to sit up in bed. She immediately gave him a fast-acting emergency heart pill and dialed for an ambulance.
The paramedics arrived very quickly. In less than an hour, they were at the hospital, followed by an emergency overnight surgery.
It was now noon. Xu Dafu had just been brought out of the emergency room, and their son, Xu Taotao, had gone to pick up the test results.
Tucking the corners of the blanket around her husband, Liu Jinxia looked at him with sorrowful eyes. The doctor had said that her old man's body was already in very poor condition. Yet, their health this year had clearly been so much better than the last. They had made it through the winter without much illness or pain, and she had originally thought things would just continue that way.
Her phone rang, bringing Liu Jinxia back to reality. She took the phone out of her pocket. It was still the senior-friendly smartphone her daughter had bought for her several years ago. It was already extremely laggy, but she had never been able to bear replacing it because it contained many voice messages her daughter had sent her.
Over the years, whenever she missed her, she would dig out those voice messages to listen to them. She had heard that WeChat voice messages could not be synced to a new phone, so for all these years, she had kept the old one.
Thinking of this, Liu Jinxia also recalled the photos Lin Xi had been sending her one after another recently. She did not know what Lin Xi's intentions were, but Liu Jinxia had looked at those photos over and over again.
She swiped at the screen for quite a while before finally answering the call. The video lit up, revealing a girl with breathtakingly beautiful and delicate features, framed against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds.
"Auntie, I came to Jing City to run some errands. Are you at home? I want to come and see you guys." Lin Xi had just walked out of the airport at this moment, asking despite already knowing the answer.
Liu Jinxia was taken aback. She hadn't expected that Lin Xi's previous promise to visit them again would actually come true. Immediately, she felt a pleasant surprise. "We are at the Union Hospital. Your uncle had a little health issue last night, so we are all at the hospital right now."
Half a year had passed since they last met. Lin Xi would often send them things, and her greetings during holidays and festivals were never lacking. Liu Jinxia's family truly adored this young girl. Sometimes, Xu Dafu would even take the things she sent outside to show off to the neighbors.
He would always secretly listen to her and Lin Xi's voice messages, and he had even said that when summer arrived, they should travel to Dian Province to visit her.
Xu Dafu didn't know how much longer he had to live, but if he saw Lin Xi, he would definitely be thrilled.
"Oh no, how is Uncle doing right now? I'll come over right away." Lin Xi glanced at the girl beside her, whose face was full of anxiety.
"He just came out of the emergency room and hasn't woken up yet. Take your time coming over." Liu Jinxia habitually gave a few words of caution before the two hung up the phone.
Lin Xi looked at the girl beside her. "Sister Huanhuan, let's go."
Xu Huanhuan nodded, and the two hailed a taxi, heading straight for the Union Hospital.
Looking at the towering skyscrapers she hadn't seen in many years, Xu Huanhuan's eyes were filled with nostalgia, as well as an indescribable trepidation.
She was different from Ye Bingbing and the others. She had transmigrated many, many years ago. When she was in ancient times, she held far too many obsessions with the modern world. However, now that she had truly returned to the modern era, Xu Huanhuan felt that she was no longer accustomed to this time period.
Lin Xi grasped her hand. The warm and soft touch gave Xu Huanhuan's heart a sense of security.
She couldn't help but think of the message she had received from Lin Xi right before going to sleep last night.
Earth Girl Lin Xi: Sister Huanhuan, I have a message from the group chat system. It says that Uncle is terminally ill, so it is giving you a three-day window to visit your family. Are you willing to come back?
Xu Huanhuan had frozen on the spot. Of course she was willing to come back. How could she not be? She dreamed of coming back; she dreamed of seeing her parents. Heaven knows how envious she was when she found out that Ye Bingbing and Qin Suyuan could return to the modern world for emergency refuge.
Her life had been quite good after her divorce. She married a second time following her heart, and her parents in the ancient world had never said anything against it. There were people in the outside world who harshly criticized her divorce. However, no one ever dared to speak nonsense in front of her. Firstly, this was because she not only controlled the supply of top-quality jade, but she also possessed countless things that could make women even more beautiful.
Even when women came to her with private ailments that plagued so many, she could provide some medication. Although those medicines couldn't cure the root cause, they could alleviate the pain and embarrassment.
She had no shortage of suitors. Even her ex-husband, who had once promised her he would never take a concubine, frequently came before her to repent.
Her mood was no longer as sorrowful as it had been right after the divorce, but she still missed everything about the modern world.
After snapping back to reality, she instructed her maids to decline all guests and chose to return for the family visit.
Because her visitation period was only three days, and she did not have an ID card, Lin Xi had gone to the Jing City airport and brought her over from a bustling restroom that had no security cameras.
She was wearing a light cyan New Chinese style outfit provided by Lin Xi, her long hair coiled at the back of her head. To coordinate with her style, Lin Xi wore a matching dress in light pink.
Nowadays, people were becoming increasingly tolerant of various clothing styles, so the two girls' outfits did not look out of place at all in the capital of Huaxia. However, because both of them were exceptionally beautiful, they still attracted quite a few stares along the way.
Today was a workday. Even though they had avoided the morning rush hour, Jing City's traffic was still terribly congested. By the time the two arrived at their destination, over an hour had passed.
There were many restaurants and breakfast shops on both sides of the hospital entrance, and the aroma of food wafted through the air. If it weren't for Xu Dafu's hospitalization, Xu Huanhuan would have long been unable to hold back and would have run right over. She missed the taste of modern food far too much.
But at this moment, she had no appetite. The two of them headed toward the inpatient department. At the bottom of the inpatient building, Xu Huanhuan spotted her brother, Xu Taotao, waiting downstairs at a single glance.
Standing at a height of 1.85 meters, Xu Taotao was still wearing his traffic police uniform. He hadn't slept all night, and his face was marked with deep exhaustion. He had come down to pick up Lin Xi at Liu Jinxia's request, as Liu Jinxia was worried she wouldn't be able to find the place.
Perhaps Xu Huanhuan's gaze was too intense. Xu Taotao looked up, and the moment he saw her, the cigarette dangling from his lips dropped to the ground, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
Tears instantly streamed down Xu Huanhuan's face. She and her brother were only two years apart in age. They had fought constantly growing up, but their bond had always been incredibly strong. Xu Huanhuan's death had been a massive blow to the family, even directly altering Xu Taotao's original career path.
Xu Taotao rushed toward her. The siblings stood facing each other, yet neither knew what to say. Xu Huanhuan had originally prepared a whole bunch of explanations about how she had come back from the dead, but now, standing right in front of him, her throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. She could not utter a single word.
Lin Xi looked at the two of them and said, "Brother Tao? People are coming and going, so this isn't really the best place to talk. Why don't we go see Uncle Xu first?"
Lin Xi had never spoken to Xu Taotao before, but he had heard her voice plenty of times from Liu Jinxia's phone. Hearing her speak, he finally managed to tear his gaze away and look at her.
"You're Lin Xi, right? My mom was worried you wouldn't know how to find the ward, so she asked me to come down and get you. This way." After saying this, he looked back at Xu Huanhuan, afraid that she had not come with Lin Xi, and terrified that he was just hallucinating.
The moment he saw Lin Xi and Xu Huanhuan following him, he turned his back to them and suddenly felt the urge to cry. Her death had truly been too devastating a blow to them.
Xu Dafu's hospital room was on the thirteenth floor. Inside the elevator, there was an attendant specifically assigned to press the buttons, and soft music played from the speakers. The elevator stopped on the thirteenth floor, and accompanied by the attendant's gentle voice, the three of them stepped out.
The anesthesia had worn off for Xu Dafu, and he had woken up. He wore an oxygen mask over his face, and though breathing was already very difficult for him, the moment he saw his wife, he gave her a comforting smile.
Liu Jinxia took a cloth and wiped his exposed skin. "Lin Xi happens to be in Beijing for some errands. She heard you were in the hospital and wanted to visit you. Tao has already gone down to pick her up."
Hearing that Lin Xi was coming, Xu Dafu's eyes lit up. The older he got, the more he missed his daughter, so the thought of seeing his late daughter's friend made him exceptionally happy.
Liu Jinxia was just about to speak when the ward door was pushed open. Xu Taotao walked in first. After entering, he stood by the door, waiting for Lin Xi and Xu Huanhuan to come in before closing it, guarding it like a door god.
"Lin Xi, you're here? Was the traffic bad on the way? Have you had breakfast? How about I have your Brother Tao buy you something..." Liu Jinxia had her back to the door. Hearing the footsteps, she turned around as she spoke, but her voice came to an abrupt halt the moment she saw Xu Huanhuan.
After her transmigration, Xu Huanhuan's appearance was actually about fifty percent similar to her original looks. In her own words, her current face was a premium version of her past self, like looking through a clear beauty filter on a camera app.
The cloth in Liu Jinxia's hand fell to the floor, her eyes brimming with absolute shock.
"Dad, Mom," Xu Huanhuan cried out through her tears.
Liu Jinxia let out a gasp as tears streamed down her face. Even Xu Dafu, lying on the hospital bed, looked over.
Seeing that the family was about to embrace and weep, Lin Xi quietly slipped away, leaving the space for the long-separated family to reunite.
Once the three days were up, the group chat system would automatically take her away.
Lin Xi's departure did not disturb anyone. She had already contacted Brother Feng and Sister Ying, planning to drop by and visit them on her way. Sister Ying had taken time off work early and was waiting at home.
Lin Xi took the subway back.
In the Wife-Chasing Crematorium dimension. After spending the entire morning out having fun and sightseeing, Wen Mingyue and her companion found a local specialty restaurant to grab a bite.
While waiting for their food, Lu Wei's phone rang. One glance at the location of the incoming number was all it took for her to know who was calling.
She cast a glance at Wen Mingyue, whose eyes were crinkled in a smile, then hung up the call and casually blocked the number.
Far away in H City, Gu Yanxi listened to the busy tone on his phone and furiously swept everything off his office desk onto the floor.
His face was terrifyingly dark and grim. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Wen Mingyue would divorce him, that she would actually dare to divorce him.
The memory of receiving the lawyer's letter just moments ago made his vision go dark in spots. In all his life, Gu Yanxi had always gotten whatever he wanted when it came to women, with the sole exception of his unforgettable first love, Wen Qing.
But his situation with Wen Qing was different. Back when they were dating, they were forced apart by his parents' obstruction and Wen Mingyue's meddling.
Their separation had been completely against his will. What did Wen Mingyue have? And what gave her the right? She had even hired a law firm affiliated with a rival company.
"Fine, just fine. She's really got some nerve." Gu Yanxi muttered, standing up and pacing around with his hands on his hips.
"Xiao Fang," he shouted toward the door. A moment later, a bespectacled young man walked in.
"President Gu," Xiao Fang greeted respectfully.
"Go find out where Wen Mingyue went! I'm going to drag that woman back here myself."
Xiao Fang acknowledged the order and left.
Gu Yanxi sat back down in his office chair as another young secretary came in to pick up the scattered documents from the floor one by one.
It was at this moment that Wen Qing arrived. She was wearing a white dress, which happened to be Gu Yanxi's favorite look on her.
Standing at the doorway, she offered Gu Yanxi a faint smile. Gu Yanxi looked up and saw her, and for a second, it felt as though they had traveled back in time to their high school days.
Wen Qing had always loved wearing white dresses since high school. With her pure and innocent features, wearing white made her look like a delicate gardenia flower trembling in the wind.
She had appeared in Gu Yanxi's life like a pool of clear spring water, offering a gentleness he had never experienced before.
During their senior year, she confessed her feelings to him, and the two shared an innocent, pure romance. Even holding hands and kissing carried an indescribable sense of devotion.
He thought to himself that if Wen Mingyue had not interfered, he and Wen Qing would have definitely become a match made in heaven.
At the thought of Wen Mingyue, a surge of irritation rose within Gu Yanxi once more.
"Yanxi, I've booked a restaurant. Shall we go get something to eat?"
Gu Yanxi still had work to do, but he stood up and left with Wen Qing anyway.
The place Wen Qing had booked was a trendy, internet-famous restaurant. When the food arrived, Wen Qing found an opportunity to snap a photo of herself leaning into Gu Yanxi's embrace.
While Gu Yanxi was not paying attention, she opened WeChat, sent the photo to a contact she had added a long time ago, and attached a caption.
"The one who isn't loved is the real third party. Wen Mingyue, I hope you know what's good for you and back out before it's too late."
