Chen Xin had never felt as helpless as she did now, never before.
She didn't know why she felt the urge to go to the hospital; she just had a subconscious desire not to stay in this building.
Ever since she could remember, her sister had always been the most beloved treasure in the Chen family, the paragon child praised by aunts and uncles, the brightest star in her circle of friends. This was because she had an excellent father, a loving mother, and, more importantly, a sister who was completely different from her.
She and her sister were like two completely different fruits from the same tree. Her sister was passionate and had opinions about everything, while she was quiet and steady, with a calm demeanor.
Although not as dazzling as her sister, she was still considered a good child by adults. Despite her introverted nature, she always did her best in everything entrusted to her. She studied the so-called noble etiquette diligently, refined her behavior and manners, controlled her emotional expressions; she studied cultural knowledge with seriousness, always ranking at the top in exams; she communicated with everyone earnestly, listened to their troubles, and became a caring confidante; she took care of her parents diligently, striving to grow up quickly to be helpful to them.
In the eyes of those around her, it seemed she was naturally reticent, naturally aloof, naturally a good listener, and naturally like a little adult.
No one is born with knowledge, and she was no exception.
She didn't speak much because she didn't want people to know her naive thoughts; she was aloof to avoid being teased like a child repeatedly; she was a good listener to not make others feel distant, as listening was a great way to not be too distant without having to speak; she acted like a little adult because she wanted to grow up quickly and be able to help her parents.
She transformed herself bit by bit into the person everyone liked to see.
She worked hard, struggled, endured, and gave up her entire childhood, all to earn a few more words of praise from her parents and to truly live up to the image of a good child in the eyes of others.
But nobody knew that she was also a little girl who needed rest. The weight of everyone's expectations almost suffocated her.
She was tired of this pressure. Why? Why was it that no one saw how hard she was trying, while Chen Cheng, who had been lazy and incompetent since childhood, always whining and throwing tantrums, got everything? She didn't want much, but why did she have to sacrifice for the group? Why?!
Just because Chen Cheng was a boy?
Chen Xin clenched her fists tightly, her pale knuckles showing her extreme anger. But she was still Chen Xin, and no matter how turbulent her inner feelings, her face remained calm.
"Whether you believe it or not, young miss, your father and mother truly love you. But the group is the group, and even though your father is the chairman, he has to consider the opinions of the other shareholders. At that time, if we couldn't come up with a solution, the group would have to be split up."
"I think, the master must have his own considerations for ultimately agreeing to this suggestion."
Chen Xin remained silent, her clenched fists slowly loosening as she watched the neon lights flash by outside the window, feeling lost about the future for the first time.
Where was her path?
On one side was the Chen family that raised her, her parents and elders, and on the other was the freedom and independence she had always yearned for. Should she rebel to the end?
...
Wang Shuo was still in a state of confusion, and in fact, he had been in this state ever since the start of school until now.
Where was he? What was he doing? Who were these two crazy guys who seemed to have escaped from a mental hospital? And this burly man crying and sniffling on top of him, was he really a man? He must have some bad habits!
While Wang Shuo was pondering life, Chen Cheng had already started shouting, "Doctor! Doctor!" As he yelled, he ran out of the ward, and the sound in the corridor became louder: "Get a doctor over here! He's awake! The second one opened his eyes!"
In no time, a doctor in a white coat, with his hat forgotten and slightly crooked glasses, rushed in with a nurse. Without saying a word, he gave Wang Shuo a thorough physical examination.
"The patient's body shows no abnormalities, just that he has been asleep for a long time. He needs to replenish some nutrients, preferably with liquid food, and with appropriate exercise, he should be able to recover fully soon."
"If you're still worried, you can continue to be hospitalized for two more days of observation, and then you can be discharged when you're fully recovered."
The doctor, having found no issues, gave his diagnosis.
Zheng Jun was extremely grateful, holding the middle-aged doctor's hand as if he was about to cry, moving his lips but not uttering a word.
"Thank you, Dr. Liu," Chen Cheng hurriedly stepped forward, very politely addressing the middle-aged doctor, while the little nurse beside him had already started eyeing Chen Cheng with stars in her eyes.
Dr. Liu subtly withdrew his hand and nodded, leaving the ward with the nurse.
Before leaving, Wang Shuo clearly saw that the little nurse kept looking back at Chen Cheng, sending him secret glances, as if she would be willing to dedicate herself to him as long as he nodded.
This was the difference, Wang Shuo thought to himself.
Suddenly, Wang Shuo felt darkness before his eyes, and a burly body abruptly threw itself on him. A voice that seemed to be from a tearful reunion after a long separation, filled with heart-wrenching emotion and a hint of relief, exploded in his ears.
"My dear brother! You're finally awake!"
"I was wrong! I really was wrong! I'll never drag you to drink again. Anyone who persuades you to drink is going against me, Zheng Jun! They're not respecting me, Zheng Jun!"
It could only be Zheng Jun.
Wang Shuo's muffled voice weakly emerged from beneath Zheng Jun's chest: "Can someone... tell me... what's... going on? The boss is... going to crush me."
...
Half an hour later.
"So... I've been unconscious for a month?" Wang Shuo widened his eyes.
He was still in his hospital bed, and due to lying down for too long, his legs seemed a bit uncooperative, forcing him to prop himself up with a pillow behind him to sit upright.
"It's been one month and three days, almost five hours short of four days." Li Li pushed up his glasses, adding to the conversation. Among everyone, he seemed the most normal.
"Boss hasn't slept for two days?" Wang Shuo noticed Zheng Jun's dark circles.
"Hehe." Zheng Jun awkwardly rubbed his head and chuckled. He had almost sent the just awakened Wang Shuo back into unconsciousness with his earlier冲动. Even with his thick skin, he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by his impulsive behavior.
"Then the military training at school is over now?"
"It ended a long time ago." Zheng Jun grinned, as if he wanted to laugh out loud, but ultimately restrained himself.
"Club recruitment is over too?" Wang Shuo sounded a bit regretful.
"Do you think all the clubs on campus have to wait for you?" Chen Cheng stood coolly against the wall, arms crossed, showing no sign of the wild shouting for a doctor he had done just moments before.
"My college life... my dream of joining a club... my..."
Wang Shuo looked completely disheartened.
This start was completely different from what he had imagined! Where was the military training he had envisioned? The chance encounters? The affectionate, no, pleasant and warm club activities he had imagined?
Wang Shuo was speechless. It seemed he was destined for the life of a recluse. Staying at home was what mattered most.
Military training for meeting girls, chance encounters for meeting girls, club activities for meeting girls, and even classes for meeting girls were all increasingly distant from him. As for relying on his looks to chat up girls... Wang Shuo looked at Chen Cheng standing by the wall and thought, really... the more he looked at him, the more he wanted to give him a plastic surgery.
However, it was good to have them around. Wang Shuo looked at the three brothers beside the hospital bed. Zheng Jun, the eldest, had immediately rushed him to the hospital and stayed by his side, refusing to rest unless forced, and even now, he stood there with two large dark circles under his eyes. Li Li, the third, had been worried about two things: not only his own concerns but also about Zheng Jun. He delivered food to the hospital punctually every day, supervising Zheng Jun to eat and rest. Chen Cheng, the fourth, had gone to great lengths to transfer him to the best hospital and found the top brain surgeon to treat him, seemingly even paying the medical bills in advance.
As newly acquainted roommates, they had done everything they could for him, which was truly the epitome of kindness.
If it had been someone else, they probably would have left him to his own devices, and Wang Shuo knew that in that case, he would have been doomed.
"Thank you," Wang Shuo said after a moment of silence. "Eldest brother Zheng Jun, third brother Li Li, fourth brother Chen Cheng. I know this might sound childish, but I still want to say that if one day in the future you need me, if you need my help, I will not hesitate to use everything I have to help you!"
Wang Shuo's voice was firm, but even Chen Cheng, who had the broadest perspective, couldn't imagine the weight of this promise.
"Haha, what are you saying, second brother?" Zheng Jun laughed heartily, his hand reaching out as if to pat Wang Shuo, but then he seemed to remember something and awkwardly withdrew it, chuckling: "You making it sound like we saved your life when it was me who caused you to be unconscious for a month. Don't be so polite."
"I have to say something fair, second brother," Chen Cheng said: "This incident really has nothing to do with you. What we did was what we should have done. You shouldn't feel burdened. If this hadn't happened because of our drinking contest, who would believe it!"
Li Li nodded quietly.
"You guys..." Wang Shuo felt like his tear threshold was unusually low today, as he was on the verge of tears at the slightest emotion. He hadn't felt this touched even when watching the history of humanoid civilization, which had seemed more like a sci-fi movie.
Experiencing empathy firsthand was something that truly required personal experience.
Just as Wang Shuo was about to say more, Li Li quietly spoke the next sentence: "If something happened to you, we would all be expelled." He paused, then said: "I don't want to be expelled."
Wang Shuo's emotional expression suddenly froze. He looked at Zheng Jun and Chen Cheng, both of whom looked relieved.
...Indeed, this was the truth.
"Even so, fourth brother..." Wang Shuo still couldn't let it go.
"It's like this, second brother," Chen Cheng said with a guilty expression: "The money for your hospital stay was also paid by someone else. I don't know the reason, probably humanitarian aid, right?"
"Yeah, yeah." Zheng Jun nodded, corroborating Chen Cheng: "It was Chen Cheng's cousin. But don't get the wrong idea, second brother. You're so frail and not as handsome as Chen Cheng, there's no way she would like you."
Wang Shuo cut off the second half of the sentence. At this moment, he really wanted to respond with a Northeastern Chinese saying.
"That really hurts, man."