Vegetable (Arc 2)

When they arrived at the hospital, Yin Longshen bolted out of the car and practically flew inside the hospital. Mo Ning chased after his boss, sighing inside his heart. Who would've thought something like this would happen?

Yin Longshen arrived in the front desk, slightly out of breath.

"Do you know where the patient 'Yin Yongrui' is?" Yin Longshen asked, breathing heavily.

The startled nurse looked at him. His face was pale, his hair was in disarray, and his eyes were bloodshot... She gulped nervously and stuttered a reply.

"Y-you mean the child who got into a car accident?" she asked.

Yin Longshen nodded. "Yes, that child!"

The nurse looked at him nervously. Usually, only the patient's family members or close friends were allowed to visit... but seeing the young man's desperate face, she didn't dare to ask him any questions.

"The patient is in the third floor, in the VIP ward, room number 6," the nurse said.

Yin Longshen nodded his head and mumbled a careless "thanks". He ran to the nearest elevator and went inside.

The ride to the third floor seemed to take ages. Yin Longshen felt his entire body turning into a mess. His heart was running a marathon, his veins were pumping ice, and his limbs felt like they were made of stone.

Finally, Yin Longshen reached the third floor, and he ran through the white corridors. As he ran, he scanned the numbers that hung on each room's door.

Number 6!

Yin Longshen came to a sharp stop in front of the room, and he paused. There was almost no one on this floor, since it was the VIP area.

Yin Longshen could hear his rough, ragged breathing, and the squeaking of his shoes against the shining floor. The smell of disinfectant and medicine assaulted his nose.

Yin Longshen looked down, and he became painfully aware that his hands were trembling. He hesitated to open the door.

On one hand, he didn't want to see his brother inside the room. He was hoping, grasping unto the futile thoughts that... this was all just a bad dream, and that his younger brother wasn't the one who got hurt.

But on the other hand, he wanted to see his younger brother as well. If his younger brother wasn't inside this room, then Yin Longshen didn't know what he would feel... Relief? Or even more anxiety?

He didn't know. He didn't understand his feelings. He was so... frightened.

Yin Longshen took a long, deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He put his hand on the door knob and twisted it. Yin Longshen entered the room, and his face turned pale.

His younger brother was lying on the hospital bed, almost unrecognizable. There were bandages wrapped around his arms, his legs, and even his head. Several needles had been inserted into his body.

His younger brother's face was as white as the sheets around him, and his eyes were closed.

Yin Longshen felt like something had exploded inside his head, and he couldn't think clearly. Was that really... was that really his younger brother?!

"Y-Yongrui..." Yin Longshen wobbled closer to the edge of the bed and bent down to look at his younger brother's face.

Yin Yongrui heard a 'plop', and he saw a drop of water land on his younger brother's arm.

Was it raining?

Yin Longshen looked up and felt something slide down his cheeks.

"Ah..." Yin Longshen wiped his cheeks slowly. He was crying.

Yin Longshen had hardly ever cried, especially since he grew older. But now, as if a dam had been opened, tears gushed out of his eyes and Yin Longshen shed a thousand tears.

And yet... even after crying, why didn't he feel better?

Yin Longshen clutched his chest and squeezed his shirt. It was strange. Obviously, nothing was wrong with him, but his heart felt like it was being sliced into pieces.

Tears kept flowing out of his eyes and Yin Longshen's vision grew blurry. Still, he didn't feel any better.

Yin Longshen wanted to scream. He wanted to cry and yell and roar in anguish... Because his heart... it hurt so much.

This feeling... it was similar to that day when he lost his mother. Except that, when he lost his mother, he was already somewhat prepared. After all, she had been sick for a long time now...

But his younger brother! He wasn't dead yet, but Yin Longshen was so scared. He felt like his soul was being squeezed and shattered...

It was truly terrible.

***

Several minutes later, Yin Longshen heard the sound of the door opening and he looked up. He saw Mo Ning enter the room with a doctor.

"Longshen, I've found the doctor who's in charge of your brother's treatment," Mo Ning said.

Yin Longshen sprang up and quickly approached the doctor with eager eyes.

"Doctor, how is he? My younger brother... Will he be okay?" Yin Longshen asked, hope filling his chest.

The doctor looked at the disheveled youth in front of him and sighed.

"I won't say a lot of words or use too much jargon," the doctor sighed. "Long story short, your younger brother's wounds are very serious. He was hurt very badly, and there is a large chance that he will become a vegetable for the rest of his life."

Yin Longshen felt his ears buzzing and his vision darkening. What... what did the doctor say?

"A vegetable?" Yin Longshen muttered under his breath.

"Vegetable..." Yin Longshen grabbed the doctor's arms.

"What do you mean? Are you saying... are you saying my younger brother will never wake up?" he asked, looking at the doctor's eyes searchingly.

"That... even if he does wake up, he might be severely affected. He might become crippled for life, or he might forget all his memories..." the doctor said gravely.

Yin Longshen clutched the doctor's shirt in disbelief.

"Doctor... Doctor, I'll do anything. No matter how much it costs, I'll give it to you. So just tell me. Tell me how to make him wake up!" Yin Longshen pleaded.

The doctor looked at him with tired eyes.

"Rather than begging me, I think it would be better if you start preparing yourself instead," the doctor sighed.

Yin Longshen's face turned white and he reluctantly let go of the doctor's clothes. Yin Longshen stumbled backwards and collapsed unto the ground.

"Boss!" Mo Ning hurriedly bent down and tried to pull Yin Longshen upwards. However, Yin Longshen did not budge. He couldn't move. He felt so powerless, so useless, and so... painful.

The doctor pursed his lips and said a few more words to Mo Ning before leaving. Yin Longshen did not comprehend anything the doctor was saying. His head was blank, and his eyes were empty.

Mo Ning sent the doctor off and waited for Yin Longshen to calm down. A few minutes later, Yin Longshen looked at Mo Ning with empty eyes.

"Ah... you're here?" Yin Longshen asked, his voice hoarse.

Mo Ning nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Boss," he finally spoke, "You should go home..."

Yin Longshen shook his head. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to accompany his younger brother and wait for him to wake up.

The doctor said that his younger brother would probably never wake up, but Yin Longshen did not believe it. Wasn't his brother amazing? He would definitely wake up soon.

By that time, he had to be ready and prepare all the food, snacks, and toys that his younger brother might need...

Yin Longshen sat on an available chair and buried his head into his hands.

"Mo Ning, I'll stay here. You can just go home..." Yin Longshen whispered wearily.

Mo Ning gave a sigh. He was usually very talkative, but now... he didn't know what to say. He knew how much his boss loved his younger brother, so he had no idea how to comfort him.

"Boss, you should take a rest too," Mo Ning said before leaving.

***

The next day, Zhao Baozhai arrived in the hospital in the morning. She walked inside the hospital with quick, hurried footsteps, followed by Wang Cai. Her eyes were bloodshot -- she had flown back home early in the morning, at dawn.

Zhao Baozhai hadn't been able to sleep at all during her flight. She was worried and her heart was constantly uneasy. When she arrived in the hospital's front desk, she hurriedly asked for her son's room number.

"Are you the patient's family?" the nurse asked.

Zhao Baozhai nodded and added, "I'm his mother."

"I see... he's in the third floor, in room number 6."

"Thank you," Zhao Baozhai said.

Together with Wang Cai, she went to the third floor and entered her son's room. When she saw her son lying on the hospital bed, Zhao Baozhai almost fainted.

Was that... her son?!

The doctor happened to be in the room when Zhao Baozhai entered. He looked at Yin Longshen questioningly as if to ask, 'who is this?'

"I am the patient's mother," Zhao Baozhai said quickly.

The doctor nodded in understanding and explained everything that he had said to Yin Longshen the previous night.

When she heard that her son would become a vegetable for the rest of his life, Zhao Baozhai's limbs grew weak and she leaned against Wang Cai.

"You said... you said he'll never wake up again?" she asked weakly.

The doctor bowed his head. "I apologize, Madam, but this is the best I can do."

***