My Deskmate Chapter 35 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 35.2
Chi Ye’s fingers had already left several dark bruises on his knuckles. The ground beneath him seemed to shatter in an instant, and for a moment, he felt as if he were falling into an endless abyss.
He hadn’t quite caught the next words the doctor said. He forced himself to focus. “What did you just say?”
"I said, there are two options. One is to remain in the current room and continue the current treatment. The other is to transfer to the RICU, the intensive care unit. However, to avoid disrupting the treatment and to prevent infection, visiting hours are strictly regulated," the doctor explained, his voice softer. He hesitated for a moment, then added, "And, of course, it will be more expensive."
Chi Ye understood the meaning of those words — continuing the current treatment essentially meant giving up.
He spread his fingers wide, not hesitating for a moment. "Transfer her to the ICU. My family can afford the cost."
The doctor wanted to say more. "You should be aware of your mother's current condition. There's a high probability that transferring her to the RICU won’t make much of a difference, and even—" He paused when he saw the resolve in the young man's eyes. He sighed softly instead.
"She’s our mother, my sister’s and mine," Chi Ye said sincerely. "I understand your concern, and I appreciate your kindness, but I’ve made my decision."
"Then I won’t insist. If any issues arise later, we can discuss them."
Chi Ye’s voice was a bit hoarse as he responded, "Thank you."
When he exited the office, he saw Yaya chatting with a nurse at the nurse’s station. When she saw Chi Ye approaching, she hopped down from her chair. "Gege, I’m here!" she said, then turned to the nurse. "Nurse, do you think my gege is really handsome? All my classmates say my gege is super handsome. When I grow up, I’ll definitely be really pretty, too!"
The nurse teased her, "Why are you so sure you’ll be pretty?"
Yaya proudly lifted her chin, her little braid swaying in the air as she spoke, "Because my gege and I were born from the same mommy, and she made us both super good-looking!"
Chi Ye waited until she finished speaking, then waved. "Do you want to come with me to see Mom?"
"Can we really go see her?" Yaya asked, her face lighting up. "Did the doctor say Mommy is feeling better?"
"Yes," Chi Ye replied, "so we’re going to see her. After that, I might be really busy, and I won’t be able to come to the hospital as often." He thanked the nurse who had been watching over Yaya and took his sister’s hand, leading her to the ward.
The caregiver was sitting by the bed, watching television. When she saw Chi Ye and Yaya approaching, she moved aside to give them space.
Shen Lanting, hooked up to various tubes, was in a deep sleep. The monitoring equipment beside her bed emitted a steady "beep" sound. A blue curtain beside the bed blocked half of the light, casting a deep shadow over the bed.
Chi Ye stood at the edge of the bed, looking down at the woman lying there. Her eye sockets were sunken, and only the contours of her face hinted at the beauty she once had.
He remembered, as a child, he was always so proud because at parent-teacher meetings, his mother was the most beautiful and gentle. Many of his classmates’ parents would ask her about her skincare routine.
Reaching out, Chi Ye gently touched Shen Lanting's forehead.
Yaya carefully held one of Shen Lanting’s fingers. She hesitated to apply any pressure because of the IV in her mother’s hand. She called out softly to Chi Ye, "Gege, Mommy’s hand is so cold."
Chi Ye forced a smile. "Do you want to warm up Mom’s hand?"
"Yes!" Yaya nodded enthusiastically, placing her tiny hands over Shen Lanting's cold fingers and wrist. She did it with great care, murmuring softly to herself.
Chi Ye watched the small hand resting on top of the fragile one below. One hand was small, with little dimples at the base of the fingers, while the other hand was delicate but withered and sallow.
His heart clenched sharply, the pain taking his breath away. It felt as though he were drowning in a dark sea, his limbs and chest wrapped tightly by the cold, green seaweed, squeezing the air from his lungs. For a brief moment, it felt like his back might snap under the weight of the sorrow.
When Wen Xiao stepped out of his bedroom to get some water, his grandmother was watching a news broadcast she had missed earlier. The segment covered an academic conference in Berlin, where an astrophysicist had presented a report.
On the screen, people of different skin color were focused and serious, listening intently to the speaker on stage.
His grandmother had a beige blanket draped over her lap, her body slightly leaning forward as she listened carefully to the speech coming from the TV. Only when the speech ended, and the audience broke into applause, did she slowly lean back into the couch.
Noticing Wen Xiao standing nearby, she smiled and asked, "Have you finished your homework?"
"Not yet, just two more papers to go."
"Mm, almost done then. Once you finish, you should rest." Her hands, covered in wrinkles, gently smoothed the soft surface of the blanket. Even in the evening, her hair was neatly combed. The news segment on TV shifted to a new scene, and her gaze seemed to drift, distant for a moment, before she softly spoke, "The report that was just submitted is in your mother's research field. If she were still here, she would have definitely received an invitation to the conference and been there in person."
She seemed to imagine that scene, a glimmer of light flickering in her slightly clouded eyes. "Perhaps, we might even have seen your mother taking notes on the TV news."
As she spoke, a smile curved at the corners of her eyes.
Wen Xiao stood by the sofa, watching the gentle smile on his grandmother's face. He softly replied, "I’m sure we would have. And when that happens, I can take a picture of the TV screen with my phone and show it to her when she comes back."
"That’s a great idea." His grandmother folded the blanket neatly and set it aside before standing up. She looked up at him, offering a gentle reminder. "It’s getting late. I’m going to bed now. Xiaoxiao, make sure you get some rest once you finish your homework, okay?"
Wen Xiao nodded. "Okay."
He returned to his bedroom, placing the water cup on his desk. Under the soft glow of the eye-care lamp, steam curled upward.
Sitting down in his chair, Wen Xiao picked up a pen and twirled it absentmindedly, his thoughts drifting.
It wasn’t until he heard a dull "thud" against the window that he snapped out of it.
He stood up, pushed open the window, and leaned out to look down.
It was late, and there were hardly any people left on the street.
By the streetlight, a figure stood, his features indistinct in the dim light, but Wen Xiao could make out the warm glow on his shoulders and back.
It was Chi Ye.
When Wen Xiao went downstairs, Chi Ye was waiting at the door, holding a small plastic bag filled with soil.
"Where did you find this soil?"
"From the flower bed downstairs. I was digging when a stray cat suddenly popped up, staring at me. I almost wanted to give it a live commentary, teaching it how to dig." Chi Ye grinned and waved the small plastic bag in front of Wen Xiao. "I threw this up to your window. Don’t worry, it won’t break the glass."
Wen Xiao: "What made you think of using such a primitive method?"
Chi Ye shrugged nonchalantly. "My phone’s dead. There’s no way I could stand downstairs and shout, ‘Wen Xiao, come out and see me!’ Doesn’t that sound like one of those cheesy, overly sweet idol dramas? I just couldn’t do it." He chuckled lightly. "So, I figured the old-fashioned way works best."
They walked a few steps forward.
"You went to the hospital today." Wen Xiao's voice was more of a statement than a question.
Chi Ye’s expression froze for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a light tone. "How did you know? Were you following me?"
Wen Xiao stepped closer, his face almost level with Chi Ye’s shoulder, and sniffed lightly. "You smell like hospital disinfectant."
Chi Ye stiffened a little. "Probably just the wind scattered it." He wiped the smile off his face and lowered his gaze. "My mom’s in the RICU now."
Wen Xiao’s steps faltered for a brief moment.
Under the dim light, Chi Ye seemed burdened by an invisible weight, as if his shoulders, still too narrow for such a heavy load, might collapse at any given moment.
When their eyes met, Chi Ye’s voice was barely above a whisper, like fog floating through the night, his tone hoarse with a hint of confusion that even he couldn’t quite explain.
"So, I wanted to come see you."