Lying in bed, Yin Huan could feel that his body couldn't hold out for many days. Now he could only lie in bed all day, unable to move.
He lay on his back, facing the ceiling. His emaciated body was stiff and helpless.
His breathing was weak and labored. His face took on a faint ashen hue. His expression was listless, his eyes hollow and dull, looking absent - minded and on the verge of collapse.
After Yin Huan sent Savel away, no one came to take care of him. Yin Xiwen had hired a nurse for him, but he refused. Now he just wanted to die.
Unexpectedly, the nurse always treated Yin Huan roughly. When no one was around, she would scold him viciously. Sometimes, when the nurse was aggrieved outside, she would beat Yin Huan to vent her anger.
But he was really too weak to argue with her and could only endure. He never thought that he would be bullied in the last few days of his life.
He didn't intend to resist anymore. Sometimes he thought it might be better if she just beat him to death. But this sickly body, at this moment, was unexpectedly tenacious.
Maybe this was God's punishment for those who said one thing and meant another.
On the fourth day after Savel left, Yin Huan was still staring blankly out of the window at the path that Savel used to walk on.
It was very quiet around. At this moment, a sound from outside the door broke the silence of the room.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The knocking sounded.
Yin Huan's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked over with expectant eyes. Although he had sent Savel away with his own hands, he still hoped to see her again in his heart.
He really missed her so much.
But the person who came in was a man wearing a big black hood. The brim of the hat was so low that his face couldn't be seen clearly.
Yin Huan frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
One could tell that the man was smiling as he said, "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is if you want to live. As long as you say you do, I can help you get rid of this incomplete and sick body. How about it?"
As soon as the man came in, he stated his intention and asked Yin Huan.
Yin Huan naturally knew that the man in front of him was extremely strange. His first reaction was that he was lying, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see his face clearly.
But when he heard that he could continue to live, it was impossible not to be tempted.
Yin Huan swallowed hard. His heart wavered a little, and he asked, "What price do I need to pay?"
He naturally knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
The man in black tempted him and said,
"Of course, there is a price, but it must be within your tolerance. You just need to listen to me, and I can let you continue to live."
"However, after you are resurrected, you will take on another form and stay by Savel's side, but you can protect her."
"As for this deal, it depends on whether you are willing to trade with me."
Any person who was deeply in despair would not be able to resist when someone offered them a lifesaver.
Especially Yin Huan, who already had a strong will to survive.
He stared intently at the hand the man in black stretched out. Taking a deep breath, he thought that he was going to die anyway, so he might as well take a chance. Maybe there was still a glimmer of hope.
Hope flashed in Yin Huan's eyes. He reached out and held the man's hand, saying seriously, "I'm willing."
The man in black laughed wantonly and said, "Since you want to live, then I'll let you."
Immediately, Yin Huan fell into a deep sleep.
************
When Yin Huan opened his eyes again, he was still in the hospital bed. Everything around was peaceful. There was no trace of anyone having been here. It was as if the man in black had never come.
"Did I just have a hallucination?"
Yin Huan frowned and thought. Then he thought it made some sense and laughed at himself, "Have I reached the point where I need to comfort myself with hallucinations?"
The window was not closed, and a gentle breeze blew in.
Then Yin Huan couldn't help coughing twice. The smell of blood in his mouth was strong.
He turned his head to look at the big tree outside the window. Its leaves were already withered and yellow. A gentle breeze blew most of the leaves off the tree, and they piled up at the foot of the tree, becoming nourishment for it.
In spring, new buds would appear on the tree, covering the traces of the previous leaves.
Generation after generation, the tree remained, but the people around kept changing.
Yin Huan felt that he was like a withered leaf blown down from the tree by the gentle breeze.
He could only accompany Savel for a while, but he would eventually have to leave.
As time passed, someone would surely replace him.
And he could never go back. He could only rot in the soil, unnoticed and forgotten.
Yin Huan reached out his hand as if to stroke the withered leaves on the ground in the air.
"Maybe this is my destiny," Yin Huan lying in bed was almost too weak to even raise his hand. A simple movement made him extremely tired.
Yin Huan felt sleepy.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, Savel burst into the room. The force of her rush made Yin Huan feel that his bed was shaking.
Paper can't wrap up fire. Savel had been staying in the hospital for so long that she naturally knew some medical staff.
After a night of calmness, in fact, she went to secretly see Yin Huan the next day.
Seeing that he had a new nurse to take care of him, the heart - broken Savel fought back her tears and turned away. Naturally, she didn't see the scene where the nurse smashed the bowl later.
After no longer having to worry about his self - care, Savel spent two days sorting out her feelings.
She still decided to go to the hospital and wanted to talk things through with Yin Huan.
The news that the long - term patient in the hospital was going to leave became a topic of conversation among the nurses, and Savel got to know this news.
She couldn't believe that the person who had accompanied her for so many years was about to disappear. All her initial nervousness dissipated, and she rushed into Yin Huan's ward in a hurry. With a crying voice, she questioned him:
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to die? Why did you have to bear so much pain alone? Everyone knew except me. How dare you decide everything without asking my opinion."
As she spoke, Savel's tears couldn't help streaming down.
Looking at her crying, Yin Huan felt as if his heart was being tightly squeezed. He said hoarsely,
"Savel, don't cry. You know, everyone has to die someday. Look, I've already accepted it calmly and don't care." He tried to console Savel in a cheerful tone.
But Savel cried even more fiercely. She even said something astonishing and reckless to Yin Huan: "Let's be together. Let me accompany you."
This sentence made Yin Huan gasp: "What are you talking about? Don't talk nonsense. It's impossible for us. I don't like you."
Savel made a more modest request: "Then let me accompany you through these last few days, and then I'll leave."
Facing this temptation, Yin Huan really wanted to seize it. He didn't want to die alone, but he couldn't. It was okay for him to die, but he mustn't drag Savel into this.
He was so focused on Savel that he didn't even realize that he could speak extremely smoothly and had the energy to talk to Savel.
When he excitedly raised his hand, he suddenly froze. How could this be? How could he still have the strength to raise his hand?
Yin Huan finally realized what was going on, and his face was full of surprise.
"Could it be that the faceless man in black really came?"
Yin Huan thought. To test it, he threw off the quilt and sat up.
Just this series of actions without any hesitation made fireworks go off in his mind.
Yin Huan's hands trembled with excitement. With tears in his eyes, he stood up and looked at Savel at the door, saying excitedly:
"I'm standing up. I'm standing up."
The surprise on Savel's face was no less than Yin Huan's.
The moment their eyes met, the ecstasy in their eyes threatened to engulf each other.