The choice

12 MN

The sky was clear and the wind blew gently. Ru Ran fell asleep after listening to Ji Yu's report on how her businesses are doing great. She suggested to handover back the management of Teck Guan International back to the Teck family. She had already fulfilled her part of agreement, all they needed to do is an early buy over. She did not wish to burden Ji Yu further.

Ji Yu never left her unattended, even during the day there is always someone by her side, either Shin Tong, Xin Xin, Mama Shen, Old Master Shen, Wang Lei gege and Sister Fong. Since her condition became this way, Wang Lei gege and Sister Fong moved back to Country Z to be nearer to her. She had urged Ji Yu to go back to work and just let her be but he would not listen, he even jokingly told her, even if they were to lose everything, so be it because she is his everything.

She could feel Ji Yu's rhythmic breathing beside her. She hated that she could not caress the face of the man she loves the most. Every night when she is sure he is asleep, tears would trickle down, she'd be lying to heaven if she says she is not affected at all with her current condition. Occasionally she feels it is better for her die than live if things were to continue this way so that Ji Yu can be free. Whenever those feeling surface she suppressed them immediately because she wanted to live, to get better, to grow old with him, to hold her child in her arms. She is ashame of her selfish thoughts, either way, either living or dead, she is truly selfish. Selfish for wanting to leave and selfish for wanting to stay.

Tonight, somehow, her emotions were a little more unstable than other days, as she immersed herself in her feelings, her vision turned blank. Ji Yu who was asleep suddenly woken up by Ru Ran's jerking movement. He quickly pressed the emergency button, laid her on side, and administered the emergency medication. His face was filled with worry, this is the second time today. After the medication was administer, her seizure aborted. The nurses and doctors had already rushed in to take over.

During the chaos no one noticed an eccentric looking old man entering the room. His footsteps were light almost non existence. He wore a long white robe, looking divine and ethereal. His twinkling bright eyes did not match his aged face but matched his bearing of an astute knowledgeable old man. "It is her destiny that this life is a difficult one."

Ji Yu who was standing at the side to give some space to the busy doctors and nurses turned his head to look at the man who just spoke. The old man ignored Ji Yu's questioning gaze and continue to stroke his long white beard.

"Spirit Master?" Ji Yu could not help but whisper his question.

The old man continue his action of tidying his beard and did not speak nor nod to Ji Yu's questioning.

After a moment of silence, to Ji Yu it felt like a lifetime, the old man finally spoke," The question is how much of will she has and how much is she willing, only then her heart can be set free."

Before Ji Yu could react to that sentence the old man disappeared with a gust of wind leaving behind a yellow string with a Buddhist mantra. The doctors or the nurses did not seem to notice the confusion in Ji Yu's eyes. The doctor informed Ji Yu that Ru Ran's condition is stable and the baby is safe. They then hurried out the same way they came in.

Not knowing what to do with the items left behind, he decided to tie the white string on Ru Ran's hand and started reading the mantra into Ru Ran's ear. After a few times, he did not even needed to look at the paper anymore as he had already memorised it in his heart. He placed the mantra on her chest under her crossed palms. The old man who was watching from afar nodded his head before he left. Looked like that child is not too dense.

Ru Ran once again found herself in darkness, after awhile, she could hear her parents voices, she somehow went back to time before her parents died. She was so happy to be able to see them again, for a moment she had totally forgotten about Ji Yu. Only when her head started to hurt, she sensed someone is calling her, the voice, her heart started to beat uncontrollably and her body trembled. Tears started to pour and she could only feel helpless. Her vision blanked again, this time, an old man appeared in white appeared. A faint golden light was emitted from his body giving him a soft glow.

"Child, you have a choice to stay and you can be with your parents or you can leave but the future you hold is bleak, what will you choose?" he asked.

"Huh? What does the future hold?" she asked.

"Sadness," he answered.

"If I stay, won't the future happen?" she asked.

"In this realm things will remain the way you wanted it to be," he answered.

She wanted to ask more but the old man figure started to blur and a pair of eyes were staring at her, that eyes.. The more she looked into the eyes, she could only see her reflection.

"Old man!!!" she shouted.

Miraculously the old man appeared.

"Yes? Have you made your choice?" he asked.

"When you say sadness, can you give me a glimpse of the future?" she asked.

Suddenly a pictures of her life flashed by from the death of her parents to her lying in bed unable to move.

"Have you made up your mind?" the old man's voice sounded.