Chapter Nineteen

Su Xia stared blankly at Auntie Li, tears streaming down her face in clusters. Her voice choked as she spoke intermittently, "Li... Auntie Li, what are you saying? My dad, he... what happened to him?"

Auntie Li grabbed Su Xia's wrist and said urgently, "Come with me! I'll explain on the way. Hurry!"

Auntie Li took Su Xia to a car that had been waiting.

The car sped along the road towards the hospital. Suddenly, Auntie Li said to Su Xia, "Your dad had an accident. He was on his way to find your mom and collided head-on with a large truck. He lost consciousness on the spot. The doctor has issued a critical condition notice, saying he might not make it. That's why I hurried to find you, so you can see your dad one last time."

Su Xia stared blankly out of the car window, watching the passing vehicles and pedestrians.

She listened to every word Auntie Li said, although the journey felt particularly long to Su Xia despite the speeding car.

When they arrived at the hospital, the doors to the emergency room were tightly closed, and the light above was on. Su Xia stood in front of the operating room door, feeling that this would bring her closer to her father. She silently prayed, hoping her father would be okay and that they could be together, just the two of them, and never think about that person again.

Finally, the door to the operating room opened. The doctor came out first and asked, "Who is the family member of Su Linzhi?"

Su Xia quickly walked up to the doctor and answered, "I am! I am Su Linzhi's daughter. My father, he..."

"Your father... when he was brought in, it was too late. He missed the best time for treatment," the doctor paused and said, "Your father will be taken out shortly. You can see him one last time." The doctor patted Su Xia's shoulder to offer comfort.

Although the doctor had seen many farewells between life and death, he still did not want to face such a scene. He sighed and walked away.

Su Xia stood there motionless, staring blankly at the door. There was no expression on her face, and she remained as calm as a long-dead tree, with no leaves or branches.

Soon, Su Linzhi was pushed out by two nurses. They asked, "Is the family member of Su Linzhi here?"

Su Xia did not react at all, just stared blankly. She couldn't bring herself to face it.

Seeing this, Auntie Li quickly responded, "She's here, her daughter is here."

The nurse glanced at them and stepped aside.

Auntie Li comforted Su Xia, saying, "Xiao Xia, your father doesn't have much time left. While he's still conscious, talk to him."

Trembling, Su Xia turned and walked over, looking at Su Linzhi lying on the hospital bed. Tears blurred her vision. Su Linzhi's face was covered in blood, his head wrapped in gauze. His eyes were tightly closed, and his lips were pale without a hint of color.

Su Xia bent down and gently whispered in Su Linzhi's ear, "Dad, shall we go home? Just the two of us, forget about that person, okay? We can still live well together."

As she spoke, Su Xia gently wiped the bloodstains from Su Linzhi's face.

Su Linzhi slowly opened his eyes halfway. He tried to raise his hand to touch Su Xia's face, but after a few attempts, he couldn't lift it.

Su Xia grabbed Su Linzhi's hand and pressed it against her face. His usually warm palm now felt cold, making her choked up even more as she said, "Dad, shall we go home? I want to go home with you. I don't want to walk alone. I don't want to stay at home alone."

Su Linzhi tried to speak, but his voice was too weak for Su Xia to hear. She quickly leaned closer to his mouth. He weakly said, "Xia Xia, Dad isn't well. I haven't taken good care of you. Take care of yourself in the future, and... don't hate your mom." Su Linzhi slowly closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Su Xia shook her head, crying, "Don't go, let's go home together! Dad... don't leave me!"

Su Xia woke up in the early morning from crying, sat up, wiped away the tears on her face, and rubbed her swollen head.