ROBEPTQ chapter 22

Baï Sijun got off the subway at the nearest station, hailed a taxi, and rushed back to the People’s Hospital in the city center.

For some unknown reason, Xiao Ai had entered the hospital, and when she called him, her voice still carried a hint of sobbing.

Baï Sijun acknowledged that he was entirely out of place among Xiao Ai’s relatives and friends, and he couldn’t figure out why she would ask him to pick her up. Nevertheless, he speculated that she must have some difficult-to-share secret, something she couldn’t disclose to those around her.

His intuition proved right; Xiao Ai had been lightly concussed by her husband, and now she was alone in the hospital.

Baï Sijun could hardly believe it. Frowning, he asked, “Where is he?”

“He went home first.” Xiao Ai sobbed, saying, “He originally didn’t want me to stay in the hospital, but the doctor noticed that something was off between us, so they asked me to stay for observation overnight. After he left, the doctor came to me, saying if there’s a problem, I should speak up, but who should I talk to?”

“Your friends? What about your parents?” Baï Sijun said, “Do you really want to let this matter slide?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only been married for two months.” Xiao Ai clung to Baï Sijun’s arm as if holding onto a lifesaver, “Can you take me away from here? I’m afraid he’ll come back.”

Baï Sijun had never encountered such a situation. The women around him were usually colleagues, and no one would involve him in their private lives. However, he couldn’t just ignore Xiao Ai, so after some thought, he said, “Come to my place for now.”

Baï Sijun helped Xiao Ai pack her things, completed the discharge procedures, and then supported her as they left the hospital. When they left the lobby on the ground floor, he always felt like someone was watching them. However, when he turned around, he couldn’t catch any eye contact.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Ai nervously tightened her grip on Baï Sijun’s clothes.

“Nothing, let’s just go.”

On the way home, Baï Sijun urged Xiao Ai to call the police since domestic violence was a serious matter. However, Xiao Ai couldn’t make up her mind.

She weakly said, “When I got married, I showed off to my close friends about marrying a good husband. Now, if I talk about this, won’t I become a laughingstock?”

Moreover, she was afraid of divorcing so soon after marriage; it wouldn’t be good for her family’s reputation.

Baï Sijun felt speechless hearing these reasons. He said, “So why did you rush into marriage? This isn’t like buying groceries; it should have been approached with caution.”

“The pressure from home was intense, you’re not unaware of that.” Xiao Ai said sadly, “And at the time, I really thought he was good, gentle, and considerate…”

Baï Sijun sighed softly, unsure of what to say. The pressure on women to get married was indeed greater than on men, and not everyone could withstand the constant urging from their families.

But on the other hand, he didn’t want to get too involved in other people’s family matters. Moreover, Xiao Ai was indecisive herself, and as an outsider, he couldn’t help much.

Baï Sijun brought Xiao Ai to his rental apartment and told her the password for the main gate and his room’s smart lock.

“You stay here tonight and think it over. I think it’s best if you contact your friends. I can’t help you much.” After hesitating for a moment, he added, “I feel you should seek support from your friends.”

After saying this, he turned to leave, but Xiao Ai immediately grabbed him, asking in surprise, “Aren’t you going to stay with me?”

Baï Sijun checked the time; it was almost half-past ten. He said, “I have something to do.”

Even if he had nothing to do, there was no reason for a single man to spend the night alone with a married woman.

“It’s so late, and you…” Xiao Ai paused, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, I have other things to attend to.” Baï Sijun replied.

“It seems like work again.” Xiao Ai smiled bitterly, “When we were dating, you only cared about work. If you cared a bit more about me…”

“Xiao Ai.” Baï Sijun interrupted her, “Rest well. If there’s anything, contact me.”

“Will you come if I contact you?” Xiao Ai urgently asked, “If so, why can’t you take a day off and stay by my side? I’m like this now…”

“It;s not work.” Baï Sijun took a deep breath, slightly furrowing his brows, “It’s more important than work, so I can’t take a day off. I’m leaving now.”

From the moment he got off the subway and turned back towards the city center, Baï Sijun felt restless. What he was doing had been abruptly interrupted, and he couldn’t say anything about it.

He didn’t want Mei Yuchen to stay unhappy, so he had no mental space to comfort Xiao Ai now.

If Xiao Ai chose to report to the police, he would willingly accompany her, but seeing Xiao Ai so indecisive, he felt that no matter how much he said, it would be in vain.

After leaving the residential area, he hailed a taxi directly. At this time, it was no longer possible to take the subway directly to the suburbs, and he felt that time had been wasted. He didn’t want to take the subway slowly to the outskirts and then transfer.

Perhaps he could be considered indifferent, but he really didn’t want to have any more involvement with Xiao Ai. He admitted that he hadn’t paid much attention to Xiao Ai when they were dating, but they hadn’t officially broken up yet. Xiao Ai had already been in contact with other men and had even decided to get married. If he had to say something, he felt like he had been given a big green hat, but he didn’t want to pursue it further.

Moreover, Xiao Ai had other friends of her own, and if anyone wanted to meddle in her affairs, it wouldn’t be his place.

In the end, these tangled and unresolved emotional disputes were emotionally draining. Baï Sijun had resisted getting close to Liang Ru before because he didn’t want to spend time on such relationships.

He just wanted to do what he wanted at his own pace, like focusing on his work. When he wanted to work seriously, he didn’t want to be dragged out for a date.

Now, he just wanted to comfort Mei Yuchen as he pleased. Xiao Ai’s sudden appearance made him feel irritated.

Fortunately, Xiao Ai’s matter didn’t take too much time. In the end, Baï Sijun arrived at Mei Yuchen’s villa just before half-past eleven.

However, after ringing the doorbell this time, no one responded for a long time. It seemed that Mei Yuchen was genuinely upset, not even wanting to acknowledge him.

Baï Sijun felt helpless. If he had known that Mei Yuchen was upset because of Qi Yun, he wouldn’t have left Mei Yuchen like that yesterday.

Since the gentleman was unwilling to open the door, Baï Sijun decided to wait. After all, he didn’t have to work tomorrow; he had plenty of time.

And qualities aside, at least persistence was his strong suit; otherwise, after being discouraged by Mei Yuchen several times, he wouldn’t have persistently come to his door.

Before continuing to wait, Baï Sijun intentionally called Mei Yuchen. He thought Mei Yuchen wouldn’t answer, but to his surprise, Mei Yuchen picked up after just one ring.

However, compared to the speed of answering the phone, Mei Yuchen’s tone was far from friendly. He coldly asked, “What do you want?”

Baï Sijun casually replied, “When are you going to open the door for me?”

There was a second of silence on the other end, and Mei Yuchen asked, “Are you at my doorstep?”

Baï Sijun quickly realized, “You’re not at home?”

“I’ll be there soon.”

The call was abruptly hung up, and Baï Sijun subconsciously looked around for a while. Before long, he saw a taxi approaching.

After getting out of the car, Mei Yuchen glanced faintly at Baï Sijun, looking not quite well. He didn’t greet Baï Sijun and went straight to the door.

Baï Sijun’s attention was entirely drawn to the plastic bag Mei Yuchen was carrying because it looked very familiar. He had just used one not long ago.

Grabbing Mei Yuchen’s arm, he asked, “Did you go to People’s Hospital? Are you feeling unwell?”

The hand holding the bag wasn’t exerting much force, so when Baï Sijun pulled, the bag fell to the ground, and the pill bottle rolled out.

Baï Sijun immediately picked up the pill bottle. The name of the medication was a term he had never seen before. He turned it over to read the effects on the back and was shocked to find out that it was actually a sleeping pill.

The words Mei Yuchen had said before suddenly flashed in Baï Sijun’s mind:

“Why do so many writers commit suicide?”

Suddenly, Baï Sijun felt cold all over. Mei Yuchen had gone to the hospital, and the medication was prescribed by a psychiatric doctor. Does this mean Mei Yuchen’s mental stress was so great?

If he had been a little later, Mei Yuchen might have taken the pills…

Calm down, he must stay calm.

A person staying at home writing, not interacting with society, was indeed prone to mental issues.

Baï Sijun put the pill bottle in his pocket, forcing himself to remain composed. “Taking too much of this kind of medication can lead to addiction. You slept well before, didn’t you?”

Mei Yuchen tilted his head and looked at him without much expression. “When did I sleep well?.”

Baï Sijun was puzzled and uncertain. “When I told you a story, you slept soundly on my lap.”

Mei Yuchen, with a weary smile, said in a self-deprecating manner, “I don’t sleep well when you’re not around.”

“Then, I’ll accompany you to sleep.” Baï Sijun blurted out nervously. “Just don’t take the pills anymore.”

Mei Yuchen squinted at Baï Sijun for a moment, then as if suddenly remembering something, he burst into laughter. He asked, “Do you think I’m going to commit suicide?”

Baï Sijun felt a bit embarrassed for being seen through like that. But what embarrassed him more was Mei Yuchen asking such a question, indicating that he probably didn’t have any intention of committing suicide. He stammered, “N-no, right?”

Mei Yuchen, with lowered eyes, said, “I really can’t sleep. It’s been like this for two years.”

Hearing this, Baï Sijun breathed a sigh of relief. Not sleeping was better than thinking about suicide. Only now did he realize that his palms were sweaty. Mei Yuchen extended his hand, saying, “Give me the medication back.”

Baï Sijun was still a bit scared, feeling the sinking sensation in his heart just now. He didn’t want to return the medication to Mei Yuchen.

After hesitating for a moment, he said to him again in a conciliatory tone, “If you really can’t sleep, I’ll stay with you as you fall asleep. Just don’t take the pills.”