Wei Jing finally managed to climb onto the wall. He reached down. “Jiajia, let me pull you up.”
“No need. You go down first and make room for me.” Yang Jiabo was confident. He had climbed this wall countless times as a child.
“Let me pull you up,” Wei Jing insisted, still worried.
“Fine.”
Just as Yang Jiabo grabbed Wei Jing’s hand and started climbing, he heard Liu Qiang’s curses. “Damn it, where did those two little brats go?”
Yang Jiabo’s heart sank. The voice was just around the corner of the alley. One turn, and they would be spotted. His foot slipped in panic, and he almost fell. Wei Jing was also tense, his eyes darting toward the alley entrance. Fortunately, both of them kept their cool. Although Yang Jiabo was a bit rusty, he was still better at climbing than Wei Jing. He quickly made it onto the wall.
“Finally found you!” Liu Qiang’s voice rang out with glee.
The two turned to see Liu Qiang running toward them.
“Let’s jump down.” Yang Jiabo slid down the wall, hanging onto the edge before dropping to the ground. They were too short to jump directly from the top without risking injury. Wei Jing followed his lead, but before he could steady himself, Yang Jiabo grabbed his hand and they started running again.
Yang Jiabo glanced back as they ran, and what he saw nearly scared him to death. Liu Qiang had climbed onto the wall. Realizing it was a school, he didn’t chase them, but he raised the half-brick in his hand.
“Watch out!” Yang Jiabo pushed Wei Jing aside just as the brick struck his forehead. Yang Jiabo felt dizzy, his vision blurred, and warm, sticky blood trickled down his temple.
“Jiajia, you’re hurt!” Wei Jing’s voice trembled, as if he was on the verge of tears.
“Keep going.” Yang Jiabo gritted his teeth against the pain and pulled Wei Jing along until they reached the security office. Then, his vision went dark, and he passed out.
“Jiajia—”
Before losing consciousness, Yang Jiabo seemed to see a world bathed in red and heard Wei Jing’s sobs. He wanted to say he was fine, but darkness swallowed him.
This was the second time Jiajia had saved him. When Wei Jing saw Yang Jiabo collapse, covered in blood, an overwhelming fear gripped him. He had always been smarter than other kids, with a calm and detached demeanor, rarely crying. But this time, he cried uncontrollably. It was all because of him that Jiajia had gotten hurt.
When Yang Jiabo woke up, he felt a throbbing headache and nausea. The familiar smell of disinfectant told him he was in the hospital. He and hospitals really had a connection, but couldn’t this connection just go away?
“Jiajia, you’re awake?”
Yang Jiabo heard Wei Jing’s excited voice. He turned his head slightly and saw Wei Jing, his eyes red and tears clinging to his lashes. Yang Jiabo blinked. Was he still dreaming? Was this pitiful figure really Wei Jing?
“Brother, are you okay?” Yang Jiabo asked.
“I’m fine. You’re the one who’s hurt.” Wei Jing’s eyes grew even redder, tears were about to fall.
“I’m fine. I’m tough. It’s not easy to kill me.” this was the truth. He had tried to end his life several times in his previous life, but never succeeded. A little accident wasn’t going to take him out. Yang Jiabo felt that while he might not die easily, he was certainly prone to disasters. Was this some kind of karmic retribution? If rebirth was possible, then karma didn’t seem so far-fetched.
“Jiajia.” Yang Jianjun’s eyes were slightly red as he looked at him.
“Jiajia’s awake! I’ll go call the doctor.” Li Guizhen hurried out of the room.
“I’ll go. You stay with the child.” Wei Changdong stepped out first.
Yang Jiabo then noticed that not only were his parents there, but Wei Jing’s parents were also present. He forced a smile and reassured them, “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m going to live for a thousand more years.”
“Enough, save your strength. The doctor will have questions for you,” Song Yufang said, her heart aching as she looked at his pale face.
The doctor arrived soon and conducted a quick examination. After a bunch of medical jargon, the gist was that Yang Jiabo had some bleeding in his brain and elevated intracranial pressure. The next 48 hours were critical, and he needed careful monitoring. If the bleeding stopped, he would be fine. If not, surgery might be necessary.
“Doctor, will my son have any lasting effects from the head injury?” Li Guizhen asked anxiously. She was most worried about her son becoming mentally impaired.
“It’s hard to say at this stage.”
“Doctor, will Jiajia have a scar on his forehead?” Wei Jing asked. Yang Jiabo was a bit vain, and a scar would upset him.
“There will definitely be a scar, but children heal quickly. With proper care, it won’t be very noticeable.” The doctor smiled. Kids always focused on the strangest things.
After the doctor left, Yang Jiabo drifted in and out of sleep. Except for Wei Changdong, who had work to attend to, everyone stayed by his side. Wei Jing, in particular, kept his eyes fixed on Yang Jiabo, afraid he might stop breathing at any moment. The incident had shaken him deeply.
For Yang Jiabo, who drifted in and out of consciousness, the 48 hours didn’t feel long. But for those waiting by his side, it was an agonizingly slow period. Fortunately, Yang Jiabo’s strong will to live saw him through the critical period. The doctor confirmed that the bleeding had stopped, and with proper rest and observation, he could be discharged soon.
Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Yang Jiabo, ever carefree, grinned and said, “See? I told you I’m tough.”
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