Running away from the Love-Brain

The Cloud Hanging Bottle

"I'm not dead yet."

Cui Xijin was sweating coldly, biting her lip, and spoke weakly. The sound of rain pattered as the windshield wipers swept across the window, revealing the damp neon lights outside. The air inside the ambulance was humid.

The attending doctor wiped the water off his face, pausing in his movements upon hearing her words, and replied skeptically, "Are you okay?"

He adjusted his mask with some dissatisfaction. "I'm just sitting here; what are you talking about, girl?"

Just then, the ambulance jolted, as if it had hit a speed bump. The narrow makeshift stretcher wobbled, causing Cui Xijin to wince in pain and gasp sharply.

A trembling female voice immediately came from the foot of the bed, "Cui Muhuo, how are you doing?"

After saying this, the woman sniffled again.

Cui Xijin was in so much pain that she couldn't respond in time, only gritting her teeth to exhale.

"She says she's not dead yet." The attending doctor boldly filled in for her, then pressed lightly on her waist through her clothes. "Does this hurt?"

Cui Xijin forced herself to endure the pain from other parts of her body and weakly shook her head.

The woman echoed her, catching her breath and letting out a soft whimper, her breathing becoming heavier, nervously telling the doctor, "She says it doesn't hurt here."

"And what about here?" the doctor asked, moving to another spot.

"The doctor is asking you, what about here?" Chi Buyu repeated.

"...Here," Cui Xijin said, opening her dry lips. "A little bit."

"She says it hurts a little here," Chi Buyu quickly relayed.

"Hmm." The doctor nodded. "It looks like an acute lumbar sprain. Did you have any old injuries on your back? If so, it might have been triggered."

"The doctor is asking if you've had any old injuries on your back," Chi Buyu suddenly turned into a relay machine. It was as if, without passing the message between them, she wouldn't know what to do at that moment, despite clearly being the farthest from the patient.

Had she also been a relay machine back then?

"Before...," Cui Xijin struggled to recall.

Before she could answer, Chi Buyu seemed to remember something and interjected, "Right! She had a back injury before. In college, she also sprained her back during gym class while playing volleyball and had to stay in bed for a week. I remember it was Chen Wenran who kept bringing her meals to class..."

After saying this, she seemed unsure and sought Cui Xijin's confirmation. "Right?"

"You even remember this?"

Cui Xijin, exhausted, opened her eyes to look toward the shadow at the foot of the bed.

The ambulance was cramped, with one doctor and one nurse present, both needing to handle and inquire about details nearby, leaving Chi Buyu to sit in the corner, the farthest from her.

Her glasses were already wet from the rain, and from Cui Xijin's perspective, everything appeared hazy. She could vaguely see a black outline—

Chi Buyu was curled up at the foot of the bed, holding her bag and umbrella, her two round buns drooping in the chaos. A few strands of wet hair were peeking out from above, droplets glistening on her hair. Her face was fuzzy, as if her makeup had run; her nose was red, and around her eyes were red and dark patches, mixing into different colors like a...