"President Lu, there's been a car accident ahead," the driver reminded.
Lu Shiyan propped his chin with one hand, his tone indifferent. "Unlucky. Go around."
"Yes, President Lu."
"No! Lu Shiyan! Save Huang Ying!" I shouted in panic, forgetting for a moment that Lu Shiyan couldn't hear me at all.
Just as the car was about to start again, Lu Shiyan glanced toward the crash site — and seemed to recognize someone.
"Stop the car."
Fortunately, Lu Shiyan wasn't entirely heartless. When he saw that the person lying there was Huang Ying, he frowned and stepped out of the car.
A small crowd had already gathered, whispering among themselves."Oh my god, she's just a young girl… so pitiful.""What are you all standing around for? Call 120!"
I quickly ran over to Huang Ying. Blood was gushing from her forehead, a bright red stream trickling down her left cheek.
"Huang Ying, hold on! The ambulance will be here soon."
At my call, the eyes that were about to close fluttered open again. Her pupils, once unfocused, slowly found me.
She seemed to recognize me — her lips trembled as she used the last of her strength to whisper, "Wanwan… jiejie, you're back…"
My body trembled. Huang Ying could see me?
Lu Shiyan, who had just arrived, also heard her words. He crouched beside Huang Ying. "What did you just say? Who did you call Wanwan?"
I stood there, stunned. Could it be that people on the verge of death… could see me?
"Xiaoying, can you see me?" I asked.
It was as if she couldn't hear Lu Shiyan at all — her attention was fixed entirely on me. Her gaze softened, and she even smiled faintly. "Wanwan jiejie, you're alive… that's so good. I thought you were… dead…"
The moment the word "dead" fell from her lips, her eyes closed completely.
"No, Xiaoying! Open your eyes! Don't sleep, don't you dare sleep!"
"Your life has only just begun. You have to live — live well!"
My hands kept passing right through her body, but I still tried again and again to shake her awake.
I didn't notice that beside us, Lu Shiyan stood frozen, his face pale, his expression blank.
He was still replaying the words Huang Ying had just said in his mind.
After the initial shock, he looked toward where Huang Ying had been staring — but in his eyes, that space was utterly empty. There was no one there.
Yet Huang Ying had clearly looked that way and called out Wanwan jiejie, talking about life and death.
Goosebumps prickled along Lu Shiyan's arms.
He grabbed the arm of a nearby bystander, his voice trembling. "What did you say? Where's Su Wan? What happened to her?"
Seeing him so agitated toward an injured girl, a few men in the crowd quickly stepped forward to restrain him.
"Sir, calm down. She's a victim of the crash. Don't move her before the ambulance arrives — you might make her injuries worse."
Luckily, the hospital wasn't far. Before long, the wail of sirens filled the air.
Lu Shiyan's face had gone paper-white, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
He must have been terrified — because the person he couldn't see, Huang Ying had just spoken to as if she were real.
To figure out what had happened, he followed the ambulance to the hospital.
When Huang Ying's parents arrived, they thanked Lu Shiyan over and over, thinking he had saved their daughter.
Lu Shiyan, however, looked lost — his mind somewhere far away.
Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Huang Ying's mother. "Auntie… the 'Wanwan jiejie' Huang Ying mentioned — who is that?"
He suspected he was mistaken. There could be countless people in the world with the same or similar names. Maybe it wasn't Su Wan she meant at all. Maybe it was Wanwān or Wǎnwǎn — something that just sounded alike.
Aunt Liao sighed. "It's Miss Su Wan. She was a good person. I used to work as a housekeeper for another family. My Xiaoying would wait outside for me after school. Sometimes, Miss Su would see her and help her with homework, even bring her snacks. Xiaoying liked her the most."
Lu Shiyan staggered back a step, his lips trembling. "How… how could that be…"
"Mr. Lu? What's wrong?"
Her words snapped him back. He stammered, "Auntie, has Huang Ying been in touch with Su Wan recently?"
Aunt Liao shook her head. "You know what my daughter went through — she was taken to that awful place by those monsters. We were lucky to get her back at all. Her mind hasn't been right since. We've been taking her to therapy. She hasn't had time to contact Miss Su."
Lu Shiyan frowned tightly. "Then has she mentioned Su Wan at home?"
"No, never. The only things she says are things like 'Don't hit me' or 'Don't come near me.'"
"Then why would she say that today?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lu," Aunt Liao said apologetically. "The doctor said my daughter suffered severe psychological trauma. You can't take her words seriously. Miss Su Wan must be fine — Xiaoying didn't mean to curse her."
"She's never said something like that before?"
Aunt Liao shook her head again. "No. But on the way home last night, she saw the snow and kept mumbling about it — 'snow… dead…' something like that."
As she finished, a doctor emerged from the operating room. "Family of Huang Ying?"
"I'm her mother! Doctor, how's my daughter?"
"The situation isn't good," the doctor said gravely. "There's severe organ damage and multiple fractures. Every department's doing their best, but… you need to be mentally prepared. The success rate of the surgery is only ten percent. Here are the risk consent forms. Please sign them."
Aunt Liao nearly fainted on the spot, and Lu Shiyan had to catch her.
"Auntie, please — you have to stay strong."
Hearing that, I couldn't stay still any longer. I walked straight into the operating room.
Doctors from every department surrounded the table — it was a desperate battle against death itself.
Huang Ying lay unconscious, her young face drained of color.
Seeing her like that, a sharp pain stabbed through my heart.
I reached out to touch her face — she was just a child. She had worked so hard, done so well… why did she have to end up like this?
It was Su Ning'an.
Last night, Huang Ying said I was dead — and today she was hit by a car.
Why was this world so unfair? The good die young, while the wicked do whatever they please! I was furious — unwilling to accept it!
I was already dead… I didn't want Huang Ying to be dragged into all this pain too.
Why wasn't it Su Ning'an who died?Why?!
One of the doctors muttered, "Did someone lower the temperature? Why is it so cold all of a sudden?"
"There's no draft, but I swear I can feel a chill running down my back," another replied.
A nurse said softly, "I'll go check if the air conditioner's broken."
The doctors worked in perfect coordination — the only sounds were the clinking of instruments.
I knelt by the window, my heart aching.
At that moment, I wished gods really existed.
If they did, I would give up everything — my soul, my afterlife — to bring Huang Ying back.
No matter the price, I just wanted her to live.
And maybe, just maybe, Heaven heard me —
because one of the doctors suddenly exclaimed, his voice trembling with disbelief:
"— A miracle!"