Chapter 155: It Can No Longer Move

Jiang Yao's reaction was entirely within Cheng Yanchi's expectations.

He nodded, not pressing the matter further, "Then I will..."

"Don't you dare tell me you aren't going!" Jiang Yao directly cut him off. "Such a wonderful opportunity! You are going to be a good boy and go, no refusal allowed!"

"Then... wait for me to come back."

Jiang Yao thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, I'll wait for you to come back."

The airplane slowly ascended into the sky, carving a graceful arc through the air.

Jiang Yao quietly tilted her head up, watching the plane bound for overseas carry the person dear to her further and further away, her eyes stinging and slightly red.

She was willing to wait.

Yet she did not know how much time heaven had actually left her to wait.

"A-Yao, let's go back," Ye Yiyi said, draping an arm around Jiang Yao's shoulder. "It's not like they are never coming back. They'll both be back soon."

Whether it was He Yunqing or Cheng Yanchi, sooner or later, they would return.

Jiang Yao nodded, turning to follow Ye Yiyi, only to find that her legs suddenly refused to obey, turning soft and entirely devoid of strength.

The next second, darkness swallowed her vision, and she collapsed straight to the ground.

In the final second before losing consciousness, she saw the expression of anxious terror on Ye Yiyi's pretty face...

When she woke up again, Jiang Yao was already lying in a hospital room.

Ye Yiyi was sitting beside her, propping her head up with one hand, nodding off like a pecking chick.

Jiang Yao helplessly braced herself up. Here she was in the hospital again.

She had been running to the hospital constantly lately; this was truly the place she wanted to be in the least.

She sat up, intending to get out of bed, only to find that her legs still possessed no strength whatsoever.

Her movement startled Ye Yiyi awake. Ye Yiyi opened her eyes, and upon seeing Jiang Yao's actions, hurriedly pressed her back down, "Don't move, A-Yao. Just lie properly. Tell me what you need and I'll get it for you."

Jiang Yao pointed at her own legs, "They feel numb, as if they won't move."

If Jiang Yao hadn't pointed, it would have been fine, but at that single gesture, Ye Yiyi's tears instantly broke free.

She turned her head aside and silently wiped away two streams of tears.

"Don't cry," Jiang Yao continued to comfort Ye Yiyi, "What is there to cry about? It's just numb legs, a little activity and they'll be fine."

As she spoke, Jiang Yao attempted to wiggle her legs.

Ye Yiyi reached out and pinned Jiang Yao's leg down, "Stop moving, A-Yao. It's not numbness."

A sudden ominous premonition clutched at Jiang Yao's heart, "What do you mean it's not numbness? What is it, then?"

Ye Yiyi bit her lower lip, simply weeping.

"Speak to me!"

Ye Yiyi sniffled, "It's your illness... The doctor said that because the brain is the human body's most vital organ, it controls almost everything. Because your condition has deteriorated further, it has affected your legs. They... can no longer move."

"What? Are you joking with me?" Jiang Yao poked her own legs with her hand. "They are still sitting right here on my body, why won't they move? Why won't they move?"

"A-Yao!" Ye Yiyi threw her arms around Jiang Yao, sobbing in a low voice.

Jiang Yao silently gazed at her two legs, finally beginning to accept that everything Ye Yiyi said was true.

"Then... is there any possibility of recovery?"

Ye Yiyi fell silent.

Jiang Yao found her answer in that silence.

Indeed, her condition was continuously worsening; how could her legs possibly recover?

Moreover, her situation was different from Jin Nana's—she couldn't even use prosthetic limbs to walk...

Jiang Yao lay back against the bed, somewhat dazed and hollow.

Suddenly, she felt a trace of regret for not cherishing the days when she could run and jump freely.

"Yiyi," Jiang Yao patted Ye Yiyi's shoulder, "Don't cry anymore. My illness will continue to worsen, and there will be other symptoms, won't there?"

Ye Yiyi sniffled, understanding that nothing could be kept from Jiang Yao any longer.

"Yes," Ye Yiyi wiped her tears. "The doctor said it's impossible to predict precisely what will be affected or to what extent. All we can do is ensure plenty of rest and observation. Based on your current situation, you are very likely to experience blindness, deafness, or aphasia. But A-Yao, don't worry too much—these are just possibilities, and possibilities are never one hundred percent. It's even more likely that none of it will happen."

Jiang Yao knew better than anyone that what Ye Yiyi described would, in all probability, become reality.

Yet matters had reached this point, and she could only accept it calmly.

"Yiyi, maybe we should call Cheng Yanchi and tell him," Ye Yiyi suggested with reddened eyes.

Jiang Yao shook her head. "He has only just gone abroad. If we tell him, given his temperament, he'll quit his job and fly back thousands of miles. That job is far too important to him; he cannot just give it up like that. Now is not the right time."

"But you always say it's not the right time, not the right time—he has to find out sooner or later. Surely you don't expect to wait until you..."

Halfway through her sentence, Ye Yiyi realized she had uttered something she shouldn't have, and hastily spat out a few symbolic sounds of warding off bad luck.

"At least, not right now." Jiang Yao patted Ye Yiyi's shoulder and gently pinched her delicate cheek, "Can I make a birthday wish in advance this year?"

Ye Yiyi nodded, "Go ahead."

"I want a wheelchair. After all, I still need to get around, and I hear modern wheelchairs are quite advanced, very different from the ones I imagined from the past. Taking this opportunity to experience one properly feels rather interesting."

"A-Yao!" Ye Yiyi cried in exasperation.

She had expected Jiang Yao to break down and weep bitterly, never imagining that Jiang Yao would accept reality so readily and with such optimism.

"I think you're different from before."

"How am I different?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it," Ye Yiyi bit her lip, "Anyway, you're just different."

Jiang Yao pulled Ye Yiyi into a hug. "That's because, in the past, I always felt I was completely alone in this world. But now I realize I was wrong. Not only do I have you as my good friend, I also have Cheng Yanchi and He Yunqing. Even if many people cannot stay together all the time, I have once experienced that warmth, and that is enough.

"It turns out that I was always the one locking myself away in misery. As long as I am willing to step outside, I will see the warmth of this human world." Jiang Yao sniffled, "Yiyi, you know what? I don't feel sad at all right now. Although heaven has shortened the length of my life, it has given me a group of friends like you who care for me and constantly warm my heart. My life has burned brightly and fiercely; I am already happier than so many people in this world. What more could I possibly be dissatisfied with?"

Ye Yiyi listened to Jiang Yao's words, understanding them only half-heartedly. "But I am dissatisfied. I want to stay with you always and forever."

"My dear Yiyi, you don't need me anymore. You've grown up and can stand entirely on your own two feet—that is the thing that brings me the greatest comfort."