"Like the Moon in the Sky" - Chapter 20
Zhu Jinyue couldn’t remember how she had made it to the hospital, but once she arrived, she managed to force herself to calm down.
Her parents and brother-in-law were abroad, and Zhu Qinghao had gone on a business trip to another city over the weekend. She was still on her way back, likely in an area with poor signal, as her phone couldn’t be reached.
For now, Zhu Jinyue was the only one who could hold things together.
Zhu Yuanshan’s condition was critical. By the time she rushed over, he had already been taken into the operating room.
After completing the procedures and payments, Zhu Jinyue took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts to find the number of her brother-in-law Xu Xing’s uncle—who was also the director of the hospital. She had already called him on her way here, but now she was calling again to double-check the credentials of the doctors performing the surgery.
After being assured that the doctor on duty tonight was the best in the cardiology department, and even one of the top experts in the country, she finally let out a small, relieved sigh.
All that was left was to wait.
Zhu Jinyue sent a message to her sister, whose phone was still unreachable, then leaned back in the cold chair outside the operating room, staring silently at the glaringly bright light above the door.
Fu Zhiwang sat beside her.
He hadn’t been able to help at all throughout the entire process.
Zhu Jinyue usually seemed delicate and picky, but in reality, she was clever and perceptive. Putting himself in her shoes, he figured he could only have done as much as she had in this situation.
Fu Zhiwang asked softly, “The surgery will probably take a while. Do you want something to eat? I can have someone deliver food.”
Zhu Jinyue shook her head. “I don’t want to eat.”
After those three words, she fell silent again, continuing to stare blankly at the light above the operating room door. Her small, palm-sized face was pale and devoid of color.
Fu Zhiwang’s fingers curled slightly, but he said nothing more.
The doctor inside was already the best in the country. Once the doors of the operating room closed, no matter how resourceful he was, there was nothing he could do in the face of life, death, and serious illness.
The operating room hallway demanded silence—no loud noises were allowed. The quiet was unnerving.
Time seemed to flow differently here, like a long, stagnant, endless black river.
Seeing her sit so quietly worried Fu Zhiwang even more than when he had seen her cry earlier.
But she clearly didn’t want to talk, and he had never been good at comforting people—when she had minor tantrums before, his solution had always been to buy her things.
It wasn’t until much later that the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
Fu Zhiwang looked up and saw a tall woman striding over.
—It was Zhu Qinghao, finally back from her business trip.
Only then did the girl who had been staring fixedly at the operating room door without a word finally stand up and throw herself into her sister’s arms.
Zhu Qinghao held her and gently patted her head.
“Grandpa…” Zhu Jinyue’s voice choked with tears. “Grandpa was buying pastries for me.”
Uncle Zhang had said that Zhu Yuanshan saw a long line on the road and, after searching online, found out it was a recently popular pastry shop. On a whim, he asked Uncle Zhang to pull over. He refused any help and insisted on waiting in line himself.
Before it was his turn in the shop, he suddenly felt unwell.
Zhu Qinghao’s tone was uncharacteristically gentle, “Uncle told me. He said because the pastry shop was near the hospital, they were able to get him there very quickly. If Grandpa hadn’t gotten out to buy pastries for you, the car would likely have been much farther away. You’re his lucky star.”
Fu Zhiwang watched quietly as she leaned against her sister, completely reliant on her. Suddenly, he understood what she had meant that evening when she said, “I’ve never lost anyone or anything important.”
—He, too, could have been someone she relied on with her whole heart.
The surgery lasted most of the night.
Director Uncle of Xu Xing came by once midway but didn’t stay long, as Zhu Qinghao persuaded him to leave.
By the time the operating room doors opened, it was well past midnight.
For a few seconds after the chief surgeon emerged, Zhu Jinyue felt as though she had lost the ability to breathe.
It wasn’t until the doctor, looking exhausted, told them the surgery had been successful that she felt like she could breathe again. Her heart, which had been lodged in her throat, sank back into place and began beating rapidly once more.
Zhu Qinghao held her and asked Dr. Lu, the chief surgeon, “Why did the surgery take so long? Were there complications? When can we see him?”
Dr. Lu replied, “Given the patient’s age, there were some complications, and the situation was a bit complex. Fortunately, he was brought in very quickly. He’s out of danger now, but given his age, we’ve moved him to the ICU next door for observation. You can see him tomorrow after he wakes up.”
After confirming that Zhu Yuanshan was out of danger and sitting back down to wait, Zhu Jinyue finally felt time begin to move a little faster—no longer dragging on unbearably second by second.
Zhu Qinghao asked softly, “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
Zhu Jinyue shook her head. “No appetite.”
Zhu Qinghao had no appetite herself, so she didn’t push. “You should at least drink some water. You haven’t had any all night.”
Zhu Jinyue didn’t really want to drink either, but seeing the concern in her sister’s eyes, she nodded.
“Then I’ll go buy water,” Zhu Qinghao said.
Fu Zhiwang, who had been sitting nearby, stood up. “I’ll get it.”
Only then did Zhu Jinyue realize he was still there.
Fu Zhiwang quickly returned with several bottles of water. He took one out, unscrewed the cap, and then handed it to Zhu Jinyue.
Zhu Qinghao glanced up at him, slightly surprised.
This young master was more considerate than she had expected.
Zhu Jinyue took the water and forced down a few sips.
Zhu Qinghao also opened a bottle, took a couple of casual sips, then closed it again. She turned back to her sister. “Do you want to rest for a while? I’ll wake you when Grandpa comes to.”
Zhu Jinyue didn’t want to sleep either, but she closed her eyes and leaned her head against her sister’s shoulder anyway.
She was just tired and needed to lean on someone for a bit.
The side of the hallway outside the operating room at First Hospital had no windows, relying entirely on the stark white overhead lights to illuminate the long, narrow space.
This place knew no sun or moon, but it had witnessed countless joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, life and death.
Zhu Jinyue knew dawn was approaching because Zhu Qinghao’s alarm suddenly went off.
Unless she had a special work arrangement, her workaholic sister adhered to a rigid routine—waking up at 6 a.m. sharp every single day, rain or shine, through wind and frost.
Unexpectedly, the workaholic next to them was no different; his phone alarm went off right after.
Zhu Jinyue’s eyes were still closed. Not wanting to disturb her, both quickly silenced their alarms.
But Zhu Jinyue hadn’t been asleep at all. She asked softly, “Is it six already?”
Zhu Qinghao hummed in affirmation.
“Time is moving so slowly,” Zhu Jinyue murmured.
It felt like an entire century had passed, yet only a few hours had gone by.
Zhu Qinghao didn’t reply, just gently patted her shoulder.
Zhu Jinyue shifted slightly and continued leaning against her with closed eyes.
After what felt like several more centuries, Zhu Qinghao’s phone rang again.
Zhu Qinghao had already turned off the ringer, but the hallway was so quiet, and Zhu Jinyue was pressed so close to her sister, that she could hear the faint vibration clearly.
Zhu Jinyue’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her clear, red-rimmed doe eyes, glancing at the phone. “Something important?”
Zhu Qinghao nodded. “It’s about the project Grandpa fought for. There’s a meeting this morning to finalize the terms before signing.”
Zhu Jinyue pulled out her own phone to check.
The agonizing night had finally passed completely—it was now almost 8:40 a.m.
“Then you should go. Don’t let Grandpa’s efforts go to waste.”
This was exactly what Zhu Qinghao was struggling with.
Zhu Jinyue tilted her head to look at her.
Zhu Qinghao was always decisive—this was the first time she had ever looked hesitant.
“Go ahead. Grandpa’s out of danger now, isn’t he? I’ll message you as soon as he wakes up.”
If Zhu Jinyue were to be left completely alone, Zhu Qinghao would definitely worry. But with someone else here now, she finally stopped hesitating.
“Then I’ll go to the meeting first and come back right after.”
Zhu Jinyue nodded.
Zhu Qinghao stood up and looked at Fu Zhiwang. “Will you stay with her?”
Fu Zhiwang nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay.”
As soon as Zhu Qinghao left, Zhu Jinyue turned to face Fu Zhiwang.
“You should go too. You’ve been here all night.”
Fu Zhiwang hadn’t expected her to ask him to leave right after her sister departed. “I just promised your sister I’d stay with you.”
Actually, when he stood up to buy water earlier, Zhu Jinyue had considered telling Zhu Qinghao that they had already broken up.
But after the long night, she felt an indescribable emotional exhaustion and didn’t have the energy to explain anything to her sister, so she had kept quiet.
“My sister doesn’t know we broke up. You don’t need to take her words seriously.”
Just as Fu Zhiwang was about to speak, his phone vibrated.
Zhu Jinyue blinked slowly. “It’s almost time for work. You must have things to do too. I’ll be fine here by myself.”
Fu Zhiwang declined the call. “It’s nothing.”
But the next second, as if to spite him, his phone vibrated again.
Zhu Jinyue was far too perceptive. “If it were nothing, no one would keep calling to rush you.”
Fu Zhiwang, “…”
Ever since he saw her text last night, his mind had been completely occupied by those three words. It wasn’t until the calls started urging him that he finally remembered his company also had a project signing scheduled for this morning.
He declined the call again, looked down at her, and asked, half-testing, “Do you want me to stay?”
Zhu Jinyue said decisively, “I don’t.”
God forbid if some project fell through because of his delay—she didn’t want to be blamed for that.
“You should go now.”
Fu Zhiwang laughed, just like he often did when she annoyed him, but this time, there was a hint of bitterness in his laughter.
Old Master Zhu was already out of danger, and she was clearly so dismissive of him. Staying would probably just irritate her and make her even more unhappy.
Fu Zhiwang stood up and asked, half-testing again, “Shall I come back to keep you company after the meeting?”
Zhu Jinyue: “No need. Just focus on your work.”
This time, Fu Zhiwang really laughed in frustration. “Can I at least come visit on behalf of my grandfather?”
Zhu Jinyue slowly said, “Oh. Then come if you want.”
Fu Zhiwang shoved his hands into his pockets, stared at her for a few seconds, then turned around. “I’m leaving.”
But Zhu Jinyue suddenly called out to him.
“Fu Zhiwang.”
He stopped and turned back, his fingers tightening around his phone.
In the few seconds it took for her to continue, he couldn’t help wondering: if she really asked him to stay, would he ignore everything and remain?
But Zhu Jinyue clearly had no such intention.
“My grandfather probably shouldn’t be subjected to any stress right now. I want to hold off on telling him about our breakup until he’s in better health. For the sake of his friendship with your grandfather, could you play along for a while?”
Fu Zhiwang’s fingers suddenly relaxed. “Of course.”
It wasn’t all that bad.
At least he would still have an excuse to stay by her side.
After Fu Zhiwang left, the already quiet hallway grew even stiller.
Zhu Jinyue suddenly felt time dragging again.
Perhaps it was because Zhu Qinghao was so reliable—having her around was like having a steady anchor.
Once she was gone, Zhu Jinyue couldn’t stop her mind from wandering.
One moment, she worried that her grandfather still hadn’t woken up—was there some new complication? Was someone monitoring him closely inside?
The next, she wondered how well he would recover after this serious illness and whether there would be any lasting effects.
After what felt like an eternity, she thought it must be almost 10 a.m. If he still hadn’t woken up, she was ready to ask someone for an update. But when she checked her phone—
The screen showed exactly 9:00 a.m.
Tears welled up in Zhu Jinyue’s eyes for no reason.
Yet, amid this sudden wave of sorrow, she seemed to catch a familiar scent—a cool, woody fragrance mixed with the ache, drifting into her senses.
Someone suddenly sat down in the spot Zhu Qinghao had occupied earlier. The hem of a charcoal-black coat brushed lightly against her white one.
The contrast between black and white was strikingly vivid.
Zhu Jinyue turned her head and saw someone who shouldn’t have been there. Her gaze instantly met a pair of light brown eyes.
“What are you doing here?”