She woke up with a pounding headache, moaning as her eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. Febrile, she lifted herself to sit on the relatively small bed, the smell around her faintly that of alcohol and chemicals. Yin Zheng Zhen blinked, her throat parched and sandy, so dry that it was uncomfortable to talk. When her sight cleared enough to discern more than just vague forms, she saw that her right hand was connected to a drip, she was wearing a blue medical dress having here and there bandages all over her body, touching her face, she could feel the bandage on her forehead as well. For a long few minutes, she couldn’t remember what happened to put her in such a state.
Trying to keep as calm as possible, she was aware of herself being in a hospital room, so she quickly found the emergency button and pressed on it.
Not too long after, came one doctor and two nurses who seemed glad to see her awake, cutting the doctor who was talking about the miracle of her survival, she asked,
“What happened to me?”
“You can’t remember?” he answered in a question, a frown on his face, as the nurses were fiddling one with the machine and the other with her perfusion.
Yin Zheng Zhen shook her head and frowned as the action just added more to her suffering, her headache was getting worse,
“No, I… the last thing I was doing..." her head was completely blank, she couldn't remember, she involuntary moaned, and let her head fall on her hand as it felt as though it was ready to explode at any moment, so painful; but even like that, she tried harder to remember, unable to no matter her efforts, "I was… what was I doing?”
“Miss, calm down,” cautioned the doctor in a soothing voice as he came closer to her, standing by her side.
It was a middle age man, whose short dark hair had started turning white, he had a bit of fat and quite a round face, but he was welcoming and his expression exuded more warmth than authority.
He checked on her, asking about discomfort anywhere as he made her follow his finger's movements with her eyes and when it occurred to him that besides physical wounds, everything else seemed okay, he slowly told her,
“You were in an accident. Your car fell down from a cliff.”
“A cliff?”
“Calm down-”
He was talking, but he couldn't say she was hearing. She started to cough, the pounding in her head returning with vengeance. Images appeared in flash in her mind, women shouting at each other. The pain, it was so painful that she thought her head was being split open.
She crouched down and moaned, holding her head in her both hands; if before she could still hear their faint voice, now, Yin Zheng Zhen could hear nothing from what the doctor or the nurses were saying anymore. Though from the gesture, they were asking her to breathe slowly. However, her body had a will of its own and refused to obey. Soon, she started shaking, her body lying and twisting around. She felt the syringe being forced in her arm and shortly after, it was complete darkness again.
***
When she regained consciousness again, her headache had disappeared. One of the previous females nurses was in the room already. It was a young woman, mid-twenties, with chocolate short hair one and brown eyes. Seeing her eyes open, she smiled at her patient, asking her how she felt now. And since Yin Zheng Zhen couldn’t talk easily, the nurse helped her sit down and gave her a cup of water. It was warm and easily eased her discomfort.
“It was just the shock, it is alright now,” the woman talked softly as Yin Zheng Zhen was drinking, “you have a slight concussion but nothing wrong, though we would still like you to stay in observation for now..." The woman beamed at Yin Zheng Zhen taking the small plastic cup handed by other, she hurriedly said, "You are really a miracle to be able to come out alive without such sequelae from such a height! God certainly said it wasn't your time yet!”
The accident she was talking about, Yin Zheng Zhen had no memory of it so she merrily let out a noncommittal sound and laid down once again, feeling quite tired. Never in her life had she felt so tired. Ans somehow, looking at this nurse who was still beaming at her, made her even more tired. Why was there adoration in this young person's eyes? It was as though she could barely restrain herself from jumping around -or God forbids- squealing!
Yin Zheng Zhen didn’t stay in the dark for long.
“I recognize you immediately by the way! I’m a huge fan,” a very long emphasis was put on that 'huge'.
Although Yin Zheng Zhen's face was certainly not something unknown to the world she still found such reaction quite excessive.
"You don't have to be afraid, our hospital is strict so no worries about those paparazzi. God if I knew I would meet you in person! Darn, I forgot to bring my notebook. But... would you sign an autograph for me later?"
"An autograph?", she asked a little slowly, just to make sure.
"Can't you," the dejected maid inquired sadly, "does your hand hurt too much for that?"
What was this person talking about? Even though there weren't many women in her position, it still wasn't to the point that she became some sort of idol. Wasn't it just being CEO? However, looking at this hopeful face observing her with stars in her eyes, Yin Zheng Zhen knew that it would be pointless to argue.
"Later then- for now, if you could get me a phone, I will be grateful."
"Of course, of course..." Who knew what else she was going to say, but she was certainly about to be long-winded, though the door being opened stopped her. It opened on the doctor and the nurse immediately took a professional look, straightening her posture and making that silly expression she was carrying disappear.
"I see that you're awake? How do you feel now?", the doctor asked slowly, not wanting to agitate his patient so soon.
"Better. I need to inform people can you get me a phone?"
"It's all right, your fiancé will be here soon." The smiling doctor turned to his colleague and looked at her again, saying jokingly, "even though your identificational papers hadn't been found, with that face of yours you were easily recognized."
The nurse smiled sheepishly while Yin Zheng Zhen merrily looked at the ceiling, her fiancé huh, she wished they would have called for her brother instead.
"Miss Bai, wouldn't it be an injustice not to recognize you," the nurse hurriedly said, wishing to sell some good points for herself, " even though you have yet to be a lead, your characters are all well done, no matter what everyone said, I'll forever be your greatest fan!"
Hearing such, Yin Zheng Zhen was brought back to reality and frowned. What lead? What character? She felt for once this was a conversation she could make no head or tail of,...
"What did you call me?" she whispered,
"Bai Shan?" the nurse said tentatively, as her imagination ran wild, she gasped in horror, forgetting all about ethics, she clutched at the doctor, "it couldn't be that she had amnesia, it couldn't be right!"
With such a big reaction from another person, Yin Zheng Zhen felt that no matter what she did or say would pale in comparison and she rather wait for the doctor to calm down this panicked person before inquiring about the clarity of what she was being said.
Suddenly the previous headache returned. Flashes appeared in her mind again. She could now discern what the two women were about. One of the voice was hers... she was confronting the other's infidelity... the other's voice... wasn't it Bai Shan's?
That name... who was she again...
Yin Luo Xue! Wasn't she his fiancée!
She could vaguely remember now, Bai Shan's eyes had glinted with fury as she was shouting her rage, a river of curses had flown and when the calm Yin Zheng Zhen promised to the other woman that she would distance her from Yin Luo Xue, the woman had laughed maniacally as though she lost her mind, shouting that she was about to commit suicide so it didn't matter anyway. The woman was certainly agitated enough to act on that threat, so when Bai Shan's jumped in her white Audi speeding away, Yin Zheng Zhen had followed in her yellow Lamborghini, while calling for the police and the emergency. She never liked the woman but she wouldn't be the person standing there doing nothing as the other fling her life away, certainly not in front of her.
Only bribes of what happened stayed in his memory.
At one point, when Bai Shan accelerated on that turning of traffic clearly intending to let her car fall, Yin Zheng Zhen outspeed her and tried to stop the other's car with her own. However, looking where she was and at her state now, both cars must certainly have damaged the fencing and fall over the cliff.
At that time Bai Shan was still shouting, “What does it matter to you! What can you understand? Death is my only solution and solace now!” and although the person was voicing how her death would free her from this world, Yin Zheng Zhen only thought was that she couldn't die, absolutely shouldn't! No way! She was going to be married in a couple more days with Qian Xun, was planning on having children in a year and another in two years time, she would then dare Liang Feng to return back to his own company. Her brother, by then certainly would still have found a certain number of girls he 'felt in love with' and 'plan to marry', and she would help him see erased such insensible notion, and maybe, for once, he would listen when she talked and really find someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
She was absolutely against dying!
She crouched, her head hurting but unwilling to stop remembering... what happened next... what happened...
The only image coming to her mind after that was blood on her hands. Despite the darkness of the night, she could still discern the stickiness of blood on her hands which were holding the steering wheel.
The doctor’s Bipper rang and he excused himself, still, in the corridor, loud voices could be heard approaching. A voice she easily remembered. Yin Luo Xue. Her brother's. He was shouting her name. What an unusual thing.
Unsteady, she tried to get up and after trying to dissuade her without succeeding, the nurse helped her up and opened the door. Her brother was holding the person lying on the litter fiercely unwilling to let go. The doctor who just left help restrain her brother who had tears on his face and was shouting as the other doctors whirled the litter in an operating room.
Yin Zheng Zhen who stood at the door of her room could clearly see the lying person's face as the litter came closer and she felt her blood draining from her face.
Her head suddenly throbbed.
She froze her mind blanking, her brain unable to process which reaction to give. She had looked for what seemed like three seconds before the people disappeared in speed however it felt like hours. That face, that body, she could recognize it no matter what... Wasn't it... wasn't it the face she had looked in the mirror for thirty-two years old now?
What...?
Before she knew it, she already lost consciousness.
That night, Yin Zheng Zhen was declared dead while Bai Shan, was saved.
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