Chapter 795: 796, the elderly send off the young (second update)

Time passed by second by second. After enduring the long ten minutes, Zhou Jin, holding an umbrella and a towel, rushed outside.

Duanmu Sheng was still kneeling there, her face indistinguishable between tears and rainwater.

She was regretting her past actions until an umbrella shielded her head, and only then did she come to her senses. She looked up in surprise

and saw Zhou Jin and Duanmu Canghai standing in the rain.

Just like when she was a child, her parents held the umbrella over her head, while they themselves were exposed to the rain.

That is parental love.

The most selfless and unrequited love in the world.

Unfortunately, she had realized it too late.

Duanmu Sheng, looking up at Zhou Jin and Duanmu Canghai, finally spoke bitterly after a long time, "Dad, Mom!"

"ShengSheng, my ShengSheng, you’ve suffered!" Zhou Jin hugged Duanmu Sheng tightly.

"Mom, I’m sorry! I’ve wronged you." The mother and daughter wept together, while Duanmu Canghai, standing in the rain holding the umbrella for them, also had tears streaming down his face.

"ShengSheng, realizing your mistake is good, come inside with Mom." Zhou Jin released Duanmu Sheng, wiping the tears from her face.

"Dad, I’m sorry, I was wrong!" Duanmu Sheng looked up at Duanmu Canghai, her voice hoarse, "I’ve wronged you and Mom, I’m an unfilial daughter!"

Duanmu Canghai sighed, "To know your mistake and to correct it, there is nothing greater. Get up, come inside with us."

Since the child had already recognized her errors, there was no need for him to cling to that mistake any longer!

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you for forgiving me," Duanmu Sheng said, crying and then laughing, "But... Dad, I can’t go back! I really can’t go back!"

She and Shen Haoguang had registered their marriage; her life was inevitably entwined with Shen Haoguang.

She could not go back.

"Nonsense! Get up quickly and come inside with us!" Duanmu Canghai scoffed coldly.

Zhou Jin immediately stood up to help Duanmu Sheng, "ShengSheng, stop being stubborn. Come back with us. These days, your dad and I have worried enough about you—don’t make us worry anymore."

Because she had been kneeling on the ground for too long, Duanmu Sheng’s legs gave way as she got up, almost falling, but thankfully Duanmu Canghai was there to support her in time.

"Dad!" Duanmu Sheng looked at Duanmu Canghai, almost crying again.

At this moment, she realized that her father, who had always seemed as mighty as a mountain, now had many more white hairs on his head.

"Let’s go." Duanmu Canghai held the umbrella for mother and daughter with one hand and supported Duanmu Sheng’s arm with the other, striding towards the house.

The family of three entered the house where a servant immediately offered dry towels.

"Dad, Mom..." Duanmu Sheng said while drying her hair, looking at Duanmu Canghai and Zhou Jin with eyes full of tears.

Duanmu Canghai said, "Alright, no need to say anything more. It’s good that you’re back; coming back is a new beginning. Go upstairs, take a hot shower, then come down for dinner."

"Okay." Duanmu Sheng nodded slowly and headed upstairs.

"You should take a shower too." Duanmu Canghai looked at Zhou Jin, then added, "Doesn’t ShengSheng love the borscht you cook? After you take a shower, go make some soup for ShengSheng."

"Okay, okay," Zhou Jin said with a smile, "I will go now."

Upstairs.

Duanmu Sheng entered her room and found everything just as it had been the night before she left.

In an instant, she was in tears again.

The parents had never really given up on her.

They had been waiting for her to come back all along.

Duanmu Sheng took her favorite clothes out of the closet, went into the bathroom, took a comfortable bath, changed into the clean and comfortable clothes, then sat down at the vanity to diligently apply makeup.

She would have one last meal with her parents, and then lie quietly in her bed to die.

She was content with her life’s journey thus far.

When she came downstairs after applying her makeup, her parents were already waiting for her in the dining room.

"Dad, Mom." Duanmu Sheng smiled sweetly, then walked over and sat down.

"ShengSheng is here, Mom has served your food, come sit down," Zhou Jin said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mom," Duanmu Sheng said, maintaining a smile on her face.

"Silly child, hurry up and eat," Zhou Jin put some of Duanmu Sheng’s favorite dishes into her bowl.

Duanmu Sheng also served her parents’ favorite dishes.

A meal was eaten in cheerful harmony.

Seeing the content faces of her parents, Duanmu Sheng’s eyes flickered with a dark light.

If only time could always go on like this.

I really wish I could stay with my parents forever.

Unfortunately, I can’t.

What’s missed, will ultimately be missed.

After the meal, realizing she had never really done anything for her parents, Duanmu Sheng asked the servants to bring over two basins of hot water and personally washed her parents’ feet.

Zhou Jin, sitting on the sofa, said with a smile, "My Sheng has really grown up."

Hearing these words, Duanmu Sheng’s eyes reddened, and she was about to cry, but she held back her tears.

I was such a bastard before!

My parents have been so good to me, how could I bear to make them so sad?

It’s all my fault!

After washing her parents’ feet and before going upstairs, Duanmu Sheng looked back seriously at her parents and said slowly, "Dad, Mom, I’m sorry! Thank you for forgiving me!" Having said that, she bowed deeply.

"This child!" Zhou Jin covered her mouth, her eyes reddening.

Duanmu Canghai sighed and said, "Alright, go upstairs and rest, the past is in the past, tomorrow is a new day."

Zhou Jin also immediately said, "Your dad is right, go get some rest."

Duanmu Sheng nodded, "Yeah, Dad, Mom, good night." With those words, she turned and left.

The moment she turned around, tears streamed down Duanmu Sheng’s face, and in her heart she apologized, "Dad, Mom, I’m sorry, please forgive your unfilial daughter."

Zhou Jin and Duanmu Canghai watched Duanmu Sheng’s retreating figure with smiles of relief on their lips.

She’s back.

Their daughter had finally returned.

The heavy stone in their hearts could now be put down.

Entering her room, Duanmu Sheng closed the door, leaned against it, and started to cry softly.

After crying for a while, Duanmu Sheng sat down at the writing desk, took out a piece of stationery, and began to write.

Her handwriting was beautiful, with a kind of elegance that didn’t seem typical of a girl.

In her ears, she could almost hear Duanmu Canghai’s words again, "Our Sheng has the most beautiful handwriting!"

This time, however, the beautiful writing was a suicide note.

Duanmu Sheng wept as she wrote.

Every character was dyed with blood.

All were confessions from the depths of the heart.

At the end, she wrote, "Dad, Mom, sorry, in this life I have not been able to repay your kindness. I hope that in the next life, I may be lucky enough to be your daughter again."

After writing the suicide note, Duanmu Sheng lay on the bed, took out sleeping pills, poured a handful into her palm, and swallowed them all.

Last, she pulled up the covers and closed her eyes with a smile on her lips.

Goodbye, my loved ones.

Downstairs, in the bedroom of Duanmu Sheng’s parents.

Zhou Jin came out of the bathroom, rubbing hand cream while frowning. She didn’t know why, but her heart was beating fast nonstop, as if something big was about to happen.

The uneasiness reached an extreme.

At times, it was so severe she felt difficulty breathing.

Duanmu Canghai sat on the couch reading the newspaper, but no matter what, he couldn’t calm down. He looked at Zhou Jin with a trace of unease, "I don’t know why, but I keep feeling like something big is about to happen."

At those words, Zhou Jin put the hand cream on the counter, looking very nervous, "I feel the same way! My heart has been thumping nonstop since a while ago, it’s never beaten this fast before."

Duanmu Canghai sighed and squinted his eyes, a dangerous glint appeared in them, and he stood up abruptly, "Could anything have happened to Little Zhe and Qingyi?"

Parents and children sometimes share a special psychological connection, so Duanmu Canghai was now a bit nervous as well.

Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi are serving in the army, and they have recently been tasked with a very dangerous mission. Upon hearing this, Zhou Jin’s face turned pale, "What should we do? May Buddha bless them, nothing should happen to Little Zhe and Qingyi!"

Zhou Jin’s eyes reddened with urgency.

Duanmu Canghai’s heartbeat was racing, frantic and spinning with panic, "What do we do? What do we do? That’s right!" A light bulb went off in Duanmu Canghai’s head as he continued, "We can make a phone call! Make a phone call!"

At these words, Zhou Jin hurried to look for her phone, but she was too nervous, her hands trembling nonstop, unable to find the number. Duanmu Canghai was slightly more composed, "Don’t worry, let me do it."

Duanmu Canghai took the phone from Zhou Jin’s hand, found the familiar number, and dialed out.

One second, two seconds.

The call was quickly connected on the other end.

"Hello, Dad." Duanmu Zhe’s voice sounded very calm.

Hearing their son’s voice, the couple sighed in relief simultaneously.

"Little Zhe, where are you now? And Qingyi? Are you both alright?" Zhou Jin snatched the phone back, asking urgently.

"I’m with Qingyi right now," Duanmu Zhe said, sounding a bit worried due to Zhou Jin’s anxious tone, "Mom, what’s wrong? Did something happen?"

"As long as you two are fine," Zhou Jin’s pounding heart finally settled, "Your dad and I are alright, we just missed you a bit. Oh, has your marriage leave report come through yet?"

"Not yet, it’ll probably take some time," Duanmu Zhe answered, "Has Sheng come back? She called me today but I missed it. Qingyi mentioned that Sheng seemed a bit off."

Duanmu Zhe was still very concerned about his third sister.

"She’s back, she’s back," Zhou Jin said with a smile, "Ever since your third sister came back this time, she’s completely changed, become much more sensible." Mentioning Duanmu Sheng, Zhou Jin felt quite comforted.

At the mention of Duanmu Sheng, Duanmu Canghai’s expression changed, and he quickly took the phone from Zhou Jin’s hand, speaking to the other side, "Little Zhe, it’s late now. You two should get some rest early. I’m going to hang up now, good night."

"Why are you in such a hurry to hang up? I haven’t had a proper chat with our son yet!" Zhou Jin complained.

"Go upstairs and check on Sheng!" Duanmu Canghai said with intense anxiety.

Duanmu Sheng’s behavior was very strange tonight; it couldn’t be explained merely as being sensible—it felt more like a farewell!

He could only hope it was all in his head.

"Sheng?" Zhou Jin frowned slightly, "What’s wrong with Sheng?"

Duanmu Sheng had come back safely. What could possibly be wrong?

"Didn’t you notice how odd that girl Sheng was behaving tonight?" Duanmu Canghai rushed towards the door.

Zhou Jin immediately followed Duanmu Canghai, her complexion, which had just eased, turning pale again. Duanmu Canghai was right; Duanmu Sheng’s behavior was indeed very strange tonight, and she had even said some odd things.

It was terrifying to contemplate.

The couple rushed quickly to the door of Duanmu Sheng’s room. Duanmu Canghai took a step back, turned to Zhou Jin, and said, "You knock."

After all, their daughter had grown up, and even as her biological father, there were times when he had to keep his distance.

"Alright." Zhou Jin’s hand trembled as she knocked on the door, "Sheng, Sheng, hey, Sheng, are you asleep?"

There was no response from inside the room.

"Sheng! Sheng!" Zhou Jin knocked on the wooden door urgently, her voice several decibels louder.

But the room remained eerily quiet. Zhou Jin panicked, reaching for the doorknob, but the wooden door was immobile, the key wouldn’t turn—it looked like it had been locked from the inside.

"Step aside!" Duanmu Canghai pushed Zhou Jin away.

By now Zhou Jin’s eyes were red with urgency. Sheng had always been a stubborn child, determined to the end. Having gone through such an ordeal, Zhou Jin feared she might do something foolish.

The more Zhou Jin thought, the more frightened she became, almost bursting into tears, covering her mouth with her hand, desperately trying to control her emotions.

Duanmu Canghai took a few steps backward, then charged forward, shoving the door open with his body.

The lights were still on in the room.

Zhou Jin also rushed in and saw Duanmu Sheng lying on the bed, a wave of relief washing over her until she saw the scattered sleeping pills on the nightstand—her blood ran cold!

"Sheng, Sheng, hey! Wake up, don’t scare me!" Zhou Jin rushed to the bedside, shaking Duanmu Sheng’s shoulders vigorously.

Duanmu Sheng did not respond at all.

Her complexion was ashen, lips white as paper.

On her body, there were scarcely any signs of life left.

"Sheng! Child, why are you so foolish!" Zhou Jin cried out in despair.

Seeing her daughter like this, her mind ceased to think. Other than crying, she could think of nothing else to do.

Duanmu Canghai was still trying to remain calm. He staggered backward a few steps, then pulled out his phone from his pocket, and dialed for emergency services. After making the call, Duanmu Canghai discovered the suicide note on the vanity.

He held the suicide note, feeling as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him in that instant. He was so frantic he couldn’t even cry, his whole body leaning on the vanity, his lips trembling. Other than fear and panic, he hardly felt anything else.

"Sheng, Sheng, open your eyes and look at Mom, Sheng..." Zhou Jin cried, shaking Duanmu Sheng, her voice nearly hoarse.

Duanmu Sheng had fallen into a severe coma, and in her hazy state, she seemed to hear her mother’s voice. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as if they were glued shut, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open them.

Her internal organs felt as if they were on fire, the pain was unbearable. She wanted to sit up, but she couldn’t muster a shred of strength. Not only was her body in torment, Duanmu Sheng’s heart was also in extreme distress. She felt like she was about to die...

As she teetered on the brink of death, she began to regret. Her life had been too short, short to the point where she had not yet properly taken care of her parents.

She had not yet seen Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi.

A scalding tear slid from the corner of Duanmu Sheng’s eye. If she could do it all over again, she would never have been so obstinate as to register her marriage with Shen Haoguang without her parents’ consent, nor would she have fallen out with them.

She would have obediently listened, she would have taken good care of her parents.

Because in this world, the people who love you the most will always be your parents.

Alas, by the time she realized this truth, it was too late.

In a blur, she heard the sound of an ambulance, along with the urgent voices of medical personnel.

"The patient has taken a large amount of sleeping pills, all vital signs are now showing a state of shock. The family should be mentally prepared," one of them said.

At these words, Zhou Jin immediately burst into loud sobs.

Even Duanmu Canghai couldn’t help crying out.

Duanmu Sheng’s heart was filled with bitter regret. She had never seen her father cry in all her years, but this time, because of her...

How she regretted it.

She was not a good daughter, not only had she brought no joy to her parents, but now she had brought them endless pain.

Duanmu Sheng was placed onto an ambulance, where medical staff began to administer emergency first aid.

Duanmu Canghai tightly grasped Duanmu Sheng’s hand, "Sheng Sheng, it’s Daddy. Please hold on, when you were little Daddy wasn’t there to see you grow up. Daddy is here to apologize, Daddy is at fault..." His voice was heavy with tears.

"Sheng Sheng, you’ve always been Daddy’s pride. You’ve been smart since you were a child, hardly ever making your mom and me worry. But this time, how could you be so foolish... Sheng Sheng, you have to pull through, even if it’s for your mom and me..."

Duanmu Canghai had never felt as hopeless as he did at this moment.

The ambulance quickly reached the hospital, and Duanmu Sheng was rushed to the emergency room, with the surgical light turned on.

Duanmu Canghai and Zhou Jin sat desolately, their faces ashen.

During this time, the doctor issued three critical condition notices.

Each one dealt a massive blow to the couple’s psyche.

Zhou Jin’s eyes were red and swollen from crying.

Duanmu Canghai patted Zhou Jin on the back, trying to comfort her, "It’s okay, don’t be afraid. These doctors like to scare people the most. Look, they’ve issued three critical condition notices, and our Sheng Sheng is still okay, isn’t she?"

But as he comforted her, Duanmu Canghai couldn’t help but break down in tears himself.

Three hours later, the surgical light went out.

The couple rushed over, "Doctor, how is my daughter? Has she woken up?"

The doctor in blue scrubs, seeing the couple, took off his mask and shook his head regretfully, "The patient’s condition is very poor, and she has now been transferred to the ICU. To prevent the unexpected, you should... prepare the mourning clothes."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jin almost lost her balance, feeling as though her world was collapsing. Her legs gave out, and she knelt down before the doctor, "Doctor, please, save my daughter! I’m begging you! Whatever it takes to save my daughter, I’ll do anything!"

The love of parents knows no bounds.

The doctor was a young man. Seeing this, he quickly helped Zhou Jin to her feet, "Auntie, please don’t do this! We’ve really tried our best!"

"Is there really no way?" Zhou Jin clutched the doctor’s wrist tightly, tears streaming down her face, "Doctor, please have mercy on me, my Sheng Sheng is only 28 years old... she’s only twenty-eight..."

Her life was just beginning.

Duanmu Canghai begged hoarsely, "Doctor, if you can save my daughter, no matter the cost, we’re willing to pay it! Please, save her! I, Duanmu Canghai, have never begged anyone in my life, but today, here, I’m begging you! Save my daughter! She can’t have anything happen to her!"

By the end, Duanmu Canghai was sobbing, kneeling before the doctor.

If only they could save Duanmu Sheng, they were willing to do anything.

Duanmu Canghai had never faced such despair in his life as he did today.

He wished he could be the one lying on the hospital bed, not Duanmu Sheng!

The doctor sighed, "I’m sorry, Auntie, we’ve truly done all we can. She was brought in too late. If she had been here 30 minutes earlier, there might have been a slim chance, but now her body is already showing signs of failure..." The doctor shook his head regretfully.

As Zhou Jin listened to the doctor’s words, her vision darkened, and she fainted.

"Zhou Jin!" Duanmu Canghai caught her, his voice trembling.

In this world, there is no greater pain than that of the white-haired sending off the black-haired.

Zhou Jin already had a heart condition; she couldn’t withstand such a shock.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read