Chapter 176: Chapter 176

Pei Che first followed the attending doctor to fetch some items. The doctor opened the cabinet door and handed him a transparent ziplock bag.

"Before entering the operating room, she was tightly clutching this piece of jade; it should be very important to her." The attending doctor described the scenario he had heard from others, "At that time, the nurse tried to pry open her fingers but failed. It was only after administering anesthesia that they managed to take it out."

The ziplock bag contained a piece of white jade hand grip and a golden bracelet.

The hand grip was a vividly carved majestic lion. Because it was in a state of closed-eye sleep, it appeared imposing but not so ferocious, even somewhat gentle.

There were a few drops of dried blood on the clear jade.

Almost instantly, the moment of the accident flashed in Pei Che’s mind, with Little Nian clutching it in extreme panic and fear, making his heart ache involuntarily.

The golden bracelet was adorned with a small pendant, styled like a lock, very exquisite and beautiful. Pei Che glanced at it, put away the items, and pocketed them.

Pei Che lifted his eyes and nodded to the attending doctor, who was in his forties.

"You’re welcome." The attending doctor noticed how much Pei Che cared about Shen Jianian, and comforted him, "The patient hasn’t been conscious for very long, but all her physical data indicators are fine. I believe it won’t be long before she can be moved to a regular ward."

"Mm." Pei Che showed a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

Just like last time, Pei Che put on isolation gear and entered the intensive care unit.

Little Nian was just as she had been when he last came to see her, lying there motionless, her eyes gently closed, her eyelashes long, thick, and slightly upturned, resembling a child who had played all day and fallen asleep.

Pei Che bent down toward her, wearing protective gloves, and carefully touched her exposed hand back, speaking softly: "Little Nian, it’s Ah Che, can you hear my voice? You must get well soon; whatever you want to do when you wake up, I will agree to it. I won’t make you sad or troubled again."

As he spoke, his voice began to tremble.

He had promised to remain emotionally stable, but he ultimately overestimated himself. Facing her, he could never control his emotions.

It was the same in the past. Ever since he learned about the cause of the Shen family’s accident, whenever he saw Little Nian, he poured all his emotions onto her, begging her for forgiveness, hoping she would accept him again, willing to risk his life to atone. Little did he know, such actions only poured salt on her wounds.

Pei Che tilted his head back, blinking his sore eyes, resisting the urge to cry, and when he had somewhat calmed his emotions, he lowered his head again. He saw the person on the bed’s eyelashes tremble as if trying to flap wings like a rain-soaked butterfly attempting to fly again.

Seemingly unable to believe his eyes, Pei Che held his breath and called her name more softly: "Little Nian, Little Nian, are you awake?"

Waiting five seconds, ten seconds, perhaps even longer, Pei Che wasn’t sure, but in his view, the trembling eyelashes slowly opened, revealing a pair of misty pupils, where shadows of light flickered, seemingly akin to witnessing the moment the sun leaps over the horizon, filled with the hope of life.

Pei Che was surprised and excited, entirely beside himself, wanting to call the doctor but afraid of disturbing the newly awakened person, stunned in place, unsure where to put his hands and feet.

He leaned closer to her, softly asking: "Little Nian, can you see me? Can you hear me?"

Lying on the hospital bed, Shen Jianian moved her eyes, her gaze falling on his face, staring for a while, attempting to lift her hand but finding the action somewhat difficult, her lightly pursed lips releasing a faint "Mm."

A very soft sound, like a petal falling from a branch, yet Pei Che heard it, quickly misting before his eyes, but the corners of his lips under the mask still couldn’t help but lift.

Overwhelmed with joy, such is the feeling.

Shen Jianian tried to open her mouth to speak, her voice hoarse to the point of unfamiliarity, squeezing out two syllables: "Ah... Che."

He didn’t remember how long it had been since he’d heard her call him that way, and Pei Che was stunned.

But soon he came back to his senses, holding her hand resting beside the hospital bed. Through a thin transparent glove, he could feel her normal body temperature.

There’s nothing more beautiful than being alive; at that moment, he truly believed so.

"What do you want to say?"

Pei Che gazed warmly and deeply at her, although the lower half of his face was hidden under a mask and couldn’t be seen, Shen Jianian could imagine it was undoubtedly joyful.

Because she saw joyful tears in his eyes.

At the same time, she saw her small reflection in his eyes, bound with white bandages on face and neck... Suddenly a bit panicked.

Pei Che saw the heart rate on the monitor connected to her body speeding up and his expression changed suddenly, quickly reassuring her: "Don’t rush, it’s okay if you can’t speak right now, I’m here. We’ll take it slow."

The little hand he held moved slightly, using an insignificant force to scratch his palm, and then he saw her mouth moving, involuntarily tilting his ear to listen.

A few short sounds reached his ear: "I... I... how..."

Pei Che understood the syllables she said and pieced together what she wanted to express, turned to face her and gently and patiently said: "Can’t remember? You had a car accident and now you’re in the hospital undergoing treatment. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you until you fully recover, and don’t be afraid, the doctor said you’ll be okay."

He spoke slowly to ensure she could understand.

Shen Jianian struggled to recall, having no impression of it, looking into his eyes with confusion and fear of the unknown.

Pei Che noticed something was wrong, and without delay, called for the attending doctor.

The attending doctor arrived with an assistant, conducting a basic physical examination on Shen Jianian, then asking her some routine questions.

No need for detailed answers, a simple one or two-word response was sufficient.

After the entire process, the attending doctor also noticed issues. The patient knew she was called Shen Jianian, recognized the man beside her, could accurately say his name, and remembered clearly the number of people in her family and who they were. But she forgot how she had the car accident and didn’t remember why she was in Jiang City, she thought she was in Beicheng.

The doctor refrained from mentioning the pregnancy, as her child was lost, her body still weak, and couldn’t withstand further stress.

Shen Jianian answered several questions, her panic growing, her heart rate continually soaring.

The attending doctor patted her arm, speaking gently to alleviate her anxiety and unease: "Don’t be nervous, there’s no major issue with your body, rest assured and recover slowly."

Perhaps the doctor’s words were reassuring, or maybe her energy was lacking, Shen Jianian soon fell asleep.

The attending doctor exchanged a look with Pei Che, and the two left the intensive care unit to discuss further in the office: "My suggestion is to conduct a detailed brain examination once she moves to a regular ward. Based on the monitored data, her condition seems fine in other aspects. Such memory loss is largely psychological, like post-traumatic stress disorder, where the brain deletes a segment of memory as a self-protection measure. With time, she might recall, or it could be forgotten forever. Currently, it is unclear how long she has forgotten; as family, keep an eye on this and inform me promptly of any issues."

Pei Che understood roughly, his brows furrowed: "She’s lost her memory?"

"You could say that." The attending doctor saw his heavy expression and offered comfort: "It’s not unusual. I had a similar patient before, around forty years old, who lost memory of the accident day due to head trauma from a car crash, just like Shen Jianian. Yet, it was only that day’s incident she couldn’t remember and it didn’t affect daily life."

With a real case before him, Pei Che felt slight relief, and after consulting the doctor on some questions, he left the office.

He didn’t rush to leave the hospital, standing in the corridor, hands holding the railing, peering through the glass towards the garden below, watching the patients and family members moving around.

A little boy sat in a wheelchair, one pant leg hanging empty, his mother pushing him inside. As they climbed a slope, to ease his mother’s effort, the boy gripped the wheels and pushed forward.

There was an elderly lady, her hair white as snow, unknown illness afflicting her, wearing a red knitted hat, supported by an equally elderly man shuffling forward. The two spoke with their heads together, absent was the sorrow of illness, instead there was a hint of smile.

Pei Che took a deep breath, his heart slowly opening up.

It was he who pulled Little Nian back from the brink of death. What were disfigurement and memory loss in comparison? Against her being alive, everything else seemed trivial.