The world seemed to have stopped in that moment. About three seconds later, there were wails coming from inside the car. The cries continued until they suddenly stopped. Song Qingchun stared at Su Zhinian, and tears fell involuntarily from her eyes. She found herself unable to form any sounds due to the overwhelming heartache. The s.p.a.ce inside the car was creepily quiet as despair slowly but completely swallowed up Song Qingchun.

…

Thankfully, it was nothing more than a scare.

When the truck ran into the rail, the inertia sent the driver flying against the winds.h.i.+eld. He fainted from impact, but despite the gory appearance, he was not fatally injured.

Su Zhinian already awake when he arrived at the hospital. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Song Qingchun, who had a paler face than him. Su Zhinian"s head was sown with seven st.i.tches. After an afternoon of rest, considering how the hospital might be uncomfortable for Song Qingchun, who was pregnant, he quickly arranged for a discharge. Naturally, he was stopped with vehemence by both Doctor Xia and Song Qingchun. In the end, he had no choice but to stay for another twenty-four hours at the hospital for observation.

On the morning of the third day, when Su Zhinian got discharged from the hospital, the truck driver was going through the same process. However, the difference was that Su Zhinian was driven home by Song Qingchun while the truck driver was ferried to the police station.

Afraid that they might cause Song Menghwa unnecessary worry, they didn"t return home but went straight to Su Zhinian"s bungalow.

Before leaving the hospital, Su Zhinian just got off the drip. Due to the effects of drug, Su Zhinian fell into a slumber not long after he reached home.

During the two nights at the hospital, Song Qingchun had been too worried to get a good night"s sleep. Now that everything seemed to be recovering, her fatigue caught up to her. Song Qingchun suddenly felt greatly exhausted. Burrowed in Su Zhinian"s chest, other than thankfulness from having survived that nightmare, the bigger part of her felt relieved. Listening to Su Zhinian"s steady breathing, she soon drifted off to sleep, too.

When Song Qingchun woke up next, it was already noon. One of Su Zhinian"s arms was pillowed underneath her neck while his other arm encircled her waist. Perhaps it was the sedative in his drug, the man was still soundly asleep.

The sun of a new spring washed the room with its generous glow. Song Qingchun felt like she had woken up into a dream. The scene was so precious that Song Qingchun didn"t have the heart to shatter the illusion. She stayed quietly in Su Zhinian"s embrace, not moving even a muscle.

After surviving a tragedy, when the initial shock and sadness washed over, all that was left was a heart of deeper appreciation. When she saw Su Zhinian"s life slipping away before her, Song Qingchun had truly understood the meaning of loss. That feeling had almost broken her sanity; it was not unlike feeling the world crumbling around her.

If possible, at the time, she would have sacrificed herself to save Su Zhinian. So, when he really opened his eyes, all she had left in her heart was thankfulness, grat.i.tude, and appreciation.

In the quiet room, Song Qingchun smiled, facing the sleeping Su Zhinian. She snuggled deeper into his embrace. The man in his sleep seemed to feel her approach because he hugged her closer.