Chapter 478: What He Said is True

Chapter 478: He Was Telling the Truth

“So, what are your plans now?”

Meng Fan naturally knew why Li Meiyuan had appeared at the airport that day, but that matter could no longer be discussed at this point, so he turned to ask about her intentions, at least to confirm she wouldn’t attempt suicide again.

“My parents are in America. They planned to arrange for me to go there after graduation. I originally didn’t want to go, but now it seems I’ll have to leave earlier.” Li Meiyuan gave a bitter smile. Half the reason she didn’t want to go to America was because of her ex-boyfriend, and the other half was because of her idol, Park Jae-hae. She never expected... now it all seemed utterly ridiculous.

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Don’t worry. I’ve already died once, so to speak. I have a new understanding of life and a greater reverence for death. I won’t try to end my life again. I think, after going so far away, I’ll start a completely new life. I... I’ll live well, I hope!”

“You will definitely live well.” Hearing this, Meng Fan felt relieved. If she left here to live abroad, it would indeed help her start a new life faster and shake off the shadows of this experience sooner. “There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘After a great disaster, there must be great fortune.’ It should suit you well.”

“No, that old Chinese saying should be ours!” Li Meiyuan said very seriously, then laughed.

Meng Fan was taken aback, then laughed too. “Good. You still have the heart to joke. Then I can leave with peace of mind.”

Li Meiyuan nodded, watching Meng Fan stand up and turn to leave. She added, “I know this matter has affected you quite a bit too. If—I mean, if—you really have some information about those two people, you can act on it as you see fit. Don’t worry about whether it will affect me. I’ll be discharged soon, and my parents are already on their way from America. Once they arrive, I should head straight to America. Whatever happens here has nothing to do with me.”

Meng Fan didn’t turn around. He raised a hand in farewell, opened the door, and put on his hat as he stepped out of the ward.

“Was someone just here?”

Li Meiyuan’s roommate—the one who had found her after her suicide attempt and saved her, who had stood by her side through the airport incident and the online bullying, and who had been caring for her ever since—had only just run out to grab a bite to eat, unable to bear her hunger any longer and knowing Li Meiyuan would never try suicide again.

She had wolfed down a few mouthfuls and hurried back, feeling certain someone had been there, so she asked Li Meiyuan curiously.

Li Meiyuan paused, then shook her head. “No... I don’t think so.”

It wasn’t that Li Meiyuan was lying; she genuinely couldn’t remember. But soon, she did recall—because by then, Meng Fan had already left the inpatient floor, reached a secluded spot, and taken off his hat. Even though Li Meiyuan remembered Meng Fan’s visit, she had already denied it, so no matter how close a friend this was, she couldn’t bring it up again.

For a moment, she felt confused. It wasn’t that she had deliberately concealed it; she had truly forgotten for a second. How could she forget something like that? Strange!

Li Meiyuan’s classmate didn’t press further, thinking a doctor might have come in and that Li Meiyuan was a bit groggy, so she couldn’t recall.

“I brought you some food, all bought according to the doctor’s instructions. You might not like it much, but I hope you can eat a little.” The classmate took out the food and urged her earnestly. “Thanking that Chinese person at the airport was absolutely the right thing to do. Don’t care what others say outside. As long as your conscience is clear, that’s enough! As for those two men you used to love most—”

“I’ll eat!”

Li Meiyuan quickly gestured for her to hand over the food, partly to avoid hearing about those two men and partly because she was genuinely hungry.

“...Oh, good! That’s great!”

The classmate had prepared a long speech of persuasion but was glad it wasn’t needed. She handed over the food and thought about helping to feed her, but seeing Li Meiyuan eating well, she didn’t. She pulled a chair over—huh? Wasn’t that chair over there? How did it get here? Maybe a doctor moved it? It certainly wasn’t Li Meiyuan—and watched her eat with a smile, quickly passing her a glass of water when she ate too fast.

Then, suddenly, a wave of sadness hit her. She knew Li Meiyuan would soon leave this place. She also knew that a change of environment was the best thing for her, but she still felt reluctant. After a long silence, she said, “What do you think? Should I work hard to get into a graduate school in your city?”

“Huh? Really? Your English is terrible!”

“Ha, it’s a bit weak, but I can try. Maybe going abroad would be good too.”

“Really? That’s wonderful! What should I do? I’m already starting to look forward to life in America!”

“Hehe, then that’s truly wonderful!”

Seeing the light return to Li Meiyuan’s eyes, her smile bloomed as well. Finally, she could stop worrying.

But her relief didn’t last long, because she came across a piece of news online.

Ever since Li Meiyuan had been admitted to the hospital, she had tried to shield her from outside information, especially the comments still laced with vicious online bullying. Yet she couldn’t help checking herself—not to see how others were cursing Li Meiyuan, but to look for rational voices and keep up with the latest developments in the case.

“What’s wrong?”

After eating, Li Meiyuan, ignoring her friend’s protests, insisted on getting out of bed to walk around. As she strolled and chatted idly with her friend, she noticed her friend’s expression growing darker and asked.

“Nothing! It’s nothing!”

Her friend chose to hide it at first, not wanting Li Meiyuan to know. But after saying that, she hesitated. The news she had just seen was far more serious than the earlier online abuse. After thinking it over, she spoke up: “Meiyuan, maybe you should sit on the bed first. I just came across some... news that isn’t good for you. I didn’t want to tell you, but after thinking about it, I feel I should.”

“What news?”

Li Meiyuan’s face changed instantly. She was still shaken; she couldn’t help but react. She wanted to know, yet didn’t. So she sat on the bed, forced a reassuring smile, and said with a brave face, “Go ahead. Don’t worry. No matter what I hear, I won’t do anything stupid again!”

Her friend let out a slow breath, already prepared to call the medical staff if she noticed anything wrong with Li Meiyuan. Carefully choosing her words, she said, “He—I mean, your ex-boyfriend—just gave an interview. In the interview, he... he said that you were an actress hired by that Chinese person to put on a show with him at the airport! He also said your suicide attempt was an act! And he claimed he never hit you—that you made it all up! As for breaking up with you, he said that’s completely baseless, and that you were using him to blow things out of proportion!”

Li Meiyuan was stunned for a long time, then laughed bitterly. “He was telling the truth! Is he trying to drive me to die again?”

“Huh?”

Her friend was even more bewildered. She naturally didn’t realize that the first “he” Li Meiyuan referred to wasn’t her ex-boyfriend but Meng Fan.

(The chapter ends)