Chapter 17: The Birthday Gift

The last examination was repeated several times before it was successfully completed.
Yi Lan’s face was very pale when she was pushed out of the examination room.
Jiang Wenting immediately took her hand upon exiting: “The examination is done, Yi Lan.
Let’s go back to the room to rest.”

Beiye also came over, offered a few words of comfort, then gave them space, letting the two walk hand-in-hand while she and Xiao Ru followed behind.

Xiao Ru had been holding in her frustration all morning, and seeing Jiang Wenting like this now made her even more annoyed.
She couldn’t help but mutter to Beiye: “On her birthday, she can’t even get a hot meal.
I really don’t know why she’s being so kind!”

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it reached Yi Lan’s ears perfectly.

Jiang Wenting turned back, wanting to say something, but Beiye spoke first: “Xiao Ru, whatever Jiang Jiang does and how she does it, that’s her freedom.
As friends, we can only hint at things.
Jiang Jiang has a good temper, and she truly treats us like family, but we also need to have our own boundaries, so that our relationships can last, understand?”

Xiao Ru tilted her head upon hearing this.
Seeing Beiye’s serious expression, she wanted to argue but felt she had no right.
After all, Beiye and Jiang Wenting had grown up together, and whenever Jiang Wenting faced a major crisis, Beiye was always the first to rush forward.
This bond might even surpass family, and certainly couldn’t be compared to her, an admirer who had appeared halfway through.

Beiye saw the other party deflate and reached out to rub the back of her neck, then returned to her usual carefree demeanor: “What, you’re unhappy just because big sis said something to you?”

Xiao Ru pulled down her baseball cap and quietly muttered, “No.”

Beiye wrapped her long arm around her: “Don’t be unhappy, big sis will take you out for something delicious!”

Without waiting for a reply, she loudly reported to Jiang Wenting: “Jiang Jiang, you go back to the ward with Yi Lan.
Xiao Ru and I are going out to grab a good meal!”

Jiang Wenting turned back and glanced at them: “Go ahead, be careful on the road.”

Xiao Ru still wanted to struggle, but Beiye circled her and led her a few meters away.
She turned back: “Jiang Jiang, we’ll bring you guys some yam and pork rib soup later, okay!”

“Mm, okay!”

The transport bed slowly moved forward, pushed by medical staff.
Jiang Wenting stayed by its side, holding Yi Lan’s hand and talking to her: “Beiye and the others went out to eat.
They’ll bring us pork rib soup later.
There’s a pork rib soup place at the snack street that’s especially delicious.
Is there anything else Yi Lan wants to eat, that we can have them bring us?”

Yi Lan pursed her lips and shook her head, her fingers tightening.
Jiang Wenting could feel her unease.

“Don’t be afraid, everything’s fine after the check-up.
You don’t even need an IV drip this afternoon.
I’ll stay with you and we’ll rest properly.
How about we play on the phone for a bit?”

Yi Lan closed her eyes and stopped responding.
Just now, being on the machine, scanned over and over, she felt so suffocated, more suffocated than having an arrow pierce her chest during battle.
She constantly adjusted her breathing, trying to calm her panic, thinking that once the examination was done quickly, that strange voice could fulfill its promise…

The transport bed entered the ward, and Yi Lan was helped onto the hospital bed.
The medical staff informed Jiang Wenting that the examination results would be synchronized with Doctor Qin, and she should make time to go and understand the situation.
Jiang Wenting agreed, and the medical staff left.

Jiang Wenting went to the water dispenser, poured half a cup of warm water, and fed it to her with a straw.

Yi Lan held the paper cup with both hands, took a few sips, and her dry throat was relieved.

She returned the paper cup to Jiang Wenting and proactively called her name: “Jiang Wenting.”

Jiang Wenting found it unusual, her gaze even softer than before: “What is it?”

“You go find that doctor,” Yi Lan’s voice was faint and weak, “I’ll rest for a bit, I’m a little tired.”

After saying that, she closed her eyes, looking truly on the verge of collapsing.
Jiang Wenting gently pulled the blanket up a bit and leaned her soft lips close to Yi Lan’s ear: “Then you sleep for a bit.
I’ll be back very soon, wait for me, okay!”

Yi Lan felt the warm breath but said nothing.
The person by her ear stood up and quietly walked towards the door.
She watched her movements until the ward door was completely closed.

Jiang Wenting went to Doctor Qin Mo to understand the situation and then picked up some medicine from the pharmacy, which took about half an hour.
When she returned, the person on the hospital bed was gone.
She froze for a moment, then went to the bathroom to look.

The bathroom door was ajar.
She knocked: “Yi Lan?”

There was no response from inside.

“Yi Lan?” Jiang Wenting’s heart tightened, and she pushed the door open.
The bathroom was empty.

At this point, she completely panicked and pulled out her phone to video call Beiye.

The call was answered quickly.
Beiye was holding a skewer of lamb, her mouth full of oil and cumin: “What is it, Jiang Jiang?”

“Did Yi Lan video call you?” Jiang Wenting’s voice trembled with anxiety.

“No!” Beiye put down her skewer, shedding her relaxed and casual demeanor, “What’s wrong, Jiang Jiang?
What happened?”

“Yi Lan is gone,” Jiang Wenting’s eyes instantly reddened, and her voice held an undetectable hint of a sob, “I went to Doctor Qin to ask about the examination results and pick up some medicine.
When I came back, she was gone…”

“Don’t worry, Jiang Jiang.
Xiao Ru and I are coming right away.
We’ll search together, don’t worry!” Beiye comforted and guided, “Think carefully, is there any other place Yi Lan might have gone?
Didn’t you say she wasn’t used to using the bathroom in the room before?
Did you check the public restroom?”

“Oh, right, the public restroom!” Jiang Wenting remembered the reminder and rushed out the door, running all the way to the public restroom, knocking on every locked stall door and asking: “Yi Lan, Yi Lan, are you in there?
If you are, please say something, Yi Lan…”

Not a single stall gave her a response.
Worried that the person inside might have fainted, she went from stall to stall, asking: “Yi Lan, hello, excuse me, is the person inside Yi Lan?”

“No.”
“No…”

She had asked every locked stall, and all the answers were negative.

Jiang Wenting was on the verge of breaking down: “No, none of them are.
Then where could she have gone?”

“Jiang Jiang,” Beiye’s call had remained connected, “Don’t worry, call that police officer and ask him to help check the hospital’s surveillance.
We’re already on our way!”

Under Beiye’s instruction, Jiang Wenting hung up the video call and dialed Captain Lu.
Upon receiving the call for help, Captain Lu also rushed to the hospital immediately.
Jiang Wenting was now like a headless fly, disregarding her identity, asking everyone she met if they had seen someone in a hospital gown.

She even described the person’s facial features vaguely.
A moment later, Beiye sent a photo: it was Yi Lan holding a cake plate and licking cream.
The hospital gown hung loosely on her, and the platinum bracelet Jiang Wenting had put on her was still on her right wrist.

After sending the photo, Beiye added a voice message: “Jiang Jiang, take the photo and ask the hospital staff if anyone saw Yi Lan leave.”

Then she added: “I just tried calling her, she hung up.
I don’t know if it’s her or if someone else picked up.
I’ll try calling a few more times.”

Upon receiving this information, Jiang Wenting immediately tried to video call her again.
The video call was disconnected before it even rang.
When she tried to call, it went straight to voicemail.
She didn’t know if someone had picked up her phone or if she was in danger.

The more she thought, the more panicked she became.
The image of Yi Lan proactively speaking to her just now, and the other party’s obvious uneasiness and nervousness when she came out of the examination room, resurfaced in her mind.
Was she afraid of being pulled in for another examination, so she secretly slipped away?
And those proactive words, were they just to make her lower her guard…

Jiang Wenting helplessly pinched her palm with her fingertips.
The slight pain brought her back to a shred of rationality.
At this moment, Captain Lu’s call came in.

“Ms. Jiang, our information department has connected to the hospital’s surveillance.
We saw her last appear at 1:54 PM, and she definitely left the hospital, walking towards the right.
We also pulled up the street cameras, but there were a lot of people on the road at the time, we only saw her pass by a cake shop, and then it’s a blind spot, the camera couldn’t capture much…”

“Cake shop?” Before Captain Lu could finish, Jiang Wenting reacted.

“We are on our way there now, the person should be safe, please don’t worry…” Captain Lu’s voice was drowned out in the receiver.

Jiang Wenting was already downstairs.
She jogged all the way towards the cake shop.
Halfway there, she vaguely noticed a figure in a blue striped uniform on a roadside platform.
Still worried, she turned back a few steps.

At this moment, Yi Lan was sitting under the scorching sun, resting, her forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat.
In her hand was a green gift bag with a “WenTinG” logo printed on it.
There was no doubt what was inside the bag.

“Yi Lan,” the moment she called her name, Jiang Wenting’s heart felt as if it had melted away, leaving only a thick liquid surging with emotion.
She quickly walked over, bent down, and took the hand of the person in front of her, her chest heaving from the intense exertion.

Yi Lan looked up, her tired phoenix eyes gazing at her, and spoke in her usual faint voice.

“I came out to look for my gun, and I passed by a pastry shop, that’s why I bought this cake.”

Jiang Wenting hummed, forcing back the soreness in her eyes as she asked, “Did Yi Lan find her gun?”

Yi Lan’s gaze hesitated for half a second, then she said: “No.”

Jiang Wenting sat down next to her, rested for a moment, and wiped the fine sweat from the sides of Yi Lan’s temples with the back of her hand: “With such strong sun, Yi Lan didn’t find her gun, isn’t it hot sitting here and not going back?”

She pursed her lips, and after several seconds, slightly parted them, saying in an even tone: “Can’t walk anymore, resting for a bit.”

For some reason, Jiang Wenting’s tears welled up instantly.

Yi Lan’s fingertips curled.
The phrase “Happy Birthday,” hidden in her heart, she ultimately couldn’t say it.
She had no standing, no courage.

Jiang Wenting sniffed, trying her best to regain her usual gentleness: “It’s hot, shall we go back?
I’ll carry you.”

Yi Lan shook her head, said “No need,” and tried to flip herself up.
Jiang Wenting was quicker, helping her up and forcibly positioning her onto her back.

Two soft spots pressed against her thin spine, feeling a little uncomfortable, but she uncharacteristically didn’t struggle.
A faint osmanthus scent mixed with body fragrance and sweat wafted.

Jiang Wenting picked up the cake and handed it to her.
Yi Lan carried the cake; she carried the cake and the person, slowly walking forward…