Xiao Mubai forcefully barged through the private room door and saw that the room was empty.
His heart sank, and he immediately turned to the waiter, urgently questioning, "Are you sure she's here?"
The usually gentle man spoke with an unusual harshness, startling the waiter into shrinking back before nodding.
"This is the room, alright. Earlier, a very beautiful young lady with red eyes reserved this private room. She looks exactly like the photo on your phone, sir, and her surname is Shen, Shen Nian..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mubai swiftly turned back to the private room, surveying it once more, but still no one was there.
The couch in the room was spotless, not even the fruit platter on the table had been touched, all as clean as if no one had ever entered before.
The panic in Xiao Mubai's heart grew more intense. "Search! Quickly search!"
He then rushed inside, heading straight for the restroom.
He pushed open the restroom door, it was pristinely clean, with no signs of anyone having been there. He hurriedly went to the sink, running his fingers over the basin, no water stains.
In other words, no one had used the sink.
He carefully examined everything again, confirming that there were no traces of blood.
This allowed him to breathe a slight sigh of relief, but the thought of not having found Shen Nian yet made his heart tighten once more.
"Sir! I found her!"
The waiter's voice came from outside. Xiao Mubai immediately rushed out, finding Shen Nian in the most easily overlooked corner of the room.
The moment he laid eyes on her, Xiao Mubai was stunned.
She was sitting in the corner, surrounded by countless empty liquor bottles. In the dim lighting, her head leaned against the wall, eyes closed, tears soaking her small, palm-sized face, her hand gripping an empty liquor bottle that had been drained.
No shouting, no fuss, just silently sitting there, tears streaming down her face.
"Nian Nian, Nian Nian..." Xiao Mubai's heart sank as he crouched down and gripped her shoulders.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed small red dots all over Shen Nian's face and neck, occasionally even some patches of red, as if she had scratched herself.
Xiao Mubai's pupils constricted, his voice trembling, "Nian Nian!"
...
Shen Nian felt like she had slept very deeply, dreaming of when she was around five or six years old.
The tiny her was being held by her mother, while her father took pictures of them with a camera.
Back then, naive and innocent, she looked at her father holding the camera and asked, "Daddy, why aren't you in the picture with us?"
Her doting father stroked her soft hair and said, "Because your and mommy's smiles are only for daddy to see."
Her family was quite wealthy. Her father was a key employee at a company, and her mother was a full-time housewife. They followed the saying, "The husband earns to support the family, the wife and children are responsible for being beautiful."
From as far back as Shen Nian could remember, her parents had never argued. For small family matters, her father listened to her mother, and for more complicated issues, the couple would discuss together.
Shen Nian was their only daughter, so they were willing to invest time and effort into raising her.
Both parents were gentle and patient people, so the daughter they raised was also good-natured.
If not for that car accident... Shen Nian would still be a little girl living in the love and care of her parents.
As a child, all she wanted was to grow up quickly and be her own master, doing what she liked. But after growing up, she realized that being an adult came with so many worries. The most innocent and happiest times were in childhood.
Shen Nian felt like she was walking endlessly on a path, with no direction or end in sight.
After walking for who knows how long, she finally saw figures in the distance.
A couple, walking side by side. As if sensing something, they turned in unison, their faces breaking into gentle smiles upon seeing Shen Nian.
It had been a long time since Shen Nian dreamed of her parents.
Like a young child, she rushed toward them, wanting to embrace them, but fell through an empty space.
Looking up, she saw they were still ten meters away from her.
Every meter she walked, they retreated a meter, maintaining that distance between them forever.
Yet Shen Dad and Shen Mom continued smiling at her.
Finally, Shen Mom opened her mouth.
"Nian Nian."
She called Shen Nian by her nickname, then said,
"Daughter, be a happy person."
Shen Nian was taken aback, and before she could respond, the ground beneath her feet vanished, plunging her into endless darkness...
...
"Beep--" "Beep--"
The monitor beside the hospital bed sounded.
Shen Nian slowly opened her eyes, greeted by a sea of white.
"Beep--"
Drawn by the sound, she turned her head, only then noticing she was in the hospital.
As she was about to look away, she saw the person slumped over the edge of her bed.
Dark, cropped hair, slender, handsome hands...
Shen Nian's heart sank.
Xiao Mubai's sleep was light, and the small sound immediately roused him. He lifted his head, meeting Shen Nian's gaze.
Upon seeing that it was Xiao Mubai, Shen Nian paused, a flicker of disappointment crossing her eyes.
"You're awake!" Xiao Mubai did not notice Shen Nian's strange reaction, clearly excited that she had woken up.
"It's good you're awake, I'm so glad you're awake..."
"I... I'll go call the doctor!"
With that, he immediately stood and rushed out, shouting as he ran, betraying his usual composure.
"Doctor, doctor!"
"Hey..." Shen Nian had wanted to call out to stop him, but Xiao Mubai ran too quickly, taking just a few strides to disappear out of the room.
Shen Nian withdrew her gaze silently, then looked at the call button beside her.
The doctor Xiao Mubai summoned came in and conducted a full examination on her.
"There doesn't seem to be any issues now, but you have alcohol intolerance, so it's best you avoid alcohol in the future. Alcohol intolerance is essentially alcohol poisoning. Mild cases can cause disorientation, hallucinations, convulsions, and other symptoms. Severe cases can lead to unconsciousness, pallor, even shock; patients with underlying conditions may develop complications like cerebral hemorrhage or stroke."
Yesterday, when Xiao Mubai found Shen Nian, she wasn't asleep but had actually passed out.
"Alcohol poisoning?" Shen Nian had heard the term before but never imagined it would apply to her.
She curved her lips, a hint of fatigue on her face. "Doctor, you must be mistaken. I don't have an intolerant constitution, so how could I have alcohol intolerance?"
The doctor's expression was stern as he explained seriously, "You may not have a history of intolerance, but your body isn't in great shape, and your low immunity, coupled with drinking that much alcohol, could easily lead to alcohol intolerance."
Seeing how young she was, the doctor couldn't help but say a few more words: "Although alcohol is not as harmful as smoking, a little bit can be pleasant, but too much can still hurt your body. For the sake of your family and yourself, it's better not to touch it anymore."
Having already had an allergic reaction once, alcohol had become her allergen, just like being allergic to other things - if she came into contact with it, she would have an allergic reaction.
A severe allergic reaction could even be life-threatening.
After the examination, the doctor finally left the ward.
Shen Nian sat leaning against the hospital bed, while Xiao Mubai stood beside her. For a moment, neither of them said a word, and it was unusually quiet.
