NOVEL WEB Chapter 15 - I
Xie Qi did not immediately leave after resolving the three emergencies.
His mind was in disarray. It might have been a coincidence before, but this time… it was evident that Qin Yizhi could hear him!
A living vegetative state? No, was he conscious?
Suddenly feeling timid, Xie Qi wondered if Qin Yizhi had been conscious all along. Would he know everything Xie Qi did and said to him?
Pursing his lips, Xie Qi guiltily thought he had no choice but to follow Yao Wenzhu’s advice.
Regardless, he hadn’t woken up in the past six months. How could he suddenly wake up shortly after Xie Qi arrived? He should keep pretending for at least five more months until the summer vacation was over, and he went to college.
After constructing this psychological reasoning, Xie Qi finally mustered the courage to leave the room.
Qin Yizhi was sleeping peacefully under the light, as if the recent events were just a dream for Xie Qi.
Approaching his bedside, Xie Qi hesitated before opening Qin Yizhi’s eyelids to observe his eyeballs. He picked up his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shined it into Qin Yizhi’s eyes. Qin Yizhi’s pupils didn’t shrink immediately as they should in a normal person but gradually narrowed.
Xie Qi: “…”
Lacking medical knowledge, Xie Qi still understood that the reaction of pupils couldn’t lie, eliminating any doubt that Qin Yizhi was truly in a vegetative state.
Was he conscious?
Xie Qi found it hard to imagine that a vegetative person could be conscious. He resolved to ask the doctor about it tomorrow.
At that moment, the ward door opened, and a nurse walked in with a trolley.
Surprised to see Xie Qi, she remarked, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Xie Qi asked, “Should I leave? The hospital doesn’t seem to have such regulations?”
The nurse said, “Oh,” and clarified, “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m just a little surprised.”
As she pushed the trolley to the bedside to change Qin Yizhi’s nutritional solution, Xie Qi stayed and began chatting with her, “Excuse me, if someone is in a vegetative state, can they be conscious?”
The nurse replied, “Usually not, but there are exceptions. Some vegetative people can turn over and respond to what people say, but such cases are relatively rare.”
Xie Qi inquired further, “Has he always been like this? Has he never moved?”
The nurse explained, “No, his condition is severe. He almost died at that time, but he finally survived. After he came her, he entered a vegetative state, and I’m afraid he won’t wake up in a year or two.”
The nurse was busy, and Xie Qi didn’t know where to look, so he simply averted his gaze and focused on an oil painting landscape mural hanging on the wall.
He couldn’t help but think that being in a vegetative state was quite undignified.
How could he suspect that Qin Yizhi was pretending to be a vegetable? After all, there was no benefit to pretending to be in a vegetative state.
By the time the nurse finished her work, about ten minutes had passed.
Xie Qi did not watch this process but still asked, “If he can grasp his hands, does it mean that he is about to wake up?”
The nurse hesitated, “Not necessarily. This only means that some of the patient’s body functions have returned to normal levels. There will be nerve reflexes and other behaviors, but this does not mean that he is about to wake up. Well, if you still have any doubts, you can ask the doctor tomorrow. I don’t know much.” She put away the bottles and pushed the cart out.
.
Xie Qi sat back, took out his mobile phone, replied to Yao Wenzhu, and said to her, [Mom, Yizhi has moved his hand. Is he about to wake up? Does he need to be checked by a doctor?]
Yao Wenzhu replied quickly. [I have checked before. The doctor said that he is better than before, but it is still unknown whether he can wake up. He has no reaction to me, but he really likes you.]
Xie Qi: “…”
He pursed his lips, typed, and replied, [Actually, it might be a coincidence.]
Yao Wenzhu said, [I know, he really doesn’t like me very much.]
Xie Qi: “?”
How could it be? Was there any conflict between mother and son? It didn’t look like the two had problem either.
Yao Wenzhu replied, [After all, we are a single-parent family. His father died early, so I took care of him more. I also accompanied him when he went to university abroad. He didn’t like it, and he also became estranged from me. So, when I talk to him, it’s normal that he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t like me as a mother.]
Xie Qi: “…”
Thinking about it, it seemed normal. After all, Qin Yizhi was in a vegetative state, and she came to see him almost every day.
Yao Wenzhu continued, [To be honest, I really can’t do anything about him. When he was a child, he was actually quite lively and loved to laugh. But after some things happened, he has always been cold and indifferent, and he has become less talkative. He was already very stable when he was 2 years old, and he would never tell me what he was worried about. I feel like I don’t know my son very well.]
Xie Qi replied dryly, [He must have his reasons for doing this. Maybe he doesn’t want you to worry.]
Yao Wenzhu: [I thought I had prepared everything for him, and he would like it, but it turns out he might think I care about him too much, and he doesn’t like to stay with me anyway.]
Yao Wenzhu’s mood dropped: […Hey, let’s not talk anymore. I’m sad. You can sleep in the next room tonight. I’ve already asked someone to prepare a change of clothes for you. After all, you have to live here during the summer vacation, right?]
Xie Qi: [Okay, thank you, Mom.]