Chapter 15.2 - Kangxi Dictionary (2)
A few days later, while Cong Rong was organizing files on her computer, she came across those photos again. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to delete them. Frowning, she shut the laptop instead.
She had recently taken on a new case and was completely overwhelmed. Just before the court date, she discovered that the client had lied and submitted false evidence. She and her assistant had to work overtime to reorganize the case files. By the time she returned to her apartment complex, it was nearly 11 PM.
Her head was spinning. As she stepped out of the elevator, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the corner and lunged at her. She instinctively backed away without checking behind her. A few steps later, the back of her head slammed into the corner of a fire hydrant box.
A sharp pain hit her instantly, and her vision went dark. She bent forward, clutching her forehead, gasping as she waited for the dizziness to pass.
She then heard a low male voice scolding someone, and soon felt a warm hand steady her.
Looking up, she saw Wen Shaoqing. His face was full of concern. “Rang Yi Rang was just playing around—are you okay?”
Cong Rong still remembered she was mad at him. She pushed him away. “I don’t need you to worry about me.”
Wen Shaoqing saw that she was in so much pain she was about to cry. “Alright, alright, don’t be angry. Let me take a look. Last week a patient hit their head, thought it was nothing. That night they fell into a coma and didn’t make it.”
Cong Rong felt a bit shaken. The lump on the back of her head had swelled quickly—she must have hit it hard. She furrowed her brow and finally said, “…Okay.”
Rang Yi Rang seemed to realize it had caused trouble and darted off instantly.
Wen Shaoqing gently supported her head with one hand, while using the other to lightly press on the swollen lump. “Do you feel dizzy or nauseous? Is your vision blurry?”
Cong Rong frowned deeper. “No, but easy! It hurts!”
Wen Shaoqing pulled his hand back and held up his fingers. “How many?”
Cong Rong was speechless. “I didn’t lose my mind.”
He gently turned her head side to side. “And this? Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, or hear any ringing?”
Cong Rong slowly shook her head. “No, just pain.”
“Is the pain only where you hit it, or anywhere else?”
“Just the lump.”
“You’re sure it’s the lump hurting and not a headache?”
“…I can’t really tell.”
Wen Shaoqing withdrew his hand. “Move around a little. Talk more.”
Cong Rong shifted slightly and felt a bit better. “It should be fine.”
“You should still go to the hospital tomorrow for a scan,” he said, then added casually, “Tonight, you’re sleeping at my place.”
Cong Rong stared at him in shock. “Why?”
“So I can monitor you. What if something happens overnight? I’ll need to get you to the hospital in time.”
Cong Rong found that ridiculous. “No way!”
Wen Shaoqing ignored her protest. “It was because Rang Yi Rang jumped out that you hit your head. As its owner, I have to take responsibility.”
“I don’t need you to take responsibility,” she said, frowning.
“Then I’ll sleep at your place. Same thing.”
Cong Rong rolled her eyes. “Wen Shaoqing, are you taking advantage of the situation?”
Suddenly, Wen Shaoqing grew serious. “Speaking as a doctor, I’m reminding you sincerely: head injuries are unpredictable. Just because you’re fine now doesn’t mean you’ll be fine later. The back of the head is where the skull connects with the cervical spine. It’s one of the most compact areas of the brain. If an injury causes bleeding there, it can compress the brainstem. The brainstem controls vital functions like heartbeat, breathing, and digestion. If it's damaged, the person can fall into a coma instantly—or worse, die. The most common result is never waking up again.”
Cong Rong looked at his serious face and felt a chill. “Are you trying to scare me?”
Wen Shaoqing looked at her calmly. “As long as you’re scared, that’s enough.”
She was, in fact, a little scared. What he said wasn’t nonsense—she’d heard of similar cases. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “I’ll call Zhong Zhen. He’s also a medical student. He can stay with me—it’s the same.”
Wen Shaoqing surprisingly agreed, “Sure. Just tell him to bring his textbooks and notes. I’ll mark the important parts for him so he won’t be flipping pages in a panic if something happens. Medical books are thick—you know how hard it is to find things quickly.”
“…” Cong Rong was speechless. She knew Zhong Zhen well enough to know this was entirely possible.
Seeing her still hesitate, Wen Shaoqing grabbed her wrist and started walking toward his place. “Come on, Lawyer Cong. Nothing is more important than your life. It’s cold in the hallway—let’s talk inside.”
Cong Rong struggled, “Really, I can’t. I have a court hearing the day after tomorrow. I still have to work tonight.”
“You can use my study,” Wen Shaoqing replied, not letting go.
Once inside, as she glanced at his photo wall, she suddenly asked, “Where did Rang Yi Rang run off to? Shouldn’t you go find him?”
Wen Shaoqing calmly took off his coat. “No rush. It only ever hides in one spot when it causes trouble. I’ll get it later.” He then headed to the kitchen and returned quickly with an ice pack. “Take a break before working. Let’s ice that bump down first—it’ll swell more if we don’t.”
She sat on the sofa, leaning forward slightly. He stood behind her, separated by the backrest, gently supporting her head with one hand. She could feel the warmth of his fingertips clearly.
Neither of them spoke for a moment. The air felt tense. Thankfully, Wen Shaoqing soon put down the ice pack. “All done.”
Cong Rong exhaled in relief and was just about to stand up when he stopped her. “Wait a bit. Let me massage it.”
He moved to the front of the sofa and sat beside her. One hand held her face, the other gently massaged the back of her head.
Cong Rong’s brow furrowed, then relaxed, then furrowed again. Wen Shaoqing asked, “Hurts a lot?”
They were so close. Cong Rong didn’t know whether the heat on her face was from pain or something else. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her eyes darted around, unsure where to look. “Yeah, it really hurts.”
Wen Shaoqing softened his touch. “Just hold on a bit. It’ll get better.”
He tilted her chin up. Her eyes had nowhere else to go—she could only stare at his face. But she didn’t dare look directly, so she lowered her gaze.
“You were lying earlier, right? About the ‘never waking up’ thing?”
“Which part?”
“The part about dying in your sleep.”
“I meant every word. Even a mosquito bite can kill someone.”
Cong Rong suddenly flared up. “Wen Shaoqing!”
“Don’t move,” he said calmly, and only after she quieted down did he explain slowly, “Do you really think I’m some miracle doctor? I don’t have X-ray vision. I can’t say for sure there’s no internal bleeding. I can’t guarantee you’re absolutely fine.”
His final words were softer, but they landed heavily on her heart. She flinched. She knew she was always a bit too impulsive with him. Pressing her lips together, she said nothing more.
