After taking a shower, Wang Wenbin collapsed onto the only bed and fell asleep. It took him less than a minute to go from lying on the bed to falling asleep; he was just too tired.
Wang Wenbin didn't get up until nine o'clock the next morning, which was his normal schedule. The morning held little concern for him.
After washing up and making himself a bowl of instant noodles, Wang Wenbin took out his phone and started dialing the number left by the BMW woman last night. For him, 500 yuan was no small amount, and he also needed the money to repair his tricycle and the broken equipment.
Wang Wenbin dialed the number, and after a few rings, the call was connected.
"Hello," a woman's voice came from the other side. Wang Wenbin was somewhat familiar with this voice—it was the BMW woman's voice from last night.
"Hello, beautiful, I am the barbecue vendor you hit last night," Wang Wenbin got straight to the point, introducing himself as a barbecue vendor, a type of person not often seen taking initiative like this.
"Hello, um... I have some matters at the hospital now and can't leave. How about I meet you this afternoon or evening, is that okay?"
"I have to run my stall in the afternoon and evening. Where would I find the time? How about you tell me which hospital and ward you are in, and I'll come see you," Wang Wenbin said after thinking for a moment.
"Alright, that works too. Thank you. I'll cover your round-trip transportation costs," the woman told Wang Wenbin the hospital name and ward number.
After hanging up the phone, Wang Wenbin grabbed his now-dry coat from the rack and started searching the pockets for the woman's ring. But after searching both pockets, he was completely dumbfounded—the ring was nowhere to be found in the coat.
"God, please don't be joking with me. If I really lose it, I really can't afford to pay it back."
Wang Wenbin grew nervous, turning his entire clothing over and over in search of it. He remembered putting it in his pocket, but there really was nothing inside. Then he searched his pants pockets, and eventually the entire room, and afterward even checked the tricycle outside. "It's over, it's really over now." Wang Wenbin sat dazed on the bed, smoking, utterly unable to find the ring."It must have fallen off when saving people from the fire, it must have." Wang Wenbin recalled the events of last night and immediately ran out, almost sprinting all the way to the building that had caught fire the night before. However, when he arrived, he was completely dumbfounded—there was no building left. The old residential area that caught fire last night had been cordoned off by the police from a distance, and the building that caught fire was gone, leaving only a toppled, charred ruin. The old apartment building had collapsed under the destruction of the fire.Staring at the scorched ruins, Wang Wenbin suddenly sank to the ground, took out a cigarette, and sat by the flowerbed outside the police cordon, staring vacantly at the wreckage, smoking one cigarette after another."Heavens, are you trying to ruin me completely?" Wang Wenbin muttered to himself.Finally, he gritted his teeth and got up, heading toward the bus stop.Wang Wenbin eventually arrived at the hospital mentioned by the BMW woman, and following the details she gave over the phone, he found himself at the door of a certain ward. The ward door was open, and Wang Wenbin saw the room was full of people—several doctors and nurses, a middle-aged woman, and the BMW woman. They were all gathered around the bed, speaking constantly.This was the first time Wang Wenbin got such a clear look at the BMW woman's face. Last night he had only a rough sense of her figure and facial contours, but he couldn't see her features clearly. Now, he could finally see her.The moment he saw her, Wang Wenbin's whole heart was captivated. Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! Wang Wenbin swallowed nervously.Wang Wenbin had been coming to Shanghai, this international metropolis, for quite a few years. He had seen many women, and beautiful women weren't uncommon, but he had never seen a woman as stunning as the one in front of him.
Her simple and elegant suit outlined her beautiful curves. The sharp blazer not only didn't restrict her figure, but seemed to enhance it, almost flawless and without a single defect. Such professional suits were worn by countless office ladies in the city, but the way she carried herself with such noble and capable aura was truly unparalleled.
The woman was not very old—Wang Wenbin guessed she was no more than thirty—but she exuded the maturity of an older woman, along with the authority and coldness of someone in a high position. The first impression she gave Wang Wenbin was that of a domineering female CEO.
For the first time, Wang Wenbin felt nearly suffocated by beauty.
Inside the ward, there were doctors and nurses. At this time, Wang Wenbin didn't think it appropriate to enter, so he stood at the door waiting. Only after all the doctors and nurses had left did he walk to the door and knock gently to alert the people inside of his presence.
Seeing that there were only a middle-aged woman and the BMW lady inside, he continued knocking while entering. Of course, there was also a little girl lying in the hospital bed, with machines by her side showing wavy lines, a tube in her nose, and her hand receiving an IV drip.
'It seems this woman really didn't lie—her daughter is indeed hospitalized,' Wang Wenbin thought to himself.
'You're here? Go outside and talk,' the BMW woman said lightly to Wang Wenbin as she saw him enter, then led the way out. Wang Wenbin followed her out of the ward.
Just as they reached the door, they suddenly heard a little girl's voice: 'Daddy, don't go.'
Upon hearing this, the BMW woman turned around in surprise and looked at her daughter lying in the bed.
Wang Wenbin also looked curiously into the room, seeming puzzled because he didn't see any other man there.
'Daddy? Is it you? Daddy, did you come to see…'"It's me? Dad, you came back to see me, right?" At this moment, the girl on the sickbed sat up, her big eyes wide with expectation and excitement as she looked at Wang Wenbin. "Are… you talking to me?" Wang Wenbin looked around and then pointed to his own nose, questioning this very beautiful little girl."Dad, I know you would definitely come back to see Annie. You wouldn't abandon Annie, right?" The little girl stared at Wang Wenbin with teary, wide eyes, looking so wronged that Wang Wenbin's heart melted.