QT: Against My Will (Volume 1)

2.82 - A Reporter - Mr. and Mrs. Jelly

While they made their way back to the hospital, a young and eager-looking female reporter stopped them, her microphone ready. "Excuse me, may I ask, are you two a couple?" she inquired, pointing to their matching couple jackets.

Bing Shi beamed with pride at the question. "Yes, we are! Can't you see our jackets? It's clear as day that we're a couple."

The reporter smiled, nodding her head. "I see. And do you have a couple's name?" she asked. 

"Duo on crack," said Xuan Mu, earning a scolding look from Bing Shi.

Ignoring him, Bing Shi turned to the reporter with a smile. "I prefer the name jellyfish couple," she said with a laugh.

Xuan Mu shook his head, disapproving of Bing Shi's suggestion, "Bing Shi in the food chain, we would be under Sharkie." 

"True. What about Mr. and Mrs. Jelly?"

"Hm. Ok," Xuan Mu nodded half-heartedly.

The reporter's mouth twitched as she processed their banter. After a few more questions,  she asked this particular one, "When was your first kiss?"

Bing Shi's face lit up at the mention of their first kiss, but Xuan Mu's expression was painful. He shifted uncomfortably in his wheelchair, his eyes clouded with the constant fatigue of his illness.

Bing Shi's smile faded as she looked at him with concern. Before she could ask what was wrong, Xuan Mu grabbed her hand tightly, his grip conveying a sense of urgency. He wheeled them away from the reporter with a sudden burst of energy that belied his weakened condition.

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Seeing the panting Xuan Mu, Bing Shi stopped his hands, "Let me." Taking hold of the handles, she continued on her way.

The reporter noted how Xuan Mu seemed to be struggling with his health but still managed to wheel himself and his girlfriend around. She wondered about their love story and what led them to be in this situation. As they disappeared from view, she took a deep breath and prepared to write their story with compassion and empathy.

Xuan Mu chuckled, and his eyes crinkled up in amusement as he gazed at Bing Shi. "Bing Shi, you inherited the bragging thing after your parents."

"No way! Oh my god, I'm doomed," Bing Shi laughed out loud, her hands clutching her stomach as she bent over in amusement.

'I'm smiling for him.'

'I'm happy for him.'

'But inside, I'm dying together with him.'

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Bing Shi carved a swan out of an apple. She looked at the art piece in delight. "Xuan Mu, I became an apple peeling pro. See?" She turned towards the unresponsive man in the bed. The room light cast a deathly pallor on his weakened features. He slept as if nothing was wrong, but she knew better. 

It broke her to see him hurting this way. She could see how he tried to hide his suffering. She quietly crouched before his bed, holding his hand, she listened to his breathing. Taking in his warmth, cold tears fell uncontrollably down her cheeks, "Please, don't leave me alone. I need you."

After a few months, Xuan Mu was stuck in a state of presleep, a stage before falling asleep. He became less responsive. Eventually, he became mute.

That was the last time Bing Shi could hear his voice. There were recordings that she took, but how could they compare to the real ones? After taking care of his unresponsive body, she could only stroke his hair and hold his hand. From time to time, her eyes would drop to the bedsheets, but most of the time, they were fixed on his face in a soft stare so that whenever he'd open his eyes she'd be the first thing he'd see.