Chapter 25 — I'm Busy All My Life, And You're Lonely

The hospital room was so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard. Luc Kien Quan slowly lowered his hand and looked at her.

“This time I will fix it.” He lowered his voice.

Tong Tuyet did not immediately refute, just sighed softly.

"Luc Kien Quan, I just had heart attack surgery. The doctor told me to pay attention to my mood." She stood up, "Don't mention these things anymore, rest well."

She went to the window, pulled back the curtains, letting a little less sunlight in, then filled a glass of water on the nightstand.

"I'll go out and ask the nurse to see if there are any tests scheduled today." She said, “Go take a nap.”

Having finished speaking, she turned around to leave.

“Tong Tuyet.” Luc Kien Quan called her again, jerking her back.

“Don't get divorced.” He looked at her back, "At least, don't divorce right now."

Tong Tuyet's back was a bit stiff.

"Why?" She didn't look back.

“Because you haven't done all the things you should have done.” Luc Kien Quan confided, "I still haven't properly walked with you to the park, haven't gone with you to see the exhibition you like, haven't stayed up all night to stand by your bed when you're sick, have never hugged you when you're heartbroken."

He paused for a moment.

“I haven't told you yet, actually I've always liked you very much.”

Only then did Tong Tuyet turn around, her eyes filled with complexity.

“You like me?” she asked.

"Right." Luc Kien Quan nodded, "From the moment we first met, I liked it. Later, I was busy making money and rushing forward. I found these words too cheesy, so I just ignored them."

He smiled bitterly.

"I thought it would be okay if I didn't say anything. After all, I'm married, don't the days just pass by like that?"

Tong Tuyet looked at him quietly, then spoke up.

“Luc Kien Quan, you say these words now, I find them very ironic.”

“I know.” He didn't argue, "But I still want to say it."

Tong Tuyet retracted her gaze.

“I'm going to find the nurse.” she said.

The door closed, Luc Kien Quan breathed a long sigh of relief. The dull pain in my chest is still there, but it's not as scary as before. I know that this matter won't change immediately because of a few confessions from me. The favors he owed for so many years are not something that can be compensated for with a bouquet of flowers or a thumbs up. But at least he got a start. He began to face his own mistakes, and began to try to say the words that were in his heart. This was the first time in all these years that he wasn't running away anymore. The days in the hospital passed slowly. Check, take medicine, re-examine, listen to the doctor's advice. Tong Tuyet comes by every day, morning and night. During the day, she still has to go to school to go to class, and at night, she is busy preparing lesson plans for the new semester. Luc Tu Ngang in Hangzhou finished arranging the wedding, then asked for permission to take a few more days off work to return to the hospital to take care of his father. Co Tinh sometimes brings some fruit and supplements to visit and helps clean up the hospital room. Everything seems to be moving in a positive direction. However, Luc Kien Quan clearly understood that the real problem that needed to be resolved was still not mentioned. One night, when Luc Tu Ngang fell asleep, the only thing left in the hospital room was the faint ticking of the heart rate monitor. Outside the window are the flickering lights of the city and the sound of emergency vehicle sirens The sound echoed from afar, piercing through the thick darkness and then disappearing again. Luc Kien Quan turned over and stared at the darkness outside the window. There are some things that I still keep close to my heart. It was a few weeks before his heart attack that he accidentally heard Tong Tuyet talking on the phone in the office. She kept her voice very low.

“Tong Man, I'm really tired.” She confided, "All these years, I feel like I'm living with myself."