Since you have started reading, I hope you will read it to the end without missing a word. I can't believe that you won't shed tears. If I meet you in heaven...
In this five-story building collapse, Shuang was working overtime in an office on the first floor, eating the midnight snack Shi had brought her. They were a newlywed couple for just a few months, deeply in love. Shi is eight years older than Shuang and has been doting on her ever since they met three years ago. As they lived in different cities, after many failed attempts to transfer to the same city, Shi finally resigned from his job six months ago and moved to Shuang's city.
Shuang had to submit a report by tomorrow, but due to an error in one data point, the totals wouldn't add up. She had no choice but to work late into the night, and by 10:30 pm, she still hadn't found the problem, so she called her husband to complain. Shi then brought her some food and helped her check the documents. When Shi walked into the office, all of Shuang's frustrations immediately disappeared. Shi has always been her pillar; although others see her as a capable girl, in front of Shi, she is always a little woman. Looking at her handsome husband, her mood was like the starry sky outside the window - brilliant and radiant. Shi is everything she could never tire of looking at. She believed that with her husband around, there was nothing that couldn't be done. Sure enough, within fifteen minutes, Shi found the mistake and was about to tease his wife when suddenly, the office building, which had been scheduled for demolition a year ago but was still in use, collapsed without warning.
Within seconds, both were buried under the rubble. After an unknown period of time, when Shuang regained consciousness, she found herself in complete darkness, not knowing where she was. A hollow cement slab was pressing on her body, but luckily, it was supported by another slab, preventing serious injury though leaving her unable to move. She remembered something hitting her head before she lost consciousness, and her leg seemed broken and bleeding, but because of the board, she couldn't touch her calf. Her shoulder and back also hurt, and upon touching them, she realized they were bleeding too.
"Shi! Shi! Where are you?" Shuang suddenly thought of her husband and called out. There was no response, and she became terrified, crying softly.
"Shuang, I'm here. How... how are you? Are... are you injured?" Shi's weak voice came from beside her. She remembered that at the moment of collapse, Shi had fallen over and covered her body, but now why were they separated? She couldn't remember.
"Husband! You... how are you?!" Shuang was alarmed by the abnormality in her husband's voice.
"I'm fine. Just trapped and can't move." Shi suddenly calmed down as usual, saying, "Baby, don't be afraid, I'm here, don't be afraid!" Shuang felt Shi's hand reach out and touch her arm, so she quickly grabbed it tightly. Although Shi's hand was trembling, it was strong, instantly reducing her fear significantly.
"My calf seems to be bleeding..." Shuang continued, "A stone slab is pressing on my thigh. Husband, damn it, are we going to die here?"
"How could that happen? Someone will come to rescue us soon." Shi tightened his grip on his wife's hand, "Use my tie to bind your bleeding leg. If you can't reach your calf, bind your thigh, as tight as possible." He then withdrew his hand and handed her his tie. Following her husband's instructions, Shuang tied her bleeding leg, but due to lack of strength, she couldn't stop the bleeding effectively. If no one came to save them, wouldn't they bleed to death? Shuang fearedfully thought. She reached out and tightly held Shi's hand again, only this way could she feel less scared. Suddenly, she noticed that Shi's hand was shaking. Was Shi also afraid? At this moment, a rat somewhere let out a squeak, causing Shuang to scream. She was most afraid of rats, and now in this situation, even if a rat crawled onto her head, she would be powerless to resist.
"Wife, don't be afraid. I'm here. Rats won't dare to come near. If they do, I'll smash them!" Knowing what Shuang was afraid of, Shi deliberately spoke lightly, "It seems heaven gave us a chance to share difficulties together. Is your bleeding stopped?"
"Not yet, it's still bleeding." In Shi's humorous words, Shuang relaxed somewhat, "Sigh, if I have to die, at least I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything!"
Shuang recalled their meeting three years ago during her final internship year at university in Shi's city. One day, they met by chance in an elevator. Shi's face was filled with admiration, but Shuang acted as if she didn't notice. Only two types of men could catch her attention: smart ones and handsome ones. The man staring at her in the elevator, Shuang clearly saw intelligence behind his handsome face. It might sound mysterious, but later interactions proved her judgment right - Shi was undoubtedly an extremely intelligent man. But he only showed his foolish side when he was with her. Thinking about this, Shuang almost laughed out loud.
Once, Shuang suffered severe stomach pain and lay on the bed pale-faced. Shi sat by her bedside, his own face paler from worry than hers. He took off his coat, lay next to her, and tightly hugged her. Warmth gradually transferred from his body to hers, and she was so immersed in his embrace that she forgot the unbearable pain. The power of love, who could explain it?
Silent, both knew there was nothing they could do except wait. Shuang felt her husband's hand and continued reminiscing about the past. Strictly speaking, it was her who pursued him. After that encounter, she decided to pursue him for life, while Shi always thought he was the one chasing her. What a fool, she thought with a smile, if I didn't create opportunities, how could you chase me? Living in different cities, neither of their parents approved much, but deep down, they both knew they would only love each other in this lifetime.
This kind of love, only the parties involved could truly understand. In the pitch-black, silent ruins, Shuang was lost in memories, tenderly whispering to her husband, "Shi... I love you!" Shi tightened his grip on her hand in reply.
Shuang continued recalling every detail of their past. Shi spoke to her every few minutes to keep her calm. However, she was feeling very sleepy and tired.
"Shi, I'm tired. Let me sleep for a while..." Shuang said softly.
"Don't sleep!!" Shi shouted loudly, surprising Shuang. Shi tightly held Shuang's hand, saying, "Listen to me, you must control yourself and absolutely cannot fall asleep! You're bleeding, this fatigue isn't from tiredness, it's from blood loss. If you fall asleep, you won't wake up. Do you understand? Don't sleep. Talk to me."
Shuang tried to fight off the drowsiness, but the overwhelming tiredness was hard to resist, and she wanted to just drift off to sleep. Shi kept talking to her, recounting their past experiences. She wanted to sleep, wanted Shi to shut up, but she didn't seem to have the strength to speak. Drowsily listening, she remained half-conscious. She didn't know how long it had been until she heard a dull knock from outside. Finally, someone had come to rescue them! Excitedly gripping her husband's hand, she cried out, "Do you hear that? Someone's coming! Someone's coming!!" But Shi's hand loosened, and a sound akin to a sigh or groan reached her ears.
She eventually fainted.
The building collapsed in the middle of the night, and no one thought anyone would be inside. Not until morning did the construction department send people to investigate, hearing from nearby residents that they had seen a light on in an office last night, but they didn't know if anyone was inside. After checking the personnel of the units in the building, it was confirmed that Shuang was inside when the building collapsed. Therefore, 110 emergency services, the hospital emergency center, and the construction team were notified to organize rescue efforts, with relevant leaders quickly arriving to direct the operation.
The rescue went smoothly. After digging through slabs of concrete and prying steel bars, rescuers first found Shi. When lifting him out, Shi was still conscious, refusing medical treatment on-site and refusing to get into the ambulance, lying on a stretcher by the ruins, repeatedly muttering, "Save her... save her..." An experienced doctor on-site already knew there was no saving him and didn't force him onto the ambulance, as any movement might be fatal. He only instructed the nurse to give him a blood transfusion, but after inserting the needle, the blood couldn't flow in anymore. Blood kept flowing from the corners of his mouth, indicating severe internal injuries, likely caused by fractured ribs piercing internal organs. One of his hands was already broken, with the bleeding having stopped, and both legs had comminuted fractures. Fatally, judging from his pallor, his blood was almost completely drained. What puzzled the doctor was how such injuries could sustain him until now.
Shi's eyes never left the rescuers' actions. Soon, Shuang, who was unconscious, was also rescued, and Shi turned to the doctor, revealing a pleading look in his eyes, unable to speak anymore. The doctor now understood why Shi had managed to hold on until now, giving him a reassuring look, quickly moving to Shuang's side to perform some checks and necessary treatments. Then, he signaled the paramedics to carry her onto the ambulance and returned to Shi's side, squatting down to look at his urgent gaze and said, "Don't worry, she's not in danger. She doesn't have serious internal injuries, the blood loss is a bit severe, but it's okay. There's blood transfusion equipment on the ambulance."
Upon hearing the doctor's words, Shi seemed to relax instantly, his gaze following the stretcher carrying Shuang. The doctor watched helplessly as the stretcher was carried away, turning back to see Shi using his last ounce of strength to affectionately look at Shuang, at his beloved wife. His gaze revealed love, revealed boundless reluctance, deeply gazing as if trying to eternally imprint her image in his eyes. He struggled to lift his unbroken hand but could only manage to slightly wiggle his fingers. The doctor, tears brimming, placed Shi's hand on Shuang's. Shi's mouth opened as if trying to say something, a tear rolling down his cheek, blurring his vision. He wanted to see her, he wanted to see her! Understanding his thoughts, the doctor trembled as he wiped away the tear, but Shi's wide-open eyes would never see his wife again. He passed away.
Only the doctor who examined Shi's injuries knew that to keep his wife from being frightened and to prevent her from bleeding to death, in his final moments, he resisted death for several hours. His injuries required enduring excruciating pain for hours. The elderly doctor could no longer control himself, shedding tears for this stranger. Several young nurses nearby were sobbing uncontrollably.
It wasn't until Shuang's wounds were fully healed that her parents and brother told her about Shi's death. Realizing it was true, Shuang, as a wife, requested Shi's death certificate and medical records. She read every word carefully, her expression calm, relieving her family. Her brother said, "People present said your brother-in-law said something to you before he passed, but only the old doctor heard it." She didn't say anything, leaving the ward alone. Her mother followed her, watching her enter the old doctor's office and sit across from him.
Seeing her, the old doctor smiled and said, "Are you recovered? You should still rest and not wander around."
"What did my husband say to me?" She stared directly at the doctor, her tone unlike usual, disregarding basic politeness. All she wanted to know was what Shi had said to her, not wanting small talk or nonsense.
The old doctor looked at her curiously but quickly understood her. Speaking gently, he said, "At that time, he couldn't speak anymore, his mouth was too dry, so I could only see his lips form words." Shuang didn't ask further, continuing to stare at him. The doctor sighed, seemingly transported back to that moment, his expression becoming sorrowful, "If I didn't misinterpret, he looked at you and said, 'I love you,' and then..."
Shuang fell silent, her face turning as white as snow. As the doctor considered how to comfort her, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
More than half a year passed, and Shuang's parents brought her back home. During this half a year, she hadn't spoken a word to anyone, as if recognizing no one. Given water, she drank; given food, she ate. The rest of the time, she either sat in her room spacing out or murmured to Shi's portrait hanging at home.
Seeing their daughter become like this, her parents aged ten years within half a year. All doctors shook their heads at Shuang's condition. They even consulted a psychologist, but regardless of what the doctors said to her, she appeared completely oblivious.
Another half a year was almost over when Shuang's brother's young daughter came to her grandparents' house for dinner. The six-year-old child, seeing her aunt who was completely different from before, pulled her hand without a reaction and got upset, "Auntie, Auntie! You said you'd take me to the park, you're lying!" Her grandparents desperately gestured at her, but the child ignored them, continuing to shout, "And Uncle, he promised me too, humph, they both broke their promises!" Hearing "Uncle," Shuang's whole body trembled. No one dared to mention Shi around her, and this was the first time in nearly a year that she heard someone mention him. Pulling the little niece's hand, she said, "Uncle promised you? Alright, I'll take you right now."
Shuang's mother heard her speak for the first time and couldn't help but burst into tears. Shuang's father immediately thought that her condition might improve and tried to suppress his trembling voice, speaking calmly, "Alright, Shuang, take her."
At the park, the little niece held her aunt's hand and asked with wide eyes, "Auntie, where's Uncle? Dad says he went far away, but I heard him tell mom that next week is Uncle's anniversary, and they need to visit his grave. Did Uncle die?"
"Did Uncle die? Hmm, probably." Shuang seemed lost in thought.
After the little niece's visit, Shuang improved noticeably. She started talking to her parents constantly, but they all avoided mentioning Shi. On the day of Shi's first anniversary, when her mother called her for lunch at noon, she discovered that Shuang wasn't at home. Just as they were wondering, her son's call came, saying Shuang was at Shi's grave.
When her parents arrived, they saw Shuang sitting against the tombstone, wearing the wedding dress from their wedding day, her eyes closed but a smile on her lips. Her brother and sister-in-law stood in front of her, their eyes red from crying. Shuang's mother immediately fainted, and her father, trembling all over, approached and saw that Shuang had written a few sentences in blood on the tombstone:
"If I meet you in heaven, will you still remember who I am? If I meet you in heaven, will you still be the same as before? I must be strong, but I can't. I don't belong here, I only belong to you. If I meet you in heaven, will you still hold my hand? If I meet you in heaven, will you help me be strong? I must find the way from night to day because I know I must find you. Please take me with you, I believe there will be peace in heaven."