You Claimed You Didn’t Love Me, So Why Cry Now That I’m Engaged? Chapter 125

Chapter 125: He No Longer Has a Family

Xie Miaohan’s expression shifted instantly. Disregarding the wound on his abdomen, he bolted upright and seized the doctor’s hand.

“Did my brother really come to the army?”

“You two are brothers? You don’t look anything alike.”

The doctor scrutinized him with surprise before continuing, “Yes, he came here to work as a translator. I only arrived two years ago, but it seems your brother had been here for quite some time. He used to faint frequently; over time, he and I became friends.”

At this point, a flicker of worry crossed the doctor’s eyes.

“By the way, how is your brother doing?” the doctor asked. “I remember he was forced to leave because of his health issues.”

“Faint?” Xie Miaohan’s breathing grew heavy. He couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the photograph, his knuckles turning white from the strain. “He was perfectly fine, why would he faint?”

Before the doctor could answer, a memory from four years ago flashed through Xie Miaohan’s mind.

Right… Gu Huaiye had fainted and been hospitalized once back then.

It was a heart attack.

Could the subsequent fainting spells also have been because of his heart?

Xie Miaohan didn’t have to guess; the doctor immediately gave him a cold, painful answer.

“Xiao Ye’s heart was failing.” The doctor’s brow furrowed, looking at Xie Miaohan with disappointment. “As his younger brother, did you really not know he was sick?”

Xie Miaohan’s face went deathly pale. His straight back slumped slightly as he shook his head helplessly.

“I didn’t know… I thought it wasn’t that serious…”

“Sigh, I suppose I can’t blame you,” the doctor sighed. “Xiao Ye stayed in the army constantly and never took leave to go home. If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have even known he had a brother.”

He estimated Xie Miaohan was only about twenty; perhaps when Gu Huaiye joined the army, the boy had been too young to remember things clearly.

Thinking of this, the doctor suddenly realized something didn’t add up.

“Wait, did Xiao Ye not go home?” the doctor pressed. “With his physical condition, he needs someone to look after him. How could he not go home? That’s just reckless. I wonder if he’s even seen a doctor since then.”

Hearing the doctor’s words, Xie Miaohan felt as though an invisible hand had clamped down on his heart. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

It can’t be.

This doctor must have mistaken him for someone else.

How could his brother’s heart condition be that severe?

But no matter how much Xie Miaohan resisted the truth, the minor details he had ignored for so long suddenly linked together, forcing him to face reality.

Four years ago, right after Gu Huaiye fainted in the hospital, he had suddenly decided to go abroad. This was despite the fact that they had just bought a house and packed their bags, ready to move into their new home.

Xie Miaohan had always assumed Gu Huaiye was angry with him for taking that medication; he had never once considered it was heart disease.

Then came their reunion. Gu Huaiye’s face was always pale, and he was constantly running to the restroom.

Every time Xie Miaohan mentioned going to the hospital for a check-up, Gu Huaiye would act extremely resistant, as if he were terrified of something being discovered.

And that day…

Gu Huaiye had clearly promised to come home, but Xie Miaohan had waited a long time, and the other man never showed up.

Xie Miaohan didn’t dare think any further. He lunged off the hospital bed and ran outside.

“Hey! Your wound hasn’t been treated yet—”

Xie Miaohan ran back to the tent and found his bunk. He dropped to the floor and dragged his luggage out from under the bed.

He dug out his mobile phone, which had long since died and shut off.

Usually, there was a queue to charge phones, but Xie Miaohan walked to the front with a grim expression, yanked out a plug, and replaced it with his own.

“Hey, why aren’t you waiting in line…”

Another comrade interrupted, “Forget it, don’t mess with him. He’s a lunatic.”

Blood continued to seep from Xie Miaohan’s abdomen, but he was completely oblivious to it. His eyes were filled with panic and dread.

Finally, the phone had enough power to turn on. Xie Miaohan frantically found Gu Huaiye’s number and dialed.

It was switched off.

Xie Miaohan’s fingers trembled uncontrollably; he could barely hold the phone.

It was unclear whether it was due to the excessive blood loss or the weight of the immense agony he was unable to bear.

Xie Miaohan coughed up a mouthful of blood and then blacked out.

Half a month later, Xie Miaohan took a leave of absence. Armed with a permit from the Vice Commander, he went to Headquarters to check the personnel files.

When he saw the documents handed to him with Gu Huaiye’s photo attached, his entire body couldn’t stop shivering. Tears dripped onto Gu Huaiye’s picture.

After a long while, Xie Miaohan finally composed himself. He thanked the staff and left with Gu Huaiye’s information.

On the way back to District A, Xie Miaohan kept his head down, sending messages to Gu Huaiye.

【Brother, are you doing well over there? Are you still angry that I joined the army? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so headstrong. I’ve been protecting myself well; I don’t have a single injury. Am I being good?】

【I’m on my way back to our home now. Will you come to pick me up? We haven’t seen each other in so long. I’m not greedy; just seeing you once is enough.】

【Brother, I’m joking. I know you don’t want to see me. Then can you just give me a call? I want to hear your voice.】

【……】

Xie Miaohan knew the phone on the other end had been turned off for a long time. No matter how many messages he sent, it was impossible for Gu Huaiye to receive them.

But this was all he could do.

Only by doing this could he deceive himself into believing that Gu Huaiye was still alive.

Upon arriving in District A, Xie Miaohan immediately went to the police station to file a missing person’s report.

He even asked a senior he knew from school to help track down Gu Huaiye’s whereabouts.

But after searching for two months, there was still no trace of him, as if he had vanished into thin air.

There were no records of him leaving the country, nor any travel records.

Later, an Alpha police officer got fed up with his pestering and couldn’t help but complain.

“Does such a person even exist? You didn’t just make him up, did you?”

Xie Miaohan got into a physical altercation with the officer and was subsequently detained.

In the evening, an officer told him to call his family to come and bail him out.

Xie Miaohan’s eyes were hollow and vacant.

He no longer had a family.

Eventually, it was Xie Miaohan’s senior who came to bail him out.

The senior wanted to invite him to stay in District B for a while, but Xie Miaohan shook his head and refused.

He said, “I still have to find my brother. He’s angry with me, so he’s hiding. I have to find him and kneel before him to beg for forgiveness in person.”

The senior sighed and drove away.

After leaving the police station, Xie Miaohan walked aimlessly down the street.

His face was marred by messy scars, and passersby cast strange looks at him, instinctively keeping their distance.

Xie Miaohan didn’t care. He walked forward, his eyes bloodshot.

Suddenly, he jerked to a halt and turned his gaze toward a certain spot.

A young man in his early twenties stepped out of a black sedan and walked into a shopping mall.

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