Chapter 4: It hasn't even been two minutes, you can retract it

Rong Leying followed the little boy all the way to the entrance of the operating room. Xu Yunfei was still sitting there, his face covered in stubble and looking haggard. The only difference from last time was the model airplane in his hands.

"Big sister, can you help me tell my dad not to come here anymore? I don't hate him; I want him to go back to how he used to be," the little boy said. "Tell him to take good care of Mom for me."

Rong Leying looked at him and said, "I can only pass on the message for you, but I can't guarantee he'll listen to me."

Last time she said she could see ghosts, this man had dismissed her as mentally ill. If she went up to him again, he wouldn't necessarily believe what she had to say.

"Big sister, I believe you can definitely make my dad believe you!"

"Don't try to butter me up; I'm not falling for that."

The little boy pouted; his plan had failed.

Since this was her first "client," and adhering to the noble principle of seeing a good deed through to the end, Rong Leying stepped forward and stood in front of Xu Yunfei.

"Um, sir..."

Hearing her voice, Xu Yunfei slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of dull, puffy eyes. When he realized who it was, his eyes gradually regained focus. "It's you..."

"It's me." Rong Leying was a bit touched; she hadn't expected him to remember her.

Xu Yunfei: "Who are you?"

Rong Leying: "..."

It hadn't even been two minutes; she could still retract that.

...

Liao Jiamu and a colleague walked briskly toward the operating room. "Has the patient's family signed the papers?"

Colleague: "Signed. They're paying the fees now."

Liao Jiamu nodded and quickened his pace. As he passed by Xu Yunfei and Rong Leying, he subconsciously glanced at them.

After the two walked into the operating room and the doors closed, the colleague couldn't help but say, "That little boy's father is here again."

Ever since the child had the accident and was declared dead after failed resuscitation at their hospital, that man would come to the operating room entrance every single day and sit there for the entire day.

Sometimes he would sit there for days without moving. They were all afraid that something might happen to him at their hospital, or worse, that he might suddenly lose control and hurt someone.

But no matter how they tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen and continued to do as he pleased. They couldn't just kick him out.

Liao Jiamu: "The pain of losing a child isn't something that can be eased in a short time."

The sudden passing of a loved one is like a nightmare from which one cannot wake. It takes every ounce of strength to wake up from that nightmare, keep moving forward, and live on, carrying their share of life as well.

...

Rong Leying plopped down next to Xu Yunfei. "Sir, you must think I'm mentally ill, but there's nothing wrong with my mind. Your son, Xu Zihang, is standing right in front of you."

"He's wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, khaki pants, and a pair of Ultraman shoes..."

Xu Yunfei's pupils dilated as he stared at Rong Leying in disbelief. She was right; that was exactly what his son was wearing the day he died. How could she know that?

Could it be that she really could see ghosts?

Was his son really standing right in front of him?!

"...He has a mole on the tip of his nose, single eyelids, and his mouth looks a lot like yours..."

Rong Leying described the child's features one after another.

"Also, also, there's a secret code between my dad and me: 'I am a little, little, little bird; if I put on a pair of mechanical wings, I can fly very high.'" The little boy added hurriedly.

Rong Leying immediately relayed it. "He says you have a secret code: 'I am a little, little, little bird...'"

She looked at Xu Yunfei expectantly, waiting for him to finish the second half.

Xu Yunfei looked at her, his haggard face full of agitation, his voice hoarse. "...If I put on a pair of mechanical wings, I can fly very high."

"Yes, yes, that's the one!" Rong Leying clapped excitedly. "Now you believe me, right?"

If he still didn't believe her, there was nothing more she could do.

When she mentioned the child's features, Xu Yunfei had already started to believe her. Once the secret code was spoken, he completely trusted Rong Leying. Only he and his son knew that code; no one else in the world knew it.

"Zihang... is he really here?! Master, can you let me see him?!"

Xu Yunfei looked around excitedly, but he couldn't see anything.

Rong Leying pointed to the space directly in front of him. "I'm not a master. Your son is right here, less than half an arm's length away from you. I have no way to let you see him."

"But he asked me to help tell you that he doesn't hate you, he doesn't want you to keep coming here, he wants you to go back to how you were before, and he wants you to go home and take good care of his mom."

The little boy nodded repeatedly. Yes, he wanted his dad to be like he was before, not like this.

His dad wasn't cool at all like this.

Xu Yunfei's gaze was fixed on the spot where Rong Leying was pointing. His heart felt like it was being torn apart, his body trembling uncontrollably as he sobbed, unable to speak. "I'm sorry, Zihang. It's all Dad's fault. If only I hadn't answered that phone call... I'm sorry..."

Xu Yunfei was a civil aviation captain who worked in a different city. Because of his job, he rarely had time to spend with his family.

Because he couldn't attend to his family for long periods, his relationship with his wife grew distant. They divorced amicably, and custody was given to his wife. He paid child support on time every month and promised to visit his son once a week.

But he always broke his promises due to work, and he hadn't even been able to make it to his son's birthday to celebrate with him.

Last month, he finally managed to get a few days off to take his son out. The two of them had a great time, but on the day they were supposed to leave the hotel, an accident happened.

The hotel they stayed in was on the sixth floor, and they had booked a room with a terrace. As they were leaving, Xu Yunfei took a work call and didn't notice his son playing with the model airplane on the terrace.

The model airplane accidentally flew off the terrace and fell downstairs. The child called out to him to help pick it up, but because he was on the phone, he didn't hear what the child said clearly and just told him to wait a moment, paying no further attention.

As a result, the child ran downstairs himself to retrieve the model, only to be struck in the head by a thermos thrown down by a young couple arguing in a room above.

That spot was at the back of the hotel, where almost no one walked except for hotel staff.

The couple upstairs was too busy arguing to notice that the object they threw had hit someone. By the time Xu Yunfei finished his half-hour work call and found his son, it was already too late.

The child was rushed to the hospital, but he died from excessive blood loss after resuscitation failed.

When his ex-wife found out the child was gone, she nearly went insane. Both sets of grandparents were devastated. Everyone blamed him for not watching the child, including himself.

If only he hadn't answered that work call—it wasn't even a major issue, just a junior colleague calling to ask about a minor problem.

If only he hadn't been so full of himself, rambling on the phone for so long...

It was all his fault. It was all because he hadn't watched the child. He was the one who killed his son.

"...I'm sorry... it's all Dad's fault..."

The man's repentant weeping echoed in the quiet space.