After the PET scan, Xuan Mu changed back into his clothes and he and Bing Shi waited for the results in the waiting room. A nurse brought them tea, sandwiches, and fruit to snack on while they waited.
"Do you think I'm a psycho? That's why you called me here?" Xuan Mu asked, playing with her fingers.
"Think? No. I'm sure you are a psycho," Bing Shi laughed and shook her head. "I called them here to cure your insomnia."
It didn't take long for a head doctor to arrive. Sitting opposite the couple, he showed them a report. "We settled on the conclusion that Mr. Xuan Mu is suffering from fatal insomnia." The doctor looked at the couple who kept blinking at him. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. 'Fatal insomnia is a horrendous disease which I would not wish even on my worst enemy.'
"The fact that Mr. Xuan Mu can't fall asleep even after using sleeping drugs and pills is due to this rare disease. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for this disease and it is fatal. All previous cases have resulted in death," the doctor explained with a solemn expression.
As the head doctor revealed the truth, Bing Shi felt her heart drop into her stomach. It was the answer she had been dreading the most. "Does...does it mean Xuan Mu is going to die?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she blinked her eyes rapidly, "N-No, no, recheck him, I don't believe it."
Bing Shi turned towards Xuan Mu with a desperate look, "Xuan Mu let's do the scan again. There has to be a mistake." With trembling hands, she stood up and pulled him up with her, hoping against hope that there was some way to reverse the verdict.
But the man sat on the spot. With a blank face, Xuan Mu clutched his chest...no... the ring inside of his chest pocket, feeling as though his world was collapsing around him. 'God, are you going against me? At least let me see her in a beautiful white dress.'
"Xuan Mu, stand up!" Tears streamed down her face as she reached out to hold his hand tightly. "Xuan Mu, stand up," she pleaded. "You'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you, so stand up! Let them recheck your body!"
Understanding the situation, Xuan Mu looked at the doctor, his expression stoic. "How much time do I have left?"
"Xuan Muuu!!!!!" Bing Shi shrieked out, heart shattered at the sound of his question. "Shut up!" She covered his mouth with trembling hands. "And you too!" She looked at the doctor with a fiery gaze, "I called you all here to cure him, not to give him a death sentence! I don't care about money. Do everything in your strength to cure his insomnia!"
"Miss Bing Shi."
"Maybe it's something psychological? What did the psychologist say?" Bing Shi tried to find another possibility for his insomnia.
"Miss Bing Shi," The doctor showed her a scan of Xuan Mu's brain, "We found abnormal signals in this area, which is the same as the few patients with fatal insomnia."
"My Xuan Mu can't die!" Bing Shi screamed out, her voice trembling with emotion. Her insides were in chaos, like a jumbled set of a puzzle, and a deep ache settled in her heart. The pain and fear were unbearable, and she felt like she was drowning in them.
Suddenly, she went down on her knees, and the doctor and Xuan Mu stood up in alarm. Xuan Mu tried to support her, but she pushed him away and begged the doctor, "Please, I beg you, save Xuan Mu. You have to do everything in your power to cure him. He can't die, he just can't."
Xuan Mu's heart sank as he held the broken Bing Shi in his arms. 'Are we not destined to be with each other? She deserves the best... seems like I'm not the best one.' he thought, his mind plagued with self-doubt.
Despite the emotional turmoil he was feeling, he remained surprisingly calm on the surface. "Bing Shi, that's enough. Why don't you go out and let me speak with the doctor?" he spoke softly, trying to comfort her.
"No, I'm not leaving you!" Bing Shi wailed, her tears and snot mixing together. She clung onto Xuan Mu like a vine, desperate to hold onto him as tightly as possible, not caring about the public display of affection. It was as if she believed she could keep him alive just by holding onto him, as if she could hold onto their love forever.
Xuan Mu sat down on the couch, taking Bing Shi with him, allowing her to hug him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her close, holding her as if he never wanted to let go. "So, how much time do I have left?" he asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
"A few months... about half the year to a year at most."
Bing Shi's body shook with sobs as she let out a heart-wrenching cry, "Noo!" She shook her head desperately, clinging to Xuan Mu as if he was her lifeline.
Xuan Mu's heart dropped at the doctor's words. He closed his eyes, feeling a pang of pain in his chest. "Shh...Bing Shi, don't cry. Cover your ears don't listen to the doctor," he whispered, patting her back.
The wailing increased.
Xuan Mu's voice was barely above a whisper, "Can you leave us for the moment?" The doctor nodded in understanding, his footsteps receding as he left the room. The silence of the room was broken only by Bing Shi's sobs, echoing off the walls.
Xuan Mu tightened his embrace around her, holding her close as if he could shield her from the harsh reality they were now facing.
"Bing Shi..." Xuan Mu tried to calm her down, but nothing worked. "Can I have a kiss?" he asked. The wailing decreased, then increased again. With force, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her.
"Noooooooo!!!!!!!" Bing Shi shook her head in protest, Xuan Mu caught her mouth every time, but she continued to move her head from right to left. "Noooooo, I don't want to!!!!"
Xuan Mu's heart felt like it was breaking as he held Bing Shi tightly. Her wailing was loud and unending, and he felt helpless in the face of her pain. With gentle movements, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs and then reached for her purse to grab some tissues.
Blowing his nose, he then helped her to blow her own nose until they were out of tissues. All the while, he held her close, trying to offer her as much comfort as he could in that moment.
'His nightmares, paranoia... I'm the cause of them.'
Xuan Mu sat Bing Shi down on the couch, but as he reached for the tissues on the table, she clung to him, unwilling to let go. So, he brought the tissues to her instead, holding her tightly as she wept. Time passed, and gradually, her sobs quieted down, but her chest still shook with hiccuping breaths. Tears streaked her face, and her eyes were red and swollen.