The truck swerved, out of control. The two oncoming cars tried to avoid it - and failed. Both of them hit in a three-way head-on collision but it wasn"t able to stop the truck from speeding towards Li Xiuying"s car. Li Xiuying heard the loud screeching first before seeing what was happening. The sounds of horns and screams filling her head and the sudden screeching of the brakes were heard from the outside.
Even if Song Zexi had been paying attention she would have been hard-pressed to make the maneuver. As she barely had time to scream before the airbags knocked her back and sideways. The car tumbled over and over into the central barrier but it didn"t stop there.
The car had flipped so many times that Li Xiuying had become disorientated before she sustained a concussion that had her drifting in and out of consciousness. She was fleetingly aware of the b.l.o.o.d.y taste in her mouth but she couldn"t figure out what it was.
At times her eyelids fluttered and she thought she must be at home in bed because it was so dark. But then why the cold and the sound of rain on metal?
The moment the truck rammed behind their car, Li Xiuying felt Song Zexi"s arms tightened around her as the gla.s.s shards. .h.i.t them. Song Zexi lost her consciousness when her head hit the window hard. The airbags were instantly inflated during the collision.
It saved her and Song Zexi from being thrown forward at the winds.h.i.+eld but it couldn"t stop the truck from pus.h.i.+ng their car to the rails at the edge of the road.
Li Xiuying was still conscious but felt very dizzy as she held onto Song Zexi"s body but the moment their car was flipped and was thrown off the freeway, she suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time.
Her bones and muscles and joints and organs felt like they were being crumbled and smashed into a tiny box. Her lungs contracted with such force that Li Xiuying was afraid they would fold into themselves.
The world seemed to have continuously flickered its figurative light switch because her vision kept flas.h.i.+ng from bitter darkness to blinding white light. The only sound that filled her ears was the crus.h.i.+ng of gla.s.s mixed with the distinct crackles of her fragile bones.
It took her some time before she realized they were in a more dangerous situation. Their car fell several meters into the river with a huge splash, shocking the witnesses of the scene. They could only watch from inside their cars as the rain poured down relentlessly.
Li Xiuying couldn"t believe that this was happening to her as the water started to flow inside. She felt a stabbing pain in her stomach and terror filled her entirety. Her baby!
She must save her baby! She started panicking, releasing the seat belt buckle and pulling the unconscious Song Zexi with her.
Her whole body felt sore but she struggled to release herself and her bodyguard from confinement. She tried to open the door on her side but it wouldn��t budge no matter how much force she exerts to open it.
"Why? Why isn"t it working?" Li Xiuying questioned herself as she held her breath. She couldn"t swim, unlike her twin sister, but she must save herself and Song Zexi from drowning.
In her despair and desperation, she applied force to break the gla.s.s of the winds.h.i.+eld to escape the sinking car with her bodyguard. She was successful on her attempt, now, she had to bring herself and Song Zexi to the surface, hoping that someone would rescue them.
Her arms and legs kicked out desperately as she tried to swim to the surface. The water swirled around her, trapping her, keeping her from the oxygen she needed. Her entire body was throbbing painfully, her lungs feeingl as though they"ve been set on fire.
Slowly, black began to seep in from the edges of Li Xiuying"s vision. She tried to open her mouth to breathe but she only managed to inhale salty water. Then, ever so slowly, everything faded away. Painfully, quietly.
She didn"t want to die like this, but it was too hard to try to fight.
Darkness enveloped her. The water closed in around her, filling her with dread. She was worried that Song Zexi wouldn"t be able to survive as her arms lost its strength and the hold she had on her bodyguard loosened. She held her breath as long as she could, too long in fact. Red and black splotches danced in front of her and she couldn"t remember if her eyes were opened or closed.
The coldness she had felt upon entering the water was completely gone. A desperate hot wave had come over her, warming even her frosted toes. Her heart was beating rapidly in panic. The urgency for air was more apparent than ever. There weren"t red blotches in her field of vision anymore. It was all black.
On the verge of death, twenty-seven years of Li Xiuying"s life flashed before her eyes. An indescribable fear and thoughts crossed her mind. Her life was too tragic if she ended up dead today.
Just as she was about to start a new life with her twin sister, fate had other plans on her. This was such a tragic life with a dreadful ending. However, if she gets a chance to live another life in her next life, she would still choose to become her parents" daughter and Chuntao"s sister.
"Chuntao…"
A memory from her childhood days flashed in her mind. She and Chuntao were playing hide and seek in the Li Mansion garden while their parents were busy conversing with each other.
"Chuntao! I found you! You have to call me Ying Jie from now on!" Young Li Xiuying grinned down as she looked at Li Chuntao sitting behind the bush with leaves sticking on her head.
Young Li Chuntao pouted and turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge her sister"s claim.
"No way! I won"t call you Ying Jie! You"re only minutes older than me. That doesn"t count at all!"
Another memory flashed. Li Xiuying found herself standing in front of their parents" tombs as the guests bid their goodbyes one by one to their Uncle Yuren. They were both wearing matching black dresses with Chuntao crying her heart out as Li Xiuying stood numb beside her.
"Mommy…" She heard Chuntao hiccuped in between her sobs, "Daddy… why did you leave Chuntao alone?" Her hands rubbed her eyes as she cried.
Young Li Xiuying bit her lower lip, tears welled up her eyes. Her small hand reached and took Li Chuntao"s hand with hers.
"Chuntao, don"t cry. You aren"t alone. Ying Jie promise you, you won"t be alone,"
Before Li Xiuying closed her eyes, she thought of her unwillingness to leave her twin sister alone. She knew how Li Chuntao would be devastated if she died today. She regretted not being able to arrive on time and fulfill her promise.
"Chuntao, I"m so sorry…Ying Jie is sorry."
A sense of anguish, more than pain, had taken over her heart, and she was extremely light-headed. As her vision blurred out and her consciousness faltered, her body slowly became numb and she waited for the numbing hands of death to suck away every last piece of life left in her.