Chapter 50 Against the Light
The Friday proposal meeting.
Wen Bairan played the recording of the conversation between Ye Zi and Ding Benxuan in the conference room.
“……Can I say it now?……Whew… I’m a bit nervous. Ahem, then I’ll begin.……Um, hello everyone, I’m Ye Zi. I am a stage four glioma patient, nineteen years old this year. Ye Qian is my mom. I don’t have a dad; he left my mom and me when I was very young. For as long as I can remember, it’s just been the two of us, mother and daughter, depending on each other. My mom has sacrificed a lot for me; you could almost say she’s poured her entire life and energy into me. I always thought that after I finished university, I’d have the chance to repay her, but now it seems like there won’t be that opportunity. Because of this illness, we sold our only home. Sometimes, to scrape together travel and living expenses, Mom would take on odd jobs and work until midnight. I’ve tried to persuade her to keep the money for herself to live on, but she loves me too much. After I got sick, she constantly felt the need to keep us connected. She wants to feel what I feel, to share my pain. This makes me feel very guilty—why didn’t I just die right when I got sick?……”
At this point in the recording, Ding Benxuan’s voice came on, comforting her.
“……Alright, I’ll start over. Well……I want to first clarify that this isn't me being negative, it’s just that I’m a bit tired. The time being sick has been too long for me, and the pain increases day by day. Just when I think I can get used to this headache, new symptoms often appear. For example, I can barely see out of my right eye now. My mom says she’d rather she were the one who’s blind. I know she loves me very much, and I want to love her the way she loves me. But it seems I can’t be as selfless as she is.” Ye Zi laughed softly, “It really is too painful.”
The recording continued.
“I know my mom really wants me to live, even though every doctor has told her I won’t make it. Actually, from the time I couldn’t get out of bed on my own, I’ve gradually come to accept the reality that I’m moving toward death. But she can’t understand it. She holds on to me tightly, and because she holds on so tight, it makes it even more painful to watch life drain from my body. I’ve tried to persuade her, but she won’t listen to me. Today, Brother Ding told me that there are people who see her pain like I do, and I’m very happy. I hope those listening to this can help my mom, help her step out of the shadow of my illness, help her understand that her life belongs to herself. Even if I die, she doesn’t have to remain lost in mourning. There are still many new hopes in life. Maybe I don’t have much left, but I’m willing to give all my hope to her. Thank you.”
The recording ended.
The conference room was dead silent.
Everyone was completely absorbed in the monologue of this young girl in the prime of her life, soon to fade away.
Even the usually laid-back Xiang Sun involuntarily sat up straight.
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere was quite somber. Wen Bairan nodded to Ding Benxuan, and he understood, switching the recording to a projection. On the screen, the words “Against the Light” in white and gold slowly unfolded.
“P&t, adhering to the philosophy of serving cancer patients, aims to alleviate or eliminate their suffering. However, as our company’s current research and development is still in its early stages, there is a certain time delay before we can truly put it into use and receive positive treatment feedback, especially for the girl in the recording. So, what can we do for her during this time? I think that aside from the pain brought by the disease itself, what might be causing her the most suffering now is human emotion.
“I have been in contact with Ms. Ye Qian and deeply understand what Ye Zi said about Ms. Ye Qian’s longing and obsession with ‘empathy.’ I believe this stems from a mother’s instinct and nature, but correspondingly, as a daughter, Ye Zi is also very sensitive to her mother’s state. Such intense emotional bonding has actually affected both their physical and mental well-being.
“It’s not just this mother and daughter. Everyone, imagine when you are unfortunately diagnosed with a major illness, the first question the doctor usually asks is: Has your family arrived? This shows that under the influence of China’s strong emphasis on family, illness is no longer just one person’s disease. But when everyone naturally focuses their attention on the patient, few people pay attention to the one who first received the heavy blow.”
Whether it’s cancer or other illnesses, these diseases are like mountains, weighing not only on the patients but also on their families’ hearts, even causing the collapse of entire households. For families of patients with certain rare diseases, it’s often the first time they’ve heard of the illness. Their fear and terror in the face of the unknown may be no less than that of the patients themselves.
But because these people are more physically and mentally sound, even when exhausted, they often seem unable to be taken seriously, or are overlooked.
Ye Qian even feels guilty basking in the sun, let alone Ye Zi telling her to live her own life.
She has already prepared to die with her daughter. Can others just stand by and watch this happen?
Wen Bairan collected many messages online, and situations like that of Ye Qian and her daughter are not rare. For many long-term patients with conditions such as paralysis or Alzheimer’s that cause complete loss of self-care ability, their families have expressed that there are many extraordinarily difficult moments during long-term care. These non-material hardships are often even harder to talk about, and even if they are, they can’t be understood. Many of these people need psychological adjustment, but they don’t even know they have psychological issues—that is the biggest problem.
She continued, “Actually, as early as the 2000s, China had already begun clinical spiritual care projects, but this kind of non-medical support doesn’t seem to be taken seriously enough. In today’s increasingly developed internet age, although patients and their families spontaneously form groups on online forums and other places for information sharing, exchange, mutual comfort, and support, without the intervention of professionals, the power of this warmth is ultimately limited.”
“So, I plan to build a new, public welfare consultation service platform named ‘Against the Light.’ Its purpose is to serve the spiritual needs of families, providing free psychological counseling for both families and patients through methods including but not limited to online voice and video calls, as well as regular offline activities.”
In front of the projection screen, Wen Bairan’s gentle image was well-suited for this kind of presentation.
Her unhurried tone and step-by-step approach to the topic.
She told the story with warmth and enough emotion to move people.
Ding Benxuan stood next to the projector, his increasingly infatuated gaze glued to Wen Bairan, unable to look away.
Most people in the conference room were spellbound by what they heard.
She glanced around at everyone’s expressions; the slight nervousness beneath her calm gaze was well hidden.
Song Xu hadn’t spoken the entire time, his inscrutable expression making it unclear what he was thinking.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiang Sun immediately raised his hand to ask, “This idea is good, but I’d like to know how difficult it would be to implement?”
“Considering that many technologies have existing frameworks, theoretically, implementation would not be difficult. But we’ll need further discussion with the technical department for specifics.” Wen Bairan nodded to her colleagues in the technical department.
Xiang Sun nodded repeatedly, “If we have our own platform, it’ll definitely be more convenient for promotion in the future. The more people who know about us, the more concentrated our target audience will be. Besides, this type of charitable, public welfare product will also make it easier for us to interact with government departments. What do you think?”
He turned to the side.
Song Xu, seated at the head of the table, clasped his hands under his chin, squinting slightly as he looked at Wen Bairan.
To be honest, after speaking for so long, Wen Bairan felt she had no confidence at all.
A new product planned in a short time couldn’t possibly be perfect, and more importantly, this platform was positioned as public welfare.
That meant not only would it require significant investment upfront, but it also wouldn’t generate any profit, and this model would continue for a long time.
A new company’s only product on the market couldn’t bring profit to the company. Probably any boss would not approve it and might even scold her for being unrealistic.
But her unease gradually calmed under Song Xu’s gaze.
Wen Bairan felt inexplicably convinced that her starting point was not wrong.
“One question.”
He asked in a deep voice, “Why ‘Against the Light’?”
Wen Bairan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to ask this.
Against the light, there will be shadows.
But there must be light.
Ye Zi and Ye Qian.
They are each other’s shadows and each other’s light.
“Hope in desperate situations may be slim, but as long as the living follow the shadow of the light shining from behind, they can continue to move forward.”
As she finished speaking, thunderous applause filled the conference room.
Wen Bairan saw the fog disperse in Song Xu’s eyes, his faint smile like a shot of adrenaline.
Just 0.5 milligrams was enough to revitalize a heart on the verge of stopping.
Ding Benxuan grabbed Wen Bairan, who was still in a daze, and said excitedly, “Sister Ran, you spoke so well!”
“......”
She stared blankly as Song Xu stood up, turned, and walked out alone.
/
The successful end of the proposal meeting gained Wen Bairan a wave of popularity in the company.
Many were moved by Ye Zi’s monologue and asked if there was a way to donate, wanting to help them.
Xiang Sun took the lead in donating fifty thousand [RMB], which was transferred instantly.
Wen Bairan asked Ding Benxuan to create a document to record these donations.
She headed back to her office first.
Pushing open the door, a wave of floral fragrance hit her.
In the small office, 999 Bulgarian red roses were wrapped in black velvet, covered with a layer of black netting. The flowers, flown in early in the morning, were full and freshly bloomed.
Deep red intertwined with pure black; the rich scent of roses was so intense it was almost overwhelming. Under the netting, dewdrops glistened like diamonds under the incandescent lights, covering more than half of the floor.
......Wen Bairan stood there frozen by the door, unsure whether to enter or back away.
Who sent these?
Why were they placed here?
A card was inserted at the center of the flower arrangement.
She walked over and picked it up.
On the silver-gilded card was a line of elegant cursive English, written in an extremely romantic style.
"Wishing you success with the proposal..."
No signature.
Could it be Song Xu, wishing her success with the proposal?
Thinking of his early departure earlier, Wen Bairan's expression softened.
"Director Wen! Congratulations on the successful proposal!"
The sudden scream of Anni, the receptionist, came from behind.
Instinctively, she hid the card behind her back and turned around, pretending to be confused. "Anni, who brought these in?"
"No idea! Someone delivered them right after you left for the meeting, specifically for you. There was no space at the front desk, so I had them brought here directly. Don’t you know who sent them? There’s a card, isn’t there?" She leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of the card in Wen Bairan’s hand.
Wen Bairan subtly slipped the card into her pocket and said casually, "No name written."
Anni immediately exclaimed enviously, "Then it must definitely be from a secret admirer! 999 roses, how romantic! Oh my, Director Wen, you’re so lucky—thriving in both career and love!"
Before she even finished, Qiao Yi’s voice came bursting into the room.
"My darling, you were amazing—whoa, why are there so many roses?!"
Ding Benxuan followed closely behind her and was equally stunned at the sight of the flowers covering the floor.
"Haha! Are you in love again?"
Qiao Yi jumped over and threw an arm around Wen Bairan’s shoulder, excitedly demanding, "Fess up—who is it this time?"
"Fess up what? There’s nothing to fess up." She pushed Qiao Yi’s arm off her shoulder and turned to see Ding Benxuan standing with his head lowered at the doorway. Behind him, more and more people emerging from the meeting room caught sight of the roses in the office.
Exclamations of surprise rose one after another.
Wen Bairan hadn’t expected to become the center of attention. As delightful as the surprise was, she felt awkward.
She asked Qiao Yi and Anni to help her move the flowers out.
Anni: "Huh? Are we throwing them away? What a waste!"
Qiao Yi: "Exactly! And there’s no way the two of us can move all this."
The flowers, along with the packaging, were seriously heavy. Qiao Yi turned to call Ding Benxuan, "Xiao Ding, come help your Sister Ran move these out."
Ding Benxuan didn’t move.
The shadow cast by his bangs made it hard to see the downcast expression in his eyes.
Wen Bairan called out to him curiously, "Xiao Ding?"
Only then did he lift his head to look at her. "Oh..."
He walked over and asked, "Where should we move them?"
Wen Bairan thought for a moment. "How about we give them out to everyone?"
Ding Benxuan paused. "Give them out?"
"Yeah." She told Qiao Yi and Anni to pick their favorites first, then gather everyone in the department. She announced that, since it was the start of winter, she was treating everyone to flowers.
Qiao Yi laughed at her: "What kind of flowers are we appreciating at the start of winter?"
But it was a good idea. Though one department alone wouldn’t be enough people, so she sent Anni and Ding Benxuan to go around to every department, even delivering some to Xiang Sun’s office.
Now, truly, everyone knew about it.
Xiang Sun stared dumbfounded at the red rose in his hand: "You said who sent these?!"
Anni said: "Director Wen."
Xiang Sun: "No... I mean, who sent these to Director Wen?"
Anni, intoxicated by the scent of the roses, said in a dreamy voice: "It’s a mysterious admirer~"
"Admirer?!" Xiang Sun tossed the rose aside: "But didn’t Mr. Song leave?!"
"What does Mr. Song have to do with this? This is clearly..." Halfway through her sentence, Anni seemed to have stumbled upon some astonishing secret, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets! "You mean—you mean Mr. Song and Director Wen—they?!"
/
Back in the office, Wen Bairan had a splitting headache.
The successful proposal should've been a great start to the day, but who was this mysterious person who sent the flowers?
The more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that it could be Song Xu.
The gifts he gave were either expensive or carried some special meaning.
Flowers, as impractical gestures, weren’t his style.
Then who could it be?
Whatever.
No point overthinking it.
Work was what mattered.
After the proposal, it was time to officially begin the design work.
She turned on her computer. Just as the home screen appeared, her phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
She answered suspiciously, "Hello?"
Hearing the voice on the other end, her face changed slightly.
...