2 AM.
The black Rolls-Royce drove out of the garage, cutting through the rain and snow, and headed towards a private hospital along the overpass.
Time ticked by, and Nan Qing's hands and feet grew icy cold.
He couldn't imagine how the ever-composed Qin Mubai could lie so withered on his sickbed.
He hated Qin Mubai.
Qin Mubai betrayed their promise, broke his trust, and shattered his dependence.
He couldn't stand confidently in front of Qin Mubai, acting as if nothing had happened, and spouting some kind of magnanimous lie of forgiveness.
Qin Mubai is annoying.
But he couldn't accept that the eternally invincible Qin Mubai would be associated with the word "death."
The heavy autumn rain pounded against the cold windows of the corridor. The private hospital in the middle of the night had a desolate loneliness. Nan Qing hurried along until she encountered a group of familiar figures.
"Where is Qin Mubai? What happened to Qin Mubai?"
Before he could get a reply to her questions, Qin Jingzhu, wiping away tears, screamed at him, venting all her resentment on him.
"You still have the nerve to ask? You jinx!"
" Nan Qing, what have we done to you? Why is it that we always suffer when we're associated with you? It's all your fault! You've ruined Xiao Mu like this—"
"Madam, please calm down."
How can you expect me to calm down?!
Qin Jingzhu pushed aside the assistant who was trying to stop her and raised her hand to slap Nan Qing.
"Get out! You're not welcome in our house!"
Suddenly, a tall figure pulled Nan Qing away, his long, slender hand grabbing Qin Jingzhu's arm through her clothes, his voice icy cold.
"Ms. Qin, please be careful with your words."
" Qingqing left with me before the ceremony ended. He had nothing to do with President Qin's car accident. You have no reason to take your anger out on him."
Wiping away her tears, Qin Jingzhu finally looked up and saw Huo Yuzhou standing next to Nan Qing.
An unnatural expression appeared on her face; even her previous tantrum-like demeanor had lost its confidence, and she hesitantly took a step back.
" Mr. Huo."
Hearing the commotion, Bai's father rushed over, bowing slightly to Huo Yuzhou with a fearful expression.
"My son had a minor accident; why did you have to be bothered?"
" Mr. Huo, I apologize for the poor hospitality. This way, please..."
Huo Yuzhou's indifferent gaze swept across his face, without ever leaving Nan Qing's side.
His sharply defined features turned toward the closed door upstairs, his angular jawline slightly raised, and he asked:
What's the situation now?
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Jingzhu started crying again.
While comforting his wife, Mr. Bai sighed.
"The rain was so heavy today, visibility was low, and the other driver was fatigued, so we crashed into each other."
"Fortunately, the driver was experienced and drove at a low speed, which prevented serious consequences. The child has just finished emergency treatment and is currently under post-operative observation. The doctors are still carefully considering the dosage of medication; the child has taken too many drugs, many of which stimulate the nerves and have significant side effects..."
Mr. Bai sighed, looking several years older, as if he couldn't continue speaking.
Nan Qing stood on the cold, hard floor, stunned for several seconds. He listened to Bai's father's words, but the voice seemed ethereal and unreal.
What Qin Mubai took too much medicine and it stimulated his nerves?
Qin Mubai is healthier than anyone else. He can go for a morning run early in the morning, and he never gets sick when the flu comes in winter. He never gets headaches or fevers. Why would he take medicine?
In a dizzying moment, Nan Qing looked at Qin Mubai's assistant with a somewhat bewildered expression.
The other person's gaze shifted slightly, looking in another direction.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Jingzhu had already changed the subject again.
"What kind of misfortune has our family been committing lately? Our second son is completely despondent, and our third son is missing again—this is the third time he's been kidnapped! Who on earth is making things so difficult for us?!"
"These bastards! Do they want money or lives? If they want money, just say so! I'll beg on my knees and throw away all my pride to get them whatever money they want! If they want lives, I'll give them my life too! But why are they so heartless? My poor Ruanruan..."
Qin Jingzhu cried so hard her voice trembled, and she almost collapsed into her father's arms.
Bai's father looked dejected as he gazed at the tall man standing behind Nan Qing.
After hesitating several times, he spoke somewhat nervously.
" Mr. Huo, you have many connections. Could you help us investigate Ruanruan's case? This child has had such a hard life; his mother and I are heartbroken over him—"
If someone goes missing, report it to the police.
Under the bright corridor lights, Huo Yuzhou's handsome, sharp features exuded a certain coldness that seemed unapproachable.
"Our country's judicial system is impartial and will surely give Mr. Bai a satisfactory answer."
Mr. Bai was somewhat embarrassed, but he responded repeatedly.
The rain gradually subsided in the latter half of the night, and only a faint rustling sound could be heard in the corridor.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.
Nan Qing glanced at Qin Mubai's assistant, who had been trying to keep a low profile, and pulled him out.
"Brother Wang, come here for a second, I have something to ask you."
Assistant Wang forced a smile, looking extremely embarrassed. The next second, the tightly closed door of the emergency room opened, and a doctor in a white coat walked out with a nurse.
"The patient is awake. Where are the family members?"
Mr. Bai volunteered to go with her, while Mrs. Bai sobbed uncontrollably. In the next instant, she dialed a number to ask if there was any news about Bai Ruanruan.
Having just breathed a sigh of relief, Assistant Wang forced a stiff smile and, under the immense pressure of two pairs of stares in the torrential rain outside the window, turned on his phone...
-
The private hospital room was brightly lit.
Qin Mubai, who had just been wheeled out of the emergency room, had an IV needle in his wrist connected to an infusion pump via tubing. He also had a clip for measuring blood oxygen levels between his fingers. Countless opaque thin tubes led to a monitor at the head of his bed.
He had an injury on his forehead, which was treated with medicine and then bandaged.
An unnatural pallor appeared on that rugged face. As Nan Qing got closer, she noticed that Qin Mubai seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and the bones in his large hands were slightly protruding.
He still hated Qin Mubai.
But for some reason, my eyes felt burning hot, as if something was about to burst out of them and overflow.
He raised his large, bony hand, as if to wipe away the tears that hadn't yet welled up in his eyes.
But the next moment, as if realizing something, he dejectedly withdrew his finger.
"I'm fine, the doctor is just making a mountain out of a molehill."
Leaning against the hospital bed, Qin Mubai spoke calmly, smiling at him.
"Doctors are always like that; they exaggerate a 2% chance to an 8% chance. Don't worry about me."
"There's no danger to my life, and if things go well, I feel like I can be discharged first thing tomorrow morning—cough—"
Qin Mubai clutched his violently heaving chest, suppressing the cough.
"Why are you here so late? It's raining heavily and very cold today."
They had never been so polite before.
But it seems that from some point onwards, Qin Mubai gradually distanced himself from him, and his words carried a certain distant politeness.
Nan Qing didn't understand what had happened.
He didn't even understand what he had done wrong, and without even a chance to correct it, Qin Mubai started avoiding him, shunning him, and ignoring him.
Nan Qing lowered her eyes and stood still.
In the long silence, the man on the hospital bed sighed and sat up slightly.
"Isn't there anything you want to say to your elder brother, Qingqing?"
"Are you having some trouble? Or are you feeling down? Can I help you, brother?"