"Ugh..."
The ringtone seemed to explode in her mind. Xin Yu felt a splitting headache. She frantically held her head, but couldn't resist the waves of pain.
"Miss Xin, what's wrong?" Liu Yi was the first to notice Xin Yu's distress and quickly knelt down beside her to ask.
Cheng Yao also saw her pale face and grabbed her. "You'd better not try anything funny!"
Xin Yu was extremely frustrated, but she didn't even have the strength to lift her head. Her body slumped, leaning against Cheng Yao's legs.
"Xin Yu!"
"Miss Xin!"
Liu Yi glanced at Cheng Yao, who, startled, picked up Xin Yu without a word and rushed into the emergency room.
"What happened?" Liu Yi was about to follow when he heard someone ask behind him. He turned around and quickly bowed. "Good morning, Master!"
It was Mu Yizhen! "Hmm." He walked over, his steps steady, showing no haste. "Who was that just now?"
"Reporting to you, sir, it was President Cheng," Liu Yi said respectfully, omitting Xin Yu's identity.
"It seemed there was a woman there?" Mu Yizhen wasn't about to let it go.
Liu Yi paused, just choosing his words, when Mu Yizhen waved his hand.
He stood solemnly outside the emergency room, his expression unreadable.
Qiu Zhi had just finished treating Mu Yichuan's gunshot wound when Cheng Yao rushed in carrying Xin Yu, startling him.
His peach-blossom eyes couldn't hide his surprise and worry. He snatched Xin Yu away, drawing a surprised glance from Cheng Yao.
"She suddenly fainted while drawing the murderer's portrait," Cheng Yao explained, standing beside him, then looked inside. "How is Ninth Brother?"
...
The blinding sunlight shone into Xin Yu's eyes. She shook her head; it was still badly swollen.
"Do you want some water?"
Who was asking her that? This voice wasn't Mu Yichuan's!
Xin Yu tried to open her eyes, but a beam of light seemed to be constantly in front of her, preventing her from lifting her eyelids.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
The voice remained gentle as it asked.
After struggling for a long time, Xin Yu finally opened her eyes. Strangely, the room was drawn white curtains with light floral patterns, blocking out the light and making it not glaring.
Before her stood a man in dark casual clothes…!
Instantly, Xin Yu's eyes widened. This man looked about five-tenths like Mu Yichuan, but his demeanor wasn't as cold and aloof, and he was a size larger than Mu Yichuan, with a somewhat dull look in his eyes.
Closing her eyes slightly, she roughly guessed who he was.
But why was he here? Alone in the room with her?
"Want to sit up?" he asked again.
Xin Yu kept her eyes closed, not wanting to answer. She only wanted to know how Mu Yichuan was.
But she couldn't ask the person in front of her.
"Ninth Brother hasn't woken up yet."
Xin Yu froze, still not responding. She truly didn't know how to face Mu Yichuan's family, especially since he was injured because of her.
The two were locked in an unspoken, tense standoff, one pretending to be asleep, the other sitting there observing the other.
Only when footsteps sounded again did Xin Yu secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Peeking through her slits, she saw Qiu Zhi enter, and she instinctively sat up.
"Awake?" He didn't seem surprised, naturally examining her.
Xin Yu, however, felt embarrassed and ashamed when she saw Mu Yizhen's intense gaze, her face turning bright red.
"Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
"I...I need to go to the restroom." Xin Yu pursed her lips. "Could you help me?"
Qiu Zhi raised an eyebrow, neither answering nor refusing.
Having taken only a few steps, Xin Yu eagerly pressed closer, asking, "How is Mu Yichuan?"
"Didn't the Master tell you?"
She stopped abruptly outside, looking at Qiu Zhi. He showed none of his usual teasing, so she composed herself. "I didn't speak to him. Is he here... to settle scores with me?"
"Still not well?!" Qiu Zhi bluntly commented.
At the mention of this, Xin Yu felt a headache return, and her eyes reddened. She couldn't even picture the murderer!
She had been trying to recall, but the face remained a blur.
Qiu Zhi sighed inwardly, helping her to the restroom, saying as they walked, "Ninth Brother is alright."
Watching Xin Yu's slender figure disappear inside, Qiu Zhi frowned, recalling the scene in the emergency room two days ago—
While he was examining her, Mu Yichuan suddenly opened his eyes, startling all the medical staff. He was under anesthesia, so how could he have woken up?
"Ninth... Ninth Mr!" a senior surgeon called out, still relatively calm.
Qiu Zhi and Cheng Yao quickly went over, only to see Mu Yichuan's dark eyes calm, his cold aura undiminished. "Where's Ayu?"
"Ninth Brother, the little girl is alright, just exhausted, she just fell asleep."
"Take good care of her." He finished speaking, then closed his eyes again, falling asleep.
It was as if the person who had just spoken wasn't him…
"Is it inconvenient for me to see him now?" Xin Yu's weak voice interrupted Qiu Zhi's thoughts. He turned to look at the little girl leaning against the wall, her head bowed.
Looking utterly remorseful, she was pitiful enough that Qiu Zhi wanted to reach out and pat Xin Yu's head.
"Is Mu Yichuan badly injured? The Master said he hasn't woken up yet?"
"Let's go." Seeing her so preoccupied with Ninth Brother, Qiu Zhi didn't say anything more and led Xin Yu to the intensive care unit.
As soon as they entered, she couldn't take another step, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.
In her memory, Mu Yichuan was always the embodiment of strength. Aside from occasionally seeing him lying beside her in bed in the mornings, Xin Yu didn't think she'd ever seen him lying so peacefully.
"Mu Yichuan..." She was so damned. Why did she have to search for those memories? Why did she have to come to Beishi!
Even if she had some youthful crush and promises with someone else, so many years had passed!
Shouldn't she cherish the present?
"What are you crying about!" a chilling voice rang out.
Startled, Xin Yu looked up, stunned, at the man on the bed. His face was pale, clearly from excessive blood loss that day.
"Does it hurt?" Her clear, watery eyes were misty, and her voice was softer than ever before.
Mu Yichuan reached out his right hand and pressed Xin Yu's head down, bringing it to his lips.
"Mmm..." She stared wide-eyed, utterly surprised, but dared not move, afraid of hurting him, and could only let him do as he pleased.
"I'm perfectly fine, why are you crying!" He finally released her, his voice cold and harsh.
"I..." Xin Yu said, tears streaming down her face again, "I'm sorry."
"Help me sit up." He didn't like her blaming herself like this.
"Ninth Brother!" Qiu Zhi stepped over and comforted her, "Ninth Brother, your shoulder blade needs bed rest."
Xin Yu shuddered at first. She had forgotten that Qiu Zhi was there too. Had he seen everything that had just happened between her and Mu Yichuan?
However, his last sentence made her completely forget what she was thinking, leaving only the thick pool of blood in her mind. "Hiss—" She gasped, still unable to suppress a groan of pain from her headache. Even with the blood and pain vivid in her mind, she couldn't recall the killer's face.
"Ayu?" Mu Yichuan grabbed Xin Yu's wrist, making a move to sit up.
"I'm fine!" She stood up, leaning over to gently press him down. "Don't move! I'm fine, just a little stuffy from sleeping too much."
"Yeah!" Qiu Zhi said coolly, "You can really sleep, three days straight!"
She slept for three more days…!
Xin Yu looked softly at Mu Yichuan, her tear tracks still wet on her face. "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"
After staying with him for a while, she realized he didn't seem like a patient at all. Aside from being able to lie down, his clear black eyes and strong arms exuded his domineering and powerful nature.
"Go eat something with Azhi."
Xin Yu didn't want to leave, but she felt the pressure from Qiu Zhi and knew Mu Yichuan still needed rest.
"You'll be discharged soon!" Qiu Zhi commanded without turning around as he walked ahead. "I never knew you were so shameless! I've already set up my signboard, and you still come to my hospital!"
Xin Yu's lips twitched. She realized they were back in the capital.
"Hmm," she responded softly, not in the mood to argue with Qiu Zhi. "How long does Mu Yichuan need to rest?"
"He'll be fine once you're back to normal."
Xin Yu paused, pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and slowly followed Qiu Zhi back to her ward. Thankfully, Mu Yizhen had already left.
Buzz buzz buzz.
"Check the message."
Suddenly, Xin Yu's eyes widened in surprise. She had just heard a distorted voice—simple and cold.
Her heart pounded. She opened the message, and the words stared at her: "Attend room 655 in the Imperial Court at 3 PM. Do not tell anyone, or you will face the consequences."
Her hand trembled, and her phone clattered to the floor.
Who sent this? Why did she have to go there?!
Lost in a daze, Xin Yu realized it was already 2 AM when Qingming Festival arrived!
Quickly getting ready, she rushed out of the hospital.
But standing outside the Imperial Hotel, Xin Yu was still caught in an endless dilemma.
Go in? She was truly afraid of the unknown enemy lurking in the shadows.
Don't go in? What consequences would she face? The other party's words were so concise and confident—was it an exaggerated threat?!
It was almost 3 AM, and Xin Yu still couldn't bring herself to take a step. She answered a timely phone call, "Don't worry, you're not in any danger."
She frowned, looking around. Who was lurking in the shadows?!
Why were they following and monitoring her?!
Finally, steeling herself, Xin Yu approached room 655.
...!
She felt a chill run down her spine, her blood rushing to her head, and she collapsed to the ground.
Shaking uncontrollably.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her butterfly-like eyelashes trembling violently. She dared not look at the things in the room, yet she had already seen them.
Cheng Yuan's...nude photos!
One after another, large and small, they covered the floor and the walls.
"You come out here!" Xin Yu screamed, "You bastard! You scoundrel! You damned creature! Ah!"
She felt herself on the verge of collapse, about to explode at any moment!
All the curses and screams were insufficient to vent this unbearable weight!
"I will come out, but now is not the time," came the altered voice again, "You've cursed enough, now it's time to listen to me."
"If you have something to say, come out and say it!"