Translated by newbienoona
Edited by anks
The nurse patiently persuades An Chuxia. “The patient's vital signs are stabilized. But if we don't treat your injuries, they can get worse.”
“Yes, miss. Since we're all in one vehicle, you can be treated beside the patient,” the doctor advises.
An Chuxia capitulates as her eyes remain on Qilu.
The nurse takes off An Chuxia's shoes. Her feet are so swollen, they look like cooked pig hooves. Blood oozes as the shoes are removed.
The nurse looks up to An Chuxia, whose eyes are filled with tears as she stares at Han Qilu. She acts unaffected by her own injuries. With this much swelling, is she not afraid of pain?
The nurse shakes her head and starts was.h.i.+ng the blood off of An Chuxia's feet and starts treating it with an ice pack for the swelling and alcohol to clean the cuts. Asking the patient to actively cooperate is impossible. Follow-up treatment just has to be performed at the hospital.
* * *
As the ambulance gets farther and farther, Meng Xiaonan sucks air deeply through her nostrils. She just wants to give the thug a swift death!
“Today, you must die!” Xiao Mingluo reaches out and slaps the a.s.sailant's face. His face swells up almost immediately.
One of the policemen immediately stops Mingluo. “Master Xiao, please don't be impulsive. Please don't.”
“Let me go! I want to kill him!” says Mingluo. It takes another three to four cops to hold him back.
The a.s.sailant is finally settled in the back seat of a police car. He really didn't expect to hit Han Qilu. He heard from the medical staff that Qilu's life is stable, and this made him feel more secure. If he served him a fatal blow, he might as well commit suicide. Otherwise, the Han Group would definitely make sure he dies.
“I'm sorry Master Xiao, but I have to take you and the miss for questioning,” a policeman steps forward and states.
All the other gang members dissipated at the sound of the alarm, so the only people to be brought in are he and Xiaonan, and the a.s.sailant.
* * *
In a quiet room lit with an overhead yellow light, a young woman sleeps on the bed wearing a camisole without underwear on.
A cellphone rings and vibrates on the nightstand, breaking the night's silence. She puts her hand over device until it stops ringing and vibrating. Then, she returns to her slumber.
A few moments later, the phone rings again. The shock has now given her a headache!
“Who–,” Xiang Mankuai suddenly looks at the device and answers it. Her disposition is unpleasant. Won't this person let her sleep?
It takes a moment for her to answer with a raspy voice. “It's me.”
She immediately wakes up with a s.h.i.+ver down her spine. “Grandma… .” She immediately regrets not sounding more pleasant, but at two in the morning, anyone awoken from a deep sleep should be a bit grumpy.
“You're sleeping so peacefully, you didn't notice what's going on outside.” The old lady pays more attention to her health than the younger generation. She sleeps sooner than them, but wakes up early too.
Xiang Mankuai sits at the edge of her bed, the cogs in her brain start turning quickly. Has Han Liuhai made his move already? Didn't he say he'll give her some time?
“Grandma, did the Han family do something? They are a bit of a celebrity. Is it on social media?” She walks toward her notebook, opening it to a web browser.
“Han Qilu's fiancee was abducted. He got injured trying to save her, and now he's in the hospital,” her grandmother states without emotion.
Still playing with her notebook, she increases the volume on her device and says, “What? Han Qilu is in the hospital?!”
She starts typing in Han Qilu's name on Baidu and an onslaught of headlines about him emerge.
Han Heir Fights with Kidnappers to Save Fiancee, Currently Alive, but on the verge of Death
Love Story Prince and Princess in a Staged Reality
Han in Critical Condition But Fiancee…
She reads the news and she is rendered heartbroken.
There's also news on whether the Han's stocks would be affected because of the incident.
Han's Heir in Trouble Again; Will the Stocks Go Up or Down?
Tomorrow, A City, Post Han, Makes Financial Headlines Again
One of the links brings up a photo. The text states he has been taken to the center city hospital. Despite the news being overwhelming, she doesn't see a picture of him being injured. The photos only show him being unloaded from an ambulance, and his figure protected by his bodyguards.
“Right now, the inpatient wards are blocking calls, and more than likely, the family won't allow you to visit. You must find a way to see Han Qilu. Looking at the news, this will be bad for you,” her grandmother states.
This IS bad for her. If her news with Han Qilu is to be made public, she is bound to be labeled “Third Wheel”. She currently doesn't have a solid foundation in China, and it would be hard for her to recover if she's dubbed as such.
“But grandma, shouldn't I lay low for a while? When Han Qilu wakes up, I will… .”
“When did you become so stupid?” the old lady screeches. “When you were in the United States, didn't he return to you after you cared for him? Now that An Chuxia is doing that, aren't you afraid she'll take your place?”
Not afraid?
Xiang Mankuai bites her lower lip. She can't be afraid! It's just that after seeing Han Qilu meet with An Chuxia, she felt a drumming in her heart.
“I know, I'll find time to meet up with him,” Mankuai acquiesces.
“Just think about what you're going to do.” The old woman hangs up.
The room is back to being quiet; the picture of the ambulance still on her screen. With a loud thud, she slams the screen shut.
When her grandmother stated the news, she wasn't worried about Han Qilu alone, but what he was doing with An Chuxia. She clenches her fist at the thought of them being together. Didn't Han Liuhai tell her that An Chuxia doesn't only love Qilu, but his ident.i.ty itself?
The corner of her lip rises.
Who does she think she is? She firmly believes that An Chuxia is no different from her. Despite her saintly expression, she is more than likely plotting just like what she's currently doing!
Meanwhile, at the center City hospital, An Chuxia has fallen asleep. She is so tired from crying, her eyes are as red as a bunny's. Han Liuhai's bodyguard gently watches over her in the ward.
“Qilu… .” An Chuxia frowns as she opens her eyes. She finds herself confined to her room.
She gets up instantly, ripping the IV from her arm and hopping out of bed. But as soon as her feet touch the ground, she crumples to the floor. Since her feet weren't treated in a timely manner, complications arose. Now, there's more edema.
“An Chuxia, why are you on the floor?” Jiang Yuan asks as she pushes the door and rushes to her side. “If you don't take care of your feet, you'll be permanently disabled! Get back to bed obediently. Qilu's father is watching over him.”
As soon as An Chuxia returns to bed, she argues. “But daddy has to go to work tomorrow. How can he stay up and watch over him? Let me go. I'm not sleepy!”
“You also need your sleep like Qilu does. Don't be so stubborn and listen to mommy just this time!”
An Chuxia knows better than to argue with Jiang Yuan. All she can do now is to ask the nurse to reattach her IV.
Watching the nurse re-pierce An Chuxia makes Jiang Yuan feel a piercing in her heart as well. “I'm going to make those kidnappers regret what they dared to do. They shouldn't go to the police. They should be dealt with privately.”
An Chuxia knows what Jiang Yuan means when someone has to be dealt with “privately”, and now she really hates that “man”.
“Don't let mommy's ramblings bother you. Get some sleep. Don't worry about Qilu either. They said that he wasn't seriously injured by the rod. Rest a.s.sured.” Jiang Yuan rubs An Chuxia's head before getting up and following the nurse out.
An Chuxia knows Jiang Yuan is trying to comfort her. She distinctly remembers the physician saying that there's nothing wrong with him, but it might be difficult to say what would happen if he doesn't wake up in three days.
She deeply exhales as she stares at the IV bag over her bed. Eventually, she succ.u.mbs to sleep.
Fortunately, she sleeps in until nine o'clock. She wakes up to the sound of the doctor walking into her room.
“Doctor, how's Qilu? Has he woken up?” These are her first words to the doctor. The eagerness in her eyes can't be spoiled.
The doctor and the nurse suddenly think that they might as well have their tongues cut off rather than repeat what was said in private.
