When Jiang Nan Fang woke up, it was already dark.
Outside the window, the twilight was deep, and only a glaring incandescent lamp remained in the ward.
She lay alone on the hospital bed, her surroundings empty.
Her phone was gone, Jing Yu was not by her side, and there was no sign of Zhan Bei Jue.
She didn't know how she had fainted, how much time had passed, or what had happened in the interim.
The thought of Tian Tian sent a jolt through her, and she quickly pushed herself up with her arms.
Without even putting on her shoes, she opened the door, ran into the corridor, and grabbed the first passing nurse she saw to ask.
"What time is it?"
The nurse, suddenly grabbed, looked at her as if she were an idiot.
"It's 8:13 PM. What's wrong?"
It was already past eight in the evening?
She had only brought Tian Tian in at eleven in the morning, and she had been lying in the room all afternoon?
"Why am I lying alone in the ward? Where is Zhan Bei Jue? Where is my daughter? Where is Tian Tian?"
"Hasn't she come out of the emergency room yet? Which ward is she in? I'm going to see her!"
The nurse pushed her hand away.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I just finished my night shift and am in a hurry to change a patient's dressing. Ask someone else."
With that, she hurried away.
Jiang Nan Fang looked back at the ward number.
It was on this floor, no mistake. Tian Tian should be in a nearby ward.
Impatient to see her daughter, and not knowing that the nurse was unaware, she hurried back to the nurses' station.
"Nurse, excuse me for bothering you, but may I ask how Jiang Jing Tian, who was brought in for emergency treatment at eleven this morning, is doing?"
"Which ward is she in? Can I go and see her?"
"Jiang Jing Tian?"
The nurse once again looked at her with the eyes of an idiot.
"Who are you to her?"
"I'm her mommy. I've been hospitalized here before. Your director knows me."
Jiang Nan Fang thought the nurse was simply trying to confirm her identity.
To her surprise, upon hearing this, the nurse's face showed a more meaningful expression.
"Are you really her mommy? Then you don't know that Jiang Jing Tian didn't make it through the rescue at noon and has already passed away?"
What??
Jiang Nan Fang stared at her mouth for two seconds, shaking her head frantically.
"No, no, no, nurse, I'm talking about Jiang Jing Tian. Jiang as in ginger, Jing as in scenery, and Tian as in sweet."
"She's only five years old, a very cute child. Are you sure you have the right person?"
The nurse looked down at the computer screen again and again, confirmed it was correct, and pushed the screen towards her.
"That's right, five years old, Jiang Jing Tian, father named Zhan Bei Jue, isn't it?"
"Her body has already been taken away by her father, who signed for it. Look here."
She pointed.
In the last column of the form, under family signature confirmation, Zhan Bei Jue's name was indeed clearly written.
Tian Tian didn't make it through the rescue and was gone?
Her vision went black, and Jiang Nan Fang almost collapsed onto the information desk.
"How is that possible? How is that possible? Zhan Bei Jue must be playing a joke on me! I don't believe it!"
"Where's my phone? I want to call Zhan Bei Jue and have him send the child back to me! Send both children back to me!"
Her feet felt as if they were treading on cotton, weak and unsteady, her body devoid of strength.
Her heart pounded as if it would leap out of her throat.
Jiang Nan Fang, relying solely on sheer will, used her hands to support herself against the wall to return to her room.
However, even after tossing the quilt onto the floor and rummaging through everything, she couldn't find her phone.
Tian Tian was gone, Jing Yu and Zhan Bei Jue had disappeared together, and they hadn't even left her phone. This was trying to kill her!
No.
She had to go find him and demand an explanation, ask him what he wanted, and what he intended to do!
It didn't matter if she couldn't find her damned phone.
Barefoot, she staggered back towards the elevator.
There were many people going up and down at the elevator entrance. They saw a woman with disheveled hair, not even wearing shoes, rushing into the crowd with a frantic expression.
Thinking she had gone mad, they all moved aside.
Having finally reached the first floor, the lobby was bustling with people.
Jiang Nan Fang's head ached, her ears buzzed, and her vision was blurred. She couldn't tell north from south.
Seeing her staggering alone through the crowd, a security guard hurried over to help her.
"Miss, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Which department do you want to see? Can I help?"
Nan Fang pushed him away and, dazed, continued to stagger outwards.
"No, I don't need it. Stay away from me."
"I'm going to find Zhan Bei Jue. I'm going to kill him. I want to ask him where he took my daughter. Stay away from me."
However, she couldn't push the security guard away and instead stumbled to the ground, weak.
Not understanding her muddled words, the security guard squatted down, pulling her with one hand and pressing the intercom with the other.
"Captain, Captain, there's a woman in the first-floor lobby who's delirious. Can you send two people to help?"
"I'm not delirious, don't drag me away..."
Jiang Nan Fang desperately wanted to break free and leave, but it was as if her muscles had been cut, she simply couldn't muster the strength.
As they were struggling, a news report suddenly interrupted the television hanging on the wall.
The television's volume was so loud that Jiang Nan Fang couldn't help but hear it.
"We interrupt this program with the latest news. Half an hour ago, a major traffic accident occurred at the intersection of Binjiang Road and Jianshe Road in our city."
"A car broke through the intersection guardrail while traveling at high speed, scraping along the way, overturned the Nanjang Jianshe Road Bridge, and plunged into the water. The scene was extremely tragic."
"Reporters have just arrived at the scene. It is understood that the vehicle involved was the car of our city's renowned young entrepreneur, Mr. Zhan Bei Jue."
"There were three people in the car at the time of the accident. According to informed sources, one of them was Mr. Zhan Bei Jue himself. The other two were his children, only five years old..."
The security captain quickly sent two more people. The three of them worked together to lift Jiang Nan Fang onto a nursing bed to be taken to the psychiatry department for examination.
Jiang Nan Fang, who hadn't finished listening to the news, struggled desperately.
"Let go of me! Don't touch me! I want to watch TV! Zhan Bei Jue had a car accident! He took my child in a car accident? Let go of me!"
The three ignored her, "Hurry up! Dr. Tang has already been called, and she'll be down soon. Don't let her get away!"
Fortunately, Ke Teng, wearing sunglasses, a mask, and accompanied by his assistant, arrived just in time.
Seeing the security guards working together to lift Jiang Nan Fang onto the psychiatric ward bed, he quickly rescued her.
Jiang Nan Fang was almost at death's door. Seeing Ke Teng, tears of despair flowed uncontrollably.
"Take me to Zhan Bei Jue. Ke Teng, my Tian Tian can't be in trouble, and neither can Jing Yu. I'm begging you, take me to him..."
Ke Teng gently placed her head in his arms.
"Nan Fang, wake up. The child is gone, and there's no point in humiliating yourself like this."
"Stop crying, get up with me. I'll take you home, okay?"