The kidnappers who had tried to push Su Qi off the cliff suddenly rushed towards the car. Before Xu Linchuan could react, they jumped into the car, closed the door, and floored the accelerator.
With a roar, the van quickly disappeared into the mountains and the darkness, leaving no trace.
Seeing the van vanish, Su Qi squatted down and held onto Xu Linchuan's body. Although she had no strength left, she used all her might to try and catch Xu Linchuan.
"Linchuan, hold on, I'll get you to the car, I'll take you to the hospital, you'll be alright, you'll be alright..."
"Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm really fine..."
Pain quickly set in.
Xu Linchuan's face contorted in pain. Despite his best efforts to hide it, he couldn't conceal it. The immense destructive power of the shotgun, even at a distance of one to two meters, had still injured his nerves and flesh. The bullets felt like they were tearing his body apart, the pain unbearable. His lips turned pale, losing all color.
His white coat was instantly soaked in blood red.
In the darkness, it was particularly striking.
"No, no, no—"
Su Qi hugged Xu Linchuan, wanting to call for help. But this was a deep mountain forest, night had fallen, and a solitary crescent moon hung in the sky. The air was thin and cold, and there wasn't a soul for miles around.
In such a remote place, Xu Linchuan had found her without hesitation. And that man...
Su Qi's heart sank into despair. She felt warmth in her palm, and the man in her arms grew increasingly weak.
The sound of a car approaching through the mountains reached her ears. Su Qi stood up and shouted for help, "Help, help—"
The car's headlights illuminated Su Qi's face.
Before the car had even stopped, Qin Xue pushed open the door, scrambled out, and rushed to Su Qi, grabbing her. "Are you injured?! Why are you bleeding, you..."
"No, it's not my blood. It's Xu Linchuan. Hurry and take him down the mountain, he's been shot!"
At the hospital, Xu Linchuan had been in surgery for a full ten hours.
From nine in the evening until six in the morning, Su Qi hadn't closed her eyes, waiting in the hospital corridor, refusing to leave. Qin Xue, worried about Su Qi's unborn child, handed her a cup of hot milk with sleep-inducing ingredients. Even though she felt sleepy after drinking the milk, Su Qi only managed to doze off on the long bench in the corridor.
Qin Xue, helpless and heartbroken, took wet wipes to clean Su Qi's hands and face, gave her a new jacket, and tidied her up a bit so she looked presentable.
Having experienced so many upheavals today, Qin Xue didn't want to force Su Qi, who had already endured so much shock.
At precisely seven in the morning, the operating room door finally opened.
Su Qi jolted awake, stood up, and walked forward. "How is he? Linchuan..."
"Dr. Xu is out of danger, but his vital signs are still unstable and he needs to be transferred to the ICU. Madam, please don't worry."
After the doctor finished speaking, he had a nurse push Xu Linchuan out and directly into the nearby ICU.
Su Qi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled a little.
"Alright, are you relieved now? Go get some rest. You're a grown woman and a mother-to-be. You still don't know how to take care of yourself. I'll have someone watch him. If he wakes up, I'll tell you. Go get some sleep."
Qin Xue, afraid something would happen to Su Qi and truly relieved that Xu Linchuan was out of danger, urged Su Qi to go rest at a nearby hotel.
Su Qi nodded and walked towards the elevator, staying close to Qin Xue.
Because she hadn't slept all night, Su Qi's steps were unsteady, and she almost stumbled a few times. Sister Tong brought a wheelchair and pushed Su Qi out of the hospital.
Outside the hospital entrance, a black Rolls-Royce was parked.
Its appearance was too eye-catching, and people passing by the hospital kept turning their heads.
Qin Xue paused, about to instruct Sister Tong to take Su Qi to the hotel, when she saw the door of the Rolls-Royce open.
A man, dressed in a suit and tie, clearly having washed up and slept well, stepped out of the car. He was elegant and radiant.
Seeing her son's face, Qin Xue's anger flared. "You actually remember to come to the hospital?"
"Mom." Huo Tingyun's gaze fell on Su Qi.
The woman sat in the wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes downcast. Her delicate and beautiful face was almost devoid of color. She seemed a bit sleepy, her eyelids constantly drooping. Even when she heard his voice, she showed no reaction.
"Are... are you alright?"
Huo Tingyun lowered his gaze and asked in a deep voice.
Su Qi's lips moved, and she mechanically replied, "Thank you, I'm fine."
These five words felt like five needles, piercing his fingers and spreading a fine, throbbing pain in his heart.
A dark light flickered in Huo Tingyun's eyes. "That night, I had Lin Te locate you. I didn't give up on you."
"Yes, thank you."
Qin Xue sighed, interrupting their conversation, and took the wheelchair from Sister Tong. "I'll take Qi Qi to the hotel to rest. You should go see Linchuan too, after all, he's your childhood friend."
"...Mm."
Huo Tingyun cast a deep gaze at Su Qi, his expression darkening, and walked towards the hospital entrance.
Qin Xue pushed Su Qi to a hotel, a five-star hotel near the hospital. In the suite, she asked Sister Tong to attend to Su Qi while she went to the hotel kitchen to stew soup and porridge for her. Su Qi slept for a long, long time. When she woke up, the first thing she said was, "Linchuan, where is Linchuan?"
*Click.*
The floor lamp was turned on, and the man stood up from the chair by the bed. His voice was unusually hoarse and cold. "You're awake."
Even if Huo Tingyun had turned to ash, Su Qi would recognize him by the sound of his bones.
Even without clearly seeing the person in front of her, her mind had already recognized who it was.
"Mr. Huo." Su Qi raised her eyes. In the dim light, she saw the man standing by the bed.
Huo Tingyun was wearing a white shirt with the top three buttons undone. The shirt was made of excellent material, yet it showed no sign of looseness. Below, he wore suit pants. It was a common way to tuck a shirt into pants, but on this man, it looked sophisticated and natural.
"Drink some water." Huo Tingyun raised his long fingers and offered Su Qi a glass of water.
Su Qi raised her hand, her fingers touching the glass. It was filled with warm water.
Su Qi gulped down more than half the glass before setting it down. Using both hands, she pushed herself up from the bed.
The only thought in her mind was to see Xu Linchuan.
That weapon was, by far, the most lethal in close combat in the world.
Even though it was at a distance and he had been rescued, she was still very worried.
Xu Linchuan had been busy with family matters recently, and his health was already not good. She didn't know how he was doing.
As soon as Su Qi sat up, the room door was knocked open.