Qi Ji lowered her head and took two steps back. Xue Jingrui followed, standing a head taller than her.
Xue Jingrui raised his hands and cupped Qi Ji's face. Her face was small, fitting perfectly in his palms.
Qi Ji didn't dare move as they drew closer.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Suddenly, someone knocked on the study door. Xue Jingrui startled, immediately releasing Qi Ji and stepping back.
"Qi Ji, it's time for bed. It's getting late."
Xue Jingrui glanced at the clock in the study. It was exactly 10 PM. His mother's timing was impeccable.
Qi Ji had grown accustomed to this routine. Ever since she became pregnant, Ye Rong had been bustling about, preparing various meals during the day, reminding her to sleep at night, and even getting up to tuck her in.
One could say that Ye Rong's care was comprehensive. Qi Ji's daily routine had become so regular that even her mental state had visibly improved.
Xue Jingrui opened the door, feeling somewhat annoyed. They were so close to kissing, only to be interrupted at the last moment.
"Qi Ji, come sleep with Mom." Ye Rong walked up to Qi Ji, took her hand, and led her towards the door. As they reached the doorway, Ye Rong shot Xue Jingrui a knowing look.
She wasn't oblivious to her son's intentions. Seeing Qi Ji's flushed cheeks, she understood all too well. If she had come any later, who knows what might have happened...
Back in the bedroom, Qi Ji lay down, and Ye Rong tucked her in.
"Sweetie, you're further along now, and with twins. You need to be careful. Jingrui might not know his limits, and we can't risk any complications at this stage."
"I understand, Mom."
Early the next morning, Xu Xiuhe received a call from the hospital, informing him that the patient had stabilized and was out of danger.
That morning, news about Xu Guimin trended again, but this time the headline was Yang Cui's voluntary disclosure.
Yang Cui held a press conference. In the video, she appeared frail and pitiful.
"My husband, Xu Guimin, had an accident while swimming. As soon as I found out, I rushed him to the hospital. When he finally woke up, my son and I went home briefly. When we returned, my husband had vanished."
The woman burst into tears, her face a picture of sorrow that tugged at the heartstrings.
"Mr. Xu, do you have any leads? Have you reported this to the police?" a reporter asked.
"We haven't reported it yet. What I can say is that he's probably not in danger. After all, they are father and son."
Her words left much to the imagination.
The press conference was being live-streamed, with a flurry of diverse comments.
[Doesn't Xu Guimin have another son?]
[Yes, the CEO of Heyuan Group, Xu Xiuhe. I heard he's self-made, started from scratch.]
[I also heard that Xu Xiuhe left the Xu family right after his college entrance exams.]
[That suggests their father-son relationship isn't good. This woman isn't Xu Xiuhe's birth mother.]
Soon, public opinion shifted to Xu Xiuhe. Many people messaged his Weibo account, asking if he had indeed taken Xu Guimin away.
Xu Xiuhe was at the company. Given the current situation, he couldn't ignore it any longer.
Liu Bo wasn't in the office, but fortunately, the assistant department was capable.
Xu Xiuhe walked into the office area and said, "Prepare for a press conference shortly."
The assistant department immediately understood.
The press conference was set in Heyuan Group's large conference room. No reporters, no media, just a group of assistants. This conference had no other purpose than to simply clarify the situation.
"Regarding Xu Guimin, he is indeed my biological father. He called saying he missed me, and as his nominal son, I brought him back for treatment. Is there a problem with that?"
The number of viewers in the live stream was no less than Yang Cui's, perhaps even several times more.
[No problem at all. They are father and son, after all.]
[In ancient times, Xu Xiuhe would be the eldest legitimate son.]
[So how is Xu Guimin's condition now?]
[Yeah, how is he? We want to know about the future development of the Xu Group. It affects our housing and stock purchases.]
"CEO, they're all asking about Xu Guimin's condition," Qin Zhenzhen's voice came through Xu Xiuhe's earpiece.
"Regarding Xu Guimin, he is now out of danger."
After the press conference, Heyuan Group's stock price rose significantly.
Yang Cui was furious. She had only intended to garner sympathy and use public opinion to pressure Xu Xiuhe, but she had forgotten that the person they had been ignoring was, after all, the Xu family's eldest son.
"Mom, what do we do now?"
"You're asking me? How should I know? Didn't I tell you to bring your father back last night?"
"Mom, you don't understand. There's an alarm on his hospital room door."
"Now we can only target his wife. What about Zhou Man? Do we have any concrete evidence?"
"Useless."
"Mom, if worse comes to worst..."
The man didn't finish his sentence, but Yang Cui understood what Xu Zhengyang was suggesting. She didn't stop him.
Several days later, Xu Xiuhe entered Xu Guimin's hospital room.
Xu Guimin could now get out of bed. As soon as Xu Xiuhe entered, Xu Guimin wiped away a tear. "Xiuhe, you've finally come."
"Why did you ask me to save you?"
Xu Guimin looked at Xu Xiuhe, then lowered his head, remaining silent.
"If you don't speak, I'm leaving."
Xu Xiuhe walked to the door, but Xu Guimin still didn't say a word.
Xu Xiuhe sat in his car, fuming all the way home. He shouldn't have taken Xu Guimin out of the First Hospital.
"Is this Ms. Shen Yin? Your partner has been in a car accident. The situation is quite serious, and he's been sent to the First Hospital."
Shen Yin felt as if something had exploded in her mind. What was going on? Had the doctor dialed the wrong number? Her partner wasn't Xu Xiuhe?
It must be fake. Why hadn't she dreamed about this? It must be fake, it must be fake. The woman refused to believe this phone call.
"Is it Xu Xiuhe?"
Shen Yin asked, her voice trembling.
"Yes, that's correct. It's Xu Xiuhe."
For a moment, it felt as if the sky had fallen. Shen Yin froze for two seconds, then snapped back to reality and picked up Zheng Zheng.
"Mommy, what's wrong?"
Shen Yin was on the verge of tears. How could this be happening?
"Mommy's fine."
Shen Yin didn't know how to explain this to such a young child. Was this what they called fate? They had perfectly avoided the car accident last time, but now, did Xu Xiuhe have to face this alone?
Shen Yin didn't even dare to imagine what state Xu Xiuhe was in now.
"Hello? Why did it take you so long to answer? I was scared to death. Don't panic, go to the hospital first. I'm coming to the hospital to be with you right away," Shu Yi comforted over the phone. She and Chang Zhiyuan were in the middle of promoting their new drama when they saw the news online.
So many people get into car accidents every day, and they never paid attention before. Only when it happened to their friend did they feel anxious.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Yin forced herself to calm down, constantly reassuring herself.
Her phone rang again. It was Shen Lv calling.
"Don't worry, I'm almost at your door. Stay at home and try not to panic."
"Okay."
Soon after, Shen Lv knocked on the door. During this time, Shen Yin didn't dare to check any information online. She packed all the things Zhengzheng would need to go out, just in time for Shen Lv's arrival.
"Brother." Shen Yin opened the door while holding Zhengzheng. Shen Lv's car was parked in the yard.
"I'll take you to the hospital."
When Shen Yin saw Shen Lv, she finally couldn't hold back anymore. Tears started falling down her cheeks. No matter how strong she was, she was still a woman. It was already remarkable that she could maintain her composure when facing her husband's unknown fate.
Shen Yin's state was a bit better than Shen Lv had anticipated.
Sitting in the car, Shen Yin's mind was filled with thoughts. She had never felt a road to be so long before. They had been driving for so long, why hadn't they reached the hospital yet?
When they arrived at the hospital entrance, it was already surrounded by reporters, with security guards struggling to maintain order. The scene was even more chaotic than for a celebrity.
How could it not be? Xu Xiuhe was already a well-known business figure in Rong City, and recently he had been mentioned again due to Xu Guimin's incident. Add to that the traffic he and Shen Yin naturally attracted, with a wave of CP fans online, their fame was no less than that of popular celebrities. Such a major incident was far more newsworthy than Xu Guimin's fall into the water.
"Mrs. Xu, hello. Your husband has been in such a serious accident. How are you feeling right now?"
Idiot. Which news outlet was this reporter from? The other reporters were stunned by this bespectacled man's question. Did he lack brains or emotional intelligence?
"Move aside," Shen Yin said coldly, still holding Zhengzheng in her arms.
If she hadn't been carrying Zhengzheng, she probably would have kicked that bespectacled man. What did he mean, how was she feeling? She wasn't feeling good at all.
The other reporters voluntarily cleared a path for Shen Yin. No matter how valuable the news was, they still had to abide by professional ethics.
Shen Lv followed beside Shen Yin, extending his arm to protect her and Xu Yunzheng.
When they arrived at the hospital, Xu Xiuhe was still in emergency surgery.
"We're still investigating the specific cause of the accident. Preliminary judgment suggests driver error, causing the car to crash into the nearby green belt and catch fire. Fortunately, passersby rescued them in time. Otherwise..."
The police officer didn't continue.
"How much longer will it take?" Shen Lv asked.
"It's hard to say. The driver is also in emergency surgery next door."
"How is it?" Chang Zhiyuan and Shu Yi came running.
"Still in surgery."
"Daddy, Daddy~~" At first, Zhengzheng didn't understand, but later he seemed to have heard clearly that his dad was sick and in emergency surgery.
"Zhengzheng, be good. Don't cry. Dad will be fine for sure. Dad definitely won't leave us behind."
Shen Yin hugged Xu Yunzheng tightly, gently patting the little one's back to comfort him.
Xu Yunzheng wiped his tears. The adults standing nearby felt heartbroken.
"How's the CEO?" Liu Bo and Xiao Li'er also came running. Just yesterday they were discussing how to avoid marriage, and today this happened. How could this be?
"Still in emergency surgery for now."
Many people had gathered at the operating room door. Even Qi Ji, with her big pregnant belly, had rushed over.
Online, news about the Heyuan Group's CEO was already flying everywhere. Many people were saying that the Xu father and son must have been cursed, with one incident following another.
The father hadn't even been discharged from the hospital, and now the son's fate was unknown.
No one was more worried than Shen Yin. Xu Xiuhe was the most trustworthy person in her world. He knew her secrets, he doted on her, loved her, and was someone she could entrust her life to. If anything were to happen to him, what would she and Zhengzheng do?
Several hours later, the emergency room door finally opened. A doctor walked out, and a group of people rushed to surround him.
"Doctor, how is he?" Shen Yin asked anxiously.
"He's out of immediate danger for now, but we can't say when he'll wake up."
Everyone let out a sigh. It was good that there was no immediate danger to his life. The rest could be treated gradually; he would get better eventually.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bo ran to the adjacent emergency room where Xu Xiuhe's driver, Wang Driver, was. He had been Xu Xiuhe's driver for several years. Even now, Liu Bo couldn't believe that a car driven by Wang Driver would get into an accident.
Wang Driver only had one daughter, who hadn't arrived yet. So Liu Bo waited at the door.
"Has the patient's family arrived?"
"No, but you can tell me. He's from our company."
"The patient has multiple fractures and a concussion. We'll need to keep him under observation for a while."
"Is he out of danger?"
"We still need to observe. We've done everything we can."
Xu Xiuhe was finally moved to a VIP ward. The room was filled with people, all silent, waiting for Xu Xiuhe to wake up.
No one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. Xu Yunzheng stood by the ward, staring at Xu Xiuhe's face without moving.
"What's wrong with Daddy?"
"Daddy is sick and needs to rest well," Shen Yin said, holding back tears to comfort the little one.
"When will Daddy get better? Zhengzheng is still waiting for Daddy to build blocks with me."
The little one's words made everyone present feel uneasy.
Everyone busied themselves with various tasks. Chang Zhiyuan ordered food, Liu Bo went to pay the fees, and Shen Lv kept following up on the progress with the police.
In the afternoon, news came that Wang Driver had woken up. Liu Bo ran to the adjacent ward again. The neighboring ward was much quieter, with only nurses and caregivers present.
Liu Bo had thought that Wang Driver, having woken up, would be able to speak. But upon entering the room, he discovered that Wang Driver was lying on the hospital bed, blinking his eyes, yet not saying a word.
"Nurse, how long will it take before he can speak?"
"It's hard to say."
As evening approached, Shen Yin told the others to go home first, as they had been here all day and were probably tired.
The others were still a bit worried.
"Go on, I'll be fine here," Shen Lv said.
"Then we'll come back tomorrow," Chang Zhiyuan said.
"Sister Yin, take care of yourself and don't get too tired," Qi Ji said to Shen Yin as he was leaving.
"Mmm, you too. Go home and rest early. You shouldn't overexert yourself while pregnant."
Shu Yi was still a bit concerned about Shen Yin. Shen Yin had a child to look after, and Shu Yi didn't trust Shen Lv. What if something happened and Shen Yin couldn't handle it on her own?
