Drip—
"Hurry! The patient's heart has stopped beating, she's not breathing! Begin resuscitation immediately!"
In the operating room, alarms from the medical equipment began to blare. The lead surgeon quickly ordered the medical team to begin lifesaving efforts...
When Rong Dai regained consciousness, her vision was blurry and the light felt piercingly bright.
It took her a long time to get her bearings and take in her surroundings.
The snow-white ceiling was embedded with strange shiny objects, and there was a pungent medicinal smell in the air.
Where was this place?
Could it be that she had been confined in the Cold Palace for so long that her dreams had become this fantastical and disorienting?
Rong Dai blinked in confusion, full of curiosity.
Dreaming is wonderful, much better than that Cold Palace where she didn't have a soul to talk to.
"Bed 36, take your temperature now! Put this under your armpit and I'll be back to retrieve it in a bit."
Rong Dai was curiously examining the ceiling, thinking she was in a dream, when a woman in white clothes suddenly approached her.
She handed Rong Dai a strange stick and said some incomprehensible words.
At first, Rong Dai was stunned, thinking she must be dreaming. So she asked, "Miss, is this the immortal Penglai Mountain? What are those objects on the ceiling called? They're even more dazzling than gems!"
The nurse was taken aback, looking at her as if she had seen a ghost. She reached out to feel Rong Dai's forehead, frowning as she said, "Your temperature is normal! You just had your appendix removed, that's all. Have you been reading too many novels? Spewing such nonsense? Just rest well for a few days and you'll be discharged."
This didn't feel like a dream!
Rong Dai's smile instantly froze on her face. She felt as if the blood in her body had coagulated. She could clearly feel every hair on her body standing on end!
In an instant, cold sweat broke out all over her. Her complexion turned ghastly pale.
"Are you alright? Is your incision hurting?"
The nurse had been about to leave but noticed the sudden change in Rong Dai's complexion. She thought it must be post-surgical pain.
Rong Dai had felt fine earlier, but as soon as the nurse mentioned it, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower right abdomen.
The pain grew increasingly distinct. Cold sweat poured from her as enormous waves crashed in her heart!
Terror, anxiety, confusion - they engulfed her bit by bit. Her face grew paler and paler!
Seeing this, the nurse was also frightened. She hurriedly pressed the call button to notify the surgeon.
"Try to stay calm, the doctor will be here any minute..."
Before the nurse could finish, Rong Dai suddenly sat bolt upright and grabbed the nurse's wrist, her voice quavering with agitation, "How dare you! What are you trying to do?!"
The doctor and nurse were badly startled. Patients nowadays were becoming more eccentric.
Who did she think she was? Calling it audacious!
As if this was still the Qing Dynasty!
Seeing that Rong Dai was just extremely pale and otherwise lucid, the doctor withdrew his stethoscope.
He shot her an exasperated look and said to the nurse, "The anesthesia must be wearing off and her incision probably hurts a bit. There's no major issue as long as there's no infection or fever - no need to make a fuss."
The nurse nodded. Recalling Rong Dai's close brush with death in the OR, the surgeon added worriedly, "She's a special case. Keep an extra close eye on her, probably some postoperative side effects."
The nurse nodded. Looking at Rong Dai who seemed scared out of her wits, after the doctor left, she poured Rong Dai a cup of warm water.
Rong Dai's eyes were full of fright and wariness. The nurse didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What are you thinking? I'm not going to poison you, this is a hospital."
After much hesitation, Rong Dai's throat felt parched so she accepted the cup. Somewhat defiantly, she said, "As if you'd dare."
Nurse: "..."
She had just said it casually, yet Rong Dai took it seriously?
"Are you feeling any better?"
Seeing that Rong Dai had finished the water, the nurse gently asked.
Rong Dai was still rather stunned, overwhelmed by the tremendous shock. She still hadn't figured out what was going on.
She was the Empress! The Emperor had not deposed her, she had voluntarily secluded herself in the Cold Palace.
Yet this place didn't look anything like the palace. And her hands, they were far more delicate and clearly not hers.
Rong Dai's mind was full of questions, but she didn't know which one to ask first.
"Why don't I contact your family? My shift isn't over yet, it'd be better if a family member came to accompany you."
Glancing at the time, seeing that Rong Dai still looked unwell, the nurse reminded her.
"Family?"
Rong Dai was perplexed, unable to communicate with the nurse at all.
"Would you mind if I helped you call them using your phone?"
Seeing the tremendous fright Rong Dai was in, the nurse's gaze fell upon the bag on the nightstand.
Rong Dai froze for a second, then nodded.
The nurse sighed. She took out a cell phone from Rong Dai's bag and swiped at it a few times, looking at Rong Dai in surprise, "You don't even have a password on your phone?"
Rong Dai's mind was still blank. She couldn't focus on what the nurse was saying at all.
Seeing Rong Dai's condition, the nurse went ahead and dialed a number on her behalf.
Huo Shao Ting was going through some documents when the rarely seen number flashed on his personal cell. He froze briefly before picking up.
"Hello, are you Miss Rong Dai's family member?"
"Yes." After a few seconds of silence, Huo Shao Ting answered coldly.
Family member? They were merely contractual spouses.
"It's like this - Miss Rong had surgery today at the hospital. She seems to have been badly frightened. Could you, as a family member, please come take a look? We're short staffed at the hospital right now."
The nurse gingerly made the request. Rong Dai sat motionless on the bed, still dazed and confused.
"Alright, which hospital and room number?"
Huo Shao Ting paused in his document signing, a slight frown on his brows. Again he was silent for a few seconds before agreeing.
After the nurse gave him the location, he directly hung up.
"Miss Rong, your family will be here soon. If you feel any discomfort, please press the call button and I'll come immediately."
The nurse put down the phone and gently reassured her.
Only then did Rong Dai regain a bit of clarity. She stared at the nurse full of bewilderment and asked, "What year and month is this now? What era? Who reigns as Emperor?"
This was too frightening, too inconceivable!
How could she have transformed into this after just a nap?
