Ye Anning quickly ran over, panting and asking the assistant, "Uncle, is she alright in there?"
The assistant stepped aside. "Miss Ye, you go in and see for yourself. Yan may not be doing well."
He said she "may not be doing well", but when Ye Anning truly saw Sui Yan, her heart was still shaken.
She looked at the little girl curled up in the corner of the bed, and her heart inexplicably twinged. "Yan?"
Sui Yan blankly raised her head and stared at Ye Anning for a moment.
Ye Anning's tone seemed to soften a little. "Why is no one here taking care of you?"
Sui Yan slowly blinked but didn't say anything.
Ye Anning walked to the bedside. "Do you want to eat something?"
Sui Yan gently shook her head, still not saying a word.
Ye Anning felt a bit helpless. She lifted the blanket and looked at Sui Yan's current condition.
But she found that Sui Yan's condition was worse than she had imagined.
The little girl also had a few scars on her body, and her collar revealed glimpses of bandages and crimson bloodstains.
Ye Anning's heart tightened. She pursed her lips and carefully covered Sui Yan with the blanket. "You wait here for a moment. I'll go call a doctor to take a look at you."
She turned to leave, but Sui Yan carefully clutched her sleeve.
Ye Anning's heart raced. She turned around, speaking in a gentleness she had never shown before. "I'll go call a doctor to examine you, okay? Your wounds are bleeding."
Sui Yan shook her head forcefully, struggling to say, "Sugar."
Ye Anning was taken aback. "Sugar? You want to eat sugar?"
Sui Yan pursed her lips and nodded vigorously.
Ye Anning awkwardly patted Sui Yan's hair. "Wait a moment, I'll go buy some for you."
She turned and ran out, her eyes reddening.
The assistant was still waiting outside, a bit surprised to see Ye Anning come out. "Miss Ye..."
Ye Anning cut him off. "You go buy her some sugar. I'll go call a doctor."
The assistant didn't ask further and just nodded. "Okay."
Watching Ye Anning stride off to find a doctor, the assistant's gaze also softened.
He entered Sui Yan's room and took out a few candies from his briefcase. "Yan, do you want some candy?"
He had a habit of carrying a few candies on him. He had previously met this reclusive little girl at Mr. Sui's house and had given her a few candies on Mr. Sui's behalf.
The assistant would occasionally bring Sui Yan some snacks, but the only things she ever accepted were those few candies.
So he remembered this almost trivial little thing.
Sui Yan took the candy and faintly smiled. "Thank you."
Seeing her smile, the assistant also felt relieved. "Yan, you need to get better soon."
When Ye Anning called the doctor, Qiao Ze also came along.
He felt a bit helpless. "Yan, be careful. It will be very troublesome if your wound reopens."
Ye Anning felt uncomfortable hearing him say this, but since Sui Yan didn't react, she didn't say anything either.
Qiao Ze's original meaning was that a reopened wound would be harder to heal, and there was also a hint that Sui Yan was causing trouble for the doctor.
Sui Yan didn't react much upon hearing it, but her heart sank a little.
She sucked on a not-so-sweet candy and quietly watched the doctor change her dressings.
The little girl was well-behaved, as if she couldn't feel any pain at all.
The doctor felt sorry just looking at her and gently stroked Sui Yan's hair. "Little one, don't be afraid. Your wounds will heal very soon."
Sui Yan blinked and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Afterward, the doctor sent Qiao Ze and the assistant away, leaving only Ye Anning to stay by Sui Yan's bedside.
Their family had gone through a lot recently, and Ye Wan's condition was also not optimistic.
Ye Anning's feelings were always particularly complex whenever she faced Sui Yan.
In fact, ever since her mother had a miscarriage, she had disliked, even hated, this half-sister from a different father.
Sui Yan herself must have been able to sense it, which was why she deliberately avoided everyone and tried her best not to appear in front of them at home.
But now...
Ye Anning looked at the little girl curled up into a small ball on the hospital bed, and couldn't help sighing in her heart for the umpteenth time.
Her emotions were complicated, and in the end, she walked out of Sui Yan's room in exasperation.
In her half-awake, half-asleep state, Sui Yan vaguely felt Ye Anning circling around her a few times before leaving.
She opened her eyes and struggled to sit up.
Just this one action seemed to have exhausted half of her strength.
Sui Yan's breathing was a bit rapid, but she still pushed herself to walk a few steps toward the door.
She leaned against the wall to rest for a while. As she was about to continue walking out, she heard voices outside.
"...She's asleep." That was Ye Anning's voice.
"It's good Yan didn't hear it. Her condition isn't very good." That was Qiao Ze's voice, also muffled.
"What do you mean her condition isn't good?"
"Isn't your dad around? Come with me to Yan's doctor, and you'll understand. The attending physician said Yan's leg may have lasting effects."
"What kind of lasting effects?"
"It means she might have some trouble walking..."
They seemed to have walked further away, their voices growing fainter.
But Sui Yan, standing inside the door, was stunned, leaning against it.
"...lasting effects..."
"...might have some trouble walking..."
These phrases kept swirling in Sui Yan's mind. She bit her lip hard, her face turning paler by the minute.
Sui Yan's breathing trembled. Her mind was a blur.
She leaned against the wall, walking slowly and aimlessly.
Ye Anning looked helplessly at the doctor in front of her, unable to accept what the doctor had said.
No matter how much she disliked Sui Yan, she had to admit one fact—no matter what, Sui Yan was far more outstanding than her.
But now, the doctor said that Sui Yan, this outstanding person, would have to live with this lasting effect for the rest of her life.
Ye Anning didn't even dare imagine how Sui Yan would react if she found out about this.
With a heavy heart, she headed back to find Sui Yan.
But as she reached the fire exit, she saw a familiar figure.
Sui Yan was leaning against the wall, slowly making her way upstairs.
She looked like she was having a very difficult time walking, pausing to rest every few steps.
Her wounds seemed to have reopened, with spots of blood seeping through her hospital gown.
On an inexplicable whim, Ye Anning followed Yan.
Yan wandered aimlessly, and before she knew it, she found herself on the hospital's rooftop.
The hospital was several stories high, and as Yan calmly gazed down from the rooftop, she contemplated what would happen if she were to fall from this height.
