CTS 34

Shen Mo felt as if something had pierced right through him. His whole heart clenched, overcome by a fear he couldn’t quite put into words.

He couldn’t help but turn to look at Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang was also looking at him.

In each other’s eyes, they both saw panic.

Zhou Yang adjusted his glasses and murmured, “It’s fine. I know An’an’s personality. She wouldn’t do anything foolish.”

It was hard to tell whether he was trying to comfort Shen Mo or himself.

Shen Mo rushed to go after Ji An’an, but his legs gave out beneath him and he nearly collapsed. In the end, it was Zhou Yang who caught him.

That brief delay cost them precious time. By the time they followed the direction of the voice and reached the scene, the elevator doors were just beginning to close. Shen Mo caught a glimpse of Ji Mingxuan standing inside with a grim expression, holding Ji An’an in his arms. Her eyes were shut, and her face was so pale it was almost bloodless.

Then the elevator doors shut completely.

Shen Mo had rushed too fast and almost slammed right into them. Regaining his balance, he quickly pressed the button to go down. A few bystanders were still nearby, and Zhou Yang took the chance to ask them what had happened.

“What happened just now?” someone said. “Oh, someone fainted. But that tall guy seemed to be her family. He probably took her to the hospital.”

Hearing that Ji An’an had simply passed out and nothing worse had happened, Shen Mo finally felt a little more at ease. But the more anxious he got, the slower the elevator seemed to move. By the time he and Zhou Yang made it to the ground floor, Ji Mingxuan had already driven off with her.

Shen Mo had driven there as well, but since he didn’t know which hospital they had gone to, there was no way for him to follow.

Zhou Yang, on the other hand, had borrowed a set of clothes from the hotel and returned to his usual composed appearance. He took out his phone and made a call.

“Yes, Ji An’an. Help me find out which hospital she’s in.”

News of the incident had spread quickly. Madam Zhou had also heard and came hurrying out of the suite. When she saw Zhou Yang standing with Shen Mo, her expression froze for a moment, but she didn’t let it show. She simply waved him over.

From a distance, Shen Mo saw Zhou Yang walk up to her and say a few words.

The next second, Madam Zhou’s expression changed completely. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

Zhou Yang had already been hit once earlier, and now his face was a full palette of bruises and swelling. He looked completely defeated.

After scolding her son, Madam Zhou pressed her lips together and looked in Shen Mo’s direction. Compared to her refined appearance, her gaze was especially sharp, as if it could cut through someone.

Shen Mo might have been a little afraid of her in the past, but now he no longer cared. He waited in the hotel lobby for more than half an hour before finally learning which hospital Ji An’an had been taken to. Not wanting to travel with Zhou Yang, he drove there by himself.

The whole drive there, Shen Mo felt unsettled.

He couldn’t get Ji Mingxuan’s shout out of his mind. From what he remembered, Mr. Ji rarely ever lost composure like that. He had said An’an’s health wasn’t good, but how bad was it, really? Was it the kind of condition where stress alone could make her collapse?

Shen Mo ran two red lights before finally reaching the hospital. He searched until he found Ji Mingxuan sitting alone on a bench outside the emergency room. His usually crisp suit was wrinkled and slumped, giving him a worn-out and deeply tired look.

Shen Mo instinctively slowed his pace and walked toward him. As if sensing something, Ji Mingxuan suddenly turned and looked at him.

There was an indescribable loneliness in his eyes.

Shen Mo paused.

Ji Mingxuan relaxed the tension in his brow and said, “You came.”

Shen Mo walked up and asked, “How is Miss Ji?”

“She’s still in emergency care.”

“What exactly is wrong with her?”

Ji Mingxuan gestured to the empty seat beside him. “Sit.”

Shen Mo sat down next to him.

Ji Mingxuan adjusted his posture, folding his hands together as if sinking into memories from long ago. After a while, he finally spoke.

“An’an is eight years younger than me. I remember when she was born, it was spring. The wind was warm, and there was a faint scent of flowers in the air. She had such a sweet temperament as a baby. She never cried or fussed. She would just smile at everyone she met.”

As he spoke, a faint smile briefly appeared on his face.

“She looks a lot like our mother. Sadly, our mother passed away not long after giving birth to her.” Ji Mingxuan sighed. “She had a congenital heart condition.”

He paused, and the smile on his face faded.

“An’an inherited the same condition.”