TF01 49

Ying Ming could not be bothered to think about how those people eventually left.

He called an ambulance. Shi Yi remained conscious the whole time. When he realized that Ying Ming was about to call the police, he grabbed his phone. “Don’t call yet. I don’t want to make a big scene.”

Ying Ming did not think this was something that could be kept under wraps, but he was in no mood to argue. The ambulance took nearly twenty minutes to arrive. By the time they helped Shi Yi onto the vehicle, he could barely stand.

On the way to the hospital, Shi Yi’s face was deathly pale. He kept his hand over the wound, careful not to press too hard because there were still shards of glass embedded in it.

The paramedics did some basic treatment and said there was too much debris. It was best to wait until they got to the hospital.

When they arrived, Ying Ming went to handle the paperwork. Registering for emergency treatment was a hassle, so he called Kou Jing and Haozi over. Wang Yiqi happened to be with Kou Jing, and when he heard Ying Ming had been hurt and was at the hospital, he came over without a second thought.

Luckily, it was still early, and the hospital was not too crowded.

When Ying Ming saw Wang Yiqi, he did not say much, just mentioned that Shi Yi was in the treatment room before heading off to get the medication.

Kou Jing snatched the prescription slip from his hand. “Why are you still running around? Have you even looked at your own face? I’ll go.”

Then, he dragged Haozi along with him.

Wang Yiqi stared at Ying Ming for a while before pulling him onto a chair in the hallway. “What the hell happened? How did you and Shi Yi end up like this?”

Did they get into a fight?

That did not seem likely.

Ying Ming looked terrible. He only realized how unsteady he felt when he was forced to sit down. His chest tightened, a wave of unease washing over him. He took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking two drags, he noticed the no-smoking sign in front of him. He hesitated for a moment before taking two more hard drags and putting it out.

“When Shi Yi and I left this morning, we ran into a group of people. They didn’t say anything, just started swinging.”

His voice was hoarse.

It was not the kind of hoarseness from shouting too much or from nerves. His voice simply lacked strength, even though he was trying his best to sound normal.

He tried a few times, but it did not help. Frustrated, he ruffled his hair. “Shi Yi got hurt because of me.”

Wang Yiqi frowned. “How bad is it?”

“I can’t tell, but there was a lot of blood.”

In the ambulance, Shi Yi’s blood had been soaking through his shirt. Ying Ming had told the paramedics multiple times to stop the bleeding first, but those idiots acted like they did not hear him.

It was only when they were almost at the hospital that they bothered to wrap a piece of gauze around the wound.

Shi Yi had been in the treatment room for nearly twenty minutes now, and there was still no news. Ying Ming could not shake the feeling that losing that much blood meant he was going to die, especially since it was all coming from his head.

The more he thought about it, the colder he felt.

Noticing his mood, Wang Yiqi patted his shoulder. “He should be fine. Don’t stress too much.”

But that kind of words were meaningless. Ying Ming did not respond and just sat there with his head down, craving a cigarette so badly that he had no choice but to go to the vending machine. He grabbed a bottle of ice-cold mineral water, twisted it open, and chugged it.

Kou Jing and Haozi returned after finishing the procedures. Ying Ming took the medication from them and headed straight for the treatment room. They did not stop him, only watching as he carefully opened the door and peeked inside. “Doctor, I’ve brought the medicine.”

Shi Yi was lying on the bed.

He did not react when he heard Ying Ming’s voice. Ying Ming stepped forward, trying to see through the curtain.

A doctor was tending to his wounds. There was a pile of gauze and cotton balls next to him, all soaked in blood.

On film sets, scenes like this were common. Injuries, blood everywhere—the main character could always tough it out, no matter how much they lost.

But seeing it in real life made his head spin.

For the first time, Ying Ming wondered if he might be squeamish about blood. The tray of bloodstained gauze by the bedside stand was enough to make his legs weak.

The doctor took the medicine from his hand and, seeing him still standing there, urged him, “Wait outside. We’re performing surgery.”

“Surgery?”

Ying Ming froze. “Why does he need surgery?”

“A piece of glass is lodged in his eye. We need to remove it immediately. Now go wait outside. Don’t get in the way.”

Before he could ask anything else, the doctor shoved him out of the room.

Ying Ming nearly kicked the door.

He clenched his fists and forced himself to hold back, standing stiffly by the door, unable to move.

Kou Jing and Haozi went over to pull him away. Since they had no idea what was happening inside, Kou Jing asked, “How’s Shi Yi doing?”

But he got no answer.

Ying Ming didn’t even acknowledge the question, just stood outside the door, staring at it like his mortal enemy was inside.

In the end, Wang Yiqi had to step in too. It took all three of them to finally drag him to a chair and force him to sit down.

The surgery took a long time.

Nearly an hour passed before it was finally over. When the doctor came out, the first thing he said was to get Shi Yi admitted for hospitalization.

Kou Jing quickly stepped forward. “Doctor, how’s he doing?”

“We’ll need a full-body checkup to be sure. Let’s get a scan done first. For now, the most serious injury is his eye. The rest are external wounds. Shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Get him admitted. We’ll monitor him for another two days.”

The emergency room was busy, and before the doctor could say much more, someone else called him away. Almost immediately after, Shi Yi was wheeled out. His eyes were shut. Kou Jing and Haozi called out to him, but he didn’t react. A nurse explained that he had been given anesthesia and wouldn’t be waking up just yet.

Ying Ming followed behind them in silence, with Wang Yiqi by his side. No one spoke.

Once Shi Yi was settled in the hospital room, Kou Jing pulled Wang Yiqi aside. “You should go. Someone’s already recognized you. If a bunch of people start coming over, it’ll just make things more complicated. Mingzi has me and Haozi here. Don’t worry.”

Wang Yiqi frowned, then glanced at Ying Ming. “You good?”

Ying Ming, visibly exhausted, lifted his head and gave a small nod. “Yeah. You go ahead.”

As a public figure, sticking around would only attract attention.

Wang Yiqi knew he’d be more of a burden than a help by staying, so he didn’t argue. He just left Kou Jing his number for updates before leaving.

He even took the back exit and went down the stairs to avoid the people calling his name.

They had rushed over in such a hurry that Wang Yiqi hadn’t even bothered with a disguise.

After watching him leave, Ying Ming followed Kou Jing and Haozi into the ward. They had arranged for a private room when registering the bed, and Ying Ming covered all the expenses. Luckily, he had his card with him.

Kou Jing had known Ying Ming for years, but he had never seen him like this. He wasn’t completely broken down, but the look on his face and his entire demeanor screamed exhaustion. It was clear he was barely holding it together.

“Look, you’re covered in injuries too. Why don’t you go get yourself checked? Shi Yi won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

Ying Ming had no idea how terrible he looked. Bruises covered his face, his arms were mottled with dark marks. If no one recognized him, it was only because he looked like he had caked on a thick layer of makeup.

Leaning against the wall, he shook his head. “I’ll wait. It doesn’t hurt anyway.”

“Bullshit. You’re just so numb you can’t feel it anymore. Shi Yi’s already out of surgery, what are you still worrying about? What, you gonna just stand here without eating or moving until he wakes up?”

Like his presence alone could magically heal the guy.

But Ying Ming just waved a hand dismissively. “Kouzi, leave me alone.” His voice lacked any strength, and after sighing tiredly, he slowly closed his eyes. “Just let me be. I feel like shit.”

It was the first time Kou Jing had ever seen Ying Ming so weak.

He frowned, muttering under his breath, “Of course you feel like shit, you got your ass kicked.”

Haozi pulled on his sleeve, barely managing to shut him up.

The three of them stayed in the hospital room. No matter how much Ying Ming was urged to sit down, he refused. He just leaned against the window in silence. Eventually, Kou Jing and Haozi dragged in two chairs and sat nearby.

Wang Yiqi’s texts kept coming in, most of them pointless questions. Kou Jing replied a couple of times before getting fed up and ignoring them.

The room felt stifling. Aside from a few small noises, the atmosphere was unbearably heavy. In the end, Kou Jing couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped outside for a smoke.

None of them had eaten much, and it wasn’t until nearly seven in the evening that Shi Yi finally woke up.

Kou Jing ran out to call the doctor. The first thing Shi Yi did when he stirred was reach for his eyes, but Ying Ming reacted fast, pressing his hand down. “Don’t move. Your eye is injured.”

Shi Yi seemed a little out of it. He just sat there in a daze. It took him a few moments to recognize the person in front of him. His movements grew a little stiff as he lowered his arm and frowned. “What happened to me?”

For once, he and Ying Ming were equally hoarse.

Ying Ming picked up the glass of water that had been set aside earlier. “Have some water first.”

Since Shi Yi couldn’t sit up properly, Ying Ming grabbed the pillow he had pulled out earlier and placed it behind him, slowly propping him up so he could drink. Only when he was sure Shi Yi was settled did he start explaining. “You got hurt. We brought you to the hospital, and they had to operate. They used anesthesia, so you’re just waking up now.”

Hearing that word, Shi Yi let out a soft grunt. “That explains why I keep feeling nauseous…”

He barely took a couple of sips before motioning that he had had enough. Once Ying Ming took the cup away, Shi Yi finally exhaled and looked at him. “What about you?”

Ying Ming froze for a second before shaking his head. “I’m fine.”

The words came out like something had lodged in his throat. He frowned, probably realizing how weak his voice sounded. So he said it again. “I’m fine.”

But this time, it was even quieter than before.

Barely audible.