Jiang Ruolan did not know what was going on with her. There were some voices in her ear. She could hear it clearly from time to time, and then she also felt that she could not hear it clearly. Her consciousness was still vague, she wanted to open her eyes to take a look, but she felt as if there were a thousand pounds in her eyelids.

Jiang Ruolan could not open her eyes no matter what.

Is she dead?

Jiang Ruolan vaguely remembered that a rusty metal had hit her head. When the laborer desperately struggled to get rid of her, she was thrown into the air, swaying, and her forehead heavily hit the cold wall. She didn't know whether it was a concussion, but she felt a strong wave of dizziness.

No, she couldn't die.

She couldn't just die like this! She couldn't leave Yijun alone.

She didn't want her life to end like this. She had just achieved happiness.

She did not want to die!

Jiang Ruolan could faintly hear someone's voice.

"President Xian, there's a traffic jam at the intersection ahead. The ambulance can't pass through!" Assistant Bai's voice.

Afterward, she could not hear clearly. In her trance, Jiang Ruolan only felt that she was put in the car, vaguely hearing the sound of the car quickly reversing, the sound of wheels piercing her ears, and the voice of someone who was gently calming her down. "Nothing will happen to you. Don't be afraid."

Jiang Ruolan wasn't afraid. She just wasn't willing to die like this.

"Patient's brain has suffered a severe concussion. The blood arteries between her head and neck have been penetrated by rusty metal. Excessive blood loss. She needed immediate treatment!"

Jiang Ruolan could not open her eyes, but her fingers were moving. She subconsciously held onto someone's arm and said in a faint and hoarse voice. "That laborer... Is he dead… Is---"

If that laborer fell and died, then her life would be wasted. On the contrary, it would only add another layer of pressure to Xian Zihao.

"He's not dead, and neither are you!" A clear and firm voice resounded in his ears. Her hand was gripped tightly by someone.

That was Xian Zihao's voice.

His voice had an indescribable power that could calm her mind. Jiang Ruolan slightly raised the corner of her lips in relief. "Then … Alright …"

Jiang Ruolan really wanted to faint, but she was never completely unconscious. She could feel herself being placed on a portable bed, pushed into a place by a bunch of people smelling of medicine, and someone had given her an injection.

After that, she finally started to feel sleepy, and her consciousness gradually returned to total darkness.

When Jiang Ruolan finally saw the first glimmer of dawn, she felt someone seemed to be tugging at her from the darkness. She turned her head abruptly to see Jiang Bingqing and Zhan Lian laughing at her.

She tried to run away, but she kept feeling that they were following her closely.

When Jiang Ruolan finally reached the shore, she stretched out her foot to step on the shore, but she suddenly stopped. She saw Xian Zihao and Zhou Shufen. They were hugging each other intimately. No matter how hard she desperately shouted or begged for help, they seemed unable to hear her as they walked further and further away.

Suddenly, Jiang Ruolan gasped and opened her eyes. Her vision went from blurry to clear. The bright lighting made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. Her eyes stared at the snow-white ceiling without focus.

"Ruolan,"

Jiang Ruolan slowly turned her head and saw Xian Zihao's face. Stubble had grown around his chin and he looked as if he hadn't slept for at least two days. His face was haggard, but his eyes were full of concern.

Xian Zihao stroke her forehead gently. "You're awake?"

Jiang Ruolan looked at him in confusion, as if she had just realized that everything that happened was just a dream.

"Something wrong?" His eyes were filled with a deep gentleness as he held her hand and tightened it slightly. It was as if she was a rare treasure and he was afraid that if he couldn't grab hold of her, she would disappear in a blink of an eye.

Her mouth was so dry that she couldn't even speak. Her throat was hurting and it felt like thousands of grains of sand were being poured down her throat.

Jiang Ruolan couldn't speak at all, so she opened her mouth, closed it, and mouthed, "Water,"

Xian Zihao let go of her hand and got up to pour her a glass of warm water. He sat down on the bed and gently helped her sit up so that her back was against his chest. He placed the glass next to her mouth.

Jiang Ruolan lowered her head and sipped the water. As Xian Zihao carefully tilted the glass, she drank half of the water until her thirst disappeared, then turned her head slightly. Xian Zihao moved the glass to the side. He pulled the collar of her hospital gown to her neck, then placed his hand on her shoulder and patted her gently.

The dream came back to her.

Jiang Ruolan wanted to look at Xian Zihao's face, but just as she turned her head slightly, she felt an intense pain at the back of her neck.

"Don't move. The blood artery between your head and neck has been severely punctured, don't turn your head."

Xian Zihao stood up and helped her lie down. She passively let him lie her down on the bed.

Jiang Ruolan obediently didn't move, but her eyes were staring at his face.

Xian Zihao pulled up the quilt covering her body and tucked her in. He spoke in a very light tone, "The concussion in your head left no side effects. The wound between the head and the neck was caused by a broken metal bracket on the top floor of the private office building. You lost a lot of blood."

Jiang Ruolan was stunned and tried to say in a voice that sounded like it was filled with sand, "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Four days."

She started to sit up, but Xian Zihao held her down just in time.

"Don't move." he said gently.

Jiang Ruolan didn't move but said anxiously, "That laborer...He--"

"He's not as bad as you."

"What are you going to do about him?"

Xian Zihao sat down on the bed and intertwined his hands with hers. He looked at her with his black eyes that were like the gathering and dissipating of stars, and said softly, "I have my way of dealing with this, so you don't have to worry too much."

Jiang Ruolan slowly lowered her eyes. With his words, she could finally relax.

"Don't be silly in the future." Xian Zihao's voice was gentle, and there was a hint of pain in his eyes as he said, "Do you know that your life was almost gone?"

Jiang Ruolan already knew that when Xian Zihao tried to stop her that day, she would end up taking the risk. Although the consequences of her impulsive actions were bad, she did not regret it.

Looking at his gaze which was half pained and half reproachful, the corner of her lips slightly raised, "I just wanted to do something for you that would be within my capabilities. I didn't expect that the situation would develop to this extent, that laborer. It might be because he's too excited, so …"

In her mind, she suddenly recalled the scene at that time. At that time, that laborer seemed to be looking in Secretary Du's direction and was in shocked.

What happened to Secretary Du? Was it because he saw something? That's why the laborer decided to act like that?

However, it was impossible for Xian Zihao not to be aware of all of this, but it seemed that he didn't want to talk about it with her.

Jiang Ruolan changed the topic, "I kind of saw Qin Gengxin that day. Did he see us?"

Xian Zihao sighed, "Yes."

"Then he …" It seemed that what she kept secret had been revealed. As expected, a paper could not contain the fire¹.

Jiang Ruolan looked at Xian Zihao worriedly.

However, he only held her hand, his gaze still warm as he comforted her.

"How is he?" She asked softly.

"Due to traffic congestion, the ambulance couldn't arrive on time, it was Qin Gengxin who took a shortcut and rushed to the hospital. Once you were pushed into the operating room, he did not say anything. You were in a coma for four days, I was in the ward, he was outside, and only left when the doctor said you were out of danger." Xian Zihao hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Did he say anything before he left?"

Xian Zihao looked at Jiang Ruolan with a slightly cold gaze. He was dissatisfied with her worries and nervousness for Qin Gengxin, but he also slightly understood her feelings.

"He didn't say anything from the beginning until the end."

"How is this possible? With his bad temper, how could he be so calm." Jiang Ruolan looked at him in disbelief. If she knew Qin Gengxin's reaction would be so calm, why did she hide it for so long?

There was a profound look in Xian Zihao's eyes as he replied, "Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?"

"From what I know of him." He stretched out his hand and pulled up the quilt that had been pushed down by her. With a tinge of helplessness and blame in his eyes, he got up and helped her pour another glass of warm water in case she needed it from time to time.

At the same time, he said calmly, "He's waiting for you to pass through the dangerous period before he has the mind to investigate the whole situation."

"Come again?" Jiang Ruolan was stupefied. "Then, what are you here for?"

"To beat him up."

"Huh?"

As the saying goes, 'speak the devil, here he's come', the ward's door was kicked open by someone. Xian Zihao raised his eyebrows as if he could already guess who it was.

Jiang Ruolan shifted her gaze to the door and there he was.

With a dark expression, Qin Gengxin walked in with big strides. His cold gaze swept over Jiang Ruolan, and when he saw that she had woken up, he ignored her.

Taking a big step forward, an unexpected punch ruthlessly landed on Xian Zihao's lower jaw.

"Qin Gengxin, what are you doing!" Just as Jiang Ruolan was about to get up, she felt a pain on the back of her neck and lay back down. Without any strength left in her body, she could only stare at Qin Gengxin's bloodshot eyes, then at Xian Zihao, whose face was still as calm as ever.

Xian Zihao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth nonchalantly.

He could have dodged the punch, but he did not. Nor did he intend to fight back. "Have you calmed down?"

In this country, there weren't many people who dared to offend Xian Zihao openly. But Qin Gengxin was different. He didn't give him any face at all, his fists were clenched to the point that the sound of bones cracking could be heard, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He looked at Xian Zihao, squeezing out a sentence from between his teeth, "Calm down? I want to shoot you to death right now, and you are asking me to calm down?!"

Xian Zihao smiled instead. He wasn't affected at all. With a light, faintly discernible flick of his finger, the traces of blood on his finger gradually disappeared. He said in a gentle voice, "I should have told you earlier. It's really my fault for hiding it from you for so long."

"No, it's me. I'm the one who asked him not to tell you." Jiang Ruolan, who was lying on the bed, tried to get up, but she had no strength to do so. She had lost a lot of blood before. She could only mutter, "He did not plan to hide it from you. This is my fault. Qin Gengxin, I'm sorry."

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Glossary:

¹ A Chinese proverb with the meaning: Truth will eventually reveal itself despite cover ups.