nucmednet Chapter 984 What a coincidence!
Chapter 984 What a coincidence!
Xiang Xiaowu drove his luxury car slowly into the Jinjiangwan Villa, the wheels making a slight sound as they rolled over the stone pavement.
As soon as the car door opened, Shengxue darted out like a white arrow, heading straight for the living room.
The living room was warm and inviting, and a well-dressed female boss was carrying two gorgeous outfits, smiling as she showed them to the old lady.
The old lady pointed to the purple one and said happily, "This one suits Xiaorou. Do you have any more? Let me take another look."
The female boss smiled brightly: "Yes, yes, yes, the old lady has excellent taste!"
"The styles you've chosen are our best-selling items." She said, rummaging through a box nearby.
Shengxue ran to the old lady's feet and rubbed her head against her trouser leg.
The old lady's eyes lit up, and she reached out to stroke its mane: "Oh my, Shengxue is back?"
Where did you go with Cheng Yu all day and night? Did you go to the big star's house again?
Shen Rou stood to the side, looking at the door with the old lady, but Jiang Chengyu did not appear for a long time.
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, slowly walked in, carrying Sheng Xue's snacks in both hands.
"Xiao Wu?" Shen Rou asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Madam, I'll take Shengxue's snacks back to President Jiang's bedroom first," Xiang Xiaowu said, turning around and quickly going upstairs.
The female boss then took out two cheongsams embroidered with subtle patterns: "Grandma, look at these. They're retro styles and really bring out your elegance."
The old lady narrowed her eyes to slits: "Xiaorou, keep these items. Go and pay the bill."
"Okay, Mom." Shen Rou took the cheongsam and led the female boss towards the old lady's room.
Mr. Gang was at the back door when Song Shijie strode into the living room, his voice slightly hoarse:
"Mom, Shengxue is back?" he said, sitting down on the sofa, pouring himself a glass of hot water, and taking a sip.
Xiang Xiaowu came downstairs and walked up to Song Shijie: "President Song is back."
Song Shijie looked up at him, his brows furrowing slightly: "Xiao Wu? What are you doing here? Where's President Jiang?"
Xiang Xiaowu's eyes flickered, his hands unconsciously clenched, and his expression was so complicated that he couldn't speak.
At this moment, Shen Rou and the female boss came out, and with a smile, she called out to the female boss's back: "Remember to call next time you have new products."
"Okay, ma'am, thank you for patronizing my business!" came the female boss's gentle voice.
"It's because your clothes are so stylish that you can keep us regular customers here," Shen Rou said casually. "Drive carefully on the road."
"Oh, thank you, madam. Please wait a moment." With that, the female boss disappeared through the doorway.
Shen Rou turned around and saw Xiang Xiaowu with his head down, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't. She couldn't help but ask curiously,
"What's wrong? Where's Cheng Yu? It's time for dinner. Didn't he come back with you? Or did he just go upstairs to wash up?"
The old lady also took an apple and fed it to Shengxue slice by slice, casually asking, "Yes, where's Cheng Yu? I didn't see him go upstairs."
Xiang Xiaowu's lips trembled, and after clenching his teeth for a long time, he finally whispered, "President Jiang, he..."
The atmosphere in the living room froze instantly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
"President Jiang encountered criminals at the supermarket yesterday and was... shot in the dark. He is currently in the hospital."
Xiang Xiaowu's voice was choked with sobs, each word weighing a ton.
"What did you say?!" Song Shijie jumped up from the sofa, his face ashen. "Shot? How is he now?"
"The bullet pierced the lung and was very close to the aorta. Dr. Liu wasn't sure..."
Xiang Xiaowu sniffed, "President Mu rushed over from G City overnight and personally performed the surgery."
He just came out of the operating room this morning. He said the surgery was successful, but he's still under observation in the intensive care unit.
Shen Rou covered her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening: "Chenxi... Chenxi is back?"
He nodded to Xiao Wu.
Shen Rou's voice trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks: "God bless..."
We must ensure Cheng Yu's safe escape... If anything happens to him, it will be the death of Chenxi..."
The apple slice in the old lady's hand fell to the ground. Shengxue leaned over and sniffed it, but didn't eat it.
She simply raised her head, looking at everyone with her wet eyes, as if she too could sense the heaviness in the air.
In a flash, Shen Rou had filled the thermos with carefully prepared food and soup, her movements unusually swift.
She and Song Shijie got into the back seat, and she started the car for Xiao Wu. The luxury car slowly drove out of the courtyard of the Jinjiangwan Villa, the tires rolling over the stone slab road in front of the gate, making a steady sound.
Outside the car window, the neon lights on the street lit up one after another, and the shadows of cars shuttled among them, like flowing light ribbons.
Shen Rou clutched the thermos tightly with both hands, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force, her eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation.
She longed to see her son immediately; she knew he must be feeling incredibly helpless.
She knew Jiang Chengyu's place and importance in her son's heart.
She no longer cares about their relationship; as long as her son is happy, that's all that matters.
Song Shijie noticed the tension in her body and quietly reached out to gently put his arm around her shoulder.
The silent comfort was conveyed through his body language. Shen Rou leaned her head on his shoulder, and her tense back relaxed a little.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of the hospital. Xiang Xiaowu had just gotten out of the car and was about to open the door;
Shen Rou couldn't wait to get out of the car, and Song Shijie followed closely behind.
The two walked hurriedly toward the intensive care unit, their steps revealing their undisguised urgency.
They navigated the corridor with practiced ease and quickly arrived at the entrance to the intensive care unit.
Through the glass window, I could see Mu Xiaoji sitting by the hospital bed. His back was straight, but his head was down, revealing a sense of loneliness and a look of heartache.
They peered through the thick glass and saw Jiang Chengyu lying quietly on the hospital bed.
His body was covered in various tubes, connected to the instruments next to him, and the waveforms jumping on the screen looked particularly cold.
The oxygen mask covered most of his face, revealing only his furrowed brows and pale jawline.
It had completely lost its former radiance, which was heartbreaking to see.
Shen Rou's heart skipped a beat, her eyes instantly reddened, and the thermos in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Song Shijie raised his hand and gently tapped on the glass window, making a crisp "tap-tap" sound.
Mu Xiaoji finally lifted her head from her dejection, turned to look at the door, and saw that it was her parents.
He gently tucked Jiang Chengyu's right hand, which was sticking out of the blanket, back under it, his movements so gentle as if he were afraid of disturbing the other person, before getting up and walking out.
"Dad, Mom, what brings you here?" His voice was still hoarse.
Upon seeing him, Shen Rou couldn't hold back her tears and stepped forward to take his hand.
She choked up as she said, "Son, Cheng Yu will definitely be alright. You have to take good care of yourself."
As she spoke, she raised her hand to stroke Mu Xiaoji's haggard face, her fingertips touching the dark circles under his eyes, and her heart ached terribly.
"Mom, I'm fine." Mu Xiaoji took her hand in return, trying to sound relaxed.
"The little monster is fine too. The surgery was a success, and he will wake up soon."
As he spoke, he reached out to wipe away the tears that kept sliding down Shen Rou's face. "Don't worry, and don't cry. Crying too much is bad for your health."
Song Shijie pulled Mu Xiaoji to sit down on a nearby bench, and Shen Rou quickly opened the thermos she had brought.
She said softly, "Son, Mom brought you lunch and your favorite mushroom soup."
"Eat something, so you'll have the energy to take care of Cheng Yu. Do you understand?"
Mu Xiaoji watched as she took out the lunchboxes one by one, and the familiar aroma wafted out the moment the lids were lifted.
He didn't have much of an appetite at first, but seeing the worried looks in his parents' eyes, he still managed a smile and said, "Okay."
He picked up the spoon, scooped up a mouthful of mushroom soup, and put it in his mouth. The warm soup slid down his throat, bringing a familiar warmth.
Then he picked up his chopsticks again, grabbed some food, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it heartily.
He mumbled, "Aunt Zhao's cooking is still the best; it's especially appetizing."
Seeing that he was willing to eat, Shen Rou's tears gradually stopped, and she just quietly watched him.
She would add more food to his plate every now and then: "Eat slowly, if you're still hungry, Mom will have more sent from home."
Song Shijie sat to the side, watching his son's forced spirits.
He glanced at Jiang Chengyu lying in the intensive care unit, then silently patted Mu Xiaoji on the shoulder.
Some things don't need to be said; they understand each other perfectly—at this moment, they are each other's strongest support.
In the corridor, the aroma of food mixed with a faint smell of disinfectant created a strange sense of security.
In Teng Junhao's home in the Fengteng residential area, warm yellow light shines on the dining table in the dining room.
A table laden with delicious food steamed hot, but it couldn't dispel the oppressive atmosphere.
Ling Ya ladled a bowl of soup and gently placed it in front of the old man. The old man picked up the spoon...
He sipped his drink slowly, but his gaze inadvertently swept across a corner of the table.
Teng Junhao also kept his head down, taking small bites of rice from his bowl, without saying a word the whole time.
Ling Ya served Teng Junhao another bowl of soup, and he said softly, "Thank you, you can eat it yourself."
Ling Ya turned her gaze to Teng Zijing, only to see him with his head down, his eyes fixed on the rice in his bowl, his right hand holding chopsticks slumped on the table, lost in thought.
An Ran sensed something was off about him the moment she walked in the door, and didn't dare ask any questions on the way home.
Seeing his distraught state, I felt a pang of heartache, but I didn't know how to begin.
The old man put down his bowl, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and then picked up the soup bowl next to him and took a sip.
He slowly put it down and said in a deep voice, "What happened? Why do you look so distraught?"
Teng Zijing's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, and he spoke in a hoarse voice:
“Yesterday, while we were chasing criminals, someone opened fire…attempting to assassinate me.”
"What?!" Ling Ya and An Ran exclaimed at the same time.
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Jiang Chengyu took a bullet for me and is still under observation in the intensive care unit."
Everyone at the table was stunned, their eyes all turning to Teng Zijing in disbelief.
An Ran subconsciously reached out and gently placed her hand on his hand that was holding the chopsticks.
The coolness of his palm reached her fingertips as she whispered, "So you didn't go home yesterday, you were at the hospital the whole time..."
Teng Zijing's eyes reddened, and his voice was filled with deep remorse:
"The bullet pierced his lung, just away from the major artery. Dr. Liu dared not perform the surgery and contacted Mu Xiaoji overnight."
He rushed over from G city for the surgery and didn't leave the operating room until almost six in the morning.
Mu Xiaoji was also exhausted and fainted right at the entrance of the operating room…
He gripped his chopsticks tightly, his knuckles turning white: "I feel guilty. This matter originally had nothing to do with Jiang Chengyu."
And what a coincidence! He was just buying snacks for that little white horse when he bumped into it…
He sniffed. "If anything happens to Jiang Chengyu, how am I supposed to explain it to Jiang Shuo? How am I supposed to explain it to Mu Xiaoji?"
The old man's face darkened, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the table without saying a word.
Teng Junhao put down his chopsticks, looked at his son's red eyes, and said in a deep voice:
"There's no use talking about this now. Let's keep a close eye on the hospital first, and the family will provide full support if needed."
An Ran gently patted Teng Zijing's hand and said softly, "President Jiang is a lucky man, and President Mu is an authority in the medical field, so everything will definitely be alright."
Don't blame yourself too much. Take care of yourself first, then you can deal with the rest.
Teng Zijing didn't say anything, just kept his head down, not touching the rice in his bowl.
That bowl of rice felt like a thousand-pound stone, pressing down on him and making it hard for him to breathe—
The way Jiang Chengyu tackled him in that instant, and the scene of Mu Xiaoji collapsing from exhaustion at the operating room door...
It played out in his mind again and again, pricking his heart like needles, causing waves of dull pain.