Lin Murun didn't remember how he got to the hospital. By the time he came to his senses, the three of them were already standing outside the operating room.
The red light above the door was lit; the severely injured Wu Chuchu was inside undergoing emergency resuscitation.
The driver responsible for the accident had been taken away by the police on the spot. He looked young, as if he had just entered the workforce. After hitting her, he had been shaking uncontrollably, crying as he explained to the onlookers that he hadn't done it on purpose.
Lin Qingqing stood silently beside Lin Murun, her face pale with fright. It took a long while before she recovered enough to whisper to Lin Murun, "Brother, Senior Wu Chuchu will be okay, right?"
Lin Murun stared at the operating room doors. After a moment, he shook his head slightly and said in a raspy voice, "I don't know."
Standing to the side, Si Bin patted Lin Murun’s shoulder and lowered his head to whisper, "I’ve already called Bei Fan. He should be here soon."
"Who is Bei Fan?" Lin Qingqing asked.
Si Bin replied, "Wu Chuchu’s husband."
"Husband..." Lin Qingqing seemed to recall the conversation between the two young women from earlier. Her voice trembled as she tugged on Lin Murun’s arm. "If it weren't for him, how could Senior have ended up in a car accident?"
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Lin Qingqing thought it was Bei Fan, but when she turned around with a frown, she saw her mother, Lin Murun’s aunt, rushing over in her white lab coat.
"Mom!" Having just gone through a breakup and then a major shock, Lin Qingqing couldn't control her tears the moment she saw her mother.
Aunt Lin hurried to pull her daughter into her arms, patting her back. "Mom’s here."
The hospital Wu Chuchu had been taken to happened to be where Aunt Lin worked. Upon hearing that a senior of her daughter and nephew had been in an accident, she had hurriedly handed off her work to a colleague and rushed over from the pediatrics department without even having time to change out of her uniform.
"Tell me, what exactly happened? Was she with you when the accident occurred?" Aunt Lin asked anxiously.
Lin Qingqing sobbed twice. "No, by the time we got there, it had already happened."
"It’s okay, it’s okay," Aunt Lin comforted her softly. She looked up at Lin Murun and asked, "Runrun, you weren't frightened, were you?"
"I'm fine, Auntie," Lin Murun said.
"That’s good, that’s good..." Aunt Lin patted Lin Qingqing and led her over to Lin Murun’s side. "My colleague didn't explain clearly at first. They just told me someone was in a car accident and that my daughter and nephew had followed them here. It gave me such a fright; I thought..." She cut herself off, spat twice to ward off the bad luck, and reached out to pull Lin Murun close. "In any case, it’s good that you’re both safe."
"But you have final exams tomorrow. How could you run around like this?" Once Aunt Lin calmed down, she began to scold the two children crossly. "You should have stayed at school. The roads are slippery with the melting snow; it’s dangerous to be out!"
"I..." Lin Qingqing bit her lower lip, struggling to speak. "I'm sorry, Mom. We... we..."
"We wanted to have hot pot, so we went to the shopping center," Lin Murun interjected, covering up the matter between Lin Qingqing and Wu Yichen.
"You two really are..." Aunt Lin irritably pinched both their ears. "If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never learn!"
Lin Qingqing cried out for mercy.
Seeing her daughter grimacing in pain, Aunt Lin finally let go.
"Hurry back to school. It’s late, and you have exams tomorrow." She released them and turned to Si Bin. "Classmate, you should head back too. It’s so cold out; it wouldn't be good to worry your parents."
Si Bin shook his head. "Auntie, I just called the senior's husband. I have to wait until he arrives before I can leave."
"It’s fine, I’ll keep watch for you." Aunt Lin asked Si Bin for Bei Fan’s phone number and then, brooking no refusal, called a Didi for the three of them.
"Go on, get back. The driver will be at the East Gate soon." As she ushered them away, Aunt Lin reminded them to stay safe on the road.
Fearing her mother’s anger and mindful of the next day's exams, Lin Qingqing listened to her mother and pulled Lin Murun away.
The three of them sat silently in the back seat. No one spoke.
It was the driver who eventually broke the silence. "Are you three students visiting a friend at the hospital?"
Si Bin gave a brief "Mm" and said nothing more.
After returning to No. 1 High School, Lin Qingqing tugged nervously at her backpack straps and asked Lin Murun in a low voice, "What exactly is the deal with Senior Wu Chuchu’s husband?"
Lin Murun lowered his eyelashes. After a moment, he answered, "He entered the marriage under false pretenses."
Lin Qingqing gasped and quickly covered her mouth. Connecting this to everything that had happened today, the young girl guessed the gist of it and didn't ask further.
After seeing Lin Qingqing back to the girls' dormitory, the two of them walked silently toward the school gates.
Final exams weren't over yet, so there weren't many students on the path. The few they encountered had their hands buried in their uniform pockets as they hurried past.
Lin Murun looked at the bright streetlights and asked, "Bei Fan... he must have seen the accident happen, right?"
"Yes," Si Bin said. "He saw it."
"But at that time, he didn't choose to stay and get her to the hospital..." Lin Murun’s heart sank. After a long pause, he asked, "Will he really go to the hospital?"
Si Bin shook his head. "With a person like him... it’s hard to say."
Having witnessed Wu Chuchu’s tragedy, neither of them had much to say that day. After returning to Si Bin’s home, they deliberately avoided topics related to Bei Fan and Wu Chuchu.
That night, Lin Murun tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought of the gruesome sight of Wu Chuchu lying in a pool of blood.
Lin Murun frowned and buried himself under the covers.
"Runrun."
Through the blanket, Lin Murun faintly heard a knock at the door.
He poked his head out and saw Si Bin, who also hadn't slept, pushing open the guest room door.
Lin Murun sat up. "You’re not sleeping either?"
Si Bin: "Mm."
Because the air conditioning was on, the room was warm. Si Bin sat on the edge of Lin Murun’s bed in his pajamas, reaching out to stroke his hair. "I came to check on you."
Lin Murun asked, "Do you want to come over?"
The guest bed was very wide. Lin Murun moved to the other side, leaving space for Si Bin.
"Okay." Si Bin smiled, went to his own room to grab his pillow, and slid under the thin duvet that still held Lin Murun’s warmth.
"Actually, I feel very guilty..."
In the darkness, Si Bin heard Lin Murun’s muffled voice. "If I had been able to stop Senior Wu Chuchu from remarrying, maybe..."
"Runrun." Si Bin turned on his side and pulled Lin Murun into his arms. He kissed Lin Murun’s forehead and said softly, "As early as the beginning of December, you sent Wu Chuchu many messages."
Lin Murun curled up in Si Bin’s embrace and didn't speak.
"You already did your best to help her." Si Bin gently patted Lin Murun’s back. "Don't take the responsibility onto yourself. This isn't your fault."
Lin Murun buried his face against Si Bin’s neck. After a long while, he gave a soft "Mm."
"It’s okay, just sleep for now," Si Bin comforted him warmly. "After we finish our exams tomorrow, we’ll go to the hospital to see Wu Chuchu."
The reassuring woody scent on Si Bin’s body enveloped Lin Murun tenderly. Lin Murun nodded and closed his eyes. Perhaps because Si Bin was beside him, he had a dreamless night and slept very soundly.
At six in the morning, the vibration of a phone woke Lin Murun. He rubbed his eyes groggily, slipped out of Si Bin’s arms, and picked up the phone from the pillow.
After seeing the caller’s name, Lin Murun frowned slightly and pressed the answer button.
"Hello?" Bei Fan’s voice came through the phone. Before Lin Murun could speak, he said, "The hospital has issued a critical condition notice for Chuchu."
Lin Murun froze. "What did you say?"
"I said, Chuchu’s situation isn't good." Bei Fan repeated his words in a flat tone. "I received a critical condition notice from the hospital."
Si Bin was already awake. Seeming to guess who was on the other end, he whispered to Lin Murun, "Runrun, put it on speaker."
Lin Murun followed his suggestion and tapped the speaker button.
Bei Fan’s voice came through the receiver: "Do you want to come see her? The doctor says her situation is very dangerous."
Lin Murun’s fingertips turned white from gripping the duvet. Si Bin placed his palm over the back of Lin Murun’s hand and said softly, "Don't worry. We’ll go take a look."
On the other end of the line, Bei Fan seemingly hadn't expected Si Bin to be right next to Lin Murun. After a moment of silence, he hung up the phone.
The two of them quickly changed clothes, washed up in a hurry, and took a taxi to the hospital.
Wu Chuchu had been moved to the ICU. Lin Murun and Si Bin could only catch a glimpse of her through a monitor screen.
Currently, Wu Chuchu was on a ventilator, showing no signs of waking up.
After receiving Si Bin’s call, Bei Fan had rushed over last night, but he hadn't come alone. A young man stood beside him.
The man had delicate features and wore a metal stud in his ear. Upon seeing Si Bin and Lin Murun, he hid behind Bei Fan, his eyes quietly sizing up Si Bin, secretly comparing Bei Fan to him in his mind.
"I didn't expect you to come too." Bei Fan smiled when he saw Si Bin. "I didn't think you were the type to meddle in other people's business."
Si Bin glanced at him and asked coldly, "Where is Wu Chuchu’s child?"
"At home, of course. He’s my son; I wouldn't harm him." Bei Fan looked at Si Bin and smiled. "But... how did you know Chuchu had the child with her? Were you at the scene yesterday too?"
Hearing that the child had been taken away, Lin Murun’s expression darkened. "So, you witnessed the entire accident, yet you didn't bring her to the hospital?"
"I thought she was dead," Bei Fan said calmly. "Injured like that, with blood everywhere—even if she was brought to the hospital, there was no guarantee she could be saved."
Lin Murun’s pupils contracted. He stepped forward quickly and grabbed Bei Fan by the collar.
"Runrun!" Si Bin reached out to stand between Lin Murun and Bei Fan. He gripped Lin Murun’s wrist and said in a low voice, "Go call Teacher Li to ask for a leave of absence first. While you're at it, find out if Wu Chuchu has any other relatives."
Lin Murun’s hand, which was clutching Bei Fan’s collar, trembled slightly. After a long moment, he withdrew his hand and whispered, "Okay."
With that, he didn't give Bei Fan another look and turned to leave.
Bei Fan raised his hand to straighten the collar Lin Murun had crumpled and said to Si Bin, "Thanks..."
Before he could finish, Si Bin landed a punch squarely on the bridge of his nose.
"Ah!!!" The young man Bei Fan had brought screamed helplessly upon seeing his boyfriend get hit, but he was quickly silenced by a single look from Si Bin.
His nasal bone having taken a heavy blow, Bei Fan felt dizzy. Tears and snot covered his face. Before he could recover, Si Bin used his height advantage to grab him by the collar and slam him hard against the hallway wall.
"Bei Fan, you did it on purpose." Si Bin’s features carried a hint of mixed heritage, making him look even sharper when he was angry. Suppressing the urge to give Bei Fan a thorough beating, he warned in a low voice, "I told you, whatever you’re planning, keep your filthy thoughts to yourself and stay far away from my boyfriend."
Bei Fan chuckled lowly, but the movement pulled at his nose, causing his facial muscles to twitch in pain. He had completely lost his usual poise.
"What, I can't even give your little boyfriend a phone call?" Bei Fan leaned against the wall, but before he could catch his breath, Si Bin hauled him up by the collar, forcing him to stand straight.
"You’d better stay far away. I don't care what happened between you and Wu Chuchu, but if you disturb my family or my boyfriend again, I’ll make sure you pay a heavy price." Si Bin narrowed his eyes and said lowly, "You know my temper; I've always been a man of my word."
Bei Fan opened his eyes, which were blurred with tears, and saw the sharp edge hidden in Si Bin’s gaze. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he backed down.
By the time Lin Murun returned to the ICU doors, Bei Fan had tidied his appearance. The young man he had brought stood to the side, silent.
Si Bin, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, saw Lin Murun and stepped forward to ask softly, "How is it?"
"Teacher Li contacted Senior’s cousin. They should be here soon." Lin Murun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He told Si Bin, "She granted the leave but told us to get back to school quickly to prepare for this afternoon's exam."
"Mm, it’s good that her family has been reached." Si Bin nodded. "Once Wu Chuchu’s family arrives, we’ll head back to school."
Half an hour later, a woman in a black suit, wearing high heels, hurried to the ward.
"Hello, are you Teacher Li’s students?" Seeing that Si Bin and Lin Murun were still in their school uniforms, she walked up and asked.
"Yes." Si Bin nodded. "Senior Wu Chuchu is in the ward."
"I heard you were the ones who got Chuchu to the hospital yesterday. Thank you so much." The woman took her business card out of her bag and handed it to Si Bin and Lin Murun. "My phone number is on there. You can call me anytime if you need anything."
The two of them accepted the card.
The woman’s name was Wu Jiayi, a lawyer at Junxing Law Firm.
Seeing them take the card, the woman said, "I’ll stay here. You two should get back to school; I heard you have an exam this afternoon."
"Alright, then we’ll leave it to you." Si Bin nodded and left the hospital with Lin Murun.
"Brother Fan, you’re just going to let them go like that?" After they left, the young man beside Bei Fan muttered, "You were even hit."
Bei Fan touched his swollen nose and said calmly, "If I was hit, I was hit."
"But..." The man wasn't satisfied and wanted to say more, but Bei Fan stopped him.
"Do you know who it was that hit me?" Bei Fan asked with a half-smile.
Looking at Bei Fan’s expression, the man shrank back and shook his head.
"If you don't know, then shut up. He’s just someone we can't afford to offend." Bei Fan shook his head, mocking himself. "I originally called the other little kid because I wanted him to come alone. I didn't expect..."
"Mr. Bei Fan." The sound of high heels clicking on the floor came from behind them.
Bei Fan turned and saw the woman in the black suit and black-rimmed glasses, looking every bit the elite professional.
"What is it?" Bei Fan asked.
Wu Jiayi gave a faint smile. "Let’s talk."
