Cheng Xi quickly hung up and was about to leave immediately when Cai Yi noticed that something was wrong. She quickly stopped her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Professor, there’s something’s wrong with a patient, and I have to leave for the hospital immediately.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Cai Yi replied as soon as she heard Cheng Xi’s answer. As she watched her leave hurriedly, she called her back again a moment later. “Wait a moment. I’ll call Wu to drive you there.”

“No need, let Zhou send her. He drives quickly.” Lu Chenzhou’s grandfather had intercepted her as well, and he quickly called for Lu Chenzhou, who had been talking to someone by his side. “Quick, quickly send Dr. Cheng back to the hospital.”

The whole room was in somewhat of an uproar at Lu Chenzhou’s grandfather’s words, but during this time, Cheng Xi had already raced outside. Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows, not saying anything, and stepped out quickly.

As Cheng Xi walked outside, she ran into Lin Fan and his mother.

Lin Fan called out, “Cheng Xi……”

Cheng Xi reluctantly stopped, and apologetically said, “Sorry, but I have something urgent to attend to. I’ll be leaving now. Goodbye, Mrs. Lin.”

After blurting out a quick couple of sentences, she left immediately. Not long after, Lu Chenzhou came, following her footsteps. Just as Lin Fan’s mother was about to greet him, even calling out “Zhou,” Lu Chenzhou had already walked across the corner of the garden, and not even his shadow could be seen a second later.

Lin Fan’s mother was somewhat upset, her face sinking. Before she could say anything, she heard her own son say, “Mom, something seems to have happened to Cheng Xi. I’ll go find out what’s wrong.”

“What are you going for?” Lin Fan’s mother quickly tried to restrain him.

But she wasn’t fast enough to do so this time. Lin Fan pulled away and chased after the two, leaving his mother standing in her original spot, so angry that her lungs were beginning to hurt.

Cheng Xi evidently didn’t know who was following her. She had originally intended to take a taxi, but before one could arrive, Lu Chenzhou had driven in front of her with his car. He didn’t say anything, merely stopping the car by the roadside, rolling down the windows, and looking at her beckoningly. 

Cheng Xi glanced at him and then got in the car. It wasn’t rush hour yet, so there weren't that  many cars on the road. With some good luck, they quickly arrived at the hospital.

When she got there, she saw Chen Jiaman once again strapped onto her bed. She was struggling and screeching like a wounded beast. In fact, she was making so much noise that the other patients in the ward had also started yelling, keeping the whole floor in a constant state of uproar.

The doctor on duty was once again Cheng Xi’s senior, Ceng Xing. Just as he was about to perform electroconvulsive therapy on her, the instruments in his hand millimeters from touching her skin, Cheng Xi arrived. “Dr. Ceng,” Cheng Xi said as she grabbed his hand. “Thank you for your work, but can you leave my patients to me?”

Ceng Xing turned around, smiling. “Sure. I’ve heard that you’re quite unconventional in your methods and particularly dislike using ECT. Show us what you’ve got, then.”

Cheng Xi ignored his strange behavior. She walked in front of him, pushed him out of the way, and then looked at the medical personnel holding Chen Jiaman down. She took a deep breath and ordered, “Let go of her. You guys can leave now.”

She started removing the constraints keeping Chen Jiaman tied to the bed, but a concerned nurse stopped her. “Dr. Cheng, she’s in terrible condition right now.”

“I know.” Cheng Xi really wanted to sigh. A whole month’s of hard work, but had it all gone down the drain? She put her gloves on. “You guys can all go out first. There are too many people, and she’s too scared right now.”

Not only were there too many people, but the light in the room was also too bright. Someone had opened all of the blinds that had been kept closed ever since Chen Jiaman entered the ward, causing the sunlight to land squarely on Chen Jiaman’s ghastly pale face.

“Get out!” Cheng Xi emphasized again, and then she went forward, grasped Chen Jiaman’s hand tightly, and started calling her name lightly as she loosened her constraints. “Chen Jiaman, Chen Jiaman…… Can we quiet down a little?”

Just as Chen Jiaman’s hand constraints were released, her upper body suddenly sprang up. She wanted to run out, but her feet were still tied down, and she continued screeching and struggling uncontrollably, closing her eyes and flailing her fists around.

Cheng Xi got hit quite a few times, and she had to hug her tightly in an attempt to pacify her.

Chen Jiaman’s energy was actually almost completely used up. When she realized that she couldn’t push Cheng Xi away, she lowered her head and fiercely bit down on Cheng Xi’s arm.

It had been pretty cool the last couple of days, so Cheng Xi wasn’t wearing very thick clothing. Chen Jiaman’s bite penetrated quite deeply, and a throbbing pain immediately shot through her bones, making her feel as if her hand had been half-bitten off.

But she didn’t do anything, only hugging Chen Jiaman even more firmly with one hand and unceasingly patting her back with the other. “It’s okay, we’re fine. Chen Jiaman, everything’s okay.” She lightly whispered into her ear. “It’s bright, and we’re not scared anymore.”

She didn’t know if her month of accompanying Chen Jiaman through the night had been effective, but Chen Jiaman gradually calmed down, and then released Cheng Xi’s arm from her mouth.

Cheng Xi released the breath that she had been holding in. If Chen Jiaman hadn’t let go, her hand might have been crippled. She supported her, her hands lightly running over her eyes. “It’s bright. Aren’t you going to open your eyes and see the light?”

But Chen Jiaman didn’t open her eyes. She lay in her lap, her whole body trembling and shaking.

Without any other recourse, Cheng Xi eventually had to give her a shot so she could fall asleep slowly.

After shutting the blinds and restoring the room to its usual state, Cheng Xi walked out of the ward. Her entire body was damp, as if she had just been pulled out of a pool of water. There were quite a number of people standing outside Chen Jiaman’s ward, including doctors, nurses, and even colleagues from other departments who had heard the news and had come to help. Among these people, Cheng Xi even saw Lu Chenzhou and Lin Fan.

“Nothing’s wrong, is it?”

Cheng Xi shook her head, smiling at them tiredly. Her gaze turned toward the nurse on duty, and she asked, “What exactly happened? How did she suddenly end up like this?”

“It was Chen Jiaman’s aunt. She came to visit her, and something she did seemed to trigger Chen Jiaman.”

“Aunt?” Cheng Xi frowned. If she remembered correctly, then Chen Jiaman shouldn’t have an aunt, only a great-aunt. However, that great-aunt had a terrible relationship with her family. She took a deep breath, and then asked, “Where is she now?”

The nurse ran out to look for her, but returned not long later. “She’s gone.”

Cheng Xi couldn’t help but ground her teeth in frustration. “Go look around and try your best to find her.”

She really wanted to yell at someone, but given the situation, who could she yell at? Chen Jiaman’s situation was stabilizing, and it was natural for her family to be allowed to visit her. Who could she yell at?

The doctors and nurses left quickly as Cheng Xi’s mood became obvious. But she remained standing there, taking her time to recover and wrestle her emotions back under control.

Lin Fan asked, concerned, “Are you alright?” He sighed as he lamented, “I haven’t seen a doctor who cares as much about her patients as you.”

Cheng Xi could only laugh bitterly. As she was about to reply, her gaze inadvertently landed on Lu Chenzhou.

He looked very normal, his body straight, as quiet as a pine tree. But if one looked closely, it was evident that something was wrong. His gaze was dim and the atmosphere around him frigid, just like a bowstring pulled too tight, one that could snap at anytime.

Cheng Xi’s heart contracted. Just as she was about to approach him, Lin Fan stretched out his hand and touched her. “Your hand…… You should take care of it first.”

Only now did Cheng Xi realize how much it hurt!

She yelped lightly, shook her head, took two steps forward, and then grabbed onto Lu Chenzhou’s sleeve. “Lu Chenzhou.” Her voice was caring and warm, calling for him gently. “My hand hurts. Can you help me?”

He looked as if he didn’t hear her. Instead, his gaze seemed to be focused on the emptiness beyond as he stood there, stock still. She repeated herself, and only then did he seem to come alive again, turning his eyes to look at her.

Cheng Xi also looked at him, seemingly ignoring his unusual behavior, and instead smiling charmingly. “Are you not going to help me? Then are you really my boyfriend?”

When Lin Fan heard this, his face darkened.

Lu Chenzhou looked at her in a daze for quite a while before he stretched out his hand, and pulling her along steadily.

Cheng Xi relaxed and started thinking about what else she could say to make him feel more comfortable. But then his hand pulled tightly, and she fell into his bosom.

She had originally wanted to push him away, but his body was trembling. And in this moment of hesitation, Lu Chenzhou leaned down and kissed her.

"……"