At 2AM in the morning, a trembling Zhang Mi crouched down in front of the operating theatre. Standing on her two sides were Young Master Shen"s henchmen. There were more than ten of them with her, none of whom uttered a single word. The air was thick and heavy with tension, so much so that it became hard for anyone to breath. Still, none of them eased their clenched teeth, like they knew they would lose something if they did.
"Mimi!" Xin Qing walked quickly towards Zhang Mi. Ying Qingcang, now sporting a grave look on his face, walked alongside Xin Qing, holding her up as she walked.
Zhang Mi"s eyes glazed over the moment she saw Xin Qing. Tears spilled from her eyes before she could even speak.
"Xin Qing..." Zhang Mi sobbed into Xin Qing"s shoulder. "The doctor said there"s a bullet lodged in his heart. He will die... He"ll definitely die."
"Nonsense. Isn"t he still in there, fighting for his life?" Xin Qing helped Zhang Mi to her feet and led her to a bench where she got her to sit down. "Why are you shaking all over?" Xin Qing asked. One of Young Master Shen men quickly stepped in to answer the question. "The young miss probably has a fever. But she refused to listen to us."
Just then, a group of people emerged from the elevator. Leading the group were Ah Nan and Ah Che.
"Young master, the doctors are here."
Ying Qingcang leveled a stare at the group of people behind Ah Nan and Ah Che. "He can"t die, you hear me?"
The few doctors, who had flown in from overseas, shuddered. One of them, an old man, nodded and then headed straight for the operating theatre. The other doctors quickly followed him.
"Zhang Mi? Zhang Mi!" Xin Qing yelled out loud. Ying Qingcang hurried to Xin Qing"s side. "Calm down. She just pa.s.sed out, that"s all."
Ah Nan quickly called a doctor over to take Zhang Mi away, though that did not seem to put Young Master Shen"s men at ease. A few of them went after the doctor who was tending to Zhang Mi. The leader of among Young Master Shen"s henchmen had stayed behind. "Young Master Ying," he said, "do you think we should notify the old master?"
"Do it," Ying Qingcang said, and then he paused in thought. Xin Qing"s gaze snapped to him.
"Ah Qing, you know I can"t risk it," Ying Qingcang said. "I mean, what if-"
Xin Qing cut him off immediately. "There are no what-ifs here, okay? What"s going to happen to Zhang Mi if he dies?"
Young Master Shen had taken a bullet for Zhang Mi in order to save her life. If he died like this, Zhang Mi would carry the guilt with her for the rest of her life. Heck, considering her personality, she might even choose to die with him.
Ying Qingcang sighed. "Let me take you to Zhang Mi"s room so you can keep her company!" Then, Ying Qingcang gave one of Young Master Shen"s men a look. The latter nodded before pulling out his phone to make a call.
The surgery lasted until noon the following day. The doctors that Ying Qingcang had brought over had successfully removed the bullet from Young Master Shen"s heart. At the moment, Young Master Shen was still in ICU. During the surgery, a small portion of his heart tissue had to be removed. Whether he would make it was still anyone"s guess.
Zhang Mi had been sitting in the ICU beside Young Master Shen ever since she woke up. She refused to leave his side no matter what anybody said. Ying Qingcang had forced Xin Qing to leave that morning. Although Xin Qing would very much like to stay behind to keep Zhang Mi company, her body"s condition would not allow it. That night Xin Qing asked Aunt Tian to prepare a little bit of extra for dinner, which she would then bring over to Zhang Mi.
When Ying Qingcang dropped Xin Qing off at the ICU, he said, "Uncle Shen is here. I"m going to receive him."
Xin Qing nodded and walked over to stand beside Zhang Mi. Zhang Mi was holding Young Master Shen"s hand right then and was muttering something under her breath. Xin Qing drew closer and tried to listen closely to what Zhang Mi was saying.
"Wake up, you d*mn animal! I won"t ever try to control you again as long as you wake up. You can hook up with whichever woman you want, and look for whomever you want."
"Why did you jump in front of the gun? You should"ve just let her kill me. That way, I would be spared from having to stay alive and endure all your bullying..."
"You... Hurry up and wake up, d*mn it! Or else... Or else I"ll go look for my senior and turn you into a cuckold."
Xin Qing: ...
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Xin Qing said, patting Zhang Mi"s head. "Come here and eat something."
Zhang Mi raised her head, and when she did, Xin Qing noticed the state of her eyes, which were so swollen that their openings were reduced to mere slits. Not to mention the dark, greenish hues circling her eyes as well as the ghostlike paleness of her face.
"I don"t feel like eating," Zhang Mi said.
Xin Qing outright dragged Zhang Mi to stand in front of the mirror. "Look at yourself," Xin Qing admonished. "You"ll turn into a ghost if you don"t eat something soon. Young Master Shen won"t even get to see you by the time he wakes up."
"Ah Qing!" Zhang Mi sniffed. "You think he"ll wake up, too, right?" Zhang Mi glanced at Young Master Shen on the bed. Then, she began talking to herself. "I think he"ll wake up, too. I mean, isn"t there a saying about scourges living a thousand years? A scourge like him won"t die so young, right?"
"Yeah," Xin Qing said, shaking her head. "That"s why you have to hurry up and eat something so that you"re physically well enough to see him wake up."
This time, Zhang Mi sat down obediently to eat. Xin Qing"s eyes turned red-rimmed when she saw the way in which Zhang Mi shoved food into her mouth without even tasting them. It was like Zhang Mi was forcing herself to eat. Xin Qing might as well be feeding a duck at this point.
"Mimi, actually... You"ve been in love with him for quite some time, haven"t you?"
Zhang Mi seemed taken aback by that comment. She paused midchew with a piece of pork rib dangling from her lips. She swallowed the ribs and nodded. "Yeah. I"ve had feelings for him ever since the first time I slept with him," Zhang Mi said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "When we were looking for your medicine, we had to spend a night out in the woods. He had this ploy to take advantage of me while we were sleeping, and he thought I didn"t realize. But actually I was awake and conscious the whole time. After that, he got bitten by a poisonous snake in order to save me. That was when I knew I was in love with him."
Amidst her speech, Zhang Mi"s tears had started to flow. "I know that he dislikes marital life, that he doesn"t want to be tied down by one woman. That was why I never admitted my feelings. I figured it"s good enough if we can keep bickering with each other like we usually do."
"But I never thought he would suggest a fake marriage in order to fool Uncle Shen. I-" Zhang Mi was cut off by the sudden opening of the door. The trembling body of Shen Batian stood at the door, his face filled with hurt and surprise.
"What did you just say, little girl? Your marriage is a fake?"
Both Zhang Mi and Xin Qing were startled by Shen Batian"s appearance. Zhang Mi scrambled to her feet hastily. But before she could speak, she saw Shen Batian stumbling backwards. Behind him, Ying Qingcang grabbed him just in time before he could collapse to the ground. Everyone scrambled forward to help support Shen Batian"s weight and then bring him to a doctor. Zhang Mi bit down on her bottom lip and went after the group. Xin Qing felt a little concerned at the turn of events. Ying Qingcang caressed her cheek with a frown.
"You"re tired," he said. "I"m taking you back home!"
"But what about Zhang Mi..." Ying Qingcang lowered his head and pulled her lips into his mouth. For a while, he kept stroking her cheek until he said, "This is something that she needs to take care of on her own. I"m taking you home first so that you can rest early. That way you can come back at an earlier time tomorrow, okay?"
Xin Qing nodded. Then, she left to say her goodbye to Zhang Mi and to let the latter know that she was leaving. Zhang Mi sat beside Shen Batian throughout the whole time he was unconscious. The first thing she said when he woke up was: "I"m sorry we lied to you."
"Argh..." Shen Batian sighed. "Oh, little girl. I know my own son. If he doesn"t have feelings for you, he won"t agree to the marriage even if it"s a fake one." Shen Batian patted Zhang Mi"s shoulder. "Look, whatever that brat had done in the past, I can now guarantee you that you hold a place inside his heart."
Zhang Mi held back her tears and nodded vigorously. "I know, I know!"
What else could be more significant than having a man step in front of a bullet for you?
"Please don"t worry. I won"t run away anymore. I love him and I want to be with him!" Zhang Mi said solemnly. Shen Batian sighed in relief. Then, there was a sudden change in his tone. "Then you guys should hurry up and give me grandchildren!"
Zhang Mi blushed but nodded when she noticed the earnest look in the old man"s eyes. "Mm," she said. "We"ll start working on your grandchildren once he gets better!"
Meanwhile, Young Master Shen had no idea at all that the woman he had been holding a torch for had surrendered herself while he was unconscious. There he lay, for three days straight without waking up. If it was not for the fact that the doctor had come by every day to say that his recovery was going well, Zhang Mi would have lost it a long time ago. On this particular morning, Zhang Mi followed the doctor to check out Young Master Shen"s X-rays. While she was gone, the unmoving man in the hospital room suddenly opened his eyes.
He touched his own chest and then laughed self-mockingly. He never thought a day would come where he ended up like this...
His sight landed on the five-colored band on his wrist, and his eyes sparkled in recognition. He recognized this band. It was Zhang Mi"s lucky charm. Every day, she would tell him in a secretive tone about how the talisman could keep its wearer safe from harm. Young Master Shen smiled inwardly. "So that girl does have a kind heart after all," he thought. "At least she had the sense to put the thing on me."
"Huh. Weird. Where did she run off to?" he wondered. While he was out, he could occasionally hear Zhang Mi speaking into his ear. Although he was unable to make out what she had been saying, he knew that Zhang Mi had been crying. But how come she was nowhere to be seen now?
The voices of his men sounded outside the door. It sounded like they were talking to someone, though he had no idea who. Then, the door opened.
A woman walked in, who went into a daze she saw Young Master Shen"s open eyes. Then, she opened the door swiftly and yelled: "He"s awake! He"s awake!"
Young Master Shen"s men poured into the room the moment they heard her voice. The men saw that their young master was indeed awake and was staring back at them. Without ado, they all began kicking up a fuss and shouted for the doctor.
"What are you doing here?" Young Master Shen stared at Ling Lang curiously. "Aren"t you supposed to be overseas?"
Ling Lang grinned back at him. "You know, this is actually the first time I"ve seen you in such a sorry state!" she said, pouring a gla.s.s of water for Young Master Shen. "My husband has some business to attend to in S City. I came by to this hospital to do a checkup. I only found out what happened to you when I saw your men."
Young Master Shen noticed the way Ling Lang had kept her hand on her belly the whole time. Realization dawned on him. "You"re pregnant? Wow, congratulations!"
"Thank you!" Ling Lang said, her entire face lighting up with joy. "What about you guys? Still no progress?"
"That girl is still a child herself. I"ve already got my hands full taking care of her alone," Young Master Shen said. Then, he sat up and tried to reach for the water. Ling Lang adjusted the bed angle and raised the bed. Then, she placed a few extra pillows behind him to support his back.
Zhang Mi was all keyed up when she burst into the room. But her heart sank the moment she entered to witness the scene before her. Wordlessly, she slammed Young Master Shen"s medical report onto the overbed table.
The sound caused Ling Lang and Young Master Shen turned their heads at the same time. Ling Lang"s covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. "I"ll be taking my leave first, then. You take care of yourself!"
Young Master Shen nodded. "Goodbye!"
When she pa.s.sed by Zhang Mi, Ling Lang gave Zhang Mi a meaningful look. "Be happy!"
Zhang Mi kept a long face and ignored the other woman. Young Master Shen noted the way Zhang Mi was still standing far away from him, as stiff as a pole. The gears in his head began turning. Suddenly, he pressed his hand to his chest and yelled, "Ah! It hurts so much!"
"What? What"s the matter? Where are you hurt? Is it the wound? Your heart?" Zhang Mi was thrown into a fit of panic. She remembered the doctor mentioning something about the high chances of Young Master Shen having heart problems in the future. She thought he was experiencing one right now.
In one swift motion, Young Master Shen yanked Zhang Mi towards him and covered her lips with his own. Zhang Mi struggled and tried to push him away. But then she did not want to accidentally put pressure on his wound, so she allowed herself to be dragged onto the bed by him. That was when Young Master Shen"s tongue pushed its way into her mouth, licking and stroking with total abandon. Zhang Mi"s tongue was tangled up with his, and slowly, she found herself matching his rhythm.
Shen Batian stood outside the door. He waved a hand at the men stationed outside. "Keep an eye on the door," Shen Batian said. "Don"t let anyone disturb them!" After that, Shen Batian strode away ecstatically.
After an unknown period of time, Young Master Shen noticed that the breathing of the woman in his arms had turned labored. He released her and saw Zhang Mi"s watery eyes staring up at him, hooded and half-lidded with desire. Her face was flushed and as red as an apple, and her lips were slightly parted. Unable to help himself, he pecked her lips a few more times.
"She"s pregnant. She"s here for her checkup!"
Zhang Mi instantly snapped out of it. Tears slid down her cheeks and she pushed him away. "She"s pregnant with your child?"