What sound was that?
"Tick—"
It appeared again.
Mubai"s face changed instantly. He slammed down on the breaks, opened the door and leaped over the seat to charge at Xinghe in one smooth motion—
As he lurched at her, Xinghe heard another ticking sound. After that was a deafening explosion. Xinghe felt her eyes burn from the blinding light. The last thing she saw before the world of brightness swallowed her were Mubai"s eyes, filled with determination.
Other than the sensation of their bodies being flung away by an indescribable force, she felt nothing else. After all, one who had lost consciousness would have felt nothing. It was just like death, no pain and no senses.
However, for Xinghe, it was different. Even in endless darkness, she felt her heart ache. Her heart was like being p.r.i.c.ked by a sharp object. She felt herself scooting away from the source of pain. She was enveloped by dread.
However, someone seemed to call her name repeatedly from somewhere far away.
Xinghe, Xinghe…
The soft voice was gentle and mellifluous like a man calling his lover. His lover? Is that me? But who is this "he"?
Xinghe"s consciousness slowly gathered itself. Finally, she remembered; the "he" was Xi Mubai. Xinghe did her best to locate the source of his voice, but it was to no avail. Xi Mubai, where are you?
Xinghe, I"m leaving… I"m sorry, I wouldn"t be able to accompany you anymore…
Leaving, where was he going?
Xinghe finally recovered enough to remember the explosion inside the car. Mubai had pulled her into a tight embrace just before the car exploded. Wait, the car exploded!
This sudden knowledge woke Xinghe up from the darkness like a splash of icy, cold water!
The moment she woke up, her eyes were filled with terror. She had trouble breathing; she was like a trauma victim, her face deathly pale.
"Sis!" Xia Zhi, who had been guarding beside her, hadn"t once closed his eyes. He leaped happily forward when he saw her open her eyes. He gripped at her palm and ma.s.saged some warmth into it. "Sis, are you okay? Do you feel fine? I"ll go get the doctor!"
Xia Zhi quickly called for the doctor but Xinghe remained the same way: unresponsive and emotionless.
"Doctor, what"s wrong with my sister?" Xia Zhi asked with a shaking voice looking at Xinghe who stared blankly ahead.
The doctor sighed. "She"s in shock."
"Then, what can we do…"
"We will give her a tranquilizer shot first."
Just as the doctor was going to administer the shot, she said in a raspy voice, "It"s alright…"
"Sis!" Xia Zhi cried in shock. However, he swallowed his immediate joy when he saw the lack of usual l.u.s.ter in her eyes. He didn"t know how to broach the subject.
Xinghe turned towards him and continued in that raspy voice of hers, "Where"s Mubai?"
This was what Xia Zhi was most afraid of, afraid that she would ask about Mubai after she woke up.
He tried his best to hide it, but there was unspeakable sadness in his eyes. His mournful countenance spoke volumes as well.
"Sis, he is still in a critical condition…"