Meanwhile , it had been seven hours since Ningtao was in Operation Theatre and there was still not a single word from the surgeons. Lu Wei was still unconscious and had no idea about the pain his wife was going through. Lu family elders had also arrived and were chatting with Su Rogguang about the medical procedures. As the grandparents and in-laws , they had their own worries.Similarly , Songyan , Ruo Cy , Feng Mian and Rong Xiao were also present. After sometime , the door to the O.T. opened and Su Rogguang"s close friend walked out.
Rong Xinghe looked at the lady expectantly ," How is she ?"
The obstetrician removed her mask before saying ,"The mother is safe. But the baby..."
"What about the baby ?", Rong Xiao asked.
"The baby didn"t responded like normal infants when it came out. It didn"t cried and its pulse rate is too low. I am sorry to inform this but the chances of survival of the child are quite slim. We will have to run some tests on the baby before I come to any conclusions. Till then , the baby needs to be s.h.i.+fted to ICU ward. The nurse is bringing the baby out.", the surgeon explained.
This news was really devastating for the entire family. Songyan even started crying. She was pregnant and knew what connection a mother had with her unborn child. Just how would Ningtao react when she would be told about this piece of heartbreaking news ?
"Just tell me if sister-in-law has given birth to my niece or nephew , Dr. Wen ?", Rong Xiao asked as her voice s.h.i.+vered.
The lady surgeon nodded at Rong Xiao ,"Mrs. Lu has given birth to a beautiful baby girl."
"My Princess...", a man"s shrill voice rang throughout the silent corridor.
Everyone turned to look at Lu Wei who was standing weakly as Zhi Xi supported him.
The man walked closer to everyone and faced his sister ,"Xinghe , my... baby. She will be fine , right ?"
This was the first time that everyone had seen such uncertainty and helplessness in Lu Wei"s voice. This proud man had always stayed strong akin to a mountain. But when it came to his daughter , he was just a simple father. A father who was afraid to lose his princess.
Rong Xinghe helped the man sit down on the hospital bench and squeezed his hand ,"She will be completely fine. She is the mini version of Sis-in-law Ningtao. And you know how strong your woman is. My instincts tell me that just like I fought my death ten years ago , my niece will defeat her death this time. Trust me. Her father needs to be confident and strong more than ever now. For her. And for her mother."
Rong Xinghe"s every word touched Lu Wei"s heart and he returned back to his calm self gradually. He knew that he was Ningtao"s biggest source of support. Moreover , even if it was low , his daughter still had a chance of survival. How could he give up so soon ?
It was just that he was feeling like he had failed to protect the ones he loved the most. Right now , his emotions were more or less like his emotions when he had seen Rong Xinghe in vegetative state 10 years ago.
But Rong Xinghe could read through the man ,"Don"t blame yourself for this. You had Country X"s best security personnel by your side and still , this happened. It was destiny."
Lu Wei looked at Rong Xinghe and nodded his head slightly. For some unknown reason , he wanted to believe every word Rong Xinghe was trying to say to him today.
"Zhou Che did this , didn"t he?", Lu Wei asked after sometime and the girl nodded.
"I leave him to you. But the revenge should be drastic.", the man"s voice turned cold.
"I am more ruthless than you.", Rong Xinghe said with an extra layer of meaning.
At this time , a nurse came out with a baby in her arms. Lu Wei quickly walked over to his princess and observed her features silently. Everyone in the family surrounded the nurse as well as they also looked at the little girl. This daughter of Ningtao was actually a mixture of both of her parents.
She had Ningtao"s soft lips but Lu Wei"s long nose. Her skin was fair just like Ningtao and her eyebrows were exact imitation of Lu Wei"s brows. Her eyes were big , just like her mother and her hair were brownish like her father. She was a very beautiful baby.
"Father can hold the baby if he wants...", the nurse smiled.
Lu Wei looked at Rong Xinghe nervously before he took his princess into his arms. After looking at her for some more time , he kissed her forehead as tears slipped down his eyes ,"Daddy loves you , baby. Please hold on for me. Don"t leave me and mommy. Daddy was careless about your security and he hurt you and mommy. But daddy says sorry ! Please don"t punish me like this."
Even Rong Xinghe couldn"t bear to see this painful scene anymore as she closed her eyes and clenched her fists in order to not break down in front of her brother. This was the most vulnerable side of this man she had ever witnessed.
In this world , everyone discussed the serenity of motherhood but no one ever bothered to talk about how pure fatherhood was. Lu Wei was going to be the best dad ever and Rong Xinghe knew this.
"Sir... could you follow us to the ICU ? ", the nurse didn"t had the heart to separate this man from his daughter and made a simple request. Lu Wei agreed and followed behind the nurse. Now that he had this little bundle of new responsibility in his arms , he no longer needed Zhi Xi or Rong Xinghe"s support to walk.
_____________
"Xinghe... I..."
When Rong Xinghe was discussing Ningtao"s health situation with Su Rogguang and Dr. Wen , Zhou Che"s desperate voice fell upon her ears and the entire family turned around to look at the man.
Mother Zhou and Father Zhou also caught up to their son few seconds later. Rong Xinghe glanced at Mother Zhou and retreated her gaze back at the person she was once in love with.
Zhi Al was about to punch Zhou Che but Mo Zixuan stopped him from doing so ,"Wei wants Xinghe to handle this."
Before Zhou Che could say anything further , Rong Xinghe walked towards him with an iPad in her hands. She showed the screen of the gadget to the Zhou family and remained silent.
It was a... CCTV footage !
This particular video clip showed how Zhou Che"s car had clashed with Lu Wei"s car from an adjacent street and how Zhou Che got out of the car as he fainted on the road.
The entire Zhou family was dumbstruck by this video as they looked at Rong Xinghe with a frightened expression. They had never expected Rong Xinghe to be so efficient. How could she get the evidence against them in such a short time period ?
"Xinghe... let me just explain."
Rong Xinghe waved her hand ,"Don"t bother. Six years ago , I had also begged you to listen to my explanation like this. But you refused. I kept crying but you turned a blind eye to it.
"Today , you are standing where I once stood. By the way , how does it feel when history is repeated other way around ? Because today , I refuse to hear your explanation. Just tell me if the man in this video clip is you or not ?"
Beneath this calm demeanor of the woman , a strong sense of destruction was boiling up like a volcano.
Zhou Che could obviously not deny the legal footage even if he had his doubts , so he had no choice but to nod.
PAK !
The moment the hard slap landed on Zhou Che"s cheek , his weak body stumbled and fell down on the corridor floor.
"You f*cking psycho ! My niece is in danger because of you. If anything happens to her , will you face that mother who has built the sacred bond along these past eight months ?! Will you face that father who has dreamed to dote on his daughter all his life ?! Huh ? Tell me !", Rong Xinghe roared akin to a tigress.
And why not ? This tigress"s family had been hurt this time.
When everyone saw the fire in Rong Xinghe"s eyes , not just Zhou Che"s parents , but even Rong Xinghe"s family felt a chill run down their spines as well !
This was the first time everyone was witnessing Rong Xinghe"s "Military Chief" personality. This was their first interaction with the ferocious , wrathful and destructive Rong Xinghe.