Jing Meng's chest rose and fell in a shallow rhythm against the stark white sheets. The steady, orderly beeping of the heart monitor served as a constant reminder that she was still among the living.
Pei Shiyi let out a long breath, though a dull ache remained tight in his chest.
He would never be able to erase that nightmarish scene from his memory...
The moment he saw Jing Meng's body thrown through the air like a discarded ragdoll, every suspicion and doubt he harbored had been swept away.
He just wanted her to live! Nothing mattered as long as she stayed alive!
And as for that man...
Thinking of the man who had pushed Jing Meng into the middle of the road, a flash of murderous intent flickered in Pei Shiyi's dark eyes.
While he didn't yet know the nature of the relationship between Jing Meng and that man, the surveillance footage made it clear they were old acquaintances.
Until Jing Meng woke up, he would absolutely not let that man leave!
"Jing Meng," he spoke softly, "if you can wake up, I hope we can finally be honest with each other."
Jing Meng felt as though someone was whispering in her ear. The voice was gentle, beckoning her to draw closer, yet she couldn't quite make out the words.
She knit her brows in discomfort, her eyelashes trembling slightly before she slowly forced her eyes open.
Her gaze met a plain white ceiling a sight so familiar she recognized her surroundings instantly.
Since her rebirth, she truly seemed to share a strange affinity with hospitals. In such a short span of time, she had already been admitted three times...
"It seems the hospital and I just don't get along," Jing Meng said with a bitter smile.
"If you know you don't get along, then you should be more careful." The voice that reached her ears carried Pei Shiyi's unique blend of indifference and underlying concern. For a fleeting second, it gave Jing Meng the illusion that this was exactly how things were meant to be.
"Pei Shiyi?" Jing Meng tried to turn her head to look at him, but her head was held steady by a pair of large hands.
"Don't move. I'll call the doctor for you."
Jing Meng gave a low murmur of assent, but the world before her suddenly turned into a blur.
She tried to see what was happening, shaking her head lightly, but clarity eluded her. Instead, a wave of nausea rose within her. She reached out, her hand trembling as she tried to grasp at anything.
Pei Shiyi let out a sigh of resignation and caught her hand in midair. "Stop moving around. Wait for the doctor to come, alright?"
His voice was softer than usual, making Jing Meng desperate to see his expression. She squinted instinctively, but her vision remained a thick, gray fog where nothing could be discerned.
Feeling defeated, Jing Meng could only tighten her grip on Pei Shiyi's hand, feeling a warmth that seemed to seep all the way into her heart.
Pei Shiyi, meanwhile, looked down at her with a complicated gaze...
The doctor soon arrived at the ward. After asking Jing Meng a few questions and detailing some precautions, he reminded Pei Shiyi to take good care of her and departed.
Once the doctor was gone, an eerie silence fell over the room.
"Pei Shiyi, where is Jing Hong? Did you see him?" Jing Meng finally seemed to remember her brother. Since she couldn't move or see, she squeezed Pei Shiyi's hand even harder.
Pei Shiyi sighed helplessly and signaled his bodyguards to bring Jing Hong inside.
Jing Meng stared at the ceiling with vacant eyes. "How have you been lately?"
She had intended to check on Jing Hong's well-being, but she hadn't expected him to react with such rage. He lashed out with venomous words, "Stop your hypocrisy! If it weren't for you, would we be this destitute? I've reached the point where I can't even pay your medical bills. Are you satisfied now?!"
Being yelled at by Jing Hong, who was practically pointing at her nose, caused Jing Meng's body to stiffen. Her grip on Pei Shiyi's hand tightened involuntarily.
So, her family was struggling this much because of her? And what about her mother?
Thinking of her mother, she hurriedly pressed for more information. "Do you know where Mom is?"
Whether he simply didn't want to talk to her or couldn't face her, Jing Hong merely gave Jing Meng a cold, hard look. He pressed his lips into a thin line and turned to leave without a word.
Listening to the sound of his retreating footsteps, Jing Meng instinctively reached out to stop him, but her hand caught nothing but the chilly air.
Her eyes reddened instantly as she fought to keep her tears from falling.
She was immersed in her sorrow, unaware that Pei Shiyi was watching her every move, his own heart feeling slightly unsettled.
"There are some things I need to tell you." After contemplating for a long while, he finally made a decision.
Snapping out of her grief, Jing Meng looked puzzled. After a moment's thought, she nodded gently. "Go ahead."
The usually decisive and efficient Pei Shiyi suddenly found himself tongue-tied, hesitating on where to begin.
After a long pause, he let go of Jing Meng's hand. His rugged features were grave as he carefully weighed his words.
"What is it you want to say?" Her voice was slightly raspy. Jing Meng coughed softly and turned her confused gaze toward Pei Shiyi. "Why did you go quiet?"
Looking at her pale face, Pei Shiyi's emotions were a tangled mess.
"I..." Just as Pei Shiyi was about to confess his suspicions about her, his phone vibrated twice in his pocket, cutting their conversation short.
He pulled out his phone to see a photo sent by his subordinates. It was a picture of a girl who looked entirely different from Jing Meng.
Guilt immediately flooded Pei Shiyi's heart. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, pondering how he was supposed to explain this.
At the same time, he didn't forget to send a follow-up command to his men: Quickly investigate the whereabouts of the girl in the photo.
Once the message was sent, the ward fell back into silence.
The atmosphere grew increasingly bizarre in the quiet. Disliking the feeling, Jing Meng was the first to speak. "That man with the bad temper just now was my younger brother, Jing Hong. I don't know when we who were supposed to rely on each other to survive ended up at such odds, like fire and water."
Recalling the events of the past few years, a bitter smile tugged at her lips, and she lowered her gaze as if trying to escape the memories.
Seeing through her reluctance to talk about the past, Pei Shiyi tactfully kept quiet. Noticing her worried expression, he comforted her softly, "Don't worry. I was concerned he might do something reckless, so I had someone follow him. There shouldn't be any major issues."
Since he had spoken directly to her concern, Jing Meng offered a grateful smile, though a trace of worry lingered in her eyes. This time, it wasn't for Jing Hong, but for her missing mother.
If a young man in his prime like Jing Hong was living in such poverty, how was her aging mother managing to survive?
Thinking of this, Jing Meng's expression turned desolate once more. Her hands gripped the quilt tightly as she vowed to herself that she must find her mother as soon as possible.
"Jing Hong is a very meticulous person. Are the people you sent truly reliable?" Her mother's situation couldn't be rushed, but for now, she was more concerned about her brother.
"Don't worry too much. These people are professionals." Pei Shiyi gave a reassuring smile, his dark eyes meeting Jing Meng's vacant gaze.
His heart stirred.
"What are you looking at?"
The sudden question caught Pei Shiyi off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"You... you can see clearly now?!"
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