Haiyan pulled up outside the estate within minutes of Liuxian's message, already waiting with the door open by the time Guiying reached the driveway. Neither of them spoke much during the drive, the weight of everything sitting heavy in the car.
Guiying stared out the window, guilt gnawing steadily at his chest. He wasn't responsible for what had happened to Ren Hao, not directly. Shen Zihao's obsession had shifted onto him only after Guiying had escaped his reach entirely, only after the attention that once belonged to Guiying's past self needed somewhere new to land.
That truth sat uneasily alongside the guilt anyway, refusing to fully absolve him no matter how he reasoned it through.
The hospital came into view minutes later, and Guiying's stomach dropped at the crowd already gathered outside the entrance. Cameras, microphones, a dozen reporters shifting restlessly near the doors.
The moment he stepped out of the car, recognition rippled through them instantly.
