Chapter 203

Jing Yi seemed to have lost consciousness, with blood still streaming from the wound on her forehead.

Shen Huaichu carefully carried her out, murmuring, "We're going to the hospital, to the hospital. Everything will be fine, you'll be fine..." His voice was soft, as if repeating these words could lessen the fear and despair gnawing at his heart.

The rescue team arrived quickly, but they couldn't pry Jing Yi from Shen Huaichu's grasp.

"Shen Huaichu, let go! Yi Yi needs to get to the hospital!" Jing Zeyou's voice, filled with anger, rang out.

Shen Huaichu, as if waking from a dream, strode quickly toward the ambulance with Jing Yi in his arms. He watched as the nurses moved her onto a stretcher, then knelt beside her, his body trembling violently.

Outside the emergency room, Lin Ruiqing's soft sobs could be heard. Her eyes were red from crying, fixed on the direction Jing Yi had been taken.

Jing Beicheng held her, his expression grave, his concern evident in his eyes.

The three siblings stood outside the door, their eyes bloodshot, their anxiety and unease palpable. They all waited for the door to open, and for the doctor's verdict.

In the corner, Shen Huaichu seemed like a lost soul, his gaze never leaving the closed door, as if he could see Jing Yi lying inside.

Then, the doctor emerged, looking slightly weary. Jing Zeyou and the others immediately surrounded him. "How is Yi Yi?"

The doctor removed his mask, his expression not exactly reassuring. "The head injury isn't too severe, but Jing Yi hasn't regained consciousness yet. We need to closely monitor her for the next seventy-two hours. If she doesn't wake up by then..."

Lin Ruiqing gasped for breath, stumbling back. "Not wake up? What do you mean, not wake up?!"

Jing Yi's injuries weren't severe, but the head trauma was significant. If she didn't wake up during the observation period, he couldn't guarantee she would ever regain consciousness.

Lin Ruiqing clutched at Jing Beicheng, as if he were her last lifeline. "Yi Yi will be fine, won't she? Won't she?!"

Jing Beicheng suppressed his own emotions, gripping Lin Ruiqing's hand tightly. "Of course she will. We have to believe in Yi Yi. She's strong. She'll wake up!"

Jing Zeyou's heart sank, his voice trembling as he struggled to keep it steady. "If she doesn't wake up within seventy-two hours, what happens then?"

The doctor looked at Jing Zeyou and shook his head. "I can't guarantee anything right now. We'll just have to monitor her over the next few days."

Shen Huaichu's breath caught, his breathing suddenly rapid. He stepped forward, almost pleading, "Save her, please, save her..."

...

Shen Xi stood outside the intensive care unit, her eyes swollen from crying. Chen Yisi stood beside her, offering support, though her expression was far from relaxed.

"How could I not have gone? What could be more important than Yi Yi's competition? If I had gone, maybe this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault, my fault."

After the Open Cup ended, Shen Xi had just wanted to call and check on Jing Yi's condition. Instead, she received a call from the Jing family, informing her that Jing Yi had been in a car accident.

She ran to the hospital as fast as she could, only to find Jing Yi lying in the ward, her eyes closed.

How could this have happened?

Jing Yi had said it was just an unimportant exhibition match. She had promised to go out and celebrate with her after the competition.

She hadn't even told Jing Yi about her victory over Chen Yisi yet. Jing Yi would have been so interested. How could she just lie there, unmoving?

Chen Yisi sighed inwardly, tightening her hold on Shen Xi's arm slightly, hoping it would offer some comfort.

Watching Jing Yi still unconscious inside, Shen Xi's tears fell like broken pearls, streaming down her face.

She had never seen Jing Yi like this before, so lifeless, so devoid of vitality.

"Yi ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‍Yi, please wake up. I'll apologize, okay? Are you mad at me for not coming to your competition? Please, don't sleep anymore, okay?"

Shen Xi's voice grew more choked with sobs. Chen Yisi couldn't bear it. "Xi Xi, Jing Yi will wake up. You mustn't despair like this."

Shen Xi didn't respond, her red, swollen eyes still fixed on the figure in the ward.

On graduation day, she had felt utterly devastated, but nothing compared to the pain she felt now.

She had longed for graduation for so long. She had never been interested in finance or management, and the coursework during her university years had felt like a torment.

She wasn't very good at handling interpersonal relationships. She just didn't like how superficial some people were when they declared their 'love' for her. Yet her classmates always accused her of 'fishing for men.'

It was Jing Yi's arrival that brought her her first real friend in university.

Graduating had been a joyous occasion for Shen Xi, but that day, she had felt deeply sad. Jing Yi had been her best friend for so many years, and now they were going to be separated by two countries.

Later, when she heard that Jing Yi had returned home, she had been overjoyed. And when she learned that her best friend had become a wealthy heiress, she had been happy too, though also worried.

Her own family, though only tangentially connected to such circles, had been difficult to navigate. How much harder would it be for Jing Yi, entering the Jing family?

Then, she heard that Jing Yi was doing well, that her family adored her. Shen Xi had been truly happy for her.

But that happiness hadn't lasted long. This was the second time she had seen Jing Yi in a hospital.

All she wanted was for Jing Yi to be safe.

"If I had known she'd face all this after coming back, I never would have been happy about her return. She was so free and easygoing abroad. She didn't have to deal with all this, or face so much hostility..."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

On the other side, Gu Lin leaned against the wall, his eyes opening to glance at the figure in the ward. His expression was heavy.

He turned to look at the Jing family and Shen Huaichu, who had been waiting outside the entire time.

In just one day, these people had changed so much.

...

"Hey, brother, is Jing Yi in trouble?"

The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Wen Yin, sounding very anxious.

Wen Qingyan glanced at Jing Zejun, who looked utterly exhausted and lifeless, her gaze fixed on the direction of the ICU, as if in a trance.

He moved to the side quietly. "You saw the news?" The voice on the other end grew more urgent. "Is it true? Is the news online true?!"

Wen Yin had been in class when he overheard his classmates discussing something related to Jing Yi.

"Didn't you hear? Jing Yi was in a car accident."

Panicked, he grabbed a classmate's phone. The news had already blown up on Twitter.

Wen Qingyan glanced at the people still waiting outside and spoke softly. "Yes, she hasn't woken up yet."

"How could this happen? Brother, I'm booking a flight right now!"

After the variety show, though their meetings had become less frequent, Wen Yin and Jing Yi had kept in touch. They had even made a plan for after Jing Yi's race—she would teach him how to drive.

Wen Yin's call ended abruptly. Wen Qingyan's gaze shifted back to Jing Yi, still unresponsive in the ward.

He thought, if Jing Yi didn't wake up soon, the people outside might truly break down.