Wen Chi quickly sheathed his dagger, scrambled to his feet, and bolted out the door.
Shen Sichen stood up with agile speed to give chase, but Wen Yirong caught hold of his leg.
“Brother, don’t go.”
Her face was pale as paper, terrified of what would happen if he went after him.
Shen Sichen turned his head, a terrifying storm brewing in his eyes. How could he have forgotten? They were family, after all; of course she would try every means necessary to protect Wen Chi.
In the next second, he abruptly grabbed Wen Yirong by the neck, hoisting her up and pinning her against the wall. The corners of his eyes flushed a fierce red, making him look like a wild beast struggling to suppress its fury.
“Do you really think acting like this will let Wen Chi escape? The place is swarming with plainclothes officers outside—he won’t make it far.”
With her windpipe constricted, Wen Yirong struggled to breathe. Her small face flushed red from the lack of oxygen, leaving her completely unable to speak; she could only shake her head helplessly.
Shen Sichen scoffed coldly, ruthlessly flinging her back onto the hospital bed. “The more you try to protect them, the more I’ll make their lives a living hell. I’ll make sure you watch every step of how Wen Chi and Ding Yun spend the miserable remainder of their days.”
With that, he left the room without looking back.
Just as he reached the ground floor, he saw Gao Bai and a plainclothes officer walking toward him with grim expressions.
“Wen Chi was armed with a knife. He stabbed one of our men and ran off during the chaos,” the officer cursed in frustration, his brow furrowed deep.
Shen Sichen’s eyes darkened, his expression turning even stormier. He hadn’t expected to underestimate Wen Chi; the man had actually managed to break through such a heavy perimeter.
Right then, Shen Sichen’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and pressed the answer button.
“Hello, Professor Chen.”
“Alright, I’ll bring her back right away.”
Hanging up, he paused for a brief moment before turning to instruct Gao Bai. “Go make the arrangements. We’re heading back to Xuzhou tonight.”
Gao Bai was caught off guard, asking in surprise, “We’re not pursuing them anymore?”
Shen Sichen raised his eyes to glance up at the building. “They’ll follow us back.”
With Wen Yirong in his hands, Wen Chi and Ding Yun were bound to follow.
Gao Bai bowed slightly and turned to take care of the arrangements.
By dusk, Gao Bai had finalized Wen Yirong’s discharge paperwork. Inside the ward, she was sitting quietly on the bed.
“Miss Wen, President Shen asked me to bring you downstairs.”
“Where are we going?”
“Back to Xuzhou.”
In the parking garage, Wen Yirong finally saw Shen Sichen, who had been absent all afternoon. He sat with his eyes closed in the dim interior of the car, his head resting against the seat back and his hands casually crossed over his lap, looking thoroughly exhausted.
The incident in the hospital room earlier that afternoon still left her shaken. After a moment of hesitation, she timidly called out, “Brother.”
Shen Sichen opened his eyes slowly, his cold gaze sweeping over her. “Get in.”
She obediently slid inside, not daring to sit too close to him, pressing herself right up against the car door to sit as neatly as possible.
The entire journey was suffocatingly quiet. Wen Yirong stared idly at the passing scenery outside the window, wanting to ask why they were returning to Xuzhou so suddenly, but she quickly realized she didn’t have the right to refuse anyway.
Besides, Shen Sichen’s home and corporate headquarters were both in Xuzhou. Having been away for so long, it was only natural for him to go back.
After an unknown stretch of time, Shen Sichen, who had been resting his eyes, was suddenly startled by a soft thud. He opened his eyes and looked over to see that Wen Yirong had fallen asleep against the window, her swaying head inadvertently bumping right into the glass.
He knit his brows, trying to harden his heart to ignore her. Yet his hands betrayed his resolve, gently drawing her over so her head could rest against his shoulder.
Looking down, her peaceful sleeping face was just inches away, her breathing even and steady. Her soft, pink lips were parted ever so slightly, stirring an almost irresistible urge to lean in and kiss her.
In the very next second, Shen Sichen gave in to his heart’s desire. He leaned down, placing his cool, thin lips over her soft ones.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Gao Bai quickly averted his eyes from the rearview mirror.
It was already late at night by the time they reached Xuzhou.
Early the following morning, Shen Sichen brought Wen Yirong straight to the hospital—the very same facility where she had undergone her treatments and surgeries as a child.
After undergoing a comprehensive battery of tests, she was left to wait alone in the ward.
Wen Yirong walked over to the window, gazing down at the lakeside below with a quiet sigh. She was being admitted to the hospital again.
Meanwhile, in the chief director’s office, Shen Sichen sat on the sofa, holding a teacup between his slender fingers as he raised it to his lips for a sip.
Sitting across from him was an elderly man. Professor Chen, the caller from the previous day. He kept his eyes fixed on Shen Sichen, giving voice to the question weighs on his mind: “How did you find her?”
Shen Sichen paused briefly before setting his cup down. “I stumbled upon her by chance.”
Professor Chen’s brows furrowed tightly as he pressed on, “Your father and I are old friends. After what her family did to bring your father to his current state, aren’t you afraid I might harbor personal grudges on the operating table by asking me to perform this surgery?”
“Professor Chen, if it were my father sitting here today, he would undoubtedly hope you treat her with the exact same dedication and care you did fifteen years ago.”
Just as the words left his mouth, a knock sounded at the door. Professor Chen cut off whatever else he was about to say and called out, “Come in.”
Gao Bai walked in holding a folder of test results. “President Shen, Professor Chen—Miss Wen’s examination reports are all out.”
Professor Chen gestured for Gao Bai to hand them over, opening the folder to review the pages.
As the minutes ticked by, the professor’s expression grew increasingly solemn. He let out a heavy sigh from deep within his chest, ultimately shaking his head.
A faint thread of unease tightened in Shen Sichen’s chest. His grip on the teacup tightened as he asked in a raspy voice, “How are the results?”
Professor Chen placed the reports back on the desk. “Not good. This is a secondary operation, so the risks are inherently much higher than the first. Based on my experience, given her current state, she might not even survive the operation itself.”
“Even if the surgery succeeds, the uncontrollable complications during post-operative recovery will far exceed those of an average patient. Every single one of them could prove fatal.”
The implicit truth was clear: Wen Yirong had almost no chance of making it through this ordeal.
Rain began to fall that evening, accompanied by rolling thunder and sharp flashes of lightning. Shen Sichen stood outside the ward for a very long time. He could hardly recall how he had taken his leave from Professor Chen, nor could he remember how long he had sat downstairs.
It was a sharp crack of thunder that finally dragged his thoughts back to reality, prompting him to slowly rise and head toward the elevator.
Pushing the door open, he saw Wen Yirong leaning against the windowsill, gazing idly out into the storm.
She hadn’t noticed anyone entering the room until a warm, heavy palm rested gently on her head, causing her to turn around in surprise.
“Brother.”
Shen Sichen didn’t answer. His dark, deep eyes simply gazed at her in silence as his palm slid down to cradle her cheek.
Wen Yirong smiled softly, tilting her head to nuzzle lightly against his palm, her clear eyes reflecting his face.
As a flash of lightning split the veil of rain outside, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.
She closed her eyes and tilted her chin slightly, wrapping her arms around Shen Sichen’s waist to draw herself closer into his embrace.
Their lips and tongues entwined in a lingering, tender kiss, as though at this very moment, their souls had finally merged into one.