This stab was meant to take his life, intended to pierce straight through, but due to a timely dodge, it turned into a horizontal slash.
The wound was quite long, but not deep. Given Ji Chen’s status, he did not want to cause a scene, so he covered his abdomen himself and went to the hospital.
This matter was not so simple. To dare to take his life right in Beijing… whoever did this was either at their wit’s end or had buried their roots very deep.
One had to remember that the mastermind behind the scenes who had intercepted Fu Chi from his grandfather’s men all those years ago had never once surfaced.
When Beishang saw him, Ji Chen’s dark clothing was soaked through with blood.
He briskly hauled the person into the operating room, and only relaxed upon seeing that the wound was not deep, immediately beginning the cleaning and stitching process.
Having changed into a hospital gown, Ji Chen was wheeled into a luxurious VIP room. Seeing Fu Chi, who was faking a broken leg, he said with a weak and breathless voice: “Does your hospital only have one room left?”
Beishang said expressionlessly: “Young Master Ji is capable of falling onto the blade right at home. I am afraid that if no one watches you and you manage to fall your way into a heart attack, I will not be able to shoulder the responsibility.”
Whether that wound was caused by a fall, anyone with eyes could tell, let alone Beishang who was a doctor. Yet since Ji Chen insisted it was a fall, what could he do?
Seeing the little young master wheeled in with a pale face, Fu Chi stepped uncomfortably out of bed on his cast-covered leg, walked over to his bedside, and said with a cold, stern expression: “Who did this, or who do you suspect?”
Ji Chen retorted ungratefully: “Shut your mouth. I simply fell, it has nothing to do with you, so do not delay my recovery. Go stay on your own side.”
Fu Chi gripped Ji Chen’s arm and said severely: “This is no small matter! You could continue to be in danger!”
Ji Chen could not be bothered to entertain Fu Chi. He pulled the blanket over his head, adopting a “do whatever you want and leave me out of it” attitude.
After falling silent for a moment, Fu Chi took his phone and left the hospital room to make a phone call outside.
It did not even take half an hour before a large crowd of footsteps startled Ji Chen awake. Once he figured out what had happened, he looked in disbelief at the faking-disability fellow lying back down on the opposite bed. Could this bastard have actually gone and snitched?
Before anyone even stepped through the door, an eager female voice rang out first, calling out anxiously: “Xiaochen, my son.”
A graceful and elegant-looking woman with phoenix eyes ran into the hospital room in a state that could only be described as somewhat disheveled.
Catching sight of where Ji Chen was, she lunged forward, her tears falling uncontrollably: “Where are you hurt? Tell Mom, where are you hurt?”
Following closely behind was a frowning, suit-clad Ji Heng, along with a whole crowd of people behind them.
The hospital doorway was instantly jammed. Cheng Cong, who had come to watch the commotion with Beishang, squeezed sideways through the door, sat down beside Fu Chi’s hospital bed on the inner side, and began observing in absolute silence.
Ji Chen hugged Lan Ying to comfort her: “Mom, I am fine. I just took a fall and happened to bump into a blade. It was just sheer bad luck, the wound is not deep.”
“You are still lying! What kind of fall results in this many stitches? You have never suffered such a huge injury since you were a child, was it…”
Her unfinished words were interrupted by Ji Heng: “Alright, if our son says it was a fall, then it was a fall. There are other patients here, so do not let your emotions get too worked up and disturb others’ recovery.”
Knowing that outsiders were present and it was inappropriate to speak freely, Lan Ying wiped her tears and looked at Fu Chi, who was also wearing a hospital gown on the opposite bed.
At that sight, she paused: “Whose child is this? He looks so exceptionally handsome.”
Ji Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Even without knowing the truth, would she still feel a natural affinity?
Seeing Lan Ying staring at him, Fu Chi smiled politely.
“Hello, Madam. I am Fu Chi, a friend of Ji Chen. I was the one who called Chairman Ji because I saw that Ji Chen had no intention of telling you. I acted on my own accord, so please do not mind me meddling.”
Lan Ying hurriedly said: “How could this be blamed on you? It is just that this child is too independent; he never wants to share anything with us since he was little. We should be thanking you for notifying us.”
The atmosphere in the room was quite pleasant. Lan Ying had also calmed down, showering Ji Chen with concerned questions while occasionally exchanging words with Fu Chi. It was evident that this lady held a very favorable impression of Fu Chi.
At that moment, another group of people walked up to the hospital room door, led precisely by Yue Jian, Elder Lan’s subordinate.
“Young Master Ji, how are your injuries? The old man’s health is poor and he cannot come to see you himself, so he sent me to check on you. Your injury is…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the elegant and gentle Lan Ying snatched up an apple that still had a fruit knife stuck in it and hurled it straight at him.
“Get out of my sight! My son does not need the Lan family’s concern. Get as far away as you can, get out!”
The apple struck Yue Jian right on the forehead, the tip of the knife slicing through the surface of his skin and leaving a shallow red line.
Yue Jian did not budge an inch, lowering his gaze as he said: “Eldest Miss, the old man is concerned about his maternal grandson. No matter how many things happen, your surname is Lan.”
Lan Ying’s fury surged, almost failing to maintain her elegance. She pointed right at the bridge of Yue Jian’s nose and cursed angrily: “I would rather have never had the surname Lan! Let me ask you, before my son was injured, did you forcefully drag him back to the Lan family or not? Did you?”
Yue Jian fell silent.
Lan Ying’s pupils constricted. She turned her head back to look at Ji Heng and demanded: “He dragged Xiaochen back to the Lan family—did you know about this? How on earth are you acting as a father?”
Ji Heng pulled Lan Ying into his embrace to comfort her: “It might not be what you think. Calm down first, excessive anger harms the body.”
“How am I supposed to calm down? The Lan family is nothing but a quagmire, and anyone who gets involved with them never fares well. When on earth will he finally let go of me, and let go of my son? My son, my son…”
Lan Ying suddenly broke down and wept bitterly. Ji Chen was right there in the hospital bed, yet she kept frantically muttering “my son” over and over again.
With a dark expression, Ji Heng looked at Yue Jian standing at the doorway and said: “You have seen him, you can leave now. The Ji family’s affairs do not require the Lan family’s interference, and the best thing you can do is stay away.”
Perhaps realizing that staying longer would only make matters uglier, Yue Jian led his people away.
Ji Heng held Lan Ying close, then turned his gaze toward Ji Chen, who was sitting in the hospital bed in abnormal silence. His eyes shifted slightly before a smile formed on his face: “Your mother was frightened by you, so I will take her back first. Rest well, and your older sister will come keep you company shortly.”
“Alright, I am fine, Dad. You go ahead and take Mom home.” Ji Chen flashed a bright smile, causing Ji Heng’s heart to sink even further.
Throwing one more glance at Ji Chen, Ji Heng coaxed a visibly emotionally unstable Lan Ying away.
Although Ji Heng left a large number of personnel guarding outside the hospital room, the interior remained exceptionally quiet. Once everyone had left, Ji Chen turned his back to Fu Chi’s side, curled up on his side, and did not make a single sound.
Covering his chest, he felt the surging sourness within—was this what the seven emotions and six desires felt like?
Just by interacting, all sorts of emotions would naturally breed.
Even knowing they were all mere paper figures, with past memories resurfacing, he still found it extremely painful. Both his parents desperately wanted to find Fu Chi, yet he had stood in the middle blocking it. When it all boiled down, he was simply jealous of Fu Chi.
His parents didn’t truly love him; they had simply transferred their love for Fu Chi onto him. In essence, he was nothing more than an orphan in this life.
How laughable. He had always thought he was the chess player, unaware that he had long since been trapped within the board.
Cheng Cong whispered: “Is something a bit off with him?”
Fu Chi made no response, keeping his gaze locked on Ji Chen’s side profile. Where did this oppressive emotion stem from—was it because of the Lan family? He felt it was not that.
The intense and volatile conflict between the Ji family and the Lan family meant something must have happened in the past, and he desperately wanted to know everything about the little young master.
For the entire morning, Ji Chen did not utter a single word, refusing to eat or drink, to the point that even Cheng Cong started to feel like he was genuinely here to visit a patient, treading as lightly as possible around the room.
It was not until noon that Zhou Qing came to deliver lunch to them, also bringing along Ji Chen’s older sister, Ji Fei, and Lin Yunzhou.