Ever since Xia Yuan answered the phone, something seemed off. Zhong Le and Lin Qi stood by, not daring to breathe.
It wasn’t until the other party hung up.
They heard the usually proud and carefree Xia Yuan, her eyes unfocused, her voice hoarse and helpless, mention the name of a hospital.
Zhong Le and Lin Qi immediately divided tasks. Lin Qi went out to hail a cab, while Zhong Le carefully supported Xia Yuan. “Sister Xia, don’t panic. Let’s head over first.”
Hearing this, Xia Yuan snapped back to reality, gripped her phone tightly, straightened her posture, and said calmly, “Let’s go.”
Then, Zhong Le saw Xia Yuan take a step forward, her body suddenly going weak, almost falling. Zhong Le instinctively reached out, but Xia Yuan quickly steadied herself. She then walked smoothly, her long high heels exuding the aura of a runway model, her hands swinging with her increasingly fast pace.
The crisp sound of high heels hitting the floor grew fainter in Zhong Le’s ears.
Zhong Le jogged to catch up.
She was a few centimeters shorter than Xia Yuan and glanced at her. Xia Yuan had already put on sunglasses, leaving only her fiery red lips visible.
The lines of her profile were slightly stiff, exuding an indescribable coldness and authority. Zhong Le could only follow silently, not daring to speak.
When they got outside, Lin Qi had already found a car. Seeing them approach, she opened the back door. Xia Yuan stepped in, bending down, followed closely by Zhong Le.
Sensing the tense atmosphere in the car, Lin Qi didn’t dare ask questions. She quickly got into the front passenger seat. As soon as the door closed, a calm and cold voice spoke.
“To XX Hospital.”
Hearing they were going to a hospital, the driver didn’t dare delay. He swiftly stepped on the gas and turned the wheel towards the hospital.
The strange atmosphere in the car was palpable. The driver, with over ten years of experience, had seen all kinds of situations. Normally, he would say something to lighten the mood, but it was clear the three women were led by the one in the back with sunglasses. Her lips were slightly pursed, clearly restraining herself. If he said the wrong thing and she broke down, he wouldn’t know what to do.
So, he wisely kept quiet and focused on driving.
Lin Qi, sitting in the front, didn’t feel the cold tension, but poor Zhong Le did. She sat stiffly in her seat, not daring to move.
She hadn’t expected that when Xia Yuan wasn’t smiling, her presence would be so overwhelming. Usually, when Xia Yuan was unhappy, a few comforting words would cheer her up. But this time was different. Her face was taut, her posture straight, completely unapproachable.
She was coldly beautiful to the extreme.
About forty minutes later, they arrived at the hospital.
Xia Yuan got out of the car, Zhong Le followed, and Lin Qi, after paying, jogged to catch up. They asked a nurse for the room number and took the elevator to the fifth floor.
When they arrived, Secretary Gao was sitting outside. Seeing the three of them, he stood up and said, “Miss Xia, the President hasn’t woken up yet.”
Xia Yuan asked coldly, “What happened?”
The other party had hung up the phone in a hurry, and he hadn’t finished speaking. But considering their relationship, he understood why Xia Yuan was anxious.
“The President has acute gastroenteritis, combined with high-intensity work, she couldn’t hold on and fainted.”
Xia Yuan blinked under her sunglasses, “How did she get acute gastroenteritis?”
Secretary Gao adjusted his glasses and stated the facts, “The President often forgets to eat. Even with our reminders, she only takes a few bites.”
“Many times, she eats cold meals.”
President Meng always found it troublesome to reheat food, especially when N.S was just starting and being suppressed by Tianyu. That was the hardest time.
Later, after Xia Yuan became her lover, the situation improved a bit. She would leave work earlier in the afternoon, but lunch was still a simple affair.
Things had been getting better, but in the past few days, she started working frantically again. Even on business trips, she worked overtime until two or three in the morning. Secretary Gao was struggling to keep up, let alone Meng Xiyue, who was a slender woman.
After hearing Secretary Gao’s words, Xia Yuan’s eyes turned red under her sunglasses. Her lips moved as she recalled the video calls with Meng Xiyue over the past few days, with various documents in front of her.
But the joy of the video calls made her overlook these details.
And before, when Meng Xiyue came back from working overtime, she naturally assumed that she had already eaten outside.
So, Meng Xiyue had been so careless with her own health?
Clearly, she could cook for her.
Then she remembered Meng Xiyue’s promise to her, that after finishing her work, she would go on vacation with her.
Now, the high-intensity work made sense.
Xia Yuan’s throat choked up, “I understand.”
Although Secretary Gao couldn’t see her expression, it wasn’t hard to judge her emotions from her voice.
Before entering, Xia Yuan whispered to Secretary Gao, “Thank you.”
Secretary Gao’s eyes flickered with a hint of light, and a smile appeared on his lips. After the door to the hospital room closed, he turned to the two assistants and smiled, “Hello.”
…
As soon as Xia Yuan entered, she saw Meng Xiyue lying on the hospital bed, her face pale, with dark circles under her eyes that couldn’t be concealed. Her delicate and beautiful lips looked like withered roses, devoid of moisture.
Xia Yuan sat beside her, took off her sunglasses, her eyes reddened, and quietly watched her.
After an unknown amount of time, Meng Xiyue’s eyelashes fluttered, and Xia Yuan’s breath caught for a moment.
Meng Xiyue opened her eyes uncomfortably, the faint smell of disinfectant in her nose. When she looked up, she saw Xia Yuan beside her, her pupils red, her face cold.
She lowered her eyes, her calm heartbeat gradually speeding up, “Yuan’er, I’m thirsty.”
Her voice was dry and hoarse from lack of water. Xia Yuan poured her a glass of water, helped her sit up, and after Meng Xiyue finished drinking, Xia Yuan put the glass down, her voice calm and cold:
“Meng Xiyue, I’m angry, really, really angry.”
Meng Xiyue froze, then became at a loss. Xia Yuan looked at her with faint emotions in her beautiful pupils. Her eyelashes trembled, knowing that the other was truly angry, not the usual playful anger.
She had no experience in comforting people, only knowing the simplest apology.
“Yuan’er, I’m sorry, I…”
The other had shed her usual cool elegance. The sickly Meng Xiyue at this moment looked like a helpless child. Xia Yuan’s heart softened completely, interrupting her, reaching out, and sniffing, “Meng Xiyue, hug me.”
Meng Xiyue looked at her reddened eyes, her heart trembling, and reached out to hug her, smelling the fragrance in her embrace, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“Yuan’er, I won’t…” She stopped, hot tears falling on her neck, seeping into her heart, burning her with pain and numbness.
The hand around Xia Yuan’s waist tightened.
“Meng Xiyue, I’m scared.”
Her lover in her arms pitifully expressed her unease and grievances. Meng Xiyue didn’t know what to do, so she gently rubbed against her like the other usually did to her, comforting, “Don’t be afraid.”
Xia Yuan’s uneasy heart was soothed a little, but not enough to calm her. She sniffed, her voice soft, “I’m still scared.”
After saying that, she let go of Meng Xiyue, hurriedly rummaged through her bag to pull out all her bank cards, and handed them to Meng Xiyue. With a pure smile washed clean by tears, she said, “Meng Xiyue, I’ll take care of you.”
Meng Xiyue’s heart paused for a moment, and then something seemed to leap out from her chest, her eyes slightly moist.
The girl in front of her had given all her love and tenderness to her, without any reservations, straightforward and intense.
Meng Xiyue leaned in and lovingly kissed the corner of her eye.
“Whatever you say.”
