"Miss Yan, please, come with us. We need to take an x-ray to see how deep the wound is. We also need to confirm if the knife damaged the bone."
Ying wasn't sitting despondently and continued to pay no heed to the doctor's advice. She couldn't bring herself to move at all. She needed to know Xiu's condition.
"Ah-Ying, just go already! Listen to the doctor. You've had so much blood loss already. Don't be stubborn." Han Bohai was also trying to convince her but she seemed to be not hearing anything at all. "Ah-Ying! Why are you being so careless? This can be very dangerous for your own health? Can't you please take note of this?" His voice softened as he crouched down before her and went on, "Xiu is gonna be fine. I promise you, she'll be fine. Stop blaming yourself!"
Xin Xiaoli stepped up to her and knocked on her head, she looked up fiercely but instantly lost her momentum when she looked at Xin Xiaoli.
"I tried my best," she choked out in a heavy voice.
Xiao Li patted her head, "I know. You always give your best."
"But my best wasn't enough. I still couldn't protect her," she could feel something warm trickling down the corner of her eyes but she didn't care.
"It's not your fault," said Xin Xiaoli. "So, stop crying and get your wounds treated." Seeing her shaking her head, he looked at Han Bohai and said, "What are you waiting for? Just pick her up and take her!"
Han Bohai was instantly enlightened as he moved ahead.
Ying glared at him, "Don't you dare!"
"Dad is coming," informed Xiao Li and Ying's body stiffened. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to appear before him like this." He gestured to Han Bohai with his eyes who took the hint and held Ying in his arms before taking her away.
His eyes moved towards the light that was lit above the operation theatre and clasped his hands together.
Soon, he heard the hurried footsteps approaching and didn't even have to look up to know who was here. As expected, he soon heard his father's voice, "What did the doctor say?"
The question was directed towards Su Feifei who was following him, "For now, the doctors haven't said anything."
"Is she injured?" asked Zhao Huan with a shaky voice.
Su Feifei shook her head, "No. The attackers tried to inject some drug into her body. Fortunately, Ying ruined their plan but unfortunately, a small amount of drug did enter Xiu's body. So, it's difficult to say anything regarding her condition."
Zhao Huan's knees felt weak and she almost fell down but Xin Zemin supported her body and continued to hug her to soothe her.
"Where is Regan?" asked Xin Zimen trying to stay as calm as possible.
Ah-Si held Su Feifei's hand and asked, "What about Nora? Is she safe?"
Su Feifei nodded at him, "Yes, she is safe. She is staying with Darren. But she is pretty shaken up from what she saw so it's better if you take a look at her."
Ah-Si didn't even hesitate before running away. He knew everyone else was gonna stay here for Xiu, he needed to be there for Nora who was with Darren.
"This went beyond my expectation," said Xin Zimen in a heavy voice. "I really underestimated this situation."
Su Feifei didn't say anything to agree or disagree.
Leaving his brother and his wife here, Xin Zimen went to see inspect everything. First, he checked the vending machine with the poisonous coffee.
"What kind of a poison did they use?" he inquired.
"I've sent the samples to the lab, we'll know soon," Su Feifei answered.
Then he went to Xiu's room and looked at the 'crime scene' carefully. Seeing so much blood, he looked at Su Feifei again and asked, "Are you sure Xiu didn't get physically injured?"
"I'm certain," was Su Feifei's response. "The blood is Darren's, Ying's, and those attackers."
"Ying? She is injured?"
Su Feifei told him in detail how Ying was lured out when their first plan failed. And taking advantage of her absence, those people didn't even hesitate before walking into the room as if taking a stroll. She also mentioned Darren fought bravely despite his condition to protect Xiu.
"Is she serious?"
Su Feifei knew he was referring to Ying, so she answered, "Not really. I think she can manage this much."
"Is she taking her treatment seriously? Or did she run away as always?"
Su Feifei had a faint bitter smile on her lips seeing his reaction. He did know Ying's habit of running from hospitals. She'd never take her own wounds seriously. Wasn't that the reason, she was banned from field duty recently?
"I think Han Bohai is keeping an eye on her," replied Su Feifei.
Xin Zimen was silent for a long moment and it made Su Feifei feel anxious. His heavy mood was all too clear to her along with his raging emotions. His eyes were trained on the bed where Xiu had been just this morning when he met her. She was happily talking and enjoying the warmth of family.
In this very room, he hugged her this morning. He so desperately wanted to protect that smile of hers but still, something would get out of his hands. Maybe he really wasn't capable of anything just like his mother used to say.
He silently closed his eyes and sighed out heavily. He knew he was letting his emotions get to him but he couldn't help it either. It wasn't in his own control right now. Just like how this whole situation wasn't in his control. It felt like everything had turned into grains of sand, the more tightly he wanted to hold on to it, the faster everything was slipping away from his grasp.