Chapter 1331 - 1328: Guilt Deep in Her Heart
Was it him calling? Zi Ruoxi was initially stunned, then dazed for a moment, as if it was a kind of helpless relief.
Zi Ruoxi composed herself, stood up, grabbed her bag, and pressed on the 500,000 dollars inside. Thankfully, it was still there. She reached out to hail a taxi and hurried towards Tiangang Hospital.
Half an hour later, the car arrived at Tiangang Hospital, and Zi Ruoxi jumped out. Just as she was about to walk in, she stepped back, ran to the gift shop by the roadside, picked out some gifts, and bought a bouquet of flowers.
Feeling that she was ready, she headed straight for the hospital lobby. After asking about Qiao Muyun’s floor and ward number, she rushed to the sixth floor. Since the day Qiao Muyun got injured and hospitalized, Qiao Junlie hadn’t let her visit, and afterward, she had been busy gathering money, so she hadn’t seen him, which she felt guilty about.
Thinking about how well Qiao Muyun treated her usually, she realized that during his time of greatest need, she hadn’t been there for him. She felt she wasn’t worthy of being his good sister. The more she thought, the more guilty she felt.
As the elevator reached the sixth floor, the door opened, and Zi Ruoxi, holding the flowers in one hand and several gifts in the other, was checking the room numbers. Where was room 605? She started to walk towards the front corner when suddenly, a familiar voice reached her ears, prompting her to look instinctively.
Oh!
She quickly shrunk back, hiding behind the wall—Qiao Junlie was here, too. Fortunately, he hadn’t seen her. Zi Ruoxi stood there cautiously, not daring to move, clearly not wanting him to notice, but it seemed like he was talking to someone, the voice growing closer, making Zi Ruoxi feel a strong sense of resistance and rejection.
Nervously, she lifted the flowers higher, covering her head. Just as Qiao Junlie reached the corner where Zi Ruoxi was, "Excuse me, excuse me!" A stretcher was passing by, and Zi Ruoxi seized the opportunity, following behind the stretcher while keeping the flowers shielding her face.
Luckily, Qiao Junlie didn’t notice her. Thus, she passed by him unnoticed.
Once she reached room 605, Zi Ruoxi peered through the viewing window on the door and saw Qiao Muyun lying on the hospital bed. She gently opened the door and walked in.
...
The room was private, and the lighting was dim, with only a desk lamp lit. Zi Ruoxi placed her things on the table and quietly walked over to Qiao Muyun’s side. He lay there motionless, his arms wrapped in heavy bandages, his peaceful face with closed eyes, sleeping calmly.
"Brother Qiao Muyun, I came to see you. Brother Qiao Muyun, what’s wrong with you..." Zi Ruoxi couldn’t help but let her tears flow, bending over and placing her hands on Qiao Muyun’s exposed arm.
But Qiao Muyun seemed to be in a deep sleep, still unresponsive. Zi Ruoxi was instantly overwhelmed with chaos and didn’t know what to do, only gripping his hand anxiously.
At that moment, a nurse came in to check the room and saw Zi Ruoxi crouched at the bedside. Zi Ruoxi quickly collected herself, pressing her lips together slightly to hold back her tears.
"Are you his girlfriend?" the nurse asked.
"..." Zi Ruoxi was momentarily stunned, not answering, simply smiling, "Nurse, can you tell me if his injuries are severe?"
The nurse sighed lightly at this question. Yet this casual expression caused Zi Ruoxi’s heart to tighten.
𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
"What’s wrong, nurse? Where exactly is he hurt?" Zi Ruoxi asked urgently.
The nurse saw Zi Ruoxi’s instantly pale face and hurriedly pulled her into the hallway.
"Don’t worry! You need to ask the doctor specifically. It’s just that since his surgery, he’s been emotionally unstable. We’ve just given him anesthesia to get him to sleep." The nurse whispered. Then, with a slight smirk, she continued, "Aren’t you his girlfriend? Hasn’t the doctor told you? His left leg has a comminuted fracture and needs a femoral fracture surgery, otherwise, if the cellular membrane continues to necrotize, his leg won’t be saved, and amputation will be necessary."
Oh! Amputation?!
Zi Ruoxi was struck with darkness.
Why? Why must such misfortune come upon Brother Qiao Muyun?
No—
He wouldn’t be able to handle such a blow.
"Nurse, then why not perform the surgery? What are we waiting for? Why isn’t it done, Brother Qiao Muyun cannot lose a leg." Zi Ruoxi was on the verge of tears, desperately grabbing the nurse and asked.
The nurse hesitated with her eyes full of difficulty. At this moment, Zi Ruoxi seemed to grasp something and slowly let go of her hand.
"I understand, it’s because of money, isn’t it?" Zi Ruoxi’s voice had changed, losing all confidence. But suddenly a thought crossed her mind—yes, that person can save him, no matter the past grievances between them, he is after all his brother, he couldn’t leave him in danger. Remembering this, Zi Ruoxi rekindled a bit of hope and urgently asked, "What did Mr. Qiao Junlie say, did he... did he pay the money?" The latter question was almost all of her and Qiao Muyun’s hope.
The results were unexpected.
"Are you talking about Mr. Qiao Junlie? He paid for the initial expenses when he was brought here, but for future surgery costs, he hasn’t paid yet, only said to observe first." The nurse replied truthfully.
What? Observe for what?
Zi Ruoxi tried hard to remain calm. For a long while.
"How much will the surgery cost?" Zi Ruoxi asked, her beautiful, luminous eyes darkening.
"I can’t say for sure, actually in your boyfriend’s case, we usually recommend amputation, as the success rate for surgery is only 10%, and it’s expensive, a poor return for the patient’s family..." The nurse spoke but was interrupted by Zi Ruoxi.
"What do you mean by poor return? Is losing a leg for a once healthy person acceptable?" Zi Ruoxi spoke loudly. Suddenly aware of her lapse, she quietly apologized, "Sorry, I didn’t mean you, it’s just... I’m feeling upset."
The nurse kindly nodded understandingly.
"Miss, don’t be too worried, why don’t you discuss with your boyfriend whether to have the surgery, I’m not too clear on the specifics, you’d better consult his attending Doctor Wang." After saying this, the nurse comforted Zi Ruoxi sympathetically a few times and hurriedly left.
Zi Ruoxi later learned from Brother Qiao Muyun’s attending physician about his situation, and as she walked out, her mind buzzed loudly—she didn’t know how she had managed to leave the doctor’s office.