Chapter 787 - 735: Did I Do Something Wrong? (4)
From the first floor to the twenty-third, the elevator doors opened no fewer than ten times. Yet, throughout the journey, no one dared to remain inside. Even those who took a single step in would immediately retreat. They felt a frigid chill seeping from the elevator, a cold so penetrating it was like standing in a morgue. Though few had ever been to such a place, the unnerving sensation made their hair stand on end.
Qin Fan paid this no mind. He made no effort to conceal the frigid aura radiating from his own turbulent emotions, letting it pour out unchecked.
DING. The elevator arrived on the twenty-third floor, and the doors slid open automatically.
The twenty-third floor, home to the intensive care unit and a symbol of prestige, was hauntingly empty—so deserted it was unnerving.
As Qin Fan stepped out of the elevator, he heard the sound of several people weeping. He followed the cries, his breathing growing more ragged with each step.
Around the corner, he saw a middle-aged couple and a refined-looking woman staring through the window of an isolation room, their bodies shaking with uncontrollable sobs. They were utterly dejected. Nearby, three young men squatted on the floor, surrounded by a carpet of cigarette butts. Though it was a no-smoking area, no one had stopped them.
Qin Fan’s arrival went completely unnoticed. The family at the window continued to weep, and the young men on the floor remained squatting in a stupor.
THUD, THUD, THUD...
Clenching his jaw, his eyes turning red, Qin Fan forced his leaden feet forward.
WHOOSH!
As he approached the intensive care unit, the group finally noticed him and turned.
"Fourth Bro!"
"Big Bro!"
The three young men on the floor shot to their feet, crying out in surprise the moment they saw him.
Qin Fan simply raised a hand, and the three immediately fell silent, freezing in place.
"You’re Li Qiuzhe’s parents, correct?" Qin Fan asked, biting his lip as he looked at the middle-aged couple. They were not old, but their faces were etched with hardship.
"Yes, and you are, young man?" the woman asked, managing to stifle her sobs.
"I’m Li Qiuzhe’s classmate," Qin Fan said, blinking away the sudden grit in his eyes. "You both look exhausted. You can’t go on like this. Please, listen to me and get some rest."
He understood the depth of a parent’s love better than anyone. Having lived for centuries, he was profoundly moved by the sight of this couple, who were so clearly on the verge of collapsing under the weight of their grief. He understood the torment they were enduring.
"Young man, my son is in there, hovering between life and death. How can you ask me to rest?" the woman cried, her emotions overwhelming her again. "The moment I close my eyes, all I see is Qiuze covered in blood! I’m so scared! If something happens to him, how are we supposed to go on living!"
With that, she crumpled to the floor, covering her face and wailing hysterically.
"Mom!" the refined woman reacted instantly, dropping to her knees beside her. Tears streamed from her already swollen eyes as she hugged her mother tightly. "Mom, it’s going to be okay! Little brother is a good person; fate will protect him! He’ll be okay, I know he will!"
"What have we done to deserve this... what have we done!"
Hearing his wife and daughter, the middle-aged man could no longer contain his emotions. He covered his face with his hands and sank to his knees, his weathered features now soaked with tears.
The pain was unbearable for any parent. For forty hours, they had watched their son lie motionless in the ICU, dependent on a machine to breathe, still not out of danger. For farmers with little understanding of medicine, this was enough to shatter their world.
"I was always so hard on him when he was little," the father choked out. "I didn’t let him get into fights or cause trouble. I worried constantly when he was in junior high, and he only finally settled down in high school. I thought he’d changed for the better, that he’d finally escaped that dark fate. But I never imagined... I never imagined that after starting college he’d fall back into it, that he’d walk down that path again! Oh, heavens, how much more are you going to make our family suffer?"
The image was devastating: a man kneeling on the floor, his body hunched over, his face etched with weary lines, tears streaming from between the fingers covering his face.
Wang Dalu and the other two couldn’t stop their own tears from falling.
Qin Fan fought desperately against the burning in his own eyes.
At that moment, a sliver of regret pierced his heart. Did I do the wrong thing? Yes. If it weren’t for me, Li Qiuzhe would be on the right path. It was I who led him astray. It was because of me that he suffered seventeen stab wounds that now leave him hovering between life and death.
Looking at the broken family before him—kneeling, collapsing—an endless wave of guilt surged from his heart. Whether he was right or wrong, at this moment, he had failed them.
Their sobs were like daggers twisting in his heart.
Their tears were like salt poured on his wounds.
"Uncle, Auntie, believe me, Qiuze will be up and about in no time," Qin Fan said, suppressing the lump in his throat. He leaned down to help the mother up. "Tomorrow, he’ll be talking and laughing with you. Trust me. You can’t hold on in your current state. Do you want Qiuze to wake up only to have to worry about you?"
He shot a look at Wang Dalu and the others. The three of them understood immediately. Wiping their eyes, they hurried over to help Li Qiuzhe’s father and sister to their feet.
"Auntie, believe me. I promise you!" Qin Fan said, infusing his gaze with True Qi to subtly influence the woman’s nerves. "When you wake up, Qiuze will be awake and chatting with you. I guarantee it!"
He knew he shouldn’t resort to such methods, but he had no other choice. Without this, the family would never agree to rest. He then directed his gaze toward the father and sister, sending wisps of True Qi into them as well.
"R-really?"
His gaze clearly took effect. All three stopped crying and looked at him, trembling.
"Really. Now, you need to rest. Come, I’ll help you to the lounge."
Qin Fan supported the mother as he led her toward a luxurious, home-like suite down the hall. This was, after all, a special floor arranged by Chang Yuanyi, so the amenities were top-tier.
Wang Dalu and the others followed, helping Li Qiuzhe’s father and sister into the suite. They were profoundly shocked by how easily Qin Fan had convinced the family. They had exhausted every means to calm them down, all to no avail. Fourth Bro managed to persuade them in just a few words?
After settling the family in, Qin Fan sent a few more strands of True Qi into their bodies. Before long, all three fell into a deep sleep. But the tear stains on their faces and the furrows in their brows were a clear sign that, even in slumber, their hearts could find no peace.
He gently covered each of them with a blanket before turning and walking out. Wang Dalu and the others followed, tiptoeing as they quietly closed the door behind them.