Chapter 44: The Cruel Truth
Sheng’an Hospital, VIP intensive care ward.
It was already past eleven o’clock at night. Zhou Rong had a small lamp on and was leaning against the headboard, wearing her reading glasses as she knitted a sweater, stitch by stitch.
One more sleeve and the sweater would be finished.
She held the sweater up, looking it over from left to right.
A smile appeared on her somewhat pale face.
“My Little Wan is so fair and handsome; he’ll definitely look good in this color,” she murmured to herself, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
Looking up at the wall clock, she covered her mouth and let out a yawn.
Because of her health, Zhou Rong didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.
A year? A few months?
She felt it wouldn’t be long.
She wanted to finish this sweater quickly, then buy more wool to knit a scarf for Qin Wan.
She wanted to take care of him as much as possible in her remaining time.
Thinking of Qin Wan, her eyes, which were already somewhat clouded, grew even dimmer.
If she were gone, her Little Wan would be left to live a lonely and helpless life all by himself.
Should she contact the Second Young Master?
Zhou Rong was deeply conflicted.
When she left back then, the Second Young Master had warned her that making contact rashly would likely lead to her being discovered by the old and cunning Eldest Young Master.
If he found out, that wicked man would certainly not let it go.
Back then, the Madam and the Eldest Young Master had been wary of the fact that Qin Wan had the Sheng family’s blood flowing in his veins, so they had kept him confined and wouldn’t let him leave.
They held him firmly in the palm of their hands, fearing that if he ever grew powerful, he would become a problem for them.
So, if the news of Qin Wan’s fake death reached the Eldest Young Master, he would surely come after him immediately and cause him harm.
Zhou Rong sighed.
Her chest felt a bit tight, and she wanted to go for a walk outside the ward.
She got out of bed and gently pushed the door open.
She stood in the corridor.
She knew there were always two sturdy young men guarding the door.
She had asked about them, and they said they were sent by Qin Wan’s friend to take care of her and handle any heavy lifting.
At this moment, the two men were standing in the smoking area further away, chatting.
Zhou Rong felt that these two were working quite hard. Thinking it was late, she considered telling them to go back and rest.
She walked slowly until she was a few meters behind them.
She heard the sound of their conversation.
The one with the buzz-cut said, “Auntie Rong is truly pitiful. When I looked through the door glass just now, she was still there knitting that sweater.”
The other one in the plaid shirt replied, “Yeah, it’s almost finished. I wonder if it’ll even make it into that kid’s hands.”
“If she knew President Gu brought her here for treatment just to use her as a hostage, she’d be worried to death!”
The buzz-cut nodded. “Sigh, that little brother is really out of luck. Of all the people to offend, why did he have to cross that Great Demon King of a boss of ours?”
“What kind of man is President Gu? If you cross him, can you really expect to live a good life?”
The plaid-shirt guy frowned. “Hey, you said he’s been kept in the villa by President Gu all this time—how did he end up with so many injuries?”
“He was hospitalized right downstairs not long ago. That day he snuck up to see Auntie Rong, his little face was so pale… it was heartbreaking!”
The buzz-cut clicked his tongue. “I was thinking, could it be from some of President Gu’s twisted games?”
“Hey, let’s not guess blindly. As for the boss’s business, see no evil, hear no evil!”
“Right, right. Let’s not talk about it anymore!”
At that moment, Zhou Rong’s entire body began to tremble.
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Everything she had just heard felt like a bolt from the blue, nearly shattering her.
Although she had always felt that Qin Wan’s sudden departure and her own transfer to this hospital were a bit strange, it had only been a “strange” feeling. With her limited understanding, she could never have imagined such a thing was happening.
She didn’t know who this “President Gu” they spoke of was, but he was undoubtedly a powerful figure with immense influence.
Qin Wan had offended him, and he was using her as blackmail to keep him imprisoned and even torture him. This realization made Zhou Rong’s head buzz and her vision blur.
She didn’t know how she managed to force herself to walk back to the ward.
Sitting on the bed, her eyes were vacant, and her mind was a chaotic mess.
From childhood to adulthood, Qin Wan had already suffered so much. Why was this happening again now?
Just how long did the Heavens intend to torment him?
Zhou Rong sat in silence, tears already streaming down her face.
After a long while, she made a decision.
She absolutely could not let Qin Wan suffer any more because of her.
At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Gu Xinglan’s phone vibrated.
He opened his eyes, gently loosened his grip on Qin Wan, and picked up the phone.
Seeing that it was Xiao Han calling, a slight sense of foreboding suddenly arose in his heart.
He looked at the still-sleeping Qin Wan, quietly got out of bed, and walked to the door.
Without making a sound, he opened the door and stepped into the corridor.
Only then did he answer the call.
“President Gu, Zhou Rong… is gone.”
Xiao Han’s tone was uncharacteristically lacking in composure.
A minute ago, he had received a call from his subordinates saying that Zhou Rong had gone out at some point and hadn’t returned to the ward.
After checking the surveillance footage, they found that she was no longer in the hospital.
Xiao Han knew how important Zhou Rong was to Gu Xinglan. Knowing the severity of the consequences if something went wrong, he didn’t dare delay. He called Gu Xinglan while rushing over to the hospital.
Hearing this news, Gu Xinglan’s eyes darkened.
He rubbed his temples with his long fingers.
“Call Tan Feng. Find her immediately.” His voice wasn’t loud, but Xiao Han could hear the heavy weight in his words.
“Yes, sir.”
Gu Xinglan stood quietly in the corridor for a while before turning around and stepping softly back into the bedroom.
Walking to the bedside, he noticed Qin Wan had rolled over and was lying on his back.
Two buttons at the collar of his white pajamas were undone, revealing his delicate collarbones and a bit of his chest.
Gu Xinglan’s gaze selectively avoided those dark red scars.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and then he reached out to gently pull the thin quilt over Qin Wan.
He got onto the bed and leaned back against the headboard.
He lowered his head, staring at Qin Wan’s face without blinking.
When he was asleep, Qin Wan was especially adorable.
Well-behaved, soft, and cute.
There was no need to worry about him lying or deceiving, nor was there any need to worry about him plotting an escape.
Looking at him like this should have brought a sense of peace.
But at this moment, Gu Xinglan’s heart was far from peaceful.
Zhou Rong had disappeared for unknown reasons. If anything happened to her, he could imagine how Qin Wan would break down.
When that time came, how would he be able to keep him?
At the thought of this, a surge of uncontrollable anxiety and irritability rose within Gu Xinglan.
He looked down at him with deep, somber eyes.
As if murmuring to himself, he whispered, “Qin Wan, no matter what happens, I will not allow you to leave me…”
In his daze, the person on the bed had his eyelids flutter.
Whether it was a coincidence with his dream or he had truly heard those words, his cherry-red lips moved slightly.
His voice was faint and raspy. “Mhm… I won’t run anymore, Gege…”
Gu Xinglan’s heart felt as though it were being gripped tightly by a hand.
Unable to suppress himself, he leaned down and lightly kissed his forehead, the tip of his nose, and his eyes, before finally landing on those soft lips.
He softly called out, “A-Wan…”
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repeated chapter?
Hi, I will check.