Zhan Yichen examined Mu Linjing, finding her clothes barely torn. He then looked at Wei Yumeng and immediately understood.
Before he could say anything, Mu Linjing suddenly hugged his waist and twisted hard, followed by another cry of pain.
Zhan Yichen instantly felt his hand become warm and sticky, as if a viscous liquid was flowing onto it.
Looking at Mu Linjing again, her face instantly drained of color. She clutched her lower back, her expression contorted in pain, even agony.
A sharp dagger pierced her lower back. She could almost hear the sound of her own flesh being torn through. She could hear nothing else.
"Linjing!"
As Zhan Yichen cried out in alarm, Zhan Mohan kicked the person behind Mu Linjing, sending them sprawling to the ground. He followed up with several fierce blows, and the assailant completely lost consciousness.
Mu Linjing's body could no longer support her, and she slowly slid to the ground.
She clutched her wound and opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Zhan Yichen was so distraught and in pain that he didn't even react quickly enough to take her to the hospital immediately.
It was Wei Yumeng who ran to where there was signal and dialed 120.
She accompanied the ambulance to the hospital, leaving Zhan Mohan to deal with the aftermath and these scumbags.
The phone that had fallen to the ground was still recording with its flash on. After watching the footage, Zhan Mohan was enraged and delivered several more kicks to the blond man.
By the time the police arrived, the blond man's body was a bloody mess. It was evident he would never be able to do such things again.
Zhan Mohan deleted the video on the phone and its backup. However, he saw a familiar number in the call history. After comparing it with his own phone, he angrily smashed the phone and left the scene.
He did not go home immediately but instead went to the hospital. Mu Linjing was being wheeled into the operating room. Zhan Yichen pleaded for a long time before he was allowed to change into sterile clothing and accompany Mu Linjing.
When Mu Linjing arrived at the hospital, she had already lost consciousness. The last image in her mind was of Zhan Yichen weeping.
Even the small act of lifting her hand to wipe away tears for the man she loved was an insurmountable difficulty for her.
Mu Linjing sat numbly in the corridor, still wearing her clothes.
When Zhan Mohan arrived, he saw her sitting there silently, her expression vacant.
He gently pulled her into his embrace. "What's wrong, Yumeng? I'm here. Don't be afraid. Why didn't you let the doctor examine you?"
Wei Yumeng looked at him blankly, as if she couldn't understand what he was saying. She began to mumble to herself.
"Linjing lost so much blood. She tried to speak to us just now but couldn't. Why? Why did it turn out like this?"
What had started as a normal dinner and a normal trip home had suddenly brought forth so many uninvited guests. Why had they, after being rescued, ended up in such a tragic situation?
Listening to her tearful questions, Zhan Mohan could only hold her in his arms. There was nothing else he could do but comfort her.
He felt a deep sense of guilt, not only because he hadn't arrived in time to save them both, but also because he knew this was not a natural disaster, but a man-made tragedy.
In fact, he was the main culprit.
Wei Yumeng leaned into his embrace, sobbing softly, and eventually quieted down.
Seeing that she had fallen asleep, Zhan Mohan gently picked her up and placed her on a stretcher. "Give her a full examination."
They weren't returning home so late, and Old Master Zhan called. "It's so late. The two children are crying nonstop. Why aren't you back yet?"
The children were young and still needed Wei Yumeng. Zhan Mohan was also helpless. He could only ask his grandfather to find someone to look after them temporarily. He hadn't told him what had happened here.
The incident had been so sudden that Old Master Zhan hadn't anticipated this. Moreover, with the children crying inconsolably, he was struggling to pacify them and had no time to consider anything else.
They spent who knew how many hours at the hospital. Zhan Mohan, who shared the same blood type, donated 500cc of blood for Mu Linjing, saving her life.
When Mu Linjing was out of surgery, Wei Yumeng's examination was complete. Fortunately, she was only suffering from shock and had no physical injuries.
Zhan Mohan's guilt lessened slightly. He stayed by her bedside until dawn.
As soon as Wei Yumeng woke up, she asked about Mu Linjing's condition. Zhan Mohan immediately held her down on the bed. "Don't worry. She received a blood transfusion last night, and the surgery was very successful. She's just not awake yet. As soon as she wakes up, I'll tell you immediately."
Wei Yumeng could only wait impatiently for Mu Linjing to wake up.
Fortunately, Mu Linjing woke up that afternoon. Seeing Wei Yumeng weeping by her side, her own eyes gradually welled up.
They had survived a near-death experience. Fortunately, neither of them had suffered any serious harm.
Seeing her awake, Wei Yumeng was relieved. Thinking that she and Zhan Yichen must have more to discuss, she didn't linger.
Mu Linjing looked at Zhan Yichen, his eyes red. She weakly reached out to wipe away the tears from his eyes. "Don't cry. Aren't I alright now?"
Zhan Yichen looked up, his eyes involuntarily welling up again. When Mu Linjing was unconscious, he had even prepared himself to die with her.
"Don't be so foolish again in the future. All the knives should have been aimed at me instead of you."
Mu Linjing smiled wryly. No one stipulated that men had to protect women. She also wanted to protect the man she loved.
Old Master Zhan would naturally investigate their prolonged absence. He called again.
Zhan Mohan saw that his grandfather already knew, so he no longer concealed the truth. He merely stated that he wouldn't be back for a while and that the children would have to endure it.
Although he was reluctant, Mu Linjing had nearly died on the operating table protecting Zhan Yichen, so he couldn't say anything. He could only instruct them to take good care of Mu Linjing.
These words were overheard by Wen Yulan. Worried about her son, she immediately went to the hospital.
Of course, she wasn't alone. She brought Qiao Ningzhi with her.
Qiao Ningzhi had no intention of getting involved in these matters, but Wen Yulan was keen on matchmaking. She simply said that Zhan Yichen was injured.
Although Qiao Ningzhi and Zhan Yichen had agreed to be friends, there was only polite distance between the two who had only recently met. They were not close enough for her to visit him if he were hospitalized.
However, out of consideration for her parents' feelings, Qiao Ningzhi couldn't refuse Wen Yulan and could only accompany her to the hospital.
Wen Yulan anxiously inquired with a nurse and found Zhan Yichen's ward. Upon seeing Zhan Yichen sitting there unharmed, with Mu Linjing lying in the bed, Qiao Ningzhi knew she had been deceived again.
But since she was already there, Mu Linjing did appear to be seriously injured, and the wound looked quite troublesome.