The old expert summoned by Zhan Yichen walked out, wiping sweat from his forehead. His relaxed expression drew the anxious people outside to crowd around him.
"Doctor, how is my wife?"
Zhan Mohan's voice was hoarse, his palms cold with sweat, every nerve taut, waiting for a result.
Seeing their intense anxiety, the old expert burst into laughter. "Congratulations, the patient is now breathing on her own. Her heart rate and blood pressure are normal. She should wake up within eight hours. I heard you insisted on not signing the critical illness notice; your persistence was the right choice."
The old expert patted Zhan Mohan's shoulder, but Zhan Mohan didn't hear the rest of his words. Likely due to the release of his highly-strung nerves, his entire body collapsed onto Zhan Yichen. Fortunately, Zhan Yichen was quick to catch him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Mu Linjing was startled by his reaction and helped Zhan Yichen support him, letting the old expert check his pulse. "He's fine, let him rest. He was too stressed."
Both were taken to the ward. Zhan Mohan woke up after only a dozen minutes of unconsciousness. He almost leaped out of bed and grabbed Zhan Yichen, asking, "Where is Yumeng?"
He vaguely remembered the doctor saying that Wei Yumeng was out of danger.
Zhan Yichen steadied him. "Sister-in-law is next door."
Upon hearing this, he immediately ran out, not even stopping to put on his shoes. Zhan Yichen, helpless, picked up his shoes and caught up with him just as he had already sat by Wei Yumeng's bedside.
Old Master Zhan was also in the ward. Seeing him so discomposed made him both angry and heartbroken, but he buried his face in Wei Yumeng's palm and remained silent for a long time.
The ward was terrifyingly quiet, and soon, the sound of a man's crying began to emerge.
No one had expected that Zhan Mohan, who commanded the business world, would cry in front of so many people.
Seeing this, Mu Linjing couldn't help but shed tears. Perhaps women were more emotional; witnessing this scene, she could feel more than anyone present how important Wei Yumeng was to Zhan Mohan.
Old Master Zhan sighed repeatedly. He had never imagined that Zhan Mohan would go to such lengths for a woman.
He hesitated several times and finally couldn't bear to watch any longer, but what could he say?
"Alright, take good care of her. Don't let anything else go wrong."
In the end, he could only leave these words and departed the hospital with Cen Yuan.
It was already past three in the morning. Knowing that Wei Yumeng was out of danger and that the baby was also fine, he returned.
Zhan Mohan took a long time to compose himself. Seeing this, Mu Linjing patted Zhan Yichen, signaling him to go out with her, leaving the two of them some space.
Zhan Yichen squeezed his shoulder. "Big Brother, I'm right next door. Call me if you need anything."
He and Mu Linjing came out, and he immediately arranged for Mu Linjing to stay in the adjacent ward. "You still need to change your dressing tomorrow. I'll stay here and watch over you. You should sleep."
Seeing that he was also yawning several times, Mu Linjing was touched. They hadn't had a deep relationship before, and for Zhan Yichen to do this was truly not easy.
Moreover, for Wei Yumeng, this was a life-saving kindness.
"Thank you."
She couldn't rest easy without expressing her gratitude.
In their few encounters, she had always appeared mischievous and boisterous. Tonight, Zhan Yichen had seen her helplessness, fear, and gentleness, realizing more and more that she possessed many aspects he had never seen before – ordinary yet exceptionally precious.
Mu Linjing, how many more facets of you have I not seen?
That night, in the two adjacent hospital rooms, the two brothers stayed awake all night.
Of course, Mu Linjing also slept uneasily. But every time she woke up startled, Zhan Yichen was by her side, gently patting her arm and coaxing her to sleep in a soft voice.
She woke up as soon as dawn broke. Seeing Zhan Yichen asleep by her bedside, overcome by exhaustion, a wave of warmth surged in her heart.
She gently patted Zhan Yichen's face. He startled awake, the guard in his eyes flashing for a moment when he saw Mu Linjing's face. "Why are you awake so early?"
Mu Linjing patted her bed. "Come up and sleep for a while. I'll go buy you breakfast."
Zhan Yichen was indeed exhausted and fell asleep immediately.
As Mu Linjing passed the adjacent ward, she saw Zhan Mohan still sitting by the bedside, holding Wei Yumeng's hand as before, and her nose couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
After buying breakfast, she first delivered a portion. "Mr. Zhan, please eat something. Yumeng wouldn't want to see you so haggard when she wakes up."
The man was now incredibly worn out, with a greenish stubble on his face and bloodshot eyes. His usually wrinkle-free shirt and suit were now severely creased.
He had no energy to care about these things; all his attention was focused on Wei Yumeng.
He only heard the word "wakes up" from Mu Linjing's words. He glanced at his watch. "It's been four hours. Let's wait a bit longer."
Mu Linjing forced back her heartache and walked out, leaning against the wall to compose herself. She truly had never known that a man could love a woman to the very core of his being.
Just then, a young nurse ran over. "Miss Mu, is this your brooch?"
She instinctively glanced at her clothes. Indeed, a brooch was missing from her outfit, the very one the nurse held in her hand.
She nodded. "Yes, it's mine. Thank you."
The nurse smiled. "I found it in the corridor of the treatment room. I saw you wearing it yesterday, so I thought it must be yours."
After thanking the nurse, Mu Linjing held the brooch thoughtfully. This brooch had a recording function. It was a small gift from a journalist friend when she first started working, but she didn't need the recording function for her job, so she wore it as an accessory.
Since the nurse found it in the hospital, it meant she was wearing it when Jiang Siyu kidnapped them. She wondered if it had recorded anything.
Zhan Yichen, who had been sleeping, woke up upon receiving a call from the police station. Seeing her return holding a brooch and deep in thought, he nudged her hand.
Seeing that Zhan Yichen was awake, she suddenly asked, "Do you know who took us yesterday?"
Zhan Yichen explained, "Several human traffickers were apprehended yesterday. The police just called me, saying the employer's name was fake, and the transaction was in cash with no bank transfer records. We can't find the employer's true identity yet."
When they broke in, Jiang Siyu and the doctor had already fled, so they naturally didn't know who the employer was.
Hearing him say this, Mu Linjing understood. Even if she and Wei Yumeng identified Jiang Siyu, without evidence or witnesses, such an accusation would be insufficient, and Jiang Siyu might still escape.
She clenched the brooch in her hand. "If I say the employer was Jiang Siyu, would you believe me?"
Zhan Yichen paused for a moment. He might not know the full details of the conflict between Jiang Siyu and Wei Yumeng, but he had a general idea that it was related to Zhan Mohan.
If it were indeed Jiang Siyu, he could only call her insane.
"But there's no evidence to prove it's her. If it really was her, Big Brother wouldn't let her get away with it."
Mu Linjing knew this of course. She held the brooch up to Zhan Yichen. "This might have a recording. If there's a recording, can it prove it was her?"
Zhan Yichen was first surprised that this inconspicuous little item in her hand could record, and then he analyzed the current situation.
"If there is a recording, it might be useful, but it's not as effective as someone testifying against her, which would solidify her guilt."
Although this sounded like he was dampening Mu Linjing's spirits, his analysis was logical.
Mu Linjing thought that besides the human traffickers, perhaps only the doctor could be leverage to bring Jiang Siyu to justice.
Seeing her expression grow increasingly somber, Zhan Yichen took the brooch from her hand. "I'll discuss this matter with Big Brother. I'll keep the item safe for now. We'll discuss everything after Sister-in-law wakes up."
With that, he pushed her towards the table. "What you need to do now is eat and rest."
Being so clearly instructed, Mu Linjing's expression suddenly relaxed. She found it strange that despite entrusting such an important recording to him, she felt no unease whatsoever.
In the adjacent ward, Zhan Mohan, who had been guarding the bedside, suddenly felt Wei Yumeng's finger twitch. He abruptly stood up and looked at Wei Yumeng.
Wei Yumeng let out a few heavy breaths, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.