Zhao Di remained stunned for several seconds after opening her eyes, her breathing gradually returning to normal.

Seeing her calm down, Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng breathed a sigh of relief. If she had continued like that, they would have had to find a doctor, who would then notice Zhao Di showing signs of recovery, making it impossible to hide the truth.

"Zhao Di, are you okay?" Jia Wenjun asked.

Zhao Di didn't respond.

Jia Wenjun leaned closer. "Your hand was already able to exert some force just now. If you're okay, can you slightly raise one finger now?"

Zhao Di still didn't respond.

Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng exchanged a look. Wu Peng had seen the expression on Zhao Di's face earlier, but he hadn't seen Zhao Di grab Jia Wenjun's hand. Seeing Zhao Di's lack of reaction now, he didn't know what to say.

The situation had been somewhat chaotic, and with Zhao Di unresponsive now, Jia Wenjun, upon reflection, began to wonder if she had been hallucinating.

Just as they were losing hope, Wu Peng turned his head and saw the index finger of Zhao Di's right hand twitch slightly. Then, he watched as that finger slowly, bit by bit, rose two or three centimeters.

"She moved," Wu Peng said, unable to hide his excitement.

Jia Wenjun also saw it. She excitedly moved closer to Zhao Di. "Good, we know. You really are slowly recovering. Don't rush, and remember, don't show it to anyone other than us."

Zhao Di's finger twitched twice more.

Wu Peng and Jia Wenjun exchanged a look, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

All their efforts had not been in vain.

They didn't leave the hospital until Zhao Di finished her IV drip.

As the elevator descended to the lobby on the first floor, Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng walked out with the crowd and saw Bai Mashan walking towards them from not far away.

Bai Mashan also didn't expect to run into Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng. He greeted them generously. "What are you doing here?"

Since Jia Wenjun's family had moved away, he hadn't seen her very often.

Running into her at the hospital now, even though he could guess why Jia Wenjun was there, he still asked the question Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng wanted to ask.

Jia Wenjun didn't hide anything and said directly, "Wu and I are here to see Zhao Di."

Being direct was less suspicious than making excuses. Everyone knew she was desperate and hoping to turn things around with Zhao Di's help, so it wasn't strange for her to check on Zhao Di.

Bai Mashan didn't find it strange at all and instead asked with concern, "Oh, really? How is she doing now?"

Jia Wenjun said blandly, "The same as always."

Bai Mashan sighed. "It's difficult for this kind of condition to improve, but I still hope she gets better soon."

Wu Peng looked at him. "Why is Dean Bai at the hospital?"

"Oh, my son Bai Xun was bitten by a dog. I'm here with him to get a rabies shot. He's on the fourth floor. I just came down to pay the bill and didn't expect to run into you. Well, I'll go back up now."

Just then, another elevator arrived, and Bai Mashan waved goodbye to them and squeezed into the crowd.

Jia Wenjun and Wu Peng walked out of the hospital. She said softly, "What do you think?"

"I'll check the surveillance footage when I get back." Although Jia Wenjun had moved out, he hadn't removed the surveillance camera. He had told the new tenants that he would cover all the electricity costs for the year, and they had agreed, figuring that the camera was outside and wouldn't affect their lives.

By watching the surveillance footage, he could see if Bai Mashan had come out with Bai Xun.

At that moment, Bai Mashan exited the elevator, thinking that it was useless for Jia Wenjun to be so persistent. Zhao Di was beyond saving, and no matter how much they tried, they wouldn't be able to make any waves.

Bai Mashan returned home with his son. Along the way, he occasionally glanced at his son out of the corner of his eye. "Does it still hurt?"

Bai Xun was a little impatient. "You've already asked me three times."

Bai Mashan wasn't angry. He thought about how his son had lived with him since he was little, without his mother's company. Father and son depended on each other. Although there had been ups and downs along the way, he had raised his son.

Now he would be leaving in just over half a month, and it wouldn't be easy to see him in the future. Thinking of this, he didn't voice his nagging thoughts.

Today, he had taken his son to the shop, intending to handle some matters and then take him to exchange some U.S. dollars to take with him. However, Bai Xun had been teasing a stray dog waiting to be adopted in the shop and had been bitten on the arm by the little wolfdog, leaving a gash more than ten centimeters long. He had immediately taken his son to the hospital for a rabies vaccine and had gotten quite a few stitches. He didn't know if this would affect his son's timely departure abroad. He was angry, annoyed that Bai Xun hadn't been careful, but he also knew that what was done was done, and too much criticism would only make Bai Xun more impatient.

The father and son returned home together. Bai Xun changed his shoes silently and walked towards his room.

Bai Mashan stopped him. "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Whatever."

"Xiao Xun, I know you're going far away and you're going to face an unknown life. You must be nervous, but people have to grow up. After you go out, if you have any difficulties in life, you can call me. Dad will do everything possible to make you comfortable out there."

Bai Xun looked at him blankly. "What you think is comfortable isn't necessarily what I think is comfortable."

Bai Mashan patted his son on the shoulder. "When you get older, you'll know that Dad won't do you wrong."

"But I don't want to go now." Bai Xun was annoyed by this kind of self-righteous behavior. He frowned, his face full of impatience.

Bai Mashan's patience was wearing thin. He lowered his face. "I'm not discussing it with you."

Bai Xun had known all along that he would react like this if he said that. He strode into the room and said angrily, "I'm not eating dinner. Don't make any for me."

Bai Mashan didn't want to indulge his bad habits. "Eat or don't eat, go ahead and starve to death!"

Bai Xun closed the door. Bai Mashan went to cook, but when he knocked on Bai Xun's door after finishing cooking, there was no response.

Bai Mashan forcefully opened it and found that the room was empty.

He immediately took out his phone and called Bai Xun. After two rings, Bai Xun answered.

"Where are you?" Bai Mashan asked, suppressing his anger.

"Downstairs in the shed."

They had bought a basement downstairs as a storage room, but it didn't contain much clutter. Most of it was Bai Xun's favorite handicrafts or the electronic components he tinkered with. Usually, whenever Bai Xun was upset, he would lock himself in that studio and play with strange things. During this time, Bai Mashan had been preventing his son from going out because of Zhao Di's surgery, which had been stifling him.

Now that the surgery had failed, it was okay for Bai Xun to go downstairs and play for a while. Bai Mashan sighed secretly and said, "Dinner is ready. Come back early."

His son was leaving, and he didn't want their relationship to completely sour at this point.

Bai Xun responded and hung up the phone.