Yi Changhuan was extremely grateful. She held Shen Chaoyi’s hand tightly, and for a moment, she couldn’t say anything except “thank you.”
Seeing that Yi Changhuan had calmed down a bit, Shen Chaoyi handed her the paper bag she was carrying. “Aunt, these are Yi Qingzhuo’s personal belongings, taken off before the surgery. I’m giving them to you now.”
Yi Changhuan took the paper bag with trembling hands. Since the bag wasn’t transparent, she couldn’t see what was inside. All she could see was the black jacket on top.
Shen Chaoyi had placed it that way on purpose. “Inside are her clothes and phone, things like that.”
Yi Changhuan had originally wanted to open it and check, but hearing this, she paused. In the end, she didn’t look through Yi Qingzhuo’s things. Phone, wallet—she knew what they were. Nothing worth seeing.
“Thank you, Doctor Shen. I’m sorry to trouble you to bring it all the way here.” Yi Changhuan’s eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying too much.
Shen Chaoyi put her hands into the pockets of her white coat and gave a faint smile. “It’s no trouble. I came by to check on the patient’s condition anyway.”
Tonight was critical. Shen Chaoyi was worried that Yi Qingzhuo might have a sudden turn.
Yi Qingzhuo watched the screen, which—due to the camera angle—only showed half of Shen Chaoyi’s face. She saw everything Shen Chaoyi and her mother said to each other. The way she carried herself—humble, polite, gentle, and intelligent—easily touched the softest part of people’s hearts.
Yi Qingzhuo’s heart trembled violently. She stared at that face quietly. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. In the two rooms, only the sound of Yi Changhuan and Shen Chaoyi talking could be heard.
It was more like Yi Changhuan talking while Shen Chaoyi simply chimed in agreement. She was very patient. Even when Yi Changhuan talked about trivial domestic matters, sometimes repeating herself, Shen Chaoyi still responded patiently, soothing Yi Changhuan’s anxious feelings.
Yi Changhuan had been holding it in for a long time. No one had listened to her talk about these things. At this moment, she desperately needed someone by her side, even if just to listen.
After a while, Yi Changhuan realized she had been talking too much. And Shen Chaoyi still had work. Embarrassed, she said, “Look at me, I can’t stop once I start. Doctor Shen, don’t you have work? See how careless I am, dragging you here to keep me company.”
Shen Chaoyi kept an eye on Yi Qingzhuo’s vital signs from the corner of her eye and said softly, “No, I’m off duty now. I worked the night shift yesterday.”
“Then why…?” Yi Changhuan looked at Shen Chaoyi, who was still sitting there, confused.
“The patient hasn’t been out of danger yet. I’m not at ease, so I’m staying here personally.” Shen Chaoyi lowered her head slightly.
Yi Changhuan was slightly stunned, looking at Shen Chaoyi’s profile. Shen Chaoyi was very responsible toward her patients. She could have gone home to rest, but she stayed in the ICU without pay, watching over a patient who still wasn’t out of danger.
As if sensing Yi Changhuan’s surprise from her expression, Shen Chaoyi explained, “Actually, doctors often do this. After all, we pulled them back from the jaws of death. We want to see them stabilize before we can feel at ease.”
“Alright, Aunt. It’s about time. The patient needs rest too.” Shen Chaoyi stood up. “Say goodbye to her, then turn off the monitor.”
Yi Qingzhuo had closed her eyes at some point. It wasn’t clear if she was asleep.
“She’s asleep. Let her rest. No need to say goodbye.” Yi Changhuan looked at Yi Qingzhuo with eyes full of pity. Her child would lose even more weight.
Shen Chaoyi nodded and turned off the screen.
“Doctor Shen, there’s a patient in the ER. Fell from a building, hemorrhagic shock, fractures in hands and legs.” Chen Ya had searched for Shen Chaoyi for a long time before finding her in the ICU. She had thought Shen Chaoyi was off duty, but her bag was still there, and her phone calls went unanswered. Chen Ya searched the ward for a while before realizing that Shen Chaoyi might be in the ICU.
Shen Chaoyi turned her head. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
Chen Ya glanced at the bag in Yi Changhuan’s hand, squinted, and a complicated look flickered in her eyes.
Night fell.
The ICU was always quiet, with only the monotonous ticking sound. Day or night, it seemed shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere that dampened spirits.
A figure in white slowly walked into Monitor Room 3, stood by the bed, and watched for a long while.
Yi Qingzhuo, sleep well.
A light, airy sentence, like talking to oneself, yet with a clear subject. It drifted away in the spacious monitor room, vanishing like smoke, as if it were just an illusion.
If everything goes wrong, then sleeping well and having sweet dreams is the best blessing.
The figure slowly disappeared, and the monitor room soon returned to its lifeless stillness.
It was said to be a day, but in fact, Yi Qingzhuo stayed in the ICU for three days before being transferred to a general ward. She was a critical patient, with strict controls on her diet.
“A Zhuo, is your chest a bit better? Still having trouble breathing?” Yi Changhuan sat by the bed, staring intently at Yi Qingzhuo. These past few days, she couldn’t sleep at night, barely closing her eyes. She constantly monitored the situation in the ICU. Finally, Yi Qingzhuo was out of danger and transferred to a general ward.
Yi Changhuan looked at her daughter, who was so weak she seemed like a stranger lying on the hospital bed. Her heart ached as if pierced by knives. It had only been three days since they last saw each other, but it felt like an entire century had passed. Yi Qingzhuo’s already sharp and thin jawline was now even more defined. Her lips had no trace of color, and her entire face was very pale. The skin exposed to view was covered in injuries. Large scrapes on her hands, a swollen corner of her mouth—bruised purple and blue, shocking to the eye. No mother could remain unmoved seeing her child in such a state.
Yi Changhuan’s heart was shattered. She had cried all her tears over these days, her eyes bloodshot.
“It’s fine.” Yi Qingzhuo tugged at her lips, forcing a faint smile. She wasn’t someone who liked to smile. Now, when she did, the sense of fragility around her grew even heavier.
“Child, it’s all Mom’s fault. Mom made you suffer.” Yi Changhuan didn’t dare touch the arm that had started to scab over. Instead, she pressed her palms together, praying devoutly countless times in her heart. Yi Qingzhuo, may you be safe.
“If you cry, it hurts me more than being beaten.” Yi Qingzhuo tried to raise her hand, but her arms fell back weakly. Her voice was low, but it was noticeably softer than her usual cold tone.
Upon hearing this, Yi Changhuan couldn’t stop her tears. Her back, already unable to straighten, bent even more.
“Aunt, isn’t everything getting better? Your health is important too. Don’t be sad; things are moving in the right direction.” Shen Chaoyi saw this scene as soon as she entered the ward. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and comforted, “Crying too much is bad for your eyes.”
“Doctor Shen is here!” Yi Changhuan quickly stood up when she saw Shen Chaoyi. She said to Yi Qingzhuo, “A Zhuo, this is Doctor Shen. She performed your surgery. She’s been monitoring your condition these past few days. Thanks to her, you were saved.”
Hearing this, Yi Qingzhuo looked at Shen Chaoyi and the group of doctors and nurses behind her who were making rounds. She stood in the middle, like the moon surrounded by stars.
“Thank you.” A beautiful curve crossed her lips. Yi Qingzhuo was polite enough. But it was like they were meeting for the first time, a very distant greeting.
Shen Chaoyi raised an eyebrow. “Yi Qingzhuo, this time you should be worth more than five hundred, right?”
Yi Qingzhuo lifted her eyes, her voice very calm. “Doctor Shen, you said it yourself: you’re the doctor, and I’m the patient.” So aside from that, there are no ties between us.
“Hey? What kind of attitude is that? Do you know that because of you, Doctor Shen has been on duty at the hospital for days, and she even got scolded by Director Zhou…” Chen Ya couldn’t help but speak up.
“Chen Ya, that’s enough.” Shen Chaoyi stopped her, her eyes carrying a warning.
Being reprimanded in front of so many people, Chen Ya glared unhappily at Yi Qingzhuo. She’s just a murderer. Why is Shen Chaoyi so concerned? She risked her life to save her, and this is the attitude she gets. Everyone in the hospital knew by now that Shen Chaoyi had gone to great lengths to save a murderer. Over the past two days, police kept coming to ask about the situation. Maybe once Yi Qingzhuo recovers and is discharged, she’ll have to go back to prison. So now, many eyes were on Shen Chaoyi, including those who had previously been jealous of Director Zhou’s favoritism toward her, all waiting to see her fail.
Although Shen Chaoyi didn’t want to compete for anything in the department and focused solely on her work, a tall tree catches the wind. Especially Director Zhou Jinglong’s favoritism toward her had attracted plenty of jealous looks. And since she had such a gentle temperament, Chen Ya worried that she might suffer or be taken advantage of. So Chen Ya was holding a fire inside, naturally giving Yi Qingzhuo no kindness.
Hearing this, Yi Qingzhuo glanced at Shen Chaoyi. The sharpness around her receded a little, but she still didn’t say anything.
“A Zhuo,” Yi Changhuan tugged at Yi Qingzhuo’s sleeve, signaling her not to be so cold. Then she turned to Shen Chaoyi and said, “Doctor Shen, please don’t take it to heart. A Zhuo has always been like this. She means no harm.”
“It’s fine, Aunt. I understand.” Shen Chaoyi smiled warmly, took the stethoscope off her shoulder, and while lifting Yi Qingzhuo’s blanket, said to her, “Do you feel any better? Any pressure or stinging when you breathe? Can you lift your hands?”
Shen Chaoyi bent down. As a hint of coolness crept in, for Yi Qingzhuo, whose clothes under the blanket couldn’t be fully buttoned because her body was wrapped in bandages and fixators, the oversized hospital gown made her look very thin, giving off a strange sense of coldness. As soon as the blanket was lifted, even though there was a layer of gauze, Yi Qingzhuo frowned in discomfort. When those fair hands lifted her hospital gown, Yi Qingzhuo felt like the last layer of protection on her body was gone. She clenched her fists unconsciously and nearly gritted her teeth as she said, “No. I can move my hands a little.”
