Mrs. Shi was wheeled back into the ward, and Shi Che sat beside the bed. As he gazed at the unconscious Mrs. Shi, she had only been hospitalized for a few short days, yet she had become noticeably thinner, her cheeks pallid and ashen, looking as if she had aged decades overnight.
The illness tormented her, and he... was helpless.
Shi Che’s hand involuntarily gripped hers tightly. He closed his eyes slightly, his forehead drooping with a sense of powerlessness.
When Ling Yunshu walked in, she caught exactly this scene. Looking at Shi Che’s profile, a pang of sympathy couldn’t help but flutter through her heart.
The man who was always strong, now unconsciously revealed his vulnerability.
But at the same time, she felt joy because Shi Che cared about Mrs. Shi more than she had imagined. And his concern for Mrs. Shi was an opportunity she could seize.
She curved her lips into a smile, a trace of glee spreading across her face. But quickly, she composed herself, cleared her throat, and said, "Shi Che, the specialists have all arrived, Doctor Wu is asking for you in the conference room."
Shi Che’s eyes slowly opened. He let go of Mrs. Shi’s hand, gently tucking it under the blanket. Only then did he rise and turn towards her.
His expression had returned to normal, devoid of the fragility from moments ago, as if what she had seen was merely her imagination.
He nodded at her and then strode past, exiting the ward.
Ling Chuxia had been waiting, from morning until noon, and then afternoon, watching the sky switch from bright to dark, the wall clock ticking, tick-tock, tick-tock, with every second.
Again, she looked up at the clock; it was already 8 p.m., and Shi Che still hadn’t returned.
Her heart, initially detached, became increasingly anxious bit by bit. It had been a whole day, Shi Che hadn’t come back—did that mean Mrs. Shi’s surgery wasn’t finished yet? Was she still in danger?
Madam... Madam couldn’t be...
The thought flashed across her mind and frightened Ling Chuxia into shaking her head vehemently, spitting out curses—what was she thinking? How could she entertain such thoughts?
Madam is a blessed person; she will definitely be fine.
These were extraordinary circumstances; she couldn’t rush, and she couldn’t push Shi Che. She would just wait.
Ling Chuxia clenched her fists tightly, took several deep breaths, steadied her heart once more, and continued to wait in silence.
Time slipped away unnoticed, and another two hours had passed. Ling Chuxia, who had finally calmed down, grew restless again—it was 10 p.m... 10 p.m. at night.
She had waited from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., twelve full hours.
It wasn’t the waiting that made her anxious; it was the concern that Madam’s condition was unknown. Was she still not out of danger, or... had something happened?
Although she knew she shouldn’t think this way, she was genuinely worried about Madam, and... also about Shi Che.
Even though the relationship between Shi Che and Mrs. Shi had always been quite cold, but... after all, she and Shi Che had been so close before. Although Shi Che didn’t say anything, she could still tell that he cared about Madam.
If something really happened to Madam, he would be heartbroken, deeply upset.
Even though she knew that Shi Che now had his elder sister to accompany him, and if anything truly happened, elder sister would comfort him and be with him... she was still worried and wanted to be there to comfort him when Shi Che was sad.
Ling Chuxia quickly walked to the bedside table, pulled open the drawer, and took out her spare mobile phone.