Ling Chuxia hobbled out of the apartment, hailed a car, and without any hesitation, as soon as she got in, she opened her wallet, took out all the money, and handed it all to the driver, her voice trembling, "Driver, I need to go to Liang City, take me to Liang City!"
Heading to Liang City meant leaving town, something a regular taxi driver would usually be reluctant to do. But before he could decline, Ling Chuxia had already stuffed a stack of cash into his hand. Looking at the stack of red banknotes in his hand, the driver ultimately couldn’t resist the allure of the money and nodded, replying, "Alright, passenger!"
Ling Chuxia arrived at the hospital at three o’clock in the afternoon. After getting out of the car, she, enduring the pain in her feet, hurried into the hospital. She asked for Mrs. Shi’s ward and then sprinted upstairs.
When Ling Chuxia reached Mrs. Shi’s ward, she was panting for breath. She was still wearing her loose house clothes and cotton slippers on her feet. In her frantic race, one of the slippers was lost somewhere, leaving only one behind. Her hair was already a mess, sweat beaded on her forehead, sticking to her strands of hair, looking very disheveled.
She took a few deep breaths to steady herself and then casually ran her hand through her hair before stepping into the ward.
Inside the ward, it was extremely quiet; the only sounds were the faint beeps of the machines, making the atmosphere oppressively heavy.
As Ling Chuxia entered, she immediately saw Mrs. Shi, lying quietly on the bed, asleep. She no longer had her usual domineering and powerful presence but lay there weakly, riddled with various tubes, as if she might slip into eternal sleep at any moment and never wake up again.
Ling Chuxia’s eyes suddenly welled up, and she couldn’t help covering her mouth.
Madam... How did it come to this?
Sister Hua, who had been constantly by Mrs. Shi’s side, finally noticed Ling Chuxia. Her lifeless eyes widened slightly, her lips trembling, "Young... Young Madam?"
Ever since Young Madam had disappeared that day in the hospital, she had never seen her again. She thought she would never have the chance to see her in this lifetime.
As Sister Hua called out, the other people in the ward couldn’t help but turn to look at Ling Chuxia. Everyone was stunned for a moment, while Ling Yunshu was severely shaken.
Ling Chuxia! How could she be here? Hadn’t she left? Why had she come back?
Why did she come back?
Ling Yunshu abruptly stood up and strode over to Ling Chuxia, her swollen eyes staring fixedly at her.
Ling Chuxia looked at Ling Yunshu, her heart trembling. She then remembered her promise to Ling Yunshu, that she would never appear in front of her and Shi Che again, but now she...
"Come out with me!" Ling Yunshu spoke without any expression, her voice hoarse and profoundly deep.
After dropping these words, Ling Yunshu turned and left the ward. Ling Chuxia lowered her eyes and clenched her hands tightly before also exiting the ward.
The two walked in silence outside the ward for a while. Ling Yunshu didn’t speak, and Ling Chuxia, watching her from behind, bit her lower lip and finally said, "Sister, I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have come back, but... Madam is critically ill, I couldn’t just pretend not to see."
Ling Yunshu wasn’t listening to Ling Chuxia’s words. She only knew that Shi Che had made it clear yesterday that he would not accept her, Mrs. Shi could no longer make decisions for her, and she didn’t know how to turn the situation around, no matter how long she thought about it. However, with Ling Chuxia’s sudden appearance... A bold idea suddenly flashed through her mind.