The explosion at the celebration had plunged the entire nation into panic, and the hospital where the President and his wife were staying was guarded more strictly than ever before.
As an Internal Affairs Officer, Ning Yichen also had to pass through four or five checkpoints to get in. However, the man accompanying him seemed to be subconsciously ignored by everyone; not a single bodyguard asked to check his credentials.
Even Ning Yichen did not have the courage to meet his gaze, perhaps because those eyes harbored too many emotions, extremely dark and deep, making it frightening to look into them.
"This way," Ning Yichen whispered.
He Jingyao, dressed in a black trench coat, turned to the left without a word. His steps were not fast, but they were so heavy that they sent a chill down one’s spine.
They reached Chu Jinyu’s ward.
Cheng Youlin was seriously injured. Although he was out of danger, he was still unconscious and didn’t know when he would wake up; he was alone in the intensive care unit.
Chu Jinyu’s injuries were not severe, and she had regained consciousness an hour ago. After receiving the news, Ning Yichen immediately notified He Jingyao, so both of them came here.
The ward was extremely quiet. Chu Jinyu sat on the bed, saying nothing, her eyes hollow as if her soul had been extracted.
"Madam," Ning Yichen entered first and spoke softly.
Chu Jinyu’s eyes moved slightly to look at him, and then her gaze fell on the dark figure at the door.
Her lips trembled slightly before she softly spoke, "He Jingyao?"
"It’s me," the man responded in a low voice, his tone calm and enunciation clear.
He lifted his head, his somber and cool gaze landing on Chu Jinyu.
Chu Jinyu instinctively closed her eyes and uttered in a hoarse voice, "I’m sorry..."
Before she could finish, her tears had already fallen.
The hour she had been awake was enough for her to understand everything.
When she asked about Cheng Youlin, the ladies-in-waiting and nurses told her that her husband was still alive, but when she asked about Zhixi, everyone fell silent.
The evasive attitude of the ladies-in-waiting let her know that the worst had happened.
She had originally intended to take good care of her, to make amends to her, as a mother should.
But eventually, she brought such a fate to the child.
If not for her, Zhixi wouldn’t have encountered all this; she had a loving husband, a happy family, and she, as a mother, was originally unnecessary.
Why wasn’t it her who died? Why was it Zhixi?
That child... was clearly the most innocent one. The explosion might have targeted Youlin, it might have targeted her, but it was unrelated to Zhixi.
But in the end, only Zhixi... disappeared.
Completely vanished. The high temperature from the explosion vaporized her... not even a body was left behind.
He Jingyao watched Chu Jinyu’s suppressed sobs with an expressionless face. After a long time, he finally spoke faintly, "Madam, a second before the incident, Zhixi was sitting next to you, right?"
Chu Jinyu trembled slightly and nodded.
"Until the explosion happened and you passed out?" He Jingyao pressed.
Chu Jinyu hesitated for a moment and continued to nod.
He Jingyao’s gaze suddenly became extremely sharp, "Is there something wrong?"
"Actually, as soon as I got in the car, I felt drowsy. Not long after, I heard a loud bang, and then I completely passed out..." Chu Jinyu tried to recall, "Now that I think about it, there might have been sedatives placed in the car beforehand."