"*cough cough*..." Lin Xinlan hurried to her feet, her face flushed as she said, "Are you guys thirsty? I’ll go buy some water."
Having said that, she hurried away as if she was fleeing.
Rong Shaoze watched her retreating figure, smiling happily, his bright eyes filled with doting affection.
Xiaocong climbed onto a chair to sit, leaning on Rong Shaoze, and continued to innocently ask, "Daddy, tell me, when did you help mommy exercise her body?"
As Lin Xinlan approached the concession stand, someone walked toward her and bumped into her. She felt a numbness spread through her body, her vision darkened, and she fainted on the spot.
"Ah, someone’s fainted!"
Rong Shaoze turned toward the direction of the commotion, his expression changing slightly.
"Xinlan!" He rushed toward her and anxiously scooped her up in his arms.
Lin Xinlan’s face was pale, and she looked very unwell.
"Xinlan, wake up, wake up!" He patted her face forcefully, but she showed no sign of regaining consciousness.
Some speculated she might have had a heat stroke, but Rong Shaoze checked her forehead, and the temperature wasn’t high—it wasn’t heat stroke.
No time for that now; he had to get her to a hospital.
He picked her up and instinctively turned to look for Xiaocong, but the crowd around them consisted of unfamiliar faces—none was Xiaocong.
"Xiaocong!" Rong Shaoze shouted his name but heard no response.
He swiftly took out his cell phone and dialed Xiaocong’s number, only to be told by a pre-recorded message that the user had switched off their phone.
Clutching Lin Xinlan, he searched all around but found no sign of Xiaocong.
A bad feeling suddenly surged in Rong Shaoze’s heart. He cursed under his breath, rapidly dialing other contacts, ordering them to lock down the amusement park and to hurry over to search for Xiaocong.
Lin Xinlan opened her eyes and awoke, immediately assaulted by the pungent smell of antiseptic in the hospital.
Above her was the stark white hospital ceiling; her hand was hooked up to an IV drip—she was in the hospital.
Rong Shaoze, sitting beside her, saw her wake and leaned in with concern to ask, "Xinlan, you’re awake. How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?"
Lin Xinlan sat up, asking in confusion, "Why am I in the hospital?"
Rong Shaoze looked at her and gently smiled, "You forgot, you had a heat stroke at the amusement park and fainted."
Lin Xinlan thought for a moment and said strangely, "That’s not right, I remember before I passed out, my body felt numb, as if I’d been electrocuted, it shouldn’t be a heat stroke. Someone bumped into me at that time, could it be that person...?"
The man’s eyes flickered slightly as he touched her head, "It’s likely he bumped you, and you felt unwell. The doctors said it was a heat stroke, don’t you trust their diagnosis?"
"That’s true." Lin Xinlan then noticed that he looked a little tired, and there was something strange about the way he looked at her, almost with a touch of sadness.
"Rong Shaoze, what’s wrong with you?"
The man gazed deeply at her and pulled her into his embrace, his voice low, "I was scared by you... Xinlan, don’t ever scare me like that again."
Lin Xinlan also hugged his body, showing a sweet smile and softly comforting him, "Don’t worry, I just had a heat stroke, and I’m fine."
"A heat stroke can still scare me..."
"You, really. By the way, where’s Xiaocong?"
The man tightened his arms, holding her close and said flatly, "He watched over you for a while, then I had someone take him back home to rest."
"Oh." Lin Xinlan tried to pull away from him, but he held her tightly and did not let go.
Thinking he was still shocked, she hugged him and gently stroked his back.