bayedsolid Chapter 353 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (64)
Chapter 353 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (64)
"Hello, are you a family member of Jin Shuhe?"
A man's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Yes."
Lu Liruan didn't even notice that she had typed a string of spaces on the keyboard.
"I am the head of the Major Crimes Unit of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. My surname is Xie," the other person introduced himself.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Lu Liruan asked, her throat dry.
"It's like this, would it be convenient for you to come to the First People's Hospital of the city now...?"
"Xiaohe, what happened? Is she injured? What happened?!"
Upon hearing the word "hospital," Lu Liruan immediately lost her composure, her mind involuntarily conjuring up the most terrifying scenarios.
"Bang"!
As she stood up, the chair crashed heavily to the ground.
"Don't be nervous!" The voice on the other end was calm and composed; they didn't want to cause the other person too much panic.
The girl opposite was clearly panicked.
"Please don't worry. He is injured and needs surgery, but the situation is not very serious. Please calm down."
"You...you're not lying to me, are you!" Lu Liruan blurted out, wanting to verify something.
For a fleeting moment, she even forgot what year it was; her mind went blank, and all she could think was... had something happened to Jin Shuhe?
Is he... dead?
"Is he still alive?"
"You're alive! Don't be so nervous. Here's what I'll do: I'll have his colleague come pick you up."
Team Leader Xie could tell that the person on the other end was a young girl, and her voice was trembling with tears. He was worried that she might get emotionally agitated and have an accident before the person on the operating table was even alright.
"No...no need." Lu Liruan sniffed. She was so emotional that tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing it.
"It's alright, I've let them go. Just stay home and wait."
After Xie hung up the phone, Wu Qidong hurried into the office: "Old Xie, the drug enforcement team wants you to come over and sit in on the proceedings."
"Got it, I'll be there right away."
"Have someone pick up Xiao Jin's family. The young lady isn't very resilient; we don't want anything to go wrong."
"Yes."
Wu Qidong thought back to the last time he took Jin Shuhe home, he saw that petite girl with crescent-shaped eyes when she smiled, who looked quite delicate.
He asked Qin Wen to go over there.
"Okay, I'll go now, and then I'll go straight to the hospital."
Qin Wen grabbed his coat and walked outside.
The atmosphere in the office was somewhat somber, after all, a colleague had been injured, and he was the youngest among them.
Even with a major breakthrough in the case, none of them were happy.
But now, they can't visit each other in the hospital either; instead, they have to stay at their posts and finish their work.
Only by solving this case as soon as possible and giving the victim justice can we ensure that Jin Shuhe's injuries were not in vain.
When Qin Wen arrived downstairs, Lu Liruan was already waiting there.
"Thank you." Lu Liruan fastened her seatbelt.
"It should."
Qin Wen opened the car window to let the smoke out. He had known Jin Shuhe for a while and probably knew that the people around him must not like the smell of smoke, which was why he was so careful. Sometimes he would change his clothes before going home from work.
"Excuse me, how is Xiaohe now?" Lu Liruan asked, clutching her bag tightly.
She had just tried to calm herself down and, as quickly as possible, packed the things she would need for hospitalization into her bag within twenty minutes.
She has calmed down now; panicking won't do her any good.
It can be said that right now, the only person who can stay by Jin Shuhe's side is herself, and she has to be strong.
"I'm not quite sure yet, I just came from work," Qin Wen said honestly.
"Don't worry too much. The person who accompanied him to the hospital called back and said that the situation isn't too bad."
Lu Liruan nodded, not in the mood to speak, and silently looked out the window.
Qin Wen glanced at her a few times in the rearview mirror. She was different from the last time they met. Last time, he thought they looked like two children playing house.
But the way this girl is behaving now... does seem like that of an older sister.
The First Municipal Hospital is always busy and tense. They had just parked their car when they heard the urgent and piercing sound of an ambulance.
Immediately afterwards, the ambulance stopped at the hospital entrance, and several doctors rushed out on a gurney, carrying a person covered in blood and still convulsing towards the emergency room.
Lu Liruan felt cold all over.
"This way." Qin Wen stood in front of her, blocking her view, and led her towards the elevator.
The operating room is on the fifth floor.
Lü Chun was waiting for them on the fifth floor.
Lu Liruan immediately noticed the bloodstains on her white shirt.
Her gaze was too obvious. Lü Chun walked over and put her hand on her shoulder: "It's nothing, it's just a scrape."
"Hello, my surname is Lü. I'm on a business trip with Shuhe this time. I was by his side when he... had his accident."
Lü Chun pulled Lu Liruan down to sit.
"Is Xiaohe undergoing surgery now?" Lu Liruan nodded and asked calmly.
"Yes, it's already been done. Don't worry, it's a fracture reduction surgery. His ribs are broken." As she said this, Lü Chun clearly felt the girl next to her shudder.
How long?
"A few hours, I guess."
Lu Liruan looked at the green light indicating "operation in progress" and felt a little relieved.
She was worried that someone was lying to her, but now that she sees the person in the operating room, it proves that the person is indeed still alive.
“How did this happen…” Lu Liruan unconsciously gripped the bag strap tightly.
"For now..."
"Can't you tell me?"
"..."
"It's okay, I understand." Lu Liruan didn't make things difficult for them.
Lu Chun rarely saw such calm and reasonable family members of the injured, even under such circumstances.
She didn't ask where Jin Shuhe's parents were, because she knew that Jin Shuhe's only relative who could come right now was probably this one.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but the moment she saw the green light go out, Lu Liruan jumped up and looked towards the door.
The operating room door opened, and a gurney was pulled out from inside; the person on the gurney's face was not clearly visible.
"Xiaohe?"
Lu Liruan stepped forward quickly, wanting to take a closer look but worried that she couldn't touch it now. Seeing that the doctor didn't object, Qin Wen reached out and moved the blanket covering her down a bit.
Lu Liruan saw Jin Shuhe's pale, bloodless face clearly.
His face was always small, but always healthy, and he would show me all sorts of expressions...
But now, lying there with his eyes tightly closed, he looked exceptionally small and fragile, and the faint blue veins under his eyelids were visible.
"The surgery was successful. When you get to the ward, the attending nurse will explain the precautions to you. The patient has symptoms of concussion. It is normal for him to vomit and have headaches after he wakes up. If it is severe, we can give him sedatives."
The doctor explained as he removed his mask.
Lu Liruan felt she had never been so clear-headed. While looking at Jin Shuhe's face, she could hear every single word clearly.
When I returned to the ward, it started raining outside.
The curtains were blown up by the wind, and Lü Chun ran over to close them. When she turned around, she saw that Lu Liruan was already squatting on the ground, taking things out one by one.
Everything from changes of clothes and clean sheets to small items like thermos cups and hot water bottles is provided.
She had just touched Jin Shuhe's hand, which was receiving an IV drip, and found it icy cold. She had already asked Qin Wen to fetch hot water, fill a small sleeping bag, and place it under Jin Shuhe's hand.
Jin Shuhe's medical records were brought over by the nurse who had been given instructions.
I had a rib fracture, but fortunately it didn't severely compress or rub against my internal organs. The surgery I just had was an open-chest reduction.
Concussion and several abrasions.
Lu Liruan breathed a sigh of relief; it really didn't look like something that could kill her.
“If you have work to do, you should go back first. I can manage on my own here,” Lu Liruan said to them.
"This……"
Lu Chun was actually quite surprised. This girl looked gentle and weak, but her emotions were very stable and she was very organized in her work.
She was prepared to be blamed by the family members, as this is often the case; family members will subconsciously blame and complain about the people who were with their loved ones when the accident happened.
Even if they realize it later, many people have this feeling at that moment.
Lü Chun did indeed feel guilty.
It wasn't because she did anything wrong, but because as a senior colleague, she had caused injury to a junior colleague who had only been working for less than a year. Although they were colleagues, Lü Chun still felt that she hadn't taken good care of him.
"I'm sorry." She sat down next to Lu Liruan. "I should have been more careful when taking him on missions..."
"He rushed ahead of me at the time...actually I should have..."
“No need to apologize,” Lu Liruan patted her arm. “Although I don’t know what happened, I know that his job involves danger. Is it a good thing for you to get hurt in his place?”
“I know his personality. He’s always willing to step up and put others first. He’s always like that…” Lu Liruan sighed.
From the day I met Jin Shuhe to the many years I've lived with him.
Lu Liruan had long discovered that he possessed an unusual yet deeply ingrained sense of "dedication" in his personality.
It's not a people-pleasing personality.
This child is a very principled person. If he feels something is wrong or he doesn't want to do something, there's no way to force him.
This "dedication" came from the bottom of his heart.
On a small scale, he does all the housework, so I don't have to do anything.
So no matter how busy he is, he will always make time to do it.
Big to...
Lu Liruan sometimes wanted to correct him, but she didn't know how to start.
It seems that he was happy when he made sacrifices for others, but now, Lu Liruan felt that things could not continue like this.
Not knowing when the effects of the anesthesia would wear off, Lu Liruan sat on the edge of the bed, watching the IV drip, watching the medicine drip down, and began to feel sleepy.
After a period of intense mental stress, fatigue inevitably follows.
"Go get some sleep, I'll keep an eye on you," Lu Chun said softly when she saw her rubbing her eyes.
"without……"
“I’ll stay here with him today, it’s what the boss ordered. You’ll have to look after him by yourself when I get back tonight. You should rest up during the day.” Lu Chun interrupted her and pushed her onto the empty bed next to him.
"Call me if you need anything, thank you."
Lu Liruan thought about it and agreed.
After seeing Lu Liruan off, Qin Wen drove back home after helping her pick up Jin Shuhe and bring him back to his ward.
There are only the three of them in the ward now, and it's completely silent.
"Sister Li Ruan..."
Lu Chun continued to follow the clues via her phone when she suddenly heard a low, hoarse breath.
"What's wrong? Are you awake?"
She quickly stood up to check on Jin Shuhe's condition.
Jin Shuhe's eyes were not yet open, but he seemed to have regained some consciousness.
He was muttering something under his breath, and apart from calling Lu Liruan's name, nothing else could be heard.
“Yes, your sister Li Ruan is here! Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” Lü Chun asked softly.
"Sister Li Ruan... don't go, I... I'm sorry..."
"I know. Your sister Li Ruan rushed over as soon as she heard the news. You'll see her once you're fully awake," Lu Chun reassured him, patting him on the head.
Whether or not she had truly taken it to heart, Jin Shuhe gradually calmed down and fell asleep again, her breathing becoming much more stable than when she was under anesthesia.
When Lu Liruan opened her eyes again, it was already dark outside.
"Have something to eat, the person selling boxed lunches just came by." Lü Chun broke off a pair of disposable chopsticks for her.
"Thank you." Lu Liruan drank some water and leaned closer to look at Jin Shuhe: "He's still not awake? Should we call a doctor?"
"He woke up once, but his consciousness hadn't fully returned, so he fell asleep again, calling your name the whole time." Lü Chun smiled and said, "You two have such a good relationship."
Lu Liruan was taken aback, but did not refute it. She curled the corners of her lips and said, "Yes, very good."
Lu Chun ate a couple of bites of rice when the phone rang again.
"You can go ahead if you need to. I can manage on my own. If I get too busy, I'll hire a caregiver. Your work is more important."
"Okay, I'll come again tomorrow." Lü Chun put his arm around Lu Liruan's shoulder to comfort her.
Having slept relatively soundly, Lu Liruan washed her face and fully woke up.
Jin Shuhe's arm, which was receiving an IV drip, was already swollen, but there was nothing that could be done.
"Sister Li Ruan..."
Jin Shuhe vaguely felt that someone was wiping his face, which felt very comfortable.
He had just had a very long dream, the contents of which were fragmented and discontinuous.
Under general anesthesia, he was somewhat unable to distinguish whether it was a memory or an imagination.
He confessed his feelings to Sister Li Ruan, and instead of blaming him, she patiently listened to him finish his heartfelt words.
Not only that... Sister Li Ruan even kissed him.
Jin Shuhe could clearly perceive that hazy and gentle touch.
After struggling to open his eyes, the blinding light faded, and the first thing he saw was Sister Li Ruan.
"You're awake!" Lu Liruan put down the towel, cupped his face, and examined him carefully: "Is anything uncomfortable? Does it hurt a lot?"
"Sister Li Ruan...you..."
"Ok?"
"Did you kiss me?" The lingering effects of the anesthetic were slowing his nerves.
It's like I can't keep things to myself; as soon as an idea comes to mind, I open my mouth and ask it out.
Jin Shuhe asked the question in a daze, not even realizing what was happening.
Lu Liruan was stunned for a moment, then felt a mix of nervousness and amusement.
"That's all you want to say?"
Lu Liruan looked at him.
"Is it true?" After he woke up, his face regained some color and he was no longer so pale and frightening.
"I remember now!" he murmured, speaking slowly, somewhat like he had when he was drunk that day.
He looked at Lu Liruan, waiting patiently for her answer.
"It's true, they're so close."
Lu Liruan cupped his face in her hands and looked him in the eye. Then, just like that night, she leaned down and kissed him in the same spot.
“Sister Li Ruan…” Jin Shuhe was stunned.
Lu Liruan looked at him pitifully: "Have you remembered this time?"