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墨書 Inktalez
As Qiao Nuo stepped into the kitchen ahead of Jin Chengyan, she saw Qiao Kawai crouched on the floor, a long gash running down her arm, blood streaming out.
Qiao Kawai seemed either stunned or in shock, lying on the ground without even crying, staring blankly at Puff, who had already served the food, and the pool of blood before her.
"Where's the first aid kit?" Jin Chengyan asked urgently.
"It's in the second drawer under the TV cabinet in the living room!"
After Qiao Nuo spoke, she quickly grabbed a clean towel and pressed it against Qiao Kawai's wound to stop the bleeding.
Seeing her mother approach, Qiao Kawai finally snapped back to reality and burst into tears.
"Sweetheart, it’s okay, it doesn’t hurt," Qiao Nuo said soothingly while trying to cover Qiao Kawai's injury.
But deep down, she knew that was impossible. How could it not hurt? A gash that deep from a shard of ceramic was bound to be excruciating.
As blood continued to flow, memories flooded back to four years ago when Jin Chengyan had stabbed her in the chest, blood gushing out.
She trembled as she held Qiao Kawai tightly.
"Mommy... it hurts so much... waah..." Qiao Kawai cried out loudly. At her age, how could she hide her pain? All she could do was cry.
"Sweetheart, if it hurts, just bite my hand. I’ll take you to the hospital right away; your wound will heal quickly!" It shouldn’t have been Qiao Kawai alone in the kitchen; it was all Jin Chengyan's fault for disturbing their peace.
With this incident, all blame fell squarely on Jin Chengyan!
If he hadn’t shown up, everything would have been fine!
As if on cue, he rushed in with the first aid kit.
"I’ve already called for an ambulance. Let’s do some basic first aid first; the wound is deep and you need to go to the hospital!" Jin Chengyan said calmly as he pulled out gauze and antiseptic from the kit.
Qiao Nuo's gaze shifted away from Qiao Kawai, and when she looked at Jin Chengyan again, there was a hint of hatred in her eyes, even preventing him from touching Qiao Kawai.
After all, wasn't he the one who had stabbed a knife into his own chest?
What else could Jin Chengyan possibly do?
"Qiao Nuo, are you really going to watch Qiao Kawai bleed to death?" Jin Chengyan said in a low voice. Qiao Kawai was still crying so heartbreakingly; what exactly was she holding on to?
In the end, Qiao Kawai was Qiao Nuo's Achilles' heel. With Jin Chengyan's forceful demeanor, he took Qiao Kawai's arm away from Qiao Nuo.
"Little Cutie, it might hurt a bit when I help you stop the bleeding later, but it will be okay after that. Once you're better, Handsome Uncle will take you to the amusement park. How does that sound?" Jin Chengyan spoke to Qiao Kawai while diverting her attention.
Qiao Kawai looked at Handsome Uncle with tearful eyes, her little hands moving restlessly.
"Why can't it be stopped?" Qiao Nuo watched as Jin Chengyan removed the towel; the small white cloth was completely soaked in blood, and more blood continued to flow from Qiao Kawai's arm without any sign of stopping!
"Does she have some kind of illness?" Although Jin Chengyan wasn't a doctor, seeing Qiao Kawai bleed so profusely genuinely worried him.
"No... no..." Qiao Nuo shook her head, suddenly panicking.
Seeing her like this made Jin Chengyan want to comfort her, but both his hands were busy trying to stop the bleeding for Qiao Kawai.
"Qiao Nuo, it's okay. I'm here."
With Jin Chengyan around, could everything really be okay?
Qiao Nuo's eyes were filled with tears as she looked up and met Jin Chengyan's gaze.
In that moment, she seemed to see the look in his eyes when he had offered her a helping hand during her most desperate times.
At that time, Jin Chengyan was the best version of himself that Qiao Nuo had ever encountered, and since then, she had never seen that side of him again.
Meeting Qiao Nuo's gaze, Jin Chengyan offered her an encouraging look.
After all, Jin Chengyan was the man who could turn the tides in Qin Cheng, exuding an aura of respect that made people want to rely on him in times of crisis.
The ambulance arrived, taking the already unconscious Qiao Kawai to the hospital.
As soon as Qiao Kawai reached the hospital, she was rushed into the operating room while Qiao Nuo anxiously waited outside.
How could she be bleeding so profusely? The doctor who accompanied them had taken a quick look at Qiao Kawai's condition and frowned, appearing rather pessimistic.
Could it be more than just a scratch?
"Qiao Nuo, have some hot cocoa to warm up," Jin Chengyan said, handing her a cup of steaming drink.
Qiao Nuo turned around, her gaze shifting from the hot cocoa in Jin Chengyan's hand to his face. At that moment, she wondered why Xi Yisheng wasn't there with them.
She found it hard to trust Jin Chengyan. She had heard the story of the boy who cried wolf before; he had promised to protect her, but what about now?
"Qi Ziluo has already called in the hematology specialists. You don't need to worry; the little one will be fine," Jin Chengyan said, taking Qiao Nuo's hand and placing the hot cocoa in her palm.
"Hematology?" Qiao Nuo asked in surprise.
"The little one's blood clotting function is problematic, but we won't know the specifics until the test results come back. Today is New Year's Eve, and many people are off work, so it might take a bit longer for the results..."
Before Jin Chengyan could finish his sentence, the hot cocoa slipped from Qiao Nuo's hands and fell to the floor.
Blood clotting issues...
"Qiao Nuo!" Jin Chengyan caught her as she swayed, one hand resting on her waist while he held her hand with the other.
"How is that possible? Qiao Kawai is so young; how could there be a problem?" Panic washed over Qiao Nuo.
In the past, when Qiao Kawai went for a medical check-up, nothing was found wrong. How could everything go awry upon returning?
"This is just a preliminary diagnosis. We'll wait for the test results before discussing anything further, okay? I'll stay by your side the whole time," Jin Chengyan said as he tightened his embrace around Qiao Nuo.
Feeling utterly unsupported, Qiao Nuo leaned into Jin Chengyan's arms.
There was too much suffering; just a little more, and she felt she wouldn't be able to hold on any longer. Qiao Kawai's condition was undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back.
With one hand resting on Qiao Nuo's back, feeling her quietly nestled in his embrace, Jin Chengyan thought the whole world had fallen silent. Perhaps they could stay like this forever!
He wanted to hold Qiao Nuo in his arms until the end of time.
"A Yan!" Qi Ziluo arrived in a hurry from the New Year's dinner, only to find Jin Chengyan holding a girl.
At the sound of the voice, Qiao Nuo snapped back to reality and sprang out of Jin Chengyan's embrace.
How could this happen? Even in her moment of isolation and helplessness, why had she thrown herself into Jin Chengyan's arms?
Did she really think he would protect her?
Ha! Had Jin Chengyan ever truly protected her?
Upon realizing who Jin Chengyan was holding, Qi Ziluo understood why he had rushed back from the dinner without hesitation.
It was Qiao Nuo.
"Qiao Nuo, long time no see." Four years ago, Qi Ziluo had been one of the doctors scheduled to perform surgery on Qiao Nuo. However, due to a last-minute change to a more experienced surgeon, he had been spared from that fate.
It was also because Qi Ziluo had not been present that he was unaware of Yan Beiting's involvement at that time.
Qiao Nuo nodded at Qi Ziluo, gathering her emotions.
“Why is Qiao Kawai bleeding profusely from her arm? Does she have some kind of illness?”
“Calm down for a moment. My colleague tested Qiao Kawai's blood and found that her platelet count is very low…”
“Just tell me what illness she might have.” Those technical terms were beyond Qiao Nuo's understanding.
“We suspect it might be leukemia.”
The world seemed to explode around Qiao Nuo at that moment.
Leukemia?! How could that be possible!
Why hadn’t she noticed anything before? Why was Qiao Kawai suffering from such a disease?
“Qiao Nuo, this is just a preliminary suspicion. She might only be anemic. Don’t panic; we will conduct a detailed examination.” The doctor had said everything that shouldn’t have been said.
Qiao Nuo couldn’t focus on anything else; all she could think about was Qiao Kawai’s leukemia.
“No… I’m sorry, but… can you leave me alone for a moment?” As she spoke, Qiao Nuo took a step back. Even if it was just a preliminary suspicion, she couldn’t bear to accept it.
Back then, she had survived with Qiao Kawai's support. If something happened to Qiao Kawai, she didn’t know how she would carry on!
“Stay close to me.” Jin Chengyan wouldn’t leave Qiao Nuo alone at this moment. “I’ll stay with you.”
Ignoring him, Qiao Nuo walked toward the operating room door. She refused to believe that Qiao Kawai had contracted such a terrible illness!
Seeing that Qiao Nuo hadn’t gone far, Jin Chengyan felt relieved.
Just as he was about to approach her, Qi Ziluo grabbed his wrist.
“Child… your?” Qi Ziluo was aware of what had happened years ago, but he hadn’t been in the operating room at the time and didn’t know whether Qiao Nuo was alive or what had happened to her, or if she was pregnant.
Now, Qiao Nuo was so anxious about the child, and Jin Chengyan felt the same tension.
Could it be Jin Chengyan's?
Jin Chengyan looked at Qiao Nuo and shook his head slightly.
Qi Ziluo wore a look of surprise.
"You've worked hard to come here today, but Qiao Kawai is very important to Qiao Nuo, and Qiao Nuo is important to me. I don't want to see her sad."
"I understand, but... if it really is leukemia, you both need to prepare yourselves mentally!" Qi Ziluo patted Jin Chengyan's arm.
Jin Chengyan felt a weight settle in his heart. A child bleeding profusely was certainly not a simple matter.
He hoped that every illness had the possibility of being cured.
All broken relationships could also heal in time.
Qiao Nuo stood outside the operating room, while Jin Chengyan watched her from a short distance away.
Later, Qiao Kawai’s bleeding stopped and she was sent to the intensive care unit. Qiao Nuo changed into a sterile gown and entered the room to accompany the unconscious Qiao Kawai.
The report would take three or four days to come out, and all Qiao Nuo could do now was wait.
She prayed that Qiao Kawai would be alright and that this was all just a joke.
After midnight, outside, fireworks and firecrackers filled the air with joy. At this time, who wasn't celebrating with family? Who wasn't gathered with loved ones?
But Qiao Nuo was in the hospital, alone by Qiao Kawai's side.
Perhaps she couldn't hold on any longer; she leaned against the bed and fell asleep, her hand tightly gripping Qiao Kawai's hand.
Jin Chengyan changed into a sterile suit and quietly entered the hospital room, draping a blanket over Qiao Nuo.
He had originally planned to carry her to the sofa for a rest, but seeing her holding Qiao Kawai's hand, he hesitated to move her.
Bending down beside her, he reached out and tucked the hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. His hand unconsciously brushed against Qiao Nuo's cheek.
How long had it been since Jin Chengyan had spent such quiet moments with Qiao Nuo?
How long had it been since he had observed her so closely?
This face—how many times had he thought about it before he could finally be so close, able to reach out and touch the real person?
Qiao Nuo, I really miss you.
"Yi Sheng... Yi Sheng..." Qiao Nuo seemed to feel someone touching her face and instinctively thought that it was Xi Yisheng.
Four years of being together day and night, four years of meticulous care had made Qiao Nuo accustomed to Xi Yisheng's presence.
When Qiao Kawai had an accident earlier, the first thing that came to Qiao Nuo's mind was to call Xi Yisheng instead of the hospital.
But after dialing the number, she realized that Xi Yisheng was likely on a flight back to Italy at that moment and wouldn’t be able to answer her call.
Without Xi Yisheng by her side, Qiao Nuo felt everything was out of place.
Jin Chengyan's hand froze on Qiao Nuo's face.
At this moment, she was still thinking about Xi Yisheng?
Had nothing truly happened between them in these four years?
Four years... Qiao Nuo had been with Xi Yisheng for four years!
He and Qiao Nuo had only been together for half a year, yet he was consumed by jealousy. Why could that man be with Qiao Nuo for four years?
“I am... Faye... I am Faye... not Qiao Nuo... not...” Qiao Nuo whispered, and Jin Chengyan, who was close to her, heard everything.
Qiao Nuo insisted she was Faye, not Qiao Nuo.
Did she dislike the identity of Qiao Nuo so much? Did she resent the fact that Jin Chengyan loved the Qiao Nuo identity?
“But Yi Sheng... it hurts... it hurts so much...” Tears slipped from the corners of Qiao Nuo's eyes, wetting Jin Chengyan's fingers.
Seeing her like this softened Jin Chengyan's heart again. He already felt indebted to Qiao Nuo; when she said it hurt, wasn’t that pain something he had caused her?
“You shouldn’t... think of him... you shouldn’t...”
Jin Chengyan’s mind jolted. Was Qiao Nuo still thinking about him?
He wanted to hear more, but Qiao Nuo didn’t continue. She turned her head, seemingly unaccustomed to the position.
Jin Chengyan’s hand hovered in the air before slowly retracting.
“Qiao Nuo, you don’t know how much I love you.” He closed his eyes slightly, feeling the space that contained Qiao Nuo; this was something he had longed for many years.
He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. How long had he been waiting for this kiss?
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