In the silent and cold corridor, a man was pacing back and forth anxiously. He never had been fond of the silence that seemed to enshroud the hospitals making them seem more dreadful and lifeless.
As the doors opened and he saw a doctor in a white coat walking out, Xiao Zhi Ren ran up to his side. "Doctor, how is he?" He bit his tongue before changing his words, "I mean, how is she?"
"The patient is stable now." Xiao Zhi Ren knew there was something amiss with his tone. Therefore, he waited patiently for the doctor to continue, "The patient doesn't have hypothermia. Although the symptoms are the same."
"Then what happened to her?" Xiao Zhi Ren questioned with a frown.
"We found some drug residuals in her blood."
"Drug? What type of drug?" He asked incredulously.
The doctor sighed heavily. "We are not sure. But her condition is definitely because of the side effects of those drugs." Xiao Zhi Ren was feeling confused and didn't listen to whatever the doctor had to say.
Earlier, finding out that his sworn brother was the girl he had been looking for, was a huge blow to his heart. It took him a while to let that news sink in. He had called for a helicopter to take them to the hospital because he didn't want to waste time stuck in the traffic.
Now, when he entered the room, he saw her lying unconscious on the white bed which looked comfortable enough but the beads of sweat on her face said otherwise. She didn't look comfortable at all.
Suddenly, she turned her face and looked straight into Xiao Zhi Ren's eyes. For a second, he stood there; stunned. He thought she was unconscious but apparently, she wasn't anymore.
Ru looked at her own body before shifting her gaze back to him. He didn't know what was going through her mind but whatever it was it made a beautiful smile to bloom on her slightly pale face.
But that smile tore Xiao Zhi Ren's heart into a million pieces. 'A broken girl with a broken smile and a broken heart. Oh look, she's trying to keep the world from tearing her apart.' He felt a sudden constriction in his heart. He felt suffocated by that smile which looked too beautiful and too real; much to his displeasure.
Suddenly, he had a wish to see her smiling from the heart. As if that one smile might be able to tear all those dark clouds that had been circling in his heart.
Ru was surprised to find that Xiao Zhi Ren was the one who brought her to the hospital. Once again, he saved her. Even when she didn't ask him to. She knew the effect of that drug on her body way too well. The more stimulated she was, the more she'd lose control of her senses. And yet, that's exactly what happened tonight.
She was expecting Xiao Zhi Ren to question her. There was no way that he didn't find out about her gender. But oddly, he didn't. He didn't ask. He just sat on the stool beside her bed and stayed quiet.
"Don't you want to know something?" In the end, Ru had to question it herself.
Xiao Zhi Ren looked at her and took a deep breath. "How are you feeling? Any discomfort or pain?" He asked with concern that stunned Ru.
Ru shook her head in a daze. "No. I'm fine. Nothing I can't take."
Her words unexpectedly pierced Xiao Zhi Ren's heart. Saying, 'Nothing I can't take' was like telling him she had been through worse. Suddenly his mind flashed the images of the night she walked along with him and said, 'I've been through hell.' Even though she had laughed it off later as a joke, he was sure it wasn't a joke. And now, there was no doubt left in him.
Ru expected him to confront her but he inquired about her health. It was better for her since she really didn't know what answer she could give him.
"Don't you have something else to ask?" She wanted to smack her head for opening her damn mouth but she couldn't help it. The more normal he acted, the more uneasy she felt.
Even Xiao Zhi Ren knew why she was going roundabout this topic but he didn't really want to comment on her way of life. At least, not yet!
"Is that your real voice?" Ru's eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief with her mouth agape. Was he serious? Instead of her being a girl, he's inquiring about my voice? But she still shook her head at him. "Can you please use your real voice? It's a bit awkward."