Chapter 75 [VIP] Shielding Best Friend (13)

Chapter 75 [VIP] Shielding Best Friend (13)

Observing Jiang Shaoyan hastily leave the scene without a word, Fang Wanru cast him a doubtful glance, wondering why his face had suddenly turned so pale.

Upon reflection, she vaguely guessed that it was due to her final remarks...

It was likely related to Nan Yan, but she had no idea what had transpired between them on the day they broke up. That would explain the regretful expression on his face, and even the reddening of his eyes.

In truth, she had known Jiang Shaoyan for quite some time, but rarely saw him lose his composure. Perhaps it had something to do with his family; Jiang Shaoyan was fond of self-restraint, especially in high school when he outwardly gave off an "approach with caution" vibe, yet secretly enjoyed being included in social activities. He also seldom fought for what he liked, sometimes even appearing dismissive of it. After she fell for Fu Qingzhou, her attention towards Jiang Shaoyan diminished even more.

At the mere thought of Fu Qingzhou, Fang Wanruo couldn't help but feel a slight ache in her heart. She leaned back on her chair, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Lately, she had an indistinct sense of foreboding, and it had been almost three months since their separation. They hadn't seen each other once during this time. How was he doing now? If not for the troubles that befell the Fu family, her father and those from the Fang family wouldn't have forced him to leave. She truly was caught between a rock and a hard place—on one side were her relatives, and on the other, her lover of six or seven years. She couldn't bring herself to make a choice, yet the Fang family kept pushing her.

In the end, he was the one who took the initiative to leave. She knew he did so to spare her the difficulty, taking on the role of the villain himself.

But now... she was almost at her breaking point.

With these thoughts weighing on her mind, tears uncontrollably welled up in Fang Wanruo's eyes. If no one else stepped forward to help the Fang family through this crisis, she might really have to consider marrying into another family.

As for what Fang Wanruo was thinking, Jiang Shoyan had no idea. Both of them were somewhat preoccupied, so after finishing their meal, they hastily left in separate directions.

……

On the other side of the construction site, a severe accident with casualties had occurred unintentionally.

When Nan Yan received the call, it was around eleven in the morning. She was preparing lunch for Fu Qingzhou at that moment.

As soon as the call connected, she didn't have the chance to speak before hearing a chaotic and noisy commotion from the other end. Through the intermittent sounds, she vaguely made out, "Hello, are you a family member of Little Fu? Come to the hospital quickly, hurry up..."

Nan Yan was slightly puzzled. Hearing him refer to 'Little Fu's family', she suddenly realized he must be talking about Fu Qingzhou. She instinctively asked,

"Has something happened?"

The man thumped his thigh, his voice laced with dialect, as he yelled at her,

"Indeed, something terrible has happened, a major catastrophe! There was an accident on the construction site! That new guy, Fu, got trapped under a load-bearing wall. They say he's severely injured and bleeding profusely. You, Fu's family member, hurry to the hospital; it might be too late if you don't come soon..."

The man's tone was filled with urgency, bordering on panic. The wail of an ambulance could even be heard in the distance.

The situation now was utter chaos, clearly not a jest.

Upon hearing this, Nan Yan froze initially, then seemed to snap back to reality. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, and she took a step forward, feeling as if all her strength had drained from her body. Inadvertently, she knocked over tableware, the loud "thud" jolting her fully awake.

Nan Yan finally came to her senses. She pacing back and forth several times, subconsciously covering her forehead with her palm, asking incoherently multiple times before she learned the exact location of the hospital. Without even changing her clothes, she flagged down a taxi on the street and headed straight for the hospital.

On her way there, Nan Yan continuously dialed Fu Qingzhou's phone, but it was always switched off, leaving her unable to obtain any concrete information.

Arriving at the hospital without a clear understanding of the situation or the severity of the injury, she noticed a few familiar construction workers standing at the entrance, covered in lime dust. As Nan Yan had once delivered lunch to Fu Qingzhou for a period, they recognized her and led her upstairs to the ward once they saw her. In between their intermittent accounts, she pieced together the general picture...

The supporting wall on the south side of the construction site had collapsed during demolition. At that moment, Fu Qingzhou and another worker were closest to it, unable to escape in time. When the supporting wall fell, other walls followed, burying both of them beneath the rubble. As Fu Qingzhou was nearest, he suffered the most severe injuries and had already been rushed into surgery for emergency treatment. The outcome was still uncertain.

Just as Nan Yan reached the ward door, a group of doctors and nurses in white coats emerged. The one at the front, looking helpless, shook his head, his sleeve stained with blood. A nurse approached and asked, "Who among you is the family member of the patient?"

Nan Yan instinctively stepped forward, anxiously inquiring, "I am, I'm a family member. Can you tell me, how is he? Is his condition severe?"

The nurse shook her head at her, her tone somber. "The patient's injuries are severe. The load-bearing wall struck the back of his head. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was barely conscious. When he was taken to the emergency resuscitation room, his pupils had dilated, and his heartbeat and breathing had ceased. I'm sorry, we've done all we could."

Upon hearing this, Nan Yan froze in shock.

She looked up at the chief physician in disbelief. The doctor also shook his head at her, offered an apology, and then left. The group of coworkers standing by, hearts heavy, dared not approach to disturb.

Nan Yan didn't remember how she entered the ward, especially when she saw the lifeless figure on the bed, concealed beneath a white sheet.

In an instant, her vision turned dark, and her knees went weak. Uncontrollably, she crumpled to the ground, staring blankly at the lifeless form on the bed. Tears began to pour down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"Fu Qingzhou, wake up… please…"

She still couldn't quite believe it, especially as she gazed at the body wrapped in white cloth. Tentatively, she reached out her hand, longing to touch yet hesitant, her face streaked with tears.

"You're just joking with me, right?" She shook her head, her voice already hoarse, as large tears rolled down her face. "You said this morning that you'd come home tonight to eat the meal I cooked… You mentioned that after this month, you could change jobs. How could this happen now? It's not possible…"

Nan Yan stumbled to the bedside, now sobbing uncontrollably.

"Surely you're joking with me, aren't you?"

"Fu Qingzhou, wake up, I still have so much to tell you. Please listen to me, won't you? I haven't even finished telling you... Wake up..."

With a cry of despair, she clutched the cold, stiff fingers that protruded from the white cloth, her emotions crumbling as if she could no longer contain her sorrow. She sobbed loudly at him, "Fu Qingzhou, get up, listen to me. I haven't told you yet..." The rest of her words were left unspoken.

"What do you wish to convey to me?"

Right at this moment, a voice that was all too familiar echoed from behind her, tinged with a hint of uncertainty as it called out her name, "Nan Yan?"

Her sobs abruptly ceased, and Nanyan's eyes widened in disbelief. It took her a long while to turn around stiffly.

Upon seeing Fu Qingzhou standing unscathed not far behind her, staring intently at her, the impact was so overwhelming that she seemed to have momentarily lost the ability to speak. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"Fu... Qingzhou..."

She first struggled to call out his name.

Before he could respond, she instinctively rushed towards him, seized his sleeve, and tightly embraced his waist as if she had regained a cherished possession. She clung to him as if trying to merge her body into his embrace.

"Well, I'm here..."

Nanyan still couldn't stop her tears, weeping so hard that she was almost gasping for breath. In no time, her sobs had soaked through Fu Qingzhou's shirt on his chest.

Fu Qingzhou could roughly guess what had happened and knew that she must be terrified. He patted her back gently, as if soothing a child, while comforting her, "I'm fine, really. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll stay right here with you, I won't go anywhere. Alright, don't cry anymore, it'll hurt your eyes if you keep going like this..."

Nanyan clutched his shirt tightly. Upon hearing his words, her emotions finally stabilized. She stared at him, sniffling, "They... Didn't they all say... How come you're not dead..."

Initially, Fu Qingzhou wasn't in a good mood seeing her cry so bitterly. However, upon hearing her words, he couldn't help but laugh out of frustration. He rubbed her head rather helplessly, "Who told you I was dead? How dare they spread such false news?"

"I happened to be standing at the edge when the wall collapsed, and some obstacles shielded me, so I wasn't as severely injured as the new recruit, Du. He didn't make it. I only sustained minor scratches, nothing serious."

Nan Yan finally regained her composure. Raising her head, she looked at him with red-rimmed eyes and a congested voice, "You said his surname was Du, not Fu?"

Fu Qingzhou reached out to wipe her cheeks, carefully removing the tears from both sides. He felt both relieved and pained, patiently explaining, "Yes, the newcomer who passed away was surnamed Du. Maybe you heard them wrong on the phone. It was chaotic back then, and 'Du' and 'Fu' sound very similar. It's understandable that they might have gotten mixed up. Besides, my phone was damaged under the debris, so I couldn't contact you in time."

Nan Yan finally understood. The news about his supposed death had been a result of misinformation from his coworkers who hadn't had the full picture.

The thought of her holding a stranger's hand, sobbing and wailing in grief for a long time, only to be witnessed by the person concerned, made Nan Yan's face flush instantly. Instinctively, she tried to push away from Fu Qingzhou's embrace, but he held her tightly, applying quite a bit of strength.

Seeing that she had finally regained her composure, Fu Qingzhuo genuinely sighed in relief. He offered a reassuring smile and then asked earnestly, "I heard you mention that you had something important to tell me earlier. Now that I'm standing right in front of you, can you share it with me?"

Nan Yan remained silent, her lips pressed together. Her eyes, still moist from tears, stared blankly at him.

Fu Qingzhuo lowered his head to look back at her.

He seemed slightly nervous, but there was also a hint of anticipation in his gaze. Feeling uncomfortable under his intense stare, Nan Yan averted her eyes.

Seeing that she was unwilling to speak, Fu Qingzhuo suddenly whispered, "If you're not ready to talk, that's alright. Can I ask you some questions instead?"

He exhaled softly and, in a sudden whisper, asked, "Do you like me? That's why you cried so bitterly when you found out about my accident. Don't tell me we're just friends; I want to hear your true feelings."

As he spoke, a lingering tear from Nan Yan's eye rolled down her cheek. She hesitated for a moment before lifting her gaze to meet his. "Yes, I like you. I don't know when it started, but I think of you every day. When I see you happy, I'm happy too. And when I see you hurt, I can't help but feel sad."

Upon hearing this response, Fu Qingzhou's joy became almost overwhelming. He embraced Nan Yan tightly, then, after releasing her, couldn't resist planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. This affectionate gesture left Nan Yan dazed, her eyes wide open as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Regret tinged his voice after the kiss, yet a surge of uncontrollable contentment swelled within him, prompting him to gently pinch her cheek. "I like you too."

He couldn't pinpoint when it started, probably around the time when he was at his most vulnerable and desperate. There was someone who steadfastly stood by him, offering encouragement. It was truly hard for him not to be swayed by such devotion.

Upon hearing his words, Nan Yan couldn't help but laugh too. However, reflecting on his previous question, she suddenly felt a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. She tugged at him playfully, "Wait, why do you need to ask me about such matters? Shouldn't you be the one taking the initiative?"

Fù Qīngzhōu found her reaction amusing. He bent down to kiss the tip of her nose, appearing even more composed. "Who asked you to get caught red-handed? How could I let such a perfect opportunity slip away? Besides, don't you see who was lying there, weeping so bitterly? Were you that scared that I had died?"

Nan Yan pursed her lips. She glanced at him, then suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in the crook of his neck. With a low and tremulous "mm-hmm," she said, "I was very afraid that you had died. So, you're not allowed to scare me like that anymore in the future."