Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Sheng Lian instinctively looked up—no one was at the window.

Wincing, he got up from the ground. Li Shu rushed to call a doctor, but Sheng Lian stopped him.

Sheng Lian had been reckless since childhood, and falling from trees wasn’t a rare occurrence for him. He could roughly tell that nothing was broken—a silver lining amidst misfortune. Still, he’d be sore for a while and needed to find some ointment to rub on the bruises quickly.

Li Shu kept fretting, "Shouldn’t we call a doctor to check? What if something’s wrong…"

Sheng Lian knew Li Shu meant well, but his mind was worried about Lin Qingshi, making him anxious.

Right before he fell, he had seen Lin Qingshi’s eyes widen, as if he had let out a muffled cry. Moreover, Lin Qingshi’s expression earlier had been downright stormy. Though Sheng Lian didn’t know what he’d done to anger him again, he needed to hurry and calm Lin Qingshi down now.

It wouldn’t be good if he got frightened.

Sheng Lian brushed aside Li Shu’s outstretched hand. "Good idea, call the doctor."

"Alright, alright, I’ll go right away—"

"Have them wait in the room… no, outside the door. I’ll be right up." Sheng Lian’s voice was stern as he barked at Li Shu, "No one is allowed inside until I say so!"

If outsiders barged in while Lin Qingshi was in that state, who knew how furious he’d be? If he was truly unwell, he might even resist treatment in his disoriented state—ah, that pride of his. But right now, Sheng Lian was the exception.

That inappropriate flicker of gloat in Sheng Lian’s heart vanished in an instant.

"The room?" Li Shu’s expression changed as realization struck. Without hesitation, he ignored Sheng Lian, who was limping toward the house, and sprinted off to fetch the doctor.

After all, he was someone Lin Qingshi had brought along. In his heart, there was a clear hierarchy—Lin Qingshi took precedence over Sheng Lian. So he took Sheng Lian’s repeated warnings to heart.

By the time Sheng Lian reached the door, the hallway was already crowded. Li Shu stood guard, ensuring no one dared enter.

Even Jin Ze, who prided himself on being an old acquaintance of Li Shu’s, was mercilessly barred at the door. No matter how displeased he looked, Li Shu didn’t budge an inch.

For the first time, Sheng Lian resented how large this villa was—though in reality, his frantic dash hadn’t even taken a full minute.

But most of the doctors had been waiting on the first floor, so they arrived quickly.

Using his imposing stature to his advantage, Sheng Lian roughly pushed through the crowd, urgency overriding all else. He had to confirm Lin Qingshi’s condition first.

The room was dead silent, not a sound to be heard.

Sheng Lian waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back further, then cautiously cracked the door open.

Dread pooled in his stomach, and the faint, ragged breathing from inside only deepened his unease.

His heart sank. Sheng Lian swiftly slipped inside, and the sight that greeted him hit him like a truck—

Lin Qingshi sat slumped on the floor, his back to the door, his gaunt frame curled up and leaning weakly against the bed. From Sheng Lian’s angle, his slender, pale neck hung limply, the vertebrae jutting unnaturally, alarmingly visible—as if they might snap at any moment.

His thin shoulders trembled violently, and his gasping, wet breaths hammered against Sheng Lian’s eardrums. Yet, even so, Lin Qingshi seemed unable to catch his breath. Sheng Lian couldn’t see his face from behind, but dread gripped him as he rushed forward in three quick strides, wrapping his arms around Lin Qingshi to steady him. He hastily adjusted his clothes before twisting around and roaring for a doctor!

His palm pressed against Lin Qingshi’s back, counting every rib beneath his touch. Even the gentlest pressure might shatter him. Sheng Lian was at a loss, fighting panic.

His hands shook with fear.

Lin Qingshi was wheezing like a punctured lung!

Those usually cold, distant eyes were tightly shut, tears streaking his face. The rims of his eyes were red, but his face grew paler by the second—paper-white. His delicate fingers clutched at the fabric over his chest, knuckles whitening, occasionally twitching spasmodically. He must have been in excruciating pain.

These past few days, Sheng Lian had seen Lin Qingshi in such disarray far too often—and it was all his fault.

Gritting his teeth, Sheng Lian’s expression turned thunderous.

Right now, he wished he could go back and chop it off himself.

The doctors waiting outside rushed in at Sheng Lian’s shout, but upon assessing the situation, they quickly dispersed to give Lin Qingshi space to breathe, leaving only one physician to approach.

It was a panic attack.

Lin Qingshi didn’t remember how it happened.

The moment Sheng Lian fell before his eyes, despite all his past grievances, his stomach dropped, and he hurried toward the window.

By the time he realized what was happening, his lights dimmed, and he collapsed to the floor. He must have hit the bed frame on the way down, but he felt no pain. He tried to get up, but his limbs turned to lead, leaving him to weakly grasp at the bed to avoid sprawling fully onto the cold floor.

Oxygen grew scarcer. The world spun violently. He wanted to call for help, but all that escaped were choked rasps.

He didn’t remember if he had managed to cry out in the end. Seconds crawled, each second torture. No one came. The not-so-large room suddenly felt vast and empty—would no one ever find him?

Sheng Lian had fallen. Everyone’s attention would be drawn there. So what about him…?

Blind terror engulfed him, worsening his condition. Sharp pains lanced through his skull, his chest tightened, and his ears rang—his body’s final warning.

He must have looked a wreck.

Just before his consciousness slipped away entirely, Lin Qingshi heard Sheng Lian’s voice cracking with fear.

His hazy eyes made out several dark figures looming over him. He wanted to speak, but all he could do was gasp uncontrollably. His lungs burned. Static fuzzing his vision as his awareness faded in and out. The voices around him grew distant, then near.

Everything was chaos. The doctor’s voice remained calm: "It’s alright, not serious. President Sheng, stay composed. Don’t panic. First, soothe President Lin’s emotions. Yes, guide his breathing. Count slowly—someone get a paper bag!"

"Qing Shi? Can you hear me? I’m here, it’s okay now… In—out—yes, just like that, take it slow…" Sheng Lian stumbled through the doctor’s instructions, his throat dry from tension, his voice raw with fear. Still, he repeated the reassurances by Lin Qingshi’s ear.

The doctor assisted with the paper bag, watching it rise and fall in rhythm until, gradually, Lin Qingshi’s breathing steadied.

"Good… very good. Don’t rush. I’m right here. I’m not hurt. You’ll feel better soon."

Only when his throat ached from speaking and the body in his arms finally stopped trembling and spasming did Sheng Lian’s hammering heart begin to settle.

By the time Lin Qingshi regained his senses, he was running on empty. With so many people around, he refused to let Sheng Lian carry him, digging deep to push himself upright against the bed. His gaze swept the room before feebly pushing at Sheng Lian’s encircling arms—though the motion lacked force, it almost seemed like he was leaning into him instead.

Biting his lip, Lin Qingshi stilled, silently gathering his strength.

But Sheng Lian understood immediately. He wrenched his eyes away from Lin Qingshi and coldly dismissed the doctors: "Everyone, out."

With the patient stabilized, the physicians had no reason to linger. Soon, the room was empty.

Only in the sudden hush did Lin Qingshi finally relax, slumping against Sheng Lian. His limbs were still weak, drawing shallow breaths, as if afraid of triggering another episode.

"Let me carry you to bed."

Lin Qingshi gave a stiff nod, but as Sheng Lian moved to lift him, his body went rigid.

The gentle maneuvering could be attributed to avoiding jostling him—or perhaps…

Lin Qingshi suddenly remembered Sheng Lian had just fallen from the second floor—it was that sudden shock that had triggered his panic attack.

"You—*cough*—okay?"

He struggled to lift his eyelids to look at Sheng Lian, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a fit of coughing overtook him. His throat hadn’t recovered yet, and his words came out as little more than a whisper, forcing Sheng Lian to lean in closer—only for his back muscles to twinge sharply the moment he bent down. His face twitched slightly, barely noticeable.

Lin Qingshi frowned instantly.

He reached out to push Sheng Lian away. “Go see a doctor.”

“I’m okay—”

“Go… *cough*… you… *wheeze*—”

Sheng Lian quickly pushed Lin Qingshi’s outstretched hand back under the covers. “Alright, alright, I’ll go right now. You rest first.”

Exhausted, Lin Qingshi only relaxed when he heard Sheng Lian agree to leave, letting himself slip back into unconsciousness.

He had his own principles—Sheng Lian had climbed the window and fallen because he hadn’t opened the door. If Sheng Lian didn’t see a doctor, he wouldn’t even rest easy while unconscious.

By the time he woke again, Lin Qingshi finally had some strength back.

He was still worried about whether Sheng Lian was injured, but the room felt empty—was he hurt so bad he went to the hospital?

He pushed himself up a little, but even that small movement left him slumping against the headboard to breathe. After a moment, he didn’t move again.

Lowering his gaze, he stared at his own weakened body, he pressed his lips tight before closing his eyes to push down the swell of feelings.

“…You’re awake? Eat something first.”

—So Sheng Lian hadn’t left.

Lin Qingshi let out a relieved breath, then frowned slightly in confusion.

Normally, Sheng Lian would be glued to his side, but now he was keeping his distance. The room was too dark, and Lin Qingshi could only make out the vague outline of a tall shadow.

A hot meal was silently placed on a new bedside tray. Aside from that single sentence when he woke, Sheng Lian hadn’t spoken a word—eerily quiet.

Lin Qingshi grew increasingly suspicious.

Outside, the sky had darkened. He must have slept for a long time, past the point of hunger, so he wasn’t in a rush to eat. Instead, he stared hard at Sheng Lian in the dim light.

By the moonlight, Lin Qingshi caught a telltale wet glint on Sheng Lian’s face.

“Turn on the light. Face me.”

Sheng Lian obediently turned on the light.

But he remained standing by the door, his back to Lin Qingshi. “You eat first. I’ll just… go outside for a minute—”

“Stop.” Lin Qingshi’s tone hardened, and Sheng Lian froze in place.

Silence followed.

After a silent stalemate, it was Sheng Lian who finally relented.

Lin Qingshi saw it then—Sheng Lian’s red, swollen eyes and the tears rolling down his face nonstop.

Almost as if he’d given up on hiding it, Sheng Lian’s tears only fell harder after being discovered. Slowly, his breathing hitched, and then—to Lin Qingshi’s utter bewilderment—he began to bawl his eyes out!

Lin Qingshi was baffled.

Had he… knock something loose when he fell?