Chapter 85 Awakening

Chapter 85 Awakening

Zhan Jiayu had rushed over immediately after dealing with urgent matters in Country A, his primary base. Had it not been for the crisis there, he certainly wouldn't have delayed attending Yan Zhoubai's university acceptance banquet.

The banquet hall was a cacophony of noise. The moment he ascended from the lobby, he sensed something amiss, having just encountered the emergency medical team. He vaguely caught snippets like "poisoning" and "emergency."

But now, Zhan Jiayu felt utterly deaf. A deafening hum filled his ears, piercing his head with throbbing pain.

Only when the tidal wave of buzzing finally receded did he realize his feet had instinctively followed the paramedics. Yet, he was halted just outside the elevator.

"Hello, this is an emergency. Please take the next elevator. Thank you for your cooperation."

The emergency staff swiftly loaded the stretcher into the elevator, instantly filling its interior.

"I'm the patient's brother. I'm coming with them!"

It was Yan Anxuan.

Indeed, Yan Zhoubai needed a family member present at the hospital.

But could Yan Anxuan truly be considered family? Yan Zhoubai was an adult, and Yan Anxuan was not his biological brother. Strictly speaking, Yan Zhoubai had no living blood relatives.

In those fleeting seconds of hesitation, Zhan Jiayu watched helplessly as the elevator doors closed. The last image he caught before they sealed shut was Yan Anxuan's icy, expressionless gaze.

Chen Chu had accompanied his boss today, carrying the gift Zhan Jiayu had prepared for Yan Zhoubai. He never imagined that after his boss was briefly delayed, he would arrive only to witness Young Master Yan being wheeled away in an ambulance.

As a diligent subordinate, he needed to be constantly vigilant and aware of his surroundings. From the fragmented whispers of the guests, he had already pieced together the general backstory. Now, his task was to verify this information.

However, his boss had not yet given any orders, so he remained rooted.

In his opinion, if such an incident had occurred in Country A, no one present would be permitted to leave. Until the truth was unearthed, the hotel would be on lockdown, with no one allowed in or out.

"To the hospital."

Zhan Jiayu uttered only these three words, then, without waiting for the elevator, descended via the stairs.

…

When Yan Zhoubai awoke, he felt as though he had endured an incredibly long, hazy nightmare. In the dream, he was consumed by cold and excruciating pain.

Upon opening his eyes, everything was a blur. It took a while for his vision to gradually sharpen.

"Baby! You're finally awake! You scared me half to death!" The first voice Yan Zhoubai heard was, predictably, the system's.

Heaven knew the terror the system had endured over the past few dozen hours. It had no inkling of such a sudden turn of events. Had it known, how could it possibly have allowed its host to drink that glass of wine?

That Second Uncle Yan was largely insignificant in the original plot, and the system had paid him no mind. It never imagined that he would nearly cost its host his life.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Fortunately, the medical standards here were advanced enough to snatch its little host back from the brink of death.

If the host had perished, the system too would have faced a dire fate. Yet, when the host's life hung by a thread, it was merely an incorporeal system, capable only of frantic worry, but utterly helpless.

Yan Zhoubai heard the system's voice, but his current energy levels were too low even to reply mentally. He needed more time to recover.

Once his consciousness fully returned, he saw a circle of people gathered around his hospital bed.

His father, his mother, his eldest brother, and Bu Qiran—the four of them completely encircled the bed.

"He's finally awake, awake! I'll go get the doctor."

Bai Rong beamed with a genuine smile upon seeing Yan Zhoubai awake. Yan Zhoubai couldn't recall the last time he had seen his mother smile so genuinely.

"Xiao Bai, how do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable?" Yan Ren asked with concern.

Yan Zhoubai had just opened his mouth to speak when he felt his right hand enveloped by a large, warm hand.

"How are you? Can you speak now? Can you hear us?"

It was his eldest brother holding his hand. Yan Zhoubai struggled to turn his head and saw his brother's appearance.

His hair was disheveled, stubble dotted his chin, and his clothes looked as if they hadn't been changed in days. How disheveled he looked! Wasn't his eldest brother the renowned Young Master Yan? When had he ever appeared so unkempt?

Yan Zhoubai was lying flat. He attempted to sit up; talking while prone felt incredibly uncomfortable. But the moment he stirred, he found his body utterly devoid of strength, unable to rise.

However, someone noticed his intention and supported his shoulders, helping him sit up.

He saw that it was, surprisingly, Bu Qiran. Could Bu Qiran actually be this thoughtful?

Yet, sitting up still required considerable effort from Yan Zhoubai. He took several minutes to compose himself before speaking: "I'm okay, just feel a bit weak."

As soon as Yan Zhoubai sat up, Yan Anxuan busied himself arranging the pillows behind him, ensuring he could lean back comfortably.

Seeing his entire family gathered at his bedside, and glancing around his surroundings, he belatedly realized he was in a hospital.

"Is this a hospital? Why am I here? Weren't we still at the banquet?"

Yan Zhoubai's question was met with a sudden silence in the room, as if no one knew how to respond. Finally, Yan Ren broke the quiet.

"Xiao Bai, do you remember the glass of wine your Second Uncle offered you?"

Yan Zhoubai recalled, nodding. He remembered drinking a glass of champagne, a glass he thought he had even snatched from his eldest brother's hand.

"Your Second Uncle poisoned that glass. You were poisoned. If you hadn't been rushed to the hospital in time, you might have…"

Yan Ren didn't finish his sentence, but Yan Zhoubai understood the unspoken implication.

So he had been poisoned. No wonder he woke up in the hospital, no wonder he felt so terrible, no wonder he felt like he was on the verge of death.

Yan Zhoubai was processing this information. He wasn't quick to react by nature, and having just emerged from a coma, his responses were even slower.

However, his delayed reaction appeared to others as if he were overwhelmed by the shock and rendered speechless.

Already thin, he had lost even more weight after several days in the hospital bed. His face seemed no bigger than a palm, and his complexion and lips were frighteningly pale.

Bu Qiran immediately grew anxious. "Don't be upset. We've already called the police. That old bastard has been arrested; he won't escape. We'll ensure you get justice."

Bu Qiran also looked somewhat haggard. Like Yan Anxuan, he was consumed by profound self-reproach. During the dozens of hours Yan Zhoubai was unconscious, he constantly agonized over what would happen if Yan Zhoubai didn't wake up.

The system had repeatedly assured him that Yan Zhoubai would not die, urging him to relax. But he was in no mood to converse with the system and had unilaterally blocked it.

"Oh…" Yan Zhoubai responded slowly. "But why would he do that? Go as far as poisoning?"

This question was met with another silence. Again, it was Yan Ren who spoke: "Xiao Bai, don't worry about all that for now. Your biggest priority is to recover. You don't need to stress or fret over other matters. We'll handle everything."

"Okay."

Yan Zhoubai obediently agreed. His father was right; he couldn't handle it, and worrying would be futile.

Just then, Bai Rong returned with the doctor, who performed a brief examination on Yan Zhoubai.

"Waking up means he has passed the most critical period. There is no longer any life-threatening danger. All his vital signs are currently stable, but he needs to remain hospitalized for observation and bed rest."

After the doctor left, the room fell silent once more. Since the doctor had stated Yan Zhoubai couldn't eat for another couple of days and needed more time to recover, no one asked him what he wanted to eat.

Yan Zhoubai felt the atmosphere was heavy, despite everyone's seemingly relaxed expressions. Especially his eldest brother, who stared intently at him, and Bu Qiran, who remained steadfastly by his side—it all felt incredibly strange.

"I… I'm tired… I want to sleep a bit more," Yan Zhoubai said.

"Go ahead and sleep. I'll stay with you."

Upon hearing Yan Zhoubai express a desire to sleep, Yan Anxuan immediately moved to remove the pillows behind him.

"...Can I sleep by myself? Brother, you probably have work to attend to, right? I'll be fine on my own. Don't let me delay your work."

Yan Zhoubai simply felt there were too many people around.

But to Yan Anxuan, it sounded as though Yan Zhoubai, having just narrowly escaped death, was still prioritizing others and downplaying his own condition, which instantly filled him with profound heartache.

"Then I'll stay and take care of Little Bai. I have nothing to do. Big Brother, you can go attend to your work," Bu Qiran said, as if seizing an unexpected opportunity.

What? Bu Qiran? The last thing Yan Zhoubai wanted was to be alone with him. He shouldn't stay—he was the one who should leave.

Perhaps sensing Yan Zhoubai's reluctance, Yan Ren finally spoke: "Everyone, please step out. Little Bai wants to rest alone for a while. Having everyone crowded here makes him uncomfortable."

So he watched as his eldest brother and Bu Qiran reluctantly exited the room, casting several glances back at him before closing the door.

Only after they had all left did Yan Zhoubai let out a long sigh of relief.

What was going on? Why had everyone become so clingy after he woke up? It was just too bizarre.

"Baby, you were unconscious for three days. It was extremely dangerous—you almost didn't make it back," the system's voice sounded choked with emotion.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm awake now, so don't be sad. What's actually happening outside?" Yan Zhoubai ended up comforting the system instead.

"I'm sorry, baby. I don't know. Since you were unconscious, I couldn't access any outside information," the system replied dejectedly.

"It's fine. I'll ask them again once I've recovered a bit more," Yan Zhoubai said, not particularly disappointed.

Just then, Zhan Jiayu's phone suddenly rang as he stood outside the interrogation room of the Jing City Central District Public Security Bureau.

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Author's note: Here it is [dog head].