Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The highway guardrail was crashed through, and the car alarm was blaring as the airbags deployed.

Yi Wuyi, who was in the passenger seat, had only minor injuries.

"Mr. Yan! A-Xie!" He got out and opened Yan Shiqi's car door, then froze in place.

He saw Xie Yunshen slumped sideways, his arms tightly shielding Yan Shiqi. The side airbags had safely cushioned them from the impact with the door.

Their faces were pressed close together. Blood trickled from the corner of Xie Yunshen's mouth, dripping precisely onto Yan Shiqi's pale lips. This scene seared itself into Yi Wuyi's vision.

For many years afterward, he could never forget that moment.

He clearly saw Yan Shiqi's dazed pupils dilate slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Xie Yunshen's face.

That feeling... he didn't know how to put it into words. No emotion in the world could compare to the intensity of that look.

The Yan Group headquarters was nearby, so a rescue helicopter arrived within five minutes.

Fortunately, Yan Shiqi was unharmed. Yi Wuyi only had a scraped arm, and the driver was uninjured. Xie Yunshen was conscious initially but was later sent to the hospital for treatment.

The driver from the adjacent car involved in the collision was also airlifted to the hospital for emergency care.

The car they were in was a bulletproof vehicle previously provided by a security company, with an exceptionally heavy chassis.

Despite the severe impact, only Xie Yunshen's seat was slightly deformed. In contrast, the smaller car they collided with was a mangled wreck.

The perpetrator was Li Bin. He was also injured in the accident and was taken away by ambulance.

At the hospital.

Although the hospital requested comprehensive check-ups for everyone, Yan Shiqi firmly refused.

Yi Wuyi nodded but remained standing motionless behind Yan Shiqi.

The doctor was at a loss.

In the end, only the driver obediently went for the examination.

Yan Shiqi stood outside the operating room, a speck of blood still on his shirt collar.

He tried to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with a tissue, only to find it had dried and wouldn't come off.

Staring at the pristine white tissue, he realized the blood belonged to another person's body.

Yi Wuyi stood behind him, head bowed, lost in thought.

Old Mr. Xie's legs felt weak. Supported by Yan Shiying, he rushed to the hospital. He stared at the operating room light, the aged muscles on his face twitching slightly, but he remained silent.

Yan Shiying first looked at his elder brother, noticing the blood on him, but quickly understood whose blood it was and frowned.

Yan Shizhou ran over, his gaze fixed on the bandage on Yi Wuyi's arm before shifting to his elder brother. His expression then turned grave as he looked at the floor.

Uncle Zhao also arrived. After confirming Yan Shiqi was unharmed by staring at his back, he sat down on a nearby chair.

Despite the chaotic arrival of so many people, no one dared to speak at that moment. The air was terrifyingly quiet.

Yan Shiqi's back resembled a thinly crusted volcano. No one dared to be the first to disturb the searing magma beneath. Everyone silently understood he needed peace right now.

The surgery wasn't long, concluding in about an hour.

The doctor addressed Yan Shiqi, "The surgery was timely and successful. The intracranial hemorrhage was minimal, and the patient's constitution is excellent. He should recover quickly. The contusion on his left arm is also not a serious issue."

Xie Yunshen lay on the surgical bed, eyes closed, his head shaved for the procedure.

"But he was bleeding heavily from the mouth at the scene," Yan Shiqi stopped the doctor.

The doctor paused, seemingly surprised by the question. "The left side of his jaw was impacted, causing his teeth to cut the inner cheek tissue, leading to the oral bleeding. We've already treated it."

Yan Shiqi was momentarily stunned. "Thank you."

"Mr. Yan, both of you should also undergo comprehensive examinations, just to be cautious," the doctor suggested.

Yan Shiqi said, "Old Five, you go for the check-up."

Yi Wuyi hesitated. He didn't want to go, but since Yan Shiqi insisted, he had no choice.

"Elder Brother..." Yan Shiying tried to persuade him.

"I'm fine," Yan Shiqi cut him off, giving him a firm look.

Yan Shiqi knew very well he wasn't injured at all. During the accident, Xie Yunshen had protected him perfectly.

Just as Xie Yunshen had once said: "I will protect Mr. Yan!"

Yan Shiying said, "Then you rest. I'll handle company matters and today's incident."

————

Inside the hospital room.

"The owner of the adjacent car is out of the ICU now. The doctor says he's no longer in critical condition. I've spoken with the family; all surgical and subsequent treatment costs will be covered by the Yan Group," Yan Shiying reported, standing nearby.

"You handled it well," Yan Shiqi said, sitting by the hospital bed without looking up.

It was already the second day, and Xie Yunshen still hadn't woken up.

"Is Li Bin awake?"

"Yes, he's been handed over to the police."

"You know what to do," Yan Shiqi lifted his gaze to meet his brother's.

"Abuse of power, embezzlement, premeditated murder with intent to retaliate, endangering public safety, along with other charges. The legal department has drafted the documents. Not only will he face compensation demands, but this time, he will definitely receive the death penalty."

Yan Shiqi nodded, patting his brother's shoulder. "All the money he spent on that illegitimate child must also be fully recovered."

Yan Shiying's gaze faltered for a moment before he nodded, his mind buzzing slightly.

The term "illegitimate child" always made his skin prickle uncomfortably.

Yan Shiqi stood up, placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, and straightened his shirt collar, speaking calmly, "Listen. You are the General Manager of the Yan Group, the grandson of Yan Jinghai, the founder of Bond Insurance. The so-called place and time of birth are merely insignificant footnotes on your resume."

Yan Shiying looked at his elder brother. "I understand."

He slowly walked out of the room. Gazing at the overhead lights, he felt slightly dizzy. "Actually, the most important thing is that I am Yan Shiqi's younger brother."

A faint smile touched his lips.

Xie Yunshen felt he was being pretty unlucky—his hair had been shaved off!

The mirror was lying on the bed. Although the back of his head was still bandaged, one look at his forehead revealed he was completely bald.

"It'll grow back in no time," Yi Wuyi comforted him.

"Easy for you to say, you've got a full head of dark hair," Xie Yunshen said, cupping his own smooth scalp as he stared at Yi Wuyi.

"You brat! What kind of nonsense is that? Old Five has been cleaning you up!" Old Mr. Xie scolded from beside him, handing him soup.

Xie Yunshen had just taken a sip of the soup when he choked on it and started coughing violently!

"What?! Grandpa, don’t you know he… Old Five is…"

"He’s what?" Old Mr. Xie glared, wiping soup off his face.

"Argh!" Xie Yunshen wanted to say it but couldn’t get the words out.

How could he let a gay man wipe his body? Even though he and Old Five had a "revolutionary friendship," it was still way too creepy.

Sensing his discomfort, Old Five said kindly, "Don’t worry, I only helped wipe your arms and back. The rest was done by…"

"Who?" Xie Yunshen asked suspiciously. Anyone else would be fine.

"You brat, of course it was me, your grandpa!" Old Mr. Xie raised a hand as if to give him a flick on the head but stopped himself.

Xie Yunshen’s eyes scanned the room, unconsciously searching for Yan Shiqi’s figure.

"Was I asleep for long?"

"Less than two days. You woke up pretty quickly."

In fact, the first thing he'd said when he woke up was, "Is Mr. Yan okay?"

Yi Wuyi told him he was fine, but didn't say where he'd gone.

"Old Five, you should go protect Mr. Yan. With both of us gone, who’s looking after him?"

Yi Wuyi replied, "Don’t worry. Mr. Yan stayed here for a full day and night. I just sent him back to the Yan residence to rest."

"What?" Xie Yunshen was stunned.

Yan Shiqi had stayed by his side for a day and a night.

"I just called Mr. Yan to tell him you’re awake."

"There was no need. You might have disturbed his sleep," Xie Yunshen said with concern.

For someone who usually suffered from insomnia and headaches, staying awake for a full day and night was already pushing the limit.

If he’d known, he would have slept in—waking up now felt terribly ill-timed.

"It was Mr. Yan’s strict orders. I couldn’t disobey."

Xie Yunshen was taken aback.

The door to the VIP ward suddenly swung open, letting in a draft of cold air.

Yan Shiqi stood at the doorway, wearing a shirt under a long overcoat.

It was clear he had rushed over—a strand of hair was out of place on his forehead, and his face still carried the chill of the night.

"Mr. Yan," Xie Yunshen said, a sudden surge of emotion welling up inside him.

Yan Shiqi must have come as soon as he received the call.

"Has the doctor checked on him yet?"

Yi Wuyi answered, "Yes, everything’s fine."

Yan Shiqi nodded, walked to the bedside, and looked at Xie Yunshen with a complicated look in his eyes.

Yan Shiqi sat down beside him and said, "I'm fine."

Yi Wuyi stepped outside and exchanged a glance with the driver.

The driver came to the door and said, "Old Mr. Xie, let me take you back to rest."

Old Mr. Xie nodded. "You’re right. I’ve been sitting here all day. I’ll come again tomorrow."

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Yan Shiqi kept staring at him, his gaze unwavering, cold and intense, making Xie Yunshen feel a bit unnerved.

"Mr. Yan, I have no hair right now. You can’t look at me like that."

Yan Shiqi gave him a puzzled look.

"It’s just… my head feels chilly, and I can’t defend against the impact of your gaze," he joked lamely.

"Why did you risk your life like that?" Yan Shiqi asked.

Xie Yunshen replied, "No particular reason. It’s just the basic instinct of a Golden Bodyguard—a reflexive reaction."

Yan Shiqi smiled faintly.

"Does the wound hurt?"

Xie Yunshen wanted to shake his head, but the pain flared with the slightest movement, so he simply said, "It doesn’t hurt. I’ll be back to work soon."

"Don’t be silly. You’re not allowed back to work until you’ve rested for a month."

"No, you can’t be that cruel," Xie Yunshen pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

After all, he was someone who lived to work.

Yan Shiqi raised his hand, wanting to touch Xie Yunshen’s head, but paused when he saw the bandaged surgical wound.

Xie Yunshen tilted his head up, letting Yan Shiqi’s hand rest on his forehead.

Yan Shiqi gently rubbed the uninjured front part of his scalp.

"Mr. Yan, you should go back and rest," Xie Yunshen said. "Old Five said you haven’t slept for a day."

"No need. I did rest while you were unconscious."

But Xie Yunshen could see the bloodshot streaks in his eyes—clear signs of sleeplessness.

Yan Shiqi noticed the soup bowl on the table, still about two-thirds full. "No appetite?"

"No, Grandpa was too rough feeding me. I couldn't get any down." Xie Yunshen said, exasperated. He had also strained his arm, so he couldn't lift it.

Otherwise, he would have finished this off long ago.

Yan Shiqi picked up the bowl and scooped up a spoonful. "Here, drink."

Xie Yunshen stared fixedly at the clan emblem ring on his hand. "I could probably do it myself."

"I just want to feed you."