novelraw Chapter 220: How to Get Away?
Chapter 220: How to Get Away?
The only light came from the flickering emergency lamp at the end of the hallway, casting a faint beam through the crack in the door.
He saw the familiar figure.
She sat quietly in the gloom, her silhouette blurred at the edges by the shadows, but the sight still made his heart clench.
Song Qingya sat in the chair by the bed, her body leaning slightly forward, her hands folded in her lap.
Her shoulders were a little stiff, as if she had been holding the same position for a long time without moving.
He walked over silently. When he was close, he reached out and touched Song Qingya’s shoulder.
Song Qingya shuddered violently.
She shot her head up, her eyes filled with an exhaustion that had yet to fade.
Only when she recognized him did her bloodshot eyes slowly come into focus.
Her tense shoulders relaxed, bit by bit, before finally slumping down powerlessly.
Fei Jin looked at her haggard face, his Adam’s apple bobbing silently.
He didn’t say a word, just slowly lifted the lid of the food container he was holding.
Steam from the hot food curled up from the metal edges.
He held the container out to her.
"Eat something first."
Song Qingya was indeed hungry.
She had rushed back after getting an emergency notice a little after three in the afternoon.
Now, it was past eleven at night, and she had been guarding this hospital room the entire time, not leaving for a single moment.
Changing medicine, taking notes, contacting doctors, comforting family members...
Her hands had never truly stopped moving. She hadn’t even had time for a sip of water.
Her throat was painfully dry, and her stomach ached with a dull hollowness.
But when the food was actually placed before her, she still instinctively wanted to refuse.
Her lips had just begun to move when Fei Jin pressed the chopsticks into her hand.
"If you keep this up, you’ll collapse too."
She said nothing more, taking the chopsticks with her head lowered. Without looking to see what the dishes were, she shoveled some rice into her mouth.
The rice was warm and soft, mixed with the savory flavor of minced meat.
The first bite awakened an appetite she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She ate quickly, but not ravenously.
Each mouthful was chewed and swallowed mechanically.
As the warm food entered her stomach, a warmth slowly spread from her abdomen.
The bone-deep feeling of exhaustion receded slightly, and her mind finally cleared for a moment.
After finishing the meal, she felt a little better.
But the exhaustion that came from being on edge for so long hadn’t truly gone away.
She sat back down in the chair. Her legs felt a bit weak, but she gritted her teeth and straightened her back.
She propped her head up with an arm, resting her elbow on her knee.
Her other hand unconsciously stroked a corner of the bedsheet.
The second she closed her eyes, it was as if she had plunged into a warm darkness.
The world instantly fell silent.
’I just want to close my eyes and rest for a little while...’
But drowsiness washed over her in waves, and her heavy eyelids could no longer stay open.
Her breathing gradually became steady and deep, and her head slowly drooped toward the edge of the bed.
Finally, she was slumped completely over the bed, her forehead gently resting against the back of Dean Yuan’s hand.
Fei Jin watched her quiet profile, his brow tightening slightly as his gaze involuntarily darkened.
Though the light was dim, it was still bright enough to reveal the dark circles under her eyes.
’Song Qingya has been working too hard lately.’
’Handling hospital administration during the day, staying for overnight vigils... she’s been running on fumes with almost no rest.’
’Her own health isn’t great, yet she always puts others’ safety first.’
He didn’t move, just stood silently to the side.
It was so quiet that even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.
Outside the window, the wind had died down and the trees were still. Inside, the medical instruments beeped rhythmically.
Suddenly, the faint sound of footsteps came from down the hallway.
It wasn’t the sound of a nurse on their rounds.
Two dark figures hugged the base of the wall, slowly approaching the door to Dean Yuan’s room.
They were dressed in dark clothes, deliberately avoiding the fluorescent light strips overhead and sticking to the shadows as they moved.
It was Yang Meiling and Song Chenglu.
Song Chenglu clutched a paper packet in her hand.
The packet was made from a plain envelope, its edges worn and frayed, with no markings on it.
But her eyes glinted with a vicious light.
’What’s inside this... it took me so much effort to get.’
’Not only did it cost a lot of money, but I also owe someone a favor, and I took a huge risk.’
’Just one success is all it will take.’
Yang Meiling gently touched the doorknob, her fingertips testing it with a slight turn.
The metal knob didn’t budge. She held her breath and applied a little more force.
CLICK.
The door was unlocked.
Joy surged in her heart, her pulse quickened, and a sinister smile appeared on her face.
She quickly turned back to Song Chenglu and made a gesture, pressing her index finger to her lips.
Then, she gestured toward the room.
Then, she carefully pushed the door open just wide enough for one person to slip through sideways.
She pressed her ear to the crack and listened for a moment.
After confirming there were no unusual sounds inside, she pulled it fully open.
Using the faint light filtering in from the hallway, Yang Meiling squinted and quickly scanned the room.
On the bed, Dean Yuan was lying on his back, breathing evenly.
The data on the monitor was also fluctuating within the normal range.
And that Song Qingya by the bed was actually slumped over, fast asleep!
Her head was tilted on the edge of the bed, her arm hanging limply at her side, her face completely unguarded.
A wave of smug satisfaction, mixed with a bit of glee, washed over Yang Meiling.
She shot another look at Song Chenglu.
The two of them hunched over and slipped into the room like cats.
They tacitly split up to flank the hospital bed, one watching Song Qingya while the other slowly approached Dean Yuan’s IV stand.
The air grew still. A crisis was quietly approaching.
The target was clear: the IV bag hanging by Dean Yuan’s bed!
The bag swayed slightly in the dim yellow light.
Drop by drop, the liquid flowed slowly through the tube and into the patient’s vein.
Yang Meiling took it upon herself to act as a lookout at the door.
She leaned her back against the cold doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, her gaze fixed on both ends of the hallway.
Song Chenglu quickly crept up next to the IV stand.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, and fine beads of sweat formed on her temples.
Her hands trembling, she pulled the small paper packet from her pocket.
The packet was folded from ordinary white envelope paper.
With trembling fingers, she reached for the injection port on the IV line below the bag.
With every centimeter she moved closer, her arm trembled even more violently.
’What will happen if I succeed?’
’What if I fail?’
’If I’m discovered, how will I get away?’
But there was no turning back now; she could only press forward.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the soft tubing!
For a split second, time seemed to freeze.
The air suddenly grew heavy, and even breathing seemed to stop.
"Who’s there!"
Before the words had even faded, Fei Jin charged over!
He had just been passing by the room when the indistinct movement he saw through the crack in the door put him on high alert.
Almost as a reflex, he violently shoved the door open and strode into the room.
The shout scared the souls right out of them!
Yang Meiling trembled all over, her legs going weak. She nearly collapsed to her knees on the spot.
Song Chenglu shrieked, and the paper packet in her hand fell to the floor with a SMACK.
The sharp sound was piercing in the silent hospital room.
The packet split open when it hit the floor, its edges bursting to reveal the white powder inside that hadn’t completely spilled out.
Her survival instinct made her forget everyone else; she turned and bolted for the exit!
Her eyes were filled with nothing but fear, and the only thought in her mind was to flee the scene.
She violently shoved Yang Meiling, who was by the door, using her to block Fei Jin’s path.