Chapter 52: The One Left Behind? The One Saved?

Mu Rufeng could no longer remember the last time he sat this close and chatted with his own child like this. It seemed to have been when the child first fell down in life and cried loudly from the pain.

Back then, he told the child not to cry so easily. Tears should be saved for moments of happiness.

Or maybe it was when the child was punished by his mother after making a mistake and lowered his head in shame.

He had told the child to lift his head and bravely face failure.

When Mu Yi’s voice sounded beside him, Mu Rufeng turned his head with emotion in his heart and smiled warmly with narrowed eyes.

“It’s been a long time since I heard you call me ‘Dad’ from this close.”

“Dad, then I’ll call you that a few more times!”

Not caring that her brave attempt to speak had been interrupted, Mu Yi quickly replied.

“Haha, it’s not like I won’t hear it again in the future. No need to rush.”

As he spoke, Mu Rufeng raised his hand and gently rubbed Mu Yi’s head. Thinking about the way she had spoken earlier, he could clearly feel her hesitation, so he softly comforted her.

“If it’s too hard to say...”

“You don’t have to force yourself to tell me right away. Wait until you’ve sorted out your thoughts, then tell me calmly. You must have gone through a lot during this time.”

Hearing this, Mu Yi almost lost control of her emotions again. She pressed her lips together and nodded.

The courage she had finally gathered instantly disappeared like air leaking from a balloon.

She opened her mouth and took a sip of milk tea. After swallowing a few mouthfuls, she suddenly heard her father ask about Gu Zhiren.

“Oh right, kid. That man you were carrying earlier...”

“Cough, cough!”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Mu Yi choked badly on the milk tea she had just drunk.

Seeing this, Mu Rufeng first instinctively patted Mu Yi’s back. Then, the worry on his face slowly changed into a subtle expression.

“Uh... Wh-what is it, Dad? Why are you suddenly asking about him?”

“You and him are really just friends?”

Sensing Mu Yi’s nervousness, Mu Rufeng asked with a caring smile.

“Ah...”

Mu Yi froze for two or three seconds before finally recovering. Then she shook her head and denied it.

“No. Strictly speaking, we can’t really be called friends.”

“You could even say our relationship is pretty bad. Though he does seem to have a friend with the same name as me.”

Mu Rufeng seriously listened to Mu Yi’s story. Very quickly, he gained a rough understanding of the situation, and his expression became slightly serious.

“So, what you really want is to drive him away, right? Kid, haven’t you noticed something yet?”

Mu Rufeng patted Mu Yi’s shoulder.

“Huh? Notice what?”

Mu Yi widened her eyes slightly.

“The real solution to this problem is actually very simple. Why not just directly tell your editor that you’ll write properly from now on, and ask her to call that person back?”

Mu Rufeng smiled helplessly.

“……”

Mu Yi’s pupils shrank, and she froze in place.

………………………………

At the same time, the surgery had already ended. Gu Zhiren, with several layers of bandages wrapped around his head, was lying asleep on a hospital bed. His facial expression was unusually calm.

The memories from these past days replayed in his mind like a movie film rolling backward, frame by frame.

Including all the words Mu Yi had said to him while he was unconscious.

Although he had fainted at the time, he could still hear every word she said. He just could not give any response, not even move a finger.

As the memories continued replaying, his awareness slowly returned.

Then Gu Zhiren suddenly opened his eyes.

His sharp eyes stared at the ceiling for a moment. Then, moving slowly and carefully, Gu Zhiren sat up in bed. He lightly held his head with his left hand while his dark eyes moved around, instinctively searching for someone.

There happened to be another person lying in the bed beside him, separated by a curtain, so he could not clearly see who it was.

With both hope and caution in his heart, Gu Zhiren reached out and pulled the curtain aside a little. He discovered that the person was not the one he had hoped to see, but only a complete stranger.

Just as he was pulling the curtain back in disappointment, the ward door opened, and a nurse walked in.

“Sir, you’re awake. We need you to fill in some personal information here.”

“Nurse, may I ask if there’s a phone I can use here?”

Gu Zhiren took the form and was about to fill it out when he suddenly remembered something and looked up to ask.

………………………………

The call was made to his special assistant, Xiao Xi.

At this moment, Xiao Xi was still following the chairman around, busy dealing with the incident at the Luohai Commercial Building.

The police had already informed them about Gu Zhiren’s car accident. However, at the same time, a worker had accidentally fallen from the building and died, and the dead worker’s family was making the situation bigger and bigger.

The company’s public relations department and vice president had both tried to negotiate, but the family was dissatisfied with many of the conditions offered by the company.

Now even the chairman, Gu Chengye, and his wife, Xu Lan, had personally stepped in. As their daughter, Gu Anran naturally stayed by their side as well.

Gu Zhiren’s condition was still unclear, and the company’s situation had become so serious. All four of them were extremely anxious.

So when Xiao Xi suddenly received a call from Gu Zhiren, she was naturally overjoyed.

“General Manager!”

A short while later, Gu Anran hurriedly rushed to the hospital. Beside her was a man.

It was Jiang Heng.

When they arrived outside the hospital room, the first person they saw was Xiao Xi.

After learning that the doctor was doing the final checkup, Gu Anran nervously clenched her hands together.

Suddenly, Jiang Heng reached out and gently patted her head from behind, calmly comforting her.

“Anran, don’t worry. Your brother is a lucky man. He’ll be fine.”

“Mhm.”

Gu Anran nodded.

Not long after, the hospital room door opened. Seeing the doctor come out, Gu Anran was about to ask about the situation, but Jiang Heng spoke first.

“Doctor, how is the patient doing?”

“Don’t worry. His body is mostly fine now. He just needs to rest well.”

The moment those words were spoken, both Xiao Xi and Gu Anran let out relieved sighs.

Jiang Heng’s expression changed slightly for a moment, but he quickly pretended to relax as well. Resting his left hand on Gu Anran’s shoulder, he said, “Anran, that’s really great news.”

“Mhm, mhm. Doctor, I heard my brother suffered a head injury. Will it affect his memory?”

Gu Anran nodded and quickly asked another question.

“At the moment, it seems his head was not seriously damaged, so his memory should not be affected.”

After chatting a little longer, Gu Anran, Jiang Heng, and Xiao Xi entered the hospital room together.

They saw Gu Zhiren sitting by the bedside with his head slightly lowered, habitually adjusting the cuff of his right sleeve.

“Brother...”

The moment Gu Anran spoke, Gu Zhiren frowned slightly before raising his head with a faint smile. But when he noticed the man surnamed Jiang standing beside his sister, surprise flashed through his eyes, and the smile on his handsome face deepened.

The two looked at each other. Gu Zhiren smiled without speaking, while Jiang Heng remained silent.

Then Jiang Heng tactfully said goodbye to Gu Anran and politely greeted Gu Zhiren before turning around to leave.

In response, Gu Zhiren also nodded with a polite smile.

After the door closed, Gu Zhiren softly asked Gu Anran.

“Anran, didn’t I tell you not to get too close to him?”

“Brother! Why do you dislike Jiang Heng so much? He was clearly very worried about you too!”

Gu Anran still wanted to ask more questions, but Gu Zhiren suddenly changed the topic.

“Where are Mom and Dad? Xiao Xi, didn’t I tell you to notify them?”

“General Manager...”

Before Xiao Xi could finish speaking, Gu Anran interrupted her.

“Brother, Mom and Dad are still handling the company’s problems. They asked me to tell you to rest well.”

Hearing this, Gu Zhiren immediately sensed that something was wrong, and his brows slowly furrowed.