Chapter 383: Deeply connected and interwoven

Startled and fearful as she was, while Little Xiang Ning had been physically protected very well, the psychological harm she had suffered and her unavoidable inhalation of some smoke still caused her to lapse into unconsciousness after a simple treatment.

"Dad, where's Xu Tingsheng? Where's Xu Tingsheng?" The girl had tearfully asked non-stop before she fell asleep.

At the time, Mr Xiang who had initially been taking care of Xu Tingsheng but had just handed him over to Huang Yaming and the others had just been unable to answer her, the words totally stuck in his throat.

Mr and Mrs Xiang were currently standing vigil by their daughter's bedside. While Little Xiang Ning was still asleep, the doctor had expressly affirmed that she was basically unharmed from the incident. She was simply too exhausted right now, also having suffered too intense a shock.

While this diagnosis itself should really be a cause of celebration, Mr and Mrs Xiang just could not feel happy no matter what. As they saw it, this had only come at the cost of Xu Tingsheng currently being caught in a perilous state between life and death, his life hanging by a thread.

"How do you think Tingsheng's doing now?" This was already the nth time Mrs Xiang was asking this.

Throughout the afternoon, she had been constantly rebuking herself deeply as she unceasingly recalled the scenes of Xu Tingsheng charging into the burning building without any hesitation whatsover, ultimately emerging from the sea of flames with Little Xiang Ning in his embrace…

As for how Xu Tingsheng had asked the boss of the restaurant to prevent the couple from entering as only his own life was put at risk, it was not difficult to understand his intentions therein.

The more she thought about it, the more it tugged at her heartstrings as she regretted it deeply indeed.

Just what was the point of me going to such lengths and making things so difficult for everyone in the first place? Mrs Xiang rebuked herself unceasingly.

Now, doubts, worries, quandaries-all could be cast aside without reservation. Having met someone like this, someone who had silently done so much from the sidelines and who was willing to sacrifice his very life for her daughter-what did it matter that it was hard to understand?

Yet, just when she had finally come to accept him, he might already be no more…

Mrs Xiang dabbed at her tears.

"I'm not sure about that too," Mr Xiang said rather helplessly, "After those friends of his came over, they seemed to be guarding against something. I went over a few times, but they didn't allow me to see him, didn't even let me ask about his condition."

"You didn't tell them about…?" Mrs Xiang asked.

"The thing between Little Ning and Tingsheng," Mr Xiang hesitated for a moment before saying, "There's no way of saying this to others right now. I just told them how the restaurant caught fire and how he then saved our daughter. They said they will investigate this incident themselves and even reminded me not to ask about Xu Tingsheng's injuries and his condition specifically, and not to tell others about this too."

"What about his family members? Are they here? Are they also so difficult to talk to?" Mrs Xiang tried a different approach.

"I don't know about that. I don't even know if they've already arrived. We had no chance to meet in the first place. Still, they'd probably not be in the mood to talk about much even if they've arrived. It would be the same for us too if something like this happened," Mr Xiang said.

Mrs Xiang pondered for a while before pulling at Mr Xiang and asking, "How about you ask the doctor? Maybe you can get something from him?"

Mr Xiang shook his head, "I tried that long ago. That doctor clearly saw me watching over Tingsheng before, but when I looked for him later, he actually said that there was no such patient in this hospital…it looks like they've also been requested to keep their mouths shut."

Mrs Xiang was rather befuddled as she asked worriedly, "Why is there a need for such secrecy? What do you think this is about, Old Xiang?”

"How would people like us know this," A troubled Mr Xiang replied, "What I'm afraid of is that this means that if something really happens to Tingsheng, trouble will arise in many different areas as it is not just about he himself."

The likes of Mr and Mrs Xiang would definitely be unable to wrap their heads around this no matter what.

Mrs Xiang sighed helplessly.

"Cough…cough…" The slumbering Little Xiang Ning coughed a few times, her brows knit tightly as tears were constantly seeping out from the corners of her eyes, her hands moving as if unconsciously grabbing for something, wanting to grab hold of that tangible something…

After that came another bout of intense coughing.

……

Mr and Mrs Xu finally arrived at Yanzhou Central Hospital at around 6pm in the evening.

Xu Tingsheng's back was a real sight to behold indeed as there was a thick scar that was over half the breadth of his arm running gruesomely across his entire back, having been inflicted by the momentous descent of that burning beam. There were also countless other burns, scrapes and other smaller wounds all over his body…

In his unconscious state, the hospital personnel was helping to suck the phlegm out of his body. What emerged was a completely pitch back substance…

Mrs Xu was sent off for an emergency IV drip on the spot.

Mr Xu sat on the chair beside the bed. Besides greeting them and asking about the situation at the start, he had not said even a single word.

While the doctor in charge had reaffirmed to Mr Xiang that Xu Tingsheng should not be in any danger of dying, as he had been in a comatose state thus far and was so gravely injured too, there was really no one who would be able to rest assured with that.

The lifeline of the current well-to-do Xu family lay not with money, not with Happy Shoppers that had already become a franchise corporation and the three companies under Xu Tingsheng's name. Instead, it lay solely with the one lying on the sickbed, the Xu family's only son Xu Tingsheng.

If something happened to him, all would be rendered void and meaningless.

In his silence, Mr Xu who had already long since come to adopt a stoic attitude in life emanated a helplessness that others would never be able to comprehend. At least, this was the first time that Zhong Wusheng who had already been by his side for more than a year now was seeing him like this.

Apple and Song Ni hastily rushed over, finally managing to arrive at around 8pm that night.

Apple had not applied make-up from the start. She also removed her sunglasses and surgical mask before entering the sick ward, not wishing for herself to have such an image when in front of the Xu family and Xu Tingsheng.

As soon as she entered the room and saw how Xu Tingsheng looked on that sickbed, with just a single glance, tears gushed uncontrollably down Apple's face. Still, she immediately covered her mouth with a hand, not daring to cry out loud…

Huang Yaming had previously reminded her that the news had to be prevented from leaking. As she was a celebrity, she was actually the person who should least be appearing here.

Apple had given him her word time and time again, insisting that she came.

Now, she saw it.

So her superman, that person who had always shielded her from the winds and the rains…he himself could be hurt too.

It was not that Apple had never felt agonised over this period of time. Ever since Xu Tingsheng had failed to show up at New York as promised, she had already had a premonition that she was to suffer a complete defeat. Xu Tingsheng's sudden change in attitude in evading the problem in the later media-related incident had proven that premonition to be legitimate.

It definitely was not the case that she hated him, that he had let her down and done her wrong, for it had been Xu Tingsheng who had been actively giving in the relationship all along in taking care of her. He had already done so much for her. Still, it was only inevitable that she would feel hurt, saddened, unwilling to accept it.

Only now did Apple realise that all this was actually no longer that important after all. So long as he was fine and well, that would already be enough.

Finally, Apple found a spot on the other side of the bed across from Mr Xiang and took a seat.

Mr Xiang had met Apple before. He said nothing, just nodding to her.

She too would be standing vigil that night.

Mr Xiang knew that if he did not allow her to do so, this girl who was currently weeping soundlessly as she tried hard to suppress her agonised feelings would break down.

The next morning.

Mr Xu went to meet the doctors and specialists that the hospital had helped him to get hold of as early as he could.

This was exactly how invaluable Xu Tingsheng was now.

Huang Yaming, Fu Cheng and Fang Yuqing went downstairs and talked for a while, "Him being a purely good samaritan? Impossible. Xu Tingsheng's still not noble to that extent. I don't believe it, anyway. Because of that, I definitely must get to the bottom of this matter."

Huang Yaming repeated this several times, growing increasingly restless and vicious in his tone.

The comatose Xu Tingsheng alone was deeply connected with and interwoven into the hearts of so many people…the primary source of their varying moods and emotions.