Against the Light - Chapter 110
Chapter 110: Shi Qing's Accident
Early in the morning, Gu Xinran rolled over and wrapped her arms around Yilan. She accidentally bumped her with her leg and heard Yilan let out a soft groan.
"Hm?" Hearing the sound, Gu Xinran's eyes flew open. She propped herself up and leaned her ear closer.
"My back hurts…" Bai Yilan murmured softly, clearly not fully awake yet.
Gu Xinran moved her hand down to rub her lower back. Her skin felt cool to the touch. Could it be that she had sweated last night, kicked off the covers, and caught a chill?
She immediately sat up, had Bai Yilan lie on her stomach, and tucked the blanket around her properly before starting to massage her lower back through the covers.
She kept stealing glances at Bai Yilan's expression. Seeing her brow smooth out and her features relax, Gu Xinran kneaded with even more effort.
Soon, she had moved from her lower back to her upper back, shoulders, neck, and even her thighs and calves, giving her a full-body massage first thing in the morning.
"Feel better?" Gu Xinran stopped, slipped back into bed, and lay on her side. She rested a hand on Bai Yilan's back, slowly moving it down and giving her a gentle pat.
"Mmm~" Bai Yilan stretched contentedly, then rolled over and crashed into her arms, burying her face in the crook of her neck.
"Time to get up?"
Bai Yilan shook her head.
Gu Xinran chuckled and continued to massage the lazybones.
Her phone chimed. She picked it up and glanced at the screen.
"What is it now?" Bai Yilan grumbled. She had grown to dread the sound of that Weibo notification.
Gu Xinran didn't answer.
Bai Yilan looked up, her eyelids fluttering open. She saw the color drain from Xinran's face and frowned. "Hm?"
"Shi… President Shi…"
"What happened?"
"She was in a car accident!"
"What!?"
Startled, Bai Yilan immediately snatched the phone. The top trending topic on Weibo was: 【Shi Qing in car accident, life or death still unknown!】 Below it were several photos from the scene. It looked like a two-car collision, with shards of glass scattered all over the ground.
Bai Yilan's hand trembled, and her face went deathly pale.
Seeing this, Gu Xinran quickly patted her arm, then immediately dialed Fang Yi's number.
"Hey, Sister Ran, I know what you're going to ask, but the media is in an uproar right now. I don't know what's really going on either. I'm looking into it!"
"Which hospital is Shi Qing in?"
"The Fourth Hospital. A ton of media outlets are camped out there, and people from Wei Yi are there too."
"I know. I'm on my way."
"Hey, what are you going to do there? Won't you just be adding to the chaos? From the photos of the scene, it looks pretty brutal. To put it bluntly, regardless of whether Shi Qing makes it or not, some people will make sure something happens to her, you know what I mean? And this car accident is really suspicious. A drunk driver, so early in the morning, just so happened to hit her car."
Gu Xinran pressed her lips together, understanding immediately.
There was an eighty percent chance there was foul play involved in this accident.
Shi Qing had just put Bai Yiyue under house arrest and retaken control, and then this happened. Would any of the Bai family members that Shi Qing had kicked out be willing to let it go? This could be the opportunity Bai Yiyue needed to seize power for good!
A chill ran down Gu Xinran's spine at the thought.
If this accident was truly orchestrated by certain people for the sake of power, it was terrifying.
Gu Xinran hung up, got out of bed, and pulled Yilan up, only then noticing how cold her fingertips were.
"Get dressed. We're going to the hospital now." She could feel Yilan's anxiety. She didn't know how to offer comfort in a situation like this; all she could do was get her to the hospital as quickly as possible.
In the car, Bai Yilan forced herself to calm down and dialed Jiang Boyan's number. The hospital where Shi Qing was being treated happened to be where Sister Yan worked.
The call connected, and the background noise on the other end was extremely loud.
"Sister Yan?"
"Yes, Yilan. What's up?"
"Is President Shi from Wei Yi at your hospital?"
"She is. Don't even get me started. The hospital is swarming with people. A lot of reporters have snuck in, and some are even pretending to be doctors and patients. The whole place is in complete chaos."
"How is she? Is her life… in danger?" Bai Yilan's voice trembled slightly as she struggled to maintain her composure.
"I don't know the specifics. The entire fourth floor of the surgery building has been sealed off. Only a few specialists and a group of family members are there. She should still be in surgery right now."
"Did you see her? Are you sure it's Shi Qing?" Gu Xinran asked.
"I saw her. She was covered in blood, but I've seen her picture online. I'm sure it's her."
Gu Xinran's heart sank. She didn't dare ask any more questions.
"We're almost there. Can you find a way to get us into the hospital?"
"What are you two coming here for? It's a madhouse. The police are outside maintaining order, and those reporters are all desperate for a story, pushing and shoving to get in."
"Sister Yan, please help. Shi Qing is a very important elder to me."
"Alright, fine. Let me know when you're close."
"Okay."
Gu Xinran helped her hang up and squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't jump to the worst conclusion. Don't scare yourself!"
Bai Yilan rubbed her forehead fiercely, not responding.
A short while later, they neared the hospital. The roads were already congested a block away, making it impossible to drive any closer.
Gu Xinran pulled over and parked on the side of the road. The two of them got out and ran the rest of the way.
When they were near the hospital, they called Jiang Boyan. As they reached the main entrance, they both froze.
An icy chill shot through Gu Xinran's entire body. The scene from her past life flashed through her mind—the one where she had rushed to the hospital carrying Yilan, only to be swarmed by opportunistic reporters at the entrance.
The current situation was almost identical.
As far as the eye could see, there was a dense crowd of people, all of them reporters clutching cameras.
They craned their necks, staring at the hospital entrance, in a standoff with security guards and police. Every single one of them hoped to capture a breaking news story.
No one cared about the other patients. No one cared that the person inside, the subject of their impending exposé, was critically injured and fighting for her life. Some of them were probably even hoping she would die. They had likely already drafted the news of her death, just waiting for the official announcement to be the first to publish.
Hearing the reporters whispering among themselves, some even letting out jarring laughs, Gu Xinran unconsciously clenched her fists.
She took several deep breaths to suppress the rage rising in her chest, then led Yilan to the back entrance of the hospital.
Jiang Boyan spotted them and quickly waved them over. The three of them met up successfully.
"You want to see Shi Qing?"
"Yes. Is there any way you can get us in?"
"It'll be tough. The people from Wei Yi have been guarding her constantly. Even nurses have to register before entering to prevent others from sneaking in disguised as staff. We can only hope the hospital director is firm enough."
"What do you mean?"
"The atmosphere inside feels very strange to me. It's like the people from Wei Yi don't care whether Shi Qing lives or dies. That woman, Bai Yiyue, has been leading the charge, trying to burst into the operating room and repeatedly attempting to stop the surgery."
"There are others, too, still arguing with the doctors! At a time like this, shouldn't everyone be working together to save the patient?" Jiang Boyan said, completely bewildered.
"So how is she now?" Bai Yilan asked.
"I don't know. She's probably still in surgery. Luckily, our hospital's security is quite competent, and with the director personally overseeing things, those people from Wei Yi haven't been able to cause too much trouble despite their attempts."
"I mean, what are those Wei Yi people thinking? She's their backbone! And Bai Yiyue is even more ridiculous. At a critical moment like this, she actually suggested transferring her to another hospital, claiming their family has its own medical team that's much more professional than ours. I don't think she wants Shi Qing to receive treatment at all."
"You're right," Gu Xinran said, her voice cold. She had a new understanding of just how vicious Bai Yiyue could be.
The group walked quickly. A crowd of onlookers had also gathered in front of the surgery building.
With Jiang Boyan leading the way, they successfully entered the building.
The elevator dinged and arrived at the fourth floor.
The moment the doors opened, they saw two bodyguards in sunglasses standing at the entrance.
"What are you doing here?" one of them demanded disapprovingly.
"I'm…" Jiang Boyan was about to answer when Bai Yilan stepped forward first.
Seeing this, one of the bodyguards reached out to stop her. With lightning speed, Gu Xinran intercepted his hand, blocking it and shooting him a glacial look. The man froze, stunned by her gaze.
"What's going on?" Bai Yiyue was already on edge. Hearing the commotion, she looked over and was taken aback to see who had arrived.
"Bai Yilan?"
Upon hearing Bai Yiyue's voice, Bai Yilan spun around to face her.
Their eyes met. Bai Yiyue let out a soft laugh, her eyes full of mockery as she sauntered over. "Well, well. She doesn't even want you anymore, yet you still came to—"
A sharp slap! echoed through the entire hallway. Everyone instinctively turned to look. Upon recognizing Bai Yilan, many of their expressions turned peculiar.
The slap left Bai Yiyue stunned. The smile on her face vanished instantly as she stared at Bai Yilan in disbelief.
Bai Yilan glanced around. There were seventeen or eighteen people there. Although she hadn't seen many of them in a long time, they were all relatives from the Bai family, all sharing some blood connection with her. But right now, she could only feel cold indifference in their eyes.
She found it hard to imagine how her mother had managed to live in a family like this all these years.
"Bai Yilan, are you crazy?"
"Bai Yiyue, do you have a conscience? Even if she wasn't a competent mother, she was with you for twenty-five years! Don't you have the slightest bit of affection for her? How can you be so vicious as to wish for her death?" Bai Yilan's eyes were bloodshot as she lost her composure in a way she never had before.
Bai Yiyue chuckled. "Oh? Feeling sorry for her now?"
"I really don't get it. What's so worthy of pity about a heartless woman who would abandon her own biological daughter for power? Have you forgotten how she kicked you out back then?"
"Think about the last birthday banquet. She didn't even spare you a glance. What, now that you know she's not going to make it, you've come running to put on a show of being a filial daughter, hoping to get a piece of the inheritance? Bai Yilan, you're truly pathetic."
Gu Xinran narrowed her eyes, stepping forward to shield Yilan. She also let out a soft laugh. "Bai Yiyue, you're disgusting."
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