Chapter 82: Baby, Don’t Move

The scene before his eyes sharpened, then blurred again. Cheng Xingye felt as though the world around him was spinning wildly; all color vanished in an instant, leaving only the small figure lying on the cold ground before him. It was as if he stood inside a monochrome painting, his limbs stiff and unresponsive, yet his mind remained painfully clear—this was no dream, this was a real accident.

When he came to his senses, he instinctively dashed toward her. His breath was ragged, not yet recovered, and his hands trembled as he reached to grasp her limp arm lying on the ground.

“Dian Dian!”

Lu Qingyue gave no response.

The girl’s hands were icy cold, her breathing and pulse so weak they were nearly undetectable. Cheng Xingye had no time to think; he immediately checked for airway obstructions and attempted chest compressions.

CPR was a skill every medical student possessed; Cheng Xingye had practiced it countless times during his hospital internship. But today, the person lying before him was no training dummy—it was the girl who meant everything to him. The technique and precautions he had once known by heart now eluded him entirely. He could only rely on muscle memory, pressing her chest again and again in a mechanical, numb rhythm.

Fortunately, within less than half a minute, Lu Qingyue’s pale complexion began to flush, and her heart resumed its own steady beat.

Medical staff rushed over, saw that he was administering emergency care, and immediately directed others to bring a stretcher. But before the stretcher arrived, Cheng Xingye had already scooped her up in his arms, rising smoothly to his feet.

Her clothes were soaked through, yet even held in his embrace, she felt impossibly light—as if, with one careless moment, she might float away like a leaf. His tall figure enveloped her entirely, like a silent umbrella, shielding her firmly within his arms.

Cheng Xingye strode toward the ambulance, carrying her securely aboard. The paramedics quickly fitted an oxygen mask over Lu Qingyue’s face. Noticing he had no intention to leave, one of them asked,

“Who are you to her?”

Cheng Xingye clutched Lu Qingyue’s still-cold hand, his eyes stinging, but his voice was unwavering:

“I’m her family.”

The anxiety and helplessness on his face were unmistakably genuine; the medical staff did not doubt him and promptly closed the rear doors.

“All right, don’t worry. We’re heading straight to the hospital.”

.....

At the entrance to the emergency center at Jiang University Affiliated Hospital, a crowd of medical staff were already waiting to receive the patient.

Lu Qingyue, half-conscious, vaguely heard the sharp wail of the ambulance siren in her ears. She curled up in discomfort, instinctively trying to push away the thing pressed to her face that made breathing difficult.

But as soon as she moved, her wrist was clasped tightly by a warm hand.

Someone held her hand in their palm, gently warming it; the voice was tender yet brooked no argument.

“Baby, don’t move...”

The voice was familiar, but Lu Qingyue’s mind was muddled—she could not recall who it was. She tried hard to open her eyes, but her consciousness kept sinking, as if a heavy stone was pressed upon her, pinning her down and sealing her body in this cold, lonely corner.

She struggled, but all her senses seemed to drift away. Even the warm touch on her wrist faded, until finally she felt nothing at all.

The world was utterly silent. Lu Qingyue saw herself submerged in the river water, the icy currents swirling around her, alone with no one in sight. Panic seized her; she struggled desperately, then began to sink, bit by bit.

......

Outside, the rain had stopped.

The hospital’s emergency room bustled ceaselessly.

Lu Yi hurried to the hospital with his parents. As soon as they reached the emergency room doors, he spotted a familiar figure seated in the waiting area outside.

The tall man sat awkwardly on a low plastic bench, his long legs extended, head bowed, shoulders hunched; the broad expanse of his back radiated a sense of powerlessness.

Lu Yi strode forward, urgently asking,

“Where’s Dian Dian?”

Hearing the voice, Cheng Xingye looked up, his own voice hoarse and exhausted. “In the emergency room.”

Since the incident at the Ye family, the two had barely spoken in the past half year. Occasionally, they would cross paths in the dormitory, treating each other as transparent, brushing past without a word.

Lu Yi frowned, seeming as if he wanted to ask why Cheng Xingye was here. But before he could speak, Cheng Xingye saw his parents approaching and stood up.

“Uncle, Aunt.”

Xi Yu’s eyes were red, clearly from crying in the car. Lu Jiachen held her shoulders, afraid she might lose control. At this moment, she cared little about who this young man was or what his relationship to Lu Qingyue might be; she simply asked, flustered and at a loss,

“How is Dian Dian?”

Cheng Xingye suppressed his own restless anxiety, briefly summarizing the situation:

“She had spontaneous heartbeat and breathing when she was admitted; it shouldn’t be a major problem.”

He said “shouldn’t be a major problem” only to comfort the Lu family.

In truth, when Lu Qingyue was rescued, she had been unconscious in the water for an unknown length of time. Although she soon regained spontaneous breathing after reaching shore, there remained a risk of developing intracranial hypertension and pulmonary edema.

Lu Jiachen, himself a doctor, quickly understood: spontaneous breathing upon admission meant she hadn’t had it when first rescued.

He comprehended this quietly, not wanting Xi Yu to worry too much. He nodded, guiding Xi Yu to sit on the nearby bench.

“Let’s wait for the results.”

With Lu Jiachen’s reassurance, everyone else fell silent, doing their best to contain their anxious hearts.

A suffocating silence filled the emergency room entrance.

Lu Yi repeatedly glanced at the illuminated emergency room, then at the silent, dejected man beside him.

Cheng Xingye wore a simple white T-shirt, now soaked from the rain and stained with mud, clearly just arrived from the accident site.

On the way, they’d heard Lu Qingyue had been brought to the hospital by someone at the scene claiming to be family. The real family only learned of the incident when the hospital called. Aside from the Lu family, the only person shameless enough to call himself family was, in Lu Yi’s mind, Cheng Xingye.

He’d already decided which hand to use to punch him when he met him—this guy must be crazy, wanting to become his brother-in-law!

But when at last they met, Lu Yi found himself unable to blame him.

After all, whatever else could be said, today Cheng Xingye was the first to arrive at the scene. If it hadn’t been for him, would Lu Qingyue even...

Lu Yi dared not finish the thought, silently withdrawing his gaze.