Chapter 53: Rescuing Mother Shang with Valour

Without waiting to see whether Shang Qi objected, he lifted the unconscious Yu Xiufen and placed her in the back seat of the car. Remembering the last time her mother had fainted, a wave of intense anxiety gripped Shang Qi's heart. She knew that without immediate medical attention, her mother might... At that thought, she abandoned all resistance and got into Luo Yichen's car.

The reporters were utterly bewildered by this sudden turn of events: Why was Luo Yichen here? And why was he about to leave with the woman who was suing him? However, guided mostly by the principle that saving lives came first, the majority of them cleared a path for him.

Seeing that a few reporters were still blocking the lane, Luo Yichen blared the horn continuously. Still, they refused to budge. He rolled down the window and shouted, "Get out of the way if you don't want to be run over and killed!" Gone was his usual poise and elegance; he looked entirely like a desperate, red-eyed madman.

Those few reporters were actually still taking pictures. Luo Yichen glanced back at Yu Xiufen in the rear seat; her face had already turned ashen. He pressed his foot down on the accelerator and drove forward. Seeing the car bearing down on them, the reporters finally scattered to the sides. At the same time, a nearby reporter captured the entire scene with a camera.

Flashing his hazard lights and running every single red light along the way, Luo Yichen sped all the way to the First Hospital. Once the car stopped, he opened the back door and urged Shang Qi, "Quickly help your mother onto my back."

By this time, Shang Qi had cast aside any lingering resentment toward Luo Yichen. With nimble hands, she hoisted her mother onto his back and sprinted toward the emergency room. Having just barely recovered her voice, and overwhelmed by panic, she stammered, "Doc... doctor, my mom... my mom..."

Luo Yichen spoke calmly, "The patient has a history of heart disease. She suffered a shock and suddenly fainted."

"Put the patient on the stretcher in the trauma room immediately."

Luo Yichen followed the doctor into the emergency room at a run. After he laid Yu Xiufen down on the bed, the doctor performed a quick examination. Then, turning to a nurse, he ordered, "Prepare for defibrillation immediately; the patient has no pulse."

Shang Qi cried out, "Doctor, you have to save my mom! She was completely fine this morning!"

The nurse replied, "We need to begin resuscitation. Family members must step outside."

How could Shang Qi bear to leave? She kept pleading with the doctor. Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Luo Yichen hurried over to hold Shang Qi back. But by now, she was acting like a madwoman, refusing to leave no matter what. With no other choice left, Luo Yichen grabbed her from behind and carried her out of the emergency room.

Watching the doors of the emergency room close, Shang Qi collapsed against them and burst into heavy tears. All the insults and grievances she had suffered in recent days, along with her terror for her mother's life, poured out in that single moment. Right then, she wanted nothing else in the world; she only prayed for her mother's safety.

At that moment, the hospital director hurried over upon hearing the news. Luo Yichen said, "Director, Shang Qi's mother suddenly fainted. You are a specialist in cardiology—please take a good look at her!"

The director looked at the weeping Shang Qi crumpled by the door and said, "Help her up! This is a hospital; we cannot allow anyone to disrupt normal rescue operations. I am going inside to take a look."

Luo Yichen pulled Shang Qi to her feet and coaxed, "Stop this! The director is going inside to save your mother."

Shang Qi continued to wail hysterically, completely deaf to his persuasion. Panic, terror, and absolute helplessness overwhelmed Luo Yichen. He pulled her tightly into his arms, pinning her thrashing hands, and whispered in her ear, "Pull yourself together! If you keep acting like this, your mother will truly be in danger."

Shang Qi finally calmed down a fraction. She buried herself in Luo Yichen's embrace and sobbed softly. That familiar, warm embrace had now turned cold and unfamiliar. Yet, on the verge of total collapse, Shang Qi could no longer support her own weight. She needed a pillar of strength to keep herself from falling. And so, she accepted that embrace.

Holding the trembling Shang Qi, Luo Yichen felt his eyes grow hot and red. He fought down the anguish in his chest, refusing to let his tears fall.

He sniffed and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't have had to endure all this suffering. To be honest, I've regretted it so much these past few days. If only I hadn't fallen in love with you in the first place, I never would have let you get dragged into this conspiracy."

Hearing those absurd words, Shang Qi thought bitterly to herself: If that ridiculous incident was a trap set for you by someone else, were all those subsequent attacks, insults, and cold attitudes toward me also part of a trap? Luo Yichen, you are far too good at making excuses for yourself. Do you really take me for some naive, worldly-inexpensive little girl who is so easily fooled?

Feeling her strength gradually return to her limbs, Shang Qi pushed Luo Yichen away. When she raised her head, she locked eyes with his reddened gaze. His eyes were no longer fathomless; instead, they overflowed with tenderness and remorse.

"Don't look at me like that. I won't be fooled by you again, and I will never believe another word you say!"

Luo Yichen closed his eyes and said, "I understand! I never dared to hope that you would trust me again. But you must believe in yourself—don't do anything else to hurt yourself. Think of your mother; she is still lying in that operating room. You have to be strong."

Reminded that her mother's life hung by a thread, Shang Qi instantly choked back her sobs. She wiped away her tears, bit her lip, and said to Luo Yichen, "You caused all of this. If anything happens to my mom, I swear I'll trade my life to make you pay. How can you be so shameless as to drag me to court? If you hadn't pushed me step by step, how could my mother have fallen ill out of worry for me?"

Luo Yichen replied, "Even if you don't believe me, I have to say it. I sued you because I had absolutely no other choice. To be precise, I couldn't stop it at the time anyway. My reputation is tied to the entire Luo Corporation; I couldn't let the company's interests be compromised."

Shang Qi sneered, "In your worldview, nothing matters except profits."

"Marrying me is the only way to keep you and your family safe from harm."

With absolute finality, Shang Qi said, "I will never marry you! Even if I die, I will prove my innocence."

By now, every ounce of grief, grievance, and terror inside Shang Qi had transformed into pure hatred for Luo Yichen. Her bloodshot eyes glared at him, every hair on her body standing on end like a bloodthirsty beast. Her gaze was so cold and merciless it felt as though she wanted to drag Luo Yichen straight down to hell.

Hearing the word "die" made Luo Yichen's heart wrench. He found it hard to believe his own eyes, hard to believe his own senses. How could that gentle, elegant woman have turned into someone so terrifying? She was willing to risk her very life just to exact revenge on him. Was he really the one who had driven her to this? What other terrifying things might she end up doing?

Ignoring him completely, Shang Qi walked over to the chairs by the emergency room doors and silently prayed for her mother. Time ticked away second by second, but the doors to the emergency room remained tightly shut. Growing more and more nervous, Shang Qi felt sweat slicking her palms. She stood up, hurried over to the doors, and pressed her ear against them. Yet, she could not catch a single sound.

Watching her back, Luo Yichen wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but didn't dare speak. He found his own fear incomprehensible: a man who wouldn't flinch even if the sky fell was actually acting like a coward in front of a woman! He was even worried that if she heard him speak, it would trigger another shock. How utterly ridiculous.

Driven frantic with worry, Shang Qi paced back and forth endlessly. At that moment, Luo Yichen felt his phone ring. He answered it and snapped, "What is it?"

The person on the other end of the line was none other than Mu Lichen. Frustrated and anxious, Mu Lichen yelled, "I've called you countless times and you haven't answered once! Where on earth are you? How do you expect me to clean up this colossal mess you've left behind? Do you know what people are saying? They're saying you kidnapped Shang Qi and her mother, rammed reporters with your car, and fled!"

A bad feeling washed over Luo Yichen. It was abundantly clear that someone was deliberately spreading malicious rumors. He answered, "Shang Qi's mother suffered a sudden heart attack, so I brought them to the First Hospital."

Upon hearing this, Mu Lichen's tone instantly softened. He asked with concern, "Is Shang Qi's mother in mortal danger?"

"The doctor hasn't come out yet, so I don't know the exact situation."

Mu Lichen instructed, "Stay at the hospital for now! Watch out for reporters and make sure you aren't photographed again. I have a strong feeling someone is working behind the scenes to deliberately smear this whole incident."

Luo Yichen lowered his voice and said, "When I was driving away, someone deliberately blocked the road to stage a fake scene making it look like I was trying to run over reporters. Have someone investigate which media outlet they belong to and who they've been in contact with recently. My dashcam should have recorded what those people look like."

"Got it."

Just then, the doors of the emergency room swung open and the director stepped out. Luo Yichen hurriedly hung up the phone. Judging by the director's expression, Shang Qi could not read what had happened. With trembling lips, she asked, "How... how is my mom?"

The director glanced at Luo Yichen without speaking. He had a rough idea of the conflict between Luo Yichen and Shang Qi, and having heard Shang Qi's weeping inside the trauma room, he was afraid she would suffer another shock. Noticing the director looking at Luo Yichen's expression, Shang Qi turned her head and glared fiercely at him.

Feeling entirely wronged, Luo Yichen quickly said, "Director, please tell us straight."

The director announced, "The patient suffered an acute myocardial infarction, but we managed to resuscitate her. If she had been brought in even half a minute later, the consequences would have been unthinkable. However, her condition is still unstable, and she remains within the critical 24-hour window. Furthermore, the patient's blood counts are too low; surgery is out of the question at present."

Luo Yichen inwardly groaned: Ye Shengtian, the director of the First Hospital, was a renowned national authority on cardiology. If even he described the condition as this grave, it must be extremely dangerous. If anything truly happened to the older woman, the bad blood between him and Shang Qi would be impossible to ever wash away.

Shang Qi's mind went completely blank; she had no idea how to cope with this sudden crisis. Still, she forced herself to regain some composure. She heard Luo Yichen say, "Director, please do everything in your power to save her."

"I don't need your help with my affairs," Shang Qi said coldly.

Seeing that she completely rejected his assistance, Luo Yichen felt deeply unsettled. Losing face in front of the hospital director only made it worse. Disregarding Luo Yichen's feelings entirely, Shang Qi turned back to the director and asked, "Has my mom woken up yet?"