Volume 1, Chapter 148: Longing

Fu Linhan was bursting with frustration.

He was naturally a talkative person, and now that Pei Jingmo's life or death hung in the balance, he felt restless and wanted someone to talk to. Yet, the only person around him was Bai Yinian.

Damn it!

There was truly nothing more infuriating than this.

Watching him pace back and forth, sitting down and standing up again in a state of agitation, Bai Yinian was the first to break the silence. "Jingmo will be fine."

"Do I need you to tell me that?"

The tone was harsh, clearly showing he was still furious.

Bai Yinian sighed softly. "Has the news been suppressed?"

Refusing to even look at Bai Yinian, Fu Linhan nevertheless knew the gravity of the situation when it concerned Pei Jingmo. "It's been suppressed, but the other party planned this meticulously. It'll probably leak out soon."

"Who is the culprit?"

"What the hell are you asking me for? Who am I supposed to ask? If you've got the ability, go investigate it yourself!"

Without another word, Bai Yinian walked aside to make a call to He Shubai, then instructed his own people to investigate Pei Jingmo's car accident.

Soon, the light above the operating room turned off, and the doctor emerged.

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian immediately hurried over. "Doctor, how is he?"

"President Gu has multiple fractures, including two broken ribs. There is some internal organ damage, but it's not life-threatening. He can be transferred to a standard ward shortly."

Both men let out a collective sigh of relief.

"What about Guo Rang?"

"His condition is less optimistic. His injuries are severe, and he needs to be moved to the intensive care unit."

Fu Linhan frowned. "Doctor, please, you must save Guo Rang at all costs."

"Rest assured, we will do our utmost."

When Pei Jingmo woke up again, it was already ten-thirty in the evening.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was greeted by Fu Linhan's face, which looked as though it was on the verge of tears of joy. "You bastard, you're finally awake."

"Qingqing—"

"I'm the one right beside your bed, and yet the first thing you do upon waking up is look for your wife."

Pei Jingmo was extremely weak, his voice unsteady. "Did she call me many times?"

Fu Linhan looked somewhat surprised. "How did you know?"

"If I haven't gone back this late, she's bound to look for me."

"Hah, you two certainly have a deep affection for each other."

"Then—"

Seeing Pei Jingmo attempt to sit up, Fu Linhan pressed him back down onto the bed. "You're hurt this badly, stop asking for a death wish. Rest assured, I already used your phone to send a WeChat message to Song Qingyu, telling her you went on a business trip with your boss."

Only then did Pei Jingmo lie back down obediently. "Where's my phone?"

"What for?"

"I need to call Qingqing. If she doesn't hear my voice, she won't be able to sleep."

Though Fu Linhan felt so disgusted by their sweetness that his teeth ached, he still dialed Song Qingyu's number.

Pei Jingmo guessed correctly; Song Qingyu was indeed lying in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Logically speaking, she had been exhausted today and usually fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, but tonight her mind was entirely occupied by Pei Jingmo.

That nightmare had been too terrifying. Even after receiving the WeChat message from him, a lingering sense of unease remained.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing that the call was from Pei Jingmo, Song Qingyu immediately sat up and answered.

"Jingmo—"

"Mhm, are you asleep?"

Hearing Pei Jingmo's voice in reality, the anxiety in Song Qingyu's heart finally began to dissipate.

"I'm in bed. I really couldn't fall asleep without you. When are you coming back?"

"I—"

Fu Linhan shot Pei Jingmo a warning glance. Given Pei Jingmo's physical condition, he needed to recuperate properly in the hospital.

"Not sure yet. Once I finish handling things here, I'll head back."

"Alright, then make sure you stay safe."

"Mhm."

"I'm going to sleep then."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

After hanging up, Song Qingyu finally felt at ease. Remembering something, she got out of bed, went to the wardrobe, and pulled out the T-shirt Pei Jingmo often wore in the summer.

It still carried the scent of laundry detergent. She brought it to bed, hugged it tightly to her chest, inhaled the scent, and drifted off to sleep in total contentment.

Back at the hospital.

Just as Fu Linhan finished putting away Pei Jingmo's phone, he saw Bai Yinian walk back in.

"Xiao Bai, you have no idea how outrageous this guy—"

Mid-sentence, he abruptly remembered that he and Bai Yinian had supposedly broken ties, and he irritably snapped his mouth shut.

Pei Jingmo watched their awkward interaction, wanting to say something, but his entire body ached so much that he couldn't form the words.

Having just spoken on the phone with Song Qingyu seemed to have drained every last ounce of his strength, and now he didn't even want to move.

Fu Linhan exuded awkwardness from every pore, the very back of his head practically broadcasting his discomfort.

Bai Yinian gave him a deep look, then walked over to Pei Jingmo. "Was it Yang Bingcheng who wanted you dead?"

Yesterday, Pei Jingmo had been meeting with medical research experts to discuss the next steps of their work when their vehicle was sandwiched between two cars midway.

Domestic pharmaceutical research had stepped on the toes of many influential figures, and those people were desperate to see Pei Jingmo dead.

Yang Bingcheng was merely a scapegoat pushed out to take the fall.

"Where is Yang Bingcheng?"

"My people have already detained him."

Pei Jingmo knew he could always count on Bai Yinian. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "This time, I'm going to pull up the radish and shake off the dirt. I'll expose all those parasites hindering the development of our nation's pharmaceutical industry and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Enough, enough! Just focus on getting better first!"

More than anything else, Fu Linhan cared about Pei Jingmo's physical condition.

"What about Guo Rang? How is he?"

"Still in the ICU. Don't worry, he has a strong constitution, he'll be fine."

Guo Rang was a veteran who used to work at a bodyguard company before following Pei Jingmo upon his return.

"I'm going to go see him."

"Oh come on, you're neither the Buddha nor the Jade Emperor, is he going to leap back to life just because you take a look at him?"

Bai Yinian also advised, "Rest assured, we've brought in the top doctors. He'll be fine."

The news of Tianqi Group's CEO being hospitalized from a car crash had to be kept under wraps for as long as possible.

Neither man sought a professional caregiver. That evening, Fu Linhan told Pei Jingmo, "I'm staying to keep you company tonight. We don't need a third person here."

Although he addressed Pei Jingmo, his words were clearly meant for Bai Yinian to hear.

Bai Yinian said flatly, "I'll stay instead."

Fu Linhan had never taken care of anyone from childhood, let alone a patient. Bai Yinian didn't trust him to look after Pei Jingmo, nor did he want Fu Linhan to wear himself out staying up all night.

"I'll take care of my own brother; I won't trouble anyone else."

Bai Yinian frowned. "You know Jingmo's condition. His temperature needs to be checked every two hours, and someone has to constantly monitor the IV drip. If you even drift off for a second, the blood could flow backward if the bag runs dry. Plus, you have to give him water when he's thirsty—it can't be too hot or too cold—"

Fu Linhan hadn't expected that staying overnight to care for a patient could be so troublesome.

He suddenly recalled the times he had been hospitalized in the past, refusing to let anyone else stay with him and specifically demanding Bai Yinian's presence.

Every time he woke up from a nightmare or felt burning up with fever, Bai Yinian's face was the first one he saw.

Could it be that this was how he had always taken care of him?

"Alright, both of you go back. I don't need anyone staying with me."

Having spent so many years in the military, Pei Jingmo had suffered numerous injuries big and small. Back when his life hung by a thread, no one had stayed with him, let alone now when he only had a few broken ribs.

"How can we do that?"

"Stop arguing. I'll need your help tomorrow; we can't all be sleep-deprived."

Pei Jingmo's attitude was resolute. Unable to overrule him, Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian had no choice but to comply.

The two walked out of the inpatient building together, Fu Linhan in the lead and Bai Yinian following behind in silence.

When they reached the hospital entrance and were about to part ways, Bai Yinian opened his mouth as if to say something, but Fu Linhan directly climbed into his car and started the engine.

Young Master Fu's car sped off in a flash. Bai Yinian watched it leave for a long while before irritably lighting a cigarette.

The news of Pei Jingmo's car accident and hospitalization spread like wildfire. Song Qingyu only learned about it the next day when she arrived at the office and overheard her colleagues discussing it.

"First it was the elder CEO Gu, and now it's the younger CEO Gu. Who on earth is trying to kill them?"

"Has CEO Gu woken up? Is he going to end up in a vegetative state like the elder CEO?"

"I heard he's in the ICU. God bless CEO Gu, please don't let anything happen to him!"

Gu Yuandong was currently the pillar of Tianqi Group, and upon hearing news of his accident, Tianqi Group's stock had already begun to fluctuate.

Fortunately, Pei Jingmo had anticipated this.

That very morning, a masked Pei Jingmo also appeared in the public eye.

During a press interview, his sharp gaze locked onto the camera lens as he stated coldly, "Whether individual or collective, no one can stop me from conducting research on pharmaceutical projects."

"As long as I live, this project will continue until we produce affordable, life-saving drugs that ordinary citizens can actually buy."

"Other countries can do it, and so can we!"

His words not only propelled Tianqi Group's stock to new heights but also served as a stern warning to those lurking in the shadows trying to stop him.

Not just Song Qingyu, but anyone who heard his words would feel their blood boiling with passion.

Xie Changhe slammed his palm down on the desk, completely fired up. "CEO Gu is legendary! I swear to follow CEO Gu to the death and work like an ox or a horse for Tianqi Group. Qingyu, come with me to the hospital to see CEO Gu later."

Song Qingyu asked, "CEO Gu is recovering. If we go visit him, won't it disturb him?"

"Not at all!"

You silly girl, CEO Gu is probably dying to see you!

In the dimly lit room, a man sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his gloomy gaze fixed on the screen showing Gu Yuandong. The corners of his lips curved into a cold, eerie smile. "I've finally found you."