“Tell me, which hospital are you at? I’m coming over right now!!”
The moment Jiang Lai found out her daughter was undergoing surgery, she didn’t even have time to change her shoes.
She just threw on a coat and rushed out of the room.
After learning from Chi Yingyu which hospital they were at, Jiang Lai started ordering a taxi online while rushing downstairs.
She originally wanted to ask her sister-in-law more about her daughter’s condition, but before she could say anything, the line went dead.
Jiang Lai quickly tried calling back on her phone, but no matter what, she couldn’t get through.
Was her sister-in-law’s phone dead?
By the time Jiang Lai reached the bottom of the stairs, she realized the building was really far from the Residential Complex entrance.
But the hesitation only lasted for a moment before she kicked off her slippers and ran toward the gate.
When Jiang Lai finally arrived at the entrance, panting and drenched in sweat, she checked her phone only to see that the taxi wouldn’t arrive for another five or six minutes.
Her whole heart was on her daughter.
Every second felt like torture, each moment of waiting crushing her spirit.
If only she were still the same as before, she could have just driven over herself………….
Jiang Lai quickly opened another rideshare app, praying silently that it would get a car faster.
Suddenly, not far away on the street, she spotted an empty taxi.
She glanced at the time, then back at her unreachable phone, gritted her teeth, and just as she was about to step onto the road to flag down the cab herself, a familiar voice called out at the entrance of the Residential Complex.
“Jiang Jiang, that’s too dangerous!!!”
Hearing her name, Jiang Lai immediately turned around and saw Xu Ruobing coming home like a savior.
Without hesitation, she slipped back into the slippers and dove into the car.
Truly, it was a blessing from above.
At that moment, Jiang Lai couldn’t think much—she quickly showed Xu Ruobing the address on her phone.
During the whole process, her phone almost pressed against Xu Ruobing’s face.
Xu Ruobing glanced at the location on Jiang Lai’s phone—it was the Municipal Hospital.
Though filled with questions, she didn’t say a word and just nodded fiercely, telling Jiang Lai to sit tight and fasten her seatbelt.
Then Xu Ruobing pressed the accelerator, speeding toward the hospital as fast as she could.
The sudden acceleration sent Jiang Lai crashing backward against the seat, a dull thud echoing.
But right now, she didn’t care.
All she could think was that if she could get to the hospital sooner, she could find out her daughter’s condition sooner.
“Is her phone dead? Why isn’t she answering…………”
Jiang Lai was too worried about her daughter, her voice trembling, choked with tears.
Her fingers gripped the phone so tightly they turned pale and blue veins bulged on the back of her hand.
Besides listening to the navigation, Xu Ruobing put all her focus on the road conditions around her, driving with full concentration.
Only at red lights did she steal glances at Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai was sweating profusely, frantically calling over and over.
Even her beautiful lips trembled with fear.
Xu Ruobing knew Jiang Lai was in a rush but hadn’t realized it was this urgent.
She noticed Jiang Lai was wearing indoor slippers, her toes scraped raw, blood seeping from the wounds.
Jiang Lai must have run all the way from the room to the Residential Complex entrance.
What could have happened to make her this desperate?
Xu Ruobing wanted to know.
She wanted to understand what had driven Jiang Lai to act so recklessly.
After all, Xu Ruobing had seen everything clearly by the roadside.
If she hadn’t called out in time, Jiang Lai might have tried to hail a taxi from the street herself.
Such a dangerous thing—how could Jiang Lai dare to do that?
Xu Ruobing had many questions swirling in her mind, but all that would have to wait until Jiang Lai calmed down, or until she could see for herself later.
Xu Ruobing drove like a roller coaster, practically flying low to the ground until they reached the hospital entrance.
When Jiang Lai saw the hospital, she anxiously opened the door to get out but staggered, nearly blacking out, her legs weakening and slipping.
She quickly grabbed the door to steady herself and adjusted her ill-fitting slippers.
The cool night breeze stirred her hair, and the dim streetlights cast long shadows, making her look lonely and desolate.
Seeing this, Xu Ruobing wanted to get out and support her, but before she could say anything, Jiang Lai darted into the hospital like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Xu Ruobing was left sitting in the car, murmuring softly, “Be careful………………”
When Jiang Lai finally rushed into the hospital lobby, the phone number she had dialed dozens of times appeared again on her screen.
She quickly answered, hearing a voice full of apology on the other end.
“Brother-in-law, I’m sorry. My phone died. I just finished charging it and tried to call you right away……………….”
Chi Yingyu’s voice was full of regret and self-blame.
She could already imagine the kind of turmoil her brother-in-law must have gone through during the minutes of silence.
Chi Yingyu knew Jiang Lai well.
Hearing that her daughter was undergoing surgery must have shattered her heart.
She had planned to keep things brief and get straight to the point when updating Jiang Lai.
Aside from the opening sentence, Chi Yingyu had said a lot more, but suddenly realized her phone had died and shut down.
It wasn’t Chi Yingyu’s fault.
The moment she knew Jiang Leyi was in pain, she immediately rushed her to the hospital and ran a series of tests, discovering it was acute appendicitis.
Everything happened so fast and unexpectedly that Chi Yingyu was overwhelmed, unable to pay attention to much else.
Only when she finally had a moment to call back just now did she realize her phone had died.
Chi Yingyu had planned to finish explaining everything over the phone.
But Jiang Lai cut her off.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself and suppress the heavy sobs in her voice, she said, “I’ve arrived. I’m in the hospital lobby now. We’ll talk about everything when we meet.”