Maize Kai took a deep look at Tong Airui, pushed the door open and walked out. After a brief moment, he returned, pushing a wheelchair. "Room 903. Go get some rest quickly."
"Captain Slow is impressively speedy!" Yuan Hang gave Maize Kai a thumbs-up and helped Tong Airui into the wheelchair.
As Tong Airui was wheeled out the door, he cast a hateful glance toward the direction of the operating room. Seeing Yi Luowa still sitting there, he muttered, "Damn brat!"
"Yuan Hang, why is your phone number under Yi Fei's name?" Tong Airui asked as they entered the hospital room, seemingly recalling something.
"I wasn't eighteen back when I got my phone, but Yi Fei had just celebrated his birthday, so I used his ID to buy the SIM card." Yuan Hang helped him lie down on the bed. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"That damn brat sent people to investigate."
"Yi Fei's over in Xiawu right now. Even if she dug something up, she won't be able to find him. And Ba Ye wouldn't tell her a thing. You should focus on recovering."
"With this burning hatred inside me, how am I supposed to recover properly?" Tong Airui shot a displeased glare at Yuan Hang.
Yuan Hang chuckled and sat down. "Hatred? If you truly hated that little brat, would you have rushed here with injuries? Would you have asked Ba Ye to save her? Would you have gotten Qi Ye to personally perform surgery on her? I'd say you're smitten with the little brat."
"Get lost! Do you think I have such bad taste? She's ugly as hell!" Tong Airui furrowed his brows slightly. "Sure, I hate her, but not enough to want her dead. I couldn't just stand by and let her die. And besides, if she dies, who am I supposed to take revenge on?"
"Alright, keep lying to yourself. Calling such a good-looking little brat ugly—tsk, tsk…"
"Doctor Mai! Doctor Mai!" Their conversation was interrupted by Ao Lie's anxious shouts from the hallway.
"Go check it out." Tong Airui frowned slightly. "It's probably that damn brat fainting again."
Yuan Hang quickly left the room and saw a crowd gathered near the operating room. He hurried over.
Left alone in the empty hospital room, Tong Airui felt a sudden, inexplicable tension in his chest. He tilted his head, listening carefully to the sounds from outside. The commotion lasted less than two minutes before everything quieted down again.
Tong Airui narrowed his eyes slightly, and an image of Yi Luowa's watery, confused, and somewhat helpless gaze appeared in his mind.
"Airui! Airui?" Yuan Hang watched him on the bed suspiciously. When had his alertness dropped this low? Yuan Hang had been standing there for quite some time, yet Tong Airui hadn't noticed.
Tong Airui had known that Yuan Hang entered but was simply too lazy to respond. Seeing Yuan Hang fussing about, he furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Say it."
"The little brat's second uncle is out of surgery, but the doctor said his brain suffered severe trauma and he's highly likely to become a vegetative state. The little brat fainted halfway through hearing the diagnosis."
"Good that she fainted." If she fainted, she wouldn't be exhausted anymore. For someone that young to endure such a massive upheaval—if it were him, he wouldn't be able to take it either.
Yuan Hang had no idea what Tong Airui was thinking. Assuming he was genuinely sparring with Yi Luowa, Yuan Hang shot him an exasperated look.
"Call my older brother."
"Should I use my phone or yours?"
"Mine." Tong Airui gave him a disinterested glance.
Yuan Hang quickly took out his phone, turned it on, connected the call, and handed it over.
"Go wait by the door." Tong Airui raised his chin slightly to indicate.
Yuan Hang hurried out.
"What's so confidential that you need someone guarding the door?" A chuckle came from the other end of the line.
"Bro, I need to ask you something."
"Shoot!"
"Seventeen years ago, was the car we hit the one belonging to the Yi family?" Tong Airui gripped the phone tightly.
"...That was so long ago, I don't remember anymore."
Tong Airui detected hesitation and frowned slightly. "Do you want me to go ask Dad instead?"
"Yes!"
Tong Airui laughed mockingly. "Why didn't you just say that earlier? Had to make me threaten you before you'd spill. I'm hanging up!"
"Wait before you hang up! Where have you been these days? Mom's been calling me incessantly looking for you."
"I'm in the capital," Tong Airui raised his brows slightly. "I'll call Mom in a bit."
"Airui, why are you suddenly asking about something from seventeen years ago?"
Tong Airui burst into laughter. "Can't I just be bored?"
"Clearly, you have way too much free time! Now, get off my phone and call Mom immediately, got it?"
"Got it—"
Tong Airui pursed his lips slightly, ending the call. The image of her gaze reappeared again. Back on the cliffs, he had already felt a sense of familiarity with those eyes. But back then, Yi Luowa's gaze was filled with mockery and fury—he hadn't been able to recall where he had seen them.
Today, the confusion and helplessness in Yi Luowa's watery eyes, coupled with their tearful gleam, suddenly jolted his memory. Those eyes—he had already seen them seventeen years ago. In fact, for the past seventeen years, those exact eyes had haunted him daily in his dreams. They weren't dreams of sweetness, but rather torturous nightmares.
"Seventh Master, has the little brat woken up?" Yuan Hang's voice echoed from outside.
"She's awake." Maize Kai replied, pushing the door open and entering. "Fourth Brother, let me check your injuries."
"The bones are inside. Do your eyes have X-ray vision?" Annoyed at having his thoughts interrupted, Tong Airui grumbled.
"I looked at your chest X-ray. The rib issue isn't serious. With your physique, you'll recover in about a month. I'll check the lower injuries now."
Tong Airui shot Yuan Hang a seething glare, then finally addressed Maize Kai, "Looking at men doesn't do anything for me. You'd need to swap in a girl for that."
"The girl next door is a good candidate. After all, it's her mess; she's responsible for helping you sort it out." Yuan Hang shouted teasingly from the doorway, utterly fearless.
"Come here! I promise I won't hit you!" Tong Airui raised his hand to summon him.
"Only a fool would step in," Yuan Hang muttered, retreating to a safer spot.
"Do you want to take your pants off yourself, or should I do it for you?" Maize Kai adjusted his glasses slightly.
Tong Airui tilted his head and looked at the man standing bedside. "Seventh Brother, has anyone ever told you your glasses are ugly, and your name isn't great either?"
"You're the second person," Maize Kai replied expressionlessly. "The patient next door just said the same thing to me."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Tong Airui's lips. "You should switch them. Both of them. Fourth Brother's only looking out for you. You've got the height, you've got the face—don't let a pair of glasses and a bad name scare off all the girls. It's just not worth it."
"My business doesn't need your concern." Without hesitation, Maize Kai reached for Tong Airui's waistband.
Tong Airui immediately erupted. "Whichever hand you dare touch with, I'll chop it off! Whichever eye you dare look with, I'll gouge it out!"
Without missing a beat, Maize Kai undid his waistband. When his gaze landed on Tong Airui's white underwear, a mischievous smile crossed his face. "You actually dare not wear the underwear Sixth Sister designed for you!"
Feeling a chill down below, Tong Airui's brows immediately knitted into a tight ridge. "Yuan Hang washed them so much they tore. If I don't switch to new ones, am I supposed to walk around naked?"
Maize Kai examined him carefully, poking a few times, then finally drawled out, "Fourth Brother, it seems like this part of you might not be salvaged!"