When Mu Qingxuan arrived at the hospital with the Huo family, Huo Changfeng had already been wheeled into the operating room for emergency treatment.
The long, narrow corridor was thick with the scent of disinfectant. The atmosphere was eerily quiet, as if the entire world had come to a standstill, leaving behind only a suffocating, heart-wrenching tension.
Li Changming was waiting outside the operating room. Hearing the hurried footsteps, he turned around in a panic. The tall, muscular man was covered in beads of sweat that slid down his cheeks, and his face was deathly pale from extreme anxiety and fear. He looked at the Huo family, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Cui Lirong rushed forward in long strides and gripped Li Changming’s hands. "What happened to Changfeng? He was perfectly fine—how did he end up in the hospital?"
"The experiment had reached a critical moment. Everything was going well, but then an explosion suddenly occurred. When it happened, the Director was standing too close..."
Li Changming had been outside the lab at the time, watching helplessly as the blast wave knocked Huo Changfeng over. The deafening roar of the explosion was still ringing in his ears. Ignoring his own physical distress, he cried, "I called for an ambulance immediately, but... but the doctors just told us to prepare for the worst..."
"Prepare for the worst? Changfeng has always been robust, and he’s so young—what kind of preparation are you talking about?"
Old Madam Huo gasped, clutching her chest as she broke into a violent fit of coughing. Li Changming’s words felt like thousands of silver needles piercing her brain. Her migraine, which had been gradually improving under Mu Qingxuan’s treatment, flared up again, more intensely than ever before.
Clutching her chest with one hand and her head with the other, she stumbled, nearly collapsing to the floor. Mu Qingxuan quickly caught her, helped her to a nearby chair, and gently pressed her acupoints to ease her pain.
Mu Qingxuan’s expression was grim. In her past life, she remembered Huo Changfeng dying of a sudden, severe illness one month after their marriage. How could things have changed so drastically in this new life? She knitted her brows tightly, silently searching for a strategy.
Huo Jianye held the inconsolable Cui Lirong and turned to Li Changming with a solemn face. "Besides Changfeng, were there any others injured? What is the situation at the institute?"
Li Changming shook his head. "This experiment was vital. The Director was the only one capable of completing it, so he was the only one in the lab. Aside from the lab being reduced to rubble, there were no other major losses."
"That’s good," Huo Jianye said, nodding slightly with a sigh of relief.
Upon hearing this, Cui Lirong’s anger flared. She hammered her fist against Huo Jianye’s chest. "Your son is hanging by a thread, and you’re worried about other people and whether the institute suffered any losses? Are you even human?!"
Huo Jianye looked at his wife helplessly, his lips twitching, but he ultimately said nothing more.
A moment later, the other directors of the research institute arrived. The elderly head of the institute shook hands with Huo Jianye. After learning the situation, he frowned deeply, lines of worry etched into his forehead. "Changfeng has always been the institute’s most brilliant talent and a key protégé of the state. I believe he is a man of great fortune and will surely be fine."
"As for the cause of the explosion, we have already begun an investigation. We will certainly give you and the Huo family a reasonable explanation." The Director’s face was stern. Although Huo Changfeng had chosen a career in research, the Huo family held significant weight in the military region. Huo Changfeng’s grandfather had been a recipient of a national-level medal, and Huo Jianye held a high-ranking position in the military. This was a family the Director could not afford to provoke.
Huo Jianye clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "Changfeng is a child of the Huo family. He is a steadfast proletarian warrior; he will not be brought down by a mere explosion."
"Of course, of course," the Director replied hurriedly.
Time seemed to drag on until, finally, the light above the operating room flickered out. Instantly, everyone’s eyes locked onto the doctor stepping out of the room.
Cui Lirong rushed forward. "Doctor, how is Changfeng?"
"...Please accept my condolences. We have done everything we could."
The doctor’s soft words struck like a thunderbolt. Huo Jianye, who had maintained his composure throughout, suddenly looked as if he’d been struck. His face went paper-white, his lips trembled, and the light faded from his eyes.
Cui Lirong shook the doctor by the shoulders in disbelief. "How can that be? What nonsense are you saying? How could this happen to my son?"
The doctor, accustomed to such scenes, merely repeated the words numbly: "I am very sorry. We did our best. Please accept our condolences."
"Ah!"
Old Madam Huo let out a sharp, piercing shriek, rolled her eyes, and fainted.
"Mother!"
Huo Jianye hurried to catch her, calling for doctors and nurses. The scene descended into chaos.
Mu Qingxuan’s eyes darkened. She shouted coldly, "Accept condolences? I can save him!"
Her firm, ringing voice drew everyone’s attention. Cui Lirong looked blankly toward Mu Qingxuan; her vision was blurred with tears, and through the haze, she could only see that face—ordinarily too striking and vibrant—now devoid of any vanity, possessing only a terrifying sense of resolve.
"You can save him?" Cui Lirong asked.
Mu Qingxuan replied firmly, "I can."
She pulled out the needle pouch she had intentionally brought with her and looked at the doctor. "Clear the doctors and nurses out of the operating room and let me in."
The doctor froze, stunned, and didn't move for a long time. The Institute Director’s mouth fell open in shock. "W-what? This is absolutely absurd!"
He turned to Huo Jianye. "Commander Huo, I have already contacted other hospitals. Let us try those; there might still be hope." He glanced at Mu Qingxuan. "That would certainly be more reliable than a mere girl who hasn't even cut her teeth yet..."
Huo Jianye rubbed his aching temples. The Director made it sound simple, but an entire night had passed since the explosion. Every available doctor had already been summoned, and yet the result remained the same. Rather than giving up on Huo Changfeng completely and letting him die, it was better to try anything, even if it seemed like a desperate measure.
"Qingxuan, are you sure you can save Changfeng?" Huo Jianye asked sternly. "Think carefully before you answer. If you fail, we will not let you off easily."
Huo Jianye knew his mother and wife’s temperaments well. If he allowed Mu Qingxuan to treat him and she failed, they would surely blame the death on her. By then, a nightmarish torment would await her.
Mu Qingxuan met Huo Jianye’s gaze directly, her tone steady. "Father, I cannot say with one hundred percent certainty, but as long as there is hope, we must try."
Huo Jianye nodded. "Very well. Go in."
Mu Qingxuan pressed her lips together, quickly donned a sterile gown, and walked into the operating room alone. The room had been cleared; besides her, there was only Huo Changfeng, lying on the bed and clinging to his final, fading breaths.
Mu Qingxuan looked up, and the moment her gaze fell upon Huo Changfeng, her pupils constricted violently.