Chapter 296
Tick, tock.
Blood trickled down his skin, falling onto the ground. The man froze in place. He had been on assassination missions for many years; what kind of situations hadn’t he seen? But he had truly never seen anything like this.
A slender, fair hand blocked the dagger. The dagger pierced through his entire palm, drawing a crimson bloodstain. The man looked up in shock, meeting a pair of indifferent eyes. There was no emotion, no pain. It seemed that the agony of a pierced palm was nothing special.
The first to react was the person involved, Lin Jingq. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she subconsciously took half a step back. The gleam of the dagger was only an extremely small distance from her heart. She could even feel the chilling cold emanating from the dagger’s tip. The next moment, upon seeing the hand that blocked in front of her, Lin Jingq’s entire expression froze. She blinked her eyes, a series of complex emotions like shock, aftershock, and disbelief flashing across her face.
“Ah!” Finally, it was unclear which girl beside her saw the scene. She suddenly clutched her head and let out a frightened scream. The ear-piercing scream immediately drew everyone’s attention. They looked over, and then, as if a pot had exploded, the entire venue erupted into chaos. The physical education teacher in the distance also noticed something was wrong and quickly ran towards them.
The assailant snapped back to reality. His eyes hardened, and he applied force to his hand, intending to pull the dagger out. Although things had taken an unexpected turn, it was far from irremediable. To get this assassination opportunity, they had already sacrificed several valuable informants. They absolutely could not accept failure for any reason! The man tensed his body, giving his all, one attempt, two attempts…
It wouldn’t budge… The dagger was firmly stuck in that hand. He closed his eyes in despair. He couldn’t comprehend why such a bizarre person would appear on a high school campus. The man now profoundly missed the black handgun he used during his missions. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t bring it into Qing City, who in their right mind would use a dagger for assassination these days!
…
…
Thirty minutes later, Qing City Second People’s Hospital. Chen An returned. He lay semi-reclined on the white hospital bed, his palm bandaged, concealing the horrific wound. The teachers and classmates who came to visit had already left. Only a slender figure remained, who had brought a small stool and sat beside the hospital bed. The girl’s expression was somewhat complex. After what had happened, even with all her experience in major events, her heart couldn’t calm down for a long time. The fleeting glint of the blade, the immense terror between life and death, the hand that bled profusely – everything seemed vividly etched in her memory. Lin Jingq’s heart ached faintly. She dared not imagine what would have happened if that stab had been aimed at her…
She looked up, gazing at the young man on the hospital bed. He looked very familiar. He should be the young man she passed by at the classroom door at noon. He leaned against the headboard, his hands resting casually on the bed, his head turned to look out the window. In Lin Jingq’s eyes, it was a very captivating profile. The young man had a high nose bridge, thin lips, and a naturally refined demeanor. She never considered herself a superficial person, but she had to admit that people with excellent looks were indeed more likely to earn people’s favor.
Not to mention, the person in front of her was her savior. She truly couldn’t imagine that such a young man, barely out of adolescence, would dare to block a sharp blade with just one hand. What drove him? And how much courage did that take? If their roles were reversed, Lin Jingq would certainly not have been able to perform such a brave act. If it were to protect family, it might have been somewhat understandable. But she and he had only met once. They hadn’t even exchanged a glance…
However, regardless of how perplexing it was, Lin Jingq was genuinely grateful to this young man from the bottom of her heart. She thought for a moment and then spoke, “Chen An, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might be the one lying here now…”
Chen An turned his head. His expression was as calm as ever, showing no particular emotion. His body was already immortal; even if it were shattered into a puddle of flesh paste, as long as he waited patiently for a while, he could recover. The wound that went through his entire palm was probably no different from a mosquito bite to him. If it weren’t for the desire not to have his peaceful life disturbed, Chen An wouldn’t have needed to come to the hospital at all.
“No need for thanks.” He looked at Lin Jingq and suddenly asked, “I heard your family seems to be very wealthy. How much do you think you’re worth?”
What a bizarre question? Lin Jingq was taken aback. A stray strand of hair on her head twitched slightly. After all, he was her lifesaver. Despite the strangeness of the question, she still lowered her head and thought seriously. Even setting aside her unknown factors, the mere identity of Miss Lin would make countless young men from prominent families vie for her and spend fortunes. Lin Jingq showed a troubled expression. “If you ask for a specific number, I really don’t know how much I’m worth, but it’s a lot, a lot.” She leaned on the edge of the hospital bed, propping her head with one hand, and added very seriously, “Enough to buy the entire hospital.”
Chen An was taken aback. “There’s no need for that much. Just give me a little, I want to ask the director to renovate the orphanage.” “After so many years of wind and rain, I remember the walls in many rooms have peeled off, and we never had money to install air conditioning. Every summer, the ceiling fans would creak.” The young man looked out the window and said quietly, a smile appearing on his face. “Every time I go back while I have free time, my little sister would always complain to me, saying she was too afraid to turn on the ceiling fan when she slept in the summer, for fear that one day the fan would fall, and she would become the lucky viewer chosen to be reincarnated into another world.”
Lin Jingq was infected by his smile, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. For some reason, being with this young man made her feel much more relaxed. She teased, “What’s wrong with being reincarnated into another world? Maybe you can play Dragon Quest.” Chen An shook his head. “Another world isn’t that good.” Lin Jingq pursed her lips, a little unconvinced. “You say that as if you’ve been to another world.” “Perhaps.” Lin Jingq shifted her shoulders, about to say something else, when the hospital room door was pushed open, interrupting her. Dr. Qin walked in. He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, clearly having run all the way upstairs. He hurriedly went to the bedside and examined him carefully. Seeing that Chen An’s complexion was normal, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“Is this how you promised me?” “Don’t think that just because the examination at noon was fine, you can let your guard down. The condition can change unpredictably. We cannot relax our vigilance until we are completely sure of recovery, okay?” Dr. Qin’s tone was somewhat stern. But Chen An knew he was only concerned. “I’m sorry, Dr. Qin, I will pay attention in the future.” Lin Jingq beside him looked confused. “What illness?” Dr. Qin finally noticed that there was someone else in the room. He frowned and did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked at Chen An, asking with his eyes. After all, it was the patient’s privacy, and he couldn’t act without permission. Seeing the young man nod, Dr. Qin slowly said, “Chen An has very severe congenital heart disease.” Upon hearing this, Lin Jingq’s body trembled. She looked at the young man on the hospital bed. He met her gaze, his eyes calm. For some reason, Lin Jingq averted her gaze.
(End of this chapter)
