Xiao Anjing smiled, seeing that Qin Tianyi still harbored no affection for Shu Yan. While he felt pity for Shu Yan, there was nothing he could do. "Of course, I know you won't take my life, but if the Shu family decides to pursue me, nine lives wouldn't be enough."
His words, though seemingly a jest, were a reminder to Qin Tianyi that the Shu family was not to be trifled with.
Qin Tianyi chuckled and said, "You don't need to remind me. I know what I'm doing. You can leave now."
Xiao Anjing gave an OK gesture, preparing to turn and leave. Then he realized something was amiss. He had come to Qin Tianyi's office for a genuinely important reason. "Oh, I was lying earlier about something happening at the construction site. I really do have something to tell you."
"What is it?" Qin Tianyi put away the divorce agreement, sliding it into the bottom drawer of his desk.
Xiao Anjing said cautiously, "Someone from the hospital just called to say... that Jin Meiyao wanted to visit your father. The police guards and our people stationed at the hospital couldn't stop her. She forced her way into the ward and saw your father..."
Seeing Qin Tianyi's expression grow increasingly grim, he dared not continue.
Qin Tianyi clenched his fist tightly on the desk. "Why are you only telling me this now?"
"Miss Shu was here earlier, so it wasn't convenient to discuss this matter..."
Qin Tianyi stood up immediately. "Is Jin Meiyao still at the hospital?"
"She is. She... she's been by your father's bedside crying, and she even fainted once..."
"To the hospital." Qin Tianyi strode out with long strides.
Xiao Anjing followed him, grabbing the car keys from the secretary's desk. He wondered if Qin Tianyi would confront Jin Meiyao directly upon seeing her at the hospital.
When they reached the entrance of the hospital ward, they saw a policeman and two of their own men standing outside.
Qin Tianyi, without preamble, lost his temper with his own men. "Where is Jin Meiyao? What are you standing out here for? Don't you know you should be inside protecting my father!"
His men dared not speak. The policeman at the door, however, said, "Mr. Qin, please rest assured. One of my colleagues is inside keeping an eye on things. Your father will not face any further accidents."
"Why did you let that woman into my father's ward? Didn't you have rules against anyone randomly visiting patients!" Qin Tianyi's tone towards the policeman was equally blunt.
At that moment, he heard Jin Meiyao's crying from inside, as if his father were already dead and she needed to mourn.
The policeman looked at him. "Mr. Qin, you need to be prepared. The doctor said today that your father's condition has worsened again and he might pass away at any moment. That's why we made an exception to let Jin Meiyao in. We were afraid that if the doctor's words came true, at least a relative could see him one last time..."
"Who is his relative? That woman is nothing. I am his son. Did the doctor issue a critical illness notice for my father? Why wasn't I, his actual family, notified about such a major event, yet this shameless woman was summoned!"
The policeman explained, "Your father's contact information was not found in the registration form when he was admitted to prison. The 'next of kin' section only listed his wife's name and phone number. We could only contact his wife."
Qin Tianyi was slightly stunned. Qin Zhaoye hadn't even saved his number in his phone.
In Qin Zhaoye's heart, he had never truly considered him his son. He was merely a child born to a woman his father didn't love, an expendable presence.
"Now that I'm here, have that woman removed. She is not to set foot in my father's ward again!"
The policeman said, "I can have my colleague escort that woman out. As for stopping her from seeing your father, you'll have to find your own way. We police officers don't get involved in these family matters."
With that, the policeman took out his walkie-talkie and was about to instruct his colleague inside to bring the woman out.
Suddenly, Jin Meiyao's wails erupted from the ward: "Old Qin, Old Qin, you can't die! You absolutely cannot die!"
Hearing this desperate cry, Qin Tianyi, disregarding everything else, rushed into the ward with the policeman.
He saw Jin Meiyao kneeling by the bed, her head resting on one of Qin Zhaoye's hands, seemingly weeping with great sorrow.
The monitor beside the bed showed Qin Zhaoye's heartbeat to be unstable, fluctuating wildly.
Qin Zhaoye, who had been lying motionless in the bed, began to breathe rapidly.
Qin Tianyi rushed to the bedside, shoved Jin Meiyao aside, and pressed the emergency call button. "My dad isn't dead yet, hurry and do something!"
His shout jolted everyone present. One of the policemen immediately ran out of the ward to find medical staff.
Jin Meiyao, pushed by him, slumped to the floor, her face streaked with tears. Her makeup was ruined, making her look like an ordinary, heartbroken middle-aged woman.
If she were placed in a crowd now, no one would recognize her.
The doctor quickly arrived at the ward and began preparing for resuscitation. "All family members, please exit. We need to begin the rescue!"
"Doctor, please, you must save my father. Don't let anything happen to him!" Qin Tianyi, though not medically trained, urged the doctor to save Qin Zhaoye.
It wasn't because they were father and son, nor for his own sake, but simply because Qin Zhaoye was the man his mother had loved, and he didn't want Qin Zhaoye to die under such unclear circumstances.
"Out, everyone out. Give us space to perform the rescue," the doctor instructed the nurses to clear the room.
Qin Tianyi yanked Jin Meiyao, who was slumped on the floor, to her feet and practically dragged her out of the ward.
Once outside the ward, he released her arm, finding her so repulsive that he ignored her completely.
He would settle the score with her sooner or later, but not now.
For Jin Meiyao to brazenly come to the hospital to visit his father, it was clear she wanted to see him and play some game between father and son.
Qin Tianyi couldn't sit still and paced back and forth in the corridor outside the ward, awaiting news of the resuscitation.
Xiao Anjing bought him coffee and handed it to him. He wanted to say something, but felt that anything said at this moment would be futile. He could only hope Qin Zhaoye would be alright.
Qin Tianyi had been too lonely his entire life. Now that he had no other family, it was best not to let him lose his father, even if his father was not a good person.
"Don't worry, your father will be fine," Xiao Anjing offered words of comfort.
Qin Tianyi patted his shoulder. "You don't need to stay here with me. Go back to the group first. If anything happens, there needs to be someone to make decisions and sign documents."
"If anything happens, the secretary will call me. I'm not at ease leaving you here alone," Xiao Anjing said, glancing at Jin Meiyao, who was still sitting on a plastic chair in the corridor.
Just then, the ward door opened from the inside. Qin Tianyi quickly walked over.
"The patient has been resuscitated. Not only is he fine, but he's also awake. A miracle, it truly is a miracle!" the doctor said with a smile.
Qin Tianyi asked in disbelief, "My father is awake? Can he see and speak?"