"Don't worry, Lele is not injured. Gu Qichen protected him with all his might. He's just frightened now and has a minor scrape on his leg. He's in the ward now."
As she spoke, Qin Yun pulled up a video of Lele on her phone and tossed it onto the bed in front of Qin He.
The video showed Lele lying in the hospital bed, a pitifully small figure.
Qin He's heart settled. This was indeed Lele, still pouting pitifully on the screen, on the verge of tears.
Qin He stared at the screen for a long while before asking after a few seconds, "Where is Gu Qichen?"
"When the explosion happened, Gu Qichen hid in a metal filing cabinet by the window. He shielded Lele with his entire body, and he was blasted—"
Qin Yun paused. Qin He quickly pressed, "How is he?"
"His legs are injured. Amputation is a possibility."
"How could that happen?"
"The filing cabinet was blown flying and then fell from a height. The iron bars inside twisted and pierced Gu Qichen's thighs, horizontally. Both legs are injured."
Qin Yun said, "Dean Shen has already examined him. There aren't many good treatment options."
"I want to see him!" Qin He tried to get up.
"Don't go over there now. Gu family's Madam Gu and Gu Qichen's sister are already there."
Qin Yun pursed her lips. Gu Qichen was in this state because he saved Qin He and Lele. If Qin He went over now, she would undoubtedly be scolded fiercely by Madam Gu. If Madam Gu became emotional and tried to hit Qin He, Qin Yun didn't know how he would intervene.
After all, Gu Qichen was now like this precisely to save He'er. If it were the other way around, and Qin He had become like this saving Gu Qichen, he might have felt the urge to kill Gu Qichen.
Yet, he felt sorry for Qin He and was preventing her from going.
"No, I need to go see him."
Qin He tried to get up, and this time Qin Yun didn't stop her. But as soon as she stood up, her legs felt weak.
"What's wrong with me?"
"What do you mean, 'What's wrong with me?' Gu Qichen gave you an injection yesterday, and then all that happened. You haven't been eating properly lately, where would you get the strength?" Qin Yun said coldly.
Qin He was worried about Gu Qichen, and lying in the hospital bed, her emotions were stirred.
She wanted to tell Gu Qichen that in that moment, she had understood everything.
That explosion had shattered the invisible, intangible barrier between him and Gu Qichen.
Qin He clenched her fist. "Brother, Dean Shen said amputation isn't certain! I need to recover my strength quickly. I will definitely find a way to save him!"
Qingcheng First Hospital, Seventh Floor.
Gu Qichen lay in the ICU ward. All the Gu family members, except for Old Madam Gu, were present.
Madam Gu sat at the head of the bed, her face pale, her eyes bloodshot.
Gu Ranran was crying, her eyes red.
Gu Qichen, lying in the hospital bed, had just woken up, an oxygen mask still covering his face.
Xiao Liyan and Yan Chen stood by the side, looking at Gu Qichen with grim expressions.
Dean Shen had just been there and spoken about the amputation.
This was a decision for Gu Qichen to make, but amputation was currently the best option.
Gu Qichen's face was devoid of color, yet he appeared calmer than anyone else present.
"There are still half a month left. Why are you all crying?"
"But if there's no improvement after half a month—" Gu Ranran stopped herself, her voice choked. If there was no improvement then, her brother would truly lose his legs!
Yan Chen, who was usually flippant, now had a cold expression. "Ranran, don't worry. I absolutely won't let your brother have his legs amputated! I'm leaving for Country D tonight!"
There were several renowned doctors in Country D. Yan Chen's face was grim. This time, he would drag those doctors back even if he had to tie them up!
Xiao Liyan glanced around the room. "How is Qin He's situation?"
Mentioning Qin He, Madam Gu's expression became complex.
Now she knew that Gu Qichen had ended up like this saving Lele. But she had also heard Gu Qichen say that Lele was his son.
Her son had saved her grandson. She didn't even know if she should blame Qin He.
"I don't know. I heard she's been in a coma?" Gu Ranran pursed her lips. "Qin He's elder brother called me and said not to tell Ming Xue, fearing that Ming Xue wouldn't be able to keep it from the Ming family's old madam."
Xiao Liyan nodded. "The police have completely sealed off Qingyue Pier. However, those people must have planned this for a long time. They escaped via the river during the chaos after the explosion."
Yan Chen grit his teeth in anger. "They were quick to get away!"
Gu Qichen, lying in bed, lowered his gaze. He recalled the scene of finding his son on the first floor.
Lele had fallen from the skylight, from the third floor to the first. He hadn't held out much hope.
But when he saw Lele, the ground on the first floor was covered with thick quilts and other cushioning materials.
These people hadn't intended to harm Lele from the beginning. Why?
Even when Qin He was in the building, those people had ample time to detonate the building, but they didn't.
They only detonated it after Qin He had left.
Gu Qichen's eyes were deep and thoughtful. Although he didn't know the reason, these people seemed to have no intention of harming Qin He.
"Mom, Ranran, you two go out first. I have something to say to Liyan," Gu Qichen said in a low voice.
He was still wearing an oxygen mask, and his voice was muffled.
Madam Gu and Gu Ranran reluctantly left the ward.
Only Gu Qichen, Xiao Liyan, and Yan Chen remained in the room.
Gu Qichen frowned, wanting to remove the oxygen mask from his face. Xiao Liyan immediately understood and stepped forward to help him remove it. "Just say what you need to say."
Gu Qichen's gaze was cold and somber as he recounted everything he had seen.
"How can that be?" Xiao Liyan pursed his lips. "If what you say is true, then these people must have some connection to the Qin family, even if the Qin family themselves haven't realized it."
"Regardless, tell Qin Yun about this. It's good for him to be prepared."
Gu Qichen then added, "There's one more thing I need to trouble you with. If Qin He wakes up and wants to see me, please stop her."
Yan Chen frowned beside him. "Why? Didn't you do all this for her? I heard Qin He was calling your name during the explosion. That's a good thing, at least it proves she still has you in her heart. Isn't this a perfect opportunity for you two to reconcile?"
Gu Qichen remained silent, only looking at Xiao Liyan.
Xiao Liyan understood Gu Qichen's meaning. "You're afraid that if your leg injury doesn't heal well in the next half a month, and it leads to amputation, is that it?"
"En."
If it really came to amputation, he didn't want Qin He to return to him.
What good would it be for Qin He to be with a cripple like him?
Yan Chen understood and his breathing became heavier.
"You ended up like this all for her! She won't despise you."
"Alright, you can go now," Gu Qichen said.
Xiao Liyan and Yan Chen stayed in the ward for a while before leaving. Gu Ranran still had to go to school and was ordered to leave by Madam Gu.
Having so many people staying here to accompany him was of no use. Moreover, Gu Ranran's crying would only hinder Gu Qichen's recovery.