TangShi blinked open her eyes, her head throbbing from the impact, her eyes blurry as they rolled around inside her skull and she slowly came to. Aware of her body being heavy and still, warm and somehow relaxed, as nausea swirled and her head thumped so painfully she couldn't move properly.
"Linlin?" She mumbled with effort, woozy and disorientated and reaching out to feel out her friend beside her. "Are you okay?" Knowing the crash would have hurt her too. Only she found she wasn't sitting forward at all but lying down and flat on her back and there was a hum of noise gently pulsating around her while her hand paused in midair finding nothing close. Confusion rising as she turned her head and forced her eyes open properly.
"It's okay Miss. Lei. It's okay. Just relax and stay still while we finish tending to you." A sweet female voice drifted, gently washing over her, and was accompanied by a warm soft palm on the back of her hand that helped ease her arm down and laid it on the soft platform beside her body. Bringing TangShi to the present and aware she was staring at a ceiling with a large fan, and the beep, beep, of machines was close by.
"What's happening?" TangShi could barely talk properly, her voice was slurred, and raspy. Her throat burning and any attempt at moving made her vision swim. Confused at how she got here.
"You're in Parkway Health Medical Centre. You were in a car Accident and brought here as we're the closest to where you were. Your guardian is on the way. Don't be alarmed, you are completely fine." The sweet and gentle tone soothed her panic but TangShi couldn't relax. Tensing her body to move but gentle pressure kept putting her back where she was.
"What? We....... Linlin? Where is she? Rong Cai.... the man who was....."
"Shhh, now. You had a nasty knock to the head and have a moderate concussion. The MRI showed nothing serious though and a few days rest will see you right. The woman you came in with is in another treatment room. She's fine too. A little banged up and being treated for minor toxins in her system and a mild concussion." The nurse continued tending to TangShi's superficial wounds on her body, wiping away dirt and debris to fully inspect each one and finding nothing too deep. TangShi was coming out of a state of numb and starting to be aware of her surroundings through her hazy fog as her senses re-engaged.
"How did my guardian know to come..... I have no phone. I couldn't call them." TangShi blinked with pain, making little sense, her eyes adjusting to the whiteness of the room slowly and it made her eyes water. Her brain slow to process as though she'd been asleep for days.
"You were recognized by the paramedic who brought you in. You're a famous face in Shanghai, Miss. Lei. And your fiancée is very well known. Other than that we would have had no clue as you have no ID or phone and the car was unregistered. The cell you had with you was a throwaway."
"Phone..... Car? We crashed! .... His phone, he was chasing us.... Did a man come here too?" TangShi's fear rose up in her throat, her body tensing as she gripped the sheet below her hands, remembering his vacant eyes and the wild expression as he pursued them. Instant terror rising as she strained to sit up but the nurse was quick to hold her down once more.
"Only two of you were brought here. I heard there were two male drivers at the scene but neither have arrived here. They may have been taken to another hospital. I don't know anything but the police are in the relatives room waiting for you to be able to talk."
"I'm pregnant? What about the baby?" TangShi was slowly recovering her memories as all her woes and worries slowly came seeping through as though she was filtering them one by one. Remembering the impact, and not sure if she hurt her body or just her head. Remembering the confessions, the chase, the fear. Mild panic stirring her up once more.
"We were informed by your guardian you were. The doctor did an ultrasound while you were still unconscious and the baby is fine. Everything looks healthy and normal and you sustained no abdominal issues. We just need to keep you calm. You were out for quite a while and have a pretty substantial bump on your head. You'll have to stay to be monitored."
TangShi exhaled with relief, sliding her hand to her belly and covering it instinctively, filled with warmth. A tear rolling down her cheek with utter relief and a sudden intense ball of emotion growing inside of her. The urge to sob even though she was happy and the memory of Rong admitting he never touched her came slicing through it all. Making her think of how YuZhi would react when she told him and suddenly she felt like she needed to do it right now.
"My guardian, when will he get here?" TangShi was confused about how long she had been here or how far away from home they were. She had no idea where Rong took them at all.
"They said he was on route about ten minutes after you got here." The nurse applied some band aids to minor cuts she had cleaned and took TangShi's hand. Feeling for the girl, who was pale and trembling and had been through an awful ordeal.
TangShi's tears let loose. Knowing YuZhi was coming and she was okay, the baby was okay, and everyone she cared about was here, or coming. It's like a dam opened up and she began to tremble as drips ran down her cheeks and soaked the pillows under her head. Her body jerking with the sniffs and gasps as she cried it out. Relief, shock, gratitude, for waking up safe. Her nightmare ordeal hadn't been a dream and so much pent-up mess was now flowing out with need for a release.
"TangShi? TangShi? Where is she? Where's my girlfriend? I'm YuZhi Leng, I talked to you on the phone." A husky strained male voice came echoing her way from the corridor. The sense of urgency and familiarity making her turn her head at his panicked tone and she could almost taste his hysteria in trying to find her.
"YuZhi? I'm here." She called out to him, straining an already raw throat as the suited figure of her handsome man came sliding in the open doorway with fumbling steps. Rushing and looking ruffled and distraught. His tie was loose, his jacket open, hair disheveled and his normally pulled together façade was rumpled and wrinkled as was his shirt. He looked like hell.
"Oh my god. I'm here, baby. I'm here. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He flew to her side, cupping her hand in his and bent down smothering her face as he tried a hug in an awkward position and somehow squashed her nose against his chest and yet still managed to get his arms under her and squeeze her. YuZhi's emotions on full display as he sniffed back the worried tears he had been keeping at bay. His body trembling with both adrenaline and fear at not knowing how hurt she was or what had happened until he got here.
Feeling like he was going crazy driving here to get to her after the cops called him and said they found them. YuZhi broke down, covering her fragile tiny body with his and pushed his face against her cheek as he cried too. Never in his life had he been so scared or overwhelmed and he couldn't contain his relief at finding her alive. He had almost knocked the policeman over downstairs as they tried to give an update in his haste to find her.
YuZhi and ZhengLi had found Linlin's car abandoned by the café they must have eaten at not long after leaving MinXo Corp. The boot open, a flat tire, and TangShi's cell phone lying beside it with a cracked screen. No one had seen anything and the complete disappearance of the women had pushed them to file a police report in urgency, afraid something had been done to them both. They managed to track Linlin's cellphone just as a call came in that the women had been found and hightailed it here like maniacs.
"I'm okay. My head hurts, but I'm fine. I'm really okay. Just cuts and bruises." TangShi pushed his face back so she could look at him, tracing her fingers across his sharp jawline and wiping his wet cheeks with her thumb. Adoration overwhelming her and the wounds between them of the last weeks seeping away like dust on the wind.
He furrowed his brow at her, scrunching up his face as he scanned hers and traced out the grazes and bruises on his skin, hating the bastard Rong Cai with a passion for hurting her. Seething inside but he kept himself together to be strong for her. She looked so vulnerable and pale that he thought his chest might explode with the agony of seeing her so fragile.
"Tang..... They told me Rong Cai is in critical condition. He might not make it. He drove headfirst into a truck. The driver of the arctic walked away with minor injuries but Rong is messed up. Really messed up."
"He might die?" TangShi blinked at his statement, not sure how to feel except numb and somehow heavy, taking a minute to really process it. Her mind laying out the very real truth that the man's life might ebb away because of the choices he made today and yet no guilt or heartache came to her. That ingrained automatic self-blame, failed to initiate. For once, her own self-preservation meant more.
"They cut him out of his car and sent him to another hospital for immediate surgery. If he lives, he'll be detained and held in prison until this goes to trial."
"Am I evil for hoping he doesn't make it? Am I a bad person?" TangShi uttered the words robotically, her stomach bubbling up as she tried to repress her anger and hatred for him but she couldn't hold it down. A venomous desire to have him wiped out of her mind for all eternity taking over. "I don't want him overshadowing my life anymore. I don't want to live in fear that he might get out."
"No. Because I hope he dies too. For everything he's done, he should rot in hell. And I don't even feel bad for saying it. If I have my way, he'll never see the light of day again." YuZhi straightened up, composing himself and wiping his face as a colder expression moved in. An anger for that sadist fuck and what he'd done to his beautiful girl. "The police are downstairs and will need to take statements. If he lives, we'll put him away for a long time. Don't you worry. He can't get out of it this time. I won't ever let him get near you again." YuZhi meant it. After this she'd be lucky to get ten seconds of alone time a day without guards, drivers, and YuZhi protecting her. He would never leave her unshielded as long as he lived.
"There's something you should know.... while he had us there......" TangShi scrunched up her face, trying to control the emotions of what to her was an insanely happy confession and YuZhi frowned. Scared of what she was about to say. Not sure he could hold himself together if she told him Rong had done something unspeakable to her while he held her prisoner. "He said he never touched me that night. Nothing sexual."
"What?" he blinked in surprise, not expecting that at all.
"He was obsessed with keeping me pure because he thought he would marry me. He actually thought I was a virgin and got so angry over it. The baby is yours. We never had sex." TangShi let it all out in whoosh of relief, a heavy burden lifting from her heart and soul and she reached out and touched YuZhi's startled face. Soothed by his sudden young boy expression of wide eyes and poised lips as words died on them.
"He didn't? It's mine?" he answered her in a breathy exhale after a moments pause. Relief flooding him, his eyes misting over again and his insides unclenching the terror of thinking she had something awful to say. Lifting her hand to his face and pressing her palm to his cheek in sheer happiness.
"It's ours. I'm sure of it. He was crazy, but he went mad when he thought you had gotten me pregnant. He wanted to get rid of it. He knew it couldn't be his. He told me so."
"I know I said it didn't matter, and it wouldn't have but ......" YuZhi broke down for the second time, crumbling against her as he scooped her up and hugged her tight, raw emotion pouring out and half squeezing her to death. Crying softly with her face cradled against his and thanking the powers above for giving him this one thing. Something he had told himself he would accept in time and get over, and now his heart was fit to bursting because it was his baby after all. This made everything okay.
"YuZhi, I want to see Linlin now. She saved us. I would still be there if she hadn't helped me. She's hurt because of me. I have to see her. The baby and I are fine because of her."
"Tang, just rest a little longer and relax. Linlin is with ZhengLi and being cared for. You've been through a lot and Linlin is fine. She's really okay. She's on a saline bag and resting too."
"Then take me to her and I'll rest beside her. Please, YuZhi. I have to see her. I won't relax until I do."
YuZhi relented, knowing he could never deny her anything and waved to the nurse who was still nearby and cleaning up the trolley from dressings. Knowing he was being unreasonable expecting her to stay still and be good but all he wanted to do was wrap her up in cotton wool and pamper her.
"Can we wheel her to the other private room and have them together? I don't want her to get out of bed." YuZhi turned a stern look on TangShi as she made to protest and she simmered back down, knowing when to pick her fights. Her head was aching still; she was dizzy and her body was trembling and not a hundred percent capable of walking around.
"Ahh yes. I'll go check if we can do that and make sure Miss. Choi's treatments are done." The nurse turned and walked off, leaving them alone and YuZhi interlaced his fingers with TangShi, staring at her intently. Leaning in close against the bed and sliding down into a seat he pulled up behind him.
"What?" TangShi nestled back down into her mattress, glad of being able to lay down while feeling so messed up. Hating to admit that he was right and she needed to stay in bed for the time being.
"I love you. Today scared me shitless. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't get away from him. If he had hurt you or taken you away from me and I couldn't find you. I was losing my mind when we found Linlin's car like that."
"It's over. Stop thinking like that." TangShi turned on her side to stare at his face wishing she could wipe away the fatigue and stress lines that seemed to be etched on his face right now.
"Let's get married right away. Soon as you recover. Not a big thing, or a PR planned event. Something small and meaningful and for us. To make this real. I don't ever want to lose you."
"That was out of the blue. We're already married." TangShi smiled at him, relaxing and yet touched by his words. Tiredness flooding her body and feeling like she had been running a marathon.
"Not really. I've been thinking about it since we got back together. I married you for all the wrong reasons, in a cold way, and our relationship became a scripted play. I don't want to keep doing that. I'm marrying you for love, so we can be together and create a happy family. We don't need the show and I don't want one. I don't need you in the public eye anymore. The certificate we signed was meaningless, but our wedding will be real and we can have a fresh start, the three of us." YuZhi slid his free hand onto her belly and gently stroked it's flatness with his thumb. Overcome with a warm internal happiness that made him choke up. Meaning every word.
"Miss. Choi, is waiting for you, Mr. Leng, Miss. Lei." The nurse interrupted them, pulling their attention away from their discussion. Leading in another caretaker with her and they started to prep TangShi's bed to move it while YuZhi stepped up and back but kept hold of her hand. Eyes on one another and smiling softly. TangShi agreeing to everything he just said.
"Let's do that. What you said.... let's start over and be happy. Rip up the papers and forget all the agreements of before. I want that more than anything." TangShi's eyes welled up and her heart expanded with love for him. Catching his eye as they smiled adoringly at one another and he squeezed her hand in his.
"Let's get you well first. Some time out to recuperate and deal with all this mess. Once it's all behind us, we'll get married any way you want. No one can stop us. I'll make you happy, Tang."