025 | Chapter Twenty-Five - What is Love?

Is it sacrifice? Is it bravado? Or is it unwavering devotion?

In the delivery room filled with the smell of blood and disinfectant, medical staff moved around Xiaoyue. Some stared at the instrument screens, while others handed her tools. Saien stood side by side with the surgeon. Bright red blood soaked through gauze sheets, which were discarded in a corner.

Diaz knelt close by, tears streaming down his face, and cried out, "Please, save her..."

"I'll give her anything she wants, as long as it saves her..."

Even Saine, who had been by Diaz's side for a long time, had never seen him so dejected. That was always the arrogant and aloof underworld godfather, who had never knelt before anyone, even when shot or seriously injured.

Now he kneels before all the medical staff, begging them to save his woman...

"Wife... Wife! Please wake up, make your heart beat faster!" He dragged his knees to her side, his hoarse voice trembling, his rough fingertips tightly gripping her cold wrist, his expression gradually turning pale.

"Didn't you say 'I love you'? Didn't you always want to hear my answer?" He sobbed, his forehead, covered in cold sweat, pressed against the inside of her wrist, hoping to hear a faint pulse.

"Get up! Let me tell you with my own lips, 'I love you too!'"

"Everything I did was because I fucking love you, so much so that I don't even care about myself anymore!" Diaz's features were contorted, tears streamed down his face, the whites of his eyes even turned red from the emotion, and his voice was hoarse like never before.

"I love you... I'll listen to it as many times as you want."

"As long as you open your eyes, I'll tell you everything I eat, three meals a day... Please, I can't lose you..."

"God... even if it costs me my life, please wake her up... I beg you!" His face was a mess of tears and sweat, and he was no longer the imposing gang leader he once was.

Everyone in the consultation room stared at the cold screen, the flat lines like an unchangeable fact. A tall, strong man knelt devoutly in a pool of blood, trying to call his beloved woman back from the brink of death.

Such a heartbreaking scene even brought tears to Sai's eyes, which reddened slightly.

But at this moment—

"drop."

"Beep beep—"

The lifeline, which should have been smooth, seemed to respond in some way, stubbornly jumping for a moment on the screen.

It's as if it's saying...

She heard it.

Sion's eyes widened, and he suddenly looked at the screen beside him, immediately regaining his senses and saying, "Heartbeat has resumed, we can't give up yet!"

"Boss, keep talking to Madam! Don't stop!" he said urgently. The nurses beside him also started moving to continue the surgery.

Upon hearing this news, Diaz felt as if he had successfully snatched someone from the clutches of death. He wiped away his tears and snot, gently stroking Xiaoyue's forehead as he spoke in a trembling voice.

"Xiaoyue, listen to me, you're not allowed to die, do you hear me?" he said, tears still streaming down his face uncontrollably. "If you dare to die, I won't even hug those twins again!"

"I don't want to stay in this world for even a second without you!" he continued, his eyes glued to the screen, watching the curve symbolizing life grow increasingly stable. "The children need you... and so do I!"

"We've found the bleeding point! Start suturing!" The doctor's voice pierced through like a ray of hope, making everyone's movements more focused, and Xiaoyue's condition gradually stabilized.

Sain stepped forward and helped Diaz up. "Boss, we need you to make some space. Trust me, we'll definitely get Madam back!"

Diaz, limp and weak, nodded like a bewildered big boy. Even with the twins crying beside him, his gaze never left Xiaoyue. Leaning against the wall by the door, his eyes were glazed over.

Doctors and medical staff worked together to surround his woman. Metal cutting and professional terminology were interspersed from time to time, but the piercing warning sound gradually became stable. Even though he didn't understand, he could feel that the situation was gradually stabilizing.

However, the adrenaline that Diaz had used to fuel his body felt like a backlash as he relaxed, leaving him feeling unusually heavy and exhausted.

My body, already out of my control, began to tilt; my relaxed head started to throb; the familiar nausea in my stomach surged up again; and even my sharp eyesight began to blur.

He knew he was going to faint again, but he still stubbornly whispered.

"Save my...woman..."

The next second.

"--Bang!"

That sound, accompanied by the encroachment of darkness and Sai's anxious call, made Diaz feel as if he were floating on a tranquil ocean, the heavy weight in his heart lifted, and he gradually lost consciousness.

Diaz once thought that love was a laughable thing in this dirty and filthy underworld.

He needs offspring simply to inherit his empire; he doesn't need to spend time maintaining any emotional bonds, much less change his philandering nature for a woman.

However, everything changed when he met Xiaoyue.

Those indomitable blue eyes seemed unyielding, untouched even by the dirtiest mud; despite his legs being unreasonably pried open time and again, they never yielded.

Only when he began to care about her and try to understand her needs did a change begin to appear in the depths of his always melancholy eyes, and he changed because of it...

"Big... Boss..."

A voice, as if piercing through the surface of a lake, vaguely penetrated his eardrums, causing him to furrow his brow slightly.

"—Boss."

Another sound accurately entered his head, forcing him to open his heavy eyes and let out a low roar. It took him a few seconds to make out the outline of the person in front of him.

Sai'en stood by his bedside, looking at him with a worried expression, his hesitant demeanor irritating to behold.

When Diaz realized he had only passed out, the first thought that flashed through his mind was nothing else.

"How is Xiaoyue..." He struggled to sit up, but his body felt unusually heavy, as if not a single cell was obeying commands and had gone on strike, refusing to move.

But Sain pressed him back onto the hospital bed and sighed deeply.

"Madam has passed the critical period and is still unconscious. You should also get some rest, sir," he said earnestly, holding a tablet in his hand. "I've been looking for time to talk to you about her condition."

Upon hearing this, Diaz finally stopped what he was doing, frowning impatiently.

"What else can happen to my illness? What's important now is my woman!" he said resentfully.

"Boss—"

Suddenly, Sion raised his voice, interrupting Diaz.

"You are not sick."

The air suddenly fell into a deathly silence. Diaz's brown eyes widened, and his brows furrowed even more.

The only sound was the clock on the wall, its second hand ticking away, second by second, and he couldn't understand a single word Said had said.

"……What did you say?"

After a long while, he finally asked in an extremely hoarse voice, his clenched fists gripping the bedsheets.

"Boss, the report you brought isn't your own health report..." Sai held up a tablet and handed it to him, showing a comparison of two reports. "This one is the sample I personally delivered, and this one is the one you brought, Boss."

"These, these, and these aren't the boss's case numbers, and even the bone distribution is a bit different."

"I've checked the samples sent to me more than three times, and the boss's body has absolutely no cancer cells; in fact, he's perfectly healthy—"

Sai's words were like a heavy hammer blow, striking Diaz's heart hard, but they also made Diaz's body go limp instantly, and he collapsed onto the bed with a sense of relief.

"So, where did the boss get that report from?"

What he said next became unreal, unable to reach his ears at all; everything turned into a buzzing tinnitus.

What flashed through his mind were fragments of him tirelessly visiting every street and alley on the East Coast for Xiaoyue and the child. Even years ago, when he learned the news, those romantic affairs and scandals seemed futile and not worth mentioning.

"Hahaha……"

"Hahahaha—"

Diaz laughed a few times, his deep voice echoing in his chest, gradually becoming loud and cheerful, filling the entire ward with a powerful laugh that even made Sain frown slightly.

He suddenly jumped out of bed, took off his hospital gown, picked up his shirt and suit pants from the sofa, and began to neatly tidy his appearance, putting on his suit and leather shoes.

"Boss, although you're not sick, you have a serious sleep deprivation problem... It's still not advisable for you to get out of bed and walk around right now!" Sai quickly stood in front of him, speaking with concern.

But Diaz patted him on the shoulder, his eyes unusually gentle, and said in a deep voice, "Since you won't die, it's not a big deal."

"Now--"

"My woman is waiting for me, get out of my way."