19.

Chu Qingling's hasty departure hung like a dark cloud over the "Swordsman" group. Practice continued, but the atmosphere was noticeably duller, and everyone seemed a little distracted.

Wuyou tried several times to liven up the atmosphere, but to little avail. Ruanxu was even more worried, her practice movements slowed down by a few beats, and she kept glancing towards the door, as if expecting Chu Qingling to suddenly return.

Mi Xi remained the calmest, leading the group through the details of the action, only occasionally pausing to check his phone for the latest news regarding Shen Qingrang's accident. Vague rumors were already swirling online, with the hashtag #ShenQingrangUnexpected# followed by the terrifying word "explosion," and fans' prayers and panic nearly flooded social media.

"Let's take a break." Mi Xi pressed the pause button, and the sound broke the low pressure in the practice room.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, sat down in groups of three or four, and talked in low voices.

“I hope Senior Shen is okay…”

"LYRA is really..."

"Teacher Qingling looks terrified. Is he okay?"

Wu You walked up to Mi Xi, handed him a bottle of water, and lowered his voice: "Do you think this matter with Shen Qingrang... will have an impact on our show?" He was referring to whether LYRA would ask Chu Qingling to withdraw from the competition or something like that.

Mi Xi unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water, his eyes calm. "LYRA is not a small company, they will handle it as it is. As for Qing Ling..." He paused, "It depends on his own choice, and... Mr. Xie's attitude."

He keenly sensed that Chu Qingling's loss of composure stemmed largely from her worry about Xie Sui. The pressure the prince was under at the moment was probably unimaginable.

Until the evening, there were still only three of them in dormitory 401. Mi Xi's phone vibrated. It was a message from Ji Ye, which was concise and to the point:

Ji Ye: Shen Qingrang's surgery is complete, and he's out of danger for now, but the situation isn't optimistic, and the aftermath will be significant. LYRA is in turmoil, and Xie Sui is incredibly worried.

The message was followed by a blurry photo of what appeared to be a hospital corridor, with shadowy figures and a solemn atmosphere.

Mi Xi looked at the message, his eyes darkening slightly. Ji Ye was always so well-informed. He replied:

Mi Xi: Thank you, Master Ji, for letting me know. Is Qing Ling... okay?

He directly asked about his concern for his teammates.

This time Ji Ye came back a little slower.

[Ji Ye: Xie Sui is watching, you won't die. Take care of yourself.]

His tone was still overbearing, but the information he revealed made Mi Xi feel a little relieved. With Xie Sui around, Chu Qingling wouldn't have to face it alone.

He told Wu You and Ruan Xu the news that Shen Qingrang was temporarily out of danger, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay..." Ruan Xu patted his chest.

Wu You also breathed a sigh of relief, but then curled his lips again: "LYRA will be very busy now. With the mainstay gone, resources will definitely have to be reshuffled." He looked at Mi Xi, hinting, "Perhaps some people can take advantage of this opportunity to get better resources?"

He was referring to Mi Xi. Xing Shuo and LYRA were competitors, and LYRA's setback wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Xing Shuo and Mi Xi.

Mi Xi glanced at him indifferently, but didn't respond. He walked to the balcony and looked out at the dark night. The ups and downs of the entertainment industry were so cruel. On one hand, the hospital's life was uncertain, and on the other hand, the competition for resources might already be undercurrents.

Late at night, when Mi Xi finished washing up and was ready to rest, the dormitory door was gently pushed open.

Chu Qingling is back.

He looked extremely tired, his face was paler than when he left, the bruises under his eyes were clearly visible, his cold, tearful eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed to have lost all his strength, even his steps were unsteady.

He didn't look at anyone, but walked straight to his bed and sat down silently, with his head lowered, his hands clenched tightly, and his shoulders slightly slumped, like a little animal licking its wounds alone.

Ruan Xu wanted to ask something, but Wu You stopped her with a look.

Mi Xi picked up the untouched bottle of milk on her desk, walked to Chu Qingling, and gently placed it on his desk.

"Drink something and go to bed early." His voice was soft, with a non-intrusive gentleness.

Chu Qingling's body trembled slightly, without looking up or responding.

Mi Xi didn't say anything more and returned to her bed.

The dormitory was silent, with only the faint sound of wind outside the window.

An unknown amount of time had passed. Just when Mi Xi thought Chu Qingling would sit like that until dawn, he heard a very light inhalation with a suppressed cry, and the subtle sound of unscrewing the cap of a milk bottle.

Mi Xi slowly closed her eyes in the darkness.

At least he was willing to accept the bottle of milk.

This is a difficult night, but a little care may be a glimmer of light that illuminates the cold moments.

————

Chu Qingling lay on his cold dormitory bed, eyes wide open, unable to sleep. The dim light from the window revealed the vague outlines of the furniture, but it couldn't dispel the images swirling in his mind—the suffocating hospital corridors, reeking of disinfectant, and Xie Sui's bloodshot eyes, suppressing a storm.

【remember】

He followed Sister He all the way to the operating room entrance, where they were surrounded by LYRA executives and bodyguards, the atmosphere tense and dignified. Xie Sui stood at the end of the corridor with his back to him, his figure still erect, but his clenched fists and the depressing aura emanating from him made no one dare approach.

Chu Qingling's heart sank to the bottom. He had never seen Xie Sui like this before.

"Xie Sui..." He walked forward, his voice trembling without him even noticing.

Xie Sui turned around abruptly. His handsome face was expressionless, his eyes a terrifying crimson, like a wild animal on the verge of losing control. He grabbed Chu Qingling's wrist with such force that it almost broke his bones, his voice hoarse, "Who told you to come? Go back!"

It was an unquestionable order, carried with it an unprecedented anxiety and... a hint of barely perceptible fear.

Chu Qingling was gripped by him so hard that it hurt, but she stubbornly did not break free and looked up at him: "Senior Shen, he..."

"He can't die!" Xie Sui interrupted him with a low growl, his tone harsh, as if venting his panic and pressure, "But Lyra is dying! Do you understand?!"

He stared at Chu Qingling, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Anyone at LYRA can get into trouble! But it can't be Shen Qingrang! Do you know who's behind him?! It's the Changting South Shen family! It's the Fu family! That lunatic Fu Xiuming... He will tear LYRA apart! Tear me apart!"

Xie Sui's voice rose with excitement, carrying a tone bordering on despair. The "Fu Xiuming" he was referring to was Shen Qingrang's nominal uncle, the current head of the Fu family, and also... Shen Qingrang's lover. In terms of seniority, Xie Sui would even call Fu Xiuming "uncle." But at this moment, that relationship felt useless and more like a burden.

Chu Qingling's face paled even more at his yelling. The sharp pain in his wrist and the message in Xie Sui's words chilled him to the bone. He knew Shen Qingrang had a strong background, but he hadn't imagined it was so profound, affecting the entire organization.

"So what?" Chu Qingling looked at the out-of-control man in front of him, and an inexplicable sadness and anger surged in his heart. He tried hard to shake off Xie Sui's hand, "So you only care about whether Lyra will die? You only care about whether Fu Xiuming will come after you? Senior Shen is still lying in there, his life or death uncertain!"

"If I don't care, who will?!" Xie Sui was provoked into even greater rage by him. He suddenly pulled him closer, their noses almost touching, their breaths entwined, but only the smell of gunpowder remained. "Chu Qingling! What do you think the entertainment industry is? Just playing house? If Shen Qingrang is ruined, LYRA will be finished with him! You! Me! Everyone will be buried with him! Do you understand?!"

His words were like a poisoned ice spike, piercing Chu Qingling's heart. At that moment, Chu Qingling felt a chill run through his body. He looked at Xie Sui's face, twisted by pressure and fear, and suddenly felt extremely unfamiliar.

"I understand." Chu Qingling's voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it carried a kind of dead-hearted calmness. "In your eyes, the most important thing is LYRA, and the interests. As for the people lying inside, as for me... we are just chess pieces that can be weighed at any time, right?"

After he finished speaking, he used all his strength to break free from Xie Sui's hand. Due to inertia, he took two steps back and his back hit the cold wall heavily.

Xie Sui seemed shocked by his words. Looking at his pale face and those tearful eyes filled with disappointment and sadness, his pupils shrank slightly and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

But Chu Qingling didn't give him another chance. He looked at Xie Sui deeply, a look so complicated that it made Xie Sui's heart tremble. Then he turned around and left the suffocating corridor without looking back.

[End of Memory]

Tears silently fell from the corners of his eyes, soaking the pillow. Chu Qingling buried his face in the quilt, his shoulders twitching slightly. He and Xie Sui had been arguing since kindergarten, but never before had they been so hurt, so deeply hurt, so... despairing, as today.

He knew Xie Sui was under immense pressure, that LYRA was facing catastrophic consequences. But he couldn't accept that at that moment, Xie Sui's eyes were focused solely on cold, cold self-interest, even resorting to such hurtful words to sting him.

"They are just... pawns..."

He murmured these words over and over again, his heart feeling as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, causing him to feel so painful that he couldn't breathe.

The dormitory was dead silent, with only his suppressed, subtle sobs.

Mi Xi, who was also in the darkness, could not hear what Chu Qingling was thinking, but she could clearly feel the huge sadness and powerlessness coming from the bed opposite, which was almost overwhelming.

He sighed silently.

The huge vortex of the entertainment industry is drawing more and more people into it. Shen Qingrang's accident is not just an accident, but also a precursor to a storm that is about to sweep across.

What can they do when they are on the edge of the storm?

The night is long and there seems to be no end in sight.