Chapter 44 Wounded

Using the excuse of being worried about her classmates, Xia Zhen got into Lu Huiming's car heading to the hospital.

More than worrying about Lu Jin's safety, Lu Huiming and Hao Hui felt annoyed. They had worked all day and couldn't even get a peaceful rest at home. They had to run to the hospital for Lu Jin's sake, so it was understandable that they found it annoying.

However, with Xia Zhen, an outsider, present, Lu Huiming and Hao Hui still had to feign anxiety and worry in order to avoid giving others cause for gossip.

Hao Hui, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and looked at Xia Zhen in the back, seemingly touched, and said, "I'm so sorry to have made you worry."

Xia Zhen forced a smile, "Lu Jin and I are classmates and neighbors. Since I heard that he had an accident, it is only right that I go and see him."

"You really are a kind-hearted child," Hao Hui thought to herself. This girl was just meddling in the fun, making them all feel uncomfortable by having to put on a worried face.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the group went straight to the operating room.

Lu Huiming looked very unwell. "How much will the surgery cost?"

“Mr. Lu Jin.” Teacher Wen stood up immediately upon seeing Mr. and Mrs. Lu Huiming.

Lu Huiming asked, "Teacher Wen, what's wrong with our child?"

At that moment, Hao Hui noticed a boy in a wheelchair nearby and instinctively called out, "What are you doing here?"

Lu Huiming also saw Lu Jin and instinctively asked, "Weren't you injured and taken to the operating room?"

Lu Jin's school uniform was dirty, and there were several scratches on his face. Because his skin was fairer than that of ordinary people, these scratches were not deep, but they still looked quite serious.

But judging from his appearance, there was nothing seriously wrong, so he didn't need to go into the operating room.

Unlike Lu Huiming and his wife, Xia Zhen's first sight was of Lu Jin. Seeing that he was alright, her hurried steps slowed down, and a weight was lifted from her heart. She leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

Lu Jin's gaze immediately fell on Xia Zhen. He could see the worry she was suppressing, and a faint sense of annoyance appeared in his eyes. Even though he had thought everything through perfectly, he still made her worry.

Lu Jin did not reply to Lu Huiming and Hao Hui.

Teacher Wen explained, "The two parents have misunderstood. The person who went into the operating room was not Lu Jin, but Lu Ci."

Lu Huiming exclaimed in surprise, "What!"

Hao Hui swayed slightly, then rushed to the operating room door, calling out, "Xiao Ci!"

Teacher Wen quickly pulled Hao Hui aside, "The doctor is performing surgery, please calm down!"

When Hao Hui received Teacher Wen's call, Teacher Wen was actually saying that Lu Ci was injured. However, Hao Hui was cooking at the time and didn't listen carefully to the call from Lu Jin's homeroom teacher. Since it was Teacher Wen calling, she subconsciously felt that something had happened to Lu Jin.

To their surprise, when they arrived at the hospital, they found Lu Jin perfectly fine, while Lu Ci was the one who went into the operating room!

Hao Hui gripped Teacher Wen's hand tightly, "What exactly happened?!"

Ms. Wen's hand hurt from Hao Hui's grip, but she endured it. Although she could understand the parents' concern for their child, Lu Huiming and Hao Hui, the couple, did not seem as anxious when they first arrived.

Teacher Wen suppressed her doubts and said in a gentle tone, "We only know that Lu Ci fell and had an accident. We need to investigate the specific circumstances later."

Lu Huiming pointed at Lu Jin, "Then what about him?"

Teacher Wen disliked Lu Huiming's blaming attitude towards Lu Jin. She frowned and said, "It was Lu Jin who came to me for help. Otherwise, I don't know when anyone would have found out that Lu Ci was injured."

Lu Huiming shouted, "This happened at school, your school must take responsibility!"

"Parents, rest assured, the school will definitely take responsibility for what it should."

Lu Huiming calmed down for a moment and waited anxiously with Hao Hui for the person in the operating room to come out.

At this moment, the school principal arrived at the hospital with several administrative staff, and even Lu Ci's homeroom teacher rushed to the hospital in a hurry.

Xia Zhen walked over and greeted Teacher Wen, "Teacher."

Teacher Wen asked in surprise, "Why are you here too?"

“Lu Jin’s family is my neighbor. I thought something had happened to him, so I came over to check on him.”

Ms. Wen nodded wearily. She glanced at Lu Jin, who was sitting in the corner, and whispered to Xia Zhen, "Go and talk to him. There are probably still a lot of troublesome things to deal with here."

Xia Zhen had originally planned to do the same, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she obediently said, "Okay."

Under the quiet gaze of the boy, Xia Zhen restrained herself from walking too fast. But when she reached him, in this corner with her back to everyone else, her dark, moist eyes misted over when he quietly took her hand.

He said softly, "Zhenzhen, I'm fine."

Xia Zhen said, "You're injured."

"It's just a minor injury, it doesn't hurt, and it'll be fine soon." He held her two cold hands tightly and slowly warmed them. "Don't worry, I promised you I would be alright."

Xia Zhen glanced at the operating room light that was still on and pursed her lips.

He knew what she was worried about. "Don't be afraid. If Lu Ci is in trouble, they can't blame me."

Lu Jin gently stroked her hand. "Didn't I tell you to wear more clothes?"

She was wearing a long-sleeved dress without a coat, which he still thought was too thin.

Xia Zhen looked at him expectantly, "I was so worried when I heard you were in trouble, how could I have thought to go back and put on an extra layer of clothing?"

Seeing Lu Jin about to take off his school uniform jacket, she reached out and grabbed his hand as he unzipped it, deliberately asking him, "You don't want to keep our relationship secret anymore?"

Lu Jin stubbornly said, "You'll catch a cold."

He still tried to take off his coat, but Xia Zhen held onto his hand tightly. "I'm not cold. I ran here and I'm still warm. Besides, you're the one who needs to wear more clothes. Those two might rush over and beat you up. Wear more clothes so you can withstand the beating."

Lu Jin was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

Just then, the operating room lights went out, and the doctor came out.

Lu Huiming and Hao Hui rushed over. Lu Huiming asked anxiously, "Doctor, how is my child?"

The doctor said tactfully, "The surgery was successful and the brain hemorrhage has been stopped, but the long-term effects... are not optimistic."

Hao Hui asked, "What does that mean?"

The doctor said, "The patient has suffered brain damage. He may remain unconscious, or he may wake up but be completely paralyzed."