Chapter 18: A Race Against Time  

Qin Mo rushed in, his coat all messed up, "What's the scoop?"

"Oxygen levels took a nosedive, she's out like a light, heart's playing hooky... Things are hanging by a thread." The worse things got, the cooler the head needed to be.

Shen Zhichu's face was ghostly pale, lips a nasty shade of blue, no pulse, no heartbeat...

"Get the defibrillator!"

Qin Mo sucked in a pained breath; he had never seen Shen Zhichu this wasted. If only he had been there for her, maybe she wouldn't have ended up like this.

Despair crept up from the depths of his soul, like a drop of ink spreading through a glass of water, turning it pitch black.

During the painstaking resuscitation, Shen Zhichu's heartbeat gradually came back, like the calm before the storm. She somehow managed to pry her eyes open a sliver.

Her oxygen mask was fogged up, everything was a blurry white, which freaked her out. But when she caught a glimpse of Qin Mo, she felt a tad better. She wanted to say something, but she didn't have the strength.

Pain had her in a stranglehold; she couldn't even twitch a finger.

Qin Mo saw she was awake and grabbed her icy hand, "Can you hear me, Zhichu? You're gonna pull through, don't you dare give up! Think about all the people who love you. Don't you love playing the violin? Once you're outta here, I'll take you to a concert."

A tear slipped from the corner of Shen Zhichu's eye, and Qin Mo knew she heard him.

She tried to part her lips, barely making a sound, "Qin... Qin Mo…"

She was so weak, her voice was barely audible. Qin Mo leaned in, and just caught her saying, "It hurts so bad…"

Qin Mo clenched his jaw to keep from losing it. His eyes were bloodshot as he wiped the tear from Shen Zhichu's temple, "Hang in there, the pain will be over soon. You've always been a fighter."

Shen Zhichu blinked, her vision getting fuzzier, seeing double. She opened her mouth, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Her bloodless lips curved into a feeble smile. In a hoarse whisper, she said, "...Don't tell Li Jingshen about my condition."

Even in this state, she was thinking about Li Jingshen. Why not tell him? A guy like Li Jingshen should live with regret for the rest of his life, drowning in guilt.

Qin Mo sniffed, "Alright, you got it."

Shen Zhichu stared at the blinding surgical lights above, her eyes slowly closing.

Her frail body was hooked up to all sorts of machines, tubes everywhere. They had to wash out her stomach before the surgery. When Qin Mo saw the undigested pulp inside, his eyes reddened even more.

It was freaking paper pulp! That meant Shen Zhichu had been eating tissue paper!

Why the hell would she eat that?

Qin Mo's mind raced to Li Jingshen waiting outside the operating room.

He gritted his teeth to keep his rage in check.

The surgery didn't go well. They barely kept Shen Zhichu hanging on, and she could slip away at any moment.

She was moved to the ICU. If she didn't pull through in 48 hours, she'd be in the danger zone again.

...

The operating room doors swung open, and Qin Mo walked out. He ripped off his mask and shot daggers at Li Jingshen with his eyes.

Li Jingshen tried to walk over to ask about Shen Zhichu's condition, but his legs felt like they were made of lead. He couldn't even take a step.

Qin Mo stormed up to him, and Li Jingshen managed to croak out, "How is she?"

Qin Mo's fist flew, landing a haymaker on Li Jingshen's face. Li Jingshen staggered back.

He tilted his head, his hands balled into fists at his sides, and repeated his question, "What's the deal with Shen Zhichu?"

"Thanks to you, she's not pushing up daisies, but she's hanging by a thread!" Qin Mo spat.

Qin Mo's words felt like a punch to the gut. Li Jingshen's vision swam, and he could barely breathe.

Qin Mo glared at Li Jingshen's pained expression and sneered, "You've got some nerve acting all torn up. Zhichu won't be your problem anymore. Maybe focus on the people you should've cared about in the first place."