Chapter 133: Outside the Ward

“Doctor, how is my daughter?” As the doctor stepped out of the intensive care unit, Hasegawa Kyouko immediately asked.

The doctor glanced at the group of anxious family members surrounding him and said, “To be honest, the patient’s condition is very critical. Since she was admitted last night, her heart rate has been highly irregular, and she still hasn’t regained consciousness. After reviewing her medical history, I noticed she has congenital heart disease and was hospitalized two years ago due to a similar episode. Additionally, the patient’s body is extremely weak. This relapse is likely more severe than the previous one. We will do everything we can to save her, but please prepare yourselves mentally.”

“What do you mean by ‘mentally prepare’? Explain yourself more clearly,” Hasegawa Kenji demanded.

After a moment’s hesitation, the doctor replied, “If her condition continues to deteriorate, there is a possibility of sudden cardiac arrest.”

At these words, everyone’s faces turned pale.

“Doctor, I beg you, please save my daughter…” Hasegawa Kyouko pleaded, her voice choked with sobs.

“We will do our best. Please don’t worry,” the doctor assured her gently.

“Doctor,” Naoko’s eldest brother, Hasegawa Kento, interjected, “I’ve heard that a heart transplant is the best treatment for congenital heart disease. Is my sister eligible for such a procedure? Money is not an issue. As long as it can save my sister, we’re willing to do whatever it takes.”

“For congenital heart disease cases like hers, a heart transplant is indeed the most effective way to prolong life. However, as you might know, organ donors, especially for hearts, are extremely scarce. There’s also the issue of organ rejection. Finding a heart that matches your sister is exceedingly difficult. Even if a match is found, given her current physical state, she may not be able to withstand such a major surgery.”

Hearing the doctor’s explanation, Hasegawa Kyouko felt her world crumble and almost fainted. Hasegawa Kento quickly supported her.

After the doctor left, Hasegawa Kento turned to his younger brother. “You need to notify Father immediately and tell him about Naoko’s condition.”

Hasegawa Kenji snorted. “And what good would that do? If he truly cared about Naoko, he wouldn’t have ignored her for so long. The only reason she fell ill this time is because of him.”

“Kenji, watch your mouth,” Hasegawa Kento scolded.

“Fine, if you want to notify him, do it yourself. But I doubt he’ll show up—he’s probably too busy anyway,” Hasegawa Kenji retorted sarcastically.

Hasegawa Kento sighed, unable to argue further. He helped his mother to a nearby seat before taking out his phone.

“Big brother, is sister really going to die?”

“Shut up! Don’t say such unlucky things at a time like this,” Hasegawa Kenji snapped angrily.

“I-I’m sorry…” Aiko bit her lip and started crying.

Seeing his little sister’s pale face, Hasegawa Kenji realized he’d scared her. Softening his tone, he said hurriedly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. Don’t worry, Naoko will be fine. I promise.” As he spoke, his fists clenched tightly.

Through the glass window of the hospital room, Aiko stared blankly at her sister lying on the bed, pale and frail, an oxygen mask covering her face.

Gennai, you bastard, why haven’t you come back yet?

She knew why her sister had become so weak. It was all because of that idiot who disappeared for over a year without a single word.

Six months ago, after much pleading and insistence from Aiko, Naoko finally moved back into the apartment.

While helping her pack, Aiko had discovered several hand-knitted scarves and gloves. There was no doubt they had been made specifically for him.

When asked about that guy, her sister simply smiled and said he had something important to do and had gone far away for the time being. He would return after some time.

Although it seemed strange that he had been gone for so long, Aiko didn’t press further.

But that night, Aiko deeply regretted asking. Passing by her sister’s room, she heard her desperately stifled sobs.

In the days that followed, Aiko noticed her sister eating very little. Most of the time, she was either translating documents or writing manuscripts with an intensity that seemed less like diligence and more like a way to numb herself.

Watching her sister’s increasingly haggard face, Aiko became more and more worried.

She confided her concerns to Mami, who suggested that Aiko spend more time at home with her sister whenever possible.

Thinking this was a good idea, Aiko stopped going out as much and stayed home to chat with her sister, sometimes inviting Mami and their friends over to play.

This seemed to work, as her sister’s smile gradually reappeared.

But why was her complexion still getting worse?

Suddenly, the sound of the door slamming open jolted Aiko out of her thoughts. A nurse rushed out of the intensive care unit in a panic.

“What happened?” Hasegawa Kenji immediately ran over to ask.

“The patient’s breathing is abnormal, and her condition is critical. Please step aside—I need to get the doctor immediately.”

“What did you say?” Kenji instinctively grabbed the nurse’s arm tightly.

“Let go of me! I need to call the doctor!” the nurse said anxiously.

“Kenji, let her go! I’m sorry—please hurry and get the doctor,” Hasegawa Kento said, prying his brother’s hand away.

The nurse nodded and quickly ran off.

“Why is this happening? Naoko!” Hasegawa Kyouko cried out and tried to rush into the ICU, but Kento held her back.

“Mom, calm down. If you go in now, you’ll interfere with the doctors trying to save her.”

Aiko stood frozen, her hands and feet ice-cold as she stared at her sister on the hospital bed. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

I’m sorry, Sister. Because of that guy, I once hated you and even cursed you both. But I know I was wrong—I truly know I was wrong. Please, I beg you, don’t let anything happen to you. Please wake up soon…

***

“Hey, who are you looking for?” a patrolling police officer shouted.

He had been observing the man for a while.

The man didn’t seem to be a local resident—he’d never seen him around before. Most notably, the man had a conspicuous scar on his neck, one that looked like a knife wound. If it was indeed a knife wound, then he was likely some kind of gangster.

From the moment he arrived, the man had been standing outside an apartment building as if waiting for someone.

To the officer’s knowledge, two very beautiful sisters lived in that building. Could this guy have some ill intentions toward them?

The thought sparked a surge of righteous determination in the young officer, fueled by a mix of heroism and justice.

The man remained silent, standing motionless.

Frustrated, the officer strode over to him.

“Hey, I’m talking to you! Why aren’t you answering?”

The man glanced up at him.

The officer realized the man was much younger than he had initially thought.

Just as the officer was about to press him further, the man spoke first. “Can I borrow your phone to make a call?”

“What? You want to borrow my phone?” The officer was stunned that a suspected thug would dare ask a policeman for something.

“I have an urgent matter and need to make a call.”

Looking into the man’s eyes, the officer, almost unconsciously, handed over his phone.

“Thank you,” the man said as he took the phone and began dialing a number.

But as he reached the fifth digit, he suddenly stopped and didn’t press the sixth for a long time.

Damn it, he thought. Not again.

He was always forgetting certain things—especially fragmented details like phone numbers. It wasn’t just the boy’s number; even her number was the same.

Since stepping off the plane, he’d had a terrible feeling—an anxiety that grew and unsettled his mind.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he reminded himself that the most important thing now was finding her.

***

“Get her to the ICU immediately. We’ll have someone on duty 24/7. Notify me immediately if there’s any change,” the doctor instructed the head nurse as he came out of the operating room.

“Doctor, how is my sister now?” Hasegawa Kenji rushed to ask, staring at Naoko lying on the stretcher.

“I’m sorry, we’ve done everything we can. Your sister’s condition is becoming more unstable. Her abnormal breathing earlier was caused by a slow heart rate. To stabilize her, I’ve administered a digoxin injection. But if she doesn’t wake up tonight, she could suffer from heart failure,” the doctor said, his voice trailing off.

Upon hearing this, everyone’s face changed.

“Mom!” At that moment, Aiko suddenly cried out.

Everyone turned to see that, at some point, Hasegawa Kyouko had fainted. Aiko was holding her mother’s head tightly in her arms.

“Nurse, get her to the emergency room right now!” the doctor shouted after observing her condition.

“Doctor, how is my mom?” Aiko asked frantically.

“She should be fine—just fainted from the shock. I’ll check her properly,” the doctor reassured.

“Kenji, Aiko, stay here and watch over Naoko. I’ll take care of our mother,” Hasegawa Kento said, before walking with the doctor toward the emergency room.

At 10 PM, Kenji and Aiko continued to wait outside the ICU.

Seeing no signs of Naoko waking up, Kenji paced back and forth in the corridor, anxiety growing within him.

Suddenly, a man approached.

“Kenji, how is Naoko now?”

Kenji looked up to see his father, Hasegawa Masao.

Though reluctant, he answered, “Naoko’s situation is very critical. The doctor said that if she doesn’t wake up tonight, heart failure could occur.”

Hasegawa Masao’s face changed. He couldn’t have imagined things would get this bad.

“What about your mother?” After a while, he asked.

“She fainted from shock. She’s resting in the hospital room now, and my older brother is with her,” Kenji replied. Seeing his father’s defeated expression, Kenji’s resentment towards him softened considerably.

Hasegawa Masao walked to the front of the ICU and stared at his daughter through the glass. He stood there silently for a long time.

“It’s because I forced her to do things she didn’t want to do that Naoko fell ill again. Kenji, are you angry at me?” Hasegawa Masao said slowly, his back turned to them.

Kenji glanced at him but didn’t respond.

“You know, Naoko has always been fragile and sickly. But she’s always been a thoughtful and well-behaved child. Aside from her illness, she never caused me any trouble. But this time, she really made a mistake. As her father, I couldn’t let my daughter continue down the wrong path. That’s my responsibility. But in dealing with this, I was wrong—I shouldn’t have forced her,” Hasegawa Masao said, his voice filled with deep regret.

Watching his father’s back, which seemed to have aged by years in an instant, Kenji felt a tightness in his chest.

Sitting behind him, Aiko pressed her hands to her mouth and began sobbing quietly.

At 2 AM, Naoko still had not woken up. Hasegawa Kyouko insisted on staying outside the ICU until Naoko regained consciousness. Hasegawa Kento had no choice but to help her back outside.

As time passed, the heavy atmosphere in the corridor grew more suffocating. No one felt like speaking anymore.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor. In the oppressive silence, the steps sounded unusually loud.

Hasegawa Kento noticed the footsteps growing clearer, as if several people were approaching. Sure enough, not long after, five men appeared in the hallway.

Aiko looked up and glanced in their direction, and then she froze completely.

“Gen… Gennai?” After realizing it was indeed the person she recognized, she cried out in disbelief.

Upon hearing her shout, everyone else looked up. But before they could make out who it was, one of the men quickly ran up to Aiko.

“You…” Upon seeing his face, Aiko suddenly felt a surge of mixed emotions—surprise, anger, and grievance.

Before she could finish her sentence, Lei Yin spoke first: “Has your sister woken up?”

As he entered, he had immediately asked the doctor for details about Naoko’s condition. After all, only the doctor could clarify certain things.

“Who are you?” Hasegawa Kenji asked, looking at the strange young man.

Seeing that Aiko seemed still stunned, Lei Yin didn’t want to waste any more time. He turned and headed straight for the ICU.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Hasegawa Kenji quickly blocked his way.

“Move aside!” Lei Yin lazily dismissed him and shoved him aside.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Hasegawa Kenji chased after him, blocking his path once again.

Lei Yin, now burning with urgency, couldn’t stand being stopped by these people. Unable to hold back, he turned to the other four men and loudly ordered, “Stop them! Don’t let them get in my way!”

The four men immediately rushed forward, holding the Hasegawa brothers back, while the other two stood in front of Hasegawa Masao, blocking him.

“Gennai Masashi, what exactly do you want?” Hasegawa Masao shouted.

“Listen carefully, only I can save Naoko,” Lei Yin replied firmly, pushing the door open and entering the room.

“What are you doing?” Hasegawa Kenji struggled and yelled.

Suddenly, one of the men pulled out a cold, metallic object and pressed it to Kenji’s chest.

“Shut up!”

The other two men also drew similar objects and pressed them against Hasegawa Masao and Hasegawa Kenji’s waists.

“You, you…” Seeing the guns in the men’s hands, Hasegawa Kyouko froze, her body going cold with fear.

“We’re just following Mr. Gennai’s orders. Don’t make a sound,” one of the men said in a low voice.

The Hasegawa family fell silent, forced to obey. The men quickly holstered their guns to avoid being seen by others.

Aiko couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes. She stared in a daze at Lei Yin inside the room.

Through the glass window, she saw Lei Yin helping Naoko sit up on the bed. Then, he climbed onto the bed in an odd posture, sitting cross-legged and holding Naoko’s hands.

The Hasegawa family had no idea what he was trying to do and could only watch in silence.

Lei Yin used his internal sight technique to examine Naoko’s body. He found that many of her meridians were blocked and tangled, obviously due to excessive worry and stress. Foolish girl.

There was no time to treat each meridian individually, so his priority was to adjust her heart meridian, allowing the energy to flow naturally. Only then would she have a chance to survive.

After deciding on the course of action, Lei Yin immediately began to treat her with his internal energy.

Aiko, unsure if her eyes were deceiving her, thought she saw a faint light emanating from Gennai’s entire body in the dimly lit hospital room.