For a child who had just turned 14, it was already remarkable to set aside all the pride of youth and make such a request under the gaze of countless phones and onlookers.
Her love for her mother surpassed the sensitivity and self-reserve unique to adolescence.
Head lowered and face flushed, she clutched the red string in her hand, barely daring to meet the eyes around her.
Chao Musheng noticed her embarrassment and nodded in agreement. "The auspicious lion bestows blessings and wards off all illness. You’re so clever to think of this!"
"Come on." In full view of the crowd, Chao Musheng led Zeng Ning through the throng of people.
Su Chenzhu followed calmly behind them, holding an IV drip, utterly unaffected by the curious stares.
Xiaojuan, witnessing this scene, nearly lost her composure.
Su Chenzhu, you’re just holding an IV bag for Chao Musheng, not delivering a speech at a grand conference—why so composed?
The lion dancers, seeing the young man and the girl suddenly step forward from the crowd, tilted the lion’s head slightly, unsure of their intentions.
"This young girl’s mother is unconscious. She hopes the auspicious lion can grant its blessing and pray for her mother’s swift recovery," Chao Musheng explained, crouching with Zeng Ning before the lion.
Hearing this request, the performers—one at the lion’s head and the other at its tail—hesitated. They weren’t professional lion dancers, usually hired just to liven up events. The hosts didn’t mind their modest skills, and they didn’t complain about the meager pay—everyone just wanted a lively atmosphere.
Faced with the girl’s pleading eyes, the lion dancer couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He racked his brain for the movements professionals used during blessings, then gritted his teeth and signaled to his partner at the lion’s tail: "The auspicious lion bestows its fortune!"
Blinking, rolling, nodding, leaping—
"Bravo!" The crowd, captivated by the lively performance, burst into cheers.
The lion circled Chao Musheng and Zeng Ning three times before stopping in front of Zeng Ning and lowering its head.
The fluffy lion swayed its head playfully, its adorable antics drawing laughter.
Chao Musheng guided Zeng Ning’s hand, still clutching the red string, to touch the lion’s head. "Touch the lion’s head, and good fortune will follow."
The lion blinked and nodded, as if agreeing with him.
It raised a paw, inviting Zeng Ning to "shake hands."
"Ward off misfortune, banish all illness."
Chao Musheng placed Zeng Ning’s hand against the lion’s paw, then turned to her. "With the lion’s blessing, your mother will wake soon. Don’t be afraid."
A bodyguard handed Chao Musheng two red envelopes. He took them and placed them in the lion’s mouth. "Thank you for your blessings. May wealth follow fortune."
The lion, now rewarded, bowed three times to Chao Musheng before resuming its lively dance amid applause.
"Let’s go." Chao Musheng helped Zeng Ning up with one hand. "Go back to your mother. May she wake soon."
"Thank you." Zeng Ning glanced around, realizing the onlookers’ eyes held no mockery or scorn—only kindness.
"No need for thanks." Chao Musheng smiled. "What kind of uncle would I be if I didn’t help my niece?"
Under the crowd’s curious or sympathetic gazes, Zeng Ning returned to the hospital room.
The man who had been absent all day sat on the sofa. Seeing her, he feigned concern. "Ningning, where were you just now?"
"What’s it to you?" Zeng Ning brushed past him and went to the bedside, tucking the red string beneath her mother’s pillow.
"What did you put there?" The man eyed her movements and reached out.
Zeng Ning slapped his hand away. "Don’t touch it!"
The muscles near his eyes twitched. Under the watchful eyes of two caregivers, he forced a smile. "Fine, Dad won’t touch it."
He turned and opened a food container on the table. "I brought your favorite congee. Have some—skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach."
"Stop pretending to care." Zeng Ning sneered. "Your act is disgusting."
"Ningning, what’s gotten into you?" The man frowned. "What has Dad done wrong?"
"How long will you keep up this charade?" Zeng Ning glared at him with undisguised hatred. "I won’t mention your affairs in front of Mom, but hearing your voice makes me sick."
The man’s expression darkened. After a long pause, he glanced at the unconscious woman and said in a strange tone, "Ningning, your mother’s condition is serious. From now on, it’ll just be Dad taking care of you. You need to behave."
"Get out! Just get out!"
Chased from the room, the man spotted Chao Musheng and Su Chenzhu standing outside Room 2 and hastily plastered on an ingratiating smile.
Clutching the lunchbox his daughter had thrown at him, he stepped into the elevator just as his phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, he glanced up at the security camera and declined the call.
If Chao Musheng hadn’t meddled, I wouldn’t be in such a tight spot.
Just wait. Patience is key.
Chao Musheng is being discharged tomorrow.
"Mr. Chao, you and the girl from the next room are trending online," a nurse said cheerfully as she removed his IV line. "Netizens are raving about how handsome you are."
"Really?" Chao Musheng pulled out his phone and opened a short-video app. Before he could search, a clip of him and Zeng Ning crouching before the lion appeared.
The editor was clearly skilled—slow-motion shots and atmospheric effects made him look like a romance drama protagonist.
[The moment he placed the girl’s hand on the lion, I saw divinity.]
[Is this not a drama filming?]
[Romance leads should meet this standard. I’m done with male leads whose faces are rougher than mountain roads.]
[Sir, forget the lion—touch me instead!]
The comments grew increasingly unhinged, leaving Chao Musheng flushed.
He exited the video, closed the app, and shoved his phone under his pillow. "Ahem."
The nurse, guessing he’d seen the "risqué" comments, stifled a laugh.
"What video?" The secretary, curious, searched online—and promptly regretted it.
This isn’t a comment section. It’s a lawless zone of thirst.
Please don’t let the boss—
He turned just in time to see his boss pull up the viral clip.
Oh no. Too late.
In the video, the young man guided the girl’s hand to the lion’s head. The glance he cast downward was like flowing ink wash—dreamlike, impossible to look away from.
Su Chenzhu scrolled through the comments, his lips tightening with each one.
[If I could have this man, I’d swear off meat for life!]
Shameless. Ill-mannered. Disgraceful.
"Mr. Su, stop reading those." Chao Musheng touched his warm cheeks. "Let’s have lunch."
Netizens these days had no sense of boundaries.
"Alright." Su Chenzhu locked his phone. "I’ll have the bodyguards bring the food up."
This world has too many people. Far too many.
The trio of Xiaojuan had made such a splash that the lone remaining player felt a growing sense of crisis. His partner had already failed to clear the level, and the other three were subtly forming a clique. The current situation was extremely unfavorable for him—he needed to come up with a plan.
After reviewing the mission prompt issued by the system, he had a guess.
A choice between life and death…
Did it mean that as long as a player could kill one of the patients, they could clear the level?
If a player died, a critically ill patient would recover.
If a patient died, the player would successfully clear the level.
That had to be it—it had to be!
He stood up from his chair, put on gloves, and pretended to clean the hallway while contemplating which patient to target tonight.
No. 7 was out of the question. Though she was an elderly woman, she was clearly You Jiu’s target. You Jiu was a man who held grudges, and he didn’t want to make an enemy of him.
He also had to avoid the wards overseen by Qi Shi and Wang Xiaojuan—neither of them was an easy target.
That left the ward previously assigned to his partner—his best option.
Killing a patient NPC under the cover of night would be simple enough, as long as… nothing unexpected happened tonight.
Late at night, the player glanced at the other three dozing in the break room before quietly slipping out.
The air conditioning in the hallway was bitingly cold, and as he walked down the deserted corridor, he couldn’t help but shiver.
The gust from the vent howled, and he quickly pressed himself against the wall to avoid the draft.
Why was the AC cranked up so high? Did this shoddy hospital not care about electricity bills?
Suddenly, a white figure flashed past. He immediately looked up, locking eyes with the person.
Oh, just a person. Their steps had been so light, he’d almost thought it was a ghost.
The intern glanced at the mop in the player’s hand and kindly reminded him, “No one checks cleanliness at this hour. Just mop once before the shift change in the morning—take the chance to rest.”
The reason night-shift janitors had such long shifts was because sneaking in sleep was an unspoken rule.
New hires were still too earnest.
The player glanced at the dark circles under the intern’s eyes and put away the tool he’d been about to use to ambush him. “Thanks for the tip.”
His plan had been spotted by hospital staff—he’d have to wait for another opportunity.
The intern yawned. “Just so you know.”
He’d originally planned to sneak in to see his grandmother, but now that the janitor had seen him, he’d have to come back later.
Half an hour later, the two met again in the hallway.
Player: “…”
Was this intern insane? What was he doing wandering around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?
Intern: “…”
Hadn’t he just said there was no need to clean at night? Did this new janitor not understand human language?
Their gazes met in the air, neither speaking a word.
After staring at the janitor for several seconds, the intern finally took off his white coat and headed straight for the elevator.
The player stood still for a moment, making sure no one else would come out to disturb him, then quickly approached his target room.
The door to the ward’s break room was tightly shut—he didn’t know if anyone was inside, but the ward itself only had patients.
Using a tool, he silently opened the door. Just as he was about to step in, the call bell at the nurse’s station suddenly rang.
“Doctor!”
A sharp cry echoed from Ward No. 2, reverberating down the entire hallway.
“Doctor! My mom’s awake!”
What terrible luck!
The player gritted his teeth and closed the ward door before bending down to mop the floor.
Thirty seconds later, medical staff rushed toward Ward No. 2—even the intern who had gone downstairs earlier came sprinting back from the elevator.
Chao Musheng was woken by the commotion outside. Groggy, he sat up in bed.
The break room door opened, and Su Chenzhu walked in, fastening the buttons on his shirt. “Chao Chao, you’re awake?”
“What’s going on outside?” Chao Musheng rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off his drowsiness. “I think I heard Zeng Ning’s voice.”
Zeng Ning was just a young girl—he was worried something had happened. He slipped on his slippers and headed out. Su Chenzhu stepped ahead of him and opened the door. “Be careful not to bump the IV on your hand.”
“Okay.” Chao Musheng nodded blankly.
“Let’s go.” Seeing how out of it he still was, Su Chenzhu took his arm and led him to Ward No. 2.
A crowd of medical staff had gathered around the bed. Zeng Ning stood behind them, wiping her tears in agitation.
“Xiao Ning, what happened?” Now fully awake, Chao Musheng strode to her side.
“Uncle Chao!” At the sight of him, Zeng Ning seemed to find an anchor. She grabbed his sleeve, laughing through her tears. “My mom’s fingers moved—she’s waking up!”
From a medical standpoint, finger movement didn’t necessarily mean consciousness—even comatose patients sometimes had involuntary twitches.
But looking at the girl’s hopeful expression, Chao Musheng wished for a miracle.
Boss Zeng opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She saw a white shape—opening and closing her eyes repeatedly, she barely made out a white wall.
Her throat burned with dryness. Slowly, she turned her head and saw a crowd of unfamiliar faces.
“Ms. Zeng, I’m your attending physician. Can you hear me?”
A doctor?
Boss Zeng frowned, finally remembering that she had fallen earlier.
“Mom!” Zeng Ning let go of Chao Musheng and rushed to the bedside. She wanted to throw herself onto her mother but held back, afraid to hurt her. “Mom, it’s Ning Ning. Are you in pain?”
Ning Ning?
Boss Zeng’s awareness gradually returned. She looked at her daughter and weakly lifted her hand, resting it gently on the girl’s.
Don’t be afraid, Ning Ning. Mom’s here.
“Mom.” The girl who had stayed strong for so long finally broke down. The moment her mother’s fingers touched her, tears poured from her eyes.
Boss Zeng parted her lips and uttered an almost inaudible whisper.
“Mom, what did you say?” Zeng Ning leaned closer.
“Call… the police.”
Afraid her daughter hadn’t heard, Boss Zeng mustered all her strength to repeat, “Call the police!”
The medical staff exchanged grave looks. If the first thing the patient did upon waking was demand the police, her injuries were likely man-made.
“Ms. Zeng, please rest and recover. The hospital will contact the police immediately.” The attending physician glanced around—the patient’s spouse wasn’t present.
“Little one, we need to take your mom for further tests,” a nurse said gently. “Can you wait here for us?”
Zeng Ning shook her head. “I’m going with her.”
After waiting so long for her mother to wake up, she refused to leave her side.
“Let her go.” Su Chenzhu spoke up. “I’ll assign two bodyguards to accompany her. They can help if needed.”
Zeng Ning was deeply grateful. “Thank you, Uncle Su.”
“No need.” Su Chenzhu gave a faint smile. “Take good care of your mom.”
Chao Musheng glanced at him. Maybe it was his imagination, but Mr. Su seemed especially fond of Zeng Ning.
Was this the patience and indulgence adults had for the young?
After a night of medical treatment, Boss Zeng had regained much of her spirits. When the police came to question her about the incident, she was already lucid enough to converse with them.
"Ms. Zeng, you're saying you fell around 11:30 PM that night?"
"Yes."
"However, according to our investigation, your spouse called emergency services at 2:05 AM the following day." One of the officers, a female detective, spoke gently. "If you have any suspicions or theories, please share them with us. We’ll thoroughly investigate based on your leads."
"Before I fell down the stairs, I discovered my husband had embezzled company funds." Boss Zeng’s tone turned icy when speaking of the man she once shared a bed with. "He was afraid I’d report him, so he pushed me."
"Two days ago, your husband told the neighbors he’d found out you were having an inappropriate relationship with an employee. After arguing with you, he slept in the guest room. By the time he found you unconscious, it was already 2 AM."
"Nonsense! He’s the one who can’t keep his morals in check!" Zeng Ning burst into the room. "Last month, I saw him intimately shopping with another woman—and she was pregnant!"
"Ningning, mind your manners in front of the officers." Boss Zeng tried to sit up, and Zeng Ning hurried to support her. "Mom, you’re still injured. Don’t move around."
Boss Zeng gave her daughter a helpless smile before turning back to the police. "I’m a businesswoman—I’m always cautious. That’s why I installed surveillance cameras at home."
The implication was clear…
The victim had evidence of her husband’s deliberate assault.
Truly a force to be reckoned with in the business world—calm in crisis and ruthless toward those who harmed her.
The man stepped out of the elevator holding a thermos, sensing an odd tension in the air, as if unseen eyes were fixed on him.
He glanced toward the nurses’ station, but they were all busy with their work, paying him no attention.
Was it just his imagination?
He pushed open the door to Room 2 and froze at the sight of three uniformed officers standing inside. His mind blanked, and he spun around to flee—only to collide with a bodyguard and crash heavily to the floor.
"Hello, no running or roughhousing in the hospital corridors, please."
The man looked up at the speaker—Chao Musheng again!
What kind of greeting was that?!
Furious, he opened his mouth to curse, but before he could, cold metal clamped around his wrist.
"Mr. Wang, you are now suspected of multiple criminal offenses. Please cooperate with our investigation."
"I didn’t mean to kill her—she forced my hand!" The man hunched over in fear, shoulders curling inward like a rat scurrying from the light.
Zeng Ning stood at the doorway, watching the man she once called "Father" degrade himself before the police. She felt a mix of sorrow, shame, and confusion.
How could someone so cowardly dare to cheat on his wife? How could he dare to hurt her?
Did all his courage and malice only extend to his own family?
"Ningning!"
He spotted her and writhed desperately, trying to crawl closer. "Ningning, I’m your dad! You have to help me—this is all a misunderstanding!"
"Mom woke up." Zeng Ning’s stomach churned, bile rising in her throat.
"What…?" The man stopped struggling. "She’s awake?"
But how?
He’d spent months secretly studying acupuncture, waiting for the perfect moment.
After she fell unconscious, he’d carefully targeted her fatal pressure points. Even if she didn’t die, she should’ve been left a vegetable—how could she wake up?!
"Ningning." He forced a grotesque smile. "You’re lying to Daddy, aren’t you?"
To save himself, he’d even grovel before his own daughter.
Zeng Ning couldn’t hold back any longer. She clutched the doorframe and dry-heaved.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
The officers had seen enough. After all the evil he’d done, he still expected his child to beg for his mercy? Was he even human?
They hauled him to his feet and dragged him away. Even as the elevator doors closed, he kept straining to look back, hoping his daughter would plead for him in front of her mother.
"Ningning." Boss Zeng grasped her daughter’s pale hand with all her remaining strength. "Are you alright?"
"Mom, I’m fine." Zeng Ning smiled. "You waking up is the best thing that could’ve happened."
A nurse approached with a warm smile. "Young Boss Zeng, it’s time to change Boss Zeng’s bandages."
"Young Boss Zeng?" Boss Zeng chuckled weakly at the title. "That’s quite the name. Thank you, my amazing little boss, for keeping Mom safe."
"The nurses were arranged by Uncle Chao." Zeng Ning lifted her mother’s pant leg so the nurse could expertly tend to the wound.
"Uncle Chao?" Boss Zeng didn’t recall her daughter knowing anyone by that surname. "Who is he?"
"He said his company partners with yours." Zeng Ning thought for a moment. "Oh—he’s the assistant to the CEO of Kunlun Enterprises."
"Assistant Chao?!" Boss Zeng nearly bolted upright. "How do you know him?!"
Her company barely scraped by on Kunlun’s leftovers—she’d never dare claim to be their partner.
"He was hospitalized next door. A few nights ago, when I was arguing with… him, Uncle Chao overheard." Zeng Ning explained everything. "He’s been so kind. Without him, I couldn’t have protected you."
"You’ve done wonderfully, Ningning." Boss Zeng’s smile was tender. "If not for you, why would Mr. Chao have helped me?"
Zeng Ning blushed at the praise. "His boyfriend is really nice too."
Mr. Chao had a boyfriend?
Boss Zeng recalled Assistant Chao’s striking presence—wherever he went, he became the center of attention.
But she distinctly remembered office gossip painting him as a young, brilliant university student, still single, with everyone wondering who’d be lucky enough to win his heart.
How had he gotten a boyfriend in less than two weeks?
A knock sounded at the door. The nurse opened it to reveal Chao Musheng holding a bouquet. "Ningning, may I come in?"
"Of course!" Zeng Ning hurried to welcome him.
Chao Musheng handed her the flowers. "Congratulations on Boss Zeng’s recovery. Wishing her a speedy return to health."
Boss Zeng stared at the sudden arrival of Chao Musheng—and the man behind him, Kunlun’s CEO Su Chenzhu, carrying a fruit basket. For the first time, she cursed her broken leg for preventing her from leaping up to bow in gratitude.
What kind of VIP was she, to warrant a personal visit from Kunlun’s top executive?
And the man was holding a fruit basket—was this some kind of wish-fulfillment fantasy?
"Mom, this is Uncle Su, Uncle Chao's boyfriend," Zeng Ning said, beaming with pride as she held the bouquet, her childlike excitement shining through as she turned to Boss Zeng. "Don't they look absolutely perfect together?"
