Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 17

Chi Fan spoke up again, “Otherwise, you might pass out before Xia Jin even regains consciousness. Then the medical staff would have to decide whether to attend to you or her first. Don’t worry, our car will get there faster than an ambulance making a round trip to the hospital. We’ll definitely have her wounds treated before she even arrives.”

Chen Zeyu chimed in, “I’ll personally make sure President Xia gets to the hospital! You can rest assured. The moment she wakes up, I’ll contact you immediately.”

Only then did Qin Yu relent, allowing Chi Fan to take down Chen Zeyu’s phone number for future contact.

Before leaving, Qin Yu crouched beside Xia Jin and gently wiped the blood from her face. He opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately drove off swiftly to the hospital for treatment.

Outside the emergency room, Xia Ziling sat alone on a bench, his head bowed as he clutched his hair in despair, sobbing uncontrollably.

He had spent years studying medicine, enduring hardship and long hours, believing he had mastered the skills to save lives.

But at this moment, with Xia Jin lying in the emergency room, he realized he was utterly powerless.

Back in high school, his Chinese literature teacher had once analyzed a line from Li Mi’s Memorial Expressing My Feelings, which had left a deep impression on Xia Ziling:

“Without my grandmother, I would not have lived to this day; without me, my grandmother would have no one to care for her in her remaining years.”

Yet, when applied to him and his sister, Xia Ziling felt only the first half held true.

Because from childhood to adulthood, it had always been Xia Jin who protected him. Though she was only three years older, she had taken on the role of a parent.

So, Xia Ziling could accept losing everything, except his sister.

He had never believed in gods or spirits, but now, in his heart, he earnestly prayed to every deity in the heavens to save his sister.

Qin Yu stood silently at the corner of the hallway, watching Xia Ziling for a long while before turning and leaving.

Xia Ziling’s presence here was enough. Qin Yu had something far more important to do.

Investigate the whereabouts of the hit-and-run driver.

Three days later, outside the intensive care unit.

Xie Qiran, wearing a mask, arrived with a team of nurses for rounds. Spotting Qin Yu flipping through Xia Jin’s medical records, Xie Qiran frowned and asked, “Who let him into the ICU?”

Hearing the commotion, Qin Yu turned around. The dark circles under his eyes and the bloodshot whites startled the medical staff.

His voice hoarse, Qin Yu said, “My apologies, I’ve already registered. How is Xia Jin’s condition? When will she wake up?”

Xie Qiran skimmed through the records, unwilling to disclose Xia Jin’s condition outright. Instead, he asked, “And you are…?”

“I’m… Xia Jin’s high school classmate.” Qin Yu suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

Closing the file, Xie Qiran gave Qin Yu a skeptical glance before brushing him off. “The patient’s recovery is progressing normally. As for when she’ll wake up, we don’t know yet.”

Before Qin Yu could ask anything else, Xie Qiran cut him off. “Alright, visiting hours are over. Please leave.”

With the dismissal, Qin Yu couldn’t linger any longer and disrupt the rounds. Reluctantly, he walked away, glancing back every few steps.

…

“Crash!”

The sound of the collision seemed to echo in Xia Jin’s ears again, the shattering of glass, someone calling her name, the wail of an ambulance growing louder and louder, all blending into a chaotic roar.

Xia Jin jolted awake from a nightmare, her body trembling uncontrollably, her forehead and neck beaded with fine sweat, her breathing rapid and uneven.

“Bad dream?” Qin Yu quickly leaned over to check on her.

Xia Jin opened her eyes, taking in the coat draped over her and Qin Yu’s concerned face, and let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah… thanks again. If you hadn’t found me, I’d have lost it if I woke up in Ye Tiyan’s car.”

Qin Yu straightened up, his tone disapproving. “You know you have post-accident symptoms, yet you still go out alone without anyone accompanying you.”

“Huh?” Xia Jin adjusted her seat and pulled Qin Yu’s coat over her legs. “How do you know I was in an accident? I’ve never told anyone about that.”

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “You creep, don’t tell me you had someone spying on me?”

“Spy on you? I live next door, why would I need to hire someone to watch you?” Qin Yu laughed in exasperation. “I was the one who pulled you out of the wreck. Of course I’d know.”

Xia Jin froze for a moment, confusion flickering in her eyes. “You… saved me?”

“Who else?” Qin Yu tilted his head in response to the question.”

He gave her a rough account of that day but deliberately left out the part about the truck driver fleeing the scene. He didn’t want to shatter whatever hope she still held for the last remnants of her family.

Xia Jin’s expression darkened almost instantly. “Chen Zeyu really has some nerve. He actually dared to claim he was the one who saved me? No wonder he had the gall to pick nearly a quarter of the company’s resources as repayment.”

Qin Yu raised a brow, equally surprised Chen Zeyu would lie so brazenly.

“But thank you. If it weren’t for you, my post-accident symptoms would probably be a lot worse than just fainting.”

As she spoke, Xia Jin suddenly remembered something important. “Oh no, where’s my phone?”

Qin Yu turned and retrieved it from the back seat. Xia Jin exhaled in relief when she saw the screen displaying “Recording in Progress.” “Thank goodness it’s still going.”

She tapped the recording, and Ye Tiyan’s remorseful voice played back.

“Xiao Jin, I was wrong about what happened back then…”

When the recording reached the last time Ye Tiyan called her “Xiao Jin” before she passed out, Xia Jin sighed. Fainting at that moment was such bad timing, she’d missed the most crucial part. How was she supposed to infuriate Xia Zhixue now?

Seeing her reaction, Qin Yu finally relaxed.

So Xia Jin hadn’t been genuinely asking about her past with Ye Tiyan, she’d been trying to drive a wedge between them.

But then he realized the recording hadn’t stopped there. Before he could fully relax, a thought struck him.

The next second, his own conversation with Ye Tiyan played from the phone.

“May I ask in what capacity you’re trying to carry Xia Jin away…?”

“Did our Xiao Jin never tell you? We have a golden retriever named Fanbao…”

Xia Jin arched a brow, giving Qin Yu an amused look. “Since when was Fanbao yours?”

Qin Yu rubbed the tip of his nose awkwardly before mustering a defiant reply. “How is he not mine? Doesn’t he eat the cans I buy? Doesn’t he sleep in my bed?”

Qin Yu wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or regretful about Xia Jin’s bizarre focus of attention.

But for now, Qin Yu had no intention of revealing his feelings for her.

Wait a little longer, it wasn’t the right time yet.

Whether it was Ye Tiyan, Zhang Tiyan, or Li Tiyan, he would make sure Xia Jin forgot all of them.

Hastily changing the subject, Qin Yu said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”

“Oh,” Xia Jin pouted slightly. “Do I have to go home?”

Qin Yu started the engine. “Where do you want to go instead?”

Xia Jin slowly fastened her seatbelt when she suddenly remembered a video of a bar that Song Qianrou had shown her a few days ago. She slapped her thigh excitedly. “Let’s go to Yu Ye! I heard there are naked men dancing there, I want to see!”