Twist of Fate - Chapter 38

No one knew how much time had passed before the red light outside the emergency room suddenly turned off.

The doctor and nurses filed out, their faces all wearing somber expressions.

Seeing this, Qin Ning rushed forward. “Doctor… how is she?”

“Are you the patient’s family member?” the doctor asked wearily. “The patient is still in critical condition and needs to be transferred to the ICU for close monitoring.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ning suddenly felt dizzy and almost collapsed to the floor.

Startled, the doctor paused for a moment, then quickly called a young nurse over to help support Qin Ning.

“Take her to the consultation room and get her a glass of water.”

“Okay.”

.

Half an hour later, in the consultation room.

Qin Ning sat across from the doctor.

“Does the patient have a history of allergies?” the doctor asked.

“Yes,” Qin Ning replied.

“What is your relationship with the patient?”

“I’m her wife.”

“Please fill out these forms.”

“Alright.”

“After the bone marrow transplant, the patient experienced severe rejection and a series of complications. The bleeding this time was caused by a rupture of the esophageal varices at the base of her stomach…”

“For leukemia patients, the five-year survival rate after a bone marrow transplant is only about 50%, and the ten-year survival rate is even lower. If there’s a relapse within three years post-transplant, treatment becomes significantly more difficult and outcomes are generally poor. Please make sure the patient avoids alcohol, maintains a regular sleep schedule, and stays away from spicy foods…”

After listening to the doctor’s instructions, Qin Ning’s face turned visibly pale. “Yes, I’ll make sure to watch over her carefully from now on.”

The doctor gave her a few more earnest reminders, sighed, and then left the room.

After he left, Qin Ning immediately scheduled a visitation to the ICU.

Two hours later, she finally saw Xie Jing lying unconscious in the hospital bed.

An oxygen mask covered most of her face. Countless tubes extended from her body, connected to machines at the bedside.

The doctor had said that due to excessive blood loss, Xie Jing had gone into hypovolemic shock and was now in a deep coma—completely unresponsive to any external stimuli.

Qin Ning stared at her quietly, her heart aching.

If she had been more attentive… if she had brought Xie Jing to the hospital as soon as she noticed something was wrong, would she still be lying here like this?

She had seen from the very first day they reunited that Xie Jing didn’t look well. So why did she still go out of her way to say those harsh things, just to provoke her?

If only she had found out about her illness sooner. Whether it was two years ago or now, Xie Jing had been enduring everything on her own. She had suffered so much pain and hardship in silence. Her shoulders looked so small and fragile—how had she managed to survive these two years after losing both her parents?

In Qin Ning’s memory, Xie Jing was someone who would cry out in pain if you so much as nibbled her ear. How did she handle all those bitter pills, those endless injections? What must have been going through her mind while enduring that?

Not to mention the vomiting, fevers, diarrhea, insomnia, and depression…

Just imagining it made Qin Ning feel like she couldn’t breathe from the pain.

.

After leaving the ICU, Qin Ning suddenly received a call from Shen Xinghe.

Shen Xinghe told her she had already arrived in Jinghai and asked which hospital Xie Jing was being treated at.

Qin Ning frowned. “Why are you here?”

“To take shifts with you, of course,” Shen Xinghe replied matter-of-factly. “Back when we were abroad, Aunt and I took turns too. There’s no way you can handle this all by yourself.”

She didn’t even have to ask—she knew Qin Ning would insist on staying with Xie Jing personally. But Qin Ning also ran a major company. She couldn’t just camp out at the hospital every day.

“I don’t need help,” Qin Ning said.

On the other end, Shen Xinghe instantly snapped, “Don’t need help? If you don’t go to work, where’s the money going to come from? What are you going to do if Xie Jing goes bankrupt and you have to beg for money on your knees?”

Qin Ning: “…”

Good point.

That thought alone was enough to make her abandon the idea of quitting her job.

She had worked so hard to build her career—so she could be worthy of Xie Jing, so she could give her a good life.

Now that she had finally succeeded, she couldn’t just throw it all away.

After a short pause, she said, “Alright. I’ll send you the location.”

Shen Xinghe arrived at the hospital not long after receiving the location. She glanced at Qin Ning, slightly surprised.

Qin Ning was still wearing the same clothes from the night before, stained with dried blood and mud from when she carried Xie Jing. She looked completely disheveled.

Qin Ning rarely ever let herself look like this.

It was the first time Shen Xinghe had seen her so unkempt.

On the way there, she had planned to scold her—demand to know how she had let things get so bad. But seeing Qin Ning now, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

With Xie Jing in the hospital, Qin Ning probably felt just as awful as she did.

Shen Xinghe cleared her throat and awkwardly offered, “Why don’t you go home and change? Get some rest. I’ll stay here.”

“Thanks.” Qin Ning glanced once more toward the ICU before stepping into the elevator.

Xie Jing remained unconscious for a full month.

During that time, Qin Ning and Shen Xinghe took turns watching over her, and their relationship grew a bit more amicable.

Finally, on the thirtieth day, the clouds parted and the sun came out.

One bright morning, Xie Jing slowly opened her eyes.

After a full checkup, Qin Ning burst into silent tears as she hugged her tightly.

Shen Xinghe also cried uncontrollably at the side—anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought she was the girlfriend.

She was just about to hug Xie Jing too when Qin Ning shot her a sharp glare.

Shen Xinghe froze immediately.

Alright, fine… not like she had to hug her.

Watching the couple embrace, Shen Xinghe suddenly felt the urge to go back to Jiangcheng.

Her aunt was better anyway—she could hug her all she wanted, even cry in her arms.

Back when Xie Jing was receiving treatment abroad, Shen Xinghe and Pei Anle had practically lived together for two years. They even developed and healed their psychological trauma in sync.

So she opened a video call to Pei Anle.

She lifted her phone high to fit both Xie Jing and Qin Ning in the frame.

The moment Pei Anle saw Xie Jing sitting up in bed, her eyes turned red. “Xie Jing—”

“Aunt, I’m okay,” Xie Jing said, lifting Qin Ning’s chin so she was facing the camera. “Let me introduce you—this is Qin Ning.”

As soon as Pei Anle saw her, she immediately remembered how Shen Xinghe used to show Xie Jing photos of this woman every day back in country A.

Now she was seeing the real thing.

The sadness disappeared from her face as she raised a brow teasingly. “Your wife?”

Xie Jing: “!!”

Shen Xinghe: Aunt, excellent delivery!

Qin Ning was startled at first, but when she realized who it was, she smiled and called out, “Auntie.”

Pei Anle smiled in return. “Aw, how sweet. Let’s have a meal together sometime.”

“Definitely,” Qin Ning replied. “Once Xie Jing is stable, I’ll take her back to Jiangcheng to visit you.”

“Sounds good.”

Though Pei Anle wished she could fly over to Jinghai immediately, the burden of running the Xie Corporation held her back.

Since she couldn’t go to Jinghai, she figured they could come to Jiangcheng.

Xie Jing still needed time to recover before she could travel, but Shen Xinghe…

Pei Anle casually asked, “So, Xinghe, when are you coming back?”

“Me? In a few days,” Shen Xinghe said as she walked into the hallway.

After she left, Xie Jing turned to Qin Ning. “How long was I out?”

Qin Ning: “A month.”

Xie Jing’s eyes widened. “That long? No wonder I feel like I can’t move. I’ve turned into a potato.”

Qin Ning nodded. “Perfect for forced cuddling.”

Xie Jing: “???”

Qin Ning stared at her and said slowly, “To figure out exactly what happened that night, I downloaded the surveillance footage to my phone. I rewatch it every chance I get.”

Xie Jing: “I was just joking!”

Qin Ning said nothing—just looked at her.

Xie Jing wanted to bury her head in the ground. “I’m sorry! I won’t talk nonsense anymore.”

Qin Ning gently tilted her chin up and smiled. “I’m happy.”

Xie Jing blinked. “Why?”

Qin Ning said softly, “You told her not to like me.”

Xie Jing: “That was—”

“I know,” Qin Ning interrupted. “But I won’t like anyone other than you.”

The logic may have been messy, but the conclusion was right.

And that was all Xie Jing needed.

.

A week later, Xie Jing was discharged.

Shen Xinghe left for Jiangcheng on the same day.

In the speeding car, Xie Jing rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I have a feeling Shen Xinghe is going to upgrade her status big-time.”

Qin Ning: “?”

“Next time we see her, it might be at her wedding—with my aunt,” Xie Jing said, then looked at Qin Ning apologetically. “Sorry, you’re stuck calling Shen Xinghe ‘Aunt-in-law’ now.”

Qin Ning: “…Aunt-in-law?”

Xie Jing explained, “Not that kind of auntie—I mean aunt’s wife.”

Qin Ning: “…”

She suddenly felt grateful that Xie Jing was an only child. Otherwise, she might be the one getting called Auntie by some kid.

“Ugh, forget it, just call her ‘Sis’,” Xie Jing added. “She’s older than me anyway.”

Qin Ning: “Not allowed.”

Xie Jing: “Then what should I call her?”

Qin Ning: “By name.”

Xie Jing: “Isn’t that too distant? We’re family now.”

Qin Ning: “It’s not.”

Xie Jing: “…Alright.”

Once they got home, Qin Ning personally cooked a meal for her: fish head tofu soup, steamed sea bass, steamed pork ribs, and steamed broccoli.

Xie Jing stared at the dishes in shock. “Why is everything steamed?”

“The doctor said no spicy or greasy food. And a regular sleep schedule. From now on, you need to be in bed before 9:30.”

Xie Jing looked baffled. “Huh? 9:30? That early? What about our sex life?”
Qin Ning paused for two seconds. “We can stretch it to 10:30.”

Xie Jing swallowed a mouthful of that fishy, bland sea bass and groaned in despair. “But that’s still so early! I usually sleep at midnight.”

“Don’t worry,” Qin Ning said calmly. “You’ll fall asleep by 10:30 for sure.”

That night, Xie Jing learned exactly why Qin Ning was so confident—because she dragged her to bed and turned off the lights at 7:30 to “get a head start”… for three full hours of—