My head was still a bit fuzzy, but my mind was clear. Seeing Ella Li looking so guilty, I comforted her, "This wasn't your fault. The one to blame is He Kang. I don't regret telling you he was cheating. That scumbag doesn't deserve you."
Ella Li cried even harder.
Just then, Ginny Deng and Tilly Ouyang came in with a fruit basket. Seeing me, they rushed over with concerned questions. "Zoe, are you uncomfortable anywhere else? Does your head still hurt?"
"Are you hungry? I'll go buy you something to eat."
"Are you cold? I'll turn up the heat so you don't catch a cold!"
I shook my head gently. "Not hungry, not cold. My head's just a little dizzy."
Ginny Deng's heart ached for me. "Poor Zoe. What bad luck have you had these past couple of months? This is the second time you've hurt your head. You're not going to turn into an idiot, are you?"
I laughed. "I wouldn't mind. You all could just take turns taking care of me."
As we talked, I learned the whole story.
He Kang, holding a grudge against me, had sent Yan Zijun to get close to me, find an opportunity to kidnap me, and demand a ransom. Their original plan was to take the money, dump me in the ocean, and then flee abroad to live the high life.
Unexpectedly, the call Hugh Pei made to me became my lifeline. When he heard me cry for help, he had my phone's location traced and brought people to rescue me.
"Later, he couldn't find you, so he contacted me and asked me to try reaching He Kang. When I called He Kang, he hung up," Ella Li said, wiping her tears with a tissue, her face filled with resentment. "I never thought He Kang could be so vicious and selfish, blaming others for his own mistakes. His parents even came to me to plead for him. Truly shameless!"
"Plead for my ass!" Ginny Deng added with disgust. "A scumbag like that should rot in jail. Yoyo, you're lucky you pulled back from the brink. If you had married him and had kids before discovering his ugly true colors, it would have been too late."
Ella Li nodded. "You're right!"
While we were chatting, Evan Yu arrived.
He had, after all, beaten up Yan Zijun for me, which I figured canceled out how he'd targeted me during the game before. I greeted him politely. "Hi, Dr. Yu."
"Are you dizzy?" Evan Yu didn't answer my greeting, instead asking, "Have you vomited since you woke up? Do you remember what happened before you passed out?"
I answered each of his questions.
After inquiring about my condition, he said calmly, "You have a minor intracranial hemorrhage. We'll go with conservative treatment for now, no surgery needed. The blood should be slowly absorbed in about a week. Just stay in the hospital and focus on your treatment."
"Okay." I would follow the doctor's orders. Professional matters should be left to the professionals.
Before Evan Yu left, he gave me a deep look, but I couldn't decipher its meaning. Ginny Deng, however, suddenly leaned close to me, her big, kohl-rimmed eyes blinking, a suggestive smile on her face as she whispered, "Zoe, you don't think Evan Yu has a thing for you, do you? A friend's wife, a fond memory?"
I quickly clapped my hand over Ginny Deng's big mouth. Evan Yu's back, just at the doorway, stiffened for a moment. He seemed to have heard before he continued on his way.
Tilly Ouyang tactfully went to close the door to the hospital room.
"Zoe, didn't Hugh Pei carry you off on Christmas Eve?" Ella Li also wore a mysterious smile. "Did you guys run into a creep when you were leaving? Did Hugh Pei beat him up?"
"How did you know?" I was a little surprised.
"Because Evan Yu beat the guy up again afterward. He's still lying in a hospital bed. Didn't you know?" Ella Li had stopped crying, her eyes red as she dug for gossip. "As soon as you two left, we all headed out. Downstairs, we saw a crowd around a man who had been badly beaten. Evan Yu asked the manager what happened, then gave the creep another round."
My eyelid twitched. What was Evan Yu trying to do?
Could it be that, like Hugh Pei, he had feelings for two women at the same time?
Ginny Deng grinned slyly. "Hehehe, Zoe, your luck with men seems to be booming lately. Hugh Pei is obviously different with you now, and even an ice block like Evan Yu is treating you differently. Exciting, so exciting!"
"Exciting, my foot!" I glared at Ginny Deng. This girl was getting more and more ridiculous.
Evan Yu's true love was also Lila Wei; he just hadn't become infatuated with her yet, but it was only a matter of time. It would be too narcissistic of me to think he had fallen for me.
Besides, I wasn't Lila Wei. I couldn't bear to be the reason two men who had grown up together became bitter rivals.
I couldn't very well tell Ginny Deng and the others that Evan Yu would fight with Hugh Pei over Lila Wei in the future, so I could only verbally correct their wild theories.
After the four of us had been chatting in the room for a long time, Tilly Ouyang got a call from her company and had to rush back to work.
I took the opportunity to tell Ginny Deng and Ella Li they should go too, that they didn't need to stay with me.
"I have to stay with you!" Ella Li insisted, overwhelmed with guilt.
"Tilly has to work, and Yoyo and I have nothing to do. Let's take turns, one day each," Ginny Deng said, picking up her bag and flipping her hair with a flourish. "I haven't told your aunt and uncle that you're hurt. You can decide what to do about that. I have something to take care of today, got to teach my disobedient little brother a lesson. I'll be back tomorrow."
With that, she was gone like the wind.
A question mark appeared over Ella Li's head. "Where did Ginny get a little brother? Doesn't she have an older sister and an older brother?"
"Silly. A boy toy," I said with a laugh.
"Right, I forgot about her reputation as a player!" Ella Li slapped her forehead.
Having someone with me made the time pass easily. I called my mom and told her the situation with Zhao Sufang was resolved, but I didn't mention that I was injured and in the hospital.
My mom had a weak heart and was still hospitalized herself; I didn't want to upset her.
By the time the sky outside darkened, I still hadn't seen Hugh Pei come to visit.
Ella Li said that after Hugh Pei brought me to the hospital, he went to deal with He Kang and the others.
I thought back to the image of him rushing into the warehouse to save me, and my heart beat a little faster. But then I remembered Lila Wei appearing behind him, and my heart rate returned to normal.
That night, he must have been with Lila Wei, gathering with his best friends like Evan Yu.
And Lila Wei had clearly heard my cries for help but deliberately pretended not to, trying to mislead Hugh Pei and the others to search elsewhere. That alone was enough for me to remember.
When someone who seems harmless, even pure and innocent, turns malicious, they are often the most terrifying.
After dinner, following my repeated persuasion, Ella Li reluctantly went home. I told her it was enough to keep me company during the day; at night, I would just be sleeping, so there was no need for her to watch over me.
After she left, I played on my phone for a while and found myself getting sleepy again.
In a daze, I seemed to feel someone sit down by my bed. I wanted to open my eyes to see who it was, but my eyelids were too heavy, and I couldn't help but fall asleep.
In the middle of the night, I woke up thirsty. As I opened my eyes, I saw Hugh Pei sitting by the bed, watching me.
"Oh my god!" I jumped, my breath catching in my throat.
"What woke you up?" Hugh Pei actually smiled, his voice holding a gentleness I wasn't familiar with.
"Thirsty," I answered honestly.
He stood up, took the cup from the bedside table, and poured me a glass of warm water. "Here."