On the road.
Inside the car.
It was still dark outside, only a few minutes past 3 AM.
The driver drove under pressure to reach the hospital as quickly as possible. Fortunately, it was still too early and only a few cars were on the road.
Dom sat on the front passenger seat while Jin Liwei cradled Iris in his arms at the backseat. Yi Mei had to be left behind because she was too distressed and would probably continue to attack Jin Liwei again if given the chance.
Iris finally regained consciousness. However, she still looked pale and extremely weak.
"Baby!"
"Boss!" Dom was sobbing, his eyes and nose were red and swollen.
Jin Liwei kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"
She was in a state of confusion, so she stayed quiet and didn't reply to him. When her mind cleared a bit, she focused on Jin Liwei's face.
"Yes, baby. I'm here."
Her eyes looked sad and shiny. Then she whispered, "Are you going to cage me too?"
He didn't understand.
"Tell me." She grabbed his arm, her grip weak. "Are you like them? Are you going to restrict me too? Imprison me? Are you?"
He didn't know who "them" were. Was she talking about the Longs? Maybe this was why she was estranged with them?
He suspected that she was in some sort of a delirious state but he didn't want to agitate her any further, so he answered honestly.
"I want to," he said.
Her face dropped. Her eyes went blank. It looked as if the world ended based on her expression alone. Her hand on his arm dropped down limply.
"But I can't," he added. He gently swept a lock of hair from her forehead and then cupped the side of her face, silently urging her to look in his eyes. "I want to keep you all to myself, to be the only important existence in your life. But I can't. You are too magnificent. It will be a grave sin to deprive the world from witnessing your brilliance. You are born to shine, Long Xiulan."
Tears flowed down her face. She shakily pulled his head towards her and kissed him.
This man…she hoped that he was true.
She nuzzled against the crook of his neck. She still felt unwell, but his words somehow soothed her. Moments later, she fell asleep.
###
In a big, private hospital.
Same luxurious hotel-like room where Iris stayed when she was comatose a year ago.
It was taking all of Dr. Ching's effort to maintain a professional expression on his face as he explained his patient's condition to the most powerful man in the country's business world at the moment. He couldn't believe that he was meeting CEO Jin.
This was THE Jin Liwei, President-CEO of Jin Corporation! And the man was wearing his pyjamas! What was more, the CEO was with a woman Dr. Ching would think to be the last person the business leader would be with.
"Miss Long's outward physical condition is mostly recovered. However, her immune system is still very vulnerable," he explained to the cold-faced man in front of him. "It has only been a year since she woke up from coma after all. Any sudden change or intense stimulus may trigger a collapse of her constitution. In this case, I would say that due to accumulated exhaustion, stress, and perhaps experiencing unfamiliar situations within a short period of time resulted in extreme hormonal imbalances. This may explain her unusual heavy menstrual bleeding which then resulted to her current anemic condition. This is why she fainted. This kind of anemia should be temporary as long as she gets sufficient rest, continue her healthy lifestyle, and avoid too much stress. We will need to monitor her next menstrual cycles to determine whether this heavy bleeding is just a one-time thing or if this is a symptom of a more serious issue."
"Of course. She is my patient and it's my duty as her doctor."
Jin Liwei nodded, and then looked at the pale girl currently sleeping on the bed. He reached down and stroked her cheek gently.
The doctor was dying with curiosity inside to know about the relationship between the two. From what the doctor was seeing in front of him, he could sense that the two were lovers. And were his eyes playing tricks on him or the two had matching bangles on their wrists? Coincidence that they had the same jewelry design?
Was that a tender look on the CEO's face? It was hard to tell because of the CEO's perpetual glacial expression. He wanted to ask so badly, but discretion was always an important part of his job and the reason why he was chosen by the wealthy to be their doctor.
Swallowing his curiosity, he performed a final check on Iris before excusing himself out of the room.
There were only the two of them left alone in the big hospital room. Dom was downstairs taking care of all the paperwork and paying for whatever needed to be paid.
Jin Liwei called his two subordinates, and they arrived at the hospital within an hour. He instructed them to guard the private room and make sure that nobody was snooping around.
Jet lag and exhaustion were finally catching up to him. He could barely keep his eyes open. His body felt heavy. He carefully climbed beside his baby girl and pulled the blanket over both of them. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.