Chapter 997: I’m not dead

The room was quiet.

Too quiet.

The steady beeping of the cardiac monitor echoed through the private hospital suite, each sound a reminder that Ji Jingxu was still alive.

Yue Ling sat motionless beside the bed.

The harsh fluorescent lights from the hallway had given way to the dim glow of a bedside lamp. Soft shadows stretched across the room, leaving most of it bathed in silence.

For the first time since finding him, she could see him clearly.

The sight made something twist painfully in her chest.

His face was pale against the white pillow. Fresh bruises stained his skin, disappearing beneath bandages wrapped around his neck and shoulders. A faint cut crossed one cheek. An oxygen cannula rested beneath his nose while multiple IV lines disappeared beneath the blanket covering him.

He looked smaller somehow.

Fragile.

Nothing like the brother she remembered.

Yue Ling stared at him.

She had imagined this moment countless times.

She had imagined finding a body.

She had imagined being too late.

She had imagined vengeance.

She had never imagined relief would hurt this much.

The doctor had said the surgery was successful.

Five broken ribs. Internal bleeding. Countless injuries accumulated during his captivity.

But he would recover.

Those words should have eased the pressure crushing her chest.

Instead, all she could see were the injuries. All she could think about was what had happened before they found him.

A muscle in her jaw tightened. Her fingers slowly curled into fists.

The room’s door opened quietly behind her.

She didn’t turn.

The familiar footsteps were enough.

Grandfather Ji entered first. He had stepped out because there were more documents to sign.

The old man looked exhausted. He looked years older than he had only a few days ago.

When his eyes landed on Ji Jingxu, they immediately turned red.

He slowly approached the bed.

Neither spoke.

The silence stretched between them.

Then Grandfather Ji reached forward and gently brushed a trembling hand through his grandson’s hair.

The simple gesture nearly broke Yue Ling.

"He’s alive."

The old man whispered. His voice cracked.

"That’s enough."

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Then Ji Jingxu’s fingers twitched. The movement was small. Barely noticeable. Yet both Yue Ling and Grandfather Ji saw it instantly.

The old man’s breath caught as Yue Ling’s eyes widened.

Slowly. Painfully. Ji Jingxu’s eyelids fluttered.

The monitor’s rhythm quickened slightly.

His brow furrowed. A quiet groan escaped his throat.

"Jingxu."

Grandfather Ji said immediately. His voice shook.

The young man’s eyes opened a fraction before squinting against the light.

Confusion clouded them, then pain followed shortly after. His breathing hitched.

The monitor sped up.

"Easy."

The words left Yue Ling’s mouth before she realized she was speaking.

Ji Jingxu’s gaze shifted. For a moment, his eyes struggled to focus. Then they found her.

Recognition appeared instantly. His lips parted, but no sound came out. His throat was too dry. Too damaged.

But Yue Ling understood anyway. His eyes were enough to let her know what he wanted to say.

’You’re here.’

The look in his eyes nearly shattered her composure.

After everything he had suffered. After everything done to him. He was glad to see her.

Yue Ling looked away for a brief moment. Just long enough to regain control.

"I knew you would come."

Ji Jingxu managed to say it in a hoarse voice, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Small.

Weak.

But there.

The sight finally loosened the knot that had been strangling her chest for days.

Relief flooded through her. Sharp enough to hurt.

She leaned forward and stroked his head. Her touch was gentle, like a mother caressing her child.

"And I will never stop."

Her bluish-green eyes stared into his as he nodded his head. Yet beneath that relief burned something darker.

Something colder.

Because while her brother was alive...

The people responsible were too.

She moved her hand away from him and smiled reassuringly at him.

"There is something I need to do, so rest. Yeye will stay here with you. I will be back soon."

Ji Jingxu wanted to ask her to stay, but he knew he couldn’t change her mind once she made a decision.

He nodded his head in understanding and turned to look at his grandfather.

The sight in front of him nearly made him choke on his saliva.

"Old man, why are you crying? I’m not dead."

Grandfather Ji didn’t know when the dam had broken. Tears were pouring down his cheeks the moment his grandson opened his eyes.

Hearing the boy’s words, he wiped his tears and made a fist but didn’t hit the boy.

"You idiot boy. Do you have any idea how scared I was? How could you let someone take you so easily? What was the point of all that training?"

He shook his head, clearly still shaken.

"I’m assigning bodyguards to you from now on. No—actually, forget that. I’m going everywhere you go. Even to the bathroom."

His expression turned stern.

"You’re going to be glued to me from now on, whether you like it or not."

His words came in a mixture of harshness and worry, but Ji Jingxu only smiled. He knew his grandfather well enough to know that the old man was only harsh on the surface but soft on the inside.

Ignoring the pain inside him, he reach his hand out to hold the old man’s hand.

"I’m fine, grandfather."

His words made Grandfather Ji’s lips tremble, and tears began to fall from his eyes. He leaned forward and set his forehead on his grandson’s hand as he sobbed.

"You silly boy. What do you mean you are fine? Do you have any idea what would have happened to you if you hadn’t got here in time? You could have..."

Grandfather Ji couldn’t finish his words. Just thinking about losing his grandson was something he never wanted to imagine. All he could do was pour his eyes out and hold Ji Jingxu’s hand.

Ji Jingxu didn’t know what to do. He thought reassuring the old man would help, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

He sighed as if he were in distress, but a smile could be seen on his face. He turns to look at his sister and gives her a nodding gesture to let her know that they’ll be fine.

Yue Ling watched the whole scene play out with a faint smile. She knew her grandfather and brother tended to bicker, but they shared a deep bond.

When she saw the gesture Ji Jingxu made, she understood it was her cue to leave. If she left now, she could come back sooner.

She quietly stepped out of the room, gently pulling the door shut behind her to avoid disturbing the silence inside.

The hallway was calm. A few nurses walked past in hushed conversations, while the occasional beeping of medical equipment echoed faintly through the corridor.

Sitting a short distance away was Lu Tian.

He had remained exactly where she had left him, patiently waiting outside. Earlier, she had told him he could come inside, but he had politely refused, insisting that she and her grandfather deserved time alone with Ji Jingxu after everything they had been through.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention.

He lifted his head from where he had been quietly staring at the floor. The moment their eyes met, a gentle smile appeared on his face. It wasn’t relief or happiness, but a smile meant only to reassure her.

He slowly rose to his feet.

"How is he?"

Yue Ling’s eyes instinctively drifted back toward the closed door.

Even now, she could almost picture Ji Jingxu lying in the hospital bed, pale beneath the blankets, covered in bandages and connected to countless machines. The image alone caused her chest to tighten.

After a moment, she looked back at Lu Tian.

"He’s awake."

Her voice was soft, almost exhausted.

"I’m sure he’s in a lot of pain, but the medication is doing its best to ease it. The doctors said it’ll take time before he can recover enough to move around normally."

Lu Tian gave a small nod before closing the distance between them.

Stopping in front of her, he gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face before letting his hand rest against her cheek. His touch was warm, grounding, and familiar.

Something she hadn’t realized she needed until now.

His dark eyes quietly searched hers, filled with concern.

Not once since Ji Jingxu’s disappearance had he seen Yue Ling truly rest.

She had spent every moment searching, planning, negotiating, and preparing. Even after finding her brother alive, she had not allowed herself the chance to breathe.

"You can stay here. Your grandfather and Jingxu need you too."

His tone was soft as his thumb lightly brushed across her cheek.

"Leave the rest to me."

His voice carried no arrogance.

It was simply a promise.

A promise that he would shoulder whatever burden remained so she wouldn’t have to.

A faint smile finally tugged at Yue Ling’s lips. For just a second, she wanted to accept.

She wanted to stay.

To remain at her brother’s bedside and to reassure her grandfather that everything would be alright.

To allow herself, even briefly, to stop carrying the weight that had been pressing on her shoulders since all of this began.

But she couldn’t.

She slowly shook her head.

"I appreciate the offer..."

She lowered her gaze to their joined hands.

"...but I need to do this."

The smile faded from her face.

Her thoughts betrayed her once again.

She saw the surveillance footage replaying vividly in her mind.

The violent collision.

Ji Jingxu being dragged away while she could only watch through a screen.

Then came the video call.

Her brother restrained, bruised, and barely conscious as she could do nothing but watch.

She could still remember the rage.

The helplessness. Hung Woo’s laugh as if he had won. The sound of the gunshot, then the black screen that came after ’the cliffhanger’.

The overwhelming urge to tear everything apart just to reach him.

Then her mind drifted to the moment she finally found him.

Broken.

Covered in blood.

Barely clinging to life.

The sight had haunted her ever since.

She slowly closed her eyes.

A wave of guilt washed over her.

She hated herself for taking so long.

If she hadn’t been trying to avoid alerting Ji Chu Hua... if she hadn’t been forced to wait for the right moment...

She would have stormed that place the instant she discovered where her brother was being held.

Even knowing it would have endangered everyone.

Even knowing it might have cost them the chance to rescue him.

Logic told her she had made the right decision.

Her heart refused to believe it.

Taking a slow breath, she forced the painful memories back into the darkest corners of her mind.

When she opened her eyes again, the hesitation was gone.

Only determination remained.

She looked directly into Lu Tian’s eyes.

"I have to see the end myself."

There wasn’t a trace of anger in her voice.

Only resolve.

She needed to witness Hung Woo’s downfall with her own eyes.

She needed to know that the man could never harm another.

Lu Tian held her gaze for a long moment.

He wished she didn’t have to carry this burden.

He wished he could protect her from witnessing any more bloodshed.

But this was his wife.

The woman standing before him had never walked away from those she loved, no matter the cost to herself.

Trying to stop her now would only cause her more pain.

After a long silence, he gave a small nod.

Without another word, he intertwined his fingers with hers. Then he gently led her toward the hospital exit.

"If you’re going..."

He glanced down at her before looking ahead.

"...then I’m going with you."

No matter what waited for them outside... She would never have to face it alone.