Chapter 141: Chapter 124: Striving for a Position and Feigned Generosity
This time,
He should be able to secure his position this time.
He refused to believe Yu Lan’s heart could be that hard.
*
「Outside the emergency room.」
Yu Lan’s face was completely pale and her limbs were cold. She still hadn’t recovered from the recent scare.
His heart ached for Yu Lan as Shen Zueran took her small hand in his, trying to transfer his warmth to her.
"Lanlan, don’t worry. He’ll be okay."
"The Empire’s best doctors are in there with him. Jun Lin Yuan will be fine."
"But... but just now..."
Yu Lan was at a loss. As she recalled the scene, the color drained from her face once more.
’After all, the bullet was aimed right at Jun Lin Yuan’s heart.’
’Will he really be okay?’
Despite Shen Zueran’s reassurances, Yu Lan couldn’t shake her anxiety. She wouldn’t be able to relax until a doctor came out.
The pretty female’s entire slender body was coiled with tension.
She was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.
The sight caused the hearts of the males beside her to ache with pangs of tenderness.
"It’s alright, it’s alright."
"He’ll be fine."
Shen Zueran pulled Yu Lan into a comforting embrace, his heart aching for her.
He sighed lightly and exchanged a look with Huo Zhanting and the others.
They all knew in their hearts that things had reached this point.
Preventing Yu Lan and Jun Lin Yuan from forming a bond was likely impossible now.
Yu Lan had a soft heart, and this was the second time Jun Lin Yuan had faced death to save her.
And Jun Lin Yuan was known for pressing any advantage he could get.
’Now that he’s injured, he’ll play the pity card. How could we possibly stop him?’
’If we try to block him forcefully, he’ll just play the victim and use his wily words. Wouldn’t that just damage our own relationship with Yu Lan?’
’Ah, forget it.’
’It’s just adding Jun Lin Yuan, that’s all.’
’There are already four of us.’
’What’s one more?’
In a matter of moments, the men exchanged glances and, unbeknownst to Yu Lan, quickly came to a decision.
Just then, the door to the emergency room was pushed open from the inside.
A doctor in a white coat, his face etched with fatigue, walked out.
Yu Lan immediately rushed over.
"Doctor, how is he? Is Jun Lin Yuan alright? Is he okay?"
Seeing Yu Lan’s worried and frantic state, the men’s hearts sank even further.
They could only silently curse themselves for not being the first one to rush forward.
They had given this golden opportunity to score points with her to Jun Lin Yuan.
The doctor completely understood her feelings and didn’t keep her in suspense. He nodded and answered quickly,
"We’ve dressed the patient’s wound."
"Thankfully, the bullet just missed his heart. It only injured his lung, and he can be moved to a regular ward shortly."
"He’ll need to be careful for the next two or three days, but with his 3S-level recovery ability, he should make a full recovery very soon with no lasting complications."
"Phew..."
Yu Lan clutched her chest as the knot of tension inside her finally loosened.
"That’s good. That’s so good."
As she spoke, the emergency room door opened again, and several nurses emerged, pushing a gurney.
Jun Lin Yuan had been anesthetized for the surgery to remove the bullet.
The powerful anesthetic hadn’t worn off yet, so even with his superior 3S-level physique, Jun Lin Yuan could only struggle to keep his eyes open, his body lying completely immobilized on the gurney.
The typically handsome and mature man now looked pale as he lay on the gurney, forcing his eyes open to stare at Yu Lan without blinking.
His gaze swept over her from head to toe, examining her carefully.
Only after confirming there wasn’t a single scratch on the pretty female did he let out a soft sigh, his expression one of pure relief.
’What an act!’
’He’s such a good actor!’
Huo Zhanting and the others standing behind Yu Lan rolled their eyes.
’If Yu Lan had actually been hurt, would they have let her be here in the first place?’
’The guy knows that perfectly well, yet he’s still putting on this worried act just for her.’
Sure enough, seeing Jun Lin Yuan in this state, Yu Lan’s heart instantly softened.
She hesitated for a few seconds before she finally gave in, taking a step to follow the gurney.
Seeing this, the hands of Huo Zhanting and the others, hanging at their sides, clenched into tight fists.
They couldn’t believe that even after being so vigilant, they still hadn’t managed to stop Jun Lin Yuan from securing his place.
Shen Zueran gently shook his head and patted Huo Zhanting’s shoulder, his words laced with meaning.
"Since it’s already come to this, and we can’t stop it, there’s no point in getting angry. We might as well let nature take its course."
"Come on. Let’s go welcome our new number five."
"If he’s going to be clever, we have to be cleverer. We can’t make things difficult for Lanlan."
He was right.
The person in the most difficult position right now, stuck between the two parties, was Yu Lan.
She had just promised them she would break off her engagement to Jun Lin Yuan.
But now, with Jun Lin Yuan injured from saving her and clearly determined to use it to his advantage, Yu Lan certainly couldn’t bring herself to talk about breaking the engagement.
By the same token, she would be too embarrassed to tell them she wanted to add another partner.
Since they couldn’t stop it, they might as well be gracious and agree directly.
’And if they were going to be this magnanimous, it would only be natural to want Yu Lan to spend more time with them in return, right?’
The four of them took a deep breath, suppressing their annoyance at Jun Lin Yuan’s inclusion, and headed for the hospital room.
「Meanwhile, in the hospital room.」
After pushing the gurney into the private room, the nurses left.
Emergency nurses were always busy, after all.
Before leaving, one of them even thoughtfully closed the door for the pair.
Now, only Yu Lan and Jun Lin Yuan were left in the room.
For a moment, a heavy silence filled the air. Neither of them spoke.
Yu Lan didn’t know what to say, or where to start.
As for Jun Lin Yuan, he had so much to say that he didn’t know where to begin.
’Should I start by acting pitiful and hinting that I want to secure my place? Or should I feign a retreat and promise to never bother her again?’
Jun Lin Yuan agonized for a moment. Then, as a slight pang of pain shot through his chest with each breath, inspiration struck. ’I’ll start by pretending to be in pain.’
The man on the bed was bare from the waist up. His chest was wrapped in layers of bandages, which only served to accentuate the firm muscles beneath.
Suddenly, his brows knitted together, his thin lips pressed into a tight line, and he let out a pained, "HSSS..."
The sound instantly jolted Yu Lan from the awkward silence she didn’t know how to break.
She rushed to his side, her voice filled with urgent concern.
"What is it? What’s wrong? Jun Lin Yuan, are you in pain again?"
"I’ll go get the doctor."
As she said this, Yu Lan turned to leave.
In that instant, Jun Lin Yuan reached out from the bed and grabbed her small hand.
With a slight tug, he pulled Yu Lan toward him.
Yu Lan, who had been about to run out to find the doctor, was pulled off balance and tumbled into his arms.
Her vision was filled with the man’s clean-cut jawline. Terrified of touching Jun Lin Yuan’s wound, Yu Lan froze completely.
She spoke in a tiny whisper.
"Jun Lin Yuan, what are you doing? Let me go, I need to get the doctor. You can’t be so careless with your own body!"
How could Jun Lin Yuan possibly resist, with the female he dreamed of day and night lying in his arms, whispering to him?
He spoke, his voice hoarse.
"I’m fine. The anesthetic is just wearing off, so the wound hurts a little."
"Are you really okay?"
Her eyes still held unconcealed worry. She remembered how much blood Jun Lin Yuan had lost—his whole shirt had been stained red.
In the next instant, she heard Jun Lin Yuan’s voice, a smile clear within it.
"I’m really fine. If you don’t believe me, Lanlan, you can press your ear to my chest and listen."
"My heart is beating so fast right now."
