CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: CONSCIOUS

Yue Ning’s eyelashes twitched a bit at his words. But he didn’t notice it since his focus was on her face.

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When the sun rose, Yun Li found her way to the hospital. When she walked into the ward, she found Huo Feng standing by the window, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the ward.

"Mr. Huo..." She called out tentatively.

Huo Feng turned his head. His eyes were tired, the faint red veins revealing he hadn’t slept all night. He gave her a faint nod, acknowledging her presence, before turning back to the window.

Yun Li’s gaze shifted to Yue Ning who was still unconscious, and her heart clenched.

"Ning Ning," she whispered hoarsely, walking to her side.

"She is fine," He said quietly, his voice raspy due to exhaustion. "She only fainted from exhaustion. It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have given into her."

Although his tone was flat, Yun Li could hear the weight of guilt behind it.

"It is not your fault, Mr. Huo. Ning Ning has always been stubborn," She reached out to hold Yue Ning’s hands. Tears pooled up in her eyes as she stroked her knuckles. "I am glad she is okay,"

Her gaze flickered back to Huo Feng, who still stood by the window with an unreadable expression. He blames himself, but the way he stayed here all night, the way he’s watching her now... it’s not guilt alone. He cares for her.

Huo Feng shifted slightly, almost as if he sensed her unspoken thoughts. "I will give you both some privacy," he said curtly, then stepped out of the ward.

But the moment he left her side, something in his chest twisted. His strides slowed in the hallway, his mind rebelling. Why did it feel so wrong to leave her side?

While there was relief on this side, the same couldn’t be said for Huo Feng’s enemy.

"Boss," the leader knelt, his face pale while blood seeped down from his bandaged arms.

"Huo Feng shot you?" A cloaked figure asked casually while lighting a cigarette, the flame illuminating his sharp and calculating eyes.

The leader bowed his head shamefully. He dared not answer.

"Not bad—he didn’t shoot you in your head, that means he wanted to bring you in for questioning. That means he is still cautious" The figure took a slow drag.

"But..." He exhaled, his lips twisting into a deadly smirk, "you failed."

The leader trembled. He had hoped loyalty and past service could keep him alive. But the dread in his heart told him otherwise.

A simple gunshot rang. The bullet pierced into his forehead before he even had time to beg.

The leader flicked the ash from the cigarette as his gaze swept all over the other men. "Too bad. I don’t keep failures in my team. Anyone else planning to disappoint me?"

"No, Boss!" The response was immediate, unified, trembling beneath their voices.

Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair, voice low but dripping with venom. "Huo Feng, I’ve waited long enough. You’ve stepped into my game. Are you ready?" He muttered sinisterly to himself.

The men shivered, while two bolder men dragged the dead leader away with blood trailing after them.

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Yue Ning’s eyes fluttered open only when it was evening.

She felt an immense headache, and her brows creased, and she let out a groan in pain.

"Where am I?" She muttered to herself, her eyes wandering about.

’Host, you are in the hospital. You fainted from exhaustion,’ her System’s voice rang in her mind.

"Oh, how long have I been out?" She asked herself while trying to sit up.

’Just a day,’ it replied.

Yue Ning exhaled. Her entire body ached, and it seemed like she had been hit by a car.

Suddenly, the door to the ward opened which snapped her out of her thoughts.

"You are awake." It was Huo Feng who walked in.

"Mr. Huo," Yue Ning called out as she watched him approach her bed.

"It is good that you are alright," Huo Feng’s shoulders relaxed as relief washed over him. "I will call the doctor."

Yue Ning shook her head. "There is no need. How is Huo Yan doing?"

Huo Feng gazed intensely at her. "You are hurt, but you are still worried about someone else. What am I supposed to do with you?"

Yue Ning smiled sheepishly. "You might as well let me know how Huo Yan is faring."

Huo Feng breathed out. "She is fine. You don’t need to worry about her."

Yue Ning nodded, relief evident in her eyes.

The ward turned silent as they were both preoccupied with their thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Huo Feng spoke up. "Yue Ning, this is the second time you’ll be hospitalized because of Huo Yan." He paused, staring straight at Yue Ning who met his gaze.

"Thank you." Huo Feng thanked her genuinely.

A smile blossomed on her face. "Huo Yan is my Sister-in-law, you shouldn’t thank me for these little things."

Huo Feng didn’t respond immediately. His gaze lingered on her, troubled by what he had witnessed earlier.

How she had known the exact moment to act, how she seemed to know where Yan was. Questions were on his lips, but in the end, he swallowed them.

"I will go get you something to eat," Huo Feng said at last before turning to leave.

After he had left, the System’s teasing voice resounded in Yue Ning’s mind.

’Didn’t you see the way he looked at you? Why do I feel like something has changed in him?’

"You’re seeing things," Yue Ning muttered mentally, tugging the blanket over herself. Yet, her heartbeat refused to calm.

Outside the hospital, a sleek black car sat quietly across the street.

Inside, smoke curled lazily as the cloaked figure exhaled, his sharp gaze fixed on the ward window where Yue Ning rested.

"Enjoy your peace while it lasts, Huo Feng," he muttered, his lips curving into a sinister smile.

"I’ll take from you what you hold most dear."