Chapter 119: Shiver with Fear
Xia Chenge always felt something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
So, she let out a soft sigh and quickly followed Ling Zhongjing, secretly vowing to seek justice for the innocent experimental subjects in the laboratory.
Ling Zhongjing placed Ling Hanmu in the back seat, asking Xia Chenge to look after him, and personally drove to the hospital.
Along the way, Ling Zhongjing frantically pressed the accelerator, constantly speeding and running red lights.
Xia Chenge secretly examined Ling Hanmu’s body and found that his bodily functions had returned to normal. His fainting was due to exhaustion and he was not seriously injured.
“Uncle Ling, Xiao Mu is fine. He was just given a sedative, you don’t need to drive so fast.” Xia Chenge worried that Ling Zhongjing’s concern might lead to recklessness and cause a car accident, so she quickly advised him.
Hearing this, Ling Zhongjing finally slowed down. The president of a prestigious multinational group choked back tears and said, “Xiao Ge, he’s my only son. I don’t want to take any risks.”
“Uncle, I understand your worry. Xiao Mu will truly be fine, please believe me.”
“Good child, I hope your words come true, and Xiao Mu will be alright.”
“Uncle, can you tell me if Xiao Mu occasionally loses his consciousness and does some unbelievable things?” Ling Zhongjing’s reaction made Xia Chenge feel that this was definitely not the first time for Ling Hanmu, so she decided to start with Ling Zhongjing to see if she could get any useful clues.
Ling Zhongjing was silent for a long time before saying heavily, “We don’t want to lie to you. It’s true that this isn’t the first time for Xiao Mu. But he hasn’t done this for many years, and we thought he was fine. Who knew that when he heard you were critically ill, it relapsed, and he almost caused a death at the hospital…”
“Xiao Ge, if you’re scared, I’ll agree to break off your marriage contract. But I hope you won’t make this public,” Ling Zhongjing earnestly requested of Xia Chenge.
Xia Chenge was stunned, not expecting that her critical illness had caused Ling Hanmu to lose his consciousness.
She couldn’t understand what was so good about her that he, whom she often disliked and frequently challenged as Young Master Ling, would receive such affection from him?
If he didn’t like her to the extreme, how could he be so stimulated?
Ling Hanmu, why are you so foolish?
Xia Chenge lowered her head, looking at Ling Hanmu with his eyes tightly shut and his face pale. Her heart felt like it was being pressed down by a heavy stone, suffocating her, even making her want to cry.
“Uncle Ling, we’ll discuss this later. The most important thing right now is to find out why Xiao Mu is like this?” Xia Chenge tilted her head slightly, forcing back the tears that were about to well up, and tried her best to calm herself.
“We’ve been investigating for many years with no leads. The rumors in Haicheng about Xiao Mu not living past twenty are true, so we’ve indulged him all these years, hoping he could be happy in his lifetime,” Ling Zhongjing said, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.
Hearing this, Xia Chenge finally understood why Ling Hanmu was never the overbearing young master in front of her.
So he himself knew he might not live past twenty, and was going along with his parents’ wishes to make them feel better.
Who said Ling Hanmu was an untalented, brawling good-for-nothing? He was clearly a considerate, kind, and filial good child. If not for his physical condition, he would undoubtedly be the dazzling figure he is now!
“Xiao Ge, we didn’t tell you these things before because we could see that Xiao Mu liked you very much, and we just wanted Xiao Mu to be happy, so…”
“Uncle, please don’t say any more. The priority now is to find a way to cure Xiao Mu,” Xia Chenge interrupted Ling Zhongjing. She didn’t blame the Ling family, as they had no reason to scheme against her.
“We’ve tried everything. We’ve privately consulted many top international medical experts, but they were all helpless.”
“What did they say?”
“Xiao Mu’s body’s metabolism is hundreds of times that of a normal person, and it’s still increasing. Doctors have determined that his lifespan can only reach 20 years at most.”
“When did it start?”
“At six years old.”
“The first time he went berserk?”
“Also at six years old.”
Xia Chenge fell into thought. Ling Hanmu’s condition wasn’t like evolution. If he truly went mad, he wouldn’t be able to unleash such powerful potential, to the point of fighting an evolved human at their peak to a draw.
What exactly had he experienced? When she was taken to be an experimental subject, he had also appeared in that laboratory, and it seemed those people could command him…
A flash of inspiration struck Xia Chenge, and a terrifying thought emerged: Was Ling Hanmu also their experimental subject?
Thinking of this, Xia Chenge shivered. This laboratory was so similar to the apocalypse. Could the apocalypse have been caused by such laboratories? Those experimental subjects, although not yet turned into zombies, already exhibited many reactions similar to zombies.
“Xiao Ge, Uncle still says the same thing. If you’re scared, break off the engagement. The Ling family will take responsibility for everything,” Ling Zhongjing said.
Xia Chenge snapped back to reality and smiled, “Uncle, we’ll talk about it later.”
Ling Zhongjing glanced at her in the rearview mirror and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Xia Chenge looked down at Ling Hanmu, a sense of unspeakable distress in her heart.
She wished Ling Hanmu would be alright, even if he pestered her shamelessly every day, it would be better than his current listless state.
Sigh…
Xia Chenge also sighed, then her gaze fell on the window outside, her mind filled with the scenes she had seen in the laboratory.
Unknowingly, they arrived at the hospital. Xia Chenge finally withdrew her thoughts and turned her head to glance at Ling Hanmu.
To her surprise, she met those bright, ink-black eyes, which were staring intently at her. She didn’t know how long they had been watching.
“You’re awake?” Xia Chenge said with surprise.
Ling Hanmu regained his usual bright smile, “Little Brother, what were you thinking about so intently?”
“Xiao Mu, you’re awake?” Ling Zhongjing turned his head upon hearing the voice, looking somewhat excited.
Ling Hanmu looked a bit confused, “Why do you guys look so strange? Is it weird that I slept?”
Xia Chenge and Ling Zhongjing exchanged a look, both shaking their heads in unison, saying, “No!”
“No, you’re hiding something from me,” Ling Hanmu said with a look of ‘you’re lying to me’.
However, his attention was on Xia Chenge, and he didn’t press further. Instead, he sat up, held Xia Chenge’s hand, and said joyfully, “Little Brother, are you really okay? Yesterday you said you were critically ill, and it scared me… You’re not allowed to joke like that again, my heart is weak.”
A complex flicker passed through Xia Chenge’s eyes. Ling Hanmu truly didn’t remember what he had done during this period.
“It was just a cold and fever. How did it turn into me being critically ill in your eyes?” Xia Chenge concealed her emotions and said jokingly, “So next time I have another ailment, will they report me from the funeral home?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Ling Hanmu covered her mouth. Looking at Xia Chenge’s pretty face, the heavy stone in his heart finally lifted.
“Oh right, why are we at the hospital?” Ling Hanmu asked, looking out the car window, confused.
