Aside from Lu Wei's parents, the rest of the Lu family maintained a calm attitude toward his illness, as if they had long anticipated it. Qiqi even noticed a hint of barely concealed schadenfreude in the eyes of several of Lu Wei's uncles and cousins from the same clan. For them to be so cold and indifferent to a relative's illness, Qiqi could think of no other reason than the internal strife within a wealthy family. As the primary heir, Lu Wei must have endured endless overt and covert struggles from these relatives since childhood. Yet, remarkably, he had grown into such a gentle person, channeling his family's calm rationality into medical work rather than the cutthroat pursuit of business and fame. That was truly heartening.
Only Lu Wei's mother was exceptionally grief-stricken, her face haggard and eyes swollen, as if she had wept her heart out for her son.
She gripped Qiqi's hand tightly, her expression sorrowful and pleading: "Student Qiqi, Mr. Rong, I beg you—you must help me cure Wei'er. I'm entrusting him to you..."
Among everyone present, she alone held great hope for Qiqi and the others—likely a grieving mother clutching at the last straw in her despair.
Qiqi felt a heavy weight on her shoulders and instinctively looked to Rong Yi for support—today's main event rested on him.
Rong Yi glanced at Mrs. Lu, a rare flicker of pity in his eyes. He gave Qiqi a slight nod, signaling that she could rest assured.
Qiqi instantly felt much lighter and comforted Mrs. Lu: "Auntie, don't worry. We'll find a way."
Mrs. Lu nodded gratefully.
Thanks to Zhou Yi's suggestion and guarantee, the Lu family heeded Qiqi's advice and gradually left the ward. Soon, only the unconscious patient remained in the room, along with Rong Yi, Gu Qiqi, and Zhou Yi.
Rong Yi, as the primary executor of the spell, naturally had to stay. Qiqi, with her medical background and knowledge of emergency care, could assist if anything unexpected happened. Zhou Yi, on the other hand, was purely there to observe.
Following Rong Yi's instructions, Zhou Yi helped remove Lu Wei's blanket and unbutton his coat, exposing his chest. Then Qiqi helped pull out the various tubes inserted into his body. Afterward, she held her senior's hand without letting go, gently massaging the back of it. After days in a coma, Lu Wei had not only grown pale and gaunt but the veins on his hand had stiffened from prolonged use of IV lines.
Beside his pillow lay a cream-colored U-shaped neck pillow—the very birthday gift she had given him.
Thinking of the vibrant Lu Wei from before and looking at the frail patient now, Qiqi's heart ached even more, her eyes rimmed with red.
Rong Yi stood by with his arms crossed, watching coldly—the girl's on-the-verge-of-tears expression made him deeply uncomfortable.
Was she that concerned about Lu Wei?
Would saving him today be a mistake?
He even began to hesitate.
Just then, Zhou Yi interjected, his tone carrying a hint of skepticism: "So, Master Rong Yi, are you ready? How are you going to save him?"
Rong Yi snorted coldly, pulling the Moon's Guidance from Qiqi's bag and waving it impatiently: "I'll use this to save him. Of course, I'll also need your jade pendant. Did you bring it?"
Zhou Yi hesitated before opening a jewelry box—the jade pendant, just removed from his sister Zhou Zhibi's body, was carefully placed inside an exquisite container.