Chapter 334: Chapter 305: It Doesn’t Matter Whether He Comes or Not
Xiao Ran reflected on the side, indeed, even after so many years, Young Master Qian still couldn’t let go of his wife.
Although he appeared cold towards the young master, he was warm-hearted inside,
When Mu Shuoqian arrived in Aus City, it was eight o’clock local time. As soon as he got off the plane, Yuan Yi’s car was already waiting there.
Mu Qinian’s speech competition started at nine, and it was a bit rushed to get from the airport to the auditorium in an hour. Mu Shuoqian checked his watch and urged, "Hurry up."
Yuan Yi quickly chose the nearest route on the navigation and drove full throttle forward.
～
Yesterday, Gu Qili bought Mu Qinian a small black suit and this morning had styled his hair in a formal manner.
Mu Qinian obediently let her fuss over him, as these tasks used to be done by Uncle Yu, whose aesthetic was still stuck in his era. He always dressed him up like a citizen.
Now, seeing the cool self in the mirror, Mu Qinian thought, it seems life really does need a gentle and considerate woman.
To get familiar with the venue, Gu Qili took him to the auditorium early and imparted to him the mindset she had during her own speech competitions. The little guy listened impatiently; he had participated in so many such competitions that it was as simple as taking off one’s pants to go to the bathroom.
"Alright, stop lecturing, I’m almost falling asleep." Mu Qinian glanced at Gu Qili discontentedly, but leaned closer to her and whispered in French, "Did you consider my suggestion from yesterday? Can you give me a chance?"
Gu Qili chuckled, "Hurry up and prepare for the competition."
Mu Qinian hummed, closed his eyes and silently recited the script for the competition.
"Are you sure your dad won’t come?"
"It doesn’t matter whether he comes or not, as long as you are here."
"Didn’t he attend your previous speech competitions?" Gu Qili thought this dad was too irresponsible; no work is more important than one’s children.
"Sometimes he does, but he attends for my grades, not for me." Mu Qinian felt a bit depressed thinking about this.
Gu Qili comfortingly patted his little shoulder, "Maybe it’s not what you think."
Soon, the competition began. Mu Qinian was the third to go on stage. Gu Qili noticed that he wasn’t nervous at all, he even had the mood to doodle on his book.
"Contestant number three, please come to the stage." The host looked around the audience.
Gu Qili nudged Mu Qinian who was still drawing, "It’s your turn."
Mu Qinian then placed the notebook in her hands.
"Good luck." Gu Qili gave him a quiet fist pump.
Watching Mu Qinian on the stage, Gu Qili felt like she was seeing her younger self: confident, calm, and proud, brimming with youthful vitality.
Mu Qinian hadn’t started his self-introduction when her phone suddenly vibrated. Gu Qili looked down to see it was Xiong Da’s call.
Everyone around was listening quietly to the speeches, and not wanting to disturb anyone, she hung up the phone.
Just two seconds later, the screen lit up again, and Gu Qili reluctantly picked up the phone and sneaked out of the aisle in front of her seat.
The moment Gu Qili reached the back door, a tall and stern figure hurried in through the main entrance. His movement was decisive yet swift, glancing once at the vacant seat in the audience before sitting down right where Gu Qili had been.
As soon as he sat down, Mu Qinian saw him, the little guy’s mouth agape in surprise. At this time,
where was A Li supposed to be sitting? Why had she vanished? Had they undergone some kind of time-space exchange?
Mu Qinian’s emotions were complex now. He had planned to perform well to gain A Li’s approval and then start dating her, but now she had suddenly disappeared and his own father had taken her place. Thinking of the reasons he had run away from home, and that his father had come all this way just for his performance, he suddenly shut his mouth.
The boy who had just been eloquently speaking suddenly fell silent, causing the judges to glance at each other and a murmur to spread through the audience.
Everyone wondered if he had forgotten his words.
Mu Shuoqian watched the little guy’s troubled face and couldn’t help but frown,
After a while, Mu Qinian started speaking again, but compared to earlier, his voice and expression began to falter, causing the judges to shake their heads in disapproval.
"Isn’t this Mu Qinian supposed to be the top seed? His level seems quite average."
In the end, all five judges gave him medium scores, making it nearly impossible for him to win first place.
Mu Qinian walked off the stage, he came over to Mu Shuoqian somewhat sulkily, still clutching the notebook he had been drawing in.
He acted on a whim just now, but facing Mu Shuoqian now, looking into his deep, bottomless eyes, he was still very afraid.
After shouting "Dad," Mu Shuoqian suddenly stood up and walked out of the venue with big strides.
Mu Qinian knew this was a sign of his anger, pouted her lips and followed closely. However, when reaching the door, she still turned back to look at the place where they had been just a moment ago.
Where did Ali go? She clearly promised to stay with him till the end.
Gu Qili went to a secluded corridor before finally picking up the phone.
"Miss Gu, do you have time now?"
"What happened?" She recognized the instability in Xiong Da’s voice.
"Tang Tianyou is in the emergency room."
~
Gu Qili rushed to the hospital almost running and stumbling, and as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Xiong Da and Xiong Er standing there.
"What happened, what’s going on?" She didn’t have time to ask clearly on the phone, now seeing the glaring "Emergency Room" sign, her head buzzed,
They hadn’t had time to meet since returning to the country, and she never expected him to be lying in the emergency room now.
Xiong Er glanced at Xiong Da, seemingly having something to say, but swallowed the words at the last moment.
Eventually, Xiong Da said, "His fever suddenly spiked to 42 degrees, and he fainted from shock."
"Fever? Did he catch a cold?"
Xiong Da shook his head: "I’m not sure either. Miss Gu, you should sit down for a while; you’re already sweating profusely."
Gu Qili couldn’t care less about that, her heart indescribably tense and anxious, yet all she could do was lean against the wall of the emergency room and wait quietly.
Tang Tianyou had been to France a few times, and they had also visited the Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame Cathedral together. During that time, he accompanied her through the most challenging times. If not for his and Reynolds’ support, she might not have been able to face the new life.
The overhead incandescent light made her dizzy, and her eyes gradually began to well up with tears.
She stood there for two hours, her legs numbed, and just as her restlessness was increasing, the door to the emergency room opened.
She immediately saw Tang Tianyou lying on the hospital bed, his complexion pale, a respirator over his face, eyes closed, the corners of his mouth downturned, showing a hint of pain.
Gu Qili had just rushed forward when the doctor stopped her: "Family members, please step back, the patient needs to be transferred to a special ward for observation for a while."
"Doctor, what exactly is wrong, is it dangerous?" Gu Qili was anxious.
The doctor was about to speak but then received a warning glance from Xiong Da beside him, he removed his mask and said: "Shock caused by the fever."
"Then why is he feverish?"
"The exact cause is not clear yet, further tests are needed," the doctor said, and after a few more comforting words, he left.
Tang Tianyou was transferred to the observation room, family members were not allowed in, so they could only keep watch through the large glass window.
"Miss Gu, you should go rest, Xiong Er and I can take care of things here," Xiong Da said as he saw her haggard appearance and couldn’t help but advise.
Gu Qili stood in front of the glass window, quietly gazing at the person still in a coma, and gently shook her head: "You guys go rest, I’m not tired."
"But...." Xiong Da still wanted to say something, Xiong Er pulled him aside, and the two exchanged glances before sitting down on a nearby chair.
Only in the evening did two doctors come to examine him and then shifted him to a VIP ward.
Tang Tianyou had not yet awakened, but at least now she could be closer to him.
His face had begun to regain some color, his eyebrows no longer so tightly furrowed.
At two o’clock in the middle of the night, Gu Qili couldn’t stay awake any longer and dozed off at the bedside, worried that he might suddenly wake up,
When Tang Tianyou awoke, the lights in the room had already been turned off,
Ironically, the caregiver had fallen asleep first, even losing track of the patient.
Gu Qili hurriedly got out of bed as the bathroom door opened, and Tang Tianyou, who had taken a shower, came out drying his hair.