The storm of public opinion on the internet was intensifying, like a searing hot frying pan.
And the first one to bravely jump into the boiling oil, regardless of the scalding pain, was actually Qin Mu, who was on the periphery of the whirlpool.
He had just finished an important brand event abroad. The non - stop work had left him completely exhausted.
But after Du Xixi's "all - or - nothing" live broadcast went viral across the entire network, he immediately tried to contact Meng Ruochao. However, her phone was always out of reach.
A sense of foreboding gripped him.
He immediately called the phone number of [Floating Cloud Studio] instead.
From the panicked Xu Lin, he learned the tragic news that Meng Ruochao was seriously injured and in a coma, and still in critical condition.
The moment he got this news, it was as if a basin of ice - cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. His face instantly turned deathly pale.
All his exhaustion was replaced by great shock and worry.
He almost immediately cancelled all his subsequent work arrangements. Ignoring the obstruction of his management team, he took the earliest flight back to Haicheng overnight.
He didn't disguise himself at all. He didn't even use the VIP passage.
Looking haggard and care - worn, with his concern clearly written on his face, he showed up directly at the entrance of the hospital where Meng Ruochao was.
A large number of media who had received the news and were waiting there swarmed around him like sharks smelling blood. He was surrounded by long - barreled cameras and blinding flashlights.
"Mr. Qin Mu! What's your opinion on what Miss Du Xixi said in the live broadcast?"
"Are you and Miss Meng Ruochao really just in a simple cooperative relationship?"
"Did you know about the relationship between Young Master Pei and Miss Meng earlier?"
"Are you here to visit Miss Meng at this time?"
"Did you go to Miss Meng's clothing store to buy clothes because of the Pei family?"
Facing the noisy questions, Qin Mu stopped.
His face looked very bad, with the dark circles under his eyes clearly visible, but his eyes were extremely determined.
He raised his hand slightly as a signal, and the noisy voices quieted down a bit.
Facing the camera, his voice was a bit hoarse from exhaustion, but his words were clear.
"Many remarks on the internet about Miss Meng and me are unfounded speculations and misinformation."
"I will release a detailed statement through the official channel later."
He paused for a moment, scanned the reporters present, and then emphasized his words, with an unquestionable solemnity in his tone.
"But now, I hope to clearly emphasize one point to everyone..."
"I met Miss Meng Ruochao not because of the Pei family or any other reasons as the outside world has rumored."
"We... knew each other many years ago."
After saying this, he ignored the even more intense questions and the commotion behind him.
Escorted by his assistant and the hospital security guards who rushed over in a hurry, he turned around and quickly walked into the hospital gate, temporarily shutting out all the noise.
On the top floor of the hospital, in the VIP intensive care ward area, it was so quiet that one could hear their own heartbeat.
Pei Jiangmu still stood outside the ward like a solid statue.
He had just finished communicating with the top - notch neurosurgical expert team hired from abroad at a high price.
The experts' opinions were still cautious and conservative.
The location of Meng Ruochao's brainstem injury was too dangerous. Whether she would wake up was still unknown.
Every time he had such a communication, it was like another cut on his heart.
He rubbed his throbbing temples, suppressing the coppery taste in his throat. When he looked up, he saw the figure walking quickly from the end of the corridor - Qin Mu.
Pei Jiangmu's brows instantly knitted together, and his already gloomy face became even darker.
A kind of instinctive disgust at having his territory invaded and his possession coveted made his aura turn cold and dangerous.
Qin Mu obviously saw him too. He quickened his pace and walked directly in front of Pei Jiangmu, looking eagerly into the ward.
However, the next second, he was blocked by Pei Jiangmu's tall figure, intentionally or unintentionally.
"What are you doing here?"
Pei Jiangmu's voice was bone - chillingly cold, with undisguised rejection and hostility.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and looked at Pei Jiangmu.
Those peach - blossom eyes that were always gentle and smiling were now bloodshot, filled with uncontrollable anger and worry.
"I'm here to see Ruochao."
His voice trembled slightly from hurrying and being overly emotional.
"She doesn't need you to see her."
Pei Jiangmu's tone was firm, with an absolute and unquestionable possessiveness.
It was as if Meng Ruochao was his exclusive treasure, and it was a desecration for outsiders to even take a look.
These words were like a fuse.
They instantly ignited all the anxiety, anger that Qin Mu had been accumulating on the way, and his long - standing dissatisfaction with Pei Jiangmu's way of doing things!
Before the last syllable of Pei Jiangmu's words "She doesn't need you to see her" had completely faded away -
"Bang!"
A solid and powerful fist, with the whistling sound of breaking through the air, hit Pei Jiangmu hard on the cheekbone!
Caught off guard, Pei Jiangmu staggered back half a step. The corner of his mouth instantly split, and a trace of bright red oozed out.
He looked up in astonishment, unable to believe what he saw in front of him was the actor who had always presented himself as gentle and refined.
Qin Mu's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were burning with anger. He pointed at Pei Jiangmu, his voice rising due to excitement and trembling uncontrollably.
"What right do you have to make decisions for her?! Pei Jiangmu! You're a terrible control freak!!"
This angry shout echoed in the quiet corridor, sounding extremely harsh.
"Ruochao's accident is all your fault!!"
Qin Mu seemed to be pouring out all the pent - up anger in his heart.
"You're like a madman, forcibly tying her to your life. You've wrapped her up tightly with your paranoia and possessiveness!"
"If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have encountered all these!"
"She should be happily drawing her design drawings in the studio and participating in her shows right now, instead of lying here... lifeless!!"
On the way here, through Yan Sisi and some other channels, he managed to piece together the truth about the years when Meng Ruochao went missing -
It turned out that she was forcibly taken to France by Pei Jiangmu to "study abroad".
He also learned that Meng Ruochao had lost her memory after a car accident in France, and that was when Du Feng took the opportunity to bring her back to China.
But what Yan Qiubai found out was far more than that.
There was also some more hidden and chilling information -
For example, the car accident might not be the key reason for Meng Ruochao's memory loss.
What really made her forget the past might be... some kind of drug.
It was Pei Jiangmu who injected her with the drug that caused amnesia!
This speculation made Qin Mu shiver all over.
If there hadn't been that accident, if Du Feng hadn't intervened.
Would Meng Ruochao have been "imprisoned" forever in the cage woven by Pei Jiangmu's lies and drugs?
Would she have been a "puppet lover" who had no past and could only rely on him, completely in line with his wishes?
Thinking of this, Qin Mu's anger erupted like a volcano.
"You don't really love her at all! You're just using love as an excuse to possess and control her! To satisfy your perverted possessiveness and psychological needs!"
He took a step closer, his eyes blazing, staring fixedly into Pei Jiangmu's eyes, which suddenly shrank and were churning with a terrifying storm.