At noon the next day.
The sunlight filtered through the window at the end of the corridor, casting pale spots of light, but it couldn't dispel the coldness and oppression lingering outside the intensive care unit.
Pei Jiangmu still sat slumped against the wall, as if he hadn't moved all night.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his stubble was even scruffier.
The delicate meal brought by Qi Yu was placed not far from his hand, long since gone cold.
He had only managed to take two bites of the fragrant shredded chicken congee before he couldn't swallow anymore. The spoon lay on the edge of the bowl, just like his stagnant life at this moment.
"Boss, is today's food not to your taste?" Qi Yu squatted beside him, his voice laced with cautious concern.
"What would you like to eat? I'll have someone prepare it right away."
"Or... how about some garlic spare ribs? I remember Miss Meng used to love this dish the most. She could always eat half a bowl more rice every time..."
Qi Yu had intended to arouse Pei Jiangmu's appetite with Meng Ruochao's favorite food.
However, these words were like a key that precisely opened the Pandora's box.
Pei Jiangmu, who had been as motionless as a statue, had his long eyelashes flutter imperceptibly when he heard "Miss Meng" and "garlic spare ribs."
Finally, he lifted his heavy eyelids.
His gaze passed over Qi Yu and landed on the closed ward door again. His eyes were filled with despair and longing that were too thick to dissolve.
His voice was hoarse like an old bellows, filled with a heartbreaking emptiness.
"Yes... she loved it the most..."
"So... when will Chaochao wake up to have a bite?"
These words were as light as a feather, but they were like the heaviest sigh, hitting Qi Yu hard in the heart and making him choke. All words of comfort seemed so pale and powerless.
Yes, if Miss Meng were awake, the boss wouldn't be like this.
Just as the suffocating silence filled the air, a series of hurried and imposing footsteps approached from afar, breaking the tranquility of the corridor.
It was Pei Ting and his wife.
Pei Ting was dressed in a well - tailored dark suit. Even in this situation, he still maintained the dignity and meticulousness of a business tycoon.
His face was stern, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
When he swept his gaze over his second son, who was sitting on the ground looking haggard, there was no trace of pity in his eyes, only deep displeasure and disappointment.
Mrs. Pei followed behind him, wearing an expensive Chanel suit.
Her makeup was delicate, but there was an undeniable look of worry and a hint of exhaustion between her eyebrows.
When she saw Pei Jiangmu's downcast and disheveled appearance, she frowned in distress.
But more than that, there was a kind of reproach for his "failure to live up to expectations."
Pei Ting strode up to Pei Jiangmu.
Without even asking about his son's condition first, his cold gaze landed on the nearly untouched congee.
Then, with undisguised reproach, he lashed out.
"So just because she can't wake up, you're going to starve yourself to death?!"
"Pei Jiangmu, look at what you've become! You've shamed the Pei family!"
At the sound of his father's voice, Pei Jiangmu's body stiffened imperceptibly.
But he didn't look up or respond. He just buried his already lowered head even deeper.
As if this could block out those harsh voices.
His face returned to the previously numb state with no expression at all.
This was an instinctive defense mechanism formed over the years when facing his father's blame.
Seeing her son like this, Mrs. Pei was both heartbroken and angry. She stepped forward, her voice choking with sobs and complaints.
"Jiangmu! You... are you trying to worry your father and me to death?! Look at yourself, what have you done to yourself!"
Looking at Pei Jiangmu's gaunt cheeks and blood - shot eyes, her tone became more and more agitated.
"Your brother and your father have been working hard in the company, dealing with the turmoil caused by your nonsense. Do you know how much the stock price has dropped?"
"The shareholders are in an uproar! And you? You've dragged the company down for a woman. Instead of reflecting on your actions, you're staging a hunger strike here?!"
"You should know that only we, your parents, feel heartache for you in this pain."
"What about you? Have you ever thought about your father and me? Have you ever felt heartache for us?!"
Each accusation was like cold raindrops, falling on Pei Jiangmu's already battered heart.
He still remained silent, but the hand under his cuff curled slightly.
His fingernails dug into his palm, bringing a slight sting, but it was far less cold than the desolation in his heart.
Qi Yu, who was standing beside them, couldn't bear to listen anymore.
The boss was already in so much pain, but instead of comforting him, his parents came straight to hold him accountable and scold him...
But seeing Pei Jiangmu's submissive and unresponsive appearance, he didn't dare to butt in rashly. He could only stand there anxiously.
Seeing that Pei Jiangmu remained silent, the complete disregard and silence seemed like a silent resistance and provocation to Pei Ting!
The anger that had been pent up in him was instantly ignited!
Especially when he saw Pei Jiangmu's decadent, downcast, and lifeless appearance, he was filled with rage.
In his opinion, as one of the heirs of the Pei family, he should be calm and composed even when faced with a major crisis, not be so devastated for a woman.
Even though he had never truly recognized him as an heir in his heart.
But Pei Jiangmu was highly talented. As long as he wanted to and put his mind to work, he could definitely do a great job.
However, he had never fully focused on the company.
Pei Ting was convinced that Pei Jiangmu had always been using this negative attitude to oppose him.
"Can you hear me when I'm talking to you?!" Pei Ting's voice suddenly rose, filled with thunderous anger. It sounded extremely terrifying in the extremely quiet corridor after it had been cleared.
"Look at this pathetic state of yours! Where is there any trace of a Pei family member?!"
"Obsessed with a woman, unable to tell right from wrong, and even daring to use lynching, causing an uproar in the city!"
"Pei Jiangmu, where is your reason? Where is your sense of responsibility? Have they been eaten by dogs?!"
The angrier he got, the more excited he became. The veins on his forehead bulged.
It seemed that he was pouring out all the impact the company had suffered from public opinion recently, the pressure from the shareholders, and all his disappointment in this "unpromising" son at this moment.
Even in his great anger, Pei Ting suddenly raised his hand—
"Mr. Pei!!" Qi Yu was so scared that his soul almost left his body. Without thinking, he took a big step forward and used his body to block in front of Pei Jiangmu.
"Old Pei! What are you doing!" Mrs. Pei was also startled. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Pei Ting's raised arm tightly, her voice filled with panic.
"Speak nicely! This is a hospital!"
Pei Ting's arm was grabbed, but the sharp wind of his palm still grazed Qi Yu's cheek.
His chest heaved violently. He glared fiercely at Qi Yu, who was blocking in front.
Then he looked at Pei Jiangmu, who still had his head down as if all this had nothing to do with him.
Finally, he snorted heavily and shook off Mrs. Pei's hand.
However, if someone could look closely into the depths of Pei Jiangmu's lowered eyes at this moment.
They would find that there was no numbness in them.
Instead, there was a deeper sense of fragmentation and desolation that was almost devouring him.
It was a kind of... despair that he had long since become accustomed to.