Chapter 111: Chapter 108: She Suddenly Shows Weakness and Dependence on Him 2
Rong Mochen lowered his gaze, looking at Jin Jumo’s sudden display of vulnerability and dependence, his dark eyes deepened, and he slightly tightened his arms.
"Ju Zi..." A clear and tense female voice came from behind Rong Mochen.
Jin Jumo, leaning on Rong Mochen’s chest, slowly opened her eyes and looked up. The deep pool of eyes she saw made her eyes tremble involuntarily. She then withdrew from his embrace and looked at the hurriedly approaching Jian Liangtong and Huo Shaojun, who wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, both looking travel-worn.
Upon seeing Jin Jumo, Jian Liangtong wanted to rush forward, but when her eyes met Rong Mochen’s suddenly turned dark eyes, her steps halted abruptly, and she stared at him with wide eyes, "Big, big boss..."
Huo Shaojun heard Jian Liangtong call out "big boss" and his lips tightened slightly. He looked at Rong Mochen with some confusion.
Rong Mochen’s expression was indifferent. He only glanced at Huo Shaojun before retracting his gaze back to Jin Jumo, who had a pale complexion.
"Ju Zi."
Jian Liangtong blinked, hesitating as she looked at Jin Jumo.
Jin Jumo forced a smile at her, "Why are you back? Didn’t you say you had to record a show today?"
Jian Liangtong glanced at Rong Mochen and whispered, "I was worried about you."
Jin Jumo felt a warmth in her heart, "Grandpa just entered the operating room not long ago; it won’t end so soon. You both rushed back in such a hurry, you must be tired. Find a hotel to freshen up and relax for a bit, then come over later."
Jian Liangtong shook her head and pouted, finally stepping forward, "I’ll stay with you."
Jin Jumo saw her insistence and said nothing more, looking at Huo Shaojun.
Huo Shaojun glanced at Jian Liangtong, his attitude clear; if Jian Liangtong didn’t leave, he naturally wouldn’t leave first either.
Jin Jumo had no choice but to say, "Then don’t stand around, take a seat. I’ll go get you something to eat."
"We ate on the plane." Jian Liangtong pulled Jin Jumo and frowned.
"The airplane food is terrible. I’ll be back after buying some." Jin Jumo smiled and pulled Jian Liangtong’s hand aside, then walked forward.
Jian Liangtong wanted to say something, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rong Mochen following along. She immediately pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Jin Jumo walked some distance and noticed someone was following her. She frowned and stopped. Turning back, she saw it was Rong Mochen and was momentarily dazed, "Mr. Rong, are you going back?"
Rong Mochen stepped forward, grabbed Jin Jumo’s hand, and the coldness of her palm made him frown slightly, "No, I’m staying with you."
"..." Jin Jumo’s eyes narrowed slightly, looking at him in a daze.
Rong Mochen tightened his grip on her hand, "Weren’t you going to buy something? Let’s go."
Jin Jumo blinked, gradually nodding.
Near the hospital, at the department store supermarket.
Jin Jumo pushed the shopping cart in front, while Rong Mochen followed behind her. The noble and aloof man at her side naturally formed an isolation zone, and in the bustling supermarket, no one dared to approach this small world.
Jin Jumo absentmindedly selected prepared foods, bread, and drinks, unaware of this detail.
After placing everything she needed in the shopping cart, Jin Jumo stopped abruptly when she should have pushed the shopping cart to the checkout.
Rong Mochen was slightly startled, then stepped forward to stand beside Jin Jumo, lowering his gaze to her, "What’s wrong?"
Hearing his voice, Jin Jumo took a soft breath, turned to look at Rong Mochen, and slowly pulled a smile at the corner of her mouth, "You’re still here."
The relief and ease in her tone made Rong Mochen furrow his brow tightly. He looked at her intently for a long moment, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling the shopping cart over with the other hand, asking softly, "Still need to buy anything?"
Jin Jumo looked down at the items in the shopping cart, gently shook her head, "I’ve got everything."
"Alright." Rong Mochen squeezed her shoulder, "Let’s go, check out."
Jin Jumo nodded obediently and was guided by Rong Mochen to the cashier to check out.
Exiting the supermarket, Jin Jumo glanced at the shopping bag in Rong Mochen’s hand, her eyes flickered, and she reached out to take it. Before her hand could touch the bag, he had already shifted the bag to his other hand.
Jin Jumo was momentarily stunned, looking up at him, "How can I let Mr. Rong carry it, let me have it."
Rong Mochen heard this, and his brow furrowed slightly, his dark eyes fixed on Jin Jumo, "Why can’t I carry it?"
Jin Jumo was stumped by his question, after a while she whispered, "Mr. Rong probably hasn’t ever been to a supermarket or done something like this, I can’t let Mr. Rong make an exception for me."
Rong Mochen’s brow furrowed even deeper, "I want to!"
"..." Jin Jumo’s expression froze, unsure of what to say.
Rong Mochen took her hand and walked forward, saying, "I am a man, and you are a woman. You wouldn’t think I should just stand by and watch a woman carrying such a big bag without helping, right? It’s basic etiquette. Why are you so particular about it?"
Jin Jumo’s expression twitched, and she glanced strangely at Rong Mochen’s serious face, sullenly saying, "Since when does Mr. Rong start paying attention to manners?"
Rong Mochen’s eye twitched slightly, staring deeply at Jin Jumo without speaking, lips pressed tight in discontent.
"What I meant was..."
"You don’t have to explain," Rong Mochen said coldly.
Jin Jumo bit her lower lip, lifted her eyelid to peek at him, and watched his tense profile, his thin lips pressed into a cold line. His awkward and sullen demeanor almost made her want to laugh.
Pressing her lips tightly, Jin Jumo slightly lowered her head, softly saying, "What I actually wanted to say was, I feel quite flattered."
Rong Mochen’s steps slowed slightly, but barely at all, and without looking at Jin Jumo, he continued moving forward as if he hadn’t heard, though the hard lines of his face gradually softened.
Jin Jiancheng had entered surgery at eight in the morning, and now, nearing one in the afternoon, almost five hours later, the sign still read "Surgery in Progress."
Jin Jumo sat rigidly upright in the waiting area, her eyes a mix of anxious unrest and numbness.
Jian Liangtong sat beside her, hands gripping Jin Jumo’s arm tightly, anxiously watching her, wanting to comfort her but finding any words of solace seeming pale and fragile at the moment.
Rong Mochen stood alongside Huo Shaojun on one side of the corridor, with no words exchanged between them, as the quiet was such that even a pin drop could be heard.
At three in the afternoon, the surgery was still ongoing, and from time to time, a nurse would rush in and out of the operating room.
Each time, Jin Jumo’s heart would tremble violently.
Before the surgery, she had researched online, learning that such a heart transplant typically takes around four hours unless there are extraordinary circumstances.
She wasn’t sure if Jin Jiancheng’s case counted as extraordinary, but seven hours had now passed since he entered surgery, with her anxiety and fear only amplifying with each passing minute.
With hands tightly clasped, Jin Jumo closed her eyes, biting the skin of her fist, her long eyelashes trembling ceaselessly, her whole being tense and rigid like ice-cold stone.
Jian Liangtong looked sideways at Jin Jumo’s eyes, red and inflamed, her black pupils now a blood-like red, yet without tears, which made Jian feel deeply sympathetic.
Jian Liangtong reached to hold Jin Jumo, yet still couldn’t voice a single comforting word.
Rong Mochen’s dark eyes were steady, his expression as always indecipherable, squinting at Jin Jumo while somewhere inside him, a rigid heart was pierced by a tender spot.
At ten in the evening, the cold doors of the operating room finally opened in front of her.
Jin Jumo’s eyes trembled fiercely as she slowly lifted her gaze to see Ying Jingyao walking out.
His pristine surgical gown was spotless, but his gloved hands were stained with blood. Her heart tore tight as she shot up from her seat, legs weak, her dash toward Ying Jingyao appearing clumsy and desperate, "Brother Ying, how was the surgery?"
Jin Jumo raised her hand as if to grasp his, but paused mid-air, her gaze freezing with fear at the sight of the red on his palms, unable to let it fall.
Ying Jingyao, as if he had rushed out the moment surgery ended, was being helped by a nurse to remove his surgical gown and gloves.
Ying Jingyao’s handsome face bore signs of fatigue, sweat tousling his brow, his gaze meeting Jin Jumo’s vivid red eyes as a slow smile spread on his lips, softly saying, "It was a success."
"It was a success? It was a success..." Jin Jumo’s eyes widened, tears instantly spilling over, her expression first elated then incredulous. She had waited all year, worked towards this moment for an entire year, all for the healing of her family, now saved at last. She couldn’t believe it, yet was overcome with ecstatic joy.
Jin Jumo’s throat ached with a raw scratchiness, her voice choking hoarse, "Brother Ying, really? Is it really true?"
Ying Jingyao gazed at Jin Jumo’s face, a pain welling up for her, gently gripping her shoulders, his clear eyes tenderly holding a calming warmth as he looked at Jin Jumo, "Momo, it’s real. The surgery was very successful."
Jin Jumo covered her mouth, wiping away tears like an overjoyed child, she wanted to laugh but couldn’t control herself, and began crying uncontrollably, "That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful, I’m so happy, I’m really so happy, Brother Ying, thank you, thank you, I really don’t know how to thank you, thank you, really thank you..."
Jin Jumo was incoherent, all at a loss, looking at Ying Jingyao as if no words could suffice to express her gratitude to him.
She knew that without Ying Jingyao this past year, perhaps her grandfather wouldn’t have held on.
She also knew that without Ying Jingyao’s help, she might never have awaited a matching heart for Jin Jiancheng.
Furthermore, she knew that if this surgery hadn’t been led by him, the success odds would have been much lower, to an unimaginable extent.
Ying Jingyao looked deeply at Jin Jumo, eventually pulling the emotionally unmanageable Jin Jumo into his embrace, "Momo, you don’t need to thank me." After all, it was but his willing heart.
Jian Liangtong, upon hearing the surgery had been a success, was already weeping in Huo Shaojun’s embrace.
Now seeing Jin Jumo and Ying Jingyao embracing as well, she cried while sneakily glancing aside at Rong Mochen.