Lingy Luo watched as the thug scurried away, his face pale with fear. Her gaze lingered for a moment before shifting to the young man beside her. "Are you okay?" Yang Mo asked, concern evident in his voice as he reached out to help her up.
"I'm fine," she replied, brushing off the dust from her skirt. "Do you know him, Mr. Yang Mo?" There was a slight hesitation in her voice.
Yang Mo simply nodded. "Sort of."
That brief response made Lingy Luo's heart sink a little. She had a good impression of Yang Mo, but seeing how that thug had feared him so much, she couldn't help but wonder—was he also involved in the underworld? A faint sigh escaped her lips. "People like him aren't good company. As a student, you should avoid associating with them."
Yang Mo, oblivious to the disappointment in her tone, assumed she was merely worried about him and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Lingy Luo changed the subject. "Are you here to buy water too? I just got mine. You can have it if you want."
She picked up the bottle from the vending machine's tray, turned on her heels, and took a few steps forward. But then, without warning, her vision blurred, her breathing grew labored, and an unbearable tightness gripped her chest. A sharp pain stabbed through her heart. Panic surged within her—this was different from before. Stronger. More unbearable.
She instinctively reached for the emergency medicine in her pocket, but her trembling hands could barely grasp at the fabric. Just as her knees buckled, she collapsed onto the ground.
Yang Mo, still frowning at the vending machine that had swallowed his money without giving him a bottle, heard a faint, ragged breath behind him. He turned sharply and was met with the sight of Lingy Luo slumped on the pavement, her face ghostly pale.
"Shit!" He rushed to her side. "Lingy Luo! What's wrong?!"
She weakly raised a hand toward him. "P-pocket... medicine..."
Understanding her condition immediately, Yang Mo reached into her jacket pocket without hesitation and pulled out a small medicine bottle. With swift precision, he shook a pill onto his palm and pressed it to her lips. "Here, take this!"
Lingy Luo barely managed to swallow. Yang Mo quickly opened the bottle of water and tilted it to her lips, helping her take a few sips. He watched anxiously as her chest heaved with each strained breath. Slowly, the color in her face returned, though she still looked alarmingly weak.
"Is it working?" he asked, his voice laced with urgency.
Lingy Luo nodded faintly but tried to sit up, her arms trembling under her own weight. She struggled to stabilize herself. "I... I should be fine now..."
Yang Mo frowned. "No, you're not. You won't make it to class in this condition. You need to go to the hospital."
Without waiting for her protest, he pulled out his phone and dialed emergency services.
Lingy Luo, still half-leaning against him, felt a strange sense of security. She had never been this close to a boy before. Her heart pounded—whether from her condition or the proximity, she wasn't sure.
Yang Mo, completely unaware of her flustered state, furrowed his brows as he listened to the ambulance dispatch on the phone. "Her heart's unstable. She needs immediate attention. Yes, we're at the school entrance. Hurry."
Minutes later, sirens wailed in the distance. The ambulance arrived, and paramedics swiftly placed Lingy Luo on a stretcher. Yang Mo, after notifying their homeroom teacher, hopped into the ambulance with her.
At the Jinghai First People's Hospital, a young nurse hurriedly entered the director's office. "Director Lin, urgent case! A young woman with a severe heart attack has just arrived. Her condition looks critical."
Dr. Lin Yusheng put down the medical journal she had been reading. "Where is she? Take me there now!"
As Lin Yusheng entered the ward, she froze in surprise. "Yang Mo? And... Miss Ling? Why are you two together?"
Yang Mo looked up, his expression neutral. "We ran into each other at school. She collapsed, so I brought her here."
Lin Yusheng didn't press for more details and instead focused on her patient. She checked Lingy Luo's pulse and vitals, then picked up a stethoscope to listen to her heartbeat. After a few tense minutes, she sighed in relief and set the instrument aside. "She's stable for now, but we need to keep her under observation. I'll have the nurse set up an IV drip."
She turned to a nearby nurse. "Get the fluids ready."
As Lin Yusheng left to prepare the IV, Yang Mo exhaled deeply, only now realizing how tense he had been.
"Thank you, Yang Mo." Lingy Luo forced a smile. "Looks like you saved me this time."
Yang Mo shook his head. "Don't say it like that. It was just luck that I was there."
Lingy Luo stared at him for a moment before suddenly asking, "Are you from the Lin family?"
Yang Mo stiffened. The question caught him off guard.
She had her suspicions ever since she saw the Lin family searching for someone at school. Seeing Lin Yusheng here, familiar with Yang Mo, only confirmed them. The pieces were falling into place.
"I used to be," Yang Mo finally said. "But not anymore."
"What do you mean?" Lingy Luo frowned. "You have their blood. You are the Lin family's son."
Before Yang Mo could answer, Lin Yusheng re-entered the room, carrying IV bags. Her eyes burned with frustration as she had overheard their conversation.
"Yang Mo, stop talking nonsense! You're a Lin, whether you like it or not!"
Yang Mo remained unbothered. "Miss Lin, you're in a hospital room. You're a doctor. Keep your voice down."
Realizing she had raised her voice, Lin Yusheng took a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm sorry, Miss Ling." She turned to the nurse and motioned to set up the IV.
Once the IV was in place, Lin Yusheng sat next to Lingy Luo. "Yang Mo is my younger brother. I don't know why he refuses to accept it."
"Get out," Yang Mo said coldly. "The patient needs rest. If you want to talk about family matters, do it elsewhere. I have nothing to do with the Lin family."
Lin Yusheng flinched. Hurt flashed across her face. "Yang Mo... I—"
"Leave." His voice was firm.
Biting her lip, she turned to Lingy Luo. "If you need anything, call for me."
With that, she left the room.
Lingy Luo turned back to Yang Mo, curiosity brimming in her eyes. "So it's true? You were once part of the Lin family, but something happened?"
Yang Mo scoffed. "It's normal that no one knows. The Lin family took me back, but they treated me no better than a servant. Whenever we went out together, I was introduced as the 'help' instead of their son."
Lingy Luo's heart ached at his words. His past wasn't just troubled—it was cruelly painful.
Yang Mo leaned back against the chair, his face unreadable. "So tell me, Miss Lingy Luo, now that you know, what do you think of me?"
Lingy Luo remained silent, but deep inside, she felt that her view of him had only changed for the better.