"Road's closed — turn back immediately, there's a collapsed overpass ahead. Get off the elevated road!" a traffic auxiliary officer shouted.
"Ignore him. Drive! Xu Changqing's life is more important!" Xiao Ran snapped.
That broke traffic rules — if they caused an accident the consequences would be severe. Yu Jingjing hesitated, worried, since the officer was warning them for safety.
"Xiao Ran, maybe we should detour. That accident looks bad — it's jammed."
"Use the emergency lane. Go against traffic. Drive the wrong way!" Xiao Ran pushed.
Luckily Yu Jingjing was behind the wheel. If Xiao Ran had driven, he might have started a fight. He was biting the bullet now because he could.
Yu Jingjing held back, not wanting to accelerate with Xiao Ran there. He finally threatened, "If you don't speed up I'll expose what you did in M-country!"
"I could make sure you won't live to go back to M-country!" he threatened further.
Yu Jingjing softened. She had been ordered to kill both Xiao Ran and Xu Changqing previously for a big payout — but she'd hesitated. Her boss in M-country had promised $5 million and advancement if she eliminated them both. But plans changed. She'd thought and thought about whether to act.
"Violet didn't come, did she? Is Violet still in M-country? Or did something happen to Violet?" Xiao Ran said calmly, and the question made Yu Jingjing's hands tremble on the wheel.
"How do you know I'm Violet Rose?" she asked, nervous. Was Xiao Ran playing her from the start?
"No need to explain. You have your skills, I have my connections. Drive. I don't want to discuss this."
They finally reached the SZ WJ District Emergency Center. Xiao Ran jumped out mid-route, shouting for help, and the hospital staff hustled. Nurses and doctors ran, and within thirty minutes the operation completed and the light turned green.
"Is he okay?" Xiao Ran demanded again.
The staff told him the monitor earlier had detected no heartbeat, yet somehow the heart was still functioning — an unusual situation that baffled the doctors. The patient was transferred to a high-tier ward with restricted visits.
When they confirmed Xu Changqing had awakened, both Xiao Ran and Yu Jingjing relaxed. Xiao Ran immediately urged Yu Jingjing to contact the mysterious Mr. Nian in M-country — he would pay a huge sum for the man to come if necessary.
Yu Jingjing agreed to try, and left; she had her reasons for staying, including unresolved troubles back in M-country, so she couldn't leave yet. Xiao Ran trusted that if Yu Jingjing could reach Mr. Nian, he might save their friend.
At the hospital, doctors continued to warn that Xu Changqing might become a vegetative patient. Xiao Ran offered to pay whatever it took. Yu Jingjing implored them to do their best. She left briefly to call an ally named Violet Orchid (Zi Lolan) overseas to find out Mr. Nian's whereabouts and to coordinate help.
Back in the hospital ward, days passed. Xu Changqing remained in a coma. Xiao Ran and Yu Jingjing's concern only deepened; Gi Nianfang and others did what they could. The Ao family's board of directors — and the internal power plays between Xiao Shengwei and Xiao Zheng — continued to spin around family politics and corporate survival. Meanwhile, mysterious transfers of 1,000,000 were appearing in many local officials' accounts, stirring panic and an investigation. The political and corporate instability threatened Ao Corporation's future.
Finally — a bit of good news: the patient in bed 31 awoke.
When Xu Changqing woke up, both Xiao Ran and Yu Jingjing breathed easier.
"Yu Jingjing — you must contact Mr. Nian," Xiao Ran urged. "I'll pay him an annual salary of one hundred million to come."
Yu Jingjing agreed to try and then excused herself to handle some matters. Xiao Ran left a black card with her, indicating he trusted her; it was also a test of her devotion and reliability. She secretly noted his license plate before leaving.
Back at the hospital, the doctors didn't know why his monitor had earlier failed to detect a heartbeat. Fang Yuan, the attending surgeon, warned that medically Xu Changqing looked like he might become vegetative, but they would try. Xiao Ran promised everything he could to help.
While Yu Jingjing called overseas contacts, the enigmatic Violet Orchid — high-tech hacker in M-country — was asked to track down Mr. Nian. Violet Orchid agreed to help. News traveled fast: Ao Corporation's boardroom fell into internal battles. Xiao Ran's actions of employing his connections to help Xu Changqing had stirred Board tensions between Xiao Shengwei and Xiao Zheng.
Meanwhile, family and social details surfaced: Xiao Ran's relationship with his mother Ji Nianfang, the intrigues among the board, and the many money transfers being used as bribes to sway supporters. Even the police began to notice inexplicable million-yuan transfers to local officials.
Back at the hospital, they continued observation. Yu Jingjing arranged for people to care for Xu Changqing while she was away. She also commenced secret communications with Violet Orchid and Violet Rose, trying to pull strings that might save his life.
Xiao Ran, desperate and protective, refused to leave the case alone. He vowed to do everything, even if it meant using the Ao family's influence to the limit.