Chapter 85: Lin Yuxin in Trouble

Hong Chen waited on the track until the staff from the riding ground arrived. After giving them some instructions, he finally walked toward the group.

“I suspect your horse was given illegal drugs,” Li Chaoying said, launching his accusation the moment Hong Chen approached. His gaze was unusually severe; he hadn’t uttered a word since returning from the track.

Everyone turned to look at Hong Chen. Jiang Tao was about to speak, but Hong Chen gestured for him to hold back. He met Li Chaoying’s eyes calmly and replied, “You can have the riding ground’s veterinarian examine it.”

Li Chaoying didn’t respond immediately. He continued, “I’ve worked in this field for eleven years and never encountered anything like today. Why did your horse suddenly go berserk, and why was its speed so far above normal?”

Hong Chen frowned slightly. “Does winning a championship mean I have to tell you the secret to victory?”

Li Chaoying was left speechless, his expression darkening. Jiang Tao, impatient, interjected, “Enough. A win is a win, a loss is a loss—no need for excuses. The competition’s over, let’s get on with our lives.”

He then turned to Lu Huarong. “Transfer a hundred million to my account within three days. Take your people and leave. You lost and keep complaining. Aren’t you the eldest son of the Lu family? Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?”

Lu Huarong’s face was as ugly as could be, but he couldn’t retort. Frustration burned in his heart, but in the end, Lu Ming spoke up, “Jiang family boy, mind your manners. So you lost a horse race—not a cent will be missing from you.”

He glanced at Lu Huarong, “That’s enough. Let it end here.”

His uncle had spoken, so Lu Huarong had to accept defeat. He left with his small team. Once they had gone, Lu Ming and Mo Fei bade farewell and departed with Director Lu and two others.

Only Jiang Tao and his group remained, along with Mo Fei’s team. Jiang Tao held out his palm to Hong Chen. “Half each—fifty million. If you don’t take it, you’re insulting me.”

Hong Chen smiled. “We agreed on ten million, so ten million it is. But I have one extra request: that black whirlwind died for you on the field. Negotiate with the riding ground, bury its remains here, and erect a headstone.”

Jiang Tao agreed readily, still insisting on splitting fifty million with Hong Chen. In the end, Hong Chen couldn’t refuse and nodded his consent.

Seeing Hong Chen gain an extra forty million and acting as if it was a burden, Cao Renjie was nearly consumed by jealousy. Qiao Chu and his girlfriend were filled with envy, while Jiang Ying, who had never warmed to Hong Chen, remained calm; to her, half the prize money was only fair.

“Mr. Jiang, Miss Mo Fei would like to invite you all to dinner. Can we count on your company?” The female agent approached. Hearing they could dine with Mo Fei, Jiang Ying immediately agreed on Jiang Tao’s behalf.

Next, the group paired off for several friendly races. Jiang Ying and Qiao Chu’s girlfriend specially invited Mo Fei for a match. As dusk fell, they all headed to the riding ground’s restaurant.

Halfway there, Hong Chen suddenly received a call from Lin Yufei. Her voice was trembling and tearful. “Hong Chen, where are you? My sister’s in trouble—there’s so much blood. She’s being rushed to Qing City First Hospital for emergency treatment.”

Hong Chen was shaken to his core. He said only, “I’ll be there immediately,” hung up, and after a brief word to Jiang Tao, sprinted toward the parking lot.

They were in the suburbs, while Qing City First Hospital was downtown—a normal drive would take an hour. With lighter weekend traffic, forty-five minutes was the best one could hope for. But driving his GTR with the agility and speed of a sprinting leopard, Hong Chen arrived at the hospital in only twenty-seven minutes.

He got out, immediately called Lin Yufei to confirm the location, and rushed to the eleventh floor of Building One, to the surgical suite.

Outside Operating Room Five, Shen Huifang sat slumped as if her soul had left her. Lin Yuxin clutched her phone, face full of anxiety. Besides the mother and daughter, a man in his fifties who bore some resemblance to Shen Huifang was present—her elder brother, Shen Yongliang, and his son, Shen Tianbao. Both father and son wore anxious expressions.

Hong Chen arrived, ignoring formalities, and fixed his gaze on Lin Yufei. “What happened?”

Before Lin Yufei could answer, Shen Huifang jumped up and shouted at Hong Chen, almost instinctively, “Why are you here? It’s your bad luck that brought misfortune to Yuxin. If not for you, how could this have happened?”

Shen Yongliang and his son gave Hong Chen a cold look, not uttering a word. Their eyes didn’t just regard him as a stranger, but as a beggar on the street.

“Mom, that’s enough!” Lin Yufei suddenly raised her voice, her face reddened in anger as she glared at Shen Huifang. “If you hadn’t forced my sister to... hmph!”

Lin Yufei cut herself off, letting out a frustrated grunt. She turned to Hong Chen. “My sister severed an artery—there was so much blood. The surgery started about five or six minutes ago.”

Hong Chen’s pupils contracted slightly. Without another word, he strode forward and pushed open the operating room door. His action stunned Shen Huifang and the others.

Just as Hong Chen was about to step inside, a young doctor, not yet thirty, rushed out, his expression hostile. He glared at Hong Chen and said in a low voice, “What are you doing? Don’t you know surgery is underway?”

Hong Chen met his gaze and countered, “How is the patient? Is her life in danger?”

“Not good,” the young doctor replied, attempting to close the door, but Hong Chen blocked it with his hand. “Let me in.”

Without waiting for permission, he pushed the young doctor back a few steps and entered.

Only then did Shen Huifang and the others react and hurry after him, but the young doctor drove them out and slammed the door shut.

Inside the operating room, an elderly doctor and an assistant had only just begun the procedure—they’d been preparing up to that point. Seeing Hong Chen barge in, they were momentarily stunned.

“Director Shi, this man forced his way in for no reason,” the young doctor reported after barring the others outside. The old doctor’s assistant was furious, frowning and fixing Hong Chen with a cold stare, about to reprimand him. Suddenly, the old doctor exclaimed, “Mr. Hong?”

In that brief moment, Hong Chen’s gaze had swept over Lin Yuxin’s face several times, his expression darkening by the minute. Hearing the words “Mr. Hong,” he looked at the old doctor, recognizing him. “I am Hong Chen. You must be Director Shi.”

He pointed to the unconscious Lin Yuxin on the bed and asked urgently, “She has not only damaged her jugular vein but shows signs of arterial injury as well. Are you absolutely confident?”

The young doctor began, “What kind of attitude is that? This is our hospital’s Director Shi—” but was immediately silenced by the old doctor.

Director Shi pondered for a moment, frowning as he examined Lin Yuxin, then shook his head at Hong Chen. “I haven’t yet examined the wound thoroughly. If the artery is indeed damaged as you say, I can only guarantee a fifty percent chance of success. The critical issue now is that the patient will need a large reserve of blood for this operation, but her blood type is unusual. Our hospital’s blood bank doesn’t have any.”

Hong Chen replied immediately, “Why not have her family donate blood? Her mother and sister are outside. Let me do the surgery—quick, go have them donate.”

An uneasy look flashed in the old doctor’s eyes. He suddenly asked, “Mr. Hong, can you tell me your relationship to this lady?”

Hong Chen answered, “She is my wife.”

The old doctor understood at last—no wonder Hong Chen had barged in so recklessly. After a brief hesitation, he made his decision, instructing the assistant and young doctor to leave and then speaking quietly to Hong Chen.

Listening, Hong Chen’s face changed several times, his expression growing complicated as thoughts raced through his mind. But soon he forced himself to clear away extraneous worries, took a deep breath, and his eyes hardened with resolve. “Leave the operation to me.”

The old doctor’s expression shifted slightly. “What about the blood transfusion?”

Hong Chen smiled faintly. “It’s taken care of.”