Doctor Chen removed his mask, looking exhausted as he faced the worried family members rushing forward. “He seems to have been emotionally overstimulated, which led to shock. Fortunately, he was brought in on time, or the consequences could have been severe.”

Shen Chuanqiong felt a deep sense of doubt, thinking to himself, ‘Xingbao fell ill without any warning. How could it be due to emotional overstimulation?‘ If not for the fact that this Doctor Chen had been overseeing Xingbao’s treatment for a long time, he would have suspected the doctor was incompetent.

Unable to hold back, Shen Chuanqiong asked, “Dr. Chen, how is Xingbao doing now?”

Shen Mother, equally worried, echoed, “Doctor, how is Xingbao? Is he okay now?”

Doctor Chen sighed lightly and responded, “His condition has stabilized for now, but he still needs to be observed for a few more days.”

“That’s good… that’s good…” Shen Mother burst into tears of relief.

Shen Chuanqiong finally felt a weight lift from his chest. Thank goodness, Xingbao was safe.

Inside the hospital room, Shen Mother sat by the bedside, gazing tenderly at the still-unconscious Shen Nanxing. She gently touched his forehead, her heart aching. “Xingbao, wake up soon… Mommy is so worried about you.”

Seeing his mother so distressed, Shen Chuanqiong felt uncomfortable. “Mom, why don’t you and Dad go home and rest? I’ll stay with Xingbao tonight.”

“No, I want to stay here until he wakes up.” Shen Mother firmly refused.

Shen Chuanqiong shot a helpless look at his father, silently pleading, ‘She’s your wife. You talk to her.’

If it weren’t such a serious situation, Shen Father would have smacked him. ‘This brat, never serious!’

“Mom, please listen to me. I’ll call you the moment Xingbao wakes up, okay?” Shen Chuanqiong continued to persuade her when his father didn’t respond.

Shen Mother remained stubborn. “No! If anyone leaves, it should be you!”

Shen Chuanqiong fell silent. ‘Fine, then we all stay. Let’s see who lasts longer—I’m a night owl anyway.’

Finally, Shen Father spoke, clearing his throat before gently patting his wife’s back. “Ah Mei, if you stay here and Xingbao wakes up wanting your cooking, what will we do? We can’t rely on this kid to cook, right?”

Shen Chuanqiong felt speechless. ‘Why am I getting dragged into this?’

‘Old people really are sly.‘ Not only did his father make himself look thoughtful, but he also managed to insult him in the process. ‘Some dad he was…

His father’s words made Shen Mother hesitate. A trace of conflict flashed across her face. “But…”

Shen Chuanqiong sighed, “Mom, look at Xingbao’s face. He’s so pale from being sick. Don’t you want to help him recover quickly and look healthy again?”

Shen Father quickly added, “Yes, Ah Mei. Xingbao loves your cooking the most.”

“Alright… I’ll go back and cook something for him now,” Shen Mother finally relented, convinced by their coaxing.

Shen Chuanqiong smiled. “Dad, Mom, you two go home first.”

“Alright.”

Once his parents left, the room fell silent except for the steady beeping of the medical equipment.

Shen Chuanqiong sat in deep thought beside the bed, replaying the events of Shen Nanxing’s collapse.

He was fine when I mentioned going on a trip… How did he fall ill so suddenly? And he wasn’t even emotionally distressed… This doesn’t make sense.

Could it be that mentioning the trip reminded him of something traumatic?

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall anything dangerous happening during their last family trip.

What exactly triggered it?

He gazed at Shen Nanxing’s sleeping face.

I guess I’ll have to wait for him to wake up to get answers.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed, interrupting his thoughts.

Seeing the caller ID, he raised a brow—it was Fu Zhiyuan, someone who almost never called him.

He answered the call quietly, stepping out of the hospital room.

“Well, this is rare. You actually took the initiative to call me?” Shen Chuanqiong teased.

Fu Zhiyuan’s voice, however, sounded anxious. “Where’s Xingbao? I’ve been calling him, but he hasn’t answered.”

Fu Zhiyuan had just returned from a business trip abroad. After landing, he tried calling Shen Nanxing multiple times with no response, which left him feeling worried.

Shen Nanxing’s phone had been left at home during the emergency. No one had the presence of mind to grab it amid the chaos.

Thinking about the situation, Shen Chuanqiong’s expression darkened slightly as he answered in a low voice, “Xingbao had a heart attack. He’s still in the hospital.”

“Which hospital? I’m coming right away,” Fu Zhiyuan urgently asked.

So, something had happened to Xingbao—otherwise, he would never have ignored his messages. After Shen Chuanqiong gave him the hospital’s address, Fu Zhiyuan immediately instructed the driver to turn around and head straight there.

As Shen Chuanqiong stared at the disconnected call, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Why was Fu Zhiyuan calling Xingbao so late at night? And when did they get so close?

Half an hour later, a dust-covered Fu Zhiyuan arrived at Shen Nanxing’s hospital room. Hearing the commotion, Shen Chuanqiong turned around and was startled to see Fu Zhiyuan, drenched in sweat from running.

“Okay, I get that you’re worried about Xingbao, but was it really necessary to rush here like this?” He raised a brow. If he remembered correctly, the trip from the airport to the hospital should’ve taken at least forty minutes. Yet, Fu Zhiyuan made it in thirty—his driver must’ve nearly floored the gas pedal.

Fu Zhiyuan’s face was filled with concern as he stepped forward, unable to resist reaching out to touch Shen Nanxing’s sleeping face.

But before his hand could make contact, Shen Chuanqiong swatted it away with a sharp slap.

“What do you think you’re doing? Is he your brother? Do you just get to touch him like that?”

The force of the slap left a visible red mark on the back of Fu Zhiyuan’s hand. His face darkened, but he reminded himself: Stay calm. This is your future brother-in-law. You can’t offend him.

Reluctantly, Fu Zhiyuan pulled his hand back, maintaining a neutral expression. “I’m just worried about Xingbao. Ever heard of ‘concern leading to carelessness’?”

Shen Chuanqiong scoffed, “What a load of nonsense. All I know is that anyone who tries to take advantage of my brother deserves to die.”

Ah, so that was the strange feeling earlier—Fu Zhiyuan was definitely up to something! Shen Chuanqiong’s gaze turned sharp, filled with suspicion.

“I’m warning you—don’t you dare have any ideas about our Xingbao. Don’t tell me you’re planning to… take advantage of him?!”

Fu Zhiyuan’s face twisted with frustration, his veins almost popping. ‘Old? Old?!’

Gritting his teeth, he snapped back, “Shen! Chuan! Qiong! You know exactly how old you are, right? I’m only a few months older than you!”

Lowering his voice so as not to disturb the sleeping Shen Nanxing, Shen Chuanqiong retorted, “Is age the point here? The point is—are you seriously trying to take advantage of someone younger?!”

‘Does this man not understand words, or is he playing dumb on purpose?’

Fu Zhiyuan huffed coldly, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing with his future brother-in-law. ‘Better to just focus on Xingbao.’

The hospital room then witnessed a strange sight:

Shen Chuanqiong pulled up a chair and sat to the left of the bed.

Not to be outdone, Fu Zhiyuan grabbed a chair and sat on the right side.

One on the left, one on the right—like a pair of guardians.

And as if on cue, whenever their eyes met, both would let out a cold huff and turn their heads away.

But the moment their eyes landed on Shen Nanxing, their expressions softened, becoming gentle and filled with tenderness.

When the nurse came in during the night to change Shen Nanxing’s IV, she was utterly baffled by the sight of these two silent, glaring men acting like synchronized bodyguards.