Time ticked away, seconds stretching out like minutes.
At nine o'clock in the evening, the door of the emergency room finally opened.
A "creak" broke the silence of the corridor, bringing either hope or disappointment to those waiting.
Shen Minghan was the first to come out, and his eyes immediately found the hurried and somewhat weary Han Luoli, unexpectedly yet not surprisingly.
Unexpectedly because he really managed to put down his work, and unsurprisingly because he would rush back to see Xiao Er at the first opportunity.
"How is Xiao Er?"
As soon as Han Luoli's words fell, he saw several doctors and assistants behind Shen Minghan pushing a hospital bed out. IV bags hung high, an oxygen mask, and a tangle of lines all focused on the small figure lying down.
He took two steps forward, and the doctor by the bed was scared by his imposing air to stay far away.
"Baby, how are you feeling?" He tentatively raised his hand, wanting to touch the pale-as-paper little one on the bed, but as his palm reached halfway, he found he dared not touch her, fearful that it would cause her more pain.
The oxygen mask hid her small face, her normally pink lips completely drained of color, her big eyes closed, as if they had lost their myriad of sparkling brilliance.
Such a Gu Xiaoer made the heart of the man, hard as iron, pulse with difficulty and heartache.
"Baby, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" She couldn't hear him, but he still wanted to awaken her.
"Luoli, calm down for now," Shen Minghan came over and patted his shoulder. Five hours of emergency treatment had left his gentle face weary and tense, and his nerves still hadn't relaxed yet, but he still steadied his breath and spoke, "Xiao Er is stable now, there's no life-threatening danger."
"What happened? How did she suddenly feel nauseous, faint, and then have her life in danger?" Bai Xiaoyu first breathed a sigh of relief but tensed up again at the last statement.
"This... After examining Xiao Er's symptoms, we diagnosed acute intravascular hemolysis. It's caused by a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which is a genetic defect. Minor cases have symptoms like chills, dizziness, vomiting, but severe cases can lead to coma, convulsions, and organ failure. If not urgently treated, it may result in death..."
The word "death" hammered heavily onto Han Luoli's heart.
His large hand clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. His cold gaze seemed bottomless, and his facial features grew even more rigid. "What caused it?"
"The cause is quite simple, consuming fresh fava beans can trigger the disease. Hence, this condition is also called hereditary favism."
"Fava beans?" Also hereditary?
Han Luoli and Shen Minghan simultaneously turned their gaze to Bai Xiaoyu, who had brought the person in. He should know more details.
Bai Xiaoyu furrowed his brows, trying to recall the events.
At lunch in the restaurant, neither he nor Gu Xiaoer ordered any food with fava beans. Could it have been consumed inadvertently?
It was not until the next morning that Gu Xiaoer slowly regained consciousness.
She found the various tubes and the oxygen mask on her very uncomfortable, frowning and reaching out to pull at them.
"Baby, don't move!"
Gu Xiaoer turned her head uncomfortably towards the voice and saw a face filled with joy yet weary.
"Da Luoluo... what are you doing here?" His face was the first thing she saw, and her heart filled with warmth.
But wasn't he on a business trip? How did he come back?
Gu Xiaoer's gaze sharpened; he looked so tired, with red veins in his eyes, his usually clean and fresh chin now showing a hint of stubble, seemingly unattended for several days.
Thankfully, that face was still as charming as ever, making her unable to help but stretch her lips into a smile.