Chapter 197

The night deepened, the hospital corridor bathed in harsh fluorescent light.

Daniel Chen cut his meeting short and rushed to pick up Emily Smith. Her damp clothes had long dried under the air conditioning, and he noticed nothing unusual.

"Hungry? I'll make noodles when we get home." In the elevator, he squeezed her icy fingertips.

Emily shook her head, but the instant the smell of instant noodles wafted through the hallway, her stomach churned. She forced a nod, nails digging into her palms.

Back at Sky City, Daniel tied on an apron and disappeared into the kitchen. Emily curled into the corner of the sofa, a sheen of sweat glistening at her temples. Her gaze fixed on the fruit knife on the coffee table, its polished surface reflecting her ghostly pale face.

"Emily?" Daniel emerged with a steaming bowl of noodles, only to find her slumped against the cushions, lips tinged blue.

He brushed the damp strands of hair from her forehead—his fingers recoiled at the scorching heat of her skin.

"103.6°F!" The thermometer blared an alarm. Daniel wrapped her in his coat, scooped her into his arms, and bolted for the elevator.

The doors slid open. Mia Harris stood frozen, her bubble tea shattering on the floor.

"Move!" Daniel shouldered past the gathering crowd. Mia grabbed her purse and sprinted after them. She remembered how, at lunch, Emily had dropped her chopsticks three times.

The ER overflowed with patients. Mia stared at the red digital display—"42 patients waiting"—and dialed Alexander Johnson without hesitation.

Under the chandeliers of a gala, Alexander's phone vibrated against a champagne flute.

"ER at Second Hospital? I'll contact Director Wang immediately." As he turned, his gaze locked with William Johnson's icy glare—a silent battle crackling between them.

In the black Maybach, Amanda Lin's smudged lipstick streaked William's collar. Without warning, she sank her teeth into his throat, drawing blood.

"Stop pretending," she hissed, yanking his tie. "If you leave now, you might still catch her last breath."

William opened his eyes. The car's display flashed with an incoming call—Second Hospital ER.