Chapter 63: Unable to Wake Up

Bao Jing had already fallen asleep, but Lin Zhi Jing kept shouting there.

"An'an ignores you, she's definitely annoyed with you! You're disturbing An'an's sleep—do you have no tact?"

Lin Zhi Jing ignored Bao Jing, his face stern as he checked Ye Xi'an's condition; his fingers turned into thin metal threads, winding around her wrists and neck—aside from her breathing being much slower than a normal beastperson's, there was nothing unusual.

He frowned, but if that's all, how could Ye Xi'an possibly not wake up?

"Ye Xi'an, wake up, Ye Xi'an!"

Lin Zhi Jing lightly slapped Ye Xi'an's face twice, producing a crisp slap sound; seeing no response, he kept shaking her body, but Ye Xi'an lay like a cursed sleeping beauty, refusing to open her eyes.

As time passed, Lin Zhi Jing grew somewhat tense, the aura around him shifted, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

Only then did Bao Jing and Ji Jiangci sense something wrong, both scrambling up from the floor to gather around Ye Xi'an.

"An'an? An'an?" Bao Jing joined Lin Zhi Jing in shaking Ye Xi'an—no matter how deeply she slept, it was impossible not to wake her.

"What's wrong?"

Yi Yang wiped himself with a dirty rag, looking blankly as everyone crowded around Ye Xi'an's bed.

But no one paid him any mind; they were all busy calling Ye Xi'an.

Only Ji Jiangci, sitting opposite the bed, glanced at him, then leaned in and whispered, "Brother Ji, are they shouting for the wife to get up?"

"Isn't it still not dawn?"

Ji Jiangci felt a bit heavy-hearted: "Yeah, but we can't wake her."

"Can't wake her?" Yi Yang stared, grasping the meaning of those three words—could "can't wake her" mean she's dead? No way.

"Wife!" Yi Yang lunged at Ye Xi'an like a madman, crying and shaking her wildly: "Wife! Look at me! Wife, wah——"

He reached out trembling to place his hand under Ye Xi'an's nose, but Lin Zhi Jing ruthlessly shoved it away.

"Don't touch her with your dirty hands." Lin Zhi Jing snapped, lifting his head to glare at Yi Yang—only to see Yi Yang's walnut-sized eyes brimming with tears, his nose red, lips pressed into a straight line, undulating like a wave, a picture of a sorrowful frog; his reproach died in his throat, and he even unusually comforted: "Don't worry, she's fine."

"Why~can't~we~wake~our~wife~wah~?" Yi Yang's tears streamed as he spoke, his words halting and slurred, as if his brain's S‑area were damaged.

Lin Zhi Jing gave Yi Yang a contemptuous glance; the gossip on Zhu Shen Xing was indeed spot‑on—this Labrador was utterly hopeless, a 1.9‑meter‑tall male reduced to this pathetic state: "Had Ye Xi'an ever shown symptoms like this before?"

Bao Jing shook his head: "I've never called An'an while she was asleep, so I'm not sure if she's ever been like this before."

Seeing Bao Jing didn't know, Lin Zhi Jing turned to Ji Jiangci and Yi Yang: "What about you two?"

Ji Jiangci knew nothing, so he could only shake his head.

Yi Yang knew even less—his head shook like a rattle drum, tears flying everywhere.

Bao Jing gazed solemnly at Ye Xi'an's peaceful sleeping face; aside from the faint rise and fall of her female chest, he could barely detect any sign of life,

When his gaze swept to Ye Xi'an's collarbone, his eyes flashed as he recalled something.

He remembered that when Ye Xi'an had taken an aphrodisiac, she had suddenly fallen asleep; back then he'd merely thought she was exhausted and had dozed off.

Now, thinking back, given how they'd been acting, with Ye Xi'an sitting upright on him, how could she have just suddenly fallen asleep? Perhaps it was the same condition as now—she had slipped into an inability to wake.

"Maybe."

Lin Zhi Jing frowned: "What do you mean 'maybe'?"

Bao Jing roughly explained the situation, and Ji Jiangci and Yi Yang's expressions instantly soured—what male in a family wouldn't want to be the first true Beast Husband of the female leader?

Who would have thought Bao Jing would silently, without a word, sneak onto Ye Xi'an's bed and not tell them?

"No, we can't just sit here waiting—I'm going to find a doctor." Bao Jing said, moving to lift Ye Xi'an, but Lin Zhi Jing stopped him.

"Relax, I've already examined her; for now I see nothing wrong—let's wait a bit longer; perhaps Ye Xi'an herself knows her condition."

"But what if something happens?" Bao Jing didn't quite trust Lin Zhi Jing, still preferring to go to the hospital for peace of mind.

"Have you forgotten I'm also a doctor?"

"But you lack proper equipment now—no matter how skilled your medicine, what good is it?" Bao Jing stared at the sleeping Ye Xi'an, his tall frame trembling slightly; he couldn't imagine that, if he followed Lin Zhi Jing's advice and left Ye Xi'an at home, she wouldn't wake tomorrow morning—or remain like this—how would he go on.

Lin Zhi Jing was actually a little afraid too—yes, afraid—but not because his medical skill might fail and harm Ye Xi'an; quite the opposite, he feared precisely because he knew how formidable his medical skill was.

"If I can't find anything, even the hospital probably couldn't; for now we can only wait, wait until tomorrow morning, hoping Ye Xi'an will wake up."

The next morning, the first shaft of sunlight pierced the gloomy corridor of the Slum; Ye Xi'an's lashes twitched, and she struggled awake.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the four men looming above her and screamed in fright.

"Ah——"

Yi Yang covered his left eye, which had turned into a panda eye, sat sullenly on the bed, Ye Xi'an leaning against him, offering an embarrassed apology.

"Why did you hit only me?" Yi Yang pouted, utterly aggrieved.

Just now, after Ye Xi'an woke up, startled, she instinctively threw a punch that landed squarely on Yi Yang's left eye, instantly blackening it—his poor puppy dog eye became a panda eye.

Ye Xi'an also felt guilty, hugging Yi Yang and constantly soothing him; but where she couldn't see, Yi Yang's aggrieved mouth had already curled up, showing no trace of being hurt.

"I don't know what you four are doing crowding over my head first thing in the morning." Ye Xi'an, genuinely startled, asked: "What are you doing?"

Bao Jing knelt before Ye Xi'an, taking her hand: "An'an, do you remember what happened after you fell asleep last night?"

Ye Xi'an's heart fluttered—could they have discovered her midnight sleeping habit?

"What thing?" Ye Xi'an feigned ignorance, feeling it was better left unsaid.

"An'an, have you ever woken up in the middle of the night before?"

Ye Xi'an thought, "As I suspected, they've found out": "Seems... no, what's up?"

Bao Jing lowered his eyes: "After you fell asleep last night, no matter how I called, I couldn't wake you." His eyes reddened, his voice thick with tears: "I thought... you wouldn't wake up."

(End of chapter)