Unexpected Second Chance at Love

Chapter 1002: Brother-in-law

The hospital was unusually quiet when Yue Ling and Lu Tian arrived.

The morning rush had already begun in the lower floors, but the private wing remained peaceful. Only the soft beeping of medical equipment and the occasional footsteps of nurses could be heard along the corridor.

Lu Tian walked beside Yue Ling, his hand resting lightly against the small of her back.

Neither spoke.

Yue Ling’s expression remained calm as they approached the private room, but the closer they got, the tighter her fingers curled around the strap of her handbag.

She stopped outside the door.

For a moment, she simply stared at it.

Her brother was on the other side.

Alive.

That was all that mattered.

Lu Tian noticed her hesitation but said nothing.

Instead, his hand gently covered hers.

Yue Ling glanced at him.

His eyes met hers.

A silent reassurance.

She took a breath before reaching for the handle.

The door opened quietly.

The first thing she noticed was the silence.

The second was her brother.

The third was that her grandfather wasn’t in the room. The old man was probably still resting or had left to check on Zhong Yang.

Ji Jingxu lay motionless beneath the white sheets, his face noticeably pale.

Several bruises remained visible along his jaw and beneath his eyes, while his dark hair was slightly disheveled against the pillow.

A heart monitor beside the bed displayed a steady rhythm.

An IV was attached to his arm, and several wires disappeared beneath the blanket.

Yue Ling stopped just inside the room.

Her chest tightened.

Seeing him like this brought back everything she had tried not to think about.

The chains.

The bruises.

His broken wrists.

The blood.

She forced the memories away.

He was here.

He was breathing.

He was alive.

That was what mattered.

Lu Tian quietly closed the door behind them.

Yue Ling walked toward the bed. Her footsteps were barely audible.

When she reached her brother’s side, she carefully pulled a chair closer and sat down.

Her fingers slowly reached toward his hand.

She stopped when she noticed the bandages wrapped around his wrists.

Instead, she gently touched the back of his hand.

"I’m here."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Jingxu didn’t respond.

He was still asleep.

Yue Ling’s eyes softened.

"You scared me."

The words came out quieter than she intended.

She lowered her gaze.

"You really did."

Behind her, Lu Tian remained silent.

He understood that this was a moment between siblings.

A moment Yue Ling needed.

So he stayed several steps away, giving her the space she needed while never taking his eyes completely off her.

Before Yue Ling could say anything else, there was a soft knock at the door.

Doctor Dong stepped inside.

His expression was calm, but the moment his eyes landed on Yue Ling, he offered a small nod.

"Miss Han."

Yue Ling stood.

"Doctor Dong. How is he?"

The doctor glanced toward Jingxu before answering.

"His condition is stable."

The tension in Yue Ling’s shoulders eased slightly.

"But stable doesn’t mean recovered," Doctor Dong continued. "Your brother suffered significant trauma. If he hadn’t gotten here in time, we wouldn’t have been able to save him."

Yue Ling listened carefully.

"Both of his wrists were fractured," Doctor Dong explained. "He also suffered five fractured ribs. One of those fractures was particularly concerning because the jagged bone caused damage to blood vessels in his chest, which resulted in internal bleeding."

Yue Ling’s fingers slowly curled at her sides.

Hearing the details again still made her chest ache.

"Was the surgery truly successful?"

"Yes." Doctor Dong nodded. "We were able to control the bleeding and repair the damaged vessels. His vital signs remained stable throughout the night, and there have been no signs of further internal bleeding. Right now, he is sleeping due to the medication we’ve given him."

Yue Ling released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Doctor Dong continued.

"He’s still weak, though. His body needs time to recover from the blood loss and prolonged lack of nutrition. For now, we’ll continue monitoring him closely and provide nutritional support through the IV before gradually reintroducing food as he can tolerate it."

"And his wrists?"

"They’ll require immobilization for several weeks. We’ll monitor the healing process with follow-up imaging, and he’ll eventually need rehabilitation once the fractures have healed sufficiently."

Yue Ling nodded.

"What about his ribs?"

"They should heal on their own, but the pain may be significant. We’ll keep him comfortable while making sure he’s able to breathe deeply enough to prevent complications."

Doctor Dong looked at her seriously.

"The next few days are important. He’s out of immediate danger, but his body has been through a great deal."

Yue Ling looked toward her brother.

"Will he recover?"

Doctor Dong’s expression softened.

"If there are no unexpected complications, I expect him to make a full recovery."

Those words finally allowed some of the weight pressing against Yue Ling’s chest to loosen.

"Thank you."

Doctor Dong nodded.

"He’s fortunate."

Yue Ling’s gaze hardened slightly.

She knew exactly why he had been fortunate.

Gui Tian Lan and Qi Li had decided to stay with him.

They protected him in her place, making sure Hung Woo and his men couldn’t cause further damage.

Doctor Dong gave her another reassuring nod before stepping toward the door.

"Let him rest. If he wakes, keep the conversation brief. He needs as little strain as possible."

Yue Ling nodded.

"I understand."

Doctor Dong left.

The room fell quiet again.

Yue Ling returned to her brother’s bedside.

She carefully touched the back of his hand.

"I’m here."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You can rest now."

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then Jingxu’s fingers moved.

Yue Ling froze.

His eyelids fluttered.

"Jingxu?"

His eyes slowly opened.

For several seconds, his gaze remained unfocused as he stared at the ceiling.

Then his eyes shifted toward her.

His expression changed.

"...Jie?"

Yue Ling’s breath caught.

A smile immediately appeared on her lips.

"Yes."

She leaned closer.

"I’m here."

Jingxu stared at her for several seconds.

His eyes slowly filled with relief.

"You came back."

Yue Ling gently squeezed his hand.

"I promised you I would."

His lips curved into the faintest smile.

"I knew you would."

Those four words nearly broke her.

She lowered her head, briefly closing her eyes.

When she looked back at him, her expression was composed again.

But Jingxu could still see the emotion in her eyes.

"You should rest."

She whispered, but his gaze shifted past her.

Only then did he notice Lu Tian standing nearby.

A faint smile returned to his face.

"Mr..." He paused, then continued. "Brother-in-law?"

Lu Tian raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the name.

"You’ve been awake for less than a minute, and that’s the first thing you say?"

He paused to ponder something, then shrugged indifferently.

"Though, I can get used to you calling me brother-in-law."

Jingxu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the man’s indifference.

Of course, Lu Tian would respond like that.

Despite everything he had heard about the man, Jingxu was beginning to realize that Lu Tian’s aloofness was simply part of who he was.

He couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.

The man might act as though he didn’t care, but the truth was, he had been paying close attention to the aloof man.

Especially when it came to how Lu Tian treated his older sister.

Jingxu had heard the rumors.

Lu Tian was said to be cold-blooded and merciless—a man who rarely showed emotion and had little patience for anyone who crossed him.

But Jingxu had seen something most people never got the chance to see.

The way Lu Tian watched Yue Ling.

The way his eyes followed her without him even realizing it.

How he remained close without suffocating her.

How he seemed to notice every small change in her expression, even when she tried to hide it.

And most importantly, how he had stayed beside her through everything.

Jingxu might not know everything about the man yet.

But he knew one thing.

The rumors might have described Lu Tian as a ruthless man.

They had simply forgotten to mention one important detail.

Lu Tian loved his sister.

And Jingxu could tell.

Brushing this thought away, he gave a weak chuckle before immediately wincing.

Yue Ling’s expression changed.

"Don’t laugh."

"I’m fine."

"You are absolutely not fine."

Jingxu smiled weakly.

"You’re still bossy."

"And you’re still troublesome."

For the first time since entering the room, Yue Ling allowed herself to laugh.

It was soft.

Quiet.

But genuine.

Lu Tian watched the siblings with a faint smile.

The room felt different now.

Less like a hospital room.

More like home.

Jingxu’s eyes slowly became heavy again.

Yue Ling noticed immediately.

"Go back to sleep."

He nodded.

His eyes closed.

But before sleep completely claimed him, his fingers tightened weakly around hers.

Yue Ling remained beside him.

She didn’t pull away.

Not until his breathing settled into a steady rhythm again.

Only then did Lu Tian approach.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Yue Ling looked up at him.

"He’s going to be okay."

She nodded.

"I know."

Her eyes returned to her brother.

For the first time since his disappearance, she allowed herself to believe it.

Ji Jingxu was alive.

He was safe.

And he was finally home.

A soft knock sounded from behind the door before Grandfather Ji slowly walked in.

The old man looked as though he had aged ten years overnight, his face noticeably more tired and his steps slower than usual. Yet despite his weakened appearance, the powerful aura that had surrounded him for decades remained firmly intact.

His eyes briefly settled on Lu Tian.

The two men exchanged a silent nod before Grandfather Ji turned his attention toward his grandson. Seeing the boy asleep, he looked at his granddaughter.

"You’re here?" he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I thought you would be resting some more."

Yue Ling immediately stood to greet him, but Grandfather Ji raised a hand, gesturing for her to sit back down.

"You don’t need to get up."

Yue Ling silently sighed before returning to her seat.

Her gaze shifted toward the hospital bed.

Ji Jingxu was still fast asleep, his breathing steady beneath the quiet hum of the medical equipment.

"The only time I’ll rest," Yue Ling said calmly, "is when he’s up and moving again."

Grandfather Ji’s expression tightened.

He felt conflicted by her words.

He knew his granddaughter too well.

That calm expression didn’t prove she was fine.

It was simply the way Yue Ling protected herself from falling apart.

Before Ji Jingxu’s kidnapping, he had wanted to talk to her about his declining health, but that conversation would have to wait.

For now, Ji Jingxu’s recovery mattered most.

Grandfather Ji looked toward his grandson, his eyes softening.

As long as Jingxu was still fighting to recover, there was no reason to burden Yue Ling with anything else.