At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 140 1 The usually calm Bai Si'an actually hit someone!

Bai Si'an knelt by the bed, his forehead pressed against the edge, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

His face was covered in tears, but he didn't bother to wipe them away.

The doctors and nurses tried to help him up, but he wouldn't move. Bai Rongbei pulled his arm, but he pulled away.

"Bai Si'an," Bai Rongbei's voice deepened, "you're useless."

"I know it's no use..." Bai Si'an's voice was muffled by the sheets, thick with a nasal tone, "But where else can I go besides here..."

Su Wanwan wiped away her tears, squatted down, and said softly, "Si'an, get up first. You're still injured, and kneeling like this will cause your wounds to reopen. If Weiwei wakes up and sees you like this, she'll definitely scold you."

Bai Si'an's shoulders trembled again when he heard Lin Weiwei's name.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes were frighteningly red, and his face was streaked with tears and ashes, looking utterly disheveled. He looked at Lin Weiwei, who was lying there, still motionless.

"When will she wake up?" he asked the doctor, his voice hoarse.

"Well... it's hard to say," the doctor said hesitantly. "The anesthesia should have worn off, and it's possible that the body is protecting itself and the patient is still unconscious. Or... the inhaled toxic fumes may have affected the nerves, and it needs time to recover."

Bai Si'an fell silent. He braced himself against the edge of the bed and slowly stood up. The pain in his chest made his vision blur, and he swayed. Bai Rongbei supported him.

"Go back to bed," Bai Rongbei said.

Bai Si'an shook his head, broke free from his hand, dragged a wooden chair from the wall, placed it next to Lin Weiwei's bed, and sat down.

He sat ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on Lin Weiwei. He reached out and gently took her uninjured hand. Her hand was a little cold, her fingers softly curled.

He just held it there, and didn't move.

The nurse wanted to reinsert the injection, but he raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute."

"Technician Bai, you're still on an IV drip..."

"Wait a minute," he said again, his voice low but leaving no room for negotiation.

The nurse looked at Bai Rongbei, who sighed and waved his hand, "Let him catch his breath first."

The ward fell silent. The medical equipment emitted a regular beeping sound.

Su Wanwan fetched a basin of warm water, wrung out a towel, and handed it to Bai Si'an: "Wash your face."

Bai Si'an didn't answer; he just looked at Lin Weiwei.

Su Wanwan placed the towel on the bedside table, sat down on another chair next to Bai Si'an, and looked at Lin Weiwei.

Time passed little by little.

The sky outside the window darkened; dusk comes quickly in the Gobi Desert, and it was completely dark in no time.

The nurse came in and turned on the light, casting a dim, yellowish glow into the ward.

Bai Si'an remained in the same posture, holding Lin Weiwei's hand, his back ramrod straight, like a stone statue. The tear stains on his face had dried, leaving a few gray marks.

Su Wanwan whispered to him, "Si'an, why don't you eat something? The cafeteria food is here."

Bai Si'an shook his head.

"Would you like some water?"

He still shook his head.

Bai Rongbei came in from outside, carrying two lunchboxes. He glanced at Bai Si'an, didn't try to persuade him, and handed one of the lunchboxes to Su Wanwan: "You eat this."

Su Wanwan took the package, opened it, and found cabbage stew with glass noodles and two multigrain steamed buns. She had no appetite, but knew she couldn't not eat, so she nibbled on the buns in small bites.

Bai Rongbei didn't eat either. He put the lunchbox aside, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to Bai Si'an.

"The investigation results are in," Bai Rongbei said in a low voice. "Li Jianguo's operational error caused the voltage regulator to overload, leading to a chemical leak and deflagration. He didn't turn off the main switch when he ran away; you were the ones who turned it off."

Bai Si'an didn't even lift his eyelids.

"He wasn't seriously injured, just minor burns. He smoked a little and is in the next room," Bai Rongbei continued. "He was frightened and kept saying he didn't do it on purpose."

Bai Si'an tightened his grip on Lin Weiwei's hand.

I could faintly hear voices coming from the next ward; it was a woman's voice, and it sounded somewhat familiar.

"...Jianguo, don't be afraid, the organization will investigate thoroughly. You were just trying to do your job, it was an accident... Once this is over, write a good report, maybe you can even get commendation..."

It was Wang Xiuying's voice.

Bai Si'an suddenly raised his head.

The bloodshot in his eyes hadn't faded yet, and now they were tinged with a fierce look.

"Meritorious service?" His voice was as cold as ice. "What merit did he gain? The merit of almost killing two people?"

He released Lin Weiwei's hand, stood up, and walked out. His movements were too fast, aggravating the wound in his chest. He groaned and stumbled, but didn't stop.

"Si'an!" Bai Rongbei stood up.

Bai Si'an had already opened the door and rushed out.

The door to the next ward was ajar. Bai Si'an kicked the door open.

With a loud bang, the door slammed against the wall, startling everyone inside.

Li Jianguo was leaning against the hospital bed, with some abrasions on his face and bandages wrapped around his arm, but it didn't look serious. Wang Xiuying was sitting by the bed, peeling an apple for him.

Both of them were stunned when they saw Bai Si'an come in.

"Bai... Technician Bai..." Li Jianguo's face turned pale.

Wang Xiuying stood up, forcing a smile: "Technician Bai, what brings you here? Your injuries are so bad, you should rest properly..."

Bai Si'an ignored her. He stared at Li Jianguo and walked over to him step by step.

Li Jianguo was frightened by his gaze and shrank back: "Technician Bai, I...I really didn't mean it...I panicked, I..."

"Panic?" Bai Si'an walked to the bedside, his voice soft but each word uttered with utmost precision. "You panicked and ran away? You didn't even turn off the equipment! Do you know how badly Lin Weiwei was injured trying to get in and find me?!"

His voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, until he was almost shouting.

Li Jianguo shuddered and didn't dare to look at him.

Wang Xiuying quickly stepped in front of him: "Technician Bai, calm down. Jianguo knows he was wrong, and he's injured too, you see..."

"He's injured?" Bai Si'an pointed at Li Jianguo, his fingers trembling. "What kind of injury is this? Just a scrape! And Lin Weiwei? Her back is covered in burns! She's still not awake! You guys are here scheming to gain merit? What kind of merit are you trying to gain?!"

He shoved Wang Xiuying aside. Wang Xiuying lost her balance and bumped into the bedside table, scattering apples and a knife all over the floor.

Bai Si'an grabbed Li Jianguo by the collar and dragged him off the bed.

"Technician Bai! Calm down!" Li Jianguo's voice trembled with fear. "Hitting someone is against discipline! You'll be punished!"

"Discipline?" Bai Si'an laughed, his eyes turning even redder. "Even if I take off this uniform today, I'll still beat you up!"

He punched Li Jianguo in the face.

Li Jianguo screamed in pain, and his nose immediately turned red.

Wang Xiuying screamed, "They're hitting me! Help!"

Ignoring everything else, Bai Si'an followed up with a second punch, which landed squarely on Li Jianguo's stomach.

Li Jianguo curled up in pain, but Bai Si'an wouldn't let go and continued to hit him.

"Bai Si'an!" Bai Rongbei rushed in, grabbed him from behind, and forcefully dragged him backward. "Let go!"