Ah Ling materialized from sowhere near the main entrance, already holding a manila folder that presumably contained all the necessary discharge docuntation, her appearance perfectly tid to intercept them before they could get tangled in bureaucratic procedures that would waste ti and energy they didn’t currently have to spare.
"All formalities have been completed," he said quietly, falling into step beside them as they navigated toward the exit. "The discharge papers are signed, the billing has been handled through the family accounts, and there are no outstanding requirents that need your attention. The helicopter is fueled and ready for imdiate departure."
Lu Yuze nodded his acknowledgnt without breaking stride, clearly having expected nothing less from his exceptionally competent assistant. They pushed through the main doors and erged into late afternoon sunlight that felt almost shockingly bright after the artificial lighting of the hospital interior, the warmth hitting Shuyin’s skin and making her blink against the sudden contrast.
The hospital’s helipad was located on a dedicated landing area adjacent to the main building, separated from the parking lots by security fencing and marked with the standard painted circle and identification numbers that designated it as an authorized landing zone. Their helicopter sat waiting with rotors already beginning their slow warm-up rotation, the pilot visible through the cockpit window running through pre-flight checks with professional competence.
They crossed the tarmac with purposeful strides, Lu Yuze’s expensive shoes clicking against the painted concrete while Shuyin’s softer footfalls barely made a sound, their pace asured to account for the precious cargo they carried. The helicopter’s side door was already open in preparation for boarding, the interior visible with its luxurious leather seating and polished surfaces that scread wealth and privilege.
Lu Yuze climbed in first with Yuyan still cradled securely in his arms, maneuvering carefully through the door before settling into one of the rear-facing seats and arranging his daughter against his chest where she could rest comfortably during the flight. He secured the safety harness around both of them with practiced efficiency, the straps designed to accommodate exactly this kind of configuration where a parent needed to hold a child during transport.
Shuyin followed imdiately after with Chen Xiao, the small boy stirring slightly as the change in position disturbed his drowsy state but not fully waking, his arms still wrapped trustingly around her neck. She settled into the seat beside Lu Yuze and adjusted Chen Xiao’s position so he was curled against her side, his small body fitting perfectly into the curve of her arm. The safety harness clicked into place with satisfying finality, securing them both for the flight ahead.
The pilot’s voice crackled through the internal communication system, confirming passenger status and requesting clearance for departure with the kind of professional formality that suggested he’d done this exact routine hundreds of tis before.
The engine’s roar intensified as power increased, the rotors accelerating from their lazy warm-up rotation into the powerful beating rhythm that would lift them off the ground, the sound filling the cabin despite the helicopter’s expensive soundproofing that muted the worst of the chanical noise. The entire aircraft vibrated with barely contained energy, thrumming with the potential of imminent flight.
And then they were lifting, the ground falling away beneath them with smooth acceleration as the pilot executed a textbook departure.
And before the helicopter had risen further into the air, before they’d climbed high enough that the hospital beca just another building in the urban landscape below, Lu Yuze’s sharp gaze caught movent at the hospital’s main entrance that made his expression shift into sothing cold and darkly satisfied.
His family mbers were rushing toward the building with the kind of urgent coordination that suggested they’d all been summoned simultaneously, probably within minutes of Yuyan’s arrival being reported to whatever network of informants the Lu family maintained throughout the city.
His parents led the group, his father’s tall fra moving with surprising speed for a man in his sixties, while his mother followed close behind with her usual elegant composure, barely masking what was clearly agitation at being kept out of the loop regarding her granddaughter’s condition.
Behind them ca the extended family mbers who’d made careers out of inserting themselves into every Lu family crisis for maximum political advantage, his uncle Lu Ming with his perpetually calculating expression, his aunt Lu Fei whose concern was always more performance than genuine emotion, several cousins whose nas he could barely rember but whose ambitions he knew intimately.
And there, coordinating the entire group’s arrival with barely concealed satisfaction, was Lu Cheng. His older brother stood slightly apart from the rushing crowd with his phone still in hand, clearly having just finished making the calls that had mobilized this entire circus, his expression carrying that particular smugness that ca from successfully creating chaos and forcing confrontation.
He’d probably notified them the mont he’d learned about Yuyan’s hospitalization, spinning whatever narrative would cast Lu Yuze as negligent or secretive, painting himself as the concerned family mber who’d had to step in and ensure proper oversight when the CEO proved incapable of handling a simple family ergency with appropriate transparency.
A loud smirk crossed Lu Yuze’s face, the expression carrying such cold satisfaction that it transford his usually neutral features into sothing almost predatory, triumph and vindictive pleasure mixing together in a way that suggested he was imnsely enjoying watching his family mbers arrive too late to insert themselves into the situation. They’d rushed here with such urgency, probably expecting to find Yuyan still being examined and treated, expecting to have opportunities to question the doctors and assess the situation and position themselves as equally concerned guardians who deserved input into her care and recovery.
Instead, they would find nothing except empty examination rooms and paperwork indicating she’d already been discharged into her father’s custody, taken to a private residence they had no access to and no authority to demand entrance to.
They’d wasted their ti and energy rushing across the city only to discover they’d been comprehensively outmaneuvered, that Lu Yuze had handled the entire crisis with efficient speed that left no openings for their interference.
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