The only consolation at present was that she had a pulse albeit so weak, almost none.

'Come on, Man Rui, breathe!' He thought glumly while performing the procedure perfunctorily.

'Love, I'm still here. Live for me, please.' He begged silently and as he did, his tear ducts moved to action and worsened the whole d.a.m.n critical situation.

All this time, the maid Chichi stood alongside the bathroom wall, quivering. She couldn't move nor s.n.a.t.c.h her gaze away. She couldn't even ask for help. She had lost her voice after her bloodcurdling scream a few minutes ago.

'One. Two. Three. Four…'

'… Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty.'

'Come on, love, breathe!'

Zhu Li Qiang placed his thin tender lips onto hers and blew air onto her respiratory system.

'Breathe!'

He did it twice.

All this time, his tears flowed down his cheeks, blurring his vision. Still, he continued.

'One. Two. Three. Four. Five…'

'Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.'

'Man Rui. It's me.'

The maid, Chichi found herself crying at the sight. Finally, she found her shaky voice, "Young Miss… please don't leave us… Please breathe. Young Miss, your guest Mister Zhu Li Qiang is here to see you… Young miss….

*sobs* *sobs* *sobs*

For the third time, Zhu Li Qiang performed the cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure. He felt his energy slipping through his weakening body as the number of repet.i.tions he did for the procedure increased. He grew more and more helpless for every pump and every blow that he did to her. She wasn't responding, but as long as she still had a pulse, he would continue. He swore to the heavens he would dedicate his life for her if she lives.

'So live, Man Rui. For me? Please?'

For every pump on her chest, the flowing of his tears intensified.

Nothing could ever compare to the hurt and pain and grief he was feeling at that excruciating moment.

Nothing could ever compare to the eagerness he had to bring her back from the River Styx [1].

'Don't go with the grim reaper, my angel. Your place is here on earth. With me.'

'Don't board his boat. Don't cross the river Styx.'

'We still have a life to live, together, you and I, remember?'

'We have yet to start that life.'

"Don't leave me, I'm begging you! Huhuhuhuhu!" He exclaimed while he broke down in his own pool of tears and sweat as he pulled her up in his embrace and cradled her in his arms, not regarding her nakedness. 'It doesn't matter.'

His tears dripped and hit her on her forehead, cheeks, and neck.

"Man Rui, please…"

"Please."

"You have me. You are not alone."

"Just open your eyes."

"I'm sorry I was late."

"Don't leave me yet, angel."

"Your place is here with me."

"Please."

He continued cradling her in his warm, tight embrace as his tears poured onto her.

In the middle of his sobs, the body Zhu Li Qiang was hugging convulsed. And in another minute, Teng Man Rui, eyes still closed, coughed hard, spitting both air and water, and what seemed to be traces of blood combined, through her mouth and nostrils. Her brows twitched.

"Man Rui!"

"Young Miss!"

"Quick! Get a blanket and throw it onto her!" Zhu Li Qiang commanded Chichi who had renewed vigor from the young miss' improvement. It's time to address the secondary concerns now that life had returned to the lady.

"She's alive!"

"Thank G.o.d!"

The maid scampered and went towards the bedroom and onto the walk-in closet to carry out the Zhu young master's order.

Teng Man Rui's eyes opened infinitesimally before they closed again.

"Hurry!" Zhu Li Qiang carried her in his arms, her, still in her own nudity.

Chichi threw the blanket on the young miss as instructed by the young master Zhu who tucked and covered the lady's exposed body with it burrito-style.

"Where are the other servants?"

"They are at the back courtyard doing inventory. I am the only one left here to wait for you."

"Good. Grab her things – clean clothes and some private lady things. You know what to do. Put it in a bag. Hurry!"

"We need to get her to the hospital. I'm going to head towards my car first, you follow with her things. Join me."

"Mhm." The little maid Chichi nodded her head, her eyes burned with enthusiasm and sense of duty. 'The young miss needs me. I will provide my utmost service to our kind young miss when she needs me most.'

She accomplished her task, now fired up more than ever knowing that her dearest young miss, Teng Man Rui was past the critical stage.

Or was she?

[1] River Styx – the river that connects the world of the living and the underworld for the dead in Greek mythology