Natasha’s expression froze. She was unable to collect herself for a long moment, until the nurse beside her gently reminded her: “If you’re not feeling well, or if you’d like to rest, you’re welcome to decline the visit.”

Ada remembered what Bai Youwei had said — Jason was very likely the mastermind behind everything. But looking at Natasha’s current state, he worried that bringing up Yuri again might push her over the edge.

While Natasha sat there in a daze, Bai Youwei said: “Let him in.”

Natasha looked over at her.

Bai Youwei met her gaze calmly. “I have a pretty good idea of what he’s come to say.”

—

Jason came alone.

Walking into the ward, he saw Bai Youwei, Shen Mo, and Ada. He swept a cold glance over them, then said without expression: “I’d like to speak with Natasha privately.”

Ada let out a cold snort, contempt flickering in his eyes.

“That’s fine,” Shen Mo said evenly. “Just try to keep it brief — she’s very weak right now.”

Jason: “It won’t take long.”

Shen Mo gave a slight nod, then left the ward together with Bai Youwei and Ada.

Outside was a long corridor. They didn’t go far, finding seats on the nearby row of chairs to rest.

Ada felt uneasy. “What if he does something to Natasha?”

“He won’t.” Shen Mo shook his head lightly. “Someone with a careful mind wouldn’t be stupid enough to make a move in a hospital. There are cameras everywhere, and there are guards downstairs. If anything happened to Natasha, he’d have no way to escape either.”

Bai Youwei quirked the corner of her lips and added with a touch of dry humor: “And if something did happen to Natasha, the team captain would become Ada. That’s absolutely the last thing he wants to see. So for now, Natasha is safe.”

“But that bomb earlier was meant to take Natasha’s life!” Ada was agitated, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward the closed ward door. “That scumbag — who knows what lies he’s spinning in there right now!”

He paced back and forth a few steps, pulled out his cigarette case, and reached for one — then, remembering the hospital’s no-smoking policy, shoved it back in with a frustrated grimace.

“What if…” Ada lowered his voice. “Once he leaves, I tail him. When we’re somewhere isolated, I’ll just—”

“Drop it,” Shen Mo cut off the thought. “He won’t give you the opportunity.”

Ada seethed: “I just can’t stand it! Yuri treated him like a brother. How could he—”

Bai Youwei lowered her eyes. “Natasha is even more furious than you are. Even if something like that were to happen, it should be her who does it.”

Ada fell silent at that. After a moment, both angry and helpless, he bowed his head.

Right…

He had only been with the team for just over a month, and he was already this furious. Natasha’s feelings at this moment could only be even more intense. If anyone were to personally exact revenge, it should be her…

He looked toward the ward and couldn’t help wondering: would Natasha believe Jason?

Inside the ward at this moment, a long silence reigned.

Jason made no attempt to hide his grief. He pulled a chair over and sat quietly by the ward window, as though deliberating over how to begin.

He said nothing. Natasha said nothing either.

Until Jason noticed the small wooden figurine on her pillow. His expression shifted with quiet emotion, and he finally spoke: “That’s Yuri’s, isn’t it… He always carried it around like a treasure. Whenever a fragment of memory about his daughter surfaced, he’d carve a little more — bit by bit over two years. His craftsmanship just kept getting better…”

Jason sighed, picking up the wooden figurine to examine it. “When I left the team, this little figure only had a head… If nothing had happened to him, he could have finished carving it. He would have gotten to meet his real daughter, too.”

Natasha’s heart ached. She turned her face away, eyes red.

“I had only just met with Yuri, and then this happened. When I heard the news that morning, I couldn’t accept it.” Jason set the wooden figure back down, his gaze heavy as he looked at Natasha lying in the bed. “This was clearly premeditated. Whoever did this was not only familiar with where you all lived, but also had a significant conflict with you recently. Natasha, think carefully — is there anyone you suspect?”

—