Chapter 574: Chapter 545: Humiliation Beyond Measure

The battle-hardened veteran Zhao Daqiang would never flinch in the face of enemy fire, but now he couldn’t remain calm. He slammed the table with his hand and roared, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

His voice was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. Not many people were focused on the big screen before, but now they all turned toward the center of the stage.

In the photo, Pei Lin lay on a bed, and though not much was exposed, a man with a bare back covered her key parts. Still, this photo was even more suggestive.

The scene instantly erupted. People pulled out their phones to capture the moment, fearing it would soon pass.

Zhao Feiyang glanced back, his face turning livid. He had never been so humiliated in his life.

Pei Lin felt her mind go blank. She never expected such an incident at the wedding she worked so hard to secure. The woman in the photo was her, yet she had no memory of the picture, nor was the back of the man familiar to her.

Zhao Daqiang grabbed a bottle of Wuliangye on the table and smashed it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

He shouted with all his might, "I do not agree!"

After saying this, he turned to leave but collapsed to the ground after just two steps, leaving those around him too late to catch him.

Gao Xinhua was the first to rush out; this was his old company commander who never fell under enemy fire but fell at his son’s wedding.

The big screen behind went dark, and the lights came on. The excellent host Ma Xi quickly tried to cover, "Ladies and gentlemen, there were some issues with today’s recording, but nothing in this world is perfect."

Zhao Feiyang pushed him aside, causing Ma Xi to stumble and nearly fall.

Zhao Feiyang witnessed the whole scene of his father’s rage and collapse. To hell with the wedding! If anything happens to his father because of this, he won’t forgive those who planned it, nor will he forgive Pei Lin.

Pei Lin stood alone on the stage. After a brief mental blank, she quickly regained her composure and approached Ma Xi.

Ma Xi instinctively stepped back, realizing Pei Lin just wanted the microphone. Even the best hosts wouldn’t know how to handle such a scene.

The guests widened their eyes. Parents who brought their children quickly covered their eyes, fearing the heated photos would taint their innocent sight and pure souls.

Pei Yu covered her mouth, worried about her cousin. After all, Pei Lin fainted without warning during the welcoming ceremony earlier today.

Despite such a shock, Pei Lin remained calm and spoke into the microphone, "The photos on the screen are not me. The innocent will be proven innocent. Regardless of who orchestrated this, I won’t let them get away with it. I will pursue this to the end."

As she said this, Pei Lin glanced at Xu Chunliang’s table, who thought to himself, why are you looking at me? I didn’t put those photos up.

Wu Fajun’s expression was also dark and uncertain.

Tang Jinglun and his nephew Tang Tianyi exchanged a look, both having strange expressions. Tang Jinglun was worried about whether this incident would affect Hua Nian’s stock price, while Tang Tianyi thought Pei Lin was quite the player, and that Zhao Feiyang was thoroughly embarrassed this time.

Pei Lin said, "I have decided to temporarily cancel the wedding with Feiyang. I apologize to everyone." She bowed deeply, showing sincerity. One must admit, Pei Lin handled it exceptionally well. A different bride might have run away in tears, but Pei Lin was no ordinary person. She knew fleeing wouldn’t help.

In front of everyone, she dialed 110, calling the police. She wanted their intervention to prove her innocence; it was the only solution she could think of.

Zhao Feiyang’s mind was entirely on his father. He immediately dialed 120. His father lay motionless on the ground. The old man, who spent his life on the battlefield, valued his reputation most. Yet such a scandal erupted at his son’s second wedding, like a public slap to his face, more painful than any slap.

Xu Chunliang also stepped forward, but Zhao Daqiang was already surrounded by specialists from Changxing Hospital, with Deputy Director Qin Guoliang, head of the cardiology department, among them.

When Xu Chunliang arrived, Qin Guoliang was performing CPR on Elder Zhao.

Xu Chunliang realized that even in Western medicine, CPR is all they can do in such situations. His only thought was to save a life, forgetting all about his medical license troubles, though getting into the circle of experts was difficult.

Xu Chunliang loudly said, "Let me take a look."

Zhao Feiyang glared at him, "What’s it to you?"

Xu Chunliang earnestly said, "I want to help..."

"Get out of the way!"

Zhao Feiyang pushed him away. At this moment, the ambulance arrived, and a group of people hurried to carry Zhao Daqiang onto the stretcher.

Chunliang wanted to follow, but Gao Xinhua grabbed him. Gao Xinhua understood very well that Chunliang wanted to help save lives, but in the current situation, no one would trust a young man without a medical license. It didn’t matter that he was from Huichun Hall; even if Elder Xu were present, he would be powerless.

With so many medical experts around, Zhao Feiyang couldn’t possibly entrust his father’s life to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

Gao Xinhua also didn’t believe that Chunliang could be of much help. He had faith in miracles; the old company commander had survived so many life-and-death battles and would make it through this ordeal as well.

Moreover, Zhao Feiyang was the director of Changxing Hospital, and there were many experts on-site. The ambulance arrived promptly, and the wedding location was not far from Changxing.

When you don’t belong in the circle, you’re bound to be pushed out even if you try to squeeze in. Chunliang felt powerless; all he could do now was pray for Elder Zhao’s safety.

The situation had escalated to such an extent that no one knew how to wrap it up. The guests on site realized the meal wouldn’t happen and began to leave one by one.

One had to admire Pei Lin’s strength. Even in such circumstances, she insisted on apologizing and seeing people off. In reality, most guests left without saying goodbye to her. With such an incident, they didn’t know how to face the bride, so leaving quietly was best, to avoid awkwardness.

The police arrived after receiving the report, controlled the relevant personnel, and took some people from the wedding company and hotel for questioning. Regardless of whether the video was real or fake, the plotters behind it were already suspected of committing a crime.

Chunliang left with Fu Guomin, and the two headed to Changxing to see what was happening, hoping that Elder Zhao could escape danger.

Fu Guomin drove over today. He was old friends with Zhao Feiyang and had once envied Zhao Feiyang for getting married to a young and attractive wife the second time around. But the incident just now made Fu Guomin realize the risks involved for people of their age marrying young and beautiful girls. Apart from potential impacts on careers, there was the danger of "growing grass on their heads" – if not careful, it could spread into a vast Hulunbuir Grassland.

However, truth be told, Pei Lin did have a great figure. Zhao Feiyang was considered fortunate; before today’s incident, he had both wealth and beauty.

The two arrived at the hospital. Fu Guomin parked the car, and Chunliang got out, running into the neurology department’s director, Zhao Yongsheng, who was rushing by. Zhao Yongsheng nodded to him as a greeting, then headed straight for the ICU.

On the way, Zhao Feiyang had already summoned experts from Changxing Hospital to participate in the rescue.

On their way to the ICU, Chunliang and Fu Guomin encountered several department heads. For some reason, Chunliang felt a growing sense of unease. Before they even arrived at the ICU, they heard about Elder Zhao’s death.

In fact, Zhao Daqiang had lost his breathing and heartbeat after being admitted to the ICU.

What happened at today’s wedding deeply stimulated this old commander, triggering a brain hemorrhage.

Unfortunately, the bleeding occurred at the brainstem. Generally, brainstem hemorrhages account for about ten percent of clinical cases of cerebral hemorrhage. Though the incidence is not high, the onset is acute, the condition dangerous, and the prognosis poor. It is the deadliest and most poorly prognosed among all strokes, often occurring in the pons. This brain hemorrhage of Zhao Daqiang resulted from a rupture of the perforating artery supplied by the basilar artery to the pons.

The key to treating brainstem hemorrhage is timeliness, racing against the clock.

Controlling blood pressure is crucial. The blood pressure must be lowered to normal or slightly elevated levels quickly after a stroke to effectively prevent re-bleeding and further development of the condition.

The mortality rate for brainstem hemorrhages is very high, generally over 60-70%. Since the brainstem regulates critical life signs such as breathing, blood pressure, and heartbeat, any hemorrhage in this area often disrupts these vital functions. A significant portion of those with brainstem hemorrhages die immediately.

Zhao Daqiang unfortunately became one of these people. Though he was discovered promptly after the onset and received first-rate expert rescue, his condition was too perilous, and these experts were ultimately powerless to save him.

At the ICU door, Chunliang encountered Gao Xinhua. Gao Xinhua was leaning against the corridor window, smoking vigorously, his eyes bloodshot.

Chunliang whispered, "Uncle Gao."

Gao Xinhua pressed his lips, nodded, and wanted to say something but ultimately couldn’t speak. Even now, he couldn’t accept the reality; he was a soldier brought up by the old company commander. The old company commander was not only his good elder brother but also his hero. Without the old company commander, there would be no Gao Xinhua today.

The old company commander had said countless times that his ideal end was to die in battle, wrapped in horse hide. Such a wish was hardly achievable in peacetime, but no one thought the old company commander would die at his son’s wedding.

Gao Xinhua experienced that familiar pain once again, the kind that pierced the soul, the kind he only felt when losing close comrades on the battlefield.

Gao Xinhua finally calmed down and, with trembling hands, took out his phone. He called his old comrade Zhan Aihua. Upon hearing the bad news, Zhan Aihua cried over the phone, "Old Gao, you’re not lying to me, are you?"

Gao Xinhua repeated, "The commander is gone!"