1: Encounter

Hospital.

Ye Xiangwan was tending to a young girl's wounded knee, carefully wrapping the injury. As she turned to reach for the medical kit, she caught sight of Feng Jinyan—a man she hadn't seen in six years. She froze on the spot.

The man's face was as handsome as it had been all those years ago, though now, when he looked at her, there was a trace of coldness between his brows.

Feng Jinyan had returned…

The autumn in the capital had grown chilly. A gust of wind swept through the corridor, carrying with it a bleak scent that cleared the haze in Ye Xiangwan’s mind.

She took a deep breath and watched as Feng Jinyan slowly rose to his feet.

"Ye Xiangwan!"

Feng Jinyan narrowed his eyes, slowly sizing her up, his tone openly mocking and cold. "Seems I should have checked the almanac before leaving home today."

"Brother Jinyan, do you… know each other?" The girl, Lu Yuyao, asked in confusion.

"Know each other?"

Feng Jinyan let out a sneer, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked toward Ye Xiangwan. "A woman like her isn't even worthy of knowing me."

Ye Xiangwan's chest heaved violently. She looked at the young man who once adored her, now standing before her in a black suit, tall and imposing, an aura of hostility radiating from him. It felt as though a lifetime had passed.

The next moment, before anyone could react, Feng Jinyan raised his hand and pinned her against the wall.

"How do you still have the face to appear before me, hmm?"

Every word was spat out as if he'd crushed it between his teeth, his eyes ablaze with a pain-filled hatred.

Ye Xiangwan felt as if invisible hands were tearing at her heart and lungs, yet she looked greedily, almost masochistically, into those pale eyes. Her stomach twisted in agony, making her tremble, but she could not bring herself to look away.

"What’s going on here? I’m calling security!" A male doctor shouted, rushing over.

"Heh."

Feng Jinyan frowned and released her. His strong, well-defined fingers slowly, almost deliberately, brushed heavily along Ye Xiangwan’s cheek. "This face of yours is as useful as ever."

Ye Xiangwan tilted her head back slightly, feeling the searing heat of his fingertip glide over her skin. She bit down hard, the proximity so close that his familiar-yet-strange scent filled her lungs, leaving her dizzy.

"I'm fine, everyone, please get back to work," she said, striving to keep her voice steady as she stared fixedly at Feng Jinyan. Inside her loose white coat, her nails dug deep into her palms.

After a moment, she closed her eyes and murmured, just loud enough for only the two of them to hear, "Aren’t you afraid of people talking?"

"Afraid?!"

Feng Jinyan burst out laughing. "Ye Xiangwan, do you really think—"

Before he could finish, Ye Xiangwan pushed through the crowd and strode away, her coat flaring out behind her as she broke into a near run, as if fleeing for her life.

She couldn't bear to hear his cruel words, nor withstand the mocking hatred in his eyes.

She hurried into the locker room and was just about to close the door when a heavy palm slammed against it with a bang, the force making her stagger back several steps.

Feng Jinyan stood at the doorway, one hand braced against the frame, his eyes cold as ice. "You dare leave before I’m finished?"

"You…" Ye Xiangwan took a deep breath, her temples throbbing. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?"

Feng Jinyan let out a cold laugh, biting off every word. He slammed the door shut with a kick and locked it, then strode forward and seized her throat, shoving her hard against the wall.

"Feng Jinyan…" Ye Xiangwan let out a muffled groan, feeling his thumb press mercilessly against her artery, the pain of her constricting throat forcing her to clutch at his wrist.

"And you think you have the right to call my name, hmm?!"

Feng Jinyan’s fingers tightened, the muscles in his forearm standing rigid, veins bulging.

He truly seemed to want to strangle her.

"Kh… kh, kh, kh…" Ye Xiangwan couldn’t stop herself from coughing violently, yet she released his wrist, her posture one of utter surrender.

The suffocating pain made her vision blur, but she could still feel the cold sharpness in his gaze, as if it were slicing her soul apart.

After a moment, the pressure at her throat eased abruptly. Her vision swam; she bent over, clutching her neck, gasping for air.

"I didn’t expect you’d still hold onto this even after the screen shattered."

Feng Jinyan glanced at the phone he’d just snatched from her, looking at its cracked screen with a sneer. "What? Out of money? Did you spend all those millions in breakup fees? Or did your lover spend it all for you?"

Ye Xiangwan straightened abruptly, glaring at him, her teeth sinking into her lower lip.

"What’s wrong?"

Feng Jinyan loomed over her, bracing one palm against the wall beside her head. "From your expression, did I hit the mark?"

Ye Xiangwan felt as if every organ inside her was being crushed and shattered. She raised her hand and shoved him away. "Haven’t you said enough?!"

Feng Jinyan took several steps back, a fleeting darkness passing through his eyes. He narrowed them. "You dared to do it, but you’re afraid to admit it?"

"It’s not how you think!" Ye Xiangwan bit her lip, trying to explain.

Feng Jinyan laughed bitterly. "Then why don’t you tell me what really happened? Six years ago, you asked my family for money for another man and even deceived me. You still won’t admit it? Go ahead, make something up. I want to see what story you’ll tell!"

Ye Xiangwan looked at the bloodshot fury in his eyes, her lips trembling, but she could not utter a single word.

Seeing her silence, Feng Jinyan hurled her phone at her feet. "Ye Xiangwan, you’re utterly heartless! In the end, I still foolishly held onto hope, thinking you’d come find me and explain. Instead, all I got was your betrayal."

Pressed against the wall, Ye Xiangwan felt a sharp, relentless pain in her chest, her hands shaking.

The man she loved now hated her to the bone.

"There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask…" Feng Jinyan’s gaze was sharp, but his eyes revealed a touch of sorrow. "Six years ago, I wanted to know—"

Ye Xiangwan watched as his pale lips parted to speak, and she went still.

"Did you really… use me from the very beginning, just to get more money?"

She stared blankly at Feng Jinyan. After six years, she had thought this man would be nothing like the one in her memory, but to her surprise, he was still the same—seemingly cold and unfeeling, yet deep down, gentle and passionate.

With a bitter smile, Ye Xiangwan sighed softly. "I—"

"Forget it. There’s no point in asking anymore."

Before she could finish, panicked screams erupted from outside, followed by chaos and the sounds of things breaking.

Both of them froze, but Ye Xiangwan reacted quickly, turning and rushing out the door.

There were many emergency patients today, most unable to move easily. She worried that the commotion in the hospital would affect them, and she sprinted down the corridor.

PS: Alternate title: Love Blooming in the Dust. A story of intense torment with a touch of sweetness; the male lead is merciless, the heroine refuses to be cowed, their love a constant battle—a tug of war of hearts…