2: Contradiction

Rounding the corner, I was met with a chaotic mob swarming the lobby, throwing punches. The lead doctor’s face was already bloodied.

I charged into the fray, seized the instigator’s arm, twisted it with all my might, and drove my knee into his lower back. Suddenly, a chorus of gasps erupted around me. Before I could process what was happening, I was shoved aside with immense force.

"Hiss!"

I turned back to see Feng Jinyan clutching his right arm with his left hand, his handsome brow furrowed. Nearby, a man stood frozen in panic, still holding a heavy IV stand.

"Everyone, stop!"

Feng Jinyan barked the command. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, his presence was incredibly imposing. The room fell silent instantly, though two seconds later, a flurry of intense whispers broke out.

Feng Jinyan’s flawless face was practically a household name in the capital. The Feng family held a pivotal position in the business world, standing as titans of the city, and as their sole heir, Feng Jinyan’s status was undeniably prestigious. A man like him was destined to shine.

While everyone else was buzzing with excitement at the sight of him, I gasped, rushing over to him to check his right arm. He tried to pull it away.

"Don't move, it's fractured."

I frowned, my heart surging with unease at the fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. I turned and pulled him by his left arm away from the crowd, while security guards held back the commotion behind us.

Once we were clear of the mob, Feng Jinyan pulled his arm away. I paused, but without looking back, I silently continued walking. Knowing I was taking him for an X-ray, he followed in silence. Once the films were taken, I had the department head handle his treatment personally.

An hour later, I looked at Feng Jinyan, who was leaning back in his chair with his right arm in a sling, his expression indifferent. "Thank you," I said softly.

Feng Jinyan scoffed, his eyes cold. "Don’t flatter yourself. I didn't get hurt for your sake. With everyone in white coats in that chaos, if I had realized it was you, I never would have stepped in."

I looked at him, bewildered. Did he really not recognize me? But if he had... I didn't dare think further. I closed my eyes. After all, if there is no hope, there can be no disappointment; that had been my rule for a long time.

After a long silence, I spoke again. "You’re bound to be in the news. Don’t you need to arrange for someone to handle this?" For the young master of the Feng family, making the headlines was never a good thing.

Feng Jinyan sneered, "In such a rush to get rid of me? You really haven't changed—only ever caring about money."

I frowned, bending down to pick up my phone, which had been smashed to pieces on the floor. It was still powered on, but the screen was jagged and sharp. Through the spiderweb cracks in the glass, I checked the time and realized I was definitely going to be late for dinner.

I turned to him. "I'm sorry, I have things to attend to. You..."

"Leaving? You're leaving while I'm like this?" Feng Jinyan glared at me, almost laughing in anger. "You’re just a doctor; are you really that busy? Or are you off to sleep with another rich kid?"

"I have a tutoring session." I gritted my teeth and endured his biting tone. I scribbled my phone number on a sticky note and held it out. "If you..."

"Forget it." Feng Jinyan grabbed my wrist and used his left hand to pull a card from his wallet, slapping it onto the table. "Take as much as you want. I’ll pay for your time for a month—you’re coming back with me."

The thin card echoed the disdainful gaze of that woman from years ago. I hadn't done anything wrong, yet both mother and son had trampled on my self-respect with such contempt. I looked down at the card and suddenly felt a desperate urge to laugh. I would never forget how that woman had looked at me with such joy while I stood, broken and desperate, in front of the ICU.

I didn't hold it back. I leaned against the table and let out a soft laugh that grew increasingly absurd and pathetic, until I was shaking uncontrollably.

Even Feng Jinyan, who thought he knew me best, had never seen me like this. In his memory, I was always diligent and independent, only acting like a fragile woman when I was with him. Seeing this unfamiliar version of me, he furrowed his brow. "What are you laughing at?!"

He yanked me up by the wrist, our eyes locked in a fierce confrontation.

"Feng Jinyan, I am a doctor, not an escort." My voice was as cold as ice.

"Ha, playing the saint?" He tightened his grip on my hand. "What’s the difference? Ye Xiangwan, if you’re so good at acting, it’s a shame you aren't an actress."

I looked down at the back of my hand, where the veins were bulging from the restricted blood flow. I took a deep breath and wrenched my hand away from his burning grip. He was caught off guard, but quickly grabbed my shoulders and spun me back around, his grip bruising.

"That's enough!" I pushed him away. "Don't force me to call the police!"

No sooner had the words left my lips than the world spun.

*Thud.*

I was thrown hard to the ground. The pain was so sharp I couldn't even cry out. I clutched my forehead in disbelief, dazed and unable to recover.

"Call the police? How naive!"

Feng Jinyan straightened his clothes beside me. His face was in shadow, but his voice was dark and hoarse. "Ye Xiangwan, if we had never met again, perhaps the past could have stayed in the past. But now that I’ve caught you, you will never have an easy day for the rest of your life."

I lay on the cold floor, my vision blurring. Suddenly, a violent cramp tore through my stomach, forcing me to curl into a ball. Over the last six years, I had cut ties with my family, working to pay off that woman’s debts, barely finding time to eat or sleep, which had effectively ruined my stomach.

It couldn't handle late nights, cold food, hunger, or emotional distress, or the pain would be unbearable. Today, I hadn't eaten on time, and on top of the exhaustion, I had been treated so brutally by my ex-boyfriend.

"Hmm? Not feeling well?"

Feng Jinyan’s voice rang out above me. I opened my eyes slightly, caught a glimpse of him, and weakly closed them again.

"Acting again?"

Though he said it, his voice carried a trace of worry. Watching my pale lips and the cold sweat on my brow, he leaned down, scooped me up, and placed me on the sofa.

"Still going to keep acting?!" He glared down at me. "I was careful when I threw you. If you want money, I’ll give it to you—just stop the act."