Chapter 104 — That Hurts

"As far as I know, there isn’t a single doctor named Yu on this floor, so it’s no wonder you lost your way!" Cheng Yishu’s expression could only be described as beaming with delight as he looked at the only thing visible of Lin Xiaowen’s face—those round, confused eyes.

At last, the perplexed Lin Xiaowen realized something, albeit slowly, and blurted out, "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have work to do, so I’ll be leaving now… Hey—"

How could Cheng Yishu possibly let this little white rabbit, already in his grasp, slip away? With one arm, he caught her waist, and with the other, swiftly plucked off the oversized mask from her face. Lin Xiaowen stared in astonishment as the innocent mask floated to the floor. When she raised her head, she met Cheng Yishu’s unhurried, composed gaze.

Lin Xiaowen opened her mouth, blinking, her breath catching as she looked at him. So, he had seen through her all along?

"So you saw through me from the start? You were teasing me on purpose, weren’t you?" Lin Xiaowen glared at Cheng Yishu, indignant. And to think she’d been so worried about him, flying across the country just to see him for a moment! He was actually enjoying all this! Did he really find her anxious embarrassment so amusing?

"Who was teasing you? You were the one who lied to me first!" Cheng Yishu tightened his embrace, looking down at her.

"I… When did I lie to you? Let me go!" Lin Xiaowen wriggled uncomfortably. What kind of hospital was this? The nurse’s uniform, which should have been solemn and modest, was not only so short but also made of such thin fabric that she could distinctly feel the heat of Cheng Yishu’s palm.

"And you say you didn’t lie?" Cheng Yishu’s gaze was steady. "Didn’t you say you didn’t love me anymore? Then why would you travel all the way to the border of the country just to see me? You were worried about me, weren’t you? You heard about the incident with the crew and couldn’t wait to fly here just to make sure I was safe, isn’t that right?"

Struck to the core, Lin Xiaowen forgot to struggle, staring at him as the joy in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"So, when you said you wanted to break up with me, that was a lie too, wasn’t it?" Cheng Yishu’s voice softened, his gaze burning into hers.

"I… That’s not it, I didn’t come to find you… I came… I…" Lin Xiaowen stammered, flustered, unable to find any words. Her cheeks flushed as she struggled for an excuse, on the verge of tears.

"If you don’t know what to say, then don’t say anything. Or perhaps, I can give you the answer…" Cheng Yishu was suddenly filled with tenderness, pained by her confusion and distress.

He bent down and kissed her trembling lips, and at last Lin Xiaowen’s anxiety found its harbor. For so many days and nights, in so many moments of memory, Cheng Yishu’s shadow had been everywhere.

The domineering Cheng Yishu, the gentle Cheng Yishu, the indulgent Cheng Yishu, the childish Cheng Yishu… all of them were him. It felt as if her heart was already full to bursting, crammed with his image. She didn’t even need to think of him deliberately, because he was always there.

Cheng Yishu paid no mind to the stubble that had grown in the night, rubbing painfully against Lin Xiaowen’s skin. He even wanted her to cry out from the discomfort, just so he could be certain that the woman he was kissing was truly Lin Xiaowen, not a figment of his imagination, not a dream.

The thin fabric of her uniform was pressed tightly against the cold tile wall, the chill gradually sobering Lin Xiaowen. What was she doing?

Ranyan… Sinan… the Si family… and Cheng Yishu’s new girlfriend, that girl called An’an…

No, she had only come here to make sure Cheng Yishu was safe. She hadn’t thought of anything else—really, she hadn’t…

With a burst of strength, Lin Xiaowen pushed away the stunned Cheng Yishu and looked at him breathlessly, her lips slightly swollen and still damp.

"No, that’s not it at all…" Though her words were incoherent, Lin Xiaowen’s gaze had lost all confusion.

"Then what is it?" Cheng Yishu, barely containing his impatience, demanded in a loud voice. "Don’t tell me you came to Yunnan for a vacation, that you just happened to wander into this hospital, that you wandered from room to room in that outfit for some other ridiculous reason!"

"Lin Xiaowen, do you really take me for a fool? I may not be that smart, but I’m not so stupid as to be fooled by you again and again!"

"You said you didn’t love me, and I believed it! You said you wanted to give Ranyan a good life, a good future, and I believed that too! But you already have all those things—so why are you here?" Gripping her arm so tightly it hurt, Cheng Yishu forced her to look at him. "Or is it that, after your family reunion, you found ordinary life too dull and came looking for excitement? If so, then congratulations—you’ve succeeded. I’ll be your lover, even at your beck and call if that’s what you want!" The words came out through clenched teeth.

"Cheng Yishu!" Lin Xiaowen’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at him, her voice trembling. "Do you even know what you’re saying? Or do you really think that’s the kind of woman I am?"

Cheng Yishu was breathing heavily, glaring at her, but the words ready to burst from his lips were forced back by the sight of her tears.

"Cheng Yishu! You’re such a bastard!" Lin Xiaowen wrenched her arm free, wiped at her eyes, and turned to leave.

But Cheng Yishu leapt forward, blocking her path, and fixed her with his gaze. "Since you’ve called me a bastard, then I’ll show you just how much of one I can be!"

"What… What are you going to do?" This new, dangerous Cheng Yishu made Lin Xiaowen suddenly afraid.

He only curled his lips into a smile, hoisted her over his shoulder, and before Lin Xiaowen could even scream, he said, "You’d better behave, or the two of us will make the news together. I don’t mind, but you’re the wife of the Randong Group’s president—whether you cooperate or not is up to you!"

With that, he pushed open the stairwell door beside the washroom and carried Lin Xiaowen straight downstairs.

Lin Xiaowen fell silent for a moment. But when she realized that in the quiet stairwell, even if she made a fuss, there was little chance of being discovered, she began to struggle again.

"Cheng Yishu, put me down… Do you hear me?"

"If you don’t want to fall and break something, you’d better behave. What a pity it would be if such a pretty little nurse ended up with a broken arm or leg!" Cheng Yishu carried her as if it were nothing, while Lin Xiaowen, being so thin, felt her bones grinding painfully against his shoulder.

"Cheng Yishu… Stop, I can walk myself…"

"No way. If you can pretend to be a nurse, who knows what other tricks you’ll pull? If you run off again, where will I find you?" Cheng Yishu was shameless.

"No… Yishu, please put me down… You’re hurting me…" Lin Xiaowen muttered weakly in pain, and Cheng Yishu, startled, stopped at once.

He bent to set her down, and in the light from the stairwell window, he noticed the pallor of her face.

"Xiaowen, what’s wrong? Are you feeling ill…?"

Cheng Yishu felt a pang of guilt—how could he have been so reckless?

"What do you mean, what’s wrong?" Lin Xiaowen snapped at him, glaring. "It’s just that you’re too thin… You nearly crushed me to death!"