A stranger’s number sent Lin Xingwan a picture.
The image showed Zhou Jinbai, whom she couldn’t reach, sitting in a booth at a bar. A woman had her arms around his neck and was kissing his cheek.
Even though the woman was only seen from the side, her possessive pride and defiant aura were palpable.
The picture was accompanied by a message: “With just a word from me, Jinbai will come to me without hesitation. Stop calling him; he finds it annoying and has turned off his phone.”
After reading it, Lin Xingwan felt a chill run through her.
It was a bone-deep cold, as if it had seeped from her very marrow.
The stranger’s number must belong to the woman who loved Jinbai but couldn’t have him.
She refused to believe that Zhou Jinbai, who had promised to pick her up, would abandon her because of this woman’s words.
Even though the thought had crossed her mind, Lin Xingwan wouldn’t get angry at Zhou Jinbai for no reason like last time. She had promised him she would choose to believe him.
Lin Xingwan called Zhou Jinbai again, but this time, instead of ringing unanswered, his phone was directly switched off.
*Thud—*
Lin Xingwan felt something heavy crash down in her heart, causing immense pain, a pain that numbed her entire body.
She stopped calling Zhou Jinbai. She decided to wait for him to call her and explain what had happened.
Time ticked by, and when Lin Xingwan was finally discovered, it was already past three in the morning.
She was the only one sitting on the chairs in the hospital corridor.
The person who approached her was none other than Ge Xuensi, who had been missing for a while.
He had been busy filming “Xian Tu” and needed to shoot some scenes abroad, so Ge Xuensi had spent most of his time overseas.
With his popularity soaring and endorsement deals and variety shows flooding in, he no longer had the ample time to spend with Lin Xingwan as he used to.
In Ge Xuensi’s memory, Lin Xingwan had always been a distant, goddess-like figure.
He worked tirelessly, hoping to one day get closer to her.
But at this moment, Ge Xuensi felt that the woman before him seemed to have lost her divine aura.
The distance between them was shrinking, and it felt as if he could reach out and embrace the sun.
“Boss—” Ge Xuensi opened his mouth, and after a long pause, uttered these two words.
Lin Xingwan looked up blankly. Upon seeing Ge Xuensi, she finally spoke, “Why are you here?”
“Dr. Lu called Sister Qin, saying you were in trouble. Sister Qin wanted to come find you, but her injuries haven’t fully healed, so she called me to look after you.”
Ge Xuensi spoke to Lin Xingwan with a cautious and almost imperceptible tenderness.
His body, which had been incredibly thin and frail just a few months ago, had filled out with exercise and muscle gain. The youthful innocence on his face was receding, and the qualities of a man’s responsibility and commitment were gradually emerging.
“I’m fine,” Lin Xingwan said with a smile. “You should go back. I’m waiting for Mr. Dongfang to come out.”
It was less about waiting for Dongfang Junze and more about waiting for Zhou Jinbai, for an explanation, for him to say that something unexpected happened on his way, causing him to be late, rather than any other outcome.
Besides waiting for Zhou Jinbai’s explanation, Lin Xingwan felt she didn’t want to do anything else.
“It’s too cold here.” Although Ge Xuensi hadn’t touched Lin Xingwan, a slight proximity to her brought a chilling sensation.
“I don’t feel cold.” Seeing Ge Xuensi’s worried expression, Lin Xingwan forced a smile. “Really, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“Then I’ll wait with you for Mr. Dongfang to come out.” Ge Xuensi sat beside Lin Xingwan, deliberately leaning forward slightly to shield her from the cold wind blowing down the corridor.
Lin Xingwan fell silent, her mind replaying every moment from when she first met Zhou Jinbai until now.
Over and over again.
She refused to believe that Zhou Jinbai had truly done something like that because of that woman. She had to believe in Zhou Jinbai!
Meanwhile, in the operating room, Zhou Jinbai’s dislocated right hand had been reset, and Lu Shiyan was removing the last shard of glass.
The old lady, dressed in a surgical gown, stood about half a meter away, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Old Mrs. Dongfang, please don’t worry. Jinbai is no longer in any danger. He just needs to rest and recover,” Lu Shiyan said, trying to comfort her. Internally, however, he felt immense relief. If the truck that hit Zhou Jinbai had been slightly more forceful, the rod that pierced the driver’s heart might have also taken Zhou Jinbai’s life.
“Jinbai, my poor child, you shouldn’t have to endure this… you shouldn’t…” The old lady continued to cry. Heaven knew the shock she felt when she learned about the car accident from her precious granddaughter-in-law!
Dongfang Junze was indeed the title bestowed upon Jinbai within the Dongfang family.
Lu Shiyan didn’t know how to comfort the old lady and could only say, “What happened today was clearly intentional. Every few years, Jinbai has an accident, as if someone hiding in the shadows knows all his movements and weaknesses. To eliminate future trouble, we must find the mastermind.”
Although Lu Shiyan was Zhou Jinbai’s good friend, their acquaintance actually traced back several generations.
The Dongfang family had produced several emperors, and the Lu family had been their imperial physicians during the Dongfang family’s peak.
After centuries of development, the Lu family, relying on the Dongfang family, had also become a top-tier affluent family, specializing in running hospitals and selling medical equipment and supplies, thus amassing a fortune.
Countless wealthy and noble families sought to curry favor with the Lu family, whose status was exceptionally high!
However, they could never change the fact that in the eyes of the Dongfang family, they were simply family doctors.
Lu Shiyan was the most outstanding of his generation and was bestowed the honor of protecting Zhou Jinbai. Therefore, he was most aware of Zhou Jinbai’s health conditions over the years.
From the moment Zhou Jinbai was born, a formidable enemy lurked in the shadows, plotting to end his life.
Even with Zhou Jinbai’s utmost caution, an accident occurred almost every few years.
They had been searching for this mastermind for years, but all their efforts had been in vain.
The culprit seemed to know they were investigating and was aware of when they were doing so! This was the most troublesome aspect.
Upon hearing the words “mastermind,” the old lady’s grief-stricken face hardened with ferocity.
“The mastermind dares to harm my Dongfang family’s eldest grandson repeatedly! I, Fucha Wanrong, will surely find him and flay him alive!”
Zhou Jinbai was eventually moved to a private room specially prepared for him, and the old lady stayed by his side.
Of course, she had also called Lin Xingwan.
She told Lin Xingwan that Zhou Jinbai’s friend had an accident, so Zhou Jinbai had gone to help him resolve the issue.
The old lady was unaware that Lin Xingwan was still waiting at the hospital. Moreover, Lin Xingwan’s tone didn’t seem any different from usual, so the old lady didn’t think much of it.
Before hanging up, she even told Lin Xingwan to get some sleep.
Sleep?
She couldn’t sleep at all!
Her mind was racing with all sorts of wild thoughts, driving her to the brink of madness.
When dawn broke the next day, Lin Xingwan had still not seen Dongfang Junze being wheeled out of the emergency room.
Ge Xuensi ordered takeout. When the food arrived, Lin Xingwan had no appetite for it.
All night, Zhou Jinbai hadn’t called her.
No matter how much Lin Xingwan had chosen to believe Zhou Jinbai at the beginning, his actions made it impossible for her to control her thoughts.
“Eat something to fill your stomach. If you continue like this, you’ll collapse before Mr. Dongfang even comes out,” Ge Xuensi said to Lin Xingwan.
Rongcheng had significant temperature variations between morning and night. Even he, a grown man, felt his limbs go cold, let alone Lin Xingwan, whose constitution was weaker.
Yet, her fair cheeks were flushed red, and her eyes were moist, giving her a pitiful appearance as if she wanted to cry but was holding back. Ge Xuensi’s heart ached seeing her like this.
“I don’t want to eat. I have no appetite,” Lin Xingwan said weakly. She felt as if her head were a massive boulder, ready to crush her at any moment.
“Then I’ll take you to change your dressing. The bandages on your wound need to be removed,” Ge Xuensi said.
“It’s fine. I’ll wait a bit longer.”
Lin Xingwan stubbornly insisted on waiting.
“Clean your wound first, then come back to wait.”
This time, Ge Xuensi’s tone became firm.
She couldn’t understand what was going on in this woman’s head. Dongfang Junze was a powerful figure who could manipulate the world with a flip of his hand. If such an important person had an accident, countless people would be surrounding him. How could he possibly have time to attend to minor figures like them?
“I’m not going!” As soon as Lin Xingwan finished speaking, she felt a strong grip on her wrist.
Ge Xuensi lifted her from the chair and, with a princess carry, regardless of Lin Xingwan’s consent, he couldn’t bear to watch her torment herself any longer.
“Ge Xuensi, let me go!”
“Let go!”
Lin Xingwan tried to push him away, but she felt weak all over and couldn’t muster any strength. Her head felt increasingly heavy and dizzy.
She was in a daze, feeling lightheaded.
Ge Xuensi’s lips tightened, and he quickened his pace to mask his labored breathing.
Holding this woman was too soft, as if she had no bones.
He wished he could hold her like this forever!
In the end, Lin Xingwan, suffering from a high fever, fainted before Ge Xuensi could even carry her to the dressing area.
When she woke up again, it was already afternoon.
Lin Xingwan lay in the hospital bed, an IV drip in her arm.
The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was not to ask why she was in the ward, but to find her phone.
“Where’s my phone?” After searching for a long time without finding her phone, her hand, which was receiving the IV drip, moved erratically, causing the pillow to shift. A large bump quickly formed on the back of Lin Xingwan’s hand.
Ge Xuensi didn’t understand why Lin Xingwan was so concerned about her phone. He walked to the cabinet, opened it, and handed her the phone inside.
Lin Xingwan quickly opened her phone and checked it. Apart from a few concerned messages from Liu Mengqin, there was nothing else.
Zhou Jinbai hadn’t contacted her for almost twenty hours.
Just as Lin Xingwan’s mood plummeted into an ice cellar, the darkened phone screen suddenly lit up. The words ‘Husband’ appeared in the center of the screen.
Lin Xingwan immediately answered the call.
She couldn’t describe the surge of excitement she felt when she saw Zhou Jinbai calling. All the anger and grievances she had accumulated overnight vanished at that moment.
On the other end of the line, Zhou Jinbai’s voice sounded, “Wife—”
Lin Xingwan’s nose stung, and her eyes quickly reddened. She mumbled, “Didn’t you promise to pick me up last night?”
She had spent the entire night pondering this question, unable to find a suitable explanation. So, the best approach was to hear the real answer from him.
“My friend had an accident, so I went to help him resolve it.”
“An accident? What kind of accident? One that kept you so busy that you didn’t even call me or send a message!”
Zhou Jinbai’s grandmother had given her this excuse last night, but hearing it from Zhou Jinbai’s own mouth, Lin Xingwan inexplicably felt a surge of anger.
So, was that friend more important than her?
“I’m sorry, wife. My phone ran out of battery and turned off. I was busy dealing with my friend’s situation and didn’t notice you calling. When I realized my phone had shut down, I immediately charged it and called you.”
“Zhou Jinbai, answer my question. What happened to your friend? Could it be a car accident? Is he in critical condition, and you had to stay with him? What’s your friend’s name? Why haven’t you ever told me you had such a friend in all the time we’ve been married?”
Lin Xingwan was extremely annoyed by the man’s attempt to change the subject.
Zhou Jinbai on the other end of the line fell silent, his mind going blank, unable to think of a way to deceive his wife.
Lin Xingwan continued, “Let’s count the days. We’ve been married for over three months. Although we’ve spent most of our time together during these three months, last night I thought a lot. I know nothing about your past. Your friends, who appear out of nowhere, only come to my attention when they show up. You never voluntarily tell me about your past. Even the woman who pursued you, if it weren’t for the issue with the bracelet, you wouldn’t have told me.”
Lin Xingwan poured out the words she had been holding back. Ge Xuensi, standing beside her, longed to wipe the tears from her face and hated Zhou Jinbai for not cherishing the favor of a goddess.
“Wife, I…”
“Zhou Jinbai, what exactly were you doing last night?” Lin Xingwan’s tone suddenly turned cold. “We are husband and wife. I don’t want you to lie to me. You know my bottom line.”
After speaking, Lin Xingwan waited for Zhou Jinbai’s answer.
However, in the profound silence, she heard a suggestive sound from the phone.
“Mmm… gently… it hurts so much…”