Volume 1, Chapter 33: Ning Yu, if you have the guts, say that to my face again.

Li Shiyan looked at the report without even lifting his eyelids. "She has a fiancé. Why should I look at it?"

Cheng Xiuming: ...So now you remember she has a fiancé? Why didn't I see you remembering that when you were sleeping with her?

Cheng Xiuming stared at Li Shiyan for two seconds before asking, "I’ll let that slide, since we’re brothers who’ve been through thick and thin. But Zhou Yunming is a wolf that can never be satisfied. If you don’t give him a big chunk of meat, would he agree to handle this for you?"

Li Shiyan still didn't look up. "I gave it to him."

"What did you give him?"

"The building in the east of the city and the Qianshui Bay project, both."

He said it lightly, as casually as discussing whether to eat at the cafeteria tomorrow or the day after.

It gave Cheng Xiuming a jolt. He looked at the car keys in his own hand. "You just gave away the equivalent of three limited-edition Koenigseggs just like that?"

Li Shiyan slowly raised his eyes to look at him. "Small change."

Cheng Xiuming fell silent, regretting that he hadn't picked the most expensive car in the Beishan Villa garage. He stared at Li Shiyan for a long time, no longer intending to ask what the esteemed Doctor Li thought of him. Instead, he began to discern some meaning from the two of them.

One gives away a project worth tens of millions as if it were nothing, all while claiming it’s for revenge. The other seems indifferent, yet is so attentive that no one understands Doctor Li better than she does.

Interesting.

Li Shiyan frowned and tapped the table. "If you're idle, go work overtime."

"Fine, fine, overtime it is. I also need to strive to keep up with our Doctor Li, saving lives and serving the people," Cheng Xiuming said with a shrug. He turned and grabbed a piece of rare Laobanzhang tea cake from the cabinet before leaving.

The emergency room returned to silence. The motion-sensor lights in the hallway went out. Once it was quiet, the woman’s tearful cry of "Little Brother" echoed in Li Shiyan’s ears once more. She had cried as if her life depended on it—and it was unclear whose life she was actually staking.

His phone chimed with a notification. He swiped his finger to read a message from an unknown number: [Home now. Many thanks, Fifth Master.]

He glanced at it, and just as he was about to turn his phone face down, another message came in: [That time in the car, I provoked the wrong person. Fifth Master said one more time would settle the score. Today was an accidental encounter, which could be considered fulfilling that appointment. Since Fifth Master had his fill, the past should be wiped clean. I will never bother you again, nor will I add to your troubles. I wish you success in everything.]

Li Shiyan let out a cold snort, as if he had just heard the world's biggest joke, and mockingly tossed the phone aside.

Wiped clean? What kind of "wiped clean" was that?

***

When Ning Yu arrived at the Ning household, her mother’s expression was grim. Perhaps not expecting Ning Yunyun to get involved, she didn't have the heart to question her. Lin Haoyu had been dragged away by her precious daughter, Ning Yunyun. No matter what, Mother Ning couldn't blame Ning Yu for that.

Ning Yu went upstairs, but she couldn't sleep. She felt that things hadn't gone as smoothly as they seemed, and her heart was filled with unease. She habitually flipped through photos of Yanyan, who was now eight years old. The more she looked, the more helpless she felt. At birth, it was hard to tell—the baby's face had been all wrinkled and honestly a bit ugly. So many years had passed, and even Yanyan had grown up, with that little face looking more and more like Li Shiyan’s.

Thinking of Li Shiyan, Ning Yu felt a complex mix of emotions. His attitude today had revealed a great deal. She wanted to say something, but couldn't bring herself to do it face-to-face. A message would have to do. She typed out two sentences, deleted them, edited them, and finally, after more than half an hour, sent two messages.

Over the next half month, Ning Yu returned to her normal routine at school, finally feeling as though her life was back on track. Her engagement banquet with Lin Haoyu was only two weeks away, and with the school assigning her more classes than before, she gradually became busy.

One day, just after Ning Yu finished her class, Yang Qianyun, a teacher from the desk next to hers, rushed over and said, "Xiao Yu! Xiao Yu! My third uncle is back in the country!"

"Really? Yunyun, can you help me get an appointment with him? I’ll pay any fee or gift as requested!" Ning Yu was overjoyed.

Yang Qianyun came from a scholarly family; all of them were intellectuals, either teachers or doctors. It just so happened that her third uncle was one of the top ophthalmologists in the country. He had been working abroad and had experience with the kind of eye condition that she and Yanyan had. Although he might not be as skilled as those connected to Father Ning, he was still a top-tier expert domestically—certainly the best resource she could hope to reach at this stage.

Ning Yu had been blind for a period of time; she understood the agony of it too well and refused to let go of even the slightest possibility. Even if it meant treating a dead horse as if it were alive, she had to try.

"My third uncle just started working at the Provincial People's Hospital. He’s probably very busy right now, so a private consultation might be impossible," Yang Qianyun said with a touch of helplessness. "But I can tell him about your situation beforehand. When you go, you can just register for his queue and say you’re my colleague. He’ll surely be as thorough and helpful as he can."

"Thank you so much!" Ning Yu was moved. That very day, she bought a designer bag that Yang Qianyun had been wanting as a thank-you gift.

Yang Qianyun helped her register for the appointment, choosing the next day when Ning Yu had no classes. Ning Yu waited in the clinic area, clutching her bag and phone, her eyes fixed on the display screen. She was more nervous than if she were the one being treated.

He was a top-tier expert for a reason. Although Ning Yu had registered early, she had only managed to snag the very last slot of the morning.

***

It was almost time for the lunch break, and there were still three patients ahead of her. It seemed there was no hope for the morning.

Ning Yu had been so nervous all morning that she hadn't eaten anything, only drinking some water. As noon approached, her hypoglycemia kicked in, and she felt dizzy. Clutching her patient slip, she turned to head downstairs to buy some chocolate, but the moment she turned, her vision went black and she collided head-on with someone.

Cheng Xiuming had been in the middle of a sentence, but seeing the scene, his words shifted: "Quite the coincidence, isn't it?"

Hearing Cheng Xiuming’s voice, Ning Yu instinctively looked up. Seeing the man before her, she instantly became half-sober. "...Doctor Cheng, Doctor Li, I'm sorry."

Doctor Li?

Cheng Xiuming raised an eyebrow as if watching a show. Was there... a new development?

Li Shiyan’s gaze landed on her pale face, but he spoke to Cheng Xiuming: "You go first."

"You got it." Cheng Xiuming turned and left without a second glance. The first rule of survival in this world: some shows are best watched only at the beginning. If you insist on seeing the end, you’re bound to be in for some bad luck.

Ning Yu’s wrist was suddenly gripped tightly in a palm. Before she could react, the man dragged her forward with brute force. Her vision was still swimming, and with his rough movements and the eyes of everyone around them, she struggled to pull her hand back. "Doctor Li... Li Shiyan... Li Shiyan, let me go!"

Ning Yu couldn't tell how many people they passed, only that she was dragged into an empty restroom and pressed against the cold wall.

"Are you sick, Li Shiyan?" Ning Yu was dizzy and furious, feeling like biting him.

Just as she finished, the man pressed something into her mouth with his fingertip.

"What are you..." Before she could ask, the grape-flavored candy began to melt on her tongue.

She stared straight at him. Their gazes collided in the air.

Time ticked by, and as the candy melted and vanished, Ning Yu began to recover, the fire in her heart fading. She looked at the man before her and swallowed with difficulty. "I remember, I already made it clear to the Fifth Master last time."

Li Shiyan sneered. "Ning Yu, if you have the guts, try saying 'settled' to my face one more time."