I leaned on his shoulder. “Don’t lie to me. I just hope you tell me the truth.” I had already betrayed so many people by being with him. If this happiness was another deception, I would truly go crazy.
Ye Zhengchen took a phone call, quickly got dressed. “I have something to do; I’ll be back soon.”
Before leaving, he placed a warm towel on my face, instructing me to rest. The warmth was comforting against my skin. At the doorway, he kissed my forehead. “Don’t overthink. Leave everything to me. Rest assured.”
“I’m not reassured. You’re so cunning; who knows what you might do?”
He leaned close, his breath warm against my ear. “Even if I carve out someone’s heart, it’s to win a smile from my beauty.”
I laughed. “Go on, I’m not a seductress.”
“Thankfully you’re not.”
I thought I wasn’t Su Daji, and Ye Zhengchen wouldn’t be a cruel King Zhou. I underestimated him. For me, he would “carve out” someone’s heart – Yin Zhongtian’s.
Near dusk, I received a call from Yin Zhongtian. He wanted to meet under the old elm tree, his tone unusually calm. I was somewhat excited and arrived breathless.
The old elm tree’s leaves were mostly fallen. The withered vine and tree created a melancholic autumn atmosphere.
Yin Zhongtian stood under the tree, impeccably dressed, but his expression showed the pain in his eyes. As I got out of the car, he walked towards me, studying my face. I had let my hair down to cover the wound on my forehead. The swelling had subsided, leaving only faint purple marks I covered with powder.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
I touched my forehead and forced a smile. “No, it doesn’t. I know you didn’t really hit me…”
He clenched and then released his hands. “Do you really love him?”
I lowered my head, recalling how Yin Zhongtian loved to sit here, sharing his life plans and ideals. I once thought he was the most remarkable man, but now I saw the distance between ideals and reality.
“Let’s break up!” He said urgently, as if afraid he couldn’t say it again.
I nodded, unable to respond, and nodded again heavily. “Xiao Bing, I know being with him is what will make you happy.”
Yin Zhongtian’s last sentence left me stunned. He walked away before I could react. I had betrayed him, and his anger was reasonable, as was his decision to end things. Yet, why did his last sentence feel like a sacrifice or blessing? His calm reaction was bewildering; he seemed to have let go of all resentment and anger overnight. This didn’t make sense unless Ye Zhengchen had said something to him.
I called Ye Zhengchen to ask if he had met with Yin Zhongtian. A friend answered, saying Ye Zhengchen was busy in Beijing but would come to Nanzhou to see me later.
Having been in the hospital for too long, I became sensitive to certain sounds. I faintly heard someone shouting: “Doctor, doctor…” followed by the squeaking of a cart.
Remembering Ye Zhengchen studied medicine, I thanked the friend and was about to hang up when they jokingly said, “This time you’ll have to wait for him…”
I awkwardly replied, “Hmm.”
In the evening, Ye Zhengchen called back, his voice heavy with sleepiness. “Girlie, miss me?”
I lay in bed, pulling the pillow into my arms, smiling. “Are you dreaming?”
There was silence on the phone, as if he had fallen asleep again. Just as I hesitated to wake him, he asked, “Is there something you want from me?”
“Yin Zhongtian came to see me today…” My tone dropped. “We broke up.”
“Hmm,” he responded flatly.
“Did you tell him anything?”
“What do you want me to tell him?” he countered. “That you slept with me against your will? That you did it to get him out of prison…”
I realized it was a stupid question. How could Ye Zhengchen tell Yin Zhongtian? He would prefer that he never knew.
“Good you didn’t say anything, and don’t in the future,” I said, my face buried in the pillow that held his scent. “I was willing… even if it killed me…”
A light laugh came through the phone. “I know.”
My face flushed. “I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m going to sleep.”
“Okay, I’ll come find you when I’m free.”
Confirming that Ye Zhengchen hadn’t said anything settled my heart.
I didn’t want Yin Zhongtian to know. I hoped he would hate me, give up on me, and meet a woman who truly cared for him.
Suddenly, a week had passed.
Ye Zhengchen hadn’t appeared, and I was disappointed. I missed his mischievous laugh and his pervy look. I occasionally fantasized about him suddenly embracing me from behind, asking, “Girlie, did you miss me? Just say it, don’t be shy…”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny, Dr. Bao?” asked Dr. Liu from pathology.
The intern beside her said, “Secretary Yin is fine now. He definitely wouldn’t be involved.”
I realized I hadn’t seen Yin Zhongtian for a while. Just yesterday, I learned that he was not implicated in the case and had provided crucial evidence for the investigation. The municipal government allowed him to return to work, but he wanted to leave Nanzhou for better opportunities.
Ye Zhengchen promised to make me satisfied, and he followed through, although I still lacked the courage to explain everything to my father.
On the weekend, I took my father for a walk in the park. His health had recovered well after more than a week of rest.
“Xiao Bing, I haven’t seen Zhongtian these past few days…”
“What’s he been up to?”
“He’s back at the municipal government. After being suspended, he has a lot of work to do.”
“He should be off today. Why don’t you invite him over for dinner?”
“Dad…” Some things had to be said sooner or later, and he seemed to be in a good mood today. “Zhongtian and I…”
Seeing my hesitation, my father quickly understood. “Did you two have a fight?”
Tentatively, I asked, “If we break up, could you accept that?”
“Aiya, it’s normal for young people to argue. Don’t talk about breaking up so easily. After everything that’s happened, Zhongtian might be in a bad mood. You need to understand…”
We walked along the cobblestone path around the artificial lake. I wanted to confess several times, but each time I saw his serious expression, I held back.
On weekends, the park was full of couples, some embracing on benches, others strolling on the paths. But the couple approaching us made me doubt my eyes. I confirmed it was indeed Yin Zhongtian with a woman in her twenties.
After a moment of surprise, I quickly held my father’s arm. “Dad, let’s go this way.”
“This way is closer to home…” My father pointed ahead, but his face suddenly turned ashen. I found his heart medication and pushed it into his mouth.
Just as my father swallowed the pill, Yin Zhongtian approached. He didn’t avoid us but greeted us naturally. “Uncle, Xiao Bing…”
“What a coincidence,” I laughed. I had seen the woman beside Yin Zhongtian once before; she worked at the municipal government. When Yin first became deputy secretary, someone had mentioned they should be set up, noting she was the granddaughter of a retired municipal leader.
When Yin asked my opinion back then, I didn’t know Ye Zhengchen was a high-ranking official, so I casually said, “Sure! Children of high-ranking officials are always well-educated…”
“Zhongtian, who is this?” my father asked.
Yin politely replied, “Sorry, I’ll chat with Uncle for a moment. Wait for me.”
“I’ll take a walk by the lake. Take your time,” she said and walked away. Yin quickly glanced at me.
“Uncle, I’m sorry. Some things Xiao Bing and I shouldn’t have hidden from you, but we were thinking of your health…”
“You two?!” my father exclaimed.
“Xiao Bing and I are not together,” Yin said, shocking both me and my father.
“What did you say?”
Yin glanced at me again and continued: “During that period, your condition was not optimistic, and your emotions were unstable. Xiao Bing was very worried about you.”
