Before he was a doctor, Le Yi was first and foremost Shen Xinglanâs friend.
Moreover, he came here because Shen Xinglan wanted to heal her handsâŚ
âI understand.â A Miao pushed aside the bowl of soup in front of her without any expression. âDonât worry, Iâll play along. Youâre right. This is a deal that I should complete.â
Le Yi chuckled, his expression ever attentive and gentle. A Miao smirked in self-mockery. She was the foolish one here. How could she think that this man was a good person? No, the man was not a bad person. They merely had different stances.
âWhy didnât you finish the soup?â Le Yi pushed the bowl in front of her again. âThis is good for your recovery. Itâs much better than the hospital food.â
A Miao once again scolded herself in her mind. She thought that he was being kind when he prepared all those meals for her. She had been so grateful and treated him as a friend. Hehe, she was simply too naiveâŚ
âItâs too hot. Iâll drink it later.â She lowered her head and picked up the spoon. She had neither the right nor the position to throw a tantrum. Rather than giving Shen Xinglan a chance to torture herself, she might as well recover as soon as possible and leave the hospital.
Seeing as she had thought it through, Le Yi said no more. He took a seat next to her and sent Shen Xinglan a text. A satisfied look crossed Shen Xinglanâs eyes after he read the text. Shen II, who had been making his report, became dumbstruck.
âBoss, should we continue investigating Ma Lili?â
Ma Lili was the precious daughter of the mayor. Even though Shen Xinglan had no way of targeting Mayor Ma at the moment, he would not forget how the father-and-daughter pair schemed against him and let it slide. So he ordered a male prostitute to seduce Ma Lili.
âContinue. Weâll speak again when the matter blows up.â
Shen I opened the door after seeing Shen Xinglan get up from his seat. The latter walked out of the office in large strides. âTo the hospital.â
Over at the hospital, A Miao was racking her brain for ways to steal the bronze mirror from Xia Yongqiang without alarming him when she saw a certain man swaggering into her room.
âLooks like youâve eaten well. Your face has gotten plumper.â Shen Xinglan settled on the sofa. âIsnât it better for you to be this obedient in the first place?â
A Miao pretended not to hear his mockery. âYou once told me that Xia Yongqiang will be going to the hospital. Can I still make it?â
Seeing as she took the initiative to bring up the matter, Shen Xinglan closed his eyes and said, âYou donât have to worry about this. Once youâve recovered, Xia Yongqiang will immediately be alert. You better succeed this time. Iâve told you that this is your last chance.â
âWhat if the mission fails due to some other factors?â A Miao needed to clarify this. This man would not be merciful. She needed assurance.
âIâll put the blame on you.â
Hehe⌠A Miao clenched her teeth. âOn what basis?â
âYouâre the reason for the failure last time. So no matter the reason, itâs still your fault if you fail.â Shen Xinglan smirked. âIf you fail again, our deal will be canceled.â
A Miaoâs expression was dark as she tightly clenched her fist. She only released her grip when her wounds pained her. âFine. But I have a condition.â
âSpeak.â Shen Xinglan gave her a sly look. âI wouldnât agree anyway.â
âThis pervert! What a psycho!â
A Miao wanted no more than to bite him to death but had to suppress her voice and say, âI hope you can first prepare my identity. That way, I can immediately leave after handing you the object. Thatâs what we agreed on in the first place.â
Her new identity had nothing to do with the Xia family. Considering Shen Xinglanâs modus operandi, the Xia family might not be able to find her forever!
âHm.â Shen Xinglan snorted.
A Miaoâs eyes gleamed. âYou agree?â
âDid I say that?â He pointed at his ear. âYour ears arenât functioning that well. Iâve told you that I wouldnât agree.â
âPlease leave. I want to rest.â A Miao did not want to waste her time talking to this man.
Just as Shen Xinglan seemed like he wanted to say something, Le Yi pushed the door open and entered. Behind her was a young nurse.
âItâs time for your medicine.â He raised an eyebrow when he noticed that there was a strange atmosphere inside the room.
The nurse glanced at Shen Xinglan before walking up to give A Miao her medicine with a red face. Shen Xinglan stood up and nodded at Le Yi. âIâm leaving.â
âStop,â A Miao abruptly cried and pushed the glass bowl on the table to the ground at the same time.
Shen Xinglan demonstrated his quick reflexes and caught the bowl in one stride. He warned her in a cold voice, âDonât challenge my patience or Iâll keep you in a hospital forever.â
âOh, I saw a bug earlier. Itâs just an accident.â A Miaoâs voice was placid yet there was mirth in her eyes.
Shen Xinglan frowned. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he heard the young nurse next to him shouting in surprise.
âWhatâs wrong?â Le Yi immediately asked. Shen Xinglan looked impatiently at the nurse.
The nurseâs face was as red as a tomato. She pointed at Shen Xinglan while stammering, âThatâs my⌠myâŚâ
Shen Xinglanâs eyes traced the direction that she was pointing in and found a red cloth peeking out of his pocket. He pulled it out with force. When he got a clear look at what it was, his entire face darkened.
âSir⌠Thatâs something that I just bought online⌠You⌠If you like it, Iâll⌠Iâll gift it to you!â The bashful nurseâs eyes were glimmering. When she was done speaking, she ran out of the room with her face covered.
Le Yi suppressed his laughter and looked at the somewhat smug A Miao. Then, he addressed Shen Xinglan who was on the verge of exploding in anger. âWhy donât you first throw that thing away?â
âDamn it!â Shen Xinglan threw the lacy red panties at A Miaoâs face and then pinched her chin. âWoman, you dare scheme against me? Looks like you have forgotten who put you here. How brave you are!â
He released her. âRemember your action today. Iâll make you pay for it later.â
âIâŚâ Rubbing her chin, A Miao opened her mouth and was about to speak when Shen Xinglan stormed out of the room.
Le Yi looked at her helplessly before following suit in leaving.
A Miao pursed her lips. She really did not know that it was a pair of panties! She thought it was a handkerchief⌠But when she thought of Shen Xinglanâs face earlier, she suppressed her laughter and dived back inside the covers.
âDonât give her any more painkillers. Let her suffer!â Shen Xinglan realized that Le Yi was staring at him. He returned the favor with a glare. âWhat are you looking at?â
Le Yi shook his head. âDonât you feel that she would always affect your emotions?â
Not giving her painkillers⌠His words sounded so childish.
âWhat are you trying to say?â Shen Xinglan stopped walking to look at him. âWhoâs the one who said sheâs not necessarily Shanshan?â
âShanshan?â Le Yi laughed. âAre you trying to convince yourself? We have no way of confirming A Miaoâs identity at the moment but youâve already lost your calm.â
Shen Xinglan snorted. âBefore we get concrete evidence that sheâs Shanshan, my attitude wouldnât change. Besides, Iâm not uncalm. If you understand that woman, youâll know that sheâs always putting on an act. Look at how she schemed against me.â
âFine. Just pretend I didnât say anything.â Le Yi suppressed a smile and stopped trying to wrestle with him over this matter.
He walked back to A Miaoâs room after seeing Shen Xinglan off but did not see her.
âWhat are you doing?â He found her inside the bathroom. A Miao was fiddling with her face using the mirror.
âIâm covering up my eyes.â Her hands were not dexterous so she had to endure pain as she carefully painted makeup over her eyes.
Le Yi looked at her in amusement. âWhy would you make yourself look ugly? Beautiful women would always draw sympathy from people. Who knows if Shen mightâŚâ
âDonât mention that guy!â A Miao glared at him. She appeared particularly strange with a pair of eyes of varying size.
âOkay, I wonât mention him.â Le Yi could not bear looking at her made-up face and walked out. âYou truly impressed me today and Iâm now even more curious what happened to you in the two years that you went missing.â
A Miao did not reply. After a while, she walked out with her dull eyes. âIâm also curious myself.â
Shen Xinglan never showed up again after the incident. Xia Wan came several times but stopped when she realized she would not see him here anymore. Just like that, another month passed and A Miao was finally discharged from the hospital. What surprised her was that Bai Youran actually came.
âPack up and come with me.â
The man looked incredibly impatient with her. A Miao found it to be ridiculous and looked at him without moving. âI can return on my own. Please move aside.â
âYou donât have to return to the Xia family. Come with me to Macau.â Bai Youranâs tone was particularly nasty. âIâve already told Grandfather Xia that Iâll take you to the casino town.â
A Miaoâs expression turned grim. Just as she was about to refuse, she suddenly recalled something. âHow can I go? I donât have my identity card or passport.â
Bai Youran extended his hand, about to pull her along. âIâve already prepared it for you. Letâs go now.â
âIâll walk on my own.â A Miao dodged his hand and walked several paces faster than him.
âYouâd better be obedient or I wonât be polite to you.â Bai Youran followed after her. The two of them headed straight for the airport.
At the airport, Bai Youran handed A Miao her passport and boarding pass. She carefully accepted them and boarded the plane while concealing her excitement. This was a great opportunity for her. With her identification documents finally in hand, she could still leave with her passport even if Shen Xinglan turned against her in the future.
Upon arrival in Macau, Bai Youran immediately checked them into a hotel attached the casino. A Miao had a room to herself and the first thing she did was hiding her passport. However, before she could hide it well, someone rang the doorbell.
âI said Iâm not hungry. Donât mind me and eat on your own.â
Bai Youran had changed into fresh clothes. He sneered when he heard her words. âI donât care even if you starve to death. Give me your passport.â
âWhy must I?â A Miao looked at him in alarm. She must not hand him her passport.
âMaster Xia purposefully ordered me to do so, saying that you like to run. Hurry up and give me your passport!â Seeing as she was still not moving, Bai Youran pushed her aside and entered her hotel room.
When he started going through her luggage, A Miao ran over to stop him. He swung his leg at her. âBitch! Thereâs a limit to my patience! If you keep disobeying me, Iâll prostitute you to the locals!â
âAh!â A Miao fell to the ground in an effort to dodge his kick. By the time she climbed up from the floor, Bai Youran was already walking out with her passport.
He stopped at the door, turning around to warn her. âWeâll go to the casino tonight. Iâll get someone to send your dress over.â
âYou bastard!â A Miao sat on the bed, gasping for breath, and punched the bed hatefully. She realized that there was no longer any noise outside after a while and quietly opened the door. Then, she saw two men dragging a woman past her door.
âHurry up! Once the boss is done with her, itâll be our turn.â
âI heard they captured a lone woman. Thatâs why the boss gave us this woman.â
âHehehehe! The casino town sure is a good placeâŚâ
A Miao shut the door with a pale face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.