Chapter 14

“Sorry, I really don’t remember.” Lin Yuxi said honestly. “And with how you look now, even if I did know you, I wouldn’t recognize you.” 

Mrs. Tan scolded her daughter, “Xingchen, this is Dr. Lin, the one who operated on you. Show some respect.” 

Tan Xingchen scoffed, “Well, thanks, I guess.” 

Lin Yuxi found it odd. “It seems like you have a problem with me. Did I offend you before?” 

“No, not really. But I thought you should have a deep impression of me.” 

Tan Xingchen continued, “Do you remember two years ago when you showed up at Shi Tang’s birthday party looking for your husband?” 

“I asked your husband a question at the time.” 

Lin Yuxi’s fingers twitched slightly at her side. 

“I asked him, ‘You were getting along so well with Sister Jiang Nan, so why did you suddenly marry her?'” Tan Xingchen’s face showed a sneer of disdain. 

“Do you remember how he responded? Or should I remind you?” 

Of course Lin Yuxi remembered. 

At that time, Zhou Yanjing hadn’t gone to New York yet, but for some reason, he had suddenly become cold towards her and hadn’t come home for a long time. 

Lin Yuxi couldn’t see him, didn’t know what had happened, but she knew he would definitely attend Shi Tang’s birthday party. So, despite not being invited and not liking such social events, she thickened her skin and asked Shi Tang for the address. 

That day, she got off work late, and by the time she arrived, they had already finished a round of drinks. 

Zhou Yanjing was holding half a glass of wine, leaning lazily against the sofa, watching the others play a boring game of Truth or Dare. 

The wine glass turned to him, and Zhou Yanjing chose truth. 

Shi Tang complained, “I was going to make you do something daring, but you chose truth!” 

Then, he asked a tricky question with a malicious grin, “Out of all your ex-girlfriends, which one did you like the most?” 

Just as Lin Yuxi entered the room, Zhou Yanjing seemed to see her or maybe he didn’t. He lazily leaned against the leather sofa and, with a smile, said two words: 

“My ex.” 

Lin Yuxi’s hurried footsteps came to a halt because of those two words. 

Many people outside thought Jiang Nan was Zhou Yanjing’s first love, but that wasn’t true. 

Lin Yuxi had attended the same high school as Zhou Yanjing, two years below him. When she was in her first year, he was a senior. 

She had watched his girlfriends come and go, but none seemed to really capture his heart. 

Girls always approached him first, and though he didn’t refuse, he only dated pretty ones, making him seem both charming and heartless. 

He and Jiang Nan had grown up together, but didn’t start dating until college. Before he married Lin Yuxi, Jiang Nan was his last girlfriend. 

Everyone knew that Zhou Yanjing’s ex was Jiang Nan, and immediately the room erupted in teasing, saying, “You’re still hung up on Jiang Nan, aren’t you?” 

Lin Yuxi listened to their teasing, watching the faint smile on Zhou Yanjing’s face. He didn’t deny it. 

It was in that moment that she realized Zhou Yanjing had indeed seen her. 

He knew she was there. 

Then, a girl asked him, “Brother Yanjing, you and Sister Jiang Nan were doing so well together, so why did you suddenly marry someone else?” 

Lin Yuxi felt as if her feet were nailed to the ground. There was a sharp ringing in her ears, but Zhou Yanjing’s cold voice cut through it clearly, each word stabbing her heart. 

He said, “If I can’t marry the one I want, why can’t I settle for someone else?” 

It was like being plucked from the warmth and comfort of a tropical vacation, dressed in a beautiful sundress on a beach, only to be thrown onto the frozen plains of Siberia, your entire being chilled to the bone. 

That moment of public humiliation, when people noticed her and threw mocking or pitying glances her way, still stung Lin Yuxi deeply. 

From that day onward, she had become the joke of everyone around her. 

How could she possibly forget? 

Lin Yuxi slipped her hands into her coat pockets, as if pretending to be indifferent could somehow hide the gaping, unhealed wound in her heart. 

“You and Brother Yanjing aren’t divorced yet?” Tan Xingchen’s voice dripped with sarcasm. 

“I really don’t get it. Why cling to a man who doesn’t love you? Don’t you have any pride?” 

“We’re not divorced yet, so what?” Lin Yuxi replied calmly, her tone flat and unwavering. “Jiang Nan isn’t in a hurry. Why are you?” 

With that, she turned and prepared to leave. 

Tan Xingchen, angry and embarrassed, yelled after her, “Who says I’m in a hurry? Your mess has nothing to do with me. I just can’t stand how you stole something that belonged to Sister Jiang Nan!” 

“Jiang Nan and Brother Yanjing were childhood sweethearts, perfectly in love. If they hadn’t broken up, do you think you’d have had the chance to marry him?” 

“You’re just the Zhou family’s adopted daughter, but everyone knows the truth: you’re no better than a servant girl! You can’t even compare to one of Jiang Nan’s fingers!” 

Lin Yuxi’s steps came to a halt. 

The disdainful looks she had endured over the past two years, the sleepless nights filled with pain all of it was being exposed, raw and unfiltered. 

“Xingchen!” Mrs. Tan scolded her daughter. The usually gentle woman wore a stern expression as she admonished, “How can you speak to Dr. Lin like that?” 

She then apologized to Lin Yuxi, “Dr. Lin, please don’t take it to heart. She’s been like this since she was little bad-tempered and thoughtless with her words.” 

“It’s fine,” Lin Yuxi said softly. “She’s just telling the truth.” 

She turned to face Tan Xingchen, her hands still tightly clenched in her pockets, her knuckles pale. Yet, her expression remained composed, calm as ever. 

“But what does it matter if I stole him?” 

“Zhou Yanjing isn’t some treasure. He’s just a heartless jerk who flirts with everyone. If Jiang Nan cherishes him so much, she can try and take him back from me.” 

Tan Xingchen looked like she wanted to retort, but her eyes landed on something behind Lin Yuxi, and her expression quickly shifted to one of surprise and awkwardness. 

“Brother Yanjing?” 

Lin Yuxi’s fingers trembled slightly as she turned around. 

Standing at the doorway, with a paper bag in hand, was Zhou Yanjing. He wore a dark gray suit, and the cold tone of the fabric made his face look even more frosty. 

His gaze, as he looked at Lin Yuxi, was distant, and though there was a faint smile at the corner of his lips, it held no warmth. 

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked with a sarcastic lilt. “Talking behind someone’s back without checking if they’re nearby first how awkward to have me overhear it.” 

Lin Yuxi pressed her lips together. “Why are you here?” 

Zhou Yanjing casually put one hand in his pocket. “I had a feeling someone was going to badmouth me this morning, so I came specifically to hear how my dear wife is talking about me behind my back.” 

Lin Yuxi felt like explaining, but there didn’t seem to be anything worth explaining. 

Wasn’t Zhou Yanjing just the heartless jerk she had described? 

“Was I wrong?” Lin Yuxi asked. 

Zhou Yanjing’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. “No, you were right. You said it perfectly. Being married to this heartless man must have been such a burden for you all these years.” 

The fingers in Lin Yuxi’s pockets were numb from clenching so tightly. 

“As long as you know,” she said. 

Their conversation appeared calm and composed, yet the tension between them was palpable, like an invisible tug-of-war. 

Zhou Yanjing’s presence stood out sharply in the hospital, attracting glances from passing staff and patients alike. 

Tan Xingchen, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now shrank back under the covers, while Mrs. Tan, feeling responsible for the tension, tried to intervene apologetically. 

“It’s all Xingchen’s fault for speaking out of turn. Please don’t” 

Zhou Yanjing cut her off coldly, “Indeed, she talks too much. I’ll overlook it this time out of respect for you and Chairman Tan. But if it happens again, I won’t hesitate to teach her a lesson on how to speak properly.” 

Tan Xingchen felt a chill run down her spine and quietly pulled the blanket up, covering her mouth. 

After checking the time on his watch, Zhou Yanjing cast one last icy glance at Lin Yuxi before leaving. 

As he walked out of the hospital entrance, Old Liu, seeing his boss’s stormy expression, quickly got out of the car to open the door for him. 

Zhou Yanjing got in and casually tossed the paper bag aside. 

Sensing the tension, Old Liu cautiously asked, “Weren’t you going to give that to Ma’am Lin Yuxi? The temperature’s dropping; the weather report says a Siberian cold front is coming…” 

Zhou Yanjing crossed his legs, his voice colder than the impending storm. 

“Let her freeze.”