Chapter 15

Mrs. Tan, with a face full of apology, said to Lin Yuxi, “Doctor Lin, I’m really sorry. It’s all Xingchen’s fault for causing you trouble.” 

“It’s not really her fault,” Lin Yuxi replied. “I still have to go to work, so I’ll be leaving now.” 

After Lin Yuxi left, Mrs. Tan turned and glared at Tan Xingchen, “See what trouble your nonsense has caused!” 

Tan Xingchen protested, “They already had issues; it’s not my fault.” 

“Whatever problems they have are between them as a couple; it’s not your place to meddle,” Mrs. Tan scolded her. “Thanks to Dr. Lin, you’re able to keep your eye. From now on, be more respectful to her and never mention that she’s the Zhou family’s adopted daughter again!” 

“Why not? It’s not a secret; everyone knows.” 

“You kids don’t understand the full story.” 

“What story?” 

Mrs. Tan initially didn’t want to elaborate, but under Tan Xingchen’s relentless curiosity, she decided to explain a bit more, hoping it would make her daughter treat Lin Yuxi with more respect. 

“Dr. Lin’s father was a senior executive at Hengtai Bank. Years ago, their family was kidnapped, which was related to internal conflicts within the bank. Her parents were killed because of it, and she was lucky to have survived.” 

“Her father was a man of integrity, who would rather die than betray the Zhou family. If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have ended up losing her family at such a young age and spending years in an orphanage.” 

Tan Xingchen didn’t know this background. Outsiders always said that Lin Yuxi was fortunate, and she had assumed it was simply luck that allowed Lin Yuxi to be adopted by the Zhou family. 

From this perspective, the stability of Hengtai Bank had been bought with her parents’ lives, and the Zhou family should be deeply grateful to Lin Yuxi. 

Recalling what she had just said, Tan Xingchen felt a wave of shame. “You should have told me earlier; I shouldn’t have said such horrible things.” 

“Are you blaming me now?” Mrs. Tan flicked her finger on her daughter’s forehead. “Next time you see Dr. Lin, make sure to apologize properly!” 

“I’m not apologizing! That would be so embarrassing.” 

“Now you know it’s embarrassing? Where was that awareness when you were spouting nonsense?” 

“I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you!” Tan Xingchen covered her ears and shrank under the blanket, accidentally pulling on her wound and screaming in pain. 

In the afternoon, Lin Yuxi had a surgery scheduled. Just as she returned to her office, a nurse came in, looking distressed. “Doctor Lin, the patient in bed 23 keeps insisting that there’s a knife in her eye and demands to see you. Can you check on her?” 

“Got it.” Lin Yuxi handed off the post-surgery care instructions to Nurse Xiao Cui and took some medication to the ward. 

Mrs. Tan wasn’t there, and Tan Xingchen was lying on the bed, bored, watching her with one eye. 

Lin Yuxi’s attitude hadn’t changed because of their earlier conflict; she treated Tan Xingchen just like any other patient, asking, “What’s wrong with your eye?” 

“It hurts so much,” Tan Xingchen whined. “Are you secretly getting back at me by leaving a scalpel in my eye?” 

“Your head isn’t big enough to hold a scalpel,” Lin Yuxi said. “It’s normal for it to hurt after the anesthesia wears off.” 

She unwrapped the bandage on Tan Xingchen’s right eye to check and found no issues. 

“Lift your head.” 

Tan Xingchen obediently tilted her face up. 

Lin Yuxi, with practiced and gentle hands, applied a drop of anesthetic to her right eye. 

Up close, Tan Xingchen looked at her focused expression and blinked her good eye. “Doctor Lin, you’re actually quite pretty.” 

“I’ve looked like this for a while now.” 

Lin Yuxi’s response was flat, and after administering the medication, she turned to leave. 

“Hey!” Tan Xingchen called out urgently. 

Lin Yuxi looked back. “Is there something else?” 

Tan Xingchen hesitated awkwardly for a moment, mumbling something indistinctly. 

Lin Yuxi asked, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.” 

“I said I’m sorry!” 

After saying this, Tan Xingchen put it all on the line. She stopped being awkward; even though her tone was shy, her apology was sincere. 

“I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t know your parents died because of the Zhou family. I spoke without thinking; just pretend I didn’t say it!” 

“Okay,” Lin Yuxi replied. “I heard you.” 

Tan Xingchen waited a few seconds but didn’t receive any further response. “That’s it? Aren’t you supposed to say, ‘It’s fine, I forgive you’?” 

Lin Yuxi looked at her. “Because it matters, and I can’t forgive you.” 

Who doesn’t have their pride? 

Did she choose to lose her parents? Did she want to live under someone else’s roof, constantly watching others’ faces? 

Did she want to be hurt by someone she loved? Or was she just born to be humiliated? 

Before the age of six or seven, Lin Yuxi’s childhood had been very happy. Her father was already a bank executive with a million-dollar salary at that time, and her mother was an associate professor at Lancheng University. 

She had piano lessons with private tutors, studied calligraphy and painting from renowned masters, and traveled the world with her parents. By the age of six, she could converse fluently in Chinese, English, French, and German. 

Although it couldn’t compare to the Zhou family’s immense wealth, it was still a well-off family. 

If her parents hadn’t died, she would have been a carefree girl raised in luxury. 

The kidnapping incident was the turning point of her life. 

Lin Yuxi actually had a little aunt, but shortly after her parents’ death, she was abandoned by her aunt’s family and sent to an orphanage. 

Despite the fact that the orphanage was filled with children of difficult backgrounds, bullying was still rampant. 

As a child, Lin Yuxi was fair and delicate, clearly the pampered child of a wealthy family. Because of the psychological trauma from witnessing her parents being murdered, she became easily startled and reluctant to speak, quickly becoming a target for the bullies. 

There were no consequences for bullying her, as she wouldn’t go tell anyone. 

Even if she did report it, it was useless. The bully had been abandoned in the orphanage since infancy and was raised by the staff, who naturally favored him emotionally. 

All the children there longed to be adopted; in their hearts, the kind people who came to adopt them were like saviors. 

But saviors were always rare. 

Once, a couple came to adopt a child, and while looking at photos, they chose the fair and lovely Lin Yuxi. The couple was gentle and kind, and when they held her hand, it felt especially warm. 

At that time, Lin Yuxi thought she was going to be saved. 

However, after spending a day interacting with the children at the orphanage, the couple preferred another lively and sweet girl who could charm with her words, ultimately adopting her instead. 

Quiet children were often less favored by adults. 

Lin Yuxi stayed in the orphanage until she was twelve. 

A reporter once interviewed her and wrote an article about her parents’ sacrifice, which garnered much attention. Many praised her father for his loyalty and bravery, believing the Zhou family should compensate him by adopting his orphaned daughter. As a result, the Zhou family was thrust into the spotlight. 

But for a powerful family like the Zhou family, such minor public opinion didn’t affect them at all. Over a decade ago, the internet was not as developed, and with the Zhou family’s influence, they could easily suppress any scandal, ensuring no information could be found. 

Lin Yuxi was adopted by the Zhou family solely because of Grandma Zhou’s insistence. 

Zhou Qizhen was a filial son and naturally obeyed his mother’s wishes; meanwhile, Ling Yaqiong had never wanted to adopt Lin Yuxi but was compelled to do so due to the “Empress Dowager’s edict.” 

Furthermore, Lin Yuxi was not talkative and didn’t know how to curry favor with her elders. Ling Yaqiong found her too small-minded and never liked her. Other than funding her education and providing her meals, she showed little care. 

Although Lin Yuxi didn’t live in the nanny’s room, she was indeed raised by Aunt Zhao, who bought her clothes and cut her hair when it got long. Aunt Zhao treated Lin Yuxi well, but coming from a rural background, she had no sense of aesthetics and often dressed Lin Yuxi in a clumsy manner. 

When Zhou Yanjing was a child, he enjoyed teasing her with a sharp tongue, mocking her: “Who did your hair? It looks like a watermelon.” 

From then on, the gang led by Shi Tang would often call her “Watermelon Hat,” so Lin Yuxi never had a good impression of them. In a sense, it could be said that it was a “mutual dislike.” 

Though she was called the Zhou family’s adopted daughter, she had never been registered in their household register, and no one regarded her as a true young lady of the family. 

Growing up under the same roof as Zhou Yanjing felt like living in two different worlds. 

He was the favored child, cherished and adored, with countless admirers, free to act as he pleased and indulge in whimsy. 

While Lin Yuxi exhausted all her efforts simply to survive. 

A spoiled young lady like Tan Xingchen had a wealthy family to back her up, with parents who unconditionally spoiled her. Even if she caused a disaster, there would be someone to cover for her, so of course, she wouldn’t understand Lin Yuxi’s feelings. 

“You’re too petty; I’ve already apologized to you.” 

Lin Yuxi ignored her and turned to leave. 

“Hey! I still have questions to ask!” Tan Xingchen called out with her neck craned. “Why are you marrying Zhou Yanjing? He doesn’t like you, and you don’t seem to like him either.” 

Lin Yuxi didn’t stop walking. “Gossiping won’t help your wound heal; it’s better to stay quiet.” 

The entire day, Boyu was shrouded in a low, oppressive atmosphere. 

From Assistant Yang Kang down to every employee, everyone kept their backs stiff, fearing they might inadvertently say something wrong and provoke the CEO, who had been in a bad mood since arriving at the office that morning. 

After all, with Zhou Yanjing’s sharp tongue, he could make someone cry on the rooftop in just three sentences. 

When the secretary of the CEO’s office accidentally printed out incorrect data, Zhou Yanjing didn’t explode in anger; he merely said with a blank expression: 

“Losing a zero isn’t a big deal. Just deduct it from your paycheck next month. What do you think?” 

The secretary came out of the office with a long face, crying to Yang Kang, “Assistant Yang, don’t you think the CEO has become increasingly unpredictable since returning to the country?” 

Yang Kang shot her a warning glance. “Secretary Liang.” 

She didn’t take the hint and continued attempting to read between the lines. “Is the CEO unhappy in life?” 

As soon as she finished speaking, a chill ran down her spine, and when she turned around, Zhou Yanjing was standing at the office door. 

His expression was cold, comparable to a thousand-year-old ice. 

“Did I stick a sign on my back saying, ‘Come gossip about me’? Why does everyone enjoy discussing me behind my back?” 

The secretary’s legs went weak. “I’m not… I didn’t…” 

Zhou Yanjing’s lips curled into a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes, making it feel icy cold: 

“As a heartless, ungrateful scumbag, I’m not exactly a precious gem. Why don’t you just fire me and find someone you like to take over as CEO?” 

I never said you were a scumbag. 

With tears in her eyes, the secretary cast a pleading look at Yang Kang. 

The latter clasped his hands in front of him, gazing at the floor, with an expression that said, “Don’t look at me; I can’t save you.” 

Her heart sank, and she wished she could skip all the steps and head straight to the rooftop.