Chapter 7: The Unimportant Person  

Tao Wanxing clicked open the message and took a look.  

It was Meng Chu and Zhu Yan.  

Zhu Yan was holding onto his arm, whispering something into his ear with a bright and charming smile.  

Tao Wanxing’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.  

Even though she knew they were the real couple, while she was merely his nominal yet hidden wife, her heart still ached.  

So this was his so-called “urgent meeting at work”?  

This was him accompanying Zhu Yan on a shopping trip?  

If he was still with Zhu Yan, then why did he have to involve her and force her into this marriage of convenience?  

Gu Yue was still sending messages.  

“So he really does have a girlfriend…”  

“Why didn’t you tell me his girlfriend is the big star Zhu Yan?!”  

“Oh my god, I’m going crazy! Before seeing Zhu Yan, I actually thought you two were a good match. But after seeing her, I truly believe there’s an insurmountable gap between people.”  

“Genius and beauty, the golden couple personified, okay?!!!”  

“I declare, your second brother and Zhu Yan are my idols now!”  

Each line of text stung her eyes. Tao Wanxing’s fingers trembled slightly as she gripped her phone.  

The chicken soup she had just enjoyed moments ago suddenly made her nauseous.  

She rushed to the bathroom and vomited violently into the toilet.  

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she let out a self-mocking laugh as tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks.  

Tao Wanxing, you’ve truly lost your mind.  

Tao Wanxing, wake up. You’re nothing more than a marriage of convenience to protect his career from scandal. His real lover has always been Zhu Yan.  

Acid rose in her throat.  

Even the lingering smell of the leftover chicken soup on the table now disgusted her.  

She quickly gathered the soup and threw it into the trash.  

Since he was still with Zhu Yan, she had every reason to file for divorce and move out.  

She wanted to leave right now, but she didn’t dare.  

He was a madman. If she angered him, he would surely cause a scene at the hospital.  

That night, Tao Wanxing tossed and turned, unable to sleep.  

The next day, she arrived at the hospital in a daze, her eyes swollen like walnuts.  

Gu Yue placed a hand on Tao Wanxing’s shoulder from behind. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages last night?”  

Tao Wanxing forced a smile, her expression strained. “I wasn’t feeling well and went to bed early.”  

Gu Yue nodded, unconcerned. “Right, you had a fever yesterday. You have no idea how swamped we were after you took the day off!”  

“Ah, what a shame. If only I’d met you sooner, maybe I could’ve gotten to know a top-tier man like your second brother. Tsk tsk.”  

Tao Wanxing didn’t want to respond.  

She quickened her pace and entered the office for the morning handover.  

Just as she was taking over her shift, Xie Yingying, a colleague who was finishing her shift, called out to her.  

“Dr. Tao, you left your phone in the duty room.”  

Tao Wanxing picked up her phone and saw two missed calls from Meng Chu.  

She clenched her phone, her lips pressed tightly together.  

Just as she was about to call him back, the emergency bell rang outside.  

Tao Wanxing hurried toward the resuscitation room.  

When she saw the person standing beside the emergency bed, she froze. Blood rushed to her head, but her legs felt as heavy as lead.  

The person on the emergency bed was Zhu Yan, and the man gripping her hand with a worried expression was Meng Chu.  

They came here together—had they been together all night?  

He was whispering something to her with a tenderness she had never experienced before.

Zhao Qingyuan called out to her, “Dr. Tao, Dr. Tao?”

Zhao Qingyuan nudged her, and only then did she snap out of it. Taking a deep breath, she calmly followed the doctor’s instructions to administer the injection.

She didn’t look at Meng Chu, but she could feel his gaze burning into the back of her head like a branding iron.

“Tao Wanxing,” Meng Chu suddenly called her name, his voice low. “How is she doing?”

Tao Wanxing’s hand trembled imperceptibly.

Then she heard the person on the bed turn to look at her, curious almond-shaped eyes studying her.

Tao Wanxing was grateful she was wearing a mask.

And after six years apart, Zhu Yan surely wouldn’t recognize her.

“Ah-Chu, do you know her?”

Meng Chu stared at Tao Wanxing for a long moment before turning to Zhu Yan, his voice deep and magnetic. “She has a name tag.”

Zhu Yan instinctively glanced at Tao Wanxing’s chest and giggled.

“You can’t just call people by their names like that. It’s really quite rude.”

“Dr. Tao, I’m sorry, please don’t mind him. Ah-Chu is just used to being in charge.”

The nickname “Ah-Chu” stabbed into Tao Wanxing’s heart like a knife, twisting and turning until her face turned ashen.

After giving the injection and confirming Zhu Yan’s condition was stable, Tao Wanxing didn’t linger in the emergency room. She turned to leave.

“Wanxing!” Zhu Yan suddenly called out to stop her. “I thought that name sounded familiar earlier. It just so happens that Ah-Chu’s elder brother’s sister-in-law is also named Tao Wanxing. What a coincidence that you share the same name!”

The entire emergency room fell silent. The gazes of everyone in the room landed on Tao Wanxing, making her feel dizzy as if her stomach were churning violently.

“We…” Tao Wanxing began, her voice hoarse and barely recognizable.

“It’s her,” Meng Chu interrupted coldly, his tone indifferent, as if they were complete strangers. His voice held no ripple of emotion.

“You remember such an insignificant person so clearly.”

Insignificant. He said they were insignificant.

Was this how he defined their relationship now?

Tao Wanxing felt as if she were drowning, unable to breathe, her internal organs twisting in pain.

Zhu Yan seemed pleasantly surprised. “Ah, so it really is you?”

Her eyes flickered as she shot a reproachful glance at Meng Chu. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that this was Wanxing?”

Then she turned to Tao Wanxing. “Wanxing, I’m your sister Zhu Yan. Don’t you remember?”

“You left so suddenly back then. Your second brother and I were about to get married, and I even wanted to invite you to be my bridesmaid.”

“You used to follow your second brother around like a little tail, always saying you wanted to marry him. Why did you leave without a word and never return to the Meng family, even during holidays?”

She spent holidays with the Meng family—so she knew Tao Wanxing hadn’t returned?

Of course. She was Meng Chu’s fiancée, their families well-matched. It was only natural she’d visit the Meng household during festivals.

Tao Wanxing’s heart ached unbearably. How could she ever forget?

It was precisely because she knew they were getting married that she woke from her ridiculous delusions and fled to Cloud Province.

She bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her lip and glanced at Meng Chu.

Meng Chu merely frowned slightly but didn’t refute Zhu Yan.

Forcing a faint smile, Tao Wanxing lowered her eyelids slightly. “Long time no see, Sister Zhu Yan. I was young and foolish back then—those words shouldn’t be taken seriously.”

“I’m just a poor relative who came to rely on the Meng family, an insignificant person. How could I possibly deserve to be called Governor Meng’s sister?”

Zhu Yan seemed to finally notice the tension between them. After glancing back and forth between the two for a moment, she smiled and said, “Wanxing, don’t take your second brother’s words to heart. He’s always been like this—his mouth is terribly foul. Don’t take it seriously.”

She only mentioned his foul mouth but didn’t explain why he would call her an insignificant person.

A bitter taste spread across her tongue.

“Sister Zhu Yan, I still have work to attend to. If you feel unwell, just press the call button to summon me.”

“Alright,” Zhu Yan nodded understandingly, then cooed in a sweet, spoiled tone, “A-Chu, I want some water. I want cola.”

Meng Chu frowned. “There’s only plain water. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be watching your figure?”

Zhu Yan pouted, her voice dripping with sweetness. “Fine, why are you so mean?”

Tao Wanxing couldn’t bear to listen any longer and turned to leave.

She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to hide her emotions.

A wave of dizziness struck her, and her eyelids suddenly grew heavy.

But the expected pain never came.

A pair of hands caught her, and before she could even look up to see who it was, she fainted.