When Lu Zongyue woke up, he felt completely exhausted.

He knew who he would see, and indeed, there she was—his ex-wife, Zhong Xintian, standing beside the bed, bending over and massaging his stiff legs with both hands. She bent and straightened his knees to ensure that, even after being bedridden for so long, his muscles wouldn’t atrophy from lack of movement.

She worked with great care, her temples slightly damp with sweat, her eyes half-closed. Her long, delicate eyelashes were like feathers, gently tugging at his heartstrings.

Yuan Yuan!

How could she be so thin?

His gaze shifted from her pale, delicate face to her slender shoulders, her frail frame, and her seemingly fragile waist. The plain dress she wore hung loosely on her, almost like a sack.

How did she end up like this?

What kind of life had she been living to wither away like this? He remembered that when she first married him, she had been so plump and radiant, with soft, smooth skin. He had even sarcastically complained that she was fat.

Why was she like this now?

Droplets of sweat fell onto Lu Zongyue’s legs. He couldn’t quite describe the sensation—a mixture of hot and cold, a prickling sting.

Yes, he felt pain. The sweat stung his skin, and his confused heart ached even more.

He wanted to lift his hand and touch the woman in front of him who filled him with such sorrow, but he found himself too weak.

“Yuan Yuan.”

Even his voice, as he called her name, was low and hoarse, like the quiet sobbing of the wind in the dead of night.

She heard him and flinched. After a long pause, she slowly turned her misty eyes toward him. At first, her gaze was dim and vacant, but gradually, it brightened, filled with a cautious joy, as if she feared that indulging too much would lead to disappointment.

She had been waiting for him to wake up with such hope and anxiety!

His chest tightened, an itch spreading through it, pulling at him painfully, making it hard to breathe.

He stared at her in a daze, while she shakily extended her thin hand and touched his cool face.

“Zongyue, you’ve really woken up?”

“Mm,” he replied softly, feeling the softness of her palm, which was as light as a feather, gently tickling him.

“You’ve really woken up!” For a long moment, she simply stared at him, dumbfounded, her expression a mix of joy and astonishment. Slowly, it shifted into confusion, and finally, panic.

Suddenly, she took a step back. Even though it was just one step, to him, it felt like an entire galaxy now separated them, a vast chasm he couldn’t cross.

His heart ached again. “Yuan Yuan, why… why are you here to see me?”

Why?

He couldn’t stop the flood of confusion. After he had treated her so cruelly, how could she come to the hospital, set aside their past, and care for him so diligently when she heard he was critically ill?

She trembled like a startled rabbit, her lips losing their last hint of color. “I know I promised never to appear in front of you again, I just…”

She misunderstood him. He wasn’t blaming her. He was in disbelief. When everyone else had abandoned him, she still remembered him.

“Yuan Yuan, no…” He hastily interrupted, eager to explain.

But she didn’t hear the urgency in his tone. Instead, she nervously pressed the call button on the wall. “I’ll… I’ll call them…”

Soon, the medical staff arrived. When they saw he was awake, they were instantly energized, quickly summoning his attending physician to thoroughly examine him.

During all of this, she stood quietly in the corner, as if she were an unnecessary statue, motionless, not saying a word.

After the examination, they found him to be stable, but the doctor still refused to discharge him, insisting he remain for further observation. The room, which had been bustling a moment ago, quickly quieted down. Lu Zongyue lifted his head and looked toward the slender figure standing in the distance.

With just one glance, his heart sank. His ex-wife was no longer the flustered, panicked woman she had been earlier. Now she was calm, her face as expressionless as ice, her demeanor tranquil and indifferent.

She gazed at him with deep, unfathomable eyes. He couldn’t discern what she was thinking, but he had a strong feeling of foreboding. After a long while, she gave a slight smile, though even that smile was faint, carrying a certain finality.

She was going to leave…

“Yuan Yuan!” His sharp cry cut through the air.

She was stunned and turned to look at his eager expression, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Don’t call me that.”

She murmured softly, and he couldn’t tell if there was a hint of disgust in her voice. If she truly felt disgusted, he deserved it. In the past, whenever he called her name, it was always in a harsh, almost hateful tone, addressing her as if he wanted her gone.

When had he ever called her by her nickname with such tenderness and affection?

Only her family and close friends called her that, and he was nothing to her.

He struggled to suppress the sorrow rising in his heart, trying hard to appear calm and indifferent.

“Yuanyuan, where are you staying now? How can I contact you?”

She didn’t answer, lowering her eyes slightly to hide the emotions in her gaze.

“I’ve already asked the hospital to inform Miss Ding. She’ll be here soon.”

Ding Moli!

Lu Zongyue felt his chest tighten, his face turning pale — she was the last person he wanted to see right now.

But Zhong Xintian misunderstood the complexity in his expression. She sighed silently, turned her head, and her lips curved in a faint, ironic smile. “Don’t rush back to work. It’s more important to take care of your health.”

Before she left, she gave him this advice.

Lu Zongyue clenched his fist slightly. She knew him well, knew how ambitious he had always been. In the past, he would have been eager to return to the office, to regain control of his business empire.

But now, he was different…

“I’m leaving.”

Yuanyuan, don’t go!

Watching her turn to leave, he grew anxious and desperately wanted to call out to her, but the words caught in his dry throat. How could he have any right to ask her to stay? Meeting her again after all these years, it was a miracle she didn’t hate him.

He took a deep breath, over and over, trying to calm his anxious mind.

It didn’t matter. If she didn’t stay, he could go find her himself.

He had ninety days. In those ninety days, he would gradually bridge the gap between them, making up for everything he hadn’t given her before.

He was grateful to heaven for giving him ninety days to atone for his sins. She would be the only star worth chasing in the last stretch of his life.

The next day, Lu Zongyue was officially discharged from the hospital.

Though still weak after his recovery, the chief physician had wanted him to stay a few more days for observation. Given that his late father was friends with the hospital director, they had already arranged for a VIP room, so there was no rush for him to leave.

The doctor didn’t understand. Lu Zongyue wasn’t worried about taking up medical resources; he wasn’t the type of man to care about such things. He was only concerned that he didn’t have enough time left.

His life was already tethered to death, and he had no time to waste in a hospital. Every second was precious.

Ding Moli personally drove to pick him up. When she arrived at the hospital the previous night, he pretended to be asleep, refusing to see any visitors. She had left dejected, only to finally meet him today.

As soon as she saw him, she threw herself into his arms like a delicate bird. “Zongyue, you’re finally awake! Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

She sobbed, her tears wetting her beautiful face. Her curvaceous body trembled against his chest. She was like a fragile flower, so pitiful that any man would be moved to comfort her with tender affection.

Once, even a hint of tears from her could soften his heart. But during his most lonely and helpless moments, not a single tear from her had been sincere.

Lu Zongyue stood still, indifferent to her tears.

He knew he wasn’t completely numb. He still felt something for this woman, but that feeling was now laced with resentment and regret — and a deep disgust for himself.

He hated that he had once fallen in love with a woman like her. Who was the man she had been seeing behind his back? While he was in a coma, they had plotted to exploit his company for their own gain. The man must have worked there as well.

There was a traitor in his company, and the woman by his side had already betrayed him long ago.

He had always prided himself on his intelligence, believing that no one could deceive him. But it turned out, he was the biggest fool of all.

Some things only become clear after you’ve faced death, and he had already died once.

“Zongyue, what’s wrong?” Ding Moli, after crying for a while, finally noticed his cold demeanor. She looked up, bewildered.

“Are you feeling unwell?” She reached out her hand to touch his chest, slipping it inside his shirt, trying to provoke a reaction from him.

“Take your hand off,” he snapped coldly.

“What?” She froze.

He glanced at her, his deep eyes lingering on her flawless, delicate face.

She was indeed beautiful. If a woman’s looks were her weapon, then Ding Moli was a master of heavy artillery. Her alluring figure and abundant feminine charm made her any man’s dream.

But for him, she was a nightmare.

Lu Zongyue closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

According to his deal with Death, half of his assets, both liquid and fixed, had to be donated to the orphanage Death had chosen.

But he still had the other half to dispose of. Apart from leaving enough to support his stepmother and half-brother, he had decided to give everything else to Yuanyuan.

Ding Moli and her unknown lover wouldn’t get a penny from him!

To flush out the traitor in his company, he had to maintain a front with this woman, keeping his temper in check.

“I’m just tired. Get up.”

“Oh, did I crush you?” Ding Moli snapped back to reality, hastily sitting up. She had been shocked; Zongyue had never spoken to her so harshly. But when she looked at him again, his expression seemed soft and calm.

“If you’re tired, let me take you home. You can rest properly…”

“Before I leave the hospital, I want to take a shower. Did you bring my suit?”

“Yes, but aren’t you going home first?”

“I’m heading to the company.”

“Now? But your health…”

“It doesn’t matter,” he replied indifferently. “Call the department heads and tell them to prepare for a meeting. I want a full report on the company’s recent situation.”

“Ah, I knew it! You’ll never change your workaholic ways.” Ding Moli pouted as she handed him the suit.

He took the suit bag and went into the bathroom, shutting the door. Standing under the shower, he alternated between hot and cold water, letting the fierce stream wash over his entire body.

He had come back to life.

And now that he was alive again, he realized just how foolish he had been to ever love that woman.

Fortunately, he wouldn’t love anyone again.

At the end of his life, he no longer had the time or energy to waste on love — it was too exhausting.

All he had to do was complete his tasks, and arrange everything…