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Zhan Rongxuan said to Zhan Feng, “Serve the food.”
Zhan Feng left and returned shortly after, bringing in a tray of food.
“Miss Xu, just eat here,” he said as he set up the small table on her bed.
Xu Yueyao no longer looked at the four men; she didn’t care about them anymore. Eating was the priority. Right now, she found Zhan Feng the most agreeable—attentive and polite.
When the lid of the tray was lifted, Xu Yueyao’s previously excited face turned into one of disbelief. She felt wronged. “Wait, Zhan Feng, this is all I get to eat?”
“Pfft!” Chen Shen laughed, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the two of them. His expression seemed to say, Isn’t this interesting?
Even Ah Yan couldn’t help but smile, and even Jing Yi tugged at the corner of his mouth. None of them had expected that a girl like her would catch Zhan Rongxuan’s attention.
Xu Yueyao looked at Zhan Rongxuan, feeling utterly dejected. She realized she hadn’t eaten all day, only receiving IV fluids. Zhan Rongxuan turned to Chen Shen and asked, “Is this all she can eat?”
Chen Shen paused before replying, “After surgery, the first meal has to be liquid food. But by tomorrow, she can eat a bit more—just something light.”
She glanced at Zhan Rongxuan, who looked perfectly fine despite also having been shot. In contrast, she felt weak and miserable. Resigned, she started drinking the porridge. Surprisingly, maybe because she was too hungry, the porridge tasted pretty good. After finishing a bowl, she gestured to Zhan Feng that she wanted another.
After dinner, Xu Yueyao leaned against the bed as Zhan Rongxuan formally introduced the three men to her. She already knew all about them—probably better than they knew themselves—so she remained indifferent. Since it was her first time meeting them, she chose not to say much. These men were all shrewd; the more she spoke, the more likely she was to make a mistake. So instead, she pretended to be weak, lying there motionless. She had even planned to fake sleep, but within ten minutes, she actually drifted off.
When she woke up again, everyone was gone, including Zhan Rongxuan. She leaned against the bed, recalling the plot of the story. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening. Is Zhan Rongxuan back?
Just as she was about to sit up, she saw a shadow—a man wearing a hat. She immediately knew it wasn’t Zhan Rongxuan and quickly decided to keep pretending to sleep, gripping the blanket tightly.
The man’s footsteps slowly approached. Xu Yueyao held her breath, her mind racing. This part of the story never happened! In the original novel, she never took a bullet for Zhan Rongxuan. Their first meeting had been when he was drugged, and she had become his antidote. Now, for the first time, she regretted altering the storyline—it had left her completely unprepared.
As the man got closer, a chill ran down her spine. It was as if she had a natural ability to sense danger.
Silently counting to three in her mind, Xu Yueyao suddenly threw the blanket over the man’s head and scrambled out of bed, crawling toward the door.
The intruder struggled under the blanket, but before he could free himself, the hospital room lights switched on, and a group of people rushed in, pinning him down.
Zhan Rongxuan saw Xu Yueyao collapsed on the floor and immediately picked her up. Tears streamed down her face. At that moment, she realized—he had used her as bait. She wasn’t sure if she was crying from pain or sheer frustration. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, landing on Zhan Rongxuan’s hand, making his heart clench. Holding her in his arms, he experienced something unfamiliar—her delicate frame felt so soft, as if she had no bones. Seeing her pale face streaked with tears and her wound bleeding again, he regretted his decision for the first time.
“Call Chen Shen,” he ordered Zhan Feng.
Chen Shen arrived quickly, inspected the wound, and said, “The stitches have torn. She needs to go back into surgery.”
Zhan Rongxuan, who was used to injuries, found it unbelievable. His own wound had already started healing, yet hers was still this severe. It was the first time he realized how different people’s bodies could be. She shouldn’t have been injured again.
As Xu Yueyao was wheeled away, Zhan Rongxuan pulled off the blanket covering the intruder, revealing his face—it was Long Er, one of his uncle Zhan Yunzhen’s men.
Without hesitation, Zhan Rongxuan kicked him hard, sending him crashing into the wall before rebounding to the floor, coughing up blood.
Zhan Feng, watching his master’s uncharacteristic display of anger, was puzzled. Is this because of Miss Xu? His lips curled slightly. It looks like our young master actually cares.
Zhan Feng stepped forward and tried to interrogate Long Er, but it was too late—the man had already crushed the poison hidden in his tooth.
“He’s dead,” Zhan Feng confirmed after checking his pulse.
The young masters of the Zhan family had all been raised alongside a group of children who would eventually either be eliminated or become their shadows—bodyguards and trusted confidants. Long Er had been Zhan Yunzhen’s shadow.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s dead,” Zhan Rongxuan said coolly. “If Second Uncle sent him, it means he’s panicking. That means we must be getting close to his weak spot.”
He glanced at Long Er’s lifeless body with disgust. “Move Xu Yueyao to a different room.”
“Understood. I’ll handle it right away,” Zhan Feng replied. “And what should we do with Long Er?”
Zhan Rongxuan turned to look out the window at the scattered stars. After a moment, he said, “It’s time to settle this. Send his body back to Zhan Yunzhen—after all, he was his man.”
“Got it. Take him away and deliver him to Second Master,” Zhan Feng ordered the men behind him. It seems the young master is ready to bring everything into the open.
Inside the operating room, Chen Shen was stitching up Xu Yueyao’s wound again. This time, she was only given local anesthesia, so even with her eyes closed, she could feel the needle threading through her flesh. She gripped the bedsheet tightly, enduring the discomfort, while tears continued to slide down her face.
Chen Shen noticed her tears and couldn’t help but think, Is this woman made of water? How can one person cry so much? But his hands never slowed down. Finally, he said, “Scissors.” The suturing was complete, and Xu Yueyao’s hand slowly relaxed.
“Observe her for a while, then transfer her back to the ward,” he instructed the nurse. After a final glance at Xu Yueyao, he left. As he turned back to watch the operating room doors close, he fell into deep thought. Just now, for a brief moment, it had felt as if all the vitality and spirit had drained from her. He shook his head. Why would I even think that?
Xu Yueyao was moved to a new ward. When she arrived, Zhan Rongxuan was already there. His eyes swept over her newly bandaged wound and her pale face.
“Tonight’s attack was an accident,” he said. “Everything was arranged. He was supposed to be caught before he got anywhere near you.”
This was the first time he had ever explained himself to anyone besides his grandfather.
But Xu Yueyao wasn’t impressed. So you’re saying it’s my fault for moving around? If everything was arranged, why didn’t you catch him earlier? Hmph, arrogant bastard.
Still, she forced a smile and said sweetly, “I am yours, Young Master Zhan. Helping you is my honor.”
There, isn’t that a perfect line? Now remember what I’ve done for you. When you kick me out in the future, at least give me a nice severance package.
Zhan Rongxuan found her smile oddly irritating. His phoenix eyes narrowed, sending a chill down her spine. He doesn’t like that answer?
Without another word, he turned and left, instructing Zhan Feng as he walked, “Post two guards outside. Assign two caretakers for her. Since she likes being helped to wash her face, have the same person from yesterday do it daily.”
Then, as if annoyed, he added, “Handle the rest as you see fit.”
“Yes, Young Master,” Zhan Feng responded, noting everything down.