I'm sorry.

Ye Mian: "???"

That was too much. This was really going too far. She still held the evidence in her hand, and it wasn't as if she hadn't waited for his explanation; how could this be called a misunderstanding? Looking at his bewildered expression, Ye Mian decided that since they were going to talk, they might as well get it all out in the open.

She unlocked her phone; Ye Qingqing’s social media post hadn't been deleted yet. She opened the post and held the phone up to Jiang Chen’s face. "What else do you have to say? Isn't this you in the photo?"

Jiang Chen stared at the phone for a moment, then calmly set his water glass on the table. He looked directly at Ye Mian and said, "It is me, but I don't know this person well."

Ye Mian hadn't expected this answer. She frowned. "You don't know her well, yet you fall asleep in front of her?" Based on Jiang Chen's usual demeanor, unless he allowed it, no one would be able to get close to him while he slept. Furthermore... Ye Mian zoomed in on the photo. The picture frame on the bedside table contained a photo of Ye Qingqing; it was clearly her place.

"Are you willing to listen to my explanation?" Jiang Chen’s voice was low.

Ye Mian nodded. "Go ahead."

He didn't speak immediately, instead looking toward the window as if to draw the curtains. Knowing he couldn't get out of bed, Ye Mian reached over and drew them. In the dim light, Jiang Chen stared unblinkingly into her eyes with intense focus. His slender fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt, ignoring the tearing sensation in his left shoulder as he pulled the blue and white hospital gown down to his waist, revealing his robust frame and the messy, unhealed wounds.

"What are you doing?"

Ye Mian’s ears burned instantly. She lowered her head, covered her eyes with her fingers, and took a panicked step back. Jiang Chen said nothing, and the air seemed to stagnate for a moment. After a long while, Ye Mian finally looked up, peeking through the gaps between her fingers.

Jiang Chen sat there, turned slightly to the side. As Ye Mian’s gaze drifted lower, the horrific, ghastly knife scars on the man’s back gradually came into view. In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly, but it was evident that these wounds were old. The scabs were thick, cruel, and bloody.

Ye Mian’s pupils fixed in place. She moved her fingers from her eyes to her mouth, fearing she might scream if she didn't restrain herself. The scars on his back were terrifyingly deep, running from his left shoulder blade all the way down to his lower right waist, as if someone had tried to hack him in two. One could easily imagine the sight of exposed bone before the wounds had scarred over.

"..."

Ye Mian felt cold from head to toe. The sight was so shocking to her senses that she couldn't think clearly. By the time her consciousness returned, she wanted to step forward to examine them more closely, but Jiang Chen had already begun buttoning up his shirt with measured movements.

"You... let me see again." She slowly lowered her hands, truly not knowing how to confront this version of Jiang Chen; it felt difficult even to speak.

"Don't look anymore. It'll cost you if you keep looking," Jiang Chen said, his voice languid and lingering. He was genuinely afraid the gruesome wounds would frighten her.

"..."

Ye Mian was stunned on the spot. Even in this state, he could still joke?

Before she could respond, Jiang Chen spoke again. "I can explain the photo and my disappearance." He smiled gently, as if recalling a trivial matter. "When I was in the States, I invested in a plot of land at the harbor. It blocked the path of a local smuggling ring, and I became a target..."

"I really don't know the girl in the photo well. She saved me and brought me home. I left as soon as I woke up, but unfortunately, I was tracked down again."

"To keep me from interfering with their business, they used a smuggler's black ship to send me back. The bay behind the temple was where I disembarked."

"The photo must have been taken during that time, but I was unaware of it. I'm sorry. I've made you suffer these past few days. It won't happen again."

Jiang Chen described the events lightly, only sounding sincere when he apologized. He didn't mention that the smuggling ring was an armed gang, nor that he had been shot. He didn't mention that he knew Ye Qingqing's brother, Ye Chilie, and he certainly didn't mention that he had been delivered into the hands of the gang by Ye Chilie himself. These matters were too complex. He believed that after Ye Mian’s hypnosis, she still knew nothing, and those people wouldn't return to the country. He could handle it; he didn't want the girl to overthink, especially not to have any misunderstanding that might cause her to recall those sordid memories.

"..."

Ye Mian was left speechless, her mind in a complete mess. She believed Jiang Chen’s explanation. Physical scars didn't lie; he couldn't have faked wounds that severe. However, her feelings were complicated. Looking at Ye Qingqing’s social media, it seemed she had liked Jiang Chen for a long time. That meant when Ye Qingqing saw him at the bar that day, she had gotten angry and blocked her.

Everything Jiang Chen said aligned with the suspicious points. Ye Qingqing’s post only showed Jiang Chen’s closed eyes and his hand; there wasn't a single photo of him conscious because he had been too severely injured and unconscious to be photographed. Ye Mian didn't believe she had any sincere sisterly bond with Ye Qingqing—they hadn't even met growing up—but she had truly considered her a friend. It was a pity.

"..."

Warm air blew from the central air conditioning. Ye Mian didn't want to dwell on Ye Qingqing anymore. She looked down at the wounds that had reopened when Jiang Chen took off his shirt, and turned to call for a doctor. Watching the doctor replace the bandages and apply ointment, Ye Mian’s eyes were filled with worry. So much blood—it was all his. It was even more shocking than the sight in the snow.

After the doctor finished dressing the wounds, he warned, "Be careful not to pull at the stitches. If the wounds keep splitting, there's a high risk of infection."

Ye Mian adjusted the bed for Jiang Chen. Thinking of him alone with no one to care for him, unable to even eat a proper meal, she couldn't help but ask, "Doctor, can he be discharged?"

The doctor paused. "In a couple of days, once the condition stabilizes."

After the doctor left, Ye Mian looked at Jiang Chen’s wounds with concern. She had classes to attend, and Jiang Chen couldn't be left without care. It wasn't healthy for him to keep eating takeout in this state, and private nurses didn't cook. Even if she hired a nanny, there had to be a place to stay and cook. It was all a hassle.

After a moment of silence, Ye Mian said, "Jiang Chen, why don't you come live at my place? I rented an apartment by Yunge Lake. I can take care of you there." Fearing he might refuse, she added, "It's a two-bedroom apartment. I won't mistreat you, and eating at the hospital is too inconvenient."

"Are you not angry anymore?" Jiang Chen’s voice carried clear guilt, his bewitching eyes fixed intently on her face.

!!!!

Ye Mian took a deep breath.

Not this again. She didn't know where he learned this, but it certainly... worked on her.