Chapter Twenty-Five: I Think I'm Falling in Love with Him

Jiang City First Hospital.

Ye Mian lay on the hospital bed, the sharp scent of disinfectant lingering in the air, an IV drip of glucose attached to her hand.

She rubbed her throbbing head; the aftereffects of the sedative left her dizzy and unable to rise. The doctor who had just examined her said she had ingested a new kind of narcotic sedative circulating in the market. Though it wasn’t addictive in a single dose, excessive amounts could cause coma, memory loss, and hallucinations.

Because she had taken far too much, she had been unconscious for two days.

Ye Mian had read about such drugs online before, but never imagined she would one day fall victim herself.

She could only recall seeing Zhong Qian at her home that day, and then everything went blank.

The doctor hadn’t said much else, only instructed her to rest and assured her she would be fine.

By afternoon, the police, upon hearing Ye Mian had awakened, promptly sent a female officer to her room.

The officer entered with a law enforcement recorder in hand, her tone gentle as she confirmed the suspect’s details. “Ye Mian, do you remember what happened?”

Ye Mian cooperated, shaking her head. “Not really, but I think I saw someone at home. His name is Zhong Qian, he lives in West Lane, Qingshui Street.”

“Mm, he’s the one who turned himself in. Did you have any prior conflict with him?”

“No, after he went to university, he barely returned to Jiang City, and we haven’t seen each other since.”

That was all Ye Mian remembered.

The police didn’t press further.

After a few questions about her health, the officer stood up. “Alright, please rest assured. Zhong Qian has already confessed. The crimes of trespassing, assault, and drugging will be judged by the court. The medical expenses will be entirely borne by the perpetrator. The doctors have checked—you were brought in quickly after the incident, and aside from the drug’s effects and some injury to your waist, nothing else has happened. We’ll notify you about the remaining legal process. Focus on your recovery.”

“Thank you for your help,” Ye Mian replied with a smile, seeing the officer out.

Once alone, her expression immediately twisted with frustration.

She was angry.

Truly angry.

And completely exasperated with Zhong Qian.

To think that fool went through so much trouble to drug her, only to beat her up! What on earth had she done to provoke him?

They weren’t even close.

What grudge could there possibly be? He’d go to such lengths, willingly face prison, just to hit her?

But what was done was done, and the culprit had been taken away. All Ye Mian could do was lie quietly in her hospital bed.

During this seven-day holiday, she felt she was the unluckiest person of all.

Hugging her knees, a twinge of pain in her waist made her frown. Bored from lying idle, she tried to reach for her phone on the bedside table.

Before she could grasp it, footsteps sounded at the door, and she instinctively turned her head.

Jiang Chen strode in, long legs crossing the threshold.

He walked from the sunlight into the room, his shadow deepening with each step. His striking features were etched with worry, but seeing Ye Mian awake, his expression gradually relaxed.

Watching her struggle to reach for her phone, Jiang Chen came over, picked it up, and handed it to her. “Has the doctor been by?”

Ye Mian stared blankly at the phone in her hand, not understanding why he was here, but obediently answered, “Yes, the doctor came.”

“Does your waist still hurt?” Jiang Chen glanced at her nearly empty IV bag and sat down on the adjacent bed.

“It does, but it’s manageable.” Ye Mian lifted her head, gazing intently at Jiang Chen’s profile, and asked sincerely, “Jiang Chen, why are you here?”

At her question, Jiang Chen paused, his brows arching slightly. “You… don’t remember?”

“No. What happened?” Ye Mian clutched the blanket, shaking her head with a hint of innocent confusion.

Jiang Chen’s lips curled into a smile. Remembering what Zhong Qian had said, he casually gave an answer. “I was dropping off your shoes and happened to see the ambulance, so I followed.”

Ye Mian’s dazed gaze collided with his mesmerizing eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

Under the white hospital light, his eyes looked endlessly gentle, the corners of his mouth lifted in an easy smile.

Especially those enchanting eyes—deep and captivating.

Ye Mian thought…

If he kept smiling at her like this much longer, she might just fall in love with him. He was simply too irresistible.

After that, Jiang Chen didn’t say much more.

Ye Mian, on the other hand, began to complain endlessly about Zhong Qian.

It was her first time speaking ill of someone, and she sounded more puzzled than spiteful. “How could someone be so awful? His father even knows my dad! It’s just too much.”

Jiang Chen nodded along patiently.

Ye Mian continued, “You should stay away from people like that, too. I barely ever spoke to him, and he just showed up to beat me up—like some real-life version of: ‘Where do you live? I’m coming over to hit you.’ It’s so twisted.”

Jiang Chen: ???

He couldn’t help himself, utterly surprised to hear such a response from her. His gloom dissipated, and as he watched her indignantly gesturing, he laughed until his shoulders shook.

Ye Mian, seeking affirmation, looked up and asked, “Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, you’re right.” Jiang Chen stood, gently pinched the corner of her blanket, and said, “Your IV is almost finished. I’ll call the doctor.”

He thought if he didn’t leave soon, he’d laugh himself to death.

“Oh, alright.”

Ye Mian nodded, wanting to thank him, but recalling that Jiang Chen didn’t like people expressing gratitude, she closed her mouth.

Jiang Chen… was truly a good person.

She sighed softly, though she found his smile oddly enigmatic.

It made her suspicious.

Jiang Chen stepped out of the ward. The October wind was chilly, and his smile faded entirely.

When he wasn’t smiling, those gentle eyes turned cold as winter snow.

He pressed the call button by the door, the stillness of his heart disturbed by faint ripples.

He was glad. If those sordid memories were lost to her, she could always remain lively and joyful.

After the nurse arrived, Jiang Chen didn’t return to the room but stood by the corridor window, gazing outside.

A gust of cold wind cleared his mind.

He began to remember many things.

More precisely, he recalled a particular day from his childhood.

The day his mother took her own life.

The weather was perfect that day—sunshine blazing, the sky a boundless azure.

He came home from school to find his mother kneeling in the corner, blood staining both her head and the wall, her eyes open wide, her body bent motionless.

In the room, his father clutched Dong Yulian, hurriedly pulling up his trousers, panic-stricken.

The scene was silent yet deafening, striking at the soul.

He understood immediately what had happened; tears streamed down his face, and the next instant, that man locked him in a room.

With his mother gone, his father became a brute.

Because he cried and made a scene, he was thrown into a room and shut in for three days.

His father was terrified he’d tell everyone, ruin their reputations.

He was only let out when it was time for his mother’s burial.

By then, his tears were nearly spent, two days without food, too weak to speak.

Afraid he’d give something away, his father locked him up again and beat him.

Roaring hoarsely, demanding to know why he wasn’t crying.

For the first time, he felt death was so close. Inside, he was peculiarly calm—there was no grief at losing his mother, only the pain wracking his body and soul.

It was a young girl who opened that door, the wind she let in brushing his face as he looked at her.

She was so small, round-faced, as if she had stumbled in by accident and then refused to leave, throwing herself between him and his father’s fists.