The ward was terrifyingly quiet.
Only Tang Yuyao and Ye Cheng were left. Shen Qinghan had just taken a call and stepped out, looking like she had some urgent matter to attend to.
Taking advantage of this rare free moment, Ye Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. Great, he finally didn't have to pretend anymore. He was exhausted. Beating around the bush with the eldest miss all day would eventually evolve him into Ye-gami Light.
Now that things had quieted down, Tang Yuyao started to brew her emotions. Her eyes accidentally got sand in them again, turning red, and her voice trembled.
Are you...
Phew, scared me to death, she's finally gone! Ye Cheng exhaled deeply.
Under Tang Yuyao's astonished gaze, Ye Cheng, who had just been lying on the hospital bed dying with an I'm not gonna make it look, instantly sat up. He might not have been fully resurrected with full health, but he was at least at half health.
Launching himself up, he climbed out of bed, hopped around a couple of times, did some radio calisthenics, and then started stretching on his own, treating it as his post-surgery rehabilitation exercise.
Tang Yuyao looked completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at the bed board where Ye Cheng had just been lying. Except the Ye Cheng who had been in the bed was gone, having run off to the side to do calisthenics.
Tang Yuyao: ???
Tang Yuyao's head was buzzing. Her slightly sore and red eyes suddenly weren't sore anymore, but they seemed to get even redder. Also red was her neck... it looked a bit like the blood had rushed to her head.
If she hadn't been drinking, she could only have been angered into this state.
After finishing his calisthenics in the room and hopping around for two laps, Ye Cheng lay right back down exactly as he was, happily picking up the phone he had just hidden to scroll through mind-numbing short videos.
After watching for a while, he noticed something seemed off. Why was there an ominous gaze constantly staring at him?
Not sure, let's take a look...
Hey, there really is!
Ye Cheng and Tang Yuyao locked eyes. A question mark appeared over Ye Cheng's head: Dr. Tang, why are you looking at me like that?
Tang Yuyao: ...
You... didn't you suffer a very serious injury?
Yeah, can't you tell? Ye Cheng blinked, looking completely innocent. He then raised one of his hands, which looked like a Teletubby, turning it into a little pincer, and snipped it twice in front of Tang Yuyao.
How about it, doesn't it look like a crab, hahaha. Ye Cheng grinned broadly, amusing himself.
Tang Yuyao: ...
Don't you know you need to rest quietly after surgery? Tang Yuyao asked, forcibly suppressing her anger.
Hey, enough already. What does it look like for a young person to act half-dead all day just from taking a couple of cuts? Can you even be called young if you're not full of vigor?
Ye Cheng shook his head, adopting the lecturing posture of an elder, rambling on like an old-timer playing the role of a wise old man.
It wasn't a big deal to begin with; he just lost a little blood, had a surgery, and needed to recover. But the President and the eldest miss came storming over, so he had to temporarily change his plans.
In this situation, other than playing the victim, Ye Cheng couldn't think of any other way to survive.
If he were jumping around alive and kicking right after the surgery, the President would investigate the cause of the incident, and the eldest miss would go elbow the hamster, and the truth would come out.
Ending up like this was caused by playing around with a wheelchair; he'd definitely get punched a few times.
He'd be beaten into beef meatballs, chopped into dumpling filling, and finally made into bear biscuits, put in a sack, and thrown into the river...
Tsk tsk tsk.
How could the word miserable even begin to describe it? He wasn't stupid; at his young age, why would he run over for no reason and act like a suicide bomber truck?
So... you were faking it just now? Tang Yuyao asked after a moment of silence, her tone somewhat uncertain.
What do you mean faking it? Dr. Tang, your words really aren't pleasant to hear. Can a scholar's actions be called faking? You could figure it out by thinking with your butt. I fell from a high altitude, and the surgery was mainly to clean out the glass shards and fibers in my muscles. How could my lungs be injured?
Taking a ten thousand steps back, even if I really had internal injuries or something, I would be coughing up blood. Who dry coughs like that?
I really need to lecture you on this. You're a doctor, after all. The eldest miss couldn't tell, but how could you not tell either?
While scrolling through mind-numbing short videos, Ye Cheng criticized Tang Yuyao for not working hard during her studies. She couldn't even recognize a patient's symptoms or tell if they were acting. So troublesome.
No wonder she was a slacker doctor...
It was just that... Ye Cheng hadn't noticed in the slightest that Tang Yuyao's expression had turned strange, and he kept on rambling.
You're a grown adult, yet you do things so rashly. And getting sand in your eyes? That nonsense could only fool the eldest miss, and maybe it didn't even fool her. You have no idea how scary the eldest miss's eyes were just now...
Acting as if he had just survived a disaster, Ye Cheng casually exposed the truth about Tang Yuyao getting sand in her eyes earlier.
Tang Yuyao, who was still stacking her rage meter, instantly had her rage bar emptied. Her head buzzed, going completely blank, while her cheeks rapidly flushed red. Her speech also became hesitant, slightly slurred, and stuttering.
I-I didn't lie, I really just got sand in my eyes... Tang Yuyao's heart was a mess, but she remained stubborn.
She never expected that while she was on guard against the eldest miss, she would be seen through by Ye Cheng, who had been lying silently on the bed the whole time?
Seeing through it was one thing, but he didn't even know how to save her some face, insisting on poking a hole through this layer of window paper... Bastard, this isn't how it goes in TV dramas!
According to the plot development in idol dramas, Ye Cheng shouldn't have noticed, leaving behind a beautiful or perhaps not-so-beautiful misunderstanding. Then she would carefully take care of him, feelings would grow over time, they would enter the marriage hall, and finally... she was getting a bit ahead of herself.
But in short, the situation should have developed like that, rather than being instantly seen through by Ye Cheng!
Idol dramas definitely don't play out like this!
Tang Yuyao, who had watched idol dramas for many years, suddenly realized her romantic experience was zero. She had been horribly deceived; everything in TV dramas was a lie...
Actually, it wasn't that the things in idol dramas were too fake. Perhaps there were exaggerated elements, but the plot development should be normal. It was just that they needed to stir up the emotions of the audience in front of the screen, which was why there were so many stomach-ache-inducing plot twists.
Misunderstandings, blond delinquents, first loves... watching them made you feel like your head was getting pointy; at the very least, normal people couldn't project themselves into it.
The exaggerated plots in idol dramas ultimately came from reality, just embellished a tiny bit. Tang Yuyao's thoughts and expectations were generally not wrong.
The only mistake was that the male lead of this idol drama was named Peter F*cking Parker Ye Cheng!
He wasn't blind, and with so many weird buff effects on him, if he still went with the stomach-ache-inducing tactics of idol dramas, Ye Cheng would have to give himself two massive slaps.
Damn it, since he was the protagonist, he should be switched to the Crooked-Mouth Dragon King script. He also wanted to give an order and have a hundred thousand soldiers...
Alright, if I keep thinking about this, my brain is going to go completely smooth.
"Nonsense, I'm not, I didn't, you saw wrong!" Tang Yuyao scolded playfully, her embarrassed and angry triple-denial echoing in the room.
Ye Cheng blinked, and then: "Oh~~~"
"Dr. Tang, you're getting defensive, aren't you?" Ye Cheng's expression instantly turned comical, raising his eyebrows in a cheeky manner.
Tang Yuyao: "!!!"
No, the script wasn't supposed to go like this, it wasn't!
Tang Yuyao never expected that even after she went to such lengths, Ye Cheng would still chase after her for the kill. Wasn't the rule that if you burn your flash, you get spared?
Tang Yuyao's mind was a tangled mess. Her face had turned as red as a tomato. Both her body language and facial expressions were glitching out, like a line of code running into an error.
"I didn't, I... I really just got sand in my eyes just now. I wasn't crying, I'm just a bit emotional. Seeing anyone lying here would make me..."
Tang Yuyao was panic-mashing her skills, throwing out whatever she had, clicking whatever lit up. In short, she was panicking!
Ye Cheng blinked, rubbing his smooth chin with his stubby, Teletubby-like bandaged hands. "Say, Dr. Tang, I don't think I ever mentioned you crying, did I?"
Tang Yuyao: "???"
A self-incriminating confession.
Tang Yuyao's head buzzed. She had lost count of how many times her brain had crashed today. But thinking back, it was true—Ye Cheng had only said that the "sand in the eye" excuse was to trick the young miss, but he never actually specified what she was doing.
From start to finish, he never said the word "cry," yet she had blurted it out herself...
Already sporting a flushed complexion, Tang Yuyao's blush now spread all the way down to her neck. Her hands began to tremble, her dark eyes quivering as if she were about to burst into tears.
What... what on earth was she doing!
Was this the legendary baiting an ultimate with a basic attack?
Finally, Tang Yuyao shut her mouth. Although her body was still trembling slightly from the sheer shame and embarrassment, her rationality had somewhat returned. She took a deep breath.
"I admit what you said makes some sense, but so what?"
"What's wrong with a girl being a little emotional and shedding a tear? We know each other, after all, and you've done a lot to help me before. I have a conscience. Is it really a big deal if I shed a few tears when you get hurt?"
"You don't actually think I like you, do you? You don't, right? Right?"
If the heart rate monitor attached to Ye Cheng were hooked up to Tang Yuyao right now, one would find her heart rate on the verge of breaking human limits. It was skyrocketing!
Using her last shred of stubbornness, Tang Yuyao seized back the initiative, even harboring a tiny sliver of expectation... expecting Ye Cheng to answer her final rhetorical question!
Did he or didn't he?!
"I just didn't want those little girls to look down on me, that's all. Don't overthink it. I have no interest in a little boy like you. I like men who can give me a sense of security, not some brat like you. Do you understand, kid?"
Tang Yuyao kept rambling, proving over and over again that she "didn't like Ye Cheng," and that her tears just now were merely a woman's emotional response—it would have been the same for anyone else.
As for lying, it was just to avoid being looked down upon, nothing more!
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
Tang Yuyao's heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. After she poured out that whole speech, the room fell quiet once again, as if all the previous intensity had been an illusion.
Even though the silence only lasted a few seconds, it was pure agony for Tang Yuyao. She had never felt such torment in her entire life. Her hands clenched tighter and tighter, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
Leaving deep red crescent marks.
"Say something! Did you hear me clearly? I don't like you. I only like men who can give me a sense of security, not a scumbag like you who spends all day tangled up with a bunch of little girls!" Tang Yuyao clenched her fists again, fine sweat appearing on her palms.
The skin of her palms turned pale from the force.
Ye Cheng blinked, looking genuinely disappointed. "Is that so? What a pity. I actually quite like you, Dr. Tang."
Crack!
With that one light, breezy sentence, the emotional armor Tang Yuyao had been constantly building up instantly shattered. Her mental fortitude was completely broken. Her previous "sharp, harsh" words formed a stark contrast with Ye Cheng's "I actually quite like you."
It felt like a slap across her face, stinging hotly!
This blow surpassed any previous heartache, conflict, sorrow, or embarrassment... leaving behind only overwhelming shame and helplessness.
She... what had she just said!
Tang Yuyao suddenly "woke up" to the realization that she seemed to have said some incredibly harsh things. Like an expired lottery ticket—but the ticket had actually won?
No, it wasn't expired; she had just torn up the winning ticket before even scratching it!
Tang Yuyao's heart was aching terribly right now, but she continued to pretend as if nothing had happened, putting on the airs of an "older sister" and giving a soft "Oh."
"Heh, who cares about a kid's crush. It's getting late, I'm going home. I'll come visit you next time I'm free. Bye-bye."
Tang Yuyao stood up to leave as if fleeing. Clack, clack, clack—the crisp sound of her high heels echoed in the room. When she reached the door, she stopped. She just stood there without a word, her hand resting on the doorknob, unable to press it down.
Leave, Tang Yuyao, leave!
You've already said all that, just leave! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Please, just go!
Click. The doorknob pressed down, and the door opened!
Clack, clack, clack!
Tang Yuyao... walked right back the way she came.
Seeing Tang Yuyao walking back as if possessed, Ye Cheng instinctively squirmed back a bit, crossing his two Teletubby-like bandaged arms over his chest to prevent her from "hurting" him.
He had seen her mental state clearly back in the hotel. Parading around stark naked pretending to be a "Magical Girl"—is that something a normal person does?
Coupled with the fact that she had just been provoked, she might just hit him a couple of times.
Ye Cheng made full preparations. If Tang Yuyao attacked, he would... run!
Tensed and ready, Ye Cheng watched as Tang Yuyao marched up to the hospital bed, leaned forward, and slammed both hands onto the mattress, pinning him in place so he couldn't move!
Damn it, what a despicable move!
Just as Ye Cheng was about to use his escape technique, Tang Yuyao's head came "crashing" down heavily. But this time, it wasn't a "hyena-like bite," but rather something soft, carrying a sweet fragrance... a kiss.
"Dr. Tang, what are you doing? I'm a patient right now, you can't... mmph?"
Ye Cheng: "???"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
