It is ironic, really. In three years of marriage, he had never once initiated a phone call to her. That he would do so now, of all times, was surely only because of his younger sister, Lu Lingshuang.
Ye Ran’s chest tightened with pain. She gritted her teeth against the discomfort and hung up the call.
She went to speak to Professor Ren again, but her phone vibrated persistently once more.
It was Lu Linshen calling again.
Professor Ren looked at the phone vibrating in Ye Ran’s hand and sighed. “Go and take the call, Ye Ran. I know you were framed, but Miss Lu is fanning the flames, and the impact on you has been terrible.”
Ye Ran’s heart skipped a beat.
Though reluctant, she knew her mentor could not show partiality forever.
Before Professor Ren could say anything further, she spoke decisively: “Professor, I will take a temporary leave of absence for a few days. Once this matter is cleared up and my name is cleared, I will return.”
Professor Ren sighed again, this time with relief. He nodded as Ye Ran turned to leave. He then turned back to his desk, picked up the landline, and said, “Notify the legal department. Provide Ye Ran with whatever legal defense she needs.”
Ye Ran walked through the corridor, meeting strange, judgmental stares and listening to the increasingly vicious gossip. She clutched her still-vibrating phone as if it were a bundle of dynamite, one that might blow her to smithereens at any moment.
Finally clear of the hospital, she stood in the vast, busy parking lot.
Ye Ran hadn't noticed when the phone stopped vibrating, nor did she pay attention to whether Lu Linshen had tried calling again. She gripped a flower bed, swaying, as a wave of retching overcame her.
“Oh, dear, miss, are you alright?”
An elderly woman passing by saw her condition and stepped forward with concern, patting her back.
“Leave her alone, ma'am!”
Several women dressed in nurses' uniforms approached.
“She’s a new intern at our hospital. She’s a thief. She’s been conspiring with her lover to steal valuables from wealthy patients!”
The woman gasped, looking at Ye Ran with shock.
The others chimed in to stir the pot.
“Worth tens of millions! Could you imagine? Who would dare do such a thing?”
“Is this the kind of thing a normal person does? It’s insane! And so shameless!”
“She’s such a disgrace to our hospital! She’s definitely getting fired! The police will be dragging her off to jail soon enough!”
The old woman, having never heard such things, took them at their word. No longer wanting to be involved, she quickly pulled her hand back and walked away, clicking her tongue in disgust.
Ye Ran had nothing left in her stomach. Her face was deathly pale. She forced herself to lift her head to look at the group surrounding her, but before she could speak, one of them grabbed her arm, shoved her head down, and forced her to look at the vomit on the ground.
“This is a hospital, not your home! You made this mess, you’re going to clean it up!”
Ye Ran was physically exhausted and dizzy from being shoved. Mustering all her remaining strength, she shoved the woman away. Her voice was weak: “I will clean it up. You don't need to worry about it!”
Having said that, she narrowed her eyes at the other women, her gaze icy: “How much did Lu Lingshuang pay you to be her lapdogs?”
“What did you say?”
The woman was instantly enraged, but caught off guard by Ye Ran’s ability to guess Lu Lingshuang’s involvement, her eyes flickered with guilt.
Ye Ran took a deep breath and glanced toward the nearby surveillance camera: “There is a camera here. Do you want me to press charges for harassment and intentional injury?”
“You!”
The women were furious, and one of them reached out to grab Ye Ran.
Ye Ran didn't flinch. “I don’t care. I’m already planning to sue Lu Lingshuang, so what’s one more lawsuit?”
Seeing her resolve, the women—not wanting any real trouble—tossed out a few more harsh words and quickly retreated while they were ahead.
Once they were gone, Ye Ran let out a long, shuddering breath. Ignoring the stares of passersby, she took a tissue from her bag and began to wipe away the mess on the ground, bit by bit.
She didn't know why, but as she scrubbed, a sharp, stinging pain filled her nose.
Before she knew it, hot tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Why was she crying?
It was so humiliating, so pointless.
But Ye Ran felt such grievance, such bitterness, such agony...
She had done nothing wrong, so why had she ended up like this?
No, she *had* done something wrong. She had fallen for someone she shouldn't have.
Lu Linshen.
Ye Ran trembled violently, the name she had once cherished now filled with nothing but resentment. Every syllable felt like a knife being twisted into her heart.
She was bleeding out, in excruciating pain.
She gritted her teeth and, with trembling fingers, pulled out her phone.
The moment the call connected, her voice was choked with raw, stifled emotion: “Lu Linshen, you’re still going to protect Lu Lingshuang, aren't you?”
“She’s your sister. It’s natural for you to protect her, but what about me? What am I to you?”
There was complete silence on the other end.
Ye Ran ignored the strangeness of the silence; the flood of emotions pushed her to continue: “Whether you admit it or not, I am still your wife. Do you understand what that means? Even if we kept it a secret, our marriage is a legal fact!”
“Your sister is bullying me again and again! Does she think she’s only hurting me? If she cared even a little about you, she wouldn't be doing such monstrous things!”
Once she had let it all out, Ye Ran felt as if she hadn't just poured out her heart, but her very lifeblood.
She hung up, stumbled back to the dormitory, and collapsed onto the floor. Her body was weak and wouldn't stop shaking. Her mind felt as though it had ground to a halt.
But she couldn't give up.
The mess Lu Lingshuang had created wasn't resolved yet.
Ye Ran was puzzled, though. Lu Lingshuang’s vendetta against her seemed to run deeper than just the fact that she had replaced Tang Yiyi as Lu Linshen's wife.
It went back to the summer when she was six. It was her birthday, and her father had promised to take her to the amusement park after he finished his work.
Little Ye Ran held the cake her father had bought her, waiting quietly in the courtyard.
A stumbling little girl came running through the yard and, in her carelessness, crashed into Ye Ran.
The cake tumbled to the ground.
“You’re mean! You were in my way!”
The little girl was spoiled and arrogant; she stomped on the cake on the ground.
“My cake! Why would you do that?”
Ye Ran tried to protect what remained of the cake and push the girl away, but several servants rushed over and immediately dragged her back.
The little girl became even more domineering: “Where did this poor thing come from? How dare she be in my courtyard? Make her kneel!”
“No! Hit her!”
“Auntie! Beat her for me!”
The servants didn't ask questions; the young mistress had spoken, so they followed orders. As a hand was raised to strike Ye Ran, a voice called out—