“So, just your luck, you ran into that annoying Young Master? And he managed to shift all the blame onto your mom?”
Yang Xueyi let out a sigh of utter despair, then forced herself to find some humor in misery.
She raised her phone, snapped a selfie with Qiao Qianqian, and sent it—along with the restaurant’s location—to Ms. Yang Meiying.
After the annual company event, Yang Xueyi and Qiao Qianqian had arranged to meet for dinner at a private home-style restaurant.
Originally, finally getting rid of Li Liming should have been a momentous occasion worth celebrating.
But the aftereffects of that call from Ying Yun made it impossible for Yang Xueyi to feel any joy.
She had no choice but to reluctantly remove Ying Yun from her blacklist.
That annoying guy must’ve been eager to help his uncle scold her, which was probably why he immediately noticed he’d been blocked.
Thankfully, after much coaxing, she managed to calm her mother down.
But now her mom was watching her even more closely, checking in at random times and occasionally demanding she share her real-time location.
Qiao Qianqian was deeply sympathetic, “Your mom was always hypersensitive about any guy around you, guarding you like a fortress. Now it’s over—no way you’re getting out of being single anytime soon. Just wait, once you’re the right age, your mom’s definitely going to arrange blind dates for you.”
Ms. Yang Meiying was open-minded about most things regarding Yang Xueyi, but when it came to relationships, she was unreasonably paranoid.
When she was young, swept up in romance, she ignored her parents’ warnings, convinced she’d found her true love.
But she was wrong—her irresponsible husband revealed his true colors not long after Yang Xueyi was born, cheating, divorcing, and abandoning both mother and daughter, refusing even to pay child support, and then vanishing altogether.
In the end, Yang Meiying had raised Yang Xueyi all by herself, working as a live-in nanny to make ends meet.
Because of this, when it came to Yang Xueyi’s marriage prospects, Ms. Yang Meiying was determined to eliminate any possibility of her daughter repeating her own mistakes—better to be overly cautious than to let a single problem slip through.
***
Soon after, Yang Xueyi received a reply from her mother—
[Mom is doing this for your own good. You’re too young and easily deceived. Wait until I get back, I’ll help you check things out and introduce you to some reliable boys.]
Of course, the bad things always come true, never the good.
Qiao Qianqian’s mouth really was a jinx—her mom was actually planning to set her up on blind dates.
Compared to the dull ache in her shoulder from Li Liming’s rough handling, Yang Xueyi felt her headache was far worse.
After dinner, she said goodbye to Qiao Qianqian, and by the time she lay down on the nanny’s room bed, another check-in message from Ms. Yang Meiying had already arrived.
Annoyed, Yang Xueyi sent her location at Ying Yun’s villa, frustration bubbling in her chest.
She felt that it was time to take the initiative and make a change—so long as Ying Yun was around, she’d never have any peace.
She couldn’t just sit around and wait for disaster anymore!
She had to come up with a way to make Ying Yun avoid her like the plague—so much so that he wouldn’t dare meddle in her affairs again!
Yang Xueyi was at her wit’s end, unable to think of a solution for the moment, so she pulled out her phone and posted an anonymous plea for help online—
[My mom sent someone to watch over me. This person hates me, so he deliberately makes things difficult and tattles on me to my mom all the time. Is there any way to get rid of him or make him keep his distance and stop interfering?]
Of course, the request for help was mostly fake; venting was the real goal.
More than 90% of her post was a long-winded rant about Ying Yun, with only the last line actually asking for advice.
After posting, Yang Xueyi felt a bit better.
But as soon as she rolled over, pain shot through her and she grimaced in agony.
Damn Li Liming! Anyone related to Ying Yun is bad news!
That scoundrel had used all his brute strength when yanking her around.
Now, Yang Xueyi’s shoulder and chest ached unbearably.
Just a little longer.
Once the new, fully-furnished apartment she and her mom had bought with a loan was ready, she could finally move out of the nanny’s room in Ying Yun’s villa for good!
Then she’d never have to see Ying Yun again!
That night, Yang Xueyi dreamed blissfully about her new life.
But when she woke the next morning, she was horrified to find that her beautiful dream hadn’t come true—but her nightmare had!
The soreness in her arm had turned into almost complete immobility.
She could barely lift it, let alone raise it above her shoulder or rotate it inward or outward.
Gritting her teeth through the pain, Yang Xueyi managed to get dressed, but after several attempts, her shoulder still hurt terribly.
She searched online and strongly suspected it was dislocated.
There was no way to delay—she had to get to the hospital right away.
Of course, just her luck—the nearest top-tier public hospital was the one where Ying Yun worked: the First Affiliated Hospital.
For a dislocation, she’d have to go to orthopedics.
The truly despairing part?
That annoying guy, Ying Yun, just happened to be an orthopedic doctor.
And at that moment, Ying Yun wasn’t at the villa.
“Please let it not be Ying Yun on duty today…”
Otherwise, she’d have no choice but to go out of her way to another hospital.
Yang Xueyi, face twisted in pain, pulled out her phone to check.
Thankfully, the gods were merciful—the orthopaedic outpatient doctor on duty today wasn’t Ying Yun, but Yu Shi.
Relieved, Yang Xueyi immediately registered for an appointment and rushed to the hospital.
She arrived at the outpatient clinic just as the patient before her was stepping out—
“So handsome!”
Two college-aged girls, one with her arm in a sling, the other supporting her, both blushing with excitement.
“Why didn’t you ask for his WeChat just now?”
“I was too dazzled by his face! I just stared and totally forgot to ask for his contact info!”
“Well, you’ll need to see him again for follow-ups. I don’t believe you won’t get it then.”
“God, how are orthopedic doctors so ridiculously handsome these days?”
A ridiculously handsome orthopedic doctor…
Yang Xueyi had a bad feeling.
At that moment, the consulting room door opened again, and out came the last person Yang Xueyi wanted to see.
When she got a clear look at his face, she nearly blacked out.
The man was tall and broad-shouldered.
Most doctors looked lost in their white coats, but he filled his out perfectly.
Under the coat he wore an expensive shirt, tie neatly knotted, exuding a natural air of nobility.
His slender, well-defined fingers belonged more to a model than a doctor.
Ying Yun really was good-looking, but he was the very embodiment of a “venomous beauty”—the more attractive he appeared, the more poisonous he was inside!
Those young girls hadn’t yet experienced the harshness of society.
They didn’t know to look beyond appearances to see someone’s true nature, which was why they could be so infatuated with someone like Ying Yun.
Unfortunately, Yang Xueyi had absolutely no appreciation for that.
If she’d known Ying Yun would be the one seeing patients, she’d rather have waited in the crowded emergency room or even gone to another hospital altogether!
She would never have come to orthopedics at the First Affiliated!
Ying Yun, in his white coat, matched his chilly voice and expression.
He called out to the two girls who’d just left, “You forgot your medical record.”
They took it, eyes wide and grateful, but Ying Yun didn’t react and simply turned back toward the consulting room.
That was when he noticed Yang Xueyi.
Sure enough, the moment he saw her, the corners of Ying Yun’s mouth dropped and his relaxed brows furrowed.
Now that he knew she’d been injured by Li Liming, he’d probably use this as yet another opportunity for cold sarcasm.
Yang Xueyi made a snap decision—to abandon her soon-to-be-called orthopaedic appointment and slip away to the emergency department instead.
“I’m here for some eye drops. Wrong floor. I’ll be going now.”
But just as she finished pretending to be calm, the queue system announced—
“Number 35, Yang Xueyi, please proceed to Orthopaedics Clinic 1.”
Yang Xueyi stared at Ying Yun.
“Can you just pretend you didn’t see me?”
“Number 35.”
Ying Yun was utterly cold.
“Come in.”
***
Once inside, Yang Xueyi felt awkward.
She couldn’t shake the sense that this was all coming back to slap her in the face.
Clinging to her pride, she tried to sound nonchalant, “Wasn’t Dr. Yu supposed to be on duty today? I came to see Dr. Yu.”
Ying Yun sat there, his face impassive.
“Yu Shi had an acute bout of gastroenteritis this morning, so I covered his shift. The registration system should have sent you a message about the change.”
Yang Xueyi muttered, “How come I didn’t see it…”
Ying Yun glanced up at her.
“Maybe you really do need those eye drops.”
Apparently, her displeasure was written all over her face.
Ying Yun’s gaze swept over her, his tone clear and cool, “Dr. Yu is getting an IV in gastroenterology. If you insist on seeing him, you can go find him there.”
Since she’d already lost face, Yang Xueyi ignored his sarcasm, cleared her throat, and forced herself to continue, “Never mind, I’m already here. You or Dr. Yu, it doesn’t matter to me—I can’t tell you apart anyway. So, it’s like this, my shoulder and chest—”
She’d barely finished three words before Ying Yun’s hand was on her shoulder joint.
He glanced at her, voice curt and to the point, “Dislocated.”
Qiao Qianqian was right—orthopaedic doctors really did have frightening strength.
Yang Xueyi yelped in pain, “Easy! Easy!”
She strongly suspected Ying Yun was doing this on purpose.
His movements were forceful as he stood behind her, gripping her arm, bending her elbow, then rotating and pulling her arm outward.
The pain quickly brought tears to her eyes; she couldn’t even scream.
Just as she was about to protest, Ying Yun let go.
“Done.”
Ying Yun didn’t look at her again, treating her like any other patient as he typed on the keyboard, tone as brief as ever, “It’s back in place. Needs to be immobilized.”
Whatever his personality, Ying Yun’s professional skills were exceptional.
Within a few minutes, he’d set her shoulder and fixed it in place.
But Yang Xueyi was worried about something else, “How long before this can come off?”
Ying Yun didn’t look at her, speaking like a stranger, “One week before you can move normally. No strenuous activity for three weeks.”
Perfect!
Ms. Yang Meiying wouldn’t be back for another ten days!
By then, Yang Xueyi would look totally normal again!
She could keep the dislocation a secret!
But for the next ten days…
Yang Xueyi lowered her voice, “Ying Yun, I’m seeing you as a patient now. Doctors have a duty to maintain patient confidentiality, right? You won’t tell my mom about my arm, will you?”
Sunlight from the window cast a golden halo around Ying Yun, his pale face almost glowing, making his already dark eyes look even deeper, his nose straight, lashes so long they cast dramatic shadows.
It really was the kind of face that could make a patient forget their pain.
She watched as he gave a faint, cold smile, “During working hours, I’m obligated to keep patient information confidential.”
Yang Xueyi breathed a sigh of relief.
Studying medicine had apparently improved Ying Yun’s morals—he could finally act like a decent person!
But just as she was about to make small talk and praise his medical skills, that annoying guy added—
“But anything I learn after work isn’t covered by confidentiality.”
Ying Yun’s voice was icy, “So after work, can you make sure I don’t see you, Number 35?”
She was certain—no matter what Ying Yun studied, he’d never learn to be a decent human being.
“He’s definitely going to exaggerate this to my mom! He’ll say I dislocated my shoulder from fooling around with some guy!”
Standing in line at the pharmacy, Yang Xueyi used her only free hand to call Qiao Qianqian and complain, “What am I supposed to do?”
If her mother found out, she’d face even stricter monitoring and control.
Once Ms. Yang Meiying returned, she’d probably ground Yang Xueyi just like she did in high school when she suspected her of early dating.
And then she’d arrange a hundred so-called reliable men for blind dates—until Yang Xueyi picked one to marry!
Just imagining it made Yang Xueyi’s knees go weak.
Absolutely not!
“It’s unbelievable. You even run into that annoying guy from your mom’s employer’s family at the hospital? Was he sick too?”
Qiao Qianqian was both shocked and resigned.
“Xueyi, I really can’t think of a way to break this cursed bond between you two. Why don’t you ask the all-knowing netizens?”
Qiao Qianqian’s words were a wake-up call.
Yang Xueyi hadn’t checked her post since yesterday.
After hanging up, with nothing left to lose, she eagerly opened her plea for help.
Because of her emotional ranting, the post was unexpectedly popular.
But, as expected, most replies were just jokes and snarky comments.
Yang Xueyi skimmed through dozens of replies—not a single useful suggestion.
Just as she was about to close the page, one reply caught her eye—
[OP, I had a similar experience. My mom forced me to study for the TOEFL and hired an English tutor to supervise me. We hated each other, but since he was being paid, I couldn’t get rid of him. Until…I started ‘pursuing’ him, clinging to him and declaring I was in love and would marry no one else. Ha ha ha! He ran away overnight, didn’t even take his last month’s pay, just quit!]
Not only did this user share their personal experience, but they also emphasized—
[OP, trust me, fighting him head-on won’t work. If you want him to keep his distance, there’s only one way—since he hates you, act like you’re madly in love with him! The effect is immediate!]
Yang Xueyi put down her phone, her mood surging.
Not bad!
In this modern age, people really should spend more time online.
Sometimes, success requires an unconventional approach.
Instead of passively enduring Ying Yun’s endless tricks, why not go on the offensive?
Yang Xueyi made up her mind.
She would change her strategy and launch the “Mad Pursuit” plan for Ying Yun!
Within three days, she’d scare him off for good!