Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was just after dusk when I spotted Xu Yan and that woman in the hospital parking lot.

My dad was in better spirits that day, so I managed to head downstairs earlier than usual.

Just as I reached the exit, I saw her standing beside a gray sedan.

The woman across from her was wearing a beige skirt suit and carried herself with an air of elegance.

One look was enough to tell she belonged to the same world as Xu Yan.

Right then, two nurses passed by behind me.

“Isn’t that the daughter of the Xu family? The person who picked her up last time was the same one, wasn’t it?”

“They’re a perfect match, after all.”

A buzzing sound filled my ears.

In the parking lot, Xu Yan happened to turn her head and see me. Her expression shifted slightly, and she immediately walked toward me.

“Why did you come down?”

I stared at the person behind her, my voice flatter than I intended.

“Am I interrupting?”

“It’s not what you think.”

As soon as she spoke, the other woman walked over as well.

She glanced at me and gave a polite smile.

“And this is?”

Xu Yan didn’t answer.

Instead, I heard the woman add another remark.

“How much longer are you going to personally handle things here at the hospital? Uncle Xu said not to let just anyone play on your sympathy.”

That phrase, “just anyone,” was light, as if said in passing.

But I understood it perfectly.

“Then what is it?”

I looked at her, my chest feeling incredibly tight.

“Is all this running around for me just a way to make yourself feel better?”

“So your conscience will be a little lighter when you go back to discuss marriage with someone else?”

Her face instantly went cold.

“Shen Zhiwei.”

I knew I was being excessively biting, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“Otherwise, I really can’t think of any other reason.”

I stared her down.

“It’s not like you still love me, right?”

The parking lot fell deathly silent.

Xu Yan looked at me, the last of her restraint crumbling piece by piece.

“Do you have to speak like that?”

“Then how should I speak?”

I let out a short laugh, though my eyes were already stinging.

“Should I say, ‘Thank you, President Xu, for taking time out of your busy matchmaking schedule to offer me charity’?”

Miss Zhou’s smile faded.

“Miss Shen.”

She used my surname as if she had known who I was for a long time.

“Xu Yan is helping you because she’s soft-hearted. If you truly want what’s best for her, don’t make things difficult for her at a time like this.”

I clenched my fingers.

So even she knew.

She knew I was the person Xu Yan kept hidden in the hospital, hidden in the medical bills, and hidden in the past.

Xu Yan suddenly shoved the documents in her hand into my arms.

“If you want to know what this is, see for yourself.”

I looked down. The cover read: *Accident Liability Coordination and Subsequent Expense Application*.

My heart sank instantly.

But it was already too late.

I had already said the most hateful things imaginable.

Xu Yan looked at me, her voice raspy.

“Shen Zhiwei, am I really that contemptible in your eyes?”

I opened my mouth, but not a single word came out.

She didn’t wait for me to speak again; she simply turned and walked away.

I stood there alone, clutching those documents, as my palms slowly grew cold.