Outside the ward, the door creaked open. The moment it did, Qin Heye turned, lowering his head to Shi Ning. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Shi Ning hummed in acknowledgement, then a mischievous smile played on her lips as she greeted the now-pale Lin Jingyao. “The person you love the most has come to see you, are you happy now ?”
Lin Jingyao clutched desperately at her sheer nightgown, trying to hide herself as panic welled up inside her. But Qin Heye didn’t spare her even a glance. Instead, his eyes shifted to the group of doctors standing behind Shi Ning—many of whom were now staring at her, their expressions ranging from shock to open disdain.
Among them, a young female doctor didn’t bother to lower her voice. Her gaze lingered on Lin Jingyao’s see-through nightgown and exposed T-back with visible contempt. “Wearing that in a hospital?” she scoffed. “What is this, a chicken coop? If you’re so eager to shoot a seaside film, do us all a favor and pick a different set.”
Lin Jingyao, completely exposed, desperately covered her upper body, inadvertently revealing more of her lower half. Beyond mortification, a furious shame washed over her. She glared at Shi Ning, resentment burning in her eyes, before spinning around and diving under the covers. “Ningning, why are you here? Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice was laced with bitter accusation.
Shi Ning, accompanied by the gaggle of doctors, strolled over to the bed. With feigned sincerity, she asked, “Didn’t you post on WeChat Moments saying that I was coming to see you? I came to see you.”
Lin Jingyao’s face flushed crimson. She gritted her teeth. “No…”
Shi Ning’s brow furrowed in mock confusion. “Am I not the person Yaoyao loves the most? Then who is Yaoyao’s favorite? Could it be my husband?” She gasped dramatically, her voice rising. “I treat you as my best friend, but you want to be my husband’s mistress? No way? No way?”
The doctors, who had already been looking at Lin Jingyao with disdain, now stared at her as if she were indeed a shameless mistress. Lin Jingyao knew Shi Ning understood the true meaning of her WeChat post; she was simply pretending to be clueless. Lin Jingyao trembled with rage, but she couldn’t lash out. Shi Ning, her “stupid and silly” friend, was her indispensable ATM.
“Of course not! Ningning thought too much!” she spat through clenched teeth.
Shi Ning, feigning relief, turned to the doctors and earnestly explained. “Don’t get me wrong. Yaoyao is sponsored by my family. She is a grateful person and will not be a mistress to steal my husband. She likes to dress like this usually. Her personality is just like this. Don’t misunderstand that she wants to be a mistress!” The explanation sounded innocent, but it subtly implied that Lin Jingyao was habitually coquettish and dressed provocatively.
Lin Jingyao was on the verge of exploding, but she held back. “Why did Ningning bring so many doctors here?” she asked, her voice tight with suppressed fury. She had envisioned a private rendezvous with Qin Heye, a seductive evening in the ward. Instead, Shi Ning had arrived, dragging an entire entourage! If Shi Ning weren’t so convincingly “stupid,” Lin Jingyao would have suspected malicious intent.
Shi Ning glanced at Lin Jingyao’s wrist. To heighten the dramatic effect, Lin Jingyao had wrapped her wound with a black lace ribbon. “I heard from the doctor that you are kind-hearted and willing to sacrifice yourself for medicine and give suturing practice to the interns, so I brought all the interns here.”
Lin Jingyao’s face went ashen. “You mean, you want them to use me as a suturing practice?” Yesterday, when Pei Qian had brought her to the hospital, her wound had been stitched without anesthesia. She had screamed like a slaughtered pig at that time . The stitches were ugly, and she was planning to extort a million yuan from Shi Ning for scar removal. Now, Shi Ning had brought a dozen interns, intending to use her as a living experiment? Lin Jingyao’s anger flared, and she wanted nothing more than to kick Shi Ning out.
Shi Ning blinked innocently. “Yes, isn’t Yaoyao the most caring, kindest, and most willing to contribute to medicine?”
“I…”
“If Yaoyao doesn’t want to, forget it. The interns can understand. I’ll ask Qin Heye to find other caring patients.”
Lin Jingyao looked up. Qin Heye was standing in the corridor outside the ward, talking on his phone. His profile was flawless, his cold, noble demeanor captivating. This hospital, after all, belonged to him. If she allowed herself to be a practice dummy for the interns, he would surely see her kindness, realize she was better than Shi Ning, and eventually, love her.
“No! Of course I am willing! I am very caring, and it is my blessing to be able to contribute to medicine.” She thrust out her injured wrist. “Come on, you don’t have to be polite, I’m not afraid of pain!”
Shi Ning stepped aside, a triumphant glint in her eyes. A teaching doctor approached, instructing an intern to remove Lin Jingyao’s gauze. The intern, lacking experience, clumsy touched the wound, eliciting a sharp scream from Lin Jingyao. “Ah!” The gauze was off, now came the stitches. Lin Jingyao shrieked again as the first stitch was removed.
The teaching doctor then began to guide the intern in suturing Lin Jingyao’s wound. The interns, having never practiced on a living person, were less than gentle. Lin Jingyao’s screams escalated to a prolonged, agonizing wail. “Ahhh~” Even in her agony, she tried to infuse a charming note into her cries, desperately glancing toward Qin Heye outside, hoping he would look back.
But he never did. Qin Heye remained oblivious to Lin Jingyao’s suffering, simply because he found her overly revealing attire offensive to his sight. Shi Ning watched Lin Jingyao, drenched in sweat and writhing in pain, yet still emitting those suggestive sounds. Shi Ning clicked her tongue. “Yaoyao, don’t struggle too hard, it’s sounds harder than killing a pig during the Chinese New Year.”
Lin Jingyao, in excruciating pain, wanted to murder Shi Ning. “Shi Ning!”
Five times! Her wound was stitched, than it was removed, and then the process began anew with the next intern. Each time, she felt as if she were dying, her agony unbearable. And behind her, a dozen more interns patiently waited their turn. This mere thought made Lin Jingyao want to faint.
Shi Ning looked at Lin Jingyao, who was now utterly despairing, and smiled sweetly. “Yaoyao is so kind. You should be willing to let the interns practice injections on you during these days of hospitalization, right?”
No! Lin Jingyao was absolutely unwilling. But at that precise moment, Qin Heye turned and looked into the ward. Lin Jingyao forced a smile. “Of course I am willing. I am such a kind person. If there is anything I can contribute to medicine, you can call me.” Qin Heye was looking at her! He must have been drawn by her unwavering kindness!
But Qin Heye only looked at Shi Ning. “Wife, are you done with your work?”
Shi Ning saw that her subtle torment of Lin Jingyao had run its course. As long as Qin Heye stood outside, Lin Jingyao would endure anything. “Yaoyao, have a good rest. I will ask Qin Heye to ask the doctor to take care of you and report your contribution to medicine in a table. I have something to do right now and I’m leaving first.”
With that, Shi Ning turned and went to find Qin Heye. “Let’s go and pick up my dad now.”
Qin Heye looked at her apologetically. “I can’t accompany you to pick up our dad. There is an emergency meeting at the company. I have to go to the company now.” He added, “Please explain this to dad for me.”
Seeing his serious expression, Shi Ning’s concern surfaced. “Is there anything wrong with the company?”
Qin Heye gently touched her head. “I will tell you later, wait for me to pick you up, I’m leaving first.” He turned and left with swift, purposeful strides, emphasizing the urgency of the matter. Shi Ning, trusting his dedication to work, turned to head for Ward A.
Passing the nurse’s station, she playfully teased a young nurse. “Sister Qiangya is also here, why don’t you say hello?” The nurse lowered her head, blushing.
Shi Ning, in a surprisingly good mood, approached Ward 356. The moment she opened the door, her cheerful demeanor vanished. Her face instantly turned cold at the sight of the handsome man inside.