C11 They Were Unreasonable

Bai Chuman forced a smile, one that looked more like a grimace, as she tightly covered her eyes, remaining silent. The other person, however, seemed unfazed, speaking as if searching for an outlet for his emotions.

"I hoped you would come. I don't even know why. I just feel so guilty about Bai Aixue. After you left three years ago, I searched for you for so long. When I finally found you, there was a fire. Bai Aixue saved me, and that's the only reason I'm alive. I can't betray her, but now everything feels wrong. I want to do right by her, but why did you have to come back now? And why did you agree to marry into the Jiang family..."

Jee Hanxin's emotions were all over the place, his voice strained with suppressed tears, filled with despair and struggle. Bai Chuman had never seen him so out of control. He had always been polite and composed, never once losing his temper in her memory.

"Are you drunk?" Bai Chuman lowered her hand, her voice indifferent, as if he were just a belligerent drunk.

"I'm not drunk!" Jee Hanxin could no longer hold back his anger, shouting. "I'm perfectly sober. How can you do this to me? How much did the Jiang family pay you? I'll match it. I'll give you everything from the Jee family!"

Bai Chuman finally realized why the Bai family had been so patient. They were waiting for her. Her reputation outside was probably in tatters by now. Listening to Jee Hanxin's pleas and resentment, her heart grew colder.

"All for me? Can you bring my mom back?" Her light words hit like a ton of bricks, silencing the other side instantly.

Bai Chuman patiently waited for a response until she heard Bai Aixue's startled scream on the other end.

"Jee Hanxin, how did you get so drunk?"

Bai Chuman smiled and decisively hung up the phone. Strangely, after Jee Hanxin's outburst, she was surprised to find she wasn't as upset or dejected as she expected. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Taking advantage of the moonlight streaming through the window, she got out of bed. After hearing so much from Jee Hanxin, she even felt a bit hungry. She walked barefoot on the soft wool carpet and made her way downstairs in the dark. The large villa was eerily quiet, but thankfully, the nightlights embedded in the corners provided enough light to see.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, she drank some milk and ate half a piece of ham, carefully repackaging it to avoid the cook noticing the next day.

Feeling the fullness in her stomach, she tiptoed back inside. Her bare feet made no sound on the carpet. As she reached the turn in the stairs, she caught sight of a shadow at the top and quickly pulled back, careful not to be noticed.

The figure moved swiftly up to the second floor. A sense of foreboding washed over her, and she quietly followed. She watched as the shadowy figure stopped at Yichen's room, leaned against the door, glanced around, and then slipped on gloves before gently turning the doorknob and sneaking inside.

Alarm bells rang in her mind. She recognized the man as the doctor the butler had brought in earlier, though tonight he had removed his thick glasses, revealing a menacing look in his eyes. There was no time to ponder. Someone sneaking into Yichen's room in the middle of the night, wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, was not there for a friendly visit.

Yichen couldn't die—not now!

She grabbed a decorative vase from the stairway, lifted it with all her might, and hurled it down from the second floor. The loud crash of the shattering porcelain echoed through the hall. Without waiting for security or the staff to arrive, she kicked the door open.

She gripped the doorknob tightly, standing at the entrance and shouting to assert control, "Stop right there! Uh..." Chuman glanced at the empty hospital bed, her mind struggling to process the scene.

The doctor stood in front of the bed, equally shocked, holding a syringe in his hand. Her shout snapped him out of his daze, and gone was the timid demeanor he had shown before. His face now bore a fierce determination. Realizing the situation had turned against him, he clenched the syringe tightly and charged toward Chuman.

Chuman was ready, but she couldn't match his speed. As the glinting needle drew closer, she shut her eyes and tried to slam the door shut, hoping to trap him inside.

But he was a man, and his hand nearly pushed the door open. Gritting her teeth, Chuman braced against the wall, using all her strength to hold the doorknob, determinedly pinning the doctor's hand in the doorframe.