Cen Xi had no time and energy to think about why Qiao Yanze had let her sister live. While calling the ambulance, she tore at her clothes and bandaged her sister to stop the bleeding.

  When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics carried her sister into it. Cen Xi followed them to the nearest hospital in the suburbs.

  But halfway through, the doctor who was with them received a call that their hospital could not treat her sister. The doctor asked Cen Xi to help the pale Xiao Ying out of the ambulance. When Cen Xi called other hospitals, she received the same answer.

  A cold chill passed through her heart.

  Qiao Yanze did not kill her sister, but he had given an order to all hospitals to not operate on her. Was he going to torture her and her sister by letting her sister slowly bleed to death?

  Cen Xi’s hands and feet were cold and she felt like she had fallen into an abyss. What was she going to do when the hospitals were not going to admit her sister? If it went on like this, her sister would probably not make it through!

  After she waved down a taxi, the driver shook his head and drove away as soon as he saw how terrible they looked.

  Cen Xi had to support and hold Xiao Ying as they walked forward step by step. She felt a lump in her throat and hot tears were swimming in her eyes, but she tried to control her emotions and did not let the tears fall.

  She knew that crying at this time would not solve any problems.

  Cen Xi carried Xiao Ying, who had fainted, to a private clinic.

  When the owner of the clinic saw Xiao Ying’s wound, he shook his head. “Why didn’t you take her to the hospital? I don’t have all the equipment here and her life might be in danger during the operation……”


  There was a thump.

  Cen Xi knelt down and grabbed the owner of the clinic who was going to throw her and her sister out and said in a hoarse voice, “Please save my sister. We really have no way out. If you can save my sister, I will give all my savings to you……” Cen Xi took out a bank card. “There’s $200,000 inside. I’ll give it all to you.”


  When the owner of the clinic saw the bank card, his eyes flashed. “The operation may fail too. You have to be mentally prepared.”


  “I understand.”


  “Okay, come and sign the operation agreement with me now.”


  After signing the agreement, Cen Xi waited outside a simple operating room of the clinic. Her hands were covered with Xiao Ying’s blood and she did not wash them. Putting her palms together, she prayed for God’s blessing.

  Back and forth, back and forth she continued to pace, her heart feeling tense and twisted into one lump.

  Two hours later, the door of the operating room was pulled open.

  Cen Xi looked at the owner of the clinic whose face was pale. “Doctor, how is my sister?”


  The clinic owner nodded. “Your sister is lucky, the operation was successful.”


  Cen Xi’s eyes turned red and she squatted down, burying her face into her knees as hot tears surged out……

  For the next three days, Qiao Yanze did not go to work. Ji Wei came to his house on crutches.

  Da Zuo said to Ji Wei, “That day after coming back from the horse ranch, Young Master had shut himself in the study, not eating and only smoked and drank wine. He didn’t allow us to tell the Queen and Miss.”


  Ji Wei nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll go and see him.”


  Da Zuo gave Ji Wei the spare key of the study and Ji Wei opened the door.

  The strong, pungent smell of smoke and wine hit her in the face. The curtains in the study were drawn tightly and it was dark inside with no trace of light.

  Seeing this, Ji Wei’s heart ached.

  “Yanze,” Ji Wei said carefully. “If you torture yourself like this, it will only hurt your family and make your enemies happy.”


  There was no reply.

  It was quiet in the space and Ji Wei could not see the situation inside. Taking out her phone, she used the flashlight to find the light switch.

  She turned on the light with a click.

  The man was sitting on the floor and leaning against the sofa, empty wine bottles around the coffee table and his legs. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts.

  The man’s eyes were closed slightly and he held a cigarette that had almost burned to the end between his fingers. He was motionless, still like a stone sculpture.

  His usually clean jaw was covered with stubble, his handsome face filled with fatigue, he looked haggard, dispirited and lonely.

  Ji Wei’s eyes turned red.

  Was she wrong to have taken him to the countryside to expose Xiao Ying?

  Ji Wei walked over with crutches and took the empty wine bottles away. Squatting in front of him, she said in a choked voice, “Yanze, I’m sorry. The other day I took you to the horse ranch not only to help my uncle choose a good horse, but also to let you find out that Xiao Ying is still alive.”


  Qiao Yanze slowly raised his eyes. His long and slender eyes were bloodshot and he moved his lips, his voice deep and hoarse. “Ji Wei, do you still want to get married to me?”


  What? Ji Wei heard Qiao Yanze’s words and she did not know how to respond. “Yanze, why would you ask this? I-I admit that I had some selfish motives when I learned that Xiao Ying was not dead, but I really didn’t want you to be hurt. I knew clearly how much you have suffered that year after what had happened to the Qiao family and you were addicted to drugs. More than anyone, I wish for you to live better than anyone else…… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you see Xiao Ying.”


  “.……If you still want to get married to me, I will marry you.”
……

  Cen Xi found a friend to help her and her sister with the procedures for going abroad. Although Cen Xi had submitted her resignation letter to the Queen’s chief interpreter, she needed to hand over her work so she could not leave immediately.

  Like that, another half a month passed. Cen Xi was on tenterhooks everyday, for fear of meeting Qiao Yanze.

  Another week later, Cen Xi’s resignation was approved and her work was handed over. When Nan Zhi learned that Cen Xi was leaving, she had a talk with Cen Xi.

  From Nan Zhi’s speech and expression, it seemed like she did not know the news that Cen Xi’s sister was still alive. Nan Zhi tried to persuade Cen Xi to stay, but seeing that Cen Xi had already made her decision, she could not force her.

  Following the talk, Cen Xi returned to the office, packed her things and went to the washroom before leaving.

  When she was about to leave the cubicle, she heard two colleagues gossiping.

  “Have you heard? Mr Qiao, the Queen’s uncle, is going to marry the young miss of the Ji family. It seems that the two families are discussing the wedding date!”


  “I heard about it. When I went to deliver some materials the day before yesterday, I met the two of them in the elevator! Mr Qiao is so handsome and Miss Ji Wei is also beautiful. They’re a perfect match.”


  “Yes, the wedding will definitely be quite grand then!”


  The two colleagues washed their hands and left while gossiping. Cen Xi came out of the cubicle, her expression in a daze. Standing in front of the sink, she looked at her thin and pale reflection in the mirror, her eyelashes fluttering like the wings of an injured butterfly.

  Grabbing tightly to the sink with her fingers, she closed her eyes and let the suffocating pain from her chest spread to her limbs and bones.

  She knew from the start that she and him would have no result.

  Wasn’t it a good thing for him to marry someone of equal status?

  It was good as long as he was happy.

  She and her sister would not appear in front of him anymore in this life.