Chapter Thirty-One: He Made His Move

Qin Yunzheng stared at Su Mian in utter disbelief. A moment later, as if suppressing his emotions for a long time, the veins on his forehead began to throb. "Su Mian, do you have a heart? I have tried repeatedly to make amends, to mend the cracks in this relationship. Are you truly unable to see it, or are you just pretending?"

Seeing Qin Yunzheng so agitated, Su Mian curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile, her eyes filled with profound disappointment.

"Who is the one without a heart? Do you think a broken mirror can be restored just by gluing it back together? Qin Yunzheng, the moment you allowed a third person to step into this relationship, it was already completely over. You were the one who personally strangled this relationship, not me!"

"By what right do you get to decide when to make amends and when to give up? Am I some sort of toy for you to manipulate at will?"

Everything that had happened tonight pushed Su Mian to her breaking point, and the last string of her composure snapped.

Qin Yunzheng had never seen Su Mian lose control like this. He was stunned, but immediately recalling the doctor's warnings about her potential psychological trauma, his voice involuntarily softened.

Yet, his words remained hollow, lacking any real justification. "Lin Qingqing and I are truly just friends. It is not what you think."

Deep down, he was plagued by a guilty conscience.

Su Mian no longer held any expectations for him, so receiving such a response was within her anticipation. She shook her head. "Whatever is between you and Lin Qingqing has nothing to do with me."

He had hoped there was still room for negotiation, but Su Mian’s gaze was indifferent—like a poisoned blade piercing his heart.

"Mianmian, it hasn't been that long. I don't believe you've truly let go. Come back to me. If something like today happens again, I can still protect you."

Qin Yunzheng convinced himself that his earnest persuasion would earn her forgiveness. Instead, he was met only with disdain.

"Qin Yunzheng, I will say this one last time: everything is merely your own wishful thinking. Must we really push this until we can't even be friends?"

The two continued to argue over the same topic, neither willing to yield.

Just as Su Mian prepared to leave the hospital, the police officer who had taken their statements earlier returned.

"There were a few details we hadn't clarified earlier. Since you were injured, we let you come to the hospital first. How are the results?" the officer asked with a hint of concern.

"The check-up is done, and my dressings have been changed," Su Mian answered honestly, immediately asking how Chen Fang would be handled.

"If there are no further issues, he will be detained," the officer said, finishing his notes before leaving with his notebook.

As Su Mian prepared to hail a taxi, she saw someone rushing in frantically.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" The voice full of concern arrived before the person did.

Hearing the voice, Su Mian felt a brief moment of warmth, but as she looked up and saw that Lin Xiu was clearly dressed to the nines, her heart grew cold once more.

Seeing Su Mian’s state, a flicker of uncharacteristic guilt crossed Lin Xiu's eyes. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"No, you must go get checked out to see if there are any other problems. You’re a young woman; if your health is ruined, how will you marry into a good family later?"

Lin Xiu chattered incessantly beside Su Mian, trying to pull her back for more examinations, but Su Mian shook her off.

She looked at Lin Xiu with profound helplessness, her eyes harboring a chill. "You don't need to pretend to be kind. Don't you know who is responsible for me ending up like this?"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Lin Xiu looked awkward. Before she could figure out how to explain herself to Su Mian, her peripheral vision caught Qin Yunzheng standing behind them.

"You’re just in time. If it weren't for you messing around and breaking Mianmian's heart, would things have ended up like this today?"

She shifted the blame for the disaster she had caused onto someone else with astonishing self-righteousness.

Qin Yunzheng, however, was struck where it hurt; he was speechless. He opened his mouth and managed a forced smile at Lin Xiu. "Auntie, it’s actually all a misunderstanding."

"Whatever misunderstandings you have, just hurry up and hand over the shares that belong to Su Mian. Don't waste time here. Our Su Mian isn't someone who can't find a suitable partner. What do you think you are doing?"

"The Qin family is already making arrangements. Don't worry, I won't take what belongs to Su Mian."

Caught in the middle, Su Mian’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Enough."

She stood between them, cutting off their conversation.

"First of all, this problem arose because you randomly introduced me to people you thought were 'reliable.' Am I even your daughter?"

"If Qin Yunzheng hadn't happened to arrive, I might have died there. Would you be happy then?" Su Mian’s tone grew increasingly icy.

"That's not it," Lin Xiu said, her expression frantic as she waved her hands in explanation. "That's not what Mom meant. You’re single, and I just thought I’d introduce someone so you could get to know each other. I never expected..."

"Never expected that he was a stalker who wanted to do those things to me?" Su Mian felt disheartened by a life that was constantly being manipulated by others.

"Mom did it for your own good." Lin Xiu had never imagined such an outcome and found herself unable to defend her actions.

"And you..."

Before Su Mian could finish her sentence, the overwhelming emotional stress caused her to collapse.

Qin Yunzheng was startled and quickly picked her up to take her to the nursing station.

"Do you family members have no sense at all? The patient is suffering from acute stress trauma and needs quiet rest, yet you're here arguing with her?" The nurse had seen Su Mian arrive and felt a deep sense of empathy after hearing her story. Seeing her collapse now, she was furious and couldn't understand what the family was thinking.

"What do we do now?" Beads of sweat appeared on Qin Yunzheng's forehead.

"We need to admit her for observation. If her condition doesn't improve, we will contact a specialist."

Before Qin Yunzheng could respond, Lin Xiu made the decision for him. "Fine. Since that's the case, you stay here and take good care of her."

The time for performative maternal affection had passed, and her patience had worn thin. She turned and walked away, as if the person she had been worried about moments ago was no longer her concern.

Qin Yunzheng had just settled Su Mian in when he received a call from Lin Qingqing.

"Mr. Qin, there is a document at the company that requires your review."

Hearing Lin Qingqing’s voice, Qin Yunzheng was reminded of the look Su Mian had given him earlier.

At that thought, his tone grew sharp. "Do you know what time it is? What kind of document requires review in the middle of the night?"

"Yun-zheng, I just went to look for you and realized you weren't home. I was a bit worried..." Lin Qingqing’s voice on the other end was full of grievance.

Qin Yunzheng wanted to scold her further, but Su Mian’s brows twitched on the bed, a sign that she was about to wake up.

"That's enough. I don't want to waste words with you. We can discuss work during working hours; don't call me for anything else."

In truth, Su Mian had already woken up, but she kept her eyes closed.

She had heard the conversation between Qin Yunzheng and Lin Qingqing and found it utterly ridiculous.

If he had maintained boundaries and avoided such behavior earlier, perhaps they would not have reached this point today.

Wanting to avoid seeing Qin Yunzheng, Su Mian kept her eyes shut.

...

Huo Beihan learned of the incident just as he finished a cross-border conference.

His brows were knitted tightly together. While his secretary spoke at length, he hadn't heard a single word.

"The file on Chen Fang is here. Please take a look."

After the secretary finished his report and placed the file on the desk, Huo Beihan took it and glanced at it.

Before he could examine it closely, the secretary received a call. He didn't know what was said, but the secretary gave Huo Beihan a complicated look.

"Speak."

"They say that Chen Fang has been bailed out by his family."

Upon hearing this, Huo Beihan tossed the file aside, grabbed his coat, and suppressed his surging rage. "I’ll go take a look."

Not long after, Chen Fang, who had just been brought home, was dragged back in, with a notification that he would be detained for at least 15 days.