Chapter 59: The Woman Who Stirred My Heart
Ye Zehong pried Qiao Wan’er’s hands away, stepped back, and put some distance between them.
He spoke coolly, “Take good care of Uncle. I have official business to attend to, so I’ll be going now.”
Qiao Wan’er was stunned.
She stared at Ye Zehong in disbelief, unable to trust what she had just heard.
Qiao Wanliang was gravely ill, lying on the hospital bed, and instead of comforting her, Ye Zehong was already preparing to leave almost as soon as he arrived.
Why was he so cold to her?
Ye Zehong lowered his gaze, looking at her pitiful and helpless face, his eyes growing even more frosty. With polite detachment, he said, “I’ll come see you and Uncle once I’ve finished my work.”
With that, he turned and left without a trace of reluctance.
Qiao Wan’er, unwilling to let him go, rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his back. Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded in grief, “Ze Hong, please don’t go. Stay with me, I’m so scared. I’m afraid something else might happen to my dad. I really, really need you.”
Ye Zehong glanced down at the two hands clinging to his waist and frowned.
He looked up again—right into a pair of light brown eyes he knew all too well.
His heart gave a faint tremor.
Lu Yao felt as if a sharp dagger had sliced her heart open, the pain bleeding out within her.
Her feet felt as heavy as lead; she wanted to leave, but couldn’t move a single step.
Her chest was crushed beneath an invisible boulder, words trapped inside her.
“Lu…”
Ye Zehong saw Lu Yao turn away, her face pale as snow. He opened his mouth to call her back, but feared Qiao Wan’er behind him would notice.
He tried forcefully to loosen Qiao Wan’er’s hold on him, then hurried toward the elevator.
The elevator was already descending.
No matter how frantically he pressed the button, it was useless.
Qiao Wan’er chased after him, her eyes brimming with tears as she watched his anxious expression, full of confusion.
In all the years she’d known him, this was the first time she’d seen him so unsettled.
What was he so anxious about?
Had something happened that she didn’t know about?
With the elevator stuck downstairs, Ye Zehong couldn’t wait any longer. Ignoring Qiao Wan’er at his side, he pushed open the fire door and took the stairs.
He rushed to Lu Yao’s hospital room, but it was already empty.
A nurse passed by, saw him inside, and kindly reminded, “Doctor Ye, Attorney Lu has already been discharged. Did you need to see her?”
“Discharged? When did that happen?”
“She left just a few minutes ago.”
Ye Zehong’s eyes darkened. He headed quickly for the main entrance.
The bustling hospital entrance was crowded with people coming and going, but Ye Zehong spotted Lu Yao at once, carrying a bag and walking out the door. He hurried after her, catching up and grabbing her hand at a quieter corner.
Lu Yao looked at him, biting her lip, her tone icy. “Shouldn’t you be with your fiancée? What are you doing out here?”
“You saw everything?”
He looked down at her, uncertain how much she had seen or heard just now.
Judging by her anger, there must be a misunderstanding.
Lu Yao tried to pull her hand away, but he only gripped it tighter.
A dull frustration weighed on her heart, and her voice was tinged with annoyance. “Let me go. I need to get back to the firm—I have urgent matters to handle.”
“It’s hard to get a cab here with so many people around. I’ll take you.”
He wasn’t asking for her consent; he took her by the wrist and led her to the car.
As the car drove off,
Qiao Wan’er emerged from the main entrance and, seeing Ye Zehong’s car, tried to catch up. Through the window, she caught a glimpse of a woman with long, flowing hair in the passenger seat.
From her angle, she couldn’t see the woman’s features clearly, but a sense of familiarity struck her.
In that instant, pain squeezed her heart until she couldn’t breathe.
Could it be—
Was she the woman from the old house, the one Ye Zehong had watched over and over, the one who had stirred his heart?