Shen Siyuan said nothing.
After letting out a cold snort, he turned around and left without looking back.
Not a single word this woman said was something he would ever believe again.
Standing where she was, He Ruchu watched his retreating figure in silence.
After a moment, she gave up on chasing after him and instead turned back toward the andrology clinic.
Arriving at the consultation room Shen Siyuan had just exited, she knocked on the door.
After hearing a response from inside, she pushed the door open and entered.
Seated behind the desk was an elderly doctor with graying hair, dressed in a white coat.
Looking at her with some confusion, he asked,
“Young lady, can I help you?”
“Yes, Doctor.”
He Ruchu smiled awkwardly.
“Um… may I ask you something?”
The old doctor nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Thinking about the sensitive condition she wanted to inquire about, and worried the doctor might not tell her the truth otherwise, He Ruchu gritted her teeth and lied:
“The man who was just here… he’s my husband.”
She continued,
“I wanted to ask about his injury…”
The doctor paused.
“You mean that handsome young man who just left?”
“Yes.”
To make her story more convincing, she added,
“His name is Shen Siyuan.”
The doctor glanced at the medical file still lying on the desk.
Sure enough, the patient’s name was listed as “Shen Siyuan.”
Looking at her, he couldn’t help sighing.
“Young lady, didn’t your husband tell you about his condition?”
“He mentioned a little…”
He Ruchu lowered her head and continued her performance.
“But I’m worried he didn’t tell me the whole truth because he didn’t want me to worry. So I wanted to ask you directly.”
Seeing her expression, the doctor hesitated.
The young man’s condition was rather delicate.
He feared that saying the wrong thing might cause irreversible problems between the couple.
Noticing his concerns, He Ruchu looked up with reddened eyes and gave him reassurance.
“Grandpa Doctor, don’t worry. No matter how serious his condition is, I’ve already accepted it. In this lifetime, he’s the only man for me.”
Outside the door, Shen Siyuan had just returned after picking up his medication.
By coincidence, he heard every word she said.
The corners of his lips curled upward coldly.
Earlier, she had claimed she didn’t need him to marry her.
She had promised she would never bother him again.
Yet now she was introducing herself as his wife and declaring she’d only ever love him.
Hah.
As expected.
Not a single word out of this woman’s mouth could be trusted.
Inside the office, after much pleading from He Ruchu, the old doctor finally explained Shen Siyuan’s condition.
He Ruchu couldn’t help sighing.
It was exactly as described in the novel.
Seeing her expression, the doctor tried to comfort her.
“Young lady, you’re both still young. With proper treatment and care in the future, there’s still hope.”
She nodded.
“Doctor, may I take a look at his medical file?”
The doctor glanced at the chart on his desk and handed it over.
Since he’d already explained the condition, there was little harm in letting her see the file.
Taking it, He Ruchu examined it carefully.
She possessed an extraordinary photographic memory.
By the time she finished reading, every detail in the chart had been firmly committed to memory.
After thanking the doctor, she left.
At the far end of the corridor, Shen Siyuan waited until she was gone before entering the doctor’s office with his medication.
“Oh, Comrade Shen,” the doctor said. “Your wife just left. Did you run into her?”
Then he added with emotion,
“Your wife treats you incredibly well. She looked like she was about to cry while asking about your condition.
I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve rarely seen such a caring young woman. She carefully reviewed your medical records and asked detailed questions about every precaution and treatment recommendation.”
Shen Siyuan merely let out a faint, indifferent scoff.
He couldn’t be bothered explaining He Ruchu’s act.
Instead, he handed over the medication.
“Doctor, I’ve collected everything you prescribed.”
The old doctor nodded, took the medicine, and carefully explained the dosage and instructions.
After leaving the consultation room, He Ruchu prepared to head home.
Unfortunately, her luck that day was terrible.
While passing through the outpatient lobby, she unexpectedly encountered a violent disturbance.
Worse still, she had been distracted by her thoughts and hadn’t noticed what was happening.
As a result, she became an innocent victim.
A man who had completely lost control grabbed her by the throat from behind with one hand.
With the other, he wildly brandished a kitchen cleaver.
Roaring at the medical staff gathering around him, he shouted,
“Don’t come any closer! Stay back, or I’ll kill her!”
Dark spots danced before He Ruchu’s eyes.
She felt as though she were about to suffocate.
From the frantic explanations of the surrounding doctors and nurses, she quickly pieced together what had happened.
The man’s child had been hospitalized.
Because the illness had been too severe, the child had not survived despite rescue efforts.
The man already suffered from mental instability.
The loss pushed him over the edge.
Convinced the doctors were responsible for his child’s death, he secretly brought a cleaver into the hospital.
After injuring the physician who had treated his child, he fled and took He Ruchu hostage.
“Brother, please don’t act impulsively. Calm down. Think about your parents, your family, your wife…”
Seeing his emotions spiraling further out of control, He Ruchu tried to distract and calm him while desperately searching for a solution.
The moment his attention wavered, she struck.
Grabbing his wrist precisely, she executed a shoulder throw and slammed him onto the floor.
However, the man’s reactions were remarkably fast.
As he fell, he swung the cleaver toward her.
She tried to dodge.
Too late.
Despairingly, she closed her eyes.
At that critical moment, something sliced through the air beside her ear with tremendous force.
Instinctively opening her eyes, she saw a medicine bottle flying through the air.
It struck the man’s wrist with perfect accuracy.
The cleaver fell from his hand only millimeters away from her body before crashing onto his foot.
The man screamed in agony.
Blood poured from his injured foot as he hopped around wildly on one leg like a headless chicken.
Having narrowly escaped death, He Ruchu’s eyes filled with relief and gratitude.
She turned around.
The person who had saved her
Shen Siyuan.
Yet the man acted as though she didn’t exist.
He walked right past her and headed toward the attacker.
Within moments, he subdued the man.
But then something unexpected happened.
The attacker’s breathing suddenly became rapid.
His muscles began spasming.
His eyes lost focus, and he appeared on the verge of unconsciousness.
“Shen Siyuan, quickly let him go!”
He Ruchu instinctively stopped him.
The man’s condition clearly indicated a medical problem.
If something happened while he was restrained by Shen Siyuan, it could easily create complications.
Rushing forward, she immediately examined him.
“It looks like he became overly frightened and hyperventilated due to extreme emotional distress. This is probably respiratory alkalosis. It shouldn’t be too serious.”
She muttered her assessment while beginning emergency treatment.
At the same time, she tried to soothe the man’s emotions.
Then she looked up at the only familiar face nearby.
“Shen Siyuan, find me a paper bag.”