Volume 1, Chapter 2: Are You My Husband?
Central Hospital.
The indicator light on the sixth-floor operating room went out, and not a single member of the Meng family had shown up.
Meanwhile, at Bed 3 in the inpatient ward, doctors and nurses had just finished simple bandaging for the patient, and the “family members” crowded around the hospital bed with solicitous care, as if afraid the patient wouldn’t receive enough attention.
The young nurse glanced at the name on the medical chart and suddenly remembered something: “Oh my, do you still remember Chu Qinyan? The girl whose fate changed a few years ago?”
“I remember. I was just wondering earlier why her parents have a different surname from the patient at Bed 3. This family is really too kind—they treat her so well! Just like their own flesh and blood!”
“Her boyfriend treats her really well too, accompanying her the whole time. So gentle and so handsome—I’m so jealous!”
It wasn’t until Chu Qinyan drifted off to sleep, exhausted, that the Meng parents finally came out.
It was then that Meng Zhi’s mother, Ye Shaohua, remembered something: “A-Ye, today is the day you and Zhizhi are supposed to get your marriage certificate. Where has that girl run off to? No one can find her!”
Father Meng, Meng Shitian, darkened his expression: “She’s probably throwing another tantrum. Qinyan is injured this badly, and she hasn’t even called. What kind of behavior is that?”
Shang Ye was restless with worry. He tried calling Meng Zhi’s best friend, but the call wouldn’t go through.
He stood off to the side, dialing Meng Zhi’s number over and over again.
He hadn’t made it to the civil affairs bureau in time—she must be angry.
Meng Zhi had never liked Chu Qinyan. If she found out he’d missed their appointment because he’d brought Chu Qinyan to the hospital, she’d probably be upset for quite a while.
“A-Ye… where are you…”
Chu Qinyan’s weak voice drifted over, and Shang Ye immediately set aside the matter of contacting Meng Zhi and returned to the ward.
The Meng parents watched this scene, exchanged a glance, and both felt something complicated stirring in their hearts.
Finally, Meng Shitian spoke: “You can’t force matters of the heart. We should respect Qinyan and A-Ye’s choice.”
Ye Shaohua could only nod.
So many people liked and pursued Meng Zhi, yet Qinyan had set her heart on only Shang Ye… She really was such a foolish child.
VIP ward.
A pale-faced young girl lay quietly, her breathing so soft and still that the only sound was the rustling of pine trees outside the window as the evening breeze passed through.
Moonlight gently spilled across the girl’s face—features so exquisitely beautiful that one glance would leave them unforgettable.
Her skin was so fair it was nearly translucent. Through her thin, closed eyelids, faint blue-green veins could be seen. She was like a piece of glazed porcelain—delicate and fragile.
In the dim environment, the phone screen that had been flashing moments ago finally went still.
The man wearing gold-rimmed glasses cast a faint glance at the name on the caller ID.
—A-Ye.
The man’s thin lips pressed together, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
His gaze returned to the complex data on the computer screen.
“President Shang, these are Miss Meng’s payment details.”
The assistant’s voice was kept extremely low, afraid of disturbing the young girl who had yet to wake.
Shang Shiyan took the documents and carefully reviewed the surgical materials and medications used for Meng Zhi.
Just then, a soft moan came from the bed.
“Mm…”
Followed by painful coughing.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Shang Shiyan removed his glasses and set them aside, then rose and walked to the bedside, pressing the call button.
Every breath Meng Zhi took was filled with the metallic scent of blood. Her throat was still congested, and she coughed until tears streamed down her face.
Having just undergone general anesthesia with intubation, she could barely speak through the discomfort: “I…”
Where was this place?
Who was she?
Why was she here?
The unfamiliar darkness made Meng Zhi extremely uneasy. She reached out, trying to grab hold of something.
But her hand was caught by a slightly cool, large hand.
“Meng Zhi, it’s me.”
“Don’t speak yet. Calm down.”
Who was Meng Zhi?
Was that her name?
Still lost in confusion, the lights in the hospital room finally flickered on.
Meng Zhi closed her eyes, unaccustomed to the brightness. When she opened them again, her lashes trembled.
What came into view was a strikingly handsome face that she couldn’t help but admire—one that gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
In a daze, the face of the person she’d last seen before losing consciousness overlapped with the one before her now.
[Zhizhi, don’t be afraid. You’ll be fine.]
[Do you know who I am?]
Shang Shiyan seemed to feel he was overstepping. He was about to pull his hand back from Meng Zhi’s grasp.
But she held on tightly, interlocking their fingers.
The next second, the girl’s slender arms wrapped around the man’s lean, powerful waist.
The panic and unease that had been swirling in her heart finally dissipated.
Meng Zhi didn’t notice the shock in Shang Shiyan’s eyes, nor the look on his assistant Duan Yang’s face as if he’d seen a ghost.
All she knew was that the man before her gave her enough sense of security.
Their bodies pressed close together, she could hear her own accelerating heartbeat—and his.
Heartbeats don’t lie.
Shang Shiyan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his calm voice came out slightly hoarse.
“Meng Zhi, you…”
The words he wanted to say were stopped short by Meng Zhi’s soft remark.
“I know who you are. You’re my husband.”
What?
In an instant, the man’s jaw tightened, his eyes swirling with complex, deep emotions.
He looked down at the still-weak girl in his arms.
Even lifting her eyes to look at him felt exhausting for Meng Zhi.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and breathed in the pleasant, cool scent of him—like duckweed finally finding its anchor.
“I can’t remember anything else.”
“I’m so tired and sleepy. I want to sleep a little more. Husband, can you not leave just yet?”
Shang Shiyan cradled the back of Meng Zhi’s head as she wrinkled her nose pitifully and glanced at him.
As if confirming he was still there, she finally closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Her hand was even still clutching the hem of his shirt.
Duan Yang was about to ask his boss, President Shang, wasn’t he supposed to head back for a meeting first?
He saw that his boss hadn’t even noticed his usually pristine, expensive suit getting wrinkled from being gripped.
He had even already taken off his priceless luxury watch…
Duan Yang simply shut his mouth and postponed the meeting on his own initiative.
The attending physician at the door, Fu Yuan, saw this scene and couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.
Although he’d already mentally prepared for memory confusion in cerebral hemorrhage patients, he truly hadn’t expected that this usually well-behaved and timid young girl from the Meng family—who would only dare to call Shang Shiyan “Uncle” from a safe distance—would dare to hug him and call him “husband” after losing her memory.
And her fiancé-turned-uncle clearly had no intention of letting go.
The nurses who had witnessed everything from Meng Zhi’s arrival at the ER to her transfer to the ward were dumbfounded.
Where was the cold, aloof man who had kept everyone at arm’s length before Meng Zhi woke up?
They were still in shock when Shang Shiyan lifted his gaze coldly and said in a deep voice, “Fu Yuan, what are you still standing there for? Did Old Master Fu break your legs so you can’t walk?”
The nurses snapped to attention and quickly filed in past Dr. Fu.
Fu Yuan clicked his tongue, knowing the man was in a bad mood. Though he had always been confident in his medical skills, he still went through his routine check on Meng Zhi’s condition first.
“There’s nothing too serious. It’s still the issue I mentioned before the surgery—she suffered a severe head injury that damaged her frontal lobe, hippocampus, and other analytical centers, which can cause memory confusion or memory decline.”
Having worked nonstop for two days without rest, Fu Yuan’s muscles ached, and his mouth ran loose: “I just don’t know why she doesn’t remember anything else, but she’s mistaken you for her husband, instead of Shang Ye, the man she’s loved for years.”
Seeing Shang Shiyan’s cold glare, Fu Yuan curled his lips into a smirk: “By the way, Shang Ye himself is downstairs. He should be here soon.”