11 – Be her armor, and ensure her a lifetime of worry-free.
“Well, what’s going on here?”
Lin Qingmian, wearing a white lab coat with his hands in his pockets, sauntered over with a casual air.
He glanced mockingly at Zhou Ruixue on the floor, making no move to help her up, and only snorted with disdain.
“Quite lively, isn’t it?”
Ji Hanyuan shot Lin Qingmian a cold look. “Lively?”
“Letting irrelevant people in here—do you still want to keep your position as deputy director?”
Lin Jiaran immediately stepped forward, flustered and apologetic. “I’m sorry, Fourth Master! It’s all my fault—I didn’t stop Miss Zhou!”
“Ah, it’s no big deal.”
Lin Qingmian patted Lin Jiaran’s back, signaling her not to worry.
He and Ji Hanyuan had been friends for over a decade, so he naturally knew that despite Ji Hanyuan’s cold and ruthless appearance, he would never actually do anything to him.
Others thought Ji Hanyuan was domineering, unreasonable, and always acted on his whims, putting himself above all else.
But Lin Qingmian knew that Ji Hanyuan was far from the demon people made him out to be.
He only harmed those who harmed him first!
That was why Lin Qingmian dared to banter so freely with Ji Hanyuan.
Because he, Lin Qingmian, would never hurt Ji Hanyuan!
At that moment, Lin Qingmian glanced at Zhou Ruixue on the floor. The usually arrogant young lady now lay there, cheeks swollen and disheveled, looking utterly ridiculous.
Lin Qingmian couldn’t be bothered with her and certainly wasn’t afraid of her. He simply said to Lin Jiaran, “Jiaran, throw her out.”
Then, he turned to Ji Hanyuan and Tangtang. “I have something important to discuss with both of you. Come with me.”
With that, Lin Qingmian led the way.
Ji Hanyuan, meanwhile, looked tenderly at Tangtang and gently examined her hands.
Tangtang’s skin was delicate—even a little force would leave marks on her fair complexion.
Now, her small hands were red, a sight that stirred pity in anyone who saw them.
Ji Hanyuan’s heart ached as he gently massaged them. Then, bending down, he lifted Tangtang by her thighs and cradled her in his arms.
He cherished her as if she were his only treasure.
As long as she was there, no one else existed in his eyes.
“If anyone dares to provoke her again, I, Ji Hanyuan, won’t hesitate to use my methods on women too!”
With those words, he strode away, holding her close.
Zhou Ruixue collapsed completely, her face ashen.
Lin Jiaran watched Tangtang nestled in Ji Hanyuan’s arms, her own hands twisting nervously at her sides.
Ji Hanyuan’s warning wasn’t just for Zhou Ruixue—it was also a caution to her.
In that moment, Lin Jiaran felt her heart sink to the depths.
Why… why had such a woman suddenly appeared—a woman who seemed to have nothing but beauty—and stolen Ji Hanyuan’s heart so completely?
How could Ji Hanyuan… how could he… dote on her like this!
Remembering Zhou Ruixue was still nearby, Lin Jiaran took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. She reached out to help Zhou Ruixue up. “Miss Zhou, please.”
But with a sharp “slap,” Zhou Ruixue knocked her hand away and glared furiously at Lin Jiaran.
“Enjoying my humiliation, are you?”
“Listen, Lin Jiaran! If you dare breathe a word of what happened today, you’ll regret it!”
Zhou Ruixue staggered to her feet, leaning against the wall as she glared venomously in the direction Tangtang had left.
She, Zhou Ruixue, would never admit defeat like this!
Meanwhile, in Lin Qingmian’s office, he handed two reports to Ji Hanyuan and Tangtang.
“This is the blood test report for both of you.”
Lin Qingmian suddenly dropped his usual carefree and unserious demeanor, his expression grave as he got straight to the point.
“The toxins in both of your bodies are identical.”
Instantly, Tangtang looked at Ji Hanyuan in shock.
Ji Hanyuan furrowed his brows and remained silent.
“But,” Lin Qingmian continued, “Tangtang hasn’t taken any antitoxin medication, yet she shows no symptoms at all.”
“Unlike you,” Lin Qingmian said, turning to Ji Hanyuan. “If you stop taking medication or consume something you shouldn’t, the poison will immediately flare up, causing excruciating pain all over your body, and even painkillers won’t help.”
Hearing Lin Qingmian’s words, Tangtang’s heart tightened, and she instinctively reached out both hands to grasp Ji Hanyuan’s large hand.
She couldn’t imagine how her brother endured it when the poison flared up…
All these years, he must have suffered greatly, all alone…
Seeing the genuine concern in Tangtang’s eyes, Ji Hanyuan felt a warm current flow through his heart. He held her small hand in his palm and said softly, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
He had always been fearless and unafraid of anything. A little injury or illness, even death, had never fazed him.
Now, with Tangtang by his side, he felt even more determined and stronger.
Simply because he had someone he wanted to protect with all his might.
In the past, he had largely ignored the poison in his body.
After all, he knew how the poison had come to be, and he had even less desire to deal with it.
But now, things were different.
He had someone he wanted to protect, so he had to become even more invincible, ready to stand in front of her at any time and protect everything about her.
He wanted Tangtang to simply hide behind him and be a carefree little princess.
To be her armor, protecting her from all worries for a lifetime.
Moreover, he could endure the pain himself, but he absolutely would not allow Tangtang to suffer even the slightest bit of agony.
He would uproot any possibility of it!
“Is there still a possibility of detoxification?”
Hearing Ji Hanyuan’s question, Lin Qingmian smiled with relief.
“You finally agreed!”
Lin Qingmian looked at Tangtang with both excitement and gratitude.
Indeed, heaven had truly sent a fallen beauty to Ji Hanyuan’s side to save him.
“There are two options now.”
“First, help Tangtang regain her memories quickly, so she can recall how she was poisoned and why she shows no symptoms of poisoning. Perhaps she once consumed something that can counteract this poison!”
“Second,” Lin Qingmian looked at Ji Hanyuan, his expression suddenly turning complicated as he said slowly, “Find the poisoner and obtain the poison, so we can prescribe the right remedy.”
Seeing the look in Lin Qingmian’s eyes, Tangtang felt something was off and glanced suspiciously at Ji Hanyuan.
She saw that beneath his deep-set eyes, dark clouds seemed to gather, and beneath the concealed emotions lay an indescribable, heavy mist.
Could it be… that there was more to the story about her brother’s poisoning?
Did her brother… not really want to find the poisoner?
Instantly, Tangtang bit her lip and made up her mind.
She would find a way to regain her memories quickly and help her brother recover as soon as possible!
However, Ji Hanyuan seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further and changed the subject.
“Has Tangtang’s examination report come out? How is her health?”
Lin Qingmian gave Ji Hanyuan a deep, helpless look, sighed, and said nothing as he turned to his computer.
“It came out urgently.”
He immediately printed out the report and handed it to Ji Hanyuan.
“There’s a blood clot in the brain pressing on the nerves, which caused the memory loss.”
“But aside from the amnesia, Tangtang doesn’t have any other symptoms right now. Her condition is stable, and the clot isn’t large, so there aren’t any other issues. Once the body naturally absorbs the blood clot, her memory will recover.”
“If you don’t want to wait for natural recovery, you can also use acupuncture or medication to speed up the dissipation of the blood clot.”
“I’ll take the medicine! I’ll do acupuncture!” Tangtang immediately exclaimed eagerly.
She absolutely had to recover her memory as soon as possible!
“Silly girl.” Ji Hanyuan frowned, disagreeing. “All medicine has some toxicity.”
“No!” Tangtang looked firmly at Ji Hanyuan, her tone resolute. “I need to recover my memory quickly so I can help my brother heal his body!”
Yet, Ji Hanyuan gazed deeply at Tangtang, unsure for a moment what to do.
If… if Tangtang really recovered her memory…
Would she… still want him?