At the same time, Qi Siye also saw her.
"Yanyan, what are you doing here?"
"I fell and got injured, so I'm hospitalized," Wen Yan replied truthfully.
After Qi Siye abandoned her this afternoon, she no longer held any expectations for this man.
Seeing him supporting Jiang Wantang now, her heart remained completely unruffled.
Jiang Wantang's soft voice chimed in, "Sister Wen Yan, it's all my fault. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, no need to worry," Wen Yan replied calmly.
Qi Siye wore a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were injured."
"I'm uncomfortable standing, so I'll go in first."
What difference would it have made if he knew? The outcome would have been the same.
Wen Yan ignored his apology and walked straight into the ward.
In the month since Jiang Wantang returned, Qi Siye had uttered those three words almost every day, and she was tired of hearing them.
Saying "I'm sorry" didn't mean he believed he was at fault; it was simply that those three words were too convenient.
Once he said them, if she continued to dwell on it, she would appear unreasonable.
She sat on the sofa, gently removed her shoes and socks, picked up the spray prescribed by the doctor, and applied it to her injured foot.
The foot had swollen even more, making it too painful to touch.
Wen Yan silently prayed that the bone wasn't damaged. A bone injury would take a hundred days to heal, and she didn't want to delay her work.
In the neighboring ward, Qi Siye helped Jiang Wantang lie down on the hospital bed.
"The doctor said you shouldn't walk around. Behave yourself recently and don't cause trouble."
"Brother, do you find me, this burden, too annoying?"
Jiang Wantang's eyes reddened as she looked at Qi Siye with a wrinkled nose.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Qi Siye's irritation instantly vanished, replaced by his habitual heartache.
"Don't worry, I'll never find you annoying."
Since Jiang Hui's departure, he had often felt a sense of guilt toward Jiang Wantang, always believing he hadn't done enough.
At that moment, the ward door was pushed open, and Xie Cheng stood at the entrance in a white coat.
"Is something wrong?"
After speaking with Wen Yan outside the bridal shop, he had been called back to the hospital for an emergency.
He had just stepped down from the operating table when Qi Siye called him.
"Wantang injured her foot. Can you ask the best orthopedic specialist in the hospital to take a look?"
Although Jiang Wantang had undergone all the necessary tests, he still felt uneasy.
Xie Cheng glanced at their clasped hands. "Every doctor here is among the top in the country. Treating her is more than sufficient."
Hearing this, Qi Siye felt relieved.
Xie Cheng was an expert here. If he said there was no problem, then there certainly wasn't.
"I need to check on Wen Yan next door. Can you help look after Wantang for me?"
Xie Cheng frowned. "Miss Wen is here too?"
Qi Siye didn't notice his momentary reaction and said worriedly, "She fell and got injured. She's right next door."
Before he could finish, Jiang Wantang grabbed his hand, her voice trembling with fear. "Brother, don't go. I was so scared when I got lost in the mountains this afternoon. My heart is still racing."
Qi Siye paused, looking at her pale face, unable to pull his hand away.
Xie Cheng's eyes darkened. "Stay here. I'll go check on Miss Wen for you."
Qi Siye sighed in relief, grateful. "Good friend, thank you."
Xie Cheng chuckled softly but said nothing. He turned and left, pushing open the door to the neighboring ward.
Wen Yan was hopping on one foot toward the bathroom, looking both disheveled and comical.
Hearing the noise, before she could turn around, she was suddenly lifted off her feet. Startled, she wrapped her arms around the newcomer's neck.
Upon recognizing Xie Cheng, she furrowed her brows tightly. "Let go!"
Xie Cheng acted as if he hadn't heard, carrying her a few steps into the cramped bathroom before setting her down.
The two of them were squeezed into the narrow space, so close they could hear each other's breathing.
Wen Yan looked up at Xie Cheng in his white coat, faintly catching the scent of disinfectant on him.
He stood there like a pine tree covered in ice and snow—cold, aloof, and distant.
She recalled the first time she met Xie Cheng in Europe years ago, during a heavy snowfall that blanketed the world in white, while he stood out in all black.
Even dressed in the darkest color, he was the most striking.
That day, he pulled her back from the bone-chilling brink of death, becoming her light and warmth.
But now, there was only coldness in those eyes.
Xie Cheng lowered his gaze to meet hers, his tone icy from the start. "Qi Siye is right next door. You can shout louder if you want."
"What do you want?" Wen Yan's voice trembled slightly.
"Honoring a promise, fulfilling a duty."
Xie Cheng's tone was playful as he turned and walked out, casually closing the bathroom door behind him.
?
Wen Yan couldn't make sense of what kind of "fulfilling a duty" this was. Xie Cheng had never been the helpful type—not ruining others' affairs was already a virtue for him.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she thought he had already left.
Unexpectedly, after just two unsteady steps, his figure reappeared before her.
Her heart fluttered with panic, and as she retreated, her injured foot accidentally bore weight. A sharp pain shot through her, throwing her off balance and causing her to stumble.
Xie Cheng swiftly stepped forward, his arm firmly wrapping around her waist.
With her hands pressed against his solid chest, she felt her ears grow warm, and unwelcome memories flooded back.
Countless mornings, she had leaned against his chest just like this, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
That fleeting sense of eternal security had intoxicated her, making her sink deeper into its embrace.
"Thank you."
Wen Yan swallowed hard and tried to push away the man pressed so closely against her.
"Can't hear you."
Not only did Xie Cheng not release her, but his hand on her waist tightened slightly, pulling her closer into his embrace.
Just then, the hospital room door swung open.
Qi Siye stood at the doorway, catching sight of the two in what appeared to be an embrace.
Wen Yan pushed Xie Cheng away as if shocked by electricity. "I almost fell, and Dr. Xie caught me."
To her ears, the explanation sounded like a guilty denial, but Qi Siye showed no suspicion.
He helped her sit down properly and said to Xie Cheng with a smile, "It's rare to see the great Dr. Xie being so kind. I'll treat you to a meal another day."
Even if Wen Yan hadn't offered an explanation, he would never have doubted anything.
Xie Cheng was arrogant and aloof—he had never shown interest in any woman, let alone touch a friend's fiancée.
"Normally, I wouldn't bother, but Miss Wen is different."
Xie Cheng remained composed, slipping his hands into the pockets of his white coat. His gaze swept over Wen Yan with a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his lips.
That gaze felt like a knife, slicing through Wen Yan's heart.
She lowered her head, avoiding his predatory stare.
Qi Siye patted Xie Cheng on the shoulder. "See, I told you Xie Cheng and I are close."
"It's getting late. I'd like to rest."
Wen Yan didn't want to continue the conversation and dismissed them both.
"I need to check on a patient."
Xie Cheng glanced at his wristwatch and turned to leave.
Qi Siye walked him out and returned to ask, "Do you need anything? There's a supermarket downstairs."
"Just buy me two bottles of water."
Wen Yan had originally planned to order water delivery, but Xie Cheng's sudden visit had distracted her from it.
Since Qi Siye had asked, she didn't stand on ceremony with him.
They were still engaged, after all. If Jiang Wantang could order him around, naturally she could too.
"Do you need anything else?" Qi Siye asked.
Wen Yan shook her head. "No."
"Alright, wait for me."
The door closed, and the hospital room finally fell silent. Wen Yan lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over her face.
Why had Xie Cheng come back?
Given his achievements abroad, staying there to develop his career would clearly offer better prospects.
No, she had forgotten—he was the young master of the Xie family.
The Xie family held sway over Nan City like a force of nature. He was undoubtedly more at ease here than abroad.
It could only be blamed on Nan City being too small—so small that even someone she had encountered by chance in Europe remained unavoidable upon returning.
To make matters worse, he was Qi Siye's close friend, making it difficult to avoid him altogether.
The hospital room was on the eighth floor. Taking the elevator down, buying water, and coming back up—even with crowds and waiting—should have taken no more than twenty minutes.
Wen Yan waited. Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes, forty minutes passed, yet she still hadn't received the two bottles of water.
Drowsiness washed over her, her eyelids growing too heavy to keep open.
She moved to the water dispenser, cupped her hands to catch some water, and moistened her parched throat.
Someone who didn't belong to her—even ordering them around felt like a luxury.
She returned to bed, curled up, and lay down. Gradually, only the sound of even breathing could be heard in the room.
The door was gently pushed open.
Xie Cheng stood outside, his expression obscured by the backlight.
His quiet gaze fell on the hospital bed. Wen Yan slept restlessly, her delicate face etched with a frown, the corners of her lips downturned.
How many times had he woken in the middle of the night to see this heartbreaking sight?
Yet it was this very person who had spoken such devastatingly cruel words.
What did it matter if she had become his friend's fiancée?
His resentment remained unresolved, and between them, it was far from over.