Chapter 263: Bai Ye Was Asked to Leave, and Si Jin Arrived
Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Bai Ye Was Asked to Leave, and Si Jin Arrived
Bai Ye reacted extremely fast. When Lin Yueyao lunged at him, he dodged sideways, evading her entirely. Lin Yueyao’s heart and eyes had been completely filled with him, stripping away all her reason. The force of her lunge was fast and fierce. Caught off guard when she missed, her momentum sent her stumbling forward several steps until her shoulder scraped heavily against the cold wall with a muffled THUD. She barely steadied her swaying body, nearly crashing to the floor.
"Yue Yao!" Su Wan finally snapped back to reality. Her voice carried thinly veiled heartbreak as she rushed forward and caught Lin Yueyao.
Supported by Su Wan, Lin Yueyao looked like a shell emptied of its soul. With a pale face and trembling lips, she couldn’t utter a single word. Her tears fell silently, dripping scalding hot onto the back of Su Wan’s hand. Looking at her, Su Wan felt as if something had fiercely gripped her heart. She immediately tightened her arms, pulling Lin Yueyao into an embrace, patting her back rhythmically just like she used to do when Yue Yao felt wronged as a child.
"Mom..." Lin Yueyao finally forced out. Her voice was hoarse and broken, as if squeezed from the depths of her throat. "Mom, I..."
"Say no more." Su Wan closed her eyes, her voice quivering. "Say no more, Mom knows you’re heartbroken."
Yun Sheng stood at the door, watching this scene. She didn’t step forward or speak; she just watched quietly.
Held tightly by Su Wan, Lin Yueyao’s tears blurred her vision. Wet tear tracks still hung on her cheeks, making her look pathetic and wronged. Yet her gaze bypassed Su Wan’s shoulder, stubbornly looking in Bai Ye’s direction. A sliver of unextinguished hope lingered in her eyes, as if she were making a final struggle. That single glance, however, made her body stiffen. All her grievances and reluctance were instantly replaced by a sharp pain.
She saw that Bai Ye was currently looking at Yun Sheng at the door. Those eyes, which were usually cold, distant, and unrippled, were unexpectedly filled with an obvious gentleness. That gentleness was delicate and genuine, like the warm sun in spring, softly washing over his eyes and even softening the cold aura around him. Lin Yueyao had never seen such gentleness from him, nor had she ever experienced it.
A sharp pain spread from her chest, coursing through her entire body and hurting her so deeply that she could barely catch her breath. Even her breathing became stifled. What stung even more was that just moments ago, she had thrown caution to the wind, abandoning all pride and dignity to lunge desperately at Bai Ye, only for him to dodge without the slightest hesitation, leaving her utterly humiliated. And the most unbearable part of it all was that Yun Sheng had witnessed every second of it.
She told herself this was absolutely unacceptable. She couldn’t just lose like this. She couldn’t let Yun Sheng laugh at her, much less let Yun Sheng be so smug! At this thought, the stubbornness and resentment in Lin Yueyao’s eyes were instantly replaced by a trace of deliberate fragility. She immediately withdrew her gaze from Bai Ye, burying her face deeply into the crook of Su Wan’s neck. Her voice became soft and light, carrying a deliberate sense of coquettishness.
"Mom, my... my heart hurts... I really feel terrible..." As Lin Yueyao spoke, tears welled up again, soaking Su Wan’s collar and spreading into a dark, wet stain that would evoke pity in anyone’s heart.
Su Wan already felt sorry for her daughter. Seeing her cry like this, she quickly hugged her tighter, gently patting her back and comforting her in a soft voice. "Mom knows. Mom knows everything... My poor Yue Yao has been wronged..."
Yun Sheng took this all in. Watching Lin Yueyao act spoiled and weak in Su Wan’s embrace, Yun Sheng’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile. She saw right through the other girl’s little schemes. She knew Lin Yueyao just wanted to flaunt Su Wan’s favoritism, hoping to make Yun Sheng envious and secretly heartbroken. Unfortunately, in her eyes, Lin Yueyao’s childish and clumsy tricks were nothing more than a clown’s pathetic antics—ridiculous and pitiful. Forget about making her sad; they didn’t even cause a ripple in her heart.
Bai Ye caught the slightly cold, sarcastic curve of Yun Sheng’s lips, and a subtle ache of distress instantly welled up in his heart. He walked slowly toward Yun Sheng. When he stood before her, he leaned in slightly and lowered his voice. "Shall I take you home first?"
Yun Sheng pursed her lips. Just as she was about to speak, Su Wan happened to look up. Looking at the two standing side by side, a trace of complex emotion flashed through Su Wan’s eyes. She took a deep breath and said directly, "Yun Sheng, you’ll go back with us in a while."
No one knew better than Su Wan how ugly things had gotten when Bai Ye came to their home to break off the engagement. In the past, she had genuinely liked Bai Ye from the bottom of her heart, finding him steady and reliable. She had eagerly hoped he would become her son-in-law and treat Yue Yao well. But ever since he unexpectedly proposed breaking the engagement without a single word of explanation, that fondness had gradually been replaced by dissatisfaction. Bai Ye never stated his reasons during the breakup. Although she was puzzled, she couldn’t swallow her pride to interrogate him.
But right now, watching Bai Ye act so tenderly toward Yun Sheng, how could Su Wan not understand? An indescribable conflict instantly seized her heart. On one side was her adopted daughter, Lin Yueyao, whom she had raised and doted on for so many years; on the other was her biological daughter, Yun Sheng, to whom she owed so much. Siding with Yue Yao would mean forcing Yun Sheng to back down, but siding with Yun Sheng would betray Yue Yao’s years of genuine affection. Leaning toward either side felt like hurting the other. This dilemma nearly suffocated her.
Yun Sheng saw the conflict and difficulty on Su Wan’s face clearly, so she replied in a low voice, "Okay, I’ll go back with you in a bit."
She hadn’t planned on letting Bai Ye drive her home anyway. He had only been at the hospital with her for a short time, yet Lin Yueyao had already put on two dramatic acts. If she let Bai Ye take her back, given Lin Yueyao’s temperament, who knew what other stunts she might pull. Lin Yueyao might have the energy to waste on these childish games, but she didn’t!
Just as she spoke, Yun Sheng’s terminal suddenly vibrated. The screen lit up, displaying Lin Mo’s name. She glanced at the screen, nodded slightly to Su Wan, and turned to walk toward the window in the corner of the ward, pressing the answer button.
As Yun Sheng walked to the window to take the call, Su Wan looked up at Bai Ye, her tone polite but carrying an obvious sense of distance. "Ah Ye, you should head back first."
Bai Ye’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He stayed silent for a few seconds before replying with basic politeness, "Alright, Aunt Su, I’ll head back for now. I’ll come see Lin Hao another day."
After speaking, he didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, he subconsciously looked up at Yun Sheng standing by the window. With her back to everyone, the soft profile of her face was visible as she listened intently to the person on the other end of the terminal. Bai Ye’s gaze rested on Yun Sheng’s back. He wanted to wait until she finished her call to say goodbye before leaving.
But before he could wait another moment, he clearly heard Yun Sheng speak softly into her terminal, "You’re here at the hospital to find me? Okay, I’m on the third floor of the inpatient department, near Lin Hao’s ward. Come on over."