Chapter 311: She Can Also Protect Those She Cares About
Chapter 311: Chapter 311: She Can Also Protect Those She Cares About
Yun Sheng gazed quietly at Bai Ye, the affection in her eyes so searing and fervent it practically overflowed.
This exact scene fell squarely into the eyes of Xing Che, who stood off to the side. His originally lowered gaze darkened abruptly. His hand gripping the collars of the two fake patients suddenly tightened with astonishing force.
The two men dangling from his grasp were already on their last legs; the sudden, crushing pressure choked the breath right out of them.
As Xing Che watched the undisguised infatuation in Yun Sheng’s eyes, a heavy surge of jealousy and bitterness clogged his chest. Yet, within mere seconds, the rigid line of his shoulders relaxed, and his clenched fists slowly loosened. He silently averted his gaze, no longer looking at her.
Meanwhile, Su Wan looked at Yun Sheng and spoke with difficulty, "Yun Sheng..."
Hearing her voice, Yun Sheng quickly reined in her surging emotions. She suppressed her feelings, steadied herself, and turned to Su Wan.
"Yun Sheng, I didn’t mean to play favorites just now. I just..." Su Wan’s tone was flustered as she tried to explain and salvage the situation.
But Yun Sheng had no patience for such pale excuses right now. So many instances of bias and neglect couldn’t be erased by a few empty words. Furthermore, Su Wan truly ached for Lin Yueyao—that was an undeniable fact!
Yun Sheng pursed her lips slightly and said in a calm tone, "Mrs. Lin, I understand. You and Lin Yueyao have lived together day and night for over a decade. Your mother-daughter bond is deep. I completely understand why you ache for her and side with her.
"But she and I share no affection whatsoever. All these years, she occupied my identity and my life, receiving all the glamour and favoritism. She has gotten more than enough.
"From today onward, I will not yield a single thing that belongs to me to her!"
Yun Sheng didn’t explicitly state what she was referring to, but everyone present knew perfectly well. She wouldn’t give up Bai Ye!
Su Wan’s face paled again. She frantically shook her head to explain, her tone carrying a hasty, cautious edge. "Yun Sheng, I really didn’t mean it that way. You misunderstood. I won’t interfere with things between you and Ah Ye. It’s just that he only recently broke off his engagement with Yue Yao. If the two of you get so close now, I’m afraid outsiders will wag their tongues and slander you. I just didn’t want you to draw baseless criticism."
Hearing this, Yun Sheng couldn’t help but let out a soft scoff. Her smile was cold, carrying a blunt sarcasm.
"You don’t want me to be criticized?" She raised her eyes to look at Su Wan, her gaze clear and detached. Every word she spoke was distinct, direct, and merciless. "You acknowledged me and brought me back so long ago, yet you’ve never been willing to publicly announce my identity. You allowed outsiders to ruthlessly slander me, calling me a good-for-nothing and an illegitimate daughter, letting all kinds of awful rumors run rampant. Why weren’t you afraid of me being criticized back then?
"Mrs. Lin, don’t you think it’s ridiculous to say such things now?"
Truthfully, Yun Sheng hadn’t planned on dwelling on the past. After all, she wasn’t the original owner of this body. She could easily overlook most of those past grievances. Plus, Su Wan had treated her decently on a day-to-day basis, so she hadn’t bothered fussing over trivial matters.
But Su Wan’s earlier words were truly laughable—so inherently hypocritical that Yun Sheng simply couldn’t hold back her retort.
Su Wan choked on the rebuke. She opened her mouth, her lips trembling repeatedly, but couldn’t form a single complete sentence in her defense. Because she knew in her heart that everything Yun Sheng said was the truth. It was she and the Lin Family who had continually refused to publicly acknowledge Yun Sheng’s identity, leaving her to be hurt by the outside world’s gossip and rumors.
Just as Su Wan stood there flushed with embarrassment and at a loss for words, Bai Ye calmly spoke up from the side, landing a final, quiet blow.
"Aunt Su, no one will criticize Yun Sheng. I’ve disguised my appearance, so no one will recognize my identity. Even if someone sees me holding Yun Sheng, they won’t connect the dots to me, much less use our relationship to stir up trouble."
These words instantly awakened Su Wan to the reality of the situation. She froze, belatedly realizing the truth.
To protect Yun Sheng and preserve her reputation, Bai Ye had deliberately changed his face. He was meticulous in every aspect, considering Yun Sheng at every turn and doing everything in his power to keep her safe.
In contrast, as her biological mother, Su Wan had been cowardly and overly cautious. She had never truly stood up for Yun Sheng, nor had she ever shielded her from a single rumor or injustice.
At that moment, an intense wave of guilt and helplessness washed over Su Wan, making her cheeks burn with a shame so deep she couldn’t even lift her head.
Seeing Su Wan utterly mortified and consumed by self-blame, Yun Sheng simply withdrew her gaze. Her expression remained indifferent, and she said nothing more. There was no point in saying more. The past grievances had already happened, and a few guilty sentiments couldn’t make up for anything.
At that moment, a distinct commotion suddenly echoed from the direction of the blocked main doors.
The sounds of tumbling rubble and shifting steel frames rang out continuously. The faint, organized clamor of people working outside could be heard; it was clearly an external rescue team clearing the debris left by the explosion to open an exit.
The panicked crowd in the hall instantly quieted down. Everyone instinctively turned to look at the entrance, hope reigniting in their eyes. Having been trapped for so long, they were already on the verge of a breakdown. Now, seeing a chance for escape, they revealed excited and expectant expressions, with many even slowly edging toward the doors.
"Someone’s clearing the debris! We can get out!"
"Outside rescue is finally here! We’re safe now!"
Murmurs of joy rippled through the crowd. The stifling panic dissipated slightly, and the atmosphere across the entire hall lightened considerably.
However, just as everyone relaxed and eagerly awaited their rescue, Bai Ye’s expression grew even more grave. His arm suddenly contracted, pulling Yun Sheng tighter into his embrace. All the gentleness around him completely faded. His brow tightened, his expression grew increasingly vigilant, and his entire body entered a state of high alert.
Yun Sheng immediately noticed his rigidity. Her heart clenched in response, and she asked softly, "What’s wrong?"
Bai Ye’s eyes were dark, locked firmly on the main doors. His tone was low and solemn. "The people outside are clearing the obstacles. They’ll break through in a quarter of an hour at most, but this is the stage where unexpected variables are most likely to occur."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xing Che—who had been standing silently by their side—suddenly moved. He walked briskly toward them, deliberately lowering his voice as he spoke gravely, "Something isn’t right. There’s a strange smell. Everyone, be careful."
At the entrance, the commotion of clearing rubble and shifting steel frames was still ongoing. With the surrounding chatter and the restless crowd, everyone’s attention was fully focused on the soon-to-be-opened exit; no one noticed anything amiss.
But amidst this clamor, an extremely faint, almost imperceptible scent was quietly permeating the air. The scent was thin and elusive, masked by the smell of dust and smoke. Coupled with the dense, chaotic crowd in the hall, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to detect it in the slightest.
It was only because Xing Che had maintained an extreme state of high alert throughout, keeping all five senses sharp, that he caught this bizarre anomaly right away.
The moment those words were spoken, the already tense atmosphere immediately plummeted a few degrees further.
Yun Sheng curled her fingertips slightly, quietly gathering her own spiritual power. After experiencing so much, she was no longer someone who would just passively wait to be protected.