Chapter 10: Your Heartbeat Quickened

Shen Chaoyi stepped closer, her long fingers curling around Yi Qingzhuo’s hand—the back so scraped and raw that even finding a vein for an IV would be nearly impossible.

Her gaze darkened. “Your hands are beautiful. Don’t let them scar.”

As a doctor, Shen Chaoyi was doing everything she could to give Yi Qingzhuo a reason to hold on.

Slowly, deliberately, Shen Chaoyi traced her fingertips over Yi Qingzhuo’s hand. Even through the glove, she could feel the chill of her skin.

The next second, Yi Qingzhuo pulled her hand back.

Her pitch-black, piercing eyes fixed on Shen Chaoyi. There was no malice in them, but they made the message of distance unmistakable.

Shen Chaoyi paused, then withdrew her hand with a helpless sigh.

She really was going to stay cold to the very end.

Even on the brink of death, even too weak to speak, she refused to sheathe her thorns.

She wouldn’t let anyone touch her.

Shen Chaoyi smiled. “You really are like a hedgehog. The moment someone touches you, you bristle.”

Defenses everywhere. Walls of iron and bronze that no one could break through.

Yi Qingzhuo furrowed her brow at the words, but the movement pulled at the muscles of her face.

The pain cut deeper, and she forced herself to relax.

A hedgehog? Accurate enough.

Shen Chaoyi knew Yi Qingzhuo couldn’t really respond to her.

She shifted her gaze to the ECG monitor beside her, watching the red line bounce up and down.

“Your heartbeat quickened. That means I’m right.”

Her warm voice carried a clear hint of amusement—teasing, obviously.

But still without malice.

Yi Qingzhuo could never say such things. She could only stay silent.

But her heartbeat betrayed her without reserve.

Sure enough, the moment the words left Shen Chaoyi’s mouth, Yi Qingzhuo’s pupils dilated.

Her heart pounded even faster.

Was that excitement from being caught out?

Yi Qingzhuo gritted her teeth. She couldn’t speak, so she simply closed her eyes, retreating into her own world.

Shen Chaoyi smiled at the helpless gesture.

Strangely, after seeing Yi Qingzhuo so domineering, so oppressive with just a glance, watching her now—reduced to shutting her eyes and stubbornly ignoring everything—was genuinely amusing.

Her smile deepened. Shen Chaoyi double-checked Yi Qingzhuo’s vitals, then addressed the woman who was clearly pretending to sleep.

“If you feel uncomfortable, remember to press the call button by the bed. It’s very close—you can reach it without stretching. Someone will be here around the clock. Don’t worry, just rest for now.”

Though lying still with the anesthesia wearing off was hardly restful.

Shen Chaoyi couldn’t fully put herself in Yi Qingzhuo’s place, but as a doctor, she knew exactly what that stage felt like.

She glanced at Yi Qingzhuo one last time—still stubbornly shut-eyed—and knew she had heard everything.

Then she turned and walked out.

“Doctor Shen?” A voice called to her just as she finished changing and placed her folder on the counter.

Shen Chaoyi looked back. It was the OR charge nurse. “What is it?”

“Oh, these are the personal belongings removed and disinfected before surgery for the patient Yi Qingzhuo in Monitor Room 3. I need your signature here, and then we can hand them over to her family.”

Shen Chaoyi glanced at the two transparent bags in the nurse’s hand.

One held Yi Qingzhuo’s clothes. The other contained her phone, wallet, earphones, and such.

“Alright.” Shen Chaoyi signed her name smoothly.

Then she looked at the bags.

The clothes were a black hoodie, a pair of cargo pants, and a white T-shirt that had been soaked completely red.

Given how thoroughly it was stained, if the jacket and pants hadn’t been black, there was no telling what color they would have turned.

That was why Yi Qingzhuo had gone into hemorrhagic shock and cardiac arrest.

Shen Chaoyi had seen plenty of blood, but even she couldn’t suppress a flinch at that degree of blood-soaked clothing. If these were handed to Yi Qingzhuo’s mother…

What a blow that would be.

Her gaze moved on. There was all that was left of Yi Qingzhuo’s meager personal effects.

A phone shattered beyond repair. A pair of earphones with the cord snapped. And a brown wallet stained with bloodstains.

Perhaps for patient identification, Yi Qingzhuo’s ID card had been pulled out of the wallet and not put back after use. The small card, maybe wiped clean to read the info, didn’t carry much blood.

Shen Chaoyi studied each item. Through them, she could almost reconstruct the moments they had been broken—and the condition of their owner at that time.

Her slender fingers brushed over the transparent bags. As she moved them, she noticed a red string that had been partially hidden.

A very thin red string, no ornaments whatsoever—just a plain red cord.

Judging by its wear, Yi Qingzhuo had probably worn it for a long time.

Other than that, there were no accessories on Yi Qingzhuo’s person.

Shen Chaoyi had no way of knowing what this red string meant to her. Honestly, she didn’t think a simple string could mean much anyway.

“Doctor Shen? Something wrong?”

Shen Chaoyi had been staring at the two bags for too long. The nurse standing by finally spoke up.

“Hmm?” Shen Chaoyi snapped back to reality. She set the bags down with a light smile. “No, it’s fine. You can give them to the family.”

It was procedure. She couldn’t change that.

With a slight nod, she turned and walked away.

A few steps later, she furrowed her brow and clenched her fist.

Then she abruptly turned back. “Never mind. Give them to me. I’ll hand them to her family myself.”

“Huh? You’re going to do it personally?” The nurse was surprised.

Shen Chaoyi nodded. “Yes, let me.”

“Oh… okay.” Though puzzled, the nurse handed the bags over.

Since Shen Chaoyi had already signed for them, she would take responsibility.

Shen Chaoyi took the two bags back to her office. In the changing room, she found a brown paper bag and put everything inside.

She pulled out her phone—she hadn’t had a chance to look at it all morning. She unlocked it to check for missed calls and messages.

Just as she closed the door, a female voice came from behind.

“Hey, do you know what that patient Doctor Shen saved during this morning’s emergency is called?”

“I know. I was there during the rescue. Doctor Shen even got called into Director Zhou’s office and chewed out for a mistake in the process. That patient is Yi Qingzhuo.”

“Right, right. Did you see the news? There was a vicious beating in Ningchuan. The victim was that Yi Qingzhuo. Over a dozen men ganging up on her alone. If it weren’t for Doctor Shen, she probably wouldn’t have made it. Doctor Han had no hope, but Shen fought for half an hour and barely got a heartbeat back.”

“And to think, Doctor Shen got a scolding for someone like that. Rushed through surgery, got yelled at, then went straight to the ICU to check on her.”

“Yeah, that Yi Qingzhuo. You know? She killed her own father and did ten years in prison.”

“I think I’ve seen her before. Every time she came here, she was injured in all kinds of ways. All in black, really mysterious.”

“What kind of woman acts like that? …Ah, Doctor Shen…”

Their voices died the moment they saw Shen Chaoyi.

An awkward silence filled the changing room.

None of them had said anything bad about Shen Chaoyi, but they had been caught gossiping behind her back.

They exchanged glances.

“Doctor Shen, you’re done with surgery, huh?” One of the female doctors spoke up, trying to break the tension.

Shen Chaoyi put away her phone and lifted her head slightly. “Mm, done.”

If you already knew I got chewed out, why ask if the surgery was over?

“Ah, then… uh…” No one could tell if she was angry or not.

If she was, there was no trace of anger on her face.

But if she wasn’t bothered, then where was the warm smile she usually wore for everyone?

Shen Chaoyi’s lips curved, but there was no real smile in it. “I’ve got things to do. I’ll go first.”

Vicious beating in Ningchuan? It was already in the news?

She walked past the group and headed out.

Back at her desk, she sat down and immediately opened her computer.

She barely had to search—the news item was already trending.

“A Vicious Assault—or Just Deserts?”

What a strange headline.

Shen Chaoyi clicked into the article. The first image was a photo taken from a distance.

The photographer stood outside an alley, while inside a crowd was gathered around someone.

At first glance, it was hard to make out.

Scrolling down, there was a five-second video.

Shen Chaoyi bit her lip. She hadn’t even clicked play, but her brows were already furrowed.

So many people, all beating Yi Qingzhuo alone?

Her finger trembled. She tapped the video.

The footage was shaky, but even in those five seconds, you could see it.

In the middle of more than a dozen men was a dark figure already lying on the ground. Countless feet and fists kept raining down.

In the final second, that dark figure looked up—and it was Yi Qingzhuo, her face covered in blood.

Her messy black hair was plastered across her features, partially hiding her face, but those eyes…

Pitch black, bright, utterly devoid of emotion, staring fiercely in the direction of the camera.

Like a demon crawling out of hell, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

Her defiance was written all over her face. She was trying to get up.