It was something she said to Ming Siyu, but also to herself.
It was as if she had thrown off a huge burden from her heart. Liu Ran found that she could now converse with Ming Siyu calmly and peacefully.
Yes, just as she had said. She had never liked Ming Siyu; she had always hated her. The period when they had gotten along well had all been an act on her part. Anyway, Ming Siyu did not care whether she truly liked her or not. What Ming Siyu cared about had always been whether she obeyed or not.
Saying it like this made her feel a little better.
Ming Siyu’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she hooked the corner of her mouth. “Now you don’t want to live comfortably anymore?”
“Because I’ve realized that pleasing you is useless. I don’t know you that well; I don’t know what kind of pleasing you actually want. You probably don’t lack people to please you anyway.”
For once, Ming Siyu did not reply.
The ward fell into a deathly silence. Liu Ran tucked in the corner of the blanket for Ming Siyu, moving her hand from her chest under the covers. Her hand had been too cold during the IV drip. Not only had Ming Siyu fractured her calf bone, but she also had multiple abrasions on her body. The bruises and red marks stood out starkly against her snow-white skin, shocking to the eye.
“I’ll step out for a bit.” Liu Ran stood up. The atmosphere in the ward was far too oppressive.
“Remember to come back. I have something to say to you.”
Her gaze followed Liu Ran to the door. The moment the door closed, a flash of struggle passed through Ming Siyu’s eyes.
She pressed the bell by the bed and called for the familiar doctor.
…
Liu Ran went to splash some water on her face to clear her head. On one hand, she did not want to hear what Ming Siyu had to say; on the other, she was faintly curious about it. Her backup phone rang, and she hurriedly picked it up with wet hands. The only people who called this number were Auntie Chen or Huai Ci Sanatorium.
Auntie Chen told her that Bai Yu had a sudden issue and needed a minor surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. If she had time, it would be best if she came to the hospital. In case any accidents occurred during the surgery, she could make decisions on the spot.
Liu Ran grew very anxious upon hearing this and wanted to go right away. Auntie Chen said it was too late and that going in the morning would be fine. If she really could not stay put, then she should come over.
Worried and anxious, Liu Ran returned to the ward, planning to hear Ming Siyu out before heading to the sanatorium. There were now two cups of water by Ming Siyu’s bed—one half-empty, the other untouched.
Ming Siyu gestured for her to sit. “The nurse just came and poured some water. Your lips look a bit dry; drink if you’re thirsty.”
The sudden concern made Liu Ran’s nose sting. When Ming Siyu was not spitting venom but speaking in her usual flat tone, it was all too easy to fall into that magnetic voice of hers.
Liu Ran was indeed thirsty. She picked up the cup and gulped it down in one go.
“What do you want to say to me?”
“Liu Ran,” Ming Siyu said gravely, “the day you left, I went to see He Qiange. She told me not to push you too hard. If I give you a bit more freedom now and don’t interfere with your friendships, will you treat me like before? I think the way we were before was pretty good.”
Her pupils trembled.
Liu Ran had never expected Ming Siyu to say such things to her.
It felt like… she was trying to retain her.
But then she recalled Ming Siyu’s cold words: “A pet only needs to obey.” Her heart sank again. What Ming Siyu could not let go of was not her, but an obedient, satisfactory, fluffy pet.
Ming Siyu read the answer from her silence.
“What about the company? You won’t settle a personal grudge and deliberately sabotage things there, right?”
Liu Ran lowered her gaze, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the cup. “I’m not that petty.”
Secretary Lin and the others had been good to her; she did not want to cause them any negative impact.
But she truly did not want to work at Ming Siyu’s company anymore. If she really decided to take Bai Yu and flee, she certainly could not keep going to work while escaping.
“That’s hard to say.”
Liu Ran had no interest in arguing with her. “Think whatever you want.”
When there was no common ground, every word was too much. Liu Ran wanted to leave. Ming Siyu, weak as she was, chatted with her idly—nothing important.
Just as she stood up, a nurse pushed the door open to apply medicine to Ming Siyu.
“Trouble the family member to stay and observe for half an hour. If there’s any allergic redness, swelling, or other discomfort, call the doctor immediately.”
Liu Ran thought to herself, What kind of family member am I? She tried to leave, but the nurse stopped her.
Liu Ran pointed to the bell by Ming Siyu’s bed. “She can press the bell herself if she’s uncomfortable.”
The face behind the nurse’s mask was exceptionally stern. “Family member, drug allergies are no joke. For example, one allergic reaction is suffocation. Do you expect a patient suffocating to the point of fainting to press the bell for help themselves?”
Liu Ran had no choice but to sit back down. Something felt off. This was Ming Siyu’s SVIP ward, and the hospital paid special attention to her—they should have wanted to monitor her around the clock. Yet now they needed a “family member” to observe for allergic reactions? They could easily have medical staff do it. If she had not come, was Ming Siyu supposed to lie there alone at fate’s mercy?
Perhaps there was a staff shortage at night, so they let family members handle what they could.
It was only half an hour anyway; it would not make much difference.
Ming Siyu sneered coldly. “Your heart really is ruthless. You can’t even bear to stay with me. That night with acute gastroenteritis, when you held me, kissed me, and cried—was that an act too? Your acting is pretty good. Want to consider joining the acting department at Ming Entertainment Group?”
“Thanks, no need.” Liu Ran turned to look at the rain outside the window.
Ming Siyu followed her gaze outside and said softly, “The day Jian Huaici fell into the well, the rain was about as heavy as today. You were afraid I was cold and took off your jacket for me to wear, not caring that your ears were exposed. Liu Ran, was that an act too?”
Liu Ran pressed her lips tightly and said nothing. But her thoughts followed Ming Siyu’s words back to that stormy night of pouring rain, flashing lightning, and thunderous crashes. That night, Ming Siyu had shown vulnerability and unease for the first time. She wanted to ask the same: when Ming Siyu had uncertainly said, “I might not be able to afford it,” had she merely seen her as a little pet?
Time ticked by, second by second. Ming Siyu chatted with her sporadically, her voice growing more strained and weak.
“Liu Ran, how about we try this: if I release my pheromones now, will you blush and respond with a racing heart…”
The more she said, the more absurd it got. What could physiological reactions prove? With an S-Level Omega’s pheromones released, any random Alpha would have over a ninety-five percent chance of reacting.
“Aren’t you tired? If you are, sleep. Talk less.”
Checking the time, it was nearly half an hour. Liu Ran stood up again to leave. She stood too quickly; her breathing faltered, and her already aching head spun.
“Liu Ran, do you think I’m as stupid as you? After giving you one chance to run, would I give you a second?” Ming Siyu’s ethereal voice came from behind. “You think I can’t tell you want to leave?”
Liu Ran stumbled, her legs suddenly going soft and limp, unresponsive. Her limbs felt like newly attached prosthetics she had not yet mastered—clumsy against the wall, unable to stand straight. With a “thud,” she knelt on the ground and turned her head in shock toward the woman sitting on the bed.
Her peripheral vision caught the cup she had used. That cup of water…
Liu Ran looked at Ming Siyu in disbelief. She had never dreamed that Ming Siyu would resort to drugging her.
This half hour had not been for observing Ming Siyu’s drug allergy at all. It was Ming Siyu colluding with the hospital to trap her in the ward until the drug took effect. No wonder—the doctors usually hovered over Ming Siyu with magnifying glasses, but tonight they had suddenly washed their hands of it.
She should have trusted her instincts and left the moment something felt strange.
Worried about Ming Siyu’s allergy? As if it was her place to worry. Why did not Ming Siyu choke to death on an allergy?!
Her mother was still in the hospital, with surgery tomorrow!
“Ming Siyu! You crazy—”
Before she could finish, Liu Ran lost consciousness and fainted.
Ming Siyu looked down at Liu Ran, unconscious on the floor. Liu Ran, nearly 1.8 meters tall, lay there long and straight, her brows still furrowed in the anger from before passing out.
Her hat had fallen off, revealing the wolf ears Ming Siyu had not touched in so long.
Ming Siyu really wanted to play with those wolf ears again, but she simply lacked the strength. Just expending energy to stall Liu Ran for that half hour until the drug kicked in had nearly drained her completely.
The sleeping Liu Ran was truly adorable—quiet and peaceful, looking obedient and harmless. She would not stab her with harsh words or look at her with resentful, distant eyes. Every time their gazes met, the expression on Liu Ran’s face hurt worse than a knife to the gut.
Ming Siyu could not even feel the pain from her fractured bone anymore. Liu Ran was pain enough.
All her life, whatever she wanted, she got. She did not need to maintain many relationships and believed she handled those well; for ones that did not require her attention, she could not care less about how others viewed her. She was accustomed to drawing others’ focus, to proactively influencing while never being disrupted herself—like a butterfly passing through a storm, its wings stirring the airflow without the storm altering its path.
Ming Siyu had never imagined a day when one person could move her so deeply. She knew what she was doing was wrong; she should cut Liu Ran out, stop worrying about how Liu Ran saw her in return.
She should treat Liu Ran as nothing more than an ordinary toy—strike swiftly, beat when needed, kill when needed. The more Liu Ran suffered, the happier she would be.
Liu Ran had made her hesitate and second-guess herself, to the point where she barely recognized herself. She had no reason to let this awful state continue.
