Chapter 156: Stance

Hechuan stepped forward and opened the bag to inspect the medication inside.

Cheng Hui came out just in time to see him standing by the cabinet, holding that box of medicine.

Hechuan cast a sidelong glance at her. "Your insomnia is this severe?"

The entire box consisted of sleeping pills.

Cheng Hui spoke naturally, devoid of any tension. "Yes, it is. I had finally managed to fall asleep just now, but you woke me up again."

A momentary wave of relief washed over her. Fortunately, she had tucked away the medication Dr. Ye had previously prescribed; these sleeping pills had been prescribed by a newly found doctor just a few days ago.

This neatly covered up why she would be seeing a psychological counselor.

Cheng Hui had her own agenda, and so did he; neither of them revealed anything to the other.

Hechuan asked, "How long have you had insomnia?"

Cheng Hui pressed her lips together, looking somewhat displeased, and said, "That's my business."

The subtext was that it was none of his concern, and she disliked his cross-examination.

Whether Hechuan didn't take it in or simply didn't care much, his earlier inquiring tone seemed like nothing more than a passing remark. He glanced at her, his voice cool and detached. "You should still see a reliable doctor. I'll make an appointment for you."

"Not necessary." A refusal slipped right out of Cheng Hui's mouth, devoid of even a polite word of thanks; she couldn't even be bothered to utter those syllables.

Hechuan frowned, though his expression quickly relaxed as he understood her shifting state of mind at the moment.

"Don't mistreat your own body."

"Can't you tell? I'm mistreating myself on purpose because of you. Anyone else can care about me, worry about me, and recommend doctors to me, but you're the only one who can't." Cheng Hui glared at him, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust—and she despised herself even more. Why had she stumbled over him like this, and so wretchedly at that? On top of that, he already had other women by his side, yet he still came to provoke her and pull these baffling stunts.

Clearly, he didn't love her.

There was no room for her in his heart.

Why did he still put on this facade of deep concern?

Hechuan trailed off ambiguously before dropping two words: "You hate me?"

"I don't," she said.

Hechuan remained silent.

"I used to hate you. I became indifferent to you, but now I just feel like you're intentionally trying to humiliate me. Hechuan, if you still have a conscience, stay far away from me. As long as you don't show up, I'll be fine and everything will go smoothly; the moment you appear, misfortune follows."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. She began to feel a dull ache in her lower abdomen, and cold sweat broke out on her skin. She couldn't help but double over, pressing a hand against her lower belly, exhaling without inhaling.

Sensing something was wrong with her, Hechuan stepped forward. Before he could touch her, she flinched away as if he were a plague, retreating several steps and straining to force out the words: "Stay away from me. Don't touch me."

Hechuan did not withdraw his hand. Naturally ignoring her resistance, he moved with practiced swiftness to support her arm, pressed a hand to her forehead, and asked, "Just stomach cramps?"

She clenched her teeth, her body trembling. The pain had turned her face ashen and drained all color from her lips. When Hechuan touched her arm and hand, her skin was icy cold.

"Let's go to the hospital."

"No." Cheng Hui repeated her refrain. "See? The moment you show up, I feel unwell."

Hechuan paid her no heed. Ignoring her resistant attitude, he scooped her up in his arms and strode outside.

The moment he lifted her, the pain overwhelmed Cheng Hui, and she lost consciousness.

...

When she woke up again, Cheng Hui felt utterly exhausted, her limbs devoid of strength. Opening her eyes, the ceiling of a hospital ward came into view.

As her consciousness returned, she heard the sound of the door opening and looked over to see Hechuan.

She moistened her lips. Seeing that she was awake, Hechuan walked over and asked, "Is anything else hurting?"

Cheng Hui asked, "What happened to me?"

"Menstrual cramps. Are you the only person who doesn't even know when she's having period cramps?"

Fainting from menstrual cramps was something only she would pull off.

She had no idea what time it was, only that she had been in Hechuan's arms when she passed out. By the looks of it, Hechuan was the one who had brought her to the hospital.

She remained in a daze for a moment, staring at the ceiling, temporarily unsure of how to react.

Hechuan brought over a bag containing a black skirt, underwear, and sanitary pads—they were for her.

Cheng Hui did not accept his goodwill. She glanced briefly at the bag and remained unresponsive.

Hechuan didn't leave either, though he wasn't the type to pamper anyone. Moreover, Cheng Hui was rebelling against him right now, ignoring him entirely. Her expression remained sullen, and she refused to buy into his kindness.

Hechuan asked if she wanted to eat something, but she replied that she wasn't hungry and didn't need anything.

Nevertheless, Hechuan ordered delivery anyway—mostly light, lean meat porridge and similar items.

While waiting for the delivery, Cheng Hui remembered her phone; she must have left it behind when she passed out. Feeling somewhat better, she wanted to get out of bed.

Hechuan wouldn't allow it, telling her to rest a little longer and eat the porridge before leaving.

Menstrual cramps could be trivial or serious, and the doctor had even mentioned that her constitution was subpar and she was malnourished, requiring extra care.

Malnourished?

Indeed, she looked far too thin, and when he had carried her to the hospital earlier, she had practically no weight to her.

Cheng Hui had no desire to linger in the hospital, nor did she wish to spend the night here. Above all, she simply did not want to stay in Hechuan's company.

The delivery arrived, dropped off directly at the door of the ward.

Hechuan opened the lid, scooped a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and seemed intent on feeding her.

Cheng Hui glanced at it, looked away, and had no appetite.

"I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat."

"You didn't eat anything tonight. At least have a little."

"I can't eat."

Ignoring her, Hechuan brought the spoon to her lips and said, "It's not hot anymore. Eat."

Maintaining her icy demeanor, Cheng Hui said, "Hechuan, you don't need to put on this act. I don't want to pretend with you either, so drop the hypocrisy."

Hechuan brushed aside her words. "Eat this, and I'll send you back."

"I'm not eating."

"Hechuan, will you ever quit?"

Maintaining a fair amount of patience for the moment, Hechuan said, "If you don't eat, that's fine. I have plenty of time to wear you down."

...

At this point, Cheng Hui genuinely thought he had lost his mind, and severely at that.

She forced herself to finish the entire bowl of porridge, then looked at him and asked, "Are you satisfied?"

"Rest for a moment, and I'll take you back."

Cheng Hui offered a mirthless smile as she stared at Hechuan.

...

Hechuan drove her home. The entire journey was spent in heavy silence, neither of them speaking. Cheng Hui was seething inside; despite finishing a bowl of porridge, her stomach still felt unsettled and her lower abdomen remained uncomfortably sore, though she could bear it.

Her mood, however, had taken a heavy hit. Feeling thoroughly wretched, she had zero desire to engage with Hechuan.

Hechuan understood this as well, yet his attitude remained perpetually ambiguous. He had a fiancée, a year-end wedding approaching, and yet here he was, lingering in an entangled mess with his ex.

Arriving at her doorstep, Cheng Hui walked straight inside without a backward glance, slammed the door shut, and ignored him entirely.

It was so late that Hechuan had no reason to stay, so he left.

He did not say goodbye to Cheng Hui.

Nor did Cheng Hui require it.

Upon returning home, Cheng Hui rushed straight to the bathroom, leaned over the toilet bowl, and vomited up the entire bowl of porridge she had consumed at the hospital.

Only after purging did she feel somewhat relieved.

Thinking back now, Hechuan's words and actions filled her with utter disgust—a profound, intense revulsion.

As she emerged from the bathroom after throwing up, her phone rang again with a text message from Hechuan: 'I'll come check on you in a few days. Get some rest.'

It was an insipid remark, tantamount to saying nothing at all.

Yet he had the nerve to talk about coming back to see her in a few days?

In a few days?

No way. She wouldn't give him the opportunity.

The next day, Cheng Hui hired a locksmith to come over and change the locks. She refused to let Hechuan maintain any control over her; this man brought her nothing but sorrow and misery.

Besides, she had no wish to disrupt his relationship; she had no intention of playing the role of a homewrecking mistress.

...

Wen Liang came to the company to find Hechuan. She had tried asking him out, but Hechuan always brushed her off with various excuses. Having run out of options, she had no choice but to ambush him at his office.

Hechuan had just finished a meeting and returned to his office to find Wen Liang sitting on the sofa. Wearing a blank expression, he walked over.

Wen Liang immediately stood up, plastered on a smile, and said, "It feels like you aren't very happy to see me here."

"No. Don't overthink it," Hechuan replied lazily.

Wen Liang stepped forward, linked her arm through his, and pressed against him affectionately. "You've been so busy lately that you haven't even given me time for a meal. Hechuan, I had no choice; I could only come to the company to catch you. You aren't upset, are you?"

Catching the scent of her perfume, Hechuan frowned. Disliking the fragrance, he asked, "Did you change your perfume?"

"Yes. Do you like it?"

Hechuan didn't answer. With a cold expression, he withdrew his arm and said, "I'm heading out later. If you don't have anything pressing, you can go shopping with your friends."

"They're all at work. None of them are as idle as I am."

Hechuan said, "You're different from them. Your health isn't great, so you don't need to stress yourself out. The money I make is more than enough for you to spend."

Hearing this, Wen Liang brushed aside her misgivings and felt a flicker of joy. She leaned in, wanting to kiss him, but he sidestepped her.

A trace of awkwardness washed over Wen Liang, and the joy she felt a moment before vanished without a trace. "What's wrong?"

Hechuan calmly replied, "Your lipstick is too red. It'll leave a mark."

Her smile froze on her lips, though Wen Liang quickly recovered and said, "You don't like this shade? I'll wear a different one next time."

Whether she changed it or not made no difference; Hechuan might as well have spelled it out explicitly.

Wen Liang intentionally feigned ignorance of his meaning, yet in her heart, she saw things as clearly as a mirror.

It wasn't that he disliked this particular shade; he simply disliked her altogether.

This reality was undeniably a blow, but she had to admit it: there was no room for her in his heart.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone running back to find Cheng Hui in the middle of the night.

In fact, long ago, Wen Liang had sensed that he probably wouldn't ever truly love her. She hadn't fully understood why he agreed to date her, but back then she figured that as long as she was with him, nothing else mattered; she wouldn't dwell on the rest, believing that simply being with him was the best possible outcome.

Later on, when he agreed to an engagement and subsequently marriage, she had been overjoyed, preparing for the engagement banquet with the utmost dedication. From the bottom of her heart, she was genuinely happy that she was finally going to marry him, assuming that even if Hechuan didn't love her and didn't hold her in his heart, it wouldn't matter as long as they were married.

Now, however, she couldn't be certain whether Hechuan still intended to marry her. Her confidence was shattered, leaving her entirely adrift.

Wen Liang desperately wanted to ask him to his face: during those nights when she couldn't reach him, where had he been?

Yet she knew he certainly wouldn't tell the truth.

Tearing away this facade now would do their relationship no good. If he called off the wedding entirely, wouldn't she be shooting herself in the foot?

Wen Liang clenched her fists. She had to devise a foolproof plan.

Since there was no way to get through to Hechuan, her only option was to find a breakthrough via Cheng Hui.

...

Behind the scenes, Wen Liang reached out to Hechuan's friends, hoping to glean some news about Cheng Hui from them.

However, the friends played dumb, claiming ignorance and insisting they had no idea what had happened. Besides, she was asking about Hechuan's ex; who would chat about an ex right in front of the current girlfriend?

Especially given that his loyalties lay with Hechuan.

He certainly wouldn't dare offend Hechuan by gossiping about an ex in front of his fiancée-to-be.

After talking in circles for a long time, Wen Liang failed to squeeze a single useful piece of information out of him.

The friend ultimately said, "Today, let's pretend you never came to see me, never asked me anything, and that I'm completely out of the loop."

Wen Liang could only manage a thin smile.

Failing to unearth any useful material from Hechuan's associates, Wen Liang wrung her brain and eventually hired someone to dig up information on Cheng Hui. She learned that Cheng Hui was engaged, arranged by her family; word had it that both families had already finalized the betrothal.

Since she was already engaged, what business did she have entangling herself with Hechuan?

Any lingering positive impression Wen Liang had of Cheng Hui evaporated completely. She wished Cheng Hui had never returned, rather than showing up out of nowhere to disrupt the relationship between her and Hechuan.

...

Cheng Hui received a phone call from her father summoning her home for dinner. Her fiancé was there, along with his family.

Even though she wasn't happy, Cheng Hui had to put on a cheerful facade, as her father had specifically instructed her to do.

Her fiancé was actually quite attentive to her. Yet she couldn't even look him directly in the eye, plagued by a sense of guilt and the feeling that she was doing him a disservice, given that she didn't really love him.

The atmosphere between the two families was harmonious and warm, especially coming from his family, who all seemed genuinely fond of Cheng Hui and sincere in wanting her as their daughter-in-law.

The more they treated her this way, the heavier Cheng Hui's guilt became. They were treating her with absolute sincerity, while she harbored entirely different intentions.

After the meal, her fiancé invited her out for a walk to help digest the food.

Cheng Hui agreed, though she felt terribly awkward and even more so when left alone with him.

In the eyes of the elders, however, the two of them made a splendid match, and their rapport seemed promising.

Absent-minded and bored, Cheng Hui let her gaze wander everywhere except toward him.

He stole glances at her, seemingly searching for a topic of conversation.

Yet after pondering for a long time, nothing came to mind. Before they hadn't been officially dating, they had plenty to talk about; now that their relationship was official, conversation dried up completely, leaving them at a loss for words and making their interactions feel thoroughly awkward.

Sensing this as well, and burdened by her own guilt, Cheng Hui took the initiative to strike up a conversation, though she kept the topics strictly focused on work.

And just like that, they began to chat.

At least, she personally felt the atmosphere became relatively harmonious.

Meanwhile, the elders of both families were already discussing the wedding date.

Eager to skip the formal engagement phase and jump straight to the wedding, they wanted to give the couple a bit more time to interact before locking down a date to prevent any unexpected hitches.

Without soliciting the opinions of the couple themselves, the elders took matters into their own hands and finalized the timeline.

All Cheng Hui had to do was follow the arrangements.

Once everyone had left, Mrs. Cheng pulled Cheng Hui aside to ask how she felt about it and whether she had any objections.

Flattered and caught off guard, Cheng Hui offered a wry smile. "Why bother asking for my opinion? Didn't you all already decide?"

"Cheng Hui, don't use that tone with me. Everything I do is for your own good. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't bother wearing myself out."

Cheng Hui replied, "I know. So since you've already decided, let's just go with it. I'll follow the arrangements."

Hearing this, Mr. Cheng pulled Mrs. Cheng away, afraid the two of them would end up in a shouting match over a disagreement.

Since Cheng Hui had no objections, the matter was settled.

Not that her having objections would have made any difference anyway.

Cheng Hui understood that all too well.

Since the marriage was officially happening, her fiancé requested to visit her living quarters so he would know where she lived, making it easier to find her in the future. He framed it as a measure for her safety.

After a moment of hesitation, Cheng Hui sent her home address to him via WeChat.

He scheduled a time to come see her.

Having changed the locks, Cheng Hui wasn't worried that Hechuan would barge in again, so she agreed.

He arrived bearing a bouquet of flowers specifically for her.

Cheng Hui had a modest appreciation for flowers; she thanked him and invited him inside.

Their first time alone together went reasonably well, filled with conversation and laughter. Above all, he treated the relationship with genuine sincerity.

Compared to his earnestness, Cheng Hui felt a crushing wave of guilt. She didn't feel strongly about him—he was simply acceptable, passable—yet sometimes marriage didn't necessarily stem from love.

Browsing her WeChat Moments, Cheng Hui constantly encountered messy, absolute proclamations of love, claiming that a woman should marry the man who loved her rather than the man she loved; the former would cherish and care for her sincerely, while the latter would leave her unloved and only bring her pain.

She stared blankly at those words, her mind drifting away.

...

Over the weekend, her fiancé invited Cheng Hui out to dinner, but she declined, saying she needed to visit a sick friend and suggesting they reschedule for after her return next week.

Her fiancé offered to accompany her, volunteering to drive because he said he worried about her going alone.

After a brief pause, Cheng Hui agreed.

...

Seeing Cheng Hui arrive with a boyfriend in tow, Ye Ruoruo froze for a few seconds, her expression turning somewhat unnatural.

Subconsciously, she glanced toward her brother standing off to the side.

Dr. Ye, however, remained quite composed, showing no particular reaction as he greeted the two of them.

After the introductions, Cheng Hui chatted with Ye Ruoruo, inquiring about her condition.

Ye Ruoruo replied, "Pretty much the same, nothing much has changed—neither better nor worse."

After a brief chat, fearing she would disturb her rest, Cheng Hui stepped outside to speak with Dr. Ye.

Ye Ruoruo had wanted to say something earlier, but the presence of others made it impossible.

The atmosphere felt subtle and delicate, though Cheng Hui remained entirely oblivious to it.

Her fiancé, however, noticed something amiss in Dr. Ye's gaze—it wasn't entirely innocent. After all, men understood men best.

Failing to completely mask his expression, Dr. Ye had slipped up, and the fiancé had caught it.

The two men exchanged a look before looking away. After lingering a little longer, Cheng Hui prepared to leave. Dr. Ye escorted them downstairs. Along the way, someone bumped into Cheng Hui, throwing her off balance as she stumbled backward. Expecting to fall, she closed her eyes, but Dr. Ye moved with lightning speed, catching her around the waist and saving her from hitting the ground.

Her fiancé, meanwhile, hadn't reacted in time, looking somewhat stunned by how swiftly Dr. Ye had moved.

"Are you alright?" Dr. Ye asked her.

Hastily regaining her footing, Cheng Hui put some distance between them and said, "Thank you, I'm fine."

"Good to hear."

Only then did her fiancé step forward, saying, "Thank you, Dr. Ye."

Still shaken from the scare, Cheng Hui stood close to her fiancé's side.

Noticing this gesture, a wave of resignation and bitter self-mockery washed over Dr. Ye. He harbored no ulterior motives; his body had simply reacted on instinct.

Yet Cheng Hui, wishing to avoid trouble, had chosen to position herself beside her fiancé—effectively telegraphing her stance to him without a word.