Volume 1, Chapter 34: Ning Yu, it begins with you, but it will not end by your choosing.

Ning Yu choked on her words. She really found it difficult to speak up. At first, she had treated him as an antidote; two weeks ago, she did so again. She was somewhat hesitant to speak now.

"Can't say it to my face and try to solve it with a message?" Li Shiyan looked at her coldly. "Stay away from Lin Haoyu. Idiocy is contagious."

Ning Yu: ...

She took a deep breath. "Fine, since Young Master Wu thinks this isn't formal enough, I'll have a proper talk with him."

Li Shiyan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. His gaze seemed to say, "I want to see what kind of pearls you can spit out from that filthy mouth."

Ning Yu choked again, mustering courage to repeat, "Young Master Wu said before, as long as you come back to sleep with me, everything before could be wiped clean. Young Master Wu always keeps his word, so that means we’re even."

The man’s eyes were mocking. "Are you sure it was me who slept with you last time?"

Ning Yu was angry and anxious. "Didn’t you enjoy it? Was I the only one having fun? Can you be reasonable?"

He didn’t care and pressed on, "Then who was drugged?"

Ning Yu fell silent.

Li Shiyan leaned in close, their noses nearly touching. "Do you remember who shamelessly threw herself at me?"

Ning Yu had no answer. Without a doubt, it was herself.

Seeing her at a loss, he spoke more teasingly, "So how did you end up wrapping your waist around me?"

Ning Yu clenched the edge of the sink, unable to utter a single word in defense.

His questions came faster: "Who was begging me to sleep with her in tears?"

"Do you remember what name you called out while crying?"

Before Ning Yu could reply, Li Shiyan smirked carelessly, "It was ‘Xiao Ge.’"

Those two words made Ning Yu’s face pale. She looked up at him in disbelief.

His tone was playful but humiliating: "Ning Yu, when you dumped me eight years ago, did you ever imagine that one day you’d be calling me ‘Xiao Ge’ and begging me to sleep with you?"

That nickname carried a world of difference.

Eight years ago, when they were close, it was a golden pass, a calming agent for Li Shiyan.

Eight years later, it was forbidden. Saying it now was like a stimulant.

Ning Yu’s face turned pale. "Stop."

He stared at her intently, questioning, "Eight years ago, you walked away when you didn’t want to be with me. Now, right after sleeping together, you want to wipe the slate clean?"

Ning Yu instinctively grabbed his sleeve. "Stop talking!"

Seeing her so emotional, Li Shiyan seemed to find it hilarious, showing no mercy as he continued coldly, "You’re just as heartless as before."

"Heartless?" Ning Yu’s eyes reddened. She grabbed his arm and raised the hand with the ring, laughing bitterly, "I’m heartless? Fine, I’m heartless. What about you, who wears a ring but still sleeps with exes and gets all tangled up? ‘True love never dies’?"

The redder her eyes grew, the angrier she became. The smile at the corner of the man’s lips deepened.

Li Shiyan let her hold his hand, his slender fingers adorned with a silver-white plain ring nodding in agreement, "So?"

That single word sealed off all the fire in Ning Yu’s heart.

Seeing the man unfazed by her insults, even wearing a hint of pride, Ning Yu suddenly lost the urge to argue.

She must be crazy to try reasoning with such a fiend!

She couldn’t make him understand.

"Fine, Young Master Wu has high status, wealth, and power, so he can do as he pleases. But I don’t."

Ning Yu let go of his hand, took two deep breaths. "Young Master Wu, just say it straight: is the promise of wiping the slate clean still valid?"

"What promise?"

His large hand with the plain ring caught her hand as it fell naturally. "Do you really think everything is still the same as before and you get to decide everything?"

Ning Yu blushed with anger, struggling to pull her hand free but couldn’t. "Then what do you want?"

Her mixture of fury and restraint pleased Li Shiyan. He looked down at her hand for two seconds, then said, "Some things you start, but you don’t get to decide how they end."

"Li Shiyan, listen to me," Ning Yu tried to stay calm. "Actually, many things in the past were misunderstandings."

Li Shiyan laughed.

The past — she actually dared to bring it up.

"Misunderstandings?" He flicked his tongue against his cheek, his voice teasing, "So what?"

His indifferent attitude made Ning Yu’s heart ache. She momentarily lost all words.

"All misunderstandings need not be resolved. You owe me a lifetime."

He said this carelessly, released his grip on her, turned on the faucet, washed his hands, and without hesitation, walked away.

Ning Yu leaned on the sink, feeling weak, closing her eyes.

Silently in her heart, she equated Li Shiyan to a malevolent ghost.

After a while, she scooped up some cold water to wash her face, calming herself.

During lunch break, she waited idly, then went downstairs for a quick bowl of noodles before returning to the ophthalmology waiting area.

After two o’clock, the doctor arrived. After the two patients before her were seen, Ning Yu finally entered the consultation room.

"Name, medical record."

Behind the computer sat a man who looked about fifty.

Ning Yu handed over her ID and medical record. "Hello, Dr. Yang. I’m Qianyun’s colleague, Ning Yu. I have some questions to consult you about today."

"You must be Xiao Ning, I know. Qianyun told me roughly about your situation. It’s… a hereditary eye disease, right?" Dr. Yang looked at Ning Yu, holding her records.

"The full scientific name is retinitis pigmentosa. It’s mostly caused by genetics or gene mutation. It might not manifest or could cause blindness from birth."

Ning Yu nodded. "Yes, Dr. Yang, my child has been blind since birth."

"This disease… to be precise, there’s no cure in China yet. Even abroad, the most advanced medical techniques are still experimental. Clinical trials take years." Dr. Yang’s eyes carried some regret.

"I’ve encountered a few cases, but… the outcomes were not good. Either no symptoms appeared, or even with treatment after symptoms appeared, there’s a high chance of permanent blindness. Your eyes look quite normal. Can you tell me the details of when the symptoms first appeared?"

Ning Yu pursed her lips and answered truthfully, "I first experienced night blindness ten years ago. The treatment was good, and my family took care of me, so it was barely stable. But then something happened, I was shocked, my eyes went blind, and my ears went deaf…"

...

In the obstetrics office.

Cheng Xiuming looked at the man hogging his sofa. "You’re unhappy when you don’t see people, but now that you do, you seem even more upset?"

Li Shiyan sank into the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers, silent.

He looked tense.

Cheng Xiuming pressed his lips, guessing, "You’re about to wipe the slate clean with her, so why sulk here?"

"A wipe clean? She’s got guts to say that," Li Shiyan sneered.

Great, this means more losses. Cheng Xiuming sneered, "She’s getting engaged in two weeks, and if all goes well, married in three months. Once the seal is stamped, what are you going to do?"