Chapter 81: He Said It Would Be Alright

"I have already witnessed your victory; there's no need to flaunt it before me any longer. I am no threat to you now—you can devote your attention elsewhere."

"How could that be? You still have evidence of my crimes. If you were to expose it, what would I do?" Zhou Yao leaned closer to Zhang Xiluo, her brows furrowed, her face full of worry. "Why not destroy the evidence? After all, you and Mr. Li will never be together."

Zhang Xiluo said nothing, only gazing at her in silence. Zhou Yao's face twisted in a grotesque grimace, resembling a greedy beast.

"Don't harass the patient," Li Zhan entered, signaling for Zhou Yao to leave. "It's not visiting hours. How did you get in?"

"I'm sorry. I was concerned about my sister's health, so I came," Zhou Yao quickly donned her mask of apology, bowing respectfully. "I'll leave now."

She took a few steps, then turned back to retrieve the paper flowers from the table. "I forgot my handmade crafts. Goodbye."

Zhou Yao didn't know Li Zhan; had she known he was Li Mingye's cousin, she would have acted longer, trying to win his favor.

Li Zhan, stern-faced, took out his work phone and instructed the staff: no one was to disturb Zhang Xiluo while she recovered.

"Could you tell me the truth?"

After Zhou Yao left, Zhang Xiluo's taut nerves finally relaxed. The sorrow buried deep in her heart surged forth; she fell back, drained of all strength.

"I can't get pregnant anymore, can I?" She raised her eyes to Li Zhan, her gaze unconsciously reddening.

Li Zhan denied it emphatically. "No! Your uterus suffered a second injury, leading to a thinner endometrium, but it doesn't mean you can't conceive."

"Not impossible, just very difficult," Zhang Xiluo murmured. "I understand."

In medical terms, "very difficult" was tantamount to "impossible"; doctors never spoke in absolutes.

Perhaps this was the punishment for her failure to protect her child. She was unworthy of being a mother.

"Everyone knows, except me, don't they?"

"My cousin shouldn't know. He was sent away by your uncle and aunt during your surgery. As for Zhou Yao, she knows doctors in the department; she likely heard it from them."

Li Zhan cared deeply for Zhang Xiluo, and had investigated thoroughly. "Luoluo, don't lose hope. There really is a chance."

"Alright." Zhang Xiluo couldn't muster a smile. "Thank you for encouraging me. I'm a bit tired."

"Rest well."

Zhang Xiluo lay down, covering her face with the blanket, weeping silently. Her heart felt as if it had been run over by a heavy truck, every inch aching fiercely.

To have lived again was not to change her fate, but to atone for the sins of her past life.

She cried for a long time, then wiped away her tears. She couldn't give in so easily; she had to seek a new life, one without Li Mingye.

Li Zhan was right—there was still hope. She must not give up.

She would find a good man, marry and have children, let her parents enjoy the happiness of grandchildren.

Zhou Yao meant to use this to destroy her; she absolutely could not let Zhou Yao get her way. She wanted to see Zhou Yao's mask torn away, to witness how that dog of a man would react.

Jiang Xueting's investigation had yet to yield results; the information she possessed was no different from what Zhang Xiluo already knew.

Her uncle and mother were deliberately blocking the news, unwilling for the outside world to learn too much.

On the third day of her hospital stay, Li Zhan suggested Zhang Xiluo go out for a walk. The attendant wheeled her downstairs, seating her in the hospital garden.

"I'd like some water. Could you fetch it for me?" Zhang Xiluo felt thirsty, so the attendant pushed her beneath a tree. The bodyguard stood not far behind.

On the bench beside her sat a family of four—a mother cradling a newborn, her husband and their eldest daughter beside her.

They looked so happy that Zhang Xiluo couldn't help but envy them. She longed for such a warm family, for a child of her own.

"Are you alright?" Li Mingye appeared from nowhere, standing before Zhang Xiluo, blocking her view.

Upon seeing Li Mingye, Zhang Xiluo's expression changed instantly. He always opposed her wishes: when she wanted to see him, she hardly could; when she didn't, he was everywhere.

Zhang Xiluo felt irritated—did Li Mingye not realize how much she disliked him now?

"Do I look alright to you?" Zhang Xiluo retorted, her gaze filled with hatred. "You should know I don't want to see you."

Sadness lingered in Li Mingye's brows, his eyes full of deep regret. His voice was low. "I know."

Zhang Xiluo sneered. Knowing, yet still coming—he was simply here to provoke her. How was he any different from Zhou Yao?

They were a perfect pair, made for each other—an absolute match!

"Luoluo, things will get better. Everything will pass." Li Mingye had never called her this before, nor spoken to her so gently.

Zhang Xiluo wondered if she had misheard. She looked at him again. "What will get better? Li Mingye, you are so arrogant! If not for your support, Zhou Yao could never have harmed me!"

"It's not that you don't believe, it's that you don't want to believe. You know Zhou Yao isn't Qin Xiaoxiao, but you still fell for it. That's your choice. But why can't you control Zhou Yao?"

The more Zhang Xiluo spoke, the more agitated she became, hatred deepening in her eyes. The pain of her past life, the sorrow of this one—she wished she could strangle Li Mingye.

She maneuvered her wheelchair, unwilling to look at the man who had ruined her.

"I'll handle Zhou Yao. Why can't you give me more time? Why must you choose to leave when I don't want you to go?" Li Mingye's face was full of anguish. He had long since fallen for Zhang Xiluo, though he refused to admit it even to himself.

"You don't want me to leave? Because you love me? Or just don't want to lose your sycophant?" Zhang Xiluo was furious. "Even if you have feelings for me, they can't compare to Qin Xiaoxiao. Put away your pitiful feelings—I don't need them!"

"No, it's that I..." Li Mingye began, but didn't finish. He truly loved her.

"Wait for me. Once I've handled things, I'll explain everything to you." Li Mingye sighed. "Zhou Yao's situation isn't as simple as you think. I'll investigate what you said, too. Luoluo, take care of yourself."

"No need. We're divorced now, Li Mingye. Your absence is the greatest help you can give me," Zhang Xiluo lowered her eyes, unwilling to continue arguing.

Such pointless quarrels only brought her more pain.

She had already let go, but new complications kept arising, forcing them into endless entanglement.

Zhang Xiluo didn't want this—she only wished to leave, completely.

Li Mingye turned and left as well, his steps slow and heavy.

Suddenly her phone rang; it was Jiang Xueting. The news she heard nearly drove her mad.

"Li Mingye, you bastard!"

Zhang Xiluo shouted, rising from her wheelchair to call after Li Mingye.

Li Mingye turned around, meeting her furious, hateful gaze. He frowned—what now?

"Why did you do this?" Zhang Xiluo looked at him. "We've already divorced. I pose no threat to you. Why won't you let us go?"