As soon as Ye Qiu pushed open the door, he heard a man and a woman's voices coming from the bathroom.
"I've been dying of frustration these days."
"I'm still in the shower… can't you be a little less impatient?"
Boom!
Ye Qiu felt as if he'd been struck by a bolt of lightning. His face turned as pale as a sheet.
Because that second voice belonged to Zhang Lili.
Zhang Lili was Ye Qiu's girlfriend.
They had been classmates in medical school, and had been together for two years. After graduation, they both applied for jobs at Jiangzhou Hospital and became doctors, still on probation and not yet full-time employees.
Ye Qiu could never have imagined that Zhang Lili would betray him.
Listening to the heavy breathing gradually coming from inside the bathroom, Ye Qiu was consumed with fury. He clenched his fists and strode toward the bathroom door.
He had to see who the man inside was!
But when he reached the door, he stopped short.
What would seeing him change?
Could it undo what had already happened?
A single door separated them, yet in that moment, Ye Qiu felt as if an ocean and a thousand mountains lay between him and Zhang Lili.
Forget it. After two years of love, he would leave them both with one last shred of dignity.
Ye Qiu took a deep breath and turned to leave. Just then, voices sounded from inside the bathroom again.
"Hurry up. Ye Qiu will be off work soon. If he sees us, we're done for."
"Let him see. I'm not afraid of him."
Ye Qiu frowned. The man's voice sounded strangely familiar.
Then Zhang Lili spoke: "You're so bad… By the way, did you talk to your dad about me becoming a full-time doctor?"
"Don't worry. My dad's the associate dean. You getting the full-time position is just a word from him."
It's him!
In an instant, Ye Qiu recognized the man inside: Guo Shaocong!
Guo Shaocong was a surgeon at Jiangzhou Hospital. Relying on his father's position as associate dean, he had always acted arrogantly and tyrannically.
From Ye Qiu's first day in the surgery department, he had heard all kinds of gossip about Guo Shaocong — forcing his pregnant girlfriend to have an abortion, chasing married women, coercing pretty nurses…
In short, Guo Shaocong was nothing but a scumbag.
"Just to become a full-time doctor, Lili actually got together with this piece of trash. Was it really worth it?" Ye Qiu's heart felt like it was bleeding.
Inside the bathroom.
Zhang Lili asked again: "Will Ye Qiu get the full-time position?"
"No chance," Guo Shaocong said. "I asked my dad. There's only one full-time spot for your batch of probationary doctors. Everyone else has to wait until next year."
"But Ye Qiu got full marks on the entrance exam, and he's performed really well during probation. Most importantly, Director Bai thinks highly of him."
"What good does Director Bai's approval do? The final decision is still in my dad's hands," Guo Shaocong said. "Though Dad did mention that Director Bai came to him, asking to give the spot to Ye Qiu. I just don't get it — why is Director Bai so nice to him? Do you think they're sleeping together?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Director Bai is beautiful. She'd never look twice at Ye Qiu."
"Fair enough. She walks around with that cold face all day, acting like she's a million miles away. Total frigid bitch, if you ask me."
"Did you ask your dad who's getting the spot, then?"
"Obviously you are! Too bad for Ye Qiu — not only is he not getting the job, he's also been cuckolded. Pathetic."
"What, you feel sorry for him?" Zhang Lili asked.
"Sorry for him? Please!" Guo Shaocong laughed. "The idiot's been dating you for two years and never even slept with you. People would think he's practicing celibacy."
"Shut up, will you!"
"Are you getting defensive over him? After all, you two were together for two years…"
"Don't talk nonsense. He's just a bastard. Why would I care about him?" Zhang Lili said with contempt.
Outside the door, Ye Qiu heard those words. He began breathing heavily, his face flushed red with rage, his eyes almost blazing with fire.
Bastard…
The word was cruel, but it was true. He really was a bastard.
Because of that, his mother had been disowned and kicked out of her family.
It was Ye Qiu's deepest, most shameful secret.
He had only ever told Zhang Lili.
"Ye Qiu's a bastard? What's that about? Tell me everything," Guo Shaocong pressed.
Zhang Lili said: "To this day, Ye Qiu has no idea who his real father is."
"No way. He doesn't know who his dad is? He must be lying to you."
"He really doesn't know."
"Then who did his mother have him with?" Guo Shaocong sneered. "Even if it was a dog, she should know the dog's name…"
Veins popped out on Ye Qiu's forehead. His mother was his untouchable bottom line — no one was allowed to insult her. Overwhelmed by rage, he kicked the bathroom door open with all his strength.
Bang!
The bathroom door flew open suddenly, and chaos erupted inside.
"Ah!" Zhang Lili shrieked, quickly grabbing a bath towel to wrap around herself.
Guo Shaocong also jumped in fright and scrambled out of the bathtub. But when he saw Ye Qiu standing in the doorway, his nervousness vanished, and he broke into a grin. "Look who's here, Lili!"
Zhang Lili glanced toward the door and froze. "Ye Qiu… when did you get back?"
"I've been here for a while. Sorry to interrupt your little fun," Ye Qiu said darkly, fighting to control his anger.
Zhang Lili tried to explain: "Ye Qiu, it's not what you think. I…"
"I saw everything with my own eyes. Are you still going to tell me it's fake? Zhang Lili, I never thought you'd be this kind of person!"
Ye Qiu's accusation sent Zhang Lili into a embarrassed rage.
She stopped pretending to explain and said coldly: "I must have been blind back then. Why else would I have dated a loser like you?"
"Two years together, and all you ever gave me was a cheap bracelet you called a family heirloom. Spare me."
Zhang Lili pulled a white jade bracelet off her wrist and threw it into Ye Qiu's hand. "From now on, we go our separate ways. We have nothing to do with each other ever again!"
Ye Qiu stared at her numbly, his heart turning to ice.
How could the woman he loved become someone like this?
Guo Shaocong put an arm around Zhang Lili's waist and smiled mockingly at Ye Qiu. "Hey, you want a front-row seat? I can put on a show for you with Lili."
"Go to hell," Ye Qiu snarled, slamming his fist into Guo Shaocong's face.
Thud!
Guo Shaocong's nose burst open, blood pouring down his face.
"Fuck you! How dare you hit me? I'll kill you!"
Guo Shaocong rained punches down on Ye Qiu.
Standing at six-foot-three, a full head taller than Ye Qiu, and muscular from regular workouts, Guo Shaocong was no match for him.
Ye Qiu was quickly knocked to the ground.
"A bastard like you dares to hit me? You're asking to die!"
After beating Ye Qiu until he was tired, Guo Shaocong stomped down hard, breaking two of Ye Qiu's fingers.
"Argh…" Ye Qiu screamed in agony and passed out.
"Can't even take a punch. Daring to pick a fight with me? What a waste."
Guo Shaocong spat on Ye Qiu's body. He didn't notice that at that moment, a thin stream of blood trickled from Ye Qiu's broken fingers and seeped into the white jade bracelet…