After moving out of the way, He Xiaoyu explained, “There are a total of five operating theatres inside. Li Mu should be in the third operating theatre. The lights are still on. So the operation is still going on. Don’t worry. He’ll be out in a while.”

Lin Wan did not move anymore as she leaned against the door with her tears flowing uncontrollably. After another forty minutes, she became agitated all of a sudden.

Hurriedly, He Xiaoyu who was aside asked, “Are the lights out?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t stand there. You’re going to block their way!”

Lin Wan took a few steps back obediently. After about five minutes, the door to the operating theatre was opened and Li Mu was pushed out on the movable hospital bed.

Lin Wan lunged towards him while the nurses stopped her immediately.

“You’re his relative, right? Please calm down. You’re not allowed to touch the patient yet. Don’t worry. The operation was very successful and he’s not in danger.”

Li Mu was then taken to the ward. The anaesthetic had not completely worn off yet. Hence he was still unconscious. Lin Wan who sat next to him held his hand and sobbed tears of distress.

He Xiaoyu cried together with her, and the two of them sat for some time before Lin Wan said gently, “Xiaoyu, thank you. You can go back now. I’ll take it from here.”

“Go back? Impossible.” He Xiaoyu thought. Even if it meant being beaten to death by Lin Wan, she would never agree to do so.

“I’m not going back. He’s my fiance and I must stay here to take care of him. Lin Wan, I think you are the one who should go back now.”

Lin Wan lifted her head to look at her and returned her gaze at Li Mu who was lying down.

“Xiaoyu, it will never work for the two of you. It’ll never be over between me and Li Mu. To be frank, our divorce is just a stop-gap measure. We are definitely going to remarry. So it's time for you to let go.”

“This is just your opinion. Did Li Mu agree?”

He Xiaoyu insisted stubbornly. She refused to accept this. Lin Wan was obviously the one at fault and she was the one who got chased out by Li Mu. Why couldn't she just accept the truth? Why did she insist on clinging onto Li Mu?

“I'm sure he’ll agree. Do you think it’s unfair? Well then, let me tell you. You can't even compete with me. Scratch that. I don’t want to waste my time to compete with you! He is my man. And it’ll always stay that way. No matter where he escapes, all I have to do is bend my finger and he'll come back to me obediently. No woman can have him. And that includes you!”

“Lin Wan, you are too confident! Do you really know what he wants? Do you know what you did was like a needle in his heart? And that needle is causing him pain and sadness from time to time! If you really love him, you should let him go. What you’re doing now is not love. It's selfishness!”

Lin Wan frowned at her, her expression turning icy cold.

He Xiaoyu decided to go all out. She was determined to say what was in her heart even if it meant being beaten to death by Lin Wan on the spot.

“Don't glare at me. I just want to reason with you calmly. Honestly, you are really selfish and arrogant. You always say that you love him. But where is the proof? If you really love someone, shouldn’t your priority be his happiness?”

“We were living happily all this while. Our marriage was perfect. And although there have been some ups and downs, I always explain them clearly and things still go back to how they were before.”

Lin Wan seemed confident. But He Xiaoyu scoffed at her words.

“Lin Wan, ask yourself. Do you think constantly clinging onto him is considered love? I just told you that you’re like a thorn. Whenever Li Mu sees you, he is reminded of those scenes. And this is something that’ll stay in his heart forever. It will never be removed. This is why Li Mu chose to leave you.”

At this point, He Xiaoyu looked straight into Lin Wan's eyes and said seriously, “Lin Wan, the only way for Li Mu to regain happiness is by parting ways with you. If you say you love him, why are you stopping him? Are you going to take away his rights to lead a new life just because you can’t leave him? Is this your proof of love?”

“I'm not stopping him. I just want to clear up the misunderstandings. I don't want him to make the wrong choice!” Lin Wan explained.

“Does it matter? I had the chance to take Li Mu away from you when he chose you. But did I do so? I love him. So I respected his choice and supported him no matter what. I don’t care if he made the right or the wrong choice. All I needed to do was to support him unconditionally. While you, on the other hand, are nothing but selfish!”

Lin Wan stopped talking and bowed her head in contemplation.

After a long time, she suddenly looked up and said, “You're right! Me clinging onto him is not a sign of love but selfishness. Thank you, your words have finally brought me to my senses!”

Lin Wan's words made He Xiaoyu excited. But what she said next made her feel like she was thrown into the depths of despair.

“But I won't feel ashamed of it. Nor would I try to correct it. I used to be stupid and always prioritized someone else’s wellbeing. After this happened, I’ve turned into a new leaf. And from now on I will only prioritise ourselves.”

“Will your persistence make Li Mu feel better?” He Xiaoyu taunted.

“He won't feel better if I don’t persist. Do you want to know why?”

Without waiting for He Xiaoyu to say anything, Lin Wan said to herself, "Because he loves me. I am engraved in his soul. And without me, there will be no more passion in his life.”

Lin Wan shifted her gaze to He Xiaoyu, her clear eyes dripping with pity and disdain.

“The two of you might suit each other a lot and have perfect chemistry. But there will be no passion in your marriage. You will only respect and honour each other. But there will be no signs of love. After the honeymoon period, your life will become boring and you will become more and more hopeless.”

Lin Wan lifted Li Mu's hand gently and pressed it against her face.

“This is a love that only I can give him. And only he can give such love to me. He loves me so deeply. Who are you to compete with me!”

He Xiaoyu looked at her defiantly, but didn't know how to refute her.

Lin Wan gazed at Li Mu and said softly, “You were right about that. That incident has become a thorn in his heart. And it’ll hurt him again and again every time he’s reminded of it. I wanted to remove the thorn later. But it seems like I must do so immediately. I will explain to him what happened and eliminate the misunderstanding between us.”

Speaking of this, Lin Wan put Li Mu's arm down gently and said to He Xiaoyu in a serious manner, “He Xiaoyu, are you down for a challenge?”

Confused, He Xiaoyu asked, “What challenge?”

“Fair play. I won't force him to get back together with me. Nor will I interfere with you dating him. But you must not interfere with our relationship either. Let us see who will he choose in the end.”

“Sure, challenge accepted!” He Xiaoyu said without hesitation.

“Don't rush to say yes just yet. I have one more condition!”

“What condition?”

Lin Wan said slowly, “It's very simple. The winner will own everything. And the loser will have to leave Li Mu’s life once and for all. No more pestering, no more clinging onto him!”

“Sure thing!” He Xiaoyu agreed without hesitation, “Let's do it!”

After agreeing to the challenge, they stopped talking to each other as if they had nothing else to talk about anymore. The both of them focused their attention on Li Mu.

After a while, Mrs. Hong hurried back and pulled Lin Wan straight out of the ward all the way to the stairwell before she finally let go of her hand.

“What do you want? Speak up. Fast!” Lin Wan's eyes were glued to the direction of the ward.

“You heartless brat. He's only slightly injured. Do you have to be so nervous?” Mrs. Hong said discontentedly.

Lin Wan was about to walk back to the ward but Mrs. Hong hurriedly pulled her back and said with a giggle, “Alright I’ll take that back. Li Mu is severely injured. How pitiful is that!”

“What the hell do you want?” Lin Wan asked impatiently.

“Alright, I’ll go straight to the point. I mentioned it on the phone earlier. It’s about Mr. Cheng. What are you going to do about it?”

“Skin him and feed him to the dogs!”

“Nonsense! We are on good terms with the Cheng Family amongst all the eight families. We’ll offend them if we kill one of them over such a trivial matter like this.”

“A trivial matter!” Lin Wan said agitatedly, “He almost killed my husband. And you call it a trivial matter? I don't care who he is. He must pay the price no matter what it takes!”

Mrs. Hong sighed, “This trouble is all left over by the previous generations. We can’t blame Mr. Cheng entirely for that. After all, you're his nominal fiancé and he's suffered a lot for you over the past few years.”

“Well, he asked for it! I've explained it to him many times already. He's the one who's obsessed with me. Serve him right!”

“Well, that's true. But when it comes to feelings…” Mrs. Hong shook her head, “Forget it. Let's not steer too far from the topic. I've told the Cheng Family about it and have asked them to come over and pick him up. I’ve also warned them that we’ll take it seriously if something like this ever happens again!”

Lin Wan was furious and raised her voice, “How dare you make your own decisions behind my back? Who is the head of the Lin Family? Me or you!”

Mrs. Hong was not annoyed and persuaded in a low voice, “Damn it. Of course your decisions are final. But I can't let you do whatever you want without considering the consequences! Li Mu’s injuries are not too severe. And he will definitely recover after a period of recuperation. Are you trying to declare war on the Cheng family by killing Mr. Cheng for this reason?”

“What do you know? Who told you he's not badly hurt? Are you aware of his condition?”

"Keep your voice down you brat. Don't shout at me. I've asked the nurse already. It’s just six broken ribs. That’s a really minor injury. How is that a big deal at all!”

Lin Wan shook off her hand and turned to walk back but Mrs. Hong tugged at her again and begged in a low voice, “My dear, just let it go. The Cheng Family has already promised me to bring him back to the South Seas this instance. And he’ll never disturb you anymore in the future. Spare him for old time’s sake!”

“Let go of me. My husband is waking up soon. I want to see him!”

“I'll take that as a yes then. You mustn't go back on your words and go after him again afterwards!”

Ignoring Mrs. Hong, Lin Wan shoved Mrs. Hong's hand and walked quickly towards the ward.

Helpless, Mrs. Hong smiled bitterly and followed closely behind her.

After walking not more than a few steps, Lin Wan suddenly stood still. After a moment's hesitation, she turned to look at Mrs. Hong solemnly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Creeped out, Mrs. Hong asked. She was unable to stand the look Lin Wan was giving her.

“Mrs. Hong, can you do me a favour?”

“Now you don’t hate me anymore? Go on. What do you need me to do for you?”

“Tell him all my secrets and ask him to stop dwelling over that incident anymore. I want to close the gap between us.” Lin Wan said softly.

“You’ve finally thought it through?”

“Yeah, I did. I used to lie so that it wouldn't affect my marriage. But now that I've ruined my marriage, I have nothing left to fear. I might as well explain it before it's too late and clear all the misunderstandings between us!”