Two hours later. The ache in my abdomen had subsided enough for me to be discharged. It was almost absurd. In the span of a mere three hours, a life had been utterly erased from mine. Standing at the hospital entrance, the sunlight was so blinding I could barely keep my eyes open. “Out of the way!” a voice snapped. A hard shove sent me stumbling. I hadn't seen the steps, and my foot found only air. I lost my balance, tumbling down the flight of stairs. A searing pain shot through my entire body as my head struck the stone. Before I could even process what had happened, a woman’s voice was cursing in my ear. “Are you blind? Didn’t you see someone trying to get through? Or were you just standing there hoping to get run over?” Gritting my teeth against the pain, I tried to push myself up. But as I put weight on my hands, a jolt of agony shot up from my injured elbow, and I sucked in a sharp breath. “Zhizhou, you should go check on her. See if she’s all right,” a soft, feminine voice said. At the familiar name, my head snapped up. There, on the steps above, was Gu Zhizhou, his arm around a woman in her early twenties. She wore a white dress, her hair was styled, and her makeup was flawless. Standing beside her was a slightly older woman—the one who had been cursing at me, I presumed. Gu Zhizhou heard the woman, but his dark eyes merely rested on me, cold and detached. He made no move to come closer. “Leave her,” he said flatly. “Let’s go.” With that, he started to guide the woman toward the outpatient building. “But we should check,” the woman insisted, her beautiful eyes, misty and pleading, fixed on Gu Zhizhou. “It looked like a bad fall.” She was the very picture of innocence, like a newly blossomed lotus. “Why bother with her? She was blocking the way,” the other woman cut in, her expression sour. “Miss Lu, you’re just too kind.” Hearing her name, I pieced it together. The woman in Gu Zhizhou’s arms must be his fiancée, Lu Ke'er. The pain in my body was forgotten. I just stared up at the perfect couple on the steps above me. And they were. A perfect match. The woman, with her gentle beauty and charming smile; the man, elegant, noble, and devastatingly handsome. The ultimate pair. Seeing the coldness in Gu Zhizhou's gaze, I knew better than to expect him to help me up. I forced myself to my feet, fighting back the pain. I couldn't bear to stay there a moment longer. “Miss, are you all right?” Lu Ke’er’s voice floated down, soft and concerned. I froze, then forced a smile and shook my head slightly. “I’m fine.” She studied me for a moment, then murmured something to the woman beside her. A moment later, that woman approached me and shoved a wad of cash into my hand. “Here. Miss Lu wants you to have this. Count yourself lucky you ran into someone so generous. If you’re going to try and scam people, you should at least work on your terrible acting. It’s pathetic.” My brow furrowed. I didn't take the money, instead stepping back and meeting her hostile gaze with a cool one of my own. “I don’t want your money. You pushed me. An apology would suffice.” Her face twisted in annoyance. “Look, I’m trying to be generous here. Don’t push it.” As the woman, Ji Qing, continued to rant, Lu Ke’er leaned against Gu Zhizhou’s chest. Her voice remained impossibly soft. “Ji Qing, be nice.” The woman huffed, shooting me a disdainful look. “Miss Lu, you’re too soft. You have no idea how disgusting these scammers can be.” “Enough. Just give her the money,” Lu Ke’er said, pressing herself deeper into Gu Zhizhou’s embrace. “My stomach is killing me.” Gu Zhizhou looked down at her, the hard lines of his face softening. “Is it that bad?” Lu Ke’er shook her head, gazing up at him. “It doesn’t hurt so much when you’re here.” Then her eyes shifted back to me. “Miss, Ji Qing didn’t mean to push you. I apologize on her behalf. I’m not feeling well right now… so whatever money you want, just name your price. Please, don’t make this difficult for us, all right?” And there it was. The most disgusting words delivered in the sweetest voice. I’d mistaken Lu Ke’er for someone genuinely gentle, but now I saw the truth. She was a master of playing the innocent victim, the flawless white lotus. I looked at Gu Zhizhou. He was still watching me with that same cold indifference, as if I were a complete stranger. A bitter laugh almost escaped me. Two years. I had been with him for two years, and in all that time, I had never managed to stir a single emotion in him that wasn't rooted in desire.