The color drained from Yun An'an’s face. She clapped a hand over her mouth and dashed to the nearest trash can, retching for what felt like an eternity, but nothing came up. An impossible thought flickered through her mind, but before she could dwell on it, her phone rang. It was the current owner of the small clinic. “I’ve got the money together. Yes, I’m on my way now.” Yun An’an fought back a wave of nausea as she agreed. Hanging up, she didn’t even bother going back for her purse, leaving the hospital directly. Once there, Yun An’an transferred the money to the clinic’s owner. They signed the contract on the spot, and just like that, the small clinic was finally back in her hands. The clinic, though not large, was well-equipped. The front room held a sandalwood square table, while rows of neatly arranged apothecary cabinets lined the back wall. A few steps further in revealed a small break room and a restroom, with the kitchen tucked away in a small courtyard out back. It felt empty, even cold, yet it filled Yun An'an with an inexplicable sense of belonging. She had access to the network of medicinal herb suppliers her grandfather had left her; she had no doubt in her ability to create effective remedies, nor in her medical skills to sustain the clinic. Her only fear was that no one would trust her concoctions. That, and the constant threat of the Huo family discovering she owned the place. They might just burn it to the ground. With that thought, Yun An'an grabbed her phone and left the clinic, intent on finding another job to throw the Huo family off her trail. - For three straight days, Yun An’an didn’t return to the Huo residence. She kept herself busy sourcing herbs and job hunting, a deliberate attempt to push what had happened at the hospital from her mind. But after interviewing at several places, she still had no concrete offers. A flicker of worry crossed her face as she hung the promotional sign on the wall by the door. As she turned, her light was abruptly blocked by a looming shadow. “I heard you haven’t been home for three days.” The low, cold voice sent a shiver through Yun An’an. She looked up into his dark, ink-like eyes but said nothing. Huo Siqing’s gaze swept over the characters for “Yun Clinic” on the plaque above the door, a faint, mocking smile touching his thin lips. “Come home with me.” While he held no particular grudge against traditional medicine, he highly doubted that Yun An’an, raised in the countryside, could have learned anything of substance from her country-herbalist grandfather. Not to mention, she’d only lasted a single semester at the traditional medicine university. Yun An’an’s eyelashes fluttered. The conversation she’d overheard at the hospital echoed in her mind, and she pressed her lips into a tight, hard line, struggling to ignore the dull ache spreading through her chest. She wanted to demand if he really intended to take her heart for Yun Xinyue, but her throat was so tight she couldn’t force a single word out. A long moment passed before she found her voice. “There’s no need. I’m fine here.” It’s not my home anyway, she thought. “Your injuries haven’t healed. Stop this nonsense.” Huo Siqing’s brow furrowed. “Mother is worried about you, too.” At those words, Yun An’an knew she’d have to be a fool not to understand his true meaning. He was worried any harm to her body would affect the heart transplant for Yun Xinyue. The lengths he’d go to for her, she thought bitterly, even pretending to care. Seeing she still wouldn’t yield, Huo Siqing glanced at the small clinic behind her, his voice laced with a quiet threat. “If you don’t want this place to disappear overnight, you’d best be obedient.” “You…” Her defenses crumbled, her weakness expertly exploited. She knew all too well that with his power in the capital, making a small, unknown clinic vanish would be effortless. Back at the Huo residence, Qi Lan was watching television in the living room. Yun An’an, in no mood for pleasantries, headed straight for the stairs. But Qi Lan’s voice stopped her. “Siqing, dear, when you go up to see Xinyue in a bit, remember to bring her the chicken soup I just made. She’s so frail, she needs to build up her strength.”