Volume One, Chapter Five: The Transgression

I did not answer, but Lu Feng could not help but speak up.

"Exactly. He has been ill for a long time. He has seen almost every doctor in the country, which is why we finally found you, hoping you could offer him a glimmer of survival."

Liu Ying remained silent for a moment, her gaze toward me complex.

"Given what you did back then, the retribution you are facing now is only what you deserve."

"Dr. Liu," Lu Feng raised his voice, "I came to you hoping you would help treat my brother, not to make matters worse."

I could tell Liu Ying had no desire to help me, so I stood up on my own initiative.

"Forget it. I know my own body well enough. Let it be."

But before I could reach the door, Liu Ying blocked my path.

"Wait. As much as I despise you, I am a doctor. I have the responsibility and the duty to treat every patient."

With that, she took all my medical reports.

"Be in my office at this time tomorrow. I expect you to be punctual."

Having said this, she swept away, leaving Lu Feng and me to stare at each other in bewilderment.

"What was that about? Why do I get the feeling she is so hostile toward you?" Lu Feng asked once she was out of earshot.

"She was my first love," I sighed. "We grew up together, childhood sweethearts. When we hit puberty, feelings blossomed, and we naturally became a couple."

"But later, my father went into business, fell deep into debt, and abandoned my mother and me. I didn't want to drag her down with me, so I started planning a breakup."

"I knew her character; if she knew the truth about my family, she would never have agreed to break up. She would have insisted on bearing the burden with me."

"So, I made up an excuse. I told her I had fallen for someone else and dumped her."

After hearing my story, Lu Feng was filled with emotion.

"Your story sounds like something out of a TV drama. But don't worry, Liu Ying is famously responsible. If she has agreed to treat you, she will see it through to the end."

I said nothing. Just seeing that Liu Ying was doing well now was enough for me. As for myself, it didn't matter.

When I returned home, I sent a message to Su Qingya, asking to meet her at the Civil Affairs Bureau on Wednesday. Although she didn't reply, I knew she had seen it. She had been wanting a divorce for a long time; if I hadn't been holding on all these years, we would have divorced countless times by now. Now that I was finally letting go, she must be happy.

I contacted my lawyer and asked him to draft the divorce agreement. The lawyer was shocked when he heard I wanted a divorce.

"Mr. Gu, are you sure about this?" Even though we didn't have much contact, he knew how deeply I loved Su Qingya.

After I gave him a firm answer, the lawyer still hesitated. "You love your wife so much, why have you suddenly decided to divorce? And divorce is no small matter, Mr. Gu. Why don't you reconsider?"

"No need," I said with a bitter smile. "My mind is made up. Attorney Zhang, please just draft the agreement."

Hearing this, Attorney Zhang said no more. Once the agreement was drafted, I immediately sent it to Su Qingya.

"This is the divorce agreement I had prepared. Let me know if there is anything you are dissatisfied with."

Su Qingya still did not reply. I waited for her response until the early hours of the morning, but nothing came. Forget it, I told myself. Some messages are destined to go unanswered, just as I was destined to never truly have her or her love. It was better to let her go and, in doing so, let myself go as well.

The next morning, I drove out to see Liu Ying, but before I could even leave the underground garage, a familiar car rammed into mine!

I recognized it immediately—it was Su Qingya’s car. She acted as if she hated me with every fiber of her being, and she held nothing back. As I looked at her, I saw a sinister smile on her face.

"Go to hell, Gu Ze."

At that moment, I didn't feel hatred; I only felt an overwhelming ache in my heart. How did that bright, cheerful girl from back then turn into this dark, bitter woman?

The airbag exploded instantly, and my abdomen slammed hard against the steering wheel. Ignoring the pain, I used every ounce of my remaining strength to open the car door and check on her. She was physically frail; the crash wouldn't kill me, but she could be in danger.

As soon as I stepped out, I saw her crawling out of her vehicle. She was lying on the ground, covered in scrapes, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"Qingya!" I rushed to her side without a second thought to check her injuries.

"Are you alright? Is anything hurting?"

No matter what I said, Su Qingya remained silent. She stared at me with dead eyes, as if she were trying to see right through me.

"Don't touch me," she said suddenly. "Don't think I don't know you have someone else."

In that instant, I understood why she had rammed her car into mine. Yet, I also found it ironic. I had given her my heart and soul for years, yet she harbored such baseless suspicions.

"Su Qingya, I would never do such a thing. We have known each other for so long; don't you know who I am?"

"Who can be sure?" Su Qingya glared at me. "How much can the words of a murderer be trusted?"

I had heard this accusation more times than I could count. I grabbed her shoulders and met her gaze without flinching. "Su Qingya, I will say this one last time: Fu Huaijin's death had nothing to do with me."

"He was the one who realized he couldn't keep lying to you, and being unable to repay his massive debts, he chose to jump!"

"Shut up!" Su Qingya shrieked. "If it weren't for you... if it weren't for you..."

Looking at her tear-filled eyes, I couldn't tell if the pain in my chest was from my illness or from her. I wanted to reach out and hold her, to wipe away her tears, but she shoved me away with such force that I nearly toppled over.

"Then why were you at the scene the day he died? Why was the last communication record linked to you?"

Su Qingya’s words felt like a death sentence, and my heart grew colder with each one. If even the police evidence couldn't clear my name, then clearly, she was determined to find me guilty regardless. Besides, my vision was beginning to blur, and I no longer had the strength to defend myself.

Su Qingya didn't notice my condition. She crossed her arms and sneered, "What are you pretending for? If you're really in such pain, why haven't you died yet?"

I tried to push myself up, but as soon as I sat up, she kicked me back down. The sharp heel of her shoe pierced my skin, and dark red blood began to seep from the wound.

"Die! Just die! Why did you have to kill the person I loved most? Why are you still alive?"

There was a hint of madness in her eyes as she kicked me, uncaring, at every painful spot. I was beaten to the point of immobility, wishing I could simply lose consciousness. But I worried—given my physical state, if something were to happen to me here, it would only be a greater burden for her to carry.

If I am to die, let it be somewhere she cannot see. That is the last thing I can do for her.