I'm sorry, but your fiancé loves me.

Zhou Xue sat on the steps. The blue lights of the ambulance had disappeared around the corner, but the sound of the siren still lingered in her ears.

The funeral music in the mourning hall behind them changed to a lower, more somber tune, like something was sinking. Zhou's mother was helped inside to rest, while Zhou's father stood at the door, looking at the trampled chrysanthemums on the ground. He lit a cigarette, his hand trembling so much that he had to press the lighter three times before it finally lit.

Zhou Xue raised her hand to wipe her face, the tear stains on the back of her hand tightening in the wind. Suddenly she felt it was absurd—she was kneeling in front of her brother's coffin, crying until she was almost out of breath, while that person was lying on the ground with a small cut on his forehead, being carried into an ambulance by a group of people.

She even heard someone mutter, "Miss Zhou is really... has such a bad temper," the voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for her to hear clearly.

Yun Muqian deliberately fell to attract attention and prevent Zhou Xue from making rash statements that would reveal her background, and most importantly, completely ruin Zhou Xue's reputation in the industry.

She was staying in the best private hospital in the city, in a single room. She had a small gauze pad on her forehead and was leaning against the headboard. There was a glass of warm water next to her, still steaming. On the bedside table was a bouquet of roses, which Qin Qihan had sent over.

She was scrolling through the news on her phone when the ward door was pushed open.

The trending topics were "Zhou Group's daughter causes trouble at funeral hall" and "Qin Group's president visits mysterious woman at hospital," accompanied by a picture of Qin Qihan entering the hospital through a side door and looking at her from behind.

The photo was blurry, but she recognized the dark gray cashmere coat; he had worn it the day before when he came.

A few days later, when he came in, he brought a chill from outside. He was carrying her favorite congee with preserved egg and lean pork. He placed the spoon on the rim of the bowl and pushed it in front of her before sitting down and glancing at the gauze on her forehead.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Yun Muqian lowered her head, slowly stirring the porridge in her bowl with a spoon, her tone light and airy. "Actually, it wasn't Zhou Xue's fault that day. She was too heartbroken, and it's normal for her to lose control of her emotions in that situation. Please don't cause her any trouble; she's already suffering enough."

Qin Qihan sat in the chair, his legs slightly apart, his hands clasped together on his knees. He looked at her without saying a word.

There was a knock on the door. Before Yun Muqian could speak, the door was pushed open.

Zhou Xue stood at the door. She had lost a lot of weight in the past few days. Her black coat looked particularly loose. Her hair was tied up haphazardly, her face was pale, and her lips were dry and chapped. Her gaze swept across the entire ward and landed directly on Qin Qihan.

Her tears welled up instantly:

"Brother Qihan."

Qin Qihan stood up and turned to face her. Zhou Xue took two steps forward, then stopped, her fingers twisting in front of her, her nails digging into her palms.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," she said first. "I just... came to clarify things with her. I really didn't push her that day; she fell on her own. There were several people holding me back; I couldn't even touch her. Brother Qihan, please believe me."

As she spoke, tears finally welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face. She raised her hand to wipe them away.

Qin Qihan looked at her, his gaze like a pool of frozen water, cold underneath and cold on the surface.

"Are you done talking?"

Zhou Xue's sob caught in her throat. She seemed not to have heard him clearly, staring blankly at him: "...What?"

Qin Qihan took a step forward. *Snap.*

A sharp, ringing sound rang out in the quiet hospital room. Zhou Xue's head was turned to the side, her hair falling down and obscuring half her face. She didn't scream or flinch; she just stood there, head tilted to the side, her shoulders trembling violently, then she fell still.

Qin Qihan lowered his hand, his face expressionless. "Zhou Xue, you know perfectly well what you've done."

Zhou Xue slowly turned her head back, her left cheek quickly turning red, the finger marks so clear they were almost blinding. She didn't reach out to wipe her tears, but just looked at Qin Qihan, her eyes no longer filled with tears, but with sadness.

She raised her hand and rubbed her lips with the back of her fingers. "Qihan."

"We've known each other for so many years..." Her voice trembled, "You've known each other for so many years, don't you trust me at all?"

Qin Qihan's thumb stopped on Yun Muqian's hand: "You don't need to tell me this."

"Stay away from her from now on," he said, each word slow and deliberate. "Don't go near her again."

Zhou Xue felt as if she had been hit in the face; she staggered back half a step, her lower back slamming against the doorframe with a dull thud. She felt no pain, only stared intently at Qin Qihan's face, her lips trembling as she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"Qihan...you weren't like this before."

Qin Qihan did not respond to her.

"Zhou Xue." It was Yun Muqian who called out, her voice soft, as if speaking required effort. She tilted her head, the gauze on her forehead gleaming white under the light, her eyes fixed on Zhou Xue, clean and clear.

"I don't blame you," she said, a slight smile curving her lips. "I know you were too heartbroken to react like that. Anyone would be unable to remain calm after their brother's passing, and I understand how you were at the funeral..."

After all, she was the one who killed her own younger brother. Yun Muqian did nothing; at most, she gained the Zhou family's trust through Zhou Yao.

It was Zhou Xue who told him all of this at once, without considering his feelings at all.

"Besides, if he's watching from heaven, he'll definitely want you to find someone who treats you well."

After saying this, Yun Muqian moved her hand, her fingertips gently touching Qin Qihan's wrist. He turned around and cupped her hand in his palm, then wrapped his other arm around her from behind, put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into his embrace.

Zhou Xue, whose mind had been in a daze, seemed to finally realize how close their relationship was when she saw this action, and took a few steps back as if struck by lightning.

Her lips moved, her voice trembling and broken: "You...you couldn't possibly..."

She couldn't continue.

"We're together now," Qin Qihan whispered.

Zhou Xue felt completely drained. She slid down the wall and squatted on the ground.

She squatted there, then suddenly laughed, tears welling up and falling in large drops onto the floor tiles, leaving dark, round spots.

"So that's how it is," she said softly, as if speaking to herself. "So that's how it is..."

"You can leave," Qin Qihan said, his tone flat, but the coldness seeped from his very bones.

Her laughter escaped from deep within her throat, her shoulders heaving with each laugh, tears streaming down her cheeks and into the corners of her mouth. Her laughter grew louder and louder. "What do you really want?"

She stared at Yun Muqian, "Is that enough? Is that enough now?"

Yun Muqian simply said:

"Don't be too sad. You can't force feelings; you'll meet someone who truly likes you."

Zhou Xue, who was squatting on the ground, heard these words and lunged forward before her knees were even straight, yelling, "When did you two start hooking up?!"

The bodyguards grabbed her shoulders from both sides, forcefully pulling her back half a meter. Zhou Xue's feet left the ground and then landed back, her high heels slipping on the floor tiles, almost causing her to twist her ankle.

She was dragged back two steps, her back pressed against the doorframe. "Let me go!"

Zhou Xue struggled desperately forward, her fingernails scratching white marks on the bodyguard's suit sleeve. Her voice was completely incoherent, "Let go! I want to ask her—I want to ask her face to face—"

She struggled twice but couldn't break free. Suddenly, all her strength gave way, and she was held there, her chest heaving violently.

She realized that Yun Muqian was likely seeing Zhou Yao while simultaneously seducing Qin Qihan.

Because Qin Qihan never married her, she felt like someone who was only one step away from happiness. Even if Qin Qihan didn't love her, if Yun Muqian hadn't appeared, he might still have married her for a business marriage.

She stared blankly at Yun Muqian.

I vaguely realized that my originally happy and peaceful life was being destroyed little by little.