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Upon arriving at the examination room, the nurse informed them that they would need to wait for about half an hour. Lu Chen suggested they could wait in the adjacent VIP lounge.
The lounge resembled a top-tier club. The heavy leather sofas exuded the scent of fine cowhide, and the marble coffee table's surface was as smooth as a mirror. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched a garden landscape meticulously trimmed to royal standards.
Lu Chen expertly poured a cup of freshly brewed Blue Mountain coffee for Su Yao while he prepared himself a cup of premium Longjing tea, then took a seat across from her.
"You ultimately came," Lu Chen said with a smile.
"Yeah, I just couldn't put my mind at ease," Su Yao replied, cradling her coffee cup as she glanced up at Lu Chen.
"Actually, my trip to America was arranged by Jiang Rou; she had Zhang Zihao bring me along."
"Zhang Zihao?" Lu Chen exclaimed in surprise. "So he came along too?"
He instinctively rubbed his chin. "Do you know why Jiang Rou suddenly wanted to bring you to America?"
"The purpose is quite clear; she hopes I'll back down. She appeared right after I got off the plane and talked to me for quite a while."
"What did she say?" Lu Chen pressed further.
Su Yao traced circles on the rim of her cup with her finger. "She told me about Lin Yue—her depression, the pressure and expectations from her family, the responsibilities of being from a prominent family..."
She paused for a moment.
"Honestly, I can feel Jiang Rou's love for Lin Yue; it's profound, almost to the point of being pathological."
"Yes, she loves too deeply and obsessively," Lu Chen replied helplessly.
"Does she want you to withdraw on your own?"
"Yes, she hopes I'll recognize reality and voluntarily give up on Lin Yue."
Lu Chen stared at Su Yao for a long time before tentatively asking, "So, what do you think?"
"If I were to back down, I wouldn't have come to the hospital," Su Yao answered lightly.
She lowered her head and took a sip of coffee, suddenly recalling something. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Jiang Rou told me that Lin Yue was kidnapped when she was five years old. What exactly happened?"
Lu Chen's expression immediately grew serious, his fingers gripping the teacup turning slightly pale. After a moment of silence, he sighed heavily. "That is a memory none of us three ever wish to revisit."
He set down his teacup and leaned back on the sofa, his gaze becoming distant. "We three were born and raised abroad. When we were five years old, Aunt Shangguan went to France for a jewelry exhibition; Jiang Rou insisted on going with her, so she took us along."
"That day, we were playing in the park. Because it was an impromptu trip, there was minimal security—only two bodyguards and three nannies looking after us."
"You should know our families' backgrounds; we were always targets for kidnappers."
"The kidnappers got wind of our weak security during this trip to France and struck while we were playing in the park."
His eyes darkened. "The bodyguards and nannies fought against the kidnappers but were clearly outnumbered. At that time, I was still a timid boy, and Jiang Rou was just a delicate little princess."
"As we were about to be caught..." His voice trembled, guilt and remorse flickering in his eyes. "Lin Yue suddenly said she had a way to let me and Jiang Rou hide in a nearby concrete pipe, and then she went to distract the kidnappers."
"Jiang Rou and I escaped, but Lin Yue..." Lu Chen's hands clenched into fists. "She was taken away and locked in a small dark room for three whole days."
Su Yao felt a pang of heartache; she couldn't imagine how five-year-old Lin Yue endured such fear and darkness.
"Her depression started from that time, didn't it?" Su Yao asked softly, her eyes reddening.
"That's right," Lu Chen nodded, his voice filled with pain. "After that, she changed; she was no longer that carefree little girl."
"For all these years, she's maintained a facade of calm with medication and therapy, but the darkness inside her has never truly faded."
"So that's the source of Jiang Rou's almost obsessive love for Lin Yue?" Su Yao murmured to herself.
"In fact, even before the kidnapping, Jiang Rou was very dependent on Lin Yue," Lu Chen explained. "Aunt Shangguan liked Jiang Rou a lot and often took her to the Lin family home, saying Jiang Rou was more like her daughter."
"They grew up together; to Jiang Rou, Lin Yue was her entire world. After the kidnapping incident, that bond intensified to an almost pathological degree."
"And you, Lu Chen?" Su Yao suddenly asked.
"Me?" Lu Chen was taken aback, not expecting Su Yao to direct such a question at him.
"I will protect her for the rest of my life and will never let her be harmed again."
Su Yao looked at Lu Chen and saw the raw loyalty and deep affection in his eyes. Suddenly, she understood why the bond among the three of them was so strong. It wasn't just childhood friendship; it was a connection forged through life and death.
"Thank you for telling me all this," Su Yao said sincerely. "It’s important for me to understand her."
"No need to thank me," Lu Chen shook his head, his expression serious. "But one thing: please don’t bring up the kidnapping in front of Lin Yue unless she chooses to tell you herself."
"That memory is still too painful for her."
"I understand," Su Yao nodded, her resolve strengthening to become the person who would help Lin Yue step out of the shadows.
"Cough, what are you two talking about?" A weak voice came from the doorway. Both turned to see Lin Yue returning in a wheelchair, pushed by a nurse.
"We were talking about how mischievous you were as a child," Lu Chen said with a smile as he stood up and walked over to take hold of the wheelchair.
Lin Yue shot him a sidelong glance. "Boring." She turned to Su Yao. "I was very well-behaved when I was little."
Su Yao approached, squatting beside the wheelchair and holding Lin Yue's cold hand. A faint blush appeared on Lin Yue's face as she looked at Su Yao with a playful gaze. "Don't listen to Brother Chen's nonsense; I was really well-behaved."
As she spoke, she lifted her eyes to Lu Chen, her gaze revealing deep affection.
The three laughed together as they returned to the hospital room, the atmosphere light and warm.
Once back in the room, Lin Yue insisted on standing up from the wheelchair by herself and walking to the bed. Despite Lu Chen's and Su Yao's objections, she strained against her weakened body.
"I can do it myself." She gritted her teeth and walked back to the hospital bed.
"What did the doctor say?" Su Yao asked nervously while carefully tucking Lin Yue's blanket.
"The doctor said all the indicators are fine now," Lin Yue replied with a smile. "Ever since you came, I feel so much more energetic."
Su Yao sat by the bed, intertwining her fingers with Lin Yue's. "Are you hungry?"
Lin Yue shook her head. "Not hungry, I just want to look at you."
Lu Chen pretended to clear his throat and interjected at the right moment, "The Michelin chef didn’t prepare lunch for me either. I’ll go buy something from the cafeteria."
With that, he quickly left the room, gently closing the door behind him to give the two some privacy.
Once the door shut and it was just the two of them, an intimate atmosphere filled the room.
Lin Yue patted the space beside her, inviting Su Yao to lie down next to her.
Su Yao hesitated for a moment, worried she might crowd Lin Yue, but under Lin Yue's persistent gaze, she had no choice but to carefully take off her shoes and lie on her side next to Lin Yue, facing her.
Though the bed was wide enough for both of them to lie comfortably, they instinctively drew close together.
Their breaths intertwined, heartbeats resonated, and warmth was exchanged; this closeness brought a sense of long-lost comfort and satisfaction to both.
"Do you know," Lin Yue said softly as she caressed Su Yao's cheek, her fingertips lingering on her brow bone, nose bridge, and lips. "I've been thinking about you these past few days, worrying about you, afraid of losing you."
"When Jiang Rou showed me the photo of you and Zhang Zihao, I really..."
"What photo?" Su Yao's brows furrowed.
"You standing at the apartment door with Zhang Zihao holding flowers... You looked very close." Lin Yue's voice carried a hint of jealousy.
Su Yao suddenly understood. "No wonder you were so sensitive about my relationship with Zhang Zihao."
She cupped Lin Yue's face in her hands. "He did come to my house that day to talk about bringing me to America to see you. But I have no relationship with him at all—none whatsoever. My heart only has room for you; from the very beginning, it has always been just you."
"Really?"
"Really." Su Yao leaned closer to Lin Yue and pressed a passionate kiss on her lips. Their mouths met softly, gently brushing against each other.
In between kisses, Su Yao’s voice came through, each word soaked in love: "I love you, Lin Yue, more than I ever imagined."
Hearing those three words—“I love you”—all the doubts and anxieties that had tormented Lin Yue day and night vanished in that moment.
She wrapped her arms around Su Yao's waist, pulling her even closer until their chests were pressed together. "I love you too, Su Yao—very, very much."
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