Chapter 136: Excessive Concern

When Yin Mi'er pushed open the ward door with a stern and heavy expression, Lin Zhiwei was sitting with her legs crossed, casually scrolling through her phone with her left hand. Seeing Yin Mi'er enter with an indignant look, she immediately adopted a flattering tone, "Mi'er is here!"

"Is this what you called 'nothing major'?" Yin Mi'er removed her face mask, raising an eyebrow in cross-examination. Her tone was cool and chilling, showing a strong tendency toward being possessed by Ling Ziheng.

"Oh, please, Mi'er. This time it was an absolute accident! I was both handsome and badass last night," Lin Zhiwei hurriedly tried to show off.

"Lie back down," Yin Mi'er maintained her displeased expression.

"Oh." Lin Zhiwei instantly became obedient. "Darling, please don't lecture me anymore. My dearest has already scolded me. I know my lesson, and I'll definitely be careful next time." Lin Zhiwei tugged at the hem of the other girl's shirt, pleading pitifully for mercy.

Seeing her cute appearance, Yin Mi'er could no longer maintain her act. "Fine. I'm not trying to lecture you, it's just that—"

"You were worried about me. Completely understood," Lin Zhiwei grinned with utmost sincerity.

"Hmph, as long as you know. I said from the start that Ye Linyun wouldn't just let it go. What method did you use yesterday to make her let you go?"

"Simple. I took the matter straight to her boss. With my dearest's backing, her boss was naturally intimidated and taught her a lesson."

"So that's how it was. That actually sounds like a good idea," Yin Mi'er mused thoughtfully. "But wouldn't this provoke her even more? Ye Linyun has always been unruly and arrogant. If you go behind her back to snitch like that, won't she be driven to desperation?"

Lin Zhiwei inwardly praised Yin Mi'er for her cleverness, as she had unraveled the sequence of events so quickly. She blinked playfully. "I *want* to drive her to desperation."

"What do you mean?" Yin Mi'er looked half-understanding.

"If she had simply called me over and we easily walked away, it would be too easy for her to bite back later when we try to drag her down. Instead, it's much better to push her completely into a corner. People tend to lose their reason under extreme anger, and she has clearly lost control." A shrewd light flashed in Lin Zhiwei's eyes.

"Fine. That is indeed a method, otherwise, lingering in endless squabbles with her would never end."

"My Mi'er is so smart!"

"Don't think that saying sweet things means I'm not angry anymore." Yin Mi'er turned her head away, furrowing her brow while continuing to puff out her cheeks in mock anger.

"Oh, darling, even when you're angry, you're so pretty," Lin Zhiwei coaxed hurriedly. "Stop being mad. All of this was just an act on my part. It was only a minor cut, but to make the effect look convincing, I naturally had to make a bigger fuss about it. Otherwise, I would have already been discharged."

Seeing that Lin Zhiwei was in high spirits, Yin Mi'er observed her right hand. Although it was wrapped in alarming layers of gauze, the bleeding had stopped and she could move it. Only then did the tension in Yin Mi'er's expression ease by half.

"Alright, do you want some fruit? I've already peeled some for you." Yin Mi'er took out her food container, forked a piece of apple, and held it to Lin Zhiwei's mouth.

"Thank you, darling," Lin Zhiwei said as she eagerly bit down. *Mm-mm-mm, my Mi'er is just too virtuous and gentle!* Her eyes radiated pure adoration.

"Your Movie Emperor is extremely furious, by the way. I ran into him downstairs just now, and I didn't even dare to raise my eyes." Yin Mi'er recalled the man who had nodded in thanks and departed downstairs earlier. A chill ran down her spine—he possessed peerless looks, yet radiated an absolute, temperatureless cold akin to the deep frost of the Arctic.

"My dearest is just like you, way too prone to anxiety. Do I look like someone who's in grave danger?" Lin Zhiwei replied dismissively. Her dearest simply panicked over every little thing, terrified that she might suffer the slightest mishap—and Yin Mi'er was just the same.

She deeply suspected that the heavens had opened another window for her. Over the past few years, while enduring Lin Qiongjiu's torment, she had had to busy herself studying stage design. On top of walking around with a face that attracted zero attention, she had tasted every kind of hardship, big and small.

Her own parents practiced a hands-off parenting policy, and she didn't like troubling them with everything. Aside from the occasional meticulous care from her sister-in-law and the occasional companionship from Lin Qiongjiu's left and right bodyguards—the Feng siblings—she had almost never experienced the sensation of being cherished in the palm of someone's hand. At that thought, her eyes welled up with moisture.

Ah, the feeling of having someone care about you really is wonderful. It was just that the two people in question right now were caring a bit too much.

***

Bulgari Hotel Apartments, S City.

"Brother Chu, I've sent all your clothes to the laundry. Should I order some food from the restaurant for you, Brother Chu?" When Qin Meng pushed open the hotel room door, the entire suite was dim and gloomy. The night wind blowing in through the half-open window carried a trace of biting chill.

The neon lights from the high-rise buildings outside the window cast their glow directly upon Chu Chuo's lonely, desolate figure. Qin Meng shook her head. *Sigh, Brother Chu has been sitting here like this in a daze since morning. Who knows why? Could it be because of Director Lin? But this matter has nothing to do with Brother Chu.*

"How is she?" Chu Chuo asked in a hoarse voice.

"I just asked Xiao Yu. She said that when they escorted Director Lin to the hospital together, she was still unconscious. Now Movie Emperor Ling won't allow anyone to disturb her, and there's no news from Director Lin's side yet," Qin Meng explained. In truth, she had anxiously questioned Xiao Yu several times herself, but Xiao Yu had no updates either.

"Brother Chu, you haven't eaten anything all day. Let me order something for you," Qin Meng probed tentatively. It had been a long time since she last saw Chu Chuo in such a state, but it was understandable. After all, the scene this morning had been far too shocking; even she herself had taken a long time to recover. Fortunately, Director Lin was fortunate enough to survive; otherwise, she wouldn't dare imagine the consequences.

"No need. You can go back," Chu Chuo's figure swayed slightly.

"Alright then." Qin Meng glanced a few times at the man shrouded in darkness, hesitated, and ultimately left.

Chu Chuo's shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his striking abdominal muscles. The breeze whipped his clothes into a frenzy. Although he had changed out of his blood-stained jacket, a faint scent of blood still seemed to linger in the air.

Yet, he merely stared fixedly at the red agate necklace in his palm. Replaying in his mind were the ruthless gaze Lin Zhiwei had once used to pin him down in the parking lot, as well as her composed, calm demeanor that morning as she covered her wound with an indifferent tone.

She resembled the owner of this necklace to perfection. Previously, he had felt a vague sense of familiarity, yet he had never dared to think in that direction—after all, Lin Zhiwei was always so sharp-witted, cheerful, and radiant.

Whereas that girl—the girl in his memories—always wore a mask yet never smiled, and her voice was cold and devoid of temperature.

Heroic and formidable, awe-inspiring and decisive without a moment of hesitation.

He closed his eyes helplessly, repeatedly trying to convince himself that it was impossible; they merely shared a slight resemblance. After all, Lin Zhiwei was Lin Qiongjiu's cousin, having trained under Lin Qiongjiu since childhood, and was even a candidate destined to inherit the title of Lord. Naturally, she would be ruthless and decisive in her actions.

He fervently hoped Lin Zhiwei would be alright. The moment he heard she was still unconscious, his heart could not help but contract with sharp pain. At that very moment in the morning, when he was holding the girl's soft body in his arms, and Ling Ziheng told him to hand her over, the thought that flashed through his mind was actually: *By what right should I hand her over to you?* But that thought was instantly followed by a deep self-interrogation: *And by what right do I care?*