Country S.
The treatment room was quiet, with only the faint sounds of breathing breaking the silence.
Scattered fragments of broken medical instruments lay strewn across the floor.
The doctors and nurses were powerless in the face of Jin Ke’er’s outbursts.
They had already tried every traditional method to calm her emotions, but to little effect.
The woman now was a far cry from the elegant and dignified figure she had been when she first arrived at the hospital.
Fortunately, the payment Jin Ke’er offered was generous— extremely so.
But even then, many members of the medical staff had chosen to resign and leave.
Not far away, Jin Ke’er lay on a sofa, a blanket draped over her body, resting with her eyes closed.
She had just finished a round of electroshock therapy, and after unleashing her rage, her body was completely exhausted.
“Su Li… Su Li…” She murmured the name softly, brows furrowed in distress.
Even in her sleep, she seemed ready to throw whatever was nearby to the ground.
Inside the observation room.
A doctor studied Jin Ke’er’s condition, then looked hesitantly toward the butler standing nearby.
“Miss Jin’s condition, to put it bluntly, falls under the category of a mental disorder. That’s not our area of expertise. We’re capable of treating her leg injury, yes but her psychological state? We simply don’t have the means.”
“Another member of the staff handed me a resignation letter just recently. Miss Lan, as you know, this team is composed of some of the top medical professionals in the world. Even if they weren’t working under me, they could find far better prospects elsewhere. They simply can’t tolerate the abuse Miss Jin subjects them to. No amount of money is enough to make them stay.”
“Of course, they’ve all signed non-disclosure agreements upon leaving. No one will leak anything about Miss Jin’s condition.”
The doctor glanced uneasily at Lan Yinyun— Miss Jin’s personal butler.
She couldn’t fathom how this woman managed to endure such violent outbursts day after day.
But at least, as Jin Ke’er’s attending physician, she was still seen as useful.
So Jin Ke’er made an effort to restrain her impulses around her.
The rest of the staff weren’t so lucky.
In Miss Jin’s eyes, they were no different from strays on the street— disposable, replaceable.
Yet in reality, it wasn’t so easy to find medical personnel of such skill and expertise.
“I understand. Leave this matter to me.”
Lan Yinyun turned her gaze to the slumbering Jin Ke’er.
Even in sleep, the girl exuded a volatile energy.
People who tried to get too close often got slapped for no reason at all.
But now, she had found a solution.
After her conversation with the doctor, Lan Yinyun glanced at her phone.
At the top of the screen was a photo of Su Li— calm-faced, expressionless.
And yet, there was something haunting about her image, a vulnerability that stirred a primal urge to pull her into one’s arms, to crush her gently, to make her cry.
Just recently, Su Li’s bank account had been used for a purchase— at a convenience store and a pet clinic, both in S City.
The two places weren’t far apart.
She had roughly pinpointed Su Li’s location.
If anyone could soothe her young mistress’s uncontrollable rage, it was Su Li.
……
Dawn broke.
A delicate mist draped over the earth like a sheer veil, the air thick with moisture and a faint chill.
Dew clung to the leaves lining the roadside, sparkling in the morning light.
A gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of soil and grass, accompanied by the occasional chirp of birdsong.
Chi Qingya had no time to take in the scene.
Maybe it was the hangover, but she’d woken up unusually early, tidied herself up quickly, and found her thoughts drifting toward Su Li— whom she would see again in class today.
That thought made her nervous. Her heart beat faster with anticipation.
She even arrived at the classroom much earlier than usual.
Just as Chi Qingya entered the classroom, she immediately spotted Su Li sitting alone in the front row, just like always.
Seeing that Su Li hadn’t taken the day off, a wave of relief washed over her.
As she walked past Su Li, she kept her gaze elsewhere, not hearing a single word from the girl.
Her close friends hadn’t arrived yet, so Chi Qingya went to the back of the classroom and saved some seats for them.
Su Li sat by the window, bathed in soft morning sunlight.
The light gently spilled over her figure, making her appear even more delicate.
Her long white hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders, a few loose strands brushing across her cheeks, lending her a fragile kind of beauty.
Her delicate little face showed no expression, only focused intently on the book in front of her, lips moving slightly— perhaps reciting from memory.
Her skin was so fair it seemed almost translucent, like the slightest touch might shatter her.
Even from afar, one felt an urge to hold her carefully, to shield her from the world.
Her long lashes quivered gently, like the wings of a butterfly, quietly drawing the eyes of anyone who happened to glance her way.
Chi Qingya realized she hadn’t looked at Su Li this closely in quite some time.
She was suddenly struck by how beautiful Su Li truly was— no less so than herself.
In fact, many of their classmates, whether entering the classroom or simply passing by, would subconsciously glance in Su Li’s direction, sneaking peeks at her as if drawn by something irresistible.
It occurred to her— she had once looked at Su Li like this too.
Watching quietly, heart racing. Chi Qingya swallowed hard, as old memories began to resurface.
She remembered the first time she met Su Li… when she had wanted to take her home. She had watched her like this, stealing glances.
Back then, Su Li had been just like now— seemingly unaware of the attention, simply going about her business, completely out of sync with everyone around her.
And it was precisely that sense of disconnect that had stirred something in her— both a tender ache and a possessive longing.
In fact, she couldn’t even remember anymore whether she had brought Su Li home out of pity, or because she’d been driven by that fierce urge to claim her.
What had changed, though, was that Su Li no longer looked like the timid, downcast girl she once was.
She had transformed—and Chi Qingya hadn’t even noticed.
Sitting in the corner of the classroom, she continued to watch Su Li quietly.
The two of them now sat at opposite corners of the room— Chi Qingya in the back near the door, Su Li in the front by the window.
She didn’t bother wondering why it had taken her so long to realize how much Su Li had changed.
What she did realize, very quickly, was the reason behind that change.
Money.
It all came down to money.
Lack of money makes people feel small, but money… money gives people confidence.
And the one who had changed wasn’t her— it was Su Li. Su Li had become more materialistic than before.
She was no longer content with just the shelter and meals Chi Qingya provided. She wanted more.
And once a person’s desire can’t be contained, it only grows. More and more.
Chi Qingya slowly rose from her seat and began walking toward Su Li.