Ling Meng looked at Yang Xiner with disgust, "Stop crying and whining here, it's annoying to see."
Yang Xiner wiped away her tears and left the room with her head lowered, "I'll go call the nurse to change your clothes." She knew Meng Meng was in a bad mood because of her injuries, but she had already hired the most renowned burn specialist doctor, who would definitely be able to cure Meng Meng.
Ling Meng ignored Yang Xiner. As long as her appearance didn't recover, she would never forgive her, nor call her mother. Her greatest wish was to marry Zhou Mucheng and become the lady of the Zhou family, but Yang Xiner had ruined all her hopes.
Since she was hospitalized, Zhou Mucheng hadn't visited her except for that first time, and even when she called him, he would make excuses about being busy. He must not want to see her because she was disfigured. It was all Yang Xiner's fault. If it weren't for her, how could she have ended up like this? She hated her to death.
The nurse changed Ling Meng's clothes and wheeled her into the operating room.
Yang Xiner stood guard outside the operating room, staring at the red surgical light, her heart aching. Meng Meng was her daughter; how could she not feel heartbroken seeing her suffer?
Thinking of the person her daughter yearned for, Yang Xiner took out her phone and called Zhou Mucheng. As long as she could get him to come to the hospital, Meng Meng would be delighted to see him after coming out of surgery.
Zhou Mucheng was in an irritable mood. He found that Ling Yue had completely changed and become unrecognizable. Before, whenever she looked at him, her eyes were always filled with love, as if there was no room for anyone else in her eyes except him. But now, her gaze towards him was cold and aloof, as if he were a stranger.
Hearing his phone ringing in his pocket, Zhou Mucheng took it out. Seeing the number, his expression immediately became serious as he answered, "This is Zhou Mucheng."
"Come to the Fighting Wolves Group, there's a mission." A cold, stern, and magnetic voice came from the other end.
"Yes." Zhou Mucheng rushed toward his car.
The Fighting Wolves Group was the most mysterious and powerful force in Xia Country. Every member of the Fighting Wolves Group had undergone strict selection; they were all top-notch in combat skills and various other abilities.
Zhou Mucheng parked his car and hurried toward the office.
Reaching the office door, Zhou Mucheng paused, took a deep breath, and knocked.
If asked who he respected the most, apart from his grandfather, it would be the leader of the Fighting Wolves Group, Qin Lie.
Qin Lie, like Zhou Mucheng, was a young master of one of the four great families of the capital city. However, the Qin family was the head of the four great families, with unmatched power that even the other three families couldn't rival.
"Enter!" A low and icy voice rang out.
Zhou Mucheng opened the door and walked in, his gaze falling upon a man wearing a silver mask. Although the mask covered most of his face, it couldn't conceal his striking features: a chiseled nose like a mountain ridge, a sculpted beauty; thin lips like a metal-carved blade, decisive and ruthless; and eyes beneath the mask that flashed with a chilling ferocity that made one avoid direct eye contact.
"Leader!"
Qin Lie's cold gaze swept over Zhou Mucheng.
Zhou Mucheng felt a chill, straightening his body even more.
"Go run twenty laps outside, then come back," Qin Lie's emotionless voice sounded.
"Yes!" Zhou Mucheng didn't dare disobey and swiftly left for the training ground. In the Fighting Wolves Group, Qin Lie's words were commands that no one could defy, or else they would be expelled. Becoming a member of the Fighting Wolves Group was a dream for countless people, as it brought honor not just to the individual but also to their family.
Qin Lie didn't even spare Zhou Mucheng a glance, his slender fingers gripping a pen as he wrote something on the paper in front of him.
Zhou Mucheng returned, panting after completing the twenty laps. "Leader! I've finished running."
Qin Lie tossed a file to Zhou Mucheng.
Zhou Mucheng caught the file, saluted Qin Lie, and was about to leave when his phone rang in his pocket.
Qin Lie's icy gaze fell on Zhou Mucheng.
Zhou Mucheng shuddered. Damn it, he had forgotten to turn his phone off.
"Twenty laps."
"Yes!" Zhou Mucheng hurried outside to run. After completing the laps, he would have to block the caller's number.
Qin Lie put down his pen and looked at the painting he had just completed. It depicted a graceful woman standing upright, dressed in a red phoenix robe, exuding a noble and icy elegance like a regal queen.
His fingers traced the woman's features on the painting – her captivating, shimmering eyes seemed like polished gems, radiating a luminous allure that drew one's gaze irresistibly. "Yue, I miss you so much! Where are you?"
He had awakened in this world ten years ago and had been living here ever since. During these ten years, he thought about her every day. In his previous life, he loved her with every fiber of his being and would have given up his life for her. However, he had a mission, and he could only choose between her and his country. So, when he learned that she intended to kill him, he willingly presented himself before her, ready to die by her hand.
But she didn't kill him.
In the end, he was forced to take action, intending for her to fake her death so he could take her away and live an ordinary life with her, forever removed from worldly affairs. But he hadn't expected that someone had laced his sword with a deadly poison, and even though he had deliberately struck askew, she still couldn't escape death.
"Yue, you must hate me so much. I hate myself too." A hint of redness appeared at the corners of Qin Lie's eyes. If he could go back, he would let her kill him instead of harming her even a bit. He didn't want Yue to hate him.
Rolling up the painting and putting it away in a drawer, Qin Lie took out a new sheet of paper and began painting again. Over the years, he had been searching for her in secret, hoping that like him, she had also entered this world. But each time, he was met with disappointment.
He knew he had lost her forever and could only express his longing through painting, capturing her every smile and glance on canvas, etching the painted figure deep in his heart.
After eating, Ling Yue returned to her room for a while before coming out to find Lan Ji and Granny Xu already waiting for her in the courtyard.
"Yue Yue, come sit here. Let me unwrap your bandages and take a look," Lan Ji waved at Ling Yue. This time, he had brought many precious medicines, which he was confident would help Yue Yue's facial injuries recover.
Ling Yue sat down on the stone bench.
Lan Ji wiped his hands with an alcohol swab and carefully began unwrapping Ling Yue's bandages.
As layer after layer of bandages was removed, a face covered in horrific wounds emerged.
Even with prior mental preparation, the sight of Ling Yue's face caused Lan Ji and Granny Xu's hearts to sink – it was even worse than they had imagined.
