The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Is She Ming Jin’s New Girlfriend?

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

Xu Zhiyan finished an online meeting, closed her laptop, and quickly walked out of the room.

In the reception hall on the first floor, the maid was busy. Xu Zhiyan walked over and asked, “Has she slept yet?”

The maid glanced upstairs and whispered, “No, she’s been waiting and has asked several times if Dr. Lin is back.”

“And you just let her wait by the window?” The usually good-tempered Xu Zhiyan was rare to lose it.

The maid froze slightly and softly replied, “We… couldn’t persuade her…”

“Alright, alright, I understand,” Xu Zhiyan sighed, rubbing the space between her eyebrows.

She was annoyed from the meeting and shouldn’t have said that. She knew her sister better than anyone—a stubborn, headstrong person whom no one could persuade. It was all the fault of those executives who argued for over an hour about a project proposal, leaving her with a headache.

Taking on the responsibilities, Xu Zhiyan realized what kind of life her sister had led in the past years. Despite being virtually parentless, her sister had always protected her well, sending her abroad, letting her take their mother’s surname, and keeping her away from disputes. With her sister around, she had a home. Therefore, nothing was more important than her sister in Xu Zhiyan’s heart.

Before entering the room, Xu Zhiyan took two deep breaths, adjusted her emotional state, tossed aside the irritability from the meeting, and opened the door with a smile.

The lights inside the room were off. The dim twilight from outside cast the silhouette of the person in the wheelchair by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Xu Zhiyan turned on the floor lamp, then walked over, squatted next to the wheelchair, and gently asked, “Sis, why don’t you lie down and rest for a bit?”

She reached out her hand. The chill on Ming Jin’s hand made her fingers tremble, but she didn’t say anything, subtly pulling the blanket higher on Ming Jin’s lap.

“Did they give you a hard time?” Ming Jin asked softly.

“No, how dare they? They were all very disciplined in front of me,” Xu Zhiyan reported the good news and kept the bad news to herself.

“You’re so busy, you don’t need to come with me next time…” Ming Jin said.

“That’s not happening,” Xu Zhiyan interrupted Ming Jin directly.

Ming Jin’s gaze looked out the window. The warm light of the floor lamp couldn’t dispel the loneliness and coldness surrounding her. The shadows of her eyelashes fluttered on her eyelids.

“I haven’t reached the point where I need someone to watch me 24 hours a day,” Ming Jin said calmly.

Xu Zhiyan knew her sister had always been strong. When she woke up from the car accident and realized she was paralyzed, she showed no expression, not exhibiting a single trace of vulnerability. Her eyes held self-loathing, loneliness, and a stubborn refusal to be a burden to others.

It made sense; she had been a powerful figure for so many years, and she was only in her early thirties…

Xu Zhiyan could only placate her: “It’s not that you need me, it’s that I need you. If I encounter something I can’t handle, I can ask for your advice immediately.”

“Have you eaten?” Ming Jin asked.

Xu Zhiyan knew placation worked. Her sister didn’t continue the previous topic.

She quickly followed up: “Not yet. I saw dinner was ready just now. We can eat together later.”

“Dr. Lin hasn’t returned yet…” Ming Jin said slowly, looking at the night sky outside.

“I already asked. There was a mat underneath when she fell, so there shouldn’t be any serious issues.”

“And Dr. Lin is there; there definitely won’t be any problems,” Xu Zhiyan whispered. “Let’s eat something and wait slowly.”

For this trip, Xu Zhiyan had brought Ming Jin’s entire medical team, along with several vehicle-loads of medical equipment. Lin Rong was the head of the medical team, an expert in orthopedics and rehabilitation hired by Xu Zhiyan at a high salary.

Ming Jin worried that the crew’s medical team wasn’t competent enough, so the first thing she did was send her personal Dr. Lin over.

“It’s going to rain. Dr. Lin might not have an umbrella. Send someone to meet her,” Ming Jin said.

“Where is it raining?” Xu Zhiyan craned her neck to look at the sky, realizing instantly that Ming Jin’s old injury was hurting again.

Ming Jin wouldn’t touch her food, and Xu Zhiyan refused to eat. Ming Jin had no choice but to have the meal brought up. However, she didn’t eat much, putting down her chopsticks after drinking a small bowl of pork ribs and corn soup. Afraid she might fall asleep if she lay down, she simply picked up a book and leaned back on the bed to read slowly.

A rumble of thunder sounded, and rain poured down outside. Ming Jin’s expression was calm as she slowly turned the pages of her book. But Xu Zhiyan could clearly see that the tips of the fingers holding the book were slowly tightening, and the color slowly drained from her lips.

Judging by her expression, however, she remained calm, composed, and as unwavering as she was at the negotiating table.

While stepping out to ask the maid to clear the dishes, Xu Zhiyan called Lin Rong, wanting to urge her to hurry. Instead, she heard the phone ringing from downstairs.

Lin Rong put down her medical bag. Her pants were slightly wet below the white coat. She simply took off her shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor barefoot. Her flirtatious peach blossom eyes looked up, a half-smile on her face. Her rolled-up sleeves revealed a portion of her fair wrist, adorned with a green crystal bracelet. With long, beautiful fingers, she poured a cup of water and slowly sipped it from a celadon teacup, the color slightly staining her scarlet lips.

“My dear, please hurry up,” Xu Zhiyan said, walking over and pushing Lin Rong’s shoulder forward.

Lin Rong refused to move, glancing at her feet and muttering, “No shoes…”

Xu Zhiyan felt a headache coming on. She quickly found a pair of slippers and placed them by her feet: “My dear, do you want me to help you put them on?”

“Can you?” Lin Rong smiled, her curved eyebrows bright and charming.

In the end, she didn’t let Xu Zhiyan help her put on the shoes. As soon as she stepped into them, Xu Zhiyan impatiently pushed her upstairs. While walking, she didn’t forget to instruct: “You know what to say and what not to say, right?”

“Do you think you can fool your sister?” Lin Rong tutted. “Little girl, what level are you at? You’ll just make her angry.”

Lin Rong pushed open the door. The room was brightly lit. The person leaning on the headboard was holding a book, but clearly not reading it. Ming Jin was lost in thought. Hearing the door open, she looked up immediately and placed the book on her lap: “How is she?”

“Want to know?” Lin Rong raised her eyebrows and sat down by the bed. “Then you have to let me examine you first.”

“Look how pale your lips are. One might think you’re cosplaying a dead person…”

Hearing those two words, Xu Zhiyan lightly kicked Lin Rong’s foot. She was highly sensitive about those two words, and Lin Rong’s mouth was like it was laced with poison.

Ming Jin was clearly accustomed to Lin Rong’s style of speaking. She put the book aside and extended her hand.

“High heart rate, low blood pressure… And you’re still reading? Don’t you see double vision in the words?” Lin Rong glanced at the monitoring data and chuckled lightly. “Or does President Ming enjoy this hazy, dreamy feeling?”

“Dr. Lin, I’ve cooperated. Can you speak now?” Ming Jin seemed utterly unconcerned about her own physical condition.

“Don’t worry. She’s hopping around. You could die, and she’d still be bouncing around for decades. She’s absolutely fine,” Lin Rong said casually. As she spoke, she tidied up her equipment and naturally handed the medical bag to Xu Zhiyan: “Little girl, take this.”

Xu Zhiyan gritted her teeth, endured it, and reached out to take it. If it weren’t for her sister, she wouldn’t put up with this living terror, Lin Rong. As President Xu, she had never been treated poorly since childhood, let alone being ordered around like a servant.

“No injuries at all?” Ming Jin frowned slightly. “Be clear.”

Lin Rong’s smile remained, and her words were harsh: “You’re practically dying yourself, and you’re still worrying about someone who’s perfectly fine?”

“Do you know your own body’s condition? Heart failure is irreversible. Look at the time. You’re not sleeping; you’re just burning the midnight oil here.”

“Why bother hiring me? Save the money and buy a better coffin…”

“Lin Rong,” Xu Zhiyan was so angry she kicked her again. The blood vessels in her temples were throbbing painfully.

“Ayan, don’t be rude,” Ming Jin spoke, and Xu Zhiyan sullenly closed her mouth.

“No need to tease me. Just tell me directly,” Ming Jin said slowly.

“Boring…” Lin Rong pouted and glanced at Xu Zhiyan. “The little girl is more interesting.”

“I examined all her physical data. Completely normal. Healthier than an ox.”

“She was caught by a safety mat when she came down. She just sprained her ankle slightly. There’s only a little swelling, and it should be fine within a week.”

“Also, the little girl instructed me to blend in with the medical team, so she didn’t notice anything.”

“Satisfied?” Lin Rong didn’t stay serious for more than three seconds. “I saw her arguing with someone without a care in the world. The King of Hell won’t take someone so full of life.”

“Are you sure it’s just a sprained ankle? No bone damage?” Ming Jin only focused on what she wanted to hear. “She’s a dancer. Will there be any lasting effects?”

“Hmph, you’re questioning me now.” Lin Rong clicked her tongue and pointed to her nose. “If I can’t even tell that, I might as well go back to medical school.”

“Who was she arguing with?” Ming Jin only asked what she wanted to know.

“I don’t know her, some female celebrity, looks young. She came over and said a couple of words, and your girl completely laid into her.”

“Don’t worry, one of my legs is better at action scenes than some people.”

“Completely undeveloped limbs, completely uncoordinated brain, and still coming here to mock my unstable action moves?”

“Instead of getting so carried away here, why doesn’t she go back and memorize her lines? None of her stresses or pauses are correct. She sounds like she’s speaking Chinese like English, and she has the nerve to call herself an actress?”

The attitude was awful, arrogant, and aggressive, like she wanted to point a finger and curse at people.

As Lin Rong spoke, she heard a faint chuckle. There seemed to be a slight ripple in those cool eyes.

Lin Rong: “…” Love is blind couldn’t even explain this. How could she smile while listening to a woman curse like a shrew?

“Ayan,” Ming Jin called. Xu Zhiyan quickly came over, “Sis.”

“Go check. Was the broken wire an accident, or did someone tamper with it?” Ming Jin said calmly. A moment of coldness flashed in her eyes.

She had the crew’s call sheet. The time the accident occurred was not Song Xiangwan’s scheduled filming time.

“Yes, yes, I’ll check. You should rest now,” Xu Zhiyan had a headache. At a time like this, her sister still remembered to check on this. She truly was thorough.

Xu Zhiyan wanted to finish this in one go: “How about I personally go meet the director and put some pressure on him…”

“Don’t,” Ming Jin interrupted her, her tone very soft and faint. “I don’t want her to know.”

She didn’t want Song Xiangwan to know that she still cared about her. She didn’t want to incur Song Xiangwan’s dislike. She clearly remembered Song Xiangwan aggressively shouting that she wanted freedom, that she didn’t need a controlled life, and that she didn’t need anyone’s surveillance.

This distance was sufficient. If Song Xiangwan knew she had intervened so much, Song Xiangwan would probably be unhappy.

Ming Jin reiterated her warning: “Absolutely don’t go. She’s very smart; she’ll realize it.”

Smart my foot, Xu Zhiyan thought, having a million curses in her heart. Ming Jin was paving the way for her so meticulously, yet she couldn’t appreciate Ming Jin’s kindness. Her brain was made of wood.

That’s what Xu Zhiyan thought. Going downstairs, she was surprised to hear the announcement outside. Song Xiangwan really was quite sharp.

Holding an umbrella, she crossed the courtyard to the main gate and saw Song Xiangwan standing there. She had also walked over with an umbrella, but the mountain wind was too strong, and she was still quite wet. Her hair was somewhat disheveled and stuck to her face, but she didn’t look messy. Instead, her skin looked fairer, like white porcelain. Her phoenix eyes, full of lingering affection, were bright and spirited, and the small mole at the corner of her eye looked like a fallen plum blossom, vividly beautiful.

Her sister’s aesthetic was impeccable; this face stood out among the many beauties in the entertainment industry.

No matter how beautiful she was, Xu Zhiyan’s tone towards her was not pleasant: “What are you doing here?”

It’s the girl who was next to Ming Jin that day, young and refined, full of vitality, and looking at her eyes full of arrogance.

She is always by Ming Jin’s side… Is she Ming Jin’s new girlfriend?

Song Xiangwan’s hands, hanging by her sides, couldn’t help but clench slightly, the tips of her fingers piercing her palm, causing a faint prickling pain.