Twist of Fate - Chapter 37

“Holy shit, you’re into girls too?!”

Chen Yunqing stared at Xie Jing in shock. “Are there really this many lesbians in the world?”

Just a couple of years ago, before same-sex marriage was legalized in Country C, being a lesbian meant constant ridicule and judgment wherever you went.

It was only recently that Chen Yunqing herself started to open up about being gay, and dared to tell others about it.

Xie Jing immediately responded, “I’m not—I’m straight. Haha.”

Chen Yunqing’s eyes widened even more. “Then why are you with President Fang?”

She didn’t look like a butch woman at all.

Xie Jing replied dramatically, “She forced her love on me!”

Chen Yunqing and Chen Qianqian: “???”

President Fang? That kind of person?

But looking at how delicate and fragile Xie Jing appeared, Chen Yunqing hesitated.

She really did look like a fragile, caged canary—beautiful and helpless.

“Don’t believe me? Look.” Xie Jing rolled up her sleeve to reveal faint kiss marks scattered along her pale wrist. “This is the proof!”

Now not just Chen Yunqing, but even Chen Qianqian was stunned.

President Fang—so refined and composed in public—was actually a controlling psycho behind closed doors?

“So,” Xie Jing said as she gave Chen Yunqing a once-over, “you should find someone else. She’s not right for you.”

The Chen sisters looked like they’d been struck by lightning. Their imaginations instantly ran wild: unrequited love, desperate chasing, tragic misunderstandings, a beautiful woman trying to run away with her child only to be caught by a possessive, borderline-insane CEO and locked up in a dark room for unspeakable things—

Shivering, Chen Yunqing snapped out of her daze. “Holy shit, that’s terrifying.”

So much for her fantasy of a perfect love! This wasn’t romantic—this was straight-up coercion.

For a moment, Chen Yunqing had considered Fang a good catch—wealthy, polite, a woman (so likely less drama after marriage), probably no cheating, no domestic violence, no smoking or gambling.

But now it seemed like all that composure just meant the crazy was buried deeper—and came out stronger in private.

She just wanted to marry rich, not get tied up in a twisted romance!

And with Xie Jing back in the country, did she even have a claim to any of that wealth?

Her enthusiasm plummeted instantly.

Clearly, not just anyone could be the “white moonlight” in President Fang’s heart.

No wonder Xie Jing had run off abroad for two years.

Too bad she still got dragged back.

Chen Yunqing rubbed her chin, suddenly uneasy. “Now that I think about it, I think I just got over my crush on President Fang. Cousin, can you introduce me to some other rich and pretty women? That CEO Gu from Qingfeng Group seems nice. And her doctor friend isn’t bad either.”

Chen Qianqian sighed, rubbing her temples. “Give it up. CEO Gu is taken—she’s famous for doting on her wife. As for the doctor… not sure.”

Xie Jing, who’d been quietly listening, suddenly looked up and added, “Doctor Lin’s taken too~”

“What the hell is going on?!” Chen Yunqing nearly exploded. “Since when did all the beauties start pairing up with other beauties? Has the world gone completely upside down?! When am I going to get a wife?!”

Chen Qianqian glanced at her and said calmly, “Do you like soft, pretty, gentle women?”

Chen Yunqing nodded honestly. “Yes, I love them.”

Chen Qianqian: “Well, there you go. It’s only natural. You think only men like beautiful women? Women do too.”

“Don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t want done to you. It works both ways.”

“Most women aren’t blind or dumb. Unless they’re strictly heterosexual, they can usually tell who’s more likely to make them happy—another woman or a man.”

“We live for ourselves.”

“If there’s something you want to do, do it. We only get one life.”

“And now that marriage licenses are an option, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“…You’re right.”

Chen Yunqing looked like she’d been hit with a thunderbolt of wisdom. Everything suddenly made sense.

Still… the competition was fierce. She had to fight men and women for a wife now.

She glanced at Xie Jing and a trace of sympathy flashed in her eyes.

Even straight women weren’t safe from being forcibly loved by lesbians…

Xie Jing, noticing the look: “?”

Suddenly, Chen Yunqing clenched her fist and declared, “Don’t worry, Xie Jing. Once I land a wife, I’ll rescue you from the flames of hell!”

“Thanks, that’s sweet of you,” Xie Jing replied. “But no need—I think I’ve got Stockholm syndrome. Haha.”

Chen Yunqing & Chen Qianqian: “…”

No wonder the two of them ended up together.

What a pair of weirdos.

________________________________________

Meanwhile, at the Fang Family Villa

Qin Ning set down her wine glass, took Little Guai from the maid, and started walking up the stairs.

In her second-floor bedroom, the first thing she saw was a vibrant bouquet of rainbow-colored roses. From afar, they looked real. Up close, you could see the fine texture of sponge paper.

It was the bouquet Xie Jing gave her in their first year of college.

They’d promised to adopt Little Guai together after graduation. But Xie Jing had left the country, and Qin Ning had fulfilled that promise alone.

After starting work, Qin Ning got used to living by herself. Since she often worked late and worried she couldn’t care for the pet properly, she left Little Guai at the old Fang estate under the maids’ care.

After washing off the alcohol and changing into casual clothes, she was about to head out to find Xie Jing—when a group of maids suddenly rushed into the living room in a panic.

“Something’s wrong.”

“Someone’s collapsed!”

“Someone’s bleeding!”

Qin Ning’s face changed instantly. She strode up to the nearest maid. “What happened?!”

The maid stammered, “Miss Fang… she collapsed and started coughing up blood!”

“Take me there—now!”

Qin Ning raced to the garden, where a crowd had gathered in a circle. She scanned the group, but didn’t see Xie Jing.

Heart pounding, she shoved through the crowd—and froze at the sight inside.

She would never forget this moment.

Xie Jing lay in a pool of blood on the white stone tiles, her light blue dress soaked with tiny red stains. Her hair was in disarray, and her face was completely drained of color.

Everything went blank.

“Call an ambulance—NOW!”

Her shout snapped everyone back to reality.

“Xie Jing!”

Qin Ning dropped to her knees in the blood, pulling Xie Jing into her arms. She pressed her fingers to her neck.

“Can you hear me? Xie Jing?”

“Don’t be afraid.”

“Move back! Everyone, step back!”

“Let the air flow!”

She laid Xie Jing flat, tilted her head to the side, cleared the blood from her mouth, and started CPR.

Fortunately, someone had already called emergency services, and the ambulance arrived quickly.

“Save the security footage,” Qin Ning ordered, and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

________________________________________

“Liver GVHD, chronic. Ruptured esophageal and gastric varices. Anaphylaxis. Gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Patient is currently in shock.”

“Blood type has changed post-transplant. Prepare type A blood.”

“Bone marrow transplant?”

Qin Ning froze.

When did Xie Jing undergo a bone marrow transplant?

“Are you the patient’s family? Please sign here.”

The doctor shoved a critical condition form into her hands.

Qin Ning glanced at it. Her face darkened, her hand trembled as she signed.

Just then, her phone rang—it was Shen Xinghe.

“I tried calling Xie Jing but someone else picked up. They said you rushed her to the hospital. What happened?!”

Shen Xinghe had only wanted to check when Xie Jing was returning to Jiangcheng, but couldn’t reach her. When someone finally answered, it was a stranger—some Chen Yunqing.

“Shen Xinghe,” Qin Ning growled, “what the hell have you and Xie Jing been hiding from me?”

Shen Xinghe’s heart sank. “What happened? Is she—?”

It was the first time she’d ever heard Qin Ning curse. Whatever was going on, it had to be bad.

She was frantic, ready to book the next flight to Jinghai.

Qin Ning bit out each word: “She’s in the ER. If you don’t want her to die, tell me everything. Now.”

“I will. I’ll tell you everything,” Shen Xinghe said quickly. There was no hiding it anymore.

She told Qin Ning everything—Xie Jing’s condition, her treatments overseas, even sent her the medical records from Country A.

She also confessed: she and Xie Jing had never actually been together.

“Back in grad school, Xie Jing was under a lot of pressure. I don’t know if she ever told you.”

“She lost so much weight. Her mom noticed something was wrong and forced her to take a leave of absence. They returned to Jiangcheng, and her parents tried to cheer her up by taking her on a trip.”

“On their way back, they had a car accident. She was in the back seat and watched her dad die in front of her. Then at the hospital, she was told her mother had passed too.”

“After that, she changed. Completely.”

“She went from a loving three-person family to being an orphan overnight. How could she possibly bear it?”

“I found out and rushed to the hospital. When I got there, she was climbing onto the balcony in a daze. I nearly had a heart attack. I pulled her down and the doctors said she might have serious psychological trauma.”

“I stayed with her. Later, they diagnosed her with leukemia. If she couldn’t find a matching donor, she might die.”

“She didn’t want to drag you down. That’s why she broke up with you. She’s been secretly getting treatment abroad for the last two years. During that time…”

Shen Xinghe’s voice choked. After a pause, she continued, “During the worst part, when she was in the isolation unit for over two weeks, she survived by holding onto… your photo.”

Qin Ning: “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I hated her for two whole years… why only now?!”

Shen Xinghe: “Because she never thought she’d survive. She left thinking she would die. What good would it do to tell you? It would only break your heart.”

“Qin Ning, the person she most wanted to hide this from… was you.”

“If she had died overseas, you’d have never known the truth.”

“But she made it. That’s why you had the chance to see her again today.”