"It can be tempting to forgive a cheater when you loved them so much but don't you dare make that mistake!" ~ Dr. Sang Tian
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After fulfilling the first part of their revenge plan against Sang Tian's cheater ex-boyfriend, the four friends had a pizza party and stayed at the Lakehouse till evening. Sang Tian had a day shift at the hospital the next day and she needed to make sure that the patient whose surgery she was going to assist was ready and fit for the surgery.
With her friends by her side, Sang Tian easily got distracted from the thoughts of her heartbreak and had a fun time eating pizzas while watching the newly released comedy movie. While they were watching the movie, Sang Tian's cell phone buzzed and its screen lit up displaying a picture of her with Li Si Han.
Sang Tian could not move her gaze away from the picture that he had paired along Li Si Han's contact number. It was a selfie that they had clicked during their 6 months anniversary date. He had taken her out to a fine dining restaurant. They had amazing food and great wine to go with it. Sang Tian recalled fondly how they had danced to the soft piano music.
It was a beautiful night. Li Si Han had gifted her a snowflake pendant necklace for he knew that she loved the intricate snowflake patterns. She had brought him a wristwatch that he wore every day. Li Si Han wore it even today as well when he was cheating on her.
Feeling like she had been splashed with a bucket full of cold water, Sang Tian came out of her trance and found three pairs of eyes trained on her. The movie had been paused and there was pin-drop silence in the room.
"Tintin -" Dylan was about to say something but stopped when Sang Tian's cell phone buzzed again with an incoming call from Li Si Han.
Sang Tian let out a deep sigh and pushed the cell phone away but did not cut the call.
"You can talk to him if you want." Yu Xin wrapped an arm around her shoulders while Dylan squeezed her hand in a comforting manner.
"You know we won't judge." Chen Qiang pushed the cell phone back towards Sang Tian.
Resting her head on Yu Xin's shoulder, "I don't want to talk to him. Not now, at least."
Closing her eyes, Sang Tian added, "Also, the thief also stole my phone." she commented about the cover story that she was to feed everybody the next day, "How can I answer this bastard's call when I don't even have my cell phone with me."
"Listen, darling, you cannot avoid him forever. As he works in the same department as yours and in the same hospital, you of course cannot block his number or put him on mute. It's okay and perfectly understandable that you want to avoid talking to him but there will be moments when you won't have the option to do so." placing his hand against her cheek, Chen Qiang gently wiped away the traitorous tear that escape the confines of her eyes.
"That's why you have to gather all the strength inside your tiny body -" Sang Tian knew what Dylan was up to before he started tickling her, "and face that bastard with a smile on your face to show him that he has no power over you!" he exclaimed and continued tickling Sang Tian so hard that she ended up crying tears of laughter.
"Okay, okay, stop it!" Sang Tian wheezed while trying to move away from Dylan's tickling fingers. In her struggle, she fell down the seat with a loud, "Aah!"
"Oops!" was the last thing Dylan said before a chaotic chase ensued where Dylan ran away for his life and Sang Tian ran after him.
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As per Yu Xin's instructions, Sang Tian went to the police station in the morning and registered a theft complaint. She gave the policeman the cover story that Yu Xin had crafted for her. Sang Tian stated that, after discovering her partner's infidelity, she took their belongings, including their clothes, and disposed of them, keeping only their cards and money as a means of retribution.
Her intention was to frighten them, and she had planned on returning their money and cards. However, she got drunk and was mugged on her way home, losing her handbag, which contained not only her own bank cards and money but also the ones she had taken from Li Si Han and Alina – along with a few other important items.
Sang Tian, in a final effort to elicit sympathy from the policeman, shed a few tears, adding a poignant touch to her cover story. Upon concluding her account of the events of the previous day, the officer cautioned her regarding the potential repercussions of her actions. Despite her intentions, she had committed an offense by unlawfully taking possession of someone else's property.
After receiving the police officer's warning, Sang Tian wept and conveyed that the betrayal of her once beloved boyfriend had shattered her to the point where she was not thinking rationally. She acted impulsively, driven by intense anger at the time.
A female police officer who was listening to her story came forward to comfort her and handed her a glass of water. A few minutes of silent communication passed between the two police officers before the one who was filing her complaint sighed and let it go.
Sang Tian was then asked to give a description of the thief if she remembered but Sang Tian claimed that she was feeling too hazy because of the alcohol and that she did not remember much about how the thief looked except for the fact that the said thief was a man and that he had a tattoo of a triangle and rose on his left hand.
After specifying the additional required details, Sang Tian left the police station and drove herself to the hospital ready to face the music.
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After informing her fellow resident of the theft, Sang Tian had him add her new number to the surgeon's and the staff group to avoid a lack of communication and information.
Tying her hair in a bun, Sang Tian picked up her tablet to review the patient's laboratory investigation reports and the pre OP checklist to make sure that the patient was fit for surgery. She was going to be the assisting surgeon for this surgery that had been scheduled for later that evening.
So far she had not encountered Li Si Han or Alina and Sang Tian felt relieved for that. Though she was prepared to face them for she was a victim in this situation and not the one who cheated, that does not mean that she was looking forward to another confrontation.
But to her bad luck, while she was reviewing the reports and going over the surgery procedure, Li Si Han entered the general surgeon's lounge and without caring about the others present in the lounge, he came to stand directly in front of her and said, "We need to talk."
Oh, the audacity!
Sang Tian was a professional through and through. Li Si Han knew that she would not bring her personal issues here at the hospital in front of others and that is why he must have specifically chosen to meet up with her.
With a professional smile playing on her lips, Sang Tian looked up at him and said, "If it is not urgent doctor, I hope we can delay this chat for a while. I have a surgery to assist this evening and right now I am busy with the preparations." she spoke without any heat in her tone and concluded with a, "I am sorry but I don't have enough time right now. I hope you don't mind."
"Fine." there was no way that Li Si Han could refute her at the moment, "How about after the surgery? I need to talk to you about something important and yes, it cannot wait for long."
Sang Tian had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, "Okay." she smiled and turned her attention back to the patient's reports thus ending the conversation.
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Later that evening, after completing the surgery and finishing the immediate post OP procedure, Sang Tian joined Li Si Han in the hospital staff cafeteria. He was seated at a table near the window and had already ordered beverages for both of them.
An iced coffee.
Sang Tian ignored the twinge of pain slashing across her heart and walked over to where Li Si Han was seated. She wondered what he was trying to show by ordering her favorite drink for her.
"What is it?" she asked while sitting on the chair opposite to Li Si Han's.
Smiling gently, he pushed forward the glass of iced coffee in her direction and said, "Have this first. The surgery must have been hectic."
"That's none of your concern, doctor." Sang Tian snapped, "Just tell me what you wanted to talk about. And make it fast for I do not have enough time to waste on you."
Sighing, Li Si Han placed his folded hands on the table and began, "I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday. You don't know -"
Interrupting him mid-sentence, Sang Tian added, "Oh, I know." she let out a mirthless chuckle, "I know enough and I have seen enough. There is nothing left to talk about now."
She tried to get up but Li Si Han was quick to say, "You should know why I did what I did."
Seriously?
Sang Tian was amazed that this man had a reason ready to justify his actions. Curious, she sat down, fixing him with a glare but said nothing.
Taking it as a positive motivation, Li Si Han explained, "You know both of us come from middle-class families and have a shit ton of education loans to pay off. With my current salary, it is difficult to sustain our lifestyle and support each other. Also, you are just a resident at the moment."
Ouch!
Sang Tian did not like the way this was going but she did not make it evident. To avoid being flocked around by fake friends and romantic interests because of her family's financial status, Sang Tian had not disclosed to anybody at the hospital that she was the daughter of a top businessman and belonged to one of the richest families in the country.
She lived in a 1 BHK apartment close to the hospital, wore casual non-branded clothes, and carried a mid-range cell phone because of the convenience but all that just added to the middle-class façade that she had put on.
"So when Alina offered to make me the head of the department position with a handsome salary package in return for a night with her, I -"
What the f*ck!
Anger swelled inside her, roaring like a mad demon waiting to be unleashed.
"Believe me I tried to avoid it, I denied her multiple times but she played on my weakness, and then I - " Sang Tian clenched her fist tight and was close to punching Li Si Han in the face.
He looked up at her with misty eyes and claimed, "I did it for us, for our better future."
And that is where Sang Tian lost. Appalled at the audacity of Li Si Han's claim, Sang Tian said nothing but picked up the glass of iced coffee and poured its contents over Li Si Han's head.
"Go fuck yourself!" she gritted through her teeth and without a second glance Sang Tian walked out of the cafeteria.