"Why...?"
Yinan stared blankly at the corner of her room, feeling lost and helpless, mumbling to herself while listening to the busy tone from the other end of the line.
She couldn't figure out what she had done wrong or if she wasn't good enough.
How could everything change overnight? Why would Shen Lang leave without a word, block her on all platforms, and not even give her a chance to explain or apologize?
A wave of nausea hit her, and she clutched her stomach, dry heaving, but nothing came out.
Right then, her parents pushed open the door and saw her struggling.
Her mom, Mei Ru, freaked out, rushing to her side and holding her shoulders.
"Yinan, what's wrong? Talk to me, where does it hurt?"
Seeing her like this broke Mei Ru's heart. Her voice trembled on the verge of tears.
Her dad, Hai, stood a few steps away, hands on his hips, biting his lip nervously, unsure what to say as he looked at his worn-out daughter.
"Mom, where's Shen Lang?"
Yinan's voice was dead inside, her pale face devoid of life.
"I… I don't know, sweetie…" Mei Ru stammered, caught between telling the truth or shielding her daughter.
"Yesterday, he told me that being with you was too stressful, and he wanted to part on good terms," Hai finally broke the silence, taking out a crumpled check and handing it to her. "I figured he's been with you all this time, so I offered him some money to help with his career, but the kid filled it out and handed it back, telling me to say goodbye for him."
Hai's words were carefully crafted, trying to paint Shen Lang in a better light to make his exit seem more natural.
But what Hai didn't know was that Yinan and Shen Lang had made things official yesterday in that private room. There was no way she'd believe such a sloppy lie.
"Impossible!"
Without even glancing at the check, Yinan tossed it aside, storming up to her dad with fire in her eyes.
"What do you know? What did you do? Did you make him block me? Tell me! Say it!"
Hai kept silent, his face a mix of frustration and regret.
Mei Ru quickly stepped between them, trying to calm things down.
"Yinan, please, don't get worked up. Just calm down, okay? Your dad only wants what's best for you."
Watching her parents team up, Yinan knew in her gut—it was her control-freak dad's fault that Shen Lang was gone.
In that moment, a tsunami of emotions swept through her: shock, confusion, anger, fear, despair.
All the feelings she'd buried for years—the pressure, the helplessness—burst forth uncontrollably, tangled with the love and hope Shen Lang had awakened in her.
"You bastard! Are you even my dad? You control everything! F*** you, old man!"
Yinan snapped, screaming every curse word she could think of at her dad.
Her sudden outburst stunned both parents into silence. Even Zhang Tao, the bodyguard at the door, was floored.
The once-polite, perfect daughter? Gone.
The longer someone's suppressed, the harder they'll explode.
Yinan had been the poster child of perfection—top grades, perfect manners, talented in everything from music to calligraphy. But the stricter her dad's control, the deeper her inner turmoil grew.
She'd spent years at one extreme, and all it took was one trigger to push her to the other.
Dry heaving again, Yinan couldn't hold back her trembling. People don't cry in utter despair—they shake, vomit, and collapse inwardly.
Unable to breathe properly after shouting, she choked on bile. This time, she vomited green stomach acid onto her white dress, sending her parents into a panic.
"Yinan, don't scare me like that!" Mei Ru sobbed, catching her daughter as she stumbled.
"Zhang Tao, get the car ready! We're going to the hospital!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Zhang Tao bolted downstairs.
"Get away from me!" Yinan screamed when her dad stepped closer. Mei Ru turned to him, fury in her voice.
"Don't touch her! If anything happens, I swear I'm done with you!"
"I need to find Shen Lang!"
With one last burst of energy, Yinan shook off her mom and staggered toward the door.
She had to explain everything to him. It wasn't her fault. She didn't want to let him go.
"Zhang Tao, stop her!"
Hai's shout brought Zhang Tao running back. He grabbed Yinan's arm just as she reached the door.
"Miss, please calm down!"
"Let go of me!" Yinan thrashed, kicking and punching him like a madwoman. Gone was the elegant young lady, replaced by someone feral and unhinged.
But Zhang Tao, built like a tank, barely flinched. Her fists and kicks were useless.
In her rage, Yinan leaned in and bit down on his arm, hard enough to draw blood.
"Ah…" Zhang Tao winced, sucking in air through his teeth but refusing to let her go.
Biting was a whole different level from punching—it could actually tear skin and muscle.
"I hate all of you! F*** you all!"
Drained, Yinan cursed one last time before her head swam, her vision blacked out, and she collapsed into Zhang Tao's arms.
"Yinan!"
"Get my daughter to the hospital now!" Mei Ru screamed, her voice breaking.