Chapter 76: Suffocating Truth
"Oh, where's Dr. Chen?" Yan Ruoxi asked casually, not intending to pry. She trusted this hospital's reputation, knowing that only highly qualified doctors were employed here.
"Dr. Chen has been sent to the UK for a month-long exchange program and won't be back anytime soon," the nurse explained.
"I see," Yan Ruoxi replied, her focus shifting to the strikingly handsome doctor before her. "Dr. Ye, right? Please tell me, how is my sister doing?"
Yan Ruoxi's tone was warm and sincere, as though she truly regarded Liang Xiaoluo as her younger sister.
The word "sister" evoked a subtle, enigmatic smile from Dr. Ye—a smile laced with an inscrutable darkness.
The term clearly struck a nerve with Liang Xiaoluo. Her head snapped toward Yan Ruoxi, her expression frozen. The word felt so familiar, yet she couldn't place where she had heard it before.
Why couldn't she remember?
Yan Ruoxi noticed Liang Xiaoluo's reaction and asked with concern, "Xiaoluo, is something wrong?"
Shaking her head, Liang Xiaoluo felt a sudden, overwhelming wave of sadness wash over her. Her throat tightened painfully, and tears streamed down her face without warning.
She couldn't explain why she felt so heartbroken.
"Xiaoluo?" Yan Ruoxi asked anxiously, her voice trembling.
"Don't worry, Miss Yan," Dr. Ye interjected calmly. "This is her first pregnancy, and emotional fluctuations are perfectly normal."
"Is that so?" Yan Ruoxi sighed in relief, her tension easing. She took Liang Xiaoluo's hand and gently reassured her, "See? Everything will be fine, silly girl. Don't worry so much."
Ruoxi's comforting words, spoken with genuine warmth, struck a chord deep in Liang Xiaoluo's heart.
But the edges of her vision began to blur. Darkness encroached until she could no longer see Yan Ruoxi's face. Then, everything went black.
"Xiaoluo! Xiaoluo!" Yan Ruoxi cried out, catching her as she collapsed.
Dr. Ye immediately stepped in, taking Liang Xiaoluo from Yan Ruoxi's trembling arms and laying her gently on the hospital bed. He drew the curtain around them, shutting out the worried onlookers.
When Yan Ruoxi tried to follow, the nurse stopped her. "Miss Yan, please wait outside. Dr. Ye needs space to work."
Helpless, Yan Ruoxi anxiously paced back and forth.
Behind the curtain, only Dr. Ye—whose real name was Ye Yi—and the unconscious Liang Xiaoluo remained.
Ye Yi gazed at Liang Xiaoluo's sleeping face, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he extended a hand to trace the delicate contours of her cheek.
His voice dropped to a near whisper, raspy and chilling. "You still remember her, don't you? You still remember your sister, Xiaomu, don't you? But you've forgotten her for far too long. She's been so lonely, so heartbroken. She made me promise to restore your memory—so you'd never forget what you owe her. So you'd live your life drowning in guilt. Do you understand?"
His words dripped with malice. Ye Yi's beloved, Liang Xiaomu, had lost her life because of the very woman lying before him.
He would never allow her to find happiness.
"Dr. Ye, how is my sister?" Yan Ruoxi's voice broke through his dark musings. Her worry was palpable, and her words trembled with fear.
Ye Yi quickly masked his sinister expression, replacing it with the composed demeanor of a professional. Pulling back the curtain, he met Yan Ruoxi's anxious gaze with a solemn look.
"Well?" Yan Ruoxi pressed, her chest tightening.
Clearing his throat, Ye Yi began, "The child is healthy, and so is Miss Liang. However…" He gestured toward his head. "Didn't you know that she had suffered a head injury before?"
"What?" Yan Ruoxi gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "A head injury?"
She examined Liang Xiaoluo's head intently but found no visible scars or signs of past trauma.
"Yes," Ye Yi affirmed. "She experienced a head injury that caused selective amnesia. It's why she sometimes experiences headaches."
He carefully wove his lies, constructing a narrative to ensnare Liang Xiaoluo in a web of torment. He needed her memories to return, to make her suffer for what she had done.
"This is your karma, Liang Xiaoluo, for causing your sister's death," he thought darkly.
Yan Ruoxi's hands trembled as Ye Yi's words echoed in her mind. Selective amnesia? What did this mean for Xiaoluo's future?
Her voice cracked as she asked, "Will this affect her life significantly? Will it get worse?"
Ye Yi feigned hesitation before replying, "For now, her condition is stable. But if it worsens… she may lose all her memories, even forgetting her own identity."
"What?!" Yan Ruoxi's knees nearly buckled. Forget herself? How could this be?
Tears welled in her eyes as she turned to Liang Xiaoluo, gripping her hand tightly. "Xiaoluo…" she murmured, her heart breaking.
As if on cue, Liang Xiaoluo began to stir. Her face contorted in distress as she mumbled in her sleep, "Don't go… please don't leave me. Grab my hand… don't let go…"
Her cries grew louder until she awoke with a start, her eyes wide with fear.
When she realized she was on a hospital bed, the violent waves of her nightmare began to recede. She let out a shaky breath.
"It was just a dream," she whispered.
Yan Ruoxi leaned over her, dabbing the cold sweat from her brow. "Xiaoluo, are you all right? You scared me."
Liang Xiaoluo's gaze softened as she took in Yan Ruoxi's red-rimmed eyes, evidence that she had been crying.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you," she murmured apologetically.
"Don't be silly," Yan Ruoxi chided gently. "We're family, after all."
Ruoxi's kindness tugged at Liang Xiaoluo's heart. For a fleeting moment, she felt a sense of belonging, of having an older sister who genuinely cared for her.
It was a bittersweet echo of something she couldn't quite remember.
After ensuring that Liang Xiaoluo was stable, Yan Ruoxi turned to Ye Yi. "Thank you, Dr. Ye. If Xiaoluo is okay, we'll be on our way."
Ye Yi nodded.
As the two women left, Ye Yi watched their retreating figures, his eyes filled with seething resentment. "Enjoy your peace while it lasts, Liang Xiaoluo. When your memories return, this happiness will be nothing but a cruel dream."
Liang Xiaoluo shivered involuntarily and glanced back over her shoulder.
Ye Yi stood where they had left him, his expression calm and professional.
But something about him felt disturbingly familiar.
"What's wrong, Xiaoluo?" Yan Ruoxi asked, noticing her unease.
"Nothing," Liang Xiaoluo replied quickly, shaking her head.
Yan Ruoxi didn't press further. She pulled out her phone, preparing to call Ye Tianqing to pick them up.
Before she could dial, Liang Xiaoluo hesitated, reaching out to stop her.
"Can we… take our time going back?" she asked softly.
Yan Ruoxi looked at her in surprise but nodded understandingly. "Of course."