Without Me

Two weeks later, Yao Xi sat in the doctor's office, watching the doctor write a prescription for her, and extensive recommendations that she must follow, such as her strict diet, the amount of medication she takes, and avoiding any stressful situations that could affect the period convalescence.

The recipe itself was completely written down with the necessary medications and various ointments accelerating healing. The next two pages contained detailed and comprehensive information on the effects of nerves and elevated pressure on wound healing and any necessary notes about the functioning of the brain and the body after a coma.

Yao Xi guessed that the doctor wrote it all by himself, knowing that the woman is alone and there is no one to take care of her.

Yao Xi didn't provide contact information to any member of her family, remembering how in the previous life, when she did, nobody ever came to her, so now the effect would be the same. She only told the doctor that her husband was on a business trip abroad and it is very difficult to contact him through the phone's poor network coverage.

Dr. Sun didn't seem to be convinced, but he did not push. He insisted on taking her home personally, claiming that a lonely taxi trip might be dangerous to her.

The woman felt great gratitude for his concern. He didn't have to do all of this, especially since he didn't know her at all. She was just another patient, but the man devoted his precious time to explain everything to her and make sure that she would get home safely. She really appreciated it and promised herself that one day she would return the kindness she had received from him.

" That's probably all," said the doctor, putting down his pen and looking at the notes now. " I've probably written down everything you should pay special attention to. Remember to report for the week to check."

Dr. Sun got up, walked around the wooden desk, and stopped at the chair where Yao Xi sat. He handed her a sheet of paper, and when Yao Xi raised her head, she saw the man's worried look.

Smiling sadly, she took the doc.u.ments and put them in the inside pocket of her jacket.

She didn't have a purse, when she was brought from an accident. Yao Xi remembered that her previous incarnation had run out of Li Ye Han's office when she saw her husband and Ruo Yan in an intimate embrace. Then she probably dropped it.

Now that she thought about it, she understood why Ruo Yan had insisted that Yao Xi bring lunch for Li Ye Han.

That day she picked up the phone from her "friend" and heard that Li Ye Han had not eaten a decent meal for several days and didn't leave his office, wanting to close a very important contract.

Yao Xi put all her heart into the dish she prepared for him, hoping that her husband would eat a healthy and nutritious meal that would provide his body with the necessary nutrients.

And what did she get in return?

A view of Li Ye Han and Ruo Yan embracing each other. And although she was still behind the back door of his office, she could clearly see their silhouettes tangled in a romantic embrace.

"Get yourself together!" She reminded herself. "No matter what, they don't affect you anymore."

Pushing unnecessary thoughts out of her head, Yao Xi rose from her chair and made in the direction of Dr. Sun the earnest bow of gratitude she could afford: " Thank you very much for everything you did for me, doctor."

She remembered that in her previous life, when he was doing it, she didn't thank her properly. Yao Xi's thoughts were full of anticipation on Li Ye Han, and when he didn't even appear on the day of her discharge from the hospital, she was too disappointed to think of thanking the person who saved her life. She wanted to fix it.

"It's amazing how much space suddenly got in my head when I decided to throw Li Ye Han out of my mind," she remarked and thought it was the first step in her decision. "In the end, even an alcoholic must first realize his problem before he starts an effective therapy. I'm on the right track " , she was mentally mented, satisfied with her approach.

She knew it would be difficult. Even after all he had done to her, she was not sure whether she would persevere.

She had to constantly remind herself of what she had been through this man, so that every cell in Yao Xi's body would give hatred for him. Only so could she realize her plan of revenge. Vengeance on Li Ye Han for the death of her child, and on Ruo Yan for killing grandfather.

In the eyes of Yao Xi glimmered the murderous intention that disappeared the moment she rose, leaving only the grateful look that Dr. Sun had just seen.

With a hand gesture, he led the girl out of his office, through the corridor and into the elevator that took them to the underground parking lot.

There, the man stood next to a car that didn't stand out, and Yao Xi could not help feeling Dr. Sun is a man who didn't like to flaunt his wealth.

Hospital X was the most prestigious clinic in the entire capital. The best doctors in the country worked there. They earned so much that they could easily afford expensive luxury cars, and they did it. But Dr Sun's car was ordinary; with a red rusty bodywork and seats so well worn that in some places you could see the material they were stuffed with.

Her confused expression didn't escape the attention of the man, who was just leaving the underground parking lot. Waiting for the security guard to lift the barrier, he turned to her, and a silent chuckle escaped his lips: "I don't like to stand out from the crowd."

When they joined the traffic, as if he remembered something, he turned to her again, but now with a more serious expression: " As you have already noticed, the hospital in which I work is quite prestigious, and the prices for treatment in it are not small. Usually the management charges fees before discharge from the hospital". He saw her a frowning brow, his attention back on the road in front of him and said quietly: "But in your case made an exception. You have thirty days to settle your arrears."

Yao Xi gave him a surprised look. She was aware of the high costs of treatment. For several days she had been wondering how to deal with them, since Li Ye Han didn't give her any money. She even considered asking her grandfather for a loan, but when she imagined his worried face, she immediately rejected that idea.

Suddenly someone offered her help. And she didn't know how she should react. She was not used to being pulled out of a helping hand. So far, only grandfather Li Ye Han treated her well, but Yao Xi mostly attributed it to his gratitude for saving his life.

Now, a man who does not owe her anything - he did not even know her - helped her voluntarily and she didn't even have to ask for it.

In the heart of Yao Xi, her feelings were unknown. She cleared her throat, feeling a sudden dryness in her throat. She did not know what to say. Ordinary gratitude seemed too banal to reflect her true feelings.

" I didn't do much, " he said when he noticed her dilemma. " You do not have to thank me. I just know that your husband is not in the country right now, which is why I have vouched for you with the director. I promised him that you would pay when your husband came back."

Yao Xi felt her heart sink.

She lied to Dr. Sun because she knew perfectly well that Li Ye Han didn't care if she was alive or not. She didn't want the hospital staff to know that Yao Xi's husband was not interested in her. She had been through this in her previous life, when she had heard almost every day compassionate nurses trying to cheer her up when they said that Li Ye Han certainly had too much work to get out of the office. And only she knew that Li Ye Han's absence had nothing to do with the plague of work, but rather the fact that he was not interested in any other woman except Ruo Yan.

Yao Xi hated sympathy. Everyone have been pitying her since childhood; they thought she was too pathetic and would not achieve anything in her life.

How she hated it.

That's why she came up with a story about Li Ye Han's business trip, so that she wouldn't have to go through it again. She didn't expect Dr. Sun to have such a golden heart and would be so eager to help.

Yao Xi felt embarrassed. She didn't deserve such a good treatment, when she lied to him without blinking. She opened her mouth to tell him the truth before they reached the villa Li Ye Han and Dr. Sun would discover her lie, but before the first word could leave her mouth, Dr. Sun interrupted her with a gentle smile: " I know. I understand."

They defeated the rest of the horns in silence. But the silence was pleasant. Yao Xi couldn't stop admiring the man she had met only a few weeks ago, and felt in her heart that she hadn't seen his goodness in a previous life.

He was about fifty years old, face covered with delicate wrinkles that only gave him a warm look. But it was his big heart that made the greatest impression on her. For the first time, she met such a disinterested man, and once again swore to herself that she would do anything to pay him back for all his kindness.

Yao Xi asked Dr. Sun to blow her up a block earlier. She didn't want any of Li Ye Han's men to see her leave the foreign man's car. And though she didn't care, even if Li Ye Han knew about it, but she remembered what he'd done the last time, when he saw her in the company of Mu Sheng during their divorce. She didn't want to go through this again.

This man was unpredictable. The hells know, what he can do to poor Dr. Sun.

Until she was strong enough, she didn't want to provoke this man in any way.

Having crossed the large gate of intricately wrought iron, leading to the estate of Li Ye Han, the heart of Yao Xi dangerously accelerated.

In front of her she saw a wide road leading to the villa. There were two rows of trees on either side of it, their crowns bending inward, as if in a silent greeting. They were overgrown with white flowers, reminiscent of snowflakes. The wind gently moved the branches, tearing the petals up, swirling in the air before lazily falling to the ground.

The view was enchanting.

She once fell in love with this landscape, which looked like had been taken out of a fairy tale. Many times she imagined how her own children, and then grandchildren, were catching falling cherry flakes, and their happy laughter was reflected in her soul, creating the most beautiful known melody...

Yao Xi shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts that involuntarily crept into her heart like toxins. She couldn't let those stray thoughts set her trap. She was already going through and it didn't end well for her.

She took a few calming breaths, and when she waited until her heart was released, she noticed the guards staring at her doubtfully. From their eyes she could read that they considered her a mentally ill person.

With the last deep breath she moved forward, ignoring the guards, whose strange looks she still felt on her back.

She walked with her head high and her back straight, although the movement was still uncomfortable and painful, she gritted her teeth.

After a few minutes of wandering, a stately English-style villa appeared to Yao Xi eyes. There was a fountain in the courtyard, from which water spurted slowly, and behind it stood huge mahogany doors, to which a wide staircase led.

Despite the calming breaths, Yao Xi's heart was still nervous.

She was getting ready for the day since she'd woken up from a coma. And though she told herself everything would be fine, her hands were still sweating.

"Relax, he will not even look at you," she told herself, remembering how Li Ye Han had treated her the previous time. Although he didn't look at her at that time, all of him emanated reluctantly, as if dissatisfied that she had come back.

"Now it will be the same", she assured herself for the hundredth time, and finally she forced her foot to take the first step, then the next one and then another.

Finally, she was in front of the door.

Collecting all the courage from inside, Yao Xi directed everything to her right hand to force her to press the door handle and step through the door.