Chapter 89
Wen Yan buried her face in Jin Zijin’s neck, brushing the tip of her nose over the warm skin there as she drew in a deep breath of that familiar citrus scent.
The fatigue from the entire day seemed to melt away little by little in that fragrance, dispersing into the air until it could no longer be found.
Jin Zijin’s fingers moved through her long hair, slow and steady.
The two of them simply held each other like that, neither of them speaking.
It was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing; where their chests pressed together, they could feel their heartbeats gradually falling into sync.
After a long while, Wen Yan finally stirred and looked up at her, her voice muffled and faintly lazy. “Shower?”
Jin Zijin nodded.
The bathroom was full of steam, the warm yellow light spilling softly through the space and tinting the tiles a mellow beige.
The two of them squeezed beneath the showerhead; warm water slid down their shoulders and carried away the day’s exhaustion.
Wen Yan squeezed out some body wash, worked it into a lather between her palms, and spread it across Jin Zijin’s back.
Jin Zijin was obedient to an almost unreasonable degree, standing there and letting her do whatever she pleased, only occasionally glancing back at her, laughter tucked into her eyes.
Halfway through washing up, Jin Zijin suddenly turned around, wrapped her arms around Wen Yan’s neck, and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Water droplets slid down both their cheeks, mingling together until it was impossible to tell whose was whose.
Wen Yan laughed softly and wiped the water from her face. “Don’t make trouble.”
“When was I making trouble?” Jin Zijin said with utter righteousness, then leaned in to kiss her again. “Kissing my own wife is only natural.”
Wen Yan took in her expression and couldn’t stop the curve of her lips. She lowered her head and returned the kiss.
The kiss carried a little damp steam with it; when it ended, Jin Zijin’s lashes were wet, soft enough to melt.
After they were done bathing, they changed into clean pajamas and dried their hair in the bathroom.
Both of them were warm all over, carrying the faint scent of body wash.
Smelling each other’s fragrance, they both found it a little novel.
Jin Zijin took Wen Yan’s hand and led her toward the bedroom. When they reached the bedside, she suddenly let go, pushed Wen Yan’s shoulder, and pressed her down to sit on the bed.
“Lie down,” she said, her tone carrying a trace of excited anticipation.
Wen Yan lifted her eyes to look at her, amusement in their depths, and obediently leaned back into the soft bedding.
Her long hair spread across the pillow, making her features look even gentler.
Jin Zijin’s mouth curved in satisfaction. Just as she was about to act, Wen Yan reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Jin Zijin froze at once, thinking she wanted to take the lead, and looked at her with a strangely complicated expression.
But Wen Yan’s hand moved upward instead, lightly patting her head the way one would pet little Mi Tang, her voice soft and coaxing, like she was soothing a child. “Alright, go to sleep.”
Jin Zijin was completely stunned.
She blinked at Wen Yan, who had already closed her eyes and was preparing to sleep, and went completely blank.
“You... you’re just going to sleep like this?” Her voice rose half an octave.
Wen Yan opened her eyes and looked at her, laughter hidden there. “What is it?”
“Didn’t we say I’d be on top!” Jin Zijin protested, reaching out to poke Wen Yan’s cheek. “Wen Yan, you can’t do this! You promised!”
Wen Yan’s head tilted from the poking, but she was still smiling at her. “You really want to be on top?”
“Yes!” Jin Zijin nodded hard, her eyes shining brightly. “Very much.”
“You have no idea. Every time we do it, I want to turn the tables on you; I practically wish you were the one lying down.”
“But every time, you don’t give me the chance. Before I can even turn the tables, you’ve already pinned me down.”
By the end, Jin Zijin was a little indignant. “You can’t treat me like this. You said you’d let me be on top, so you have to let me be on top!”
“Otherwise I won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
Wen Yan was amused by her and pinched her cheek. “So persistent?”
“This isn’t persistence,” Jin Zijin corrected with perfect seriousness. “It’s conviction.”
Seeing her like that, Wen Yan’s heart softened into a mess.
She let go of the arm around Jin Zijin’s waist and shifted over to make room.
Patting the edge of the bed, Wen Yan looked at Jin Zijin with a gaze that was gentle and almost bewitching. “Then come here.”
Jin Zijin’s eyes lit up instantly.
She climbed onto the bed at once, straddling Wen Yan’s waist and looking down at her from above.
The warm bedside lamp shone from behind, gilding her entire figure in a soft halo; even her hair seemed to carry light.
“Don’t laugh at me this time,” she declared first, her tone solemn as if she were signing a contract.
Wen Yan nodded obediently. “I won’t.”
“And don’t kiss me.”
Wen Yan blinked. “That’s a little hard.”
“Then... don’t kiss me so much that I can’t keep going.” Jin Zijin negotiated, thinking it over before adding, “If you do kiss me, you can only kiss a little.”
Wen Yan curved her lips. “Alright, I’ll do my best.”
Jin Zijin nodded in satisfaction and bent down to kiss her lips.
She kissed very earnestly, from Wen Yan’s lips to her chin to the side of her neck.
With each kiss, she would lift her head to check Wen Yan’s reaction, as if confirming: Was this right? Did that feel good?
Wen Yan found her both funny and impossibly softhearted.
She raised a hand and gently stroked Jin Zijin’s back, over and over, as if encouraging her, as if soothing her. Through the thin fabric of the pajamas, she could feel Jin Zijin’s skin slowly warming beneath her fingertips.
Bolstered by that encouragement, Jin Zijin grew bolder.
Her hands didn’t stay idle either; learning from the way Wen Yan usually treated her, she gently unbuttoned Wen Yan’s pajamas. One button, two buttons, three.
When her fingertips touched Wen Yan’s warm skin, she felt Wen Yan tremble faintly.
“Cold?” she asked, looking up.
Wen Yan shook her head, eyes smiling at her. “Not cold. Keep going.”
Jin Zijin lowered her head and kissed Wen Yan’s collarbone.
Wen Yan’s collarbone was very beautiful, the lines distinct, the skin fine and smooth.
Jin Zijin kissed it lightly, like feathers brushing over water, over and over, teasing at the nerves until her skin itched.
As she kissed, she suddenly remembered something and lifted her head to look at Wen Yan, her tone a little smug. “You used to kiss me like this.”
Wen Yan raised a brow. “So?”
“So I learned.” Jin Zijin smiled until her eyes curved, then leaned close to her ear and lowered her voice. “Teacher Wen taught me well.”
Warm breath scattered over Wen Yan’s ear, and her body stiffened slightly.
She pinched Jin Zijin’s waist and sighed helplessly, indulgently. “Kiss properly. Don’t tease.”
“This isn’t teasing,” Jin Zijin said with complete righteousness, though mischief was hidden in her eyes. “This is serious teaching feedback.”
Wen Yan laughed and covered her mouth with a hand. “Focus.”
Jin Zijin nodded, pulled Wen Yan’s hand away, kissed the back of it, and then kept going lower.
Her kisses moved farther and farther down, from collarbone to chest, from chest to waist.
Wen Yan’s breathing gradually grew unsteady; her chest rose and fell harder, and the sounds slipping from her throat became more and more urgent.
She raised a hand as if to catch the other woman, to kiss her fiercely once, then stopped.
She remembered the promise she had made.
Jin Zijin looked up at her, her eyes carrying a sly smile. “Want to kiss me?”
Wen Yan looked at her without speaking, only giving a soft “mm.”
“No.” Jin Zijin shook her head, very serious. “You said you’d try not to kiss me.”
Wen Yan smiled helplessly and drew her hand back, resting it behind her head. “Alright. I’ll listen to you.”
Jin Zijin nodded in satisfaction and buried herself in the work again. But as she kissed, she suddenly stopped.
Wen Yan was being teased into a state of neither here nor there. She touched Jin Zijin’s hair and asked in a hoarse voice, “What is it?”
“I’m thinking...” Jin Zijin looked up at her, a little lost. “What I should do next.”
Wen Yan froze, then couldn’t help laughing at her expression.
Jin Zijin’s face instantly turned red. She covered Wen Yan’s mouth with a hand. “Don’t laugh. You promised you wouldn’t laugh!”
Wen Yan took her hand and pulled it away, pressing a kiss to her palm.
Looking at Jin Zijin, her eyes were full of smiling warmth, her voice very soft. “Do whatever you want to do.”
“You don’t have to be afraid of doing it wrong.”
“I’m here.”
Jin Zijin looked at her, her heart swelling with warmth.
She nodded, took a deep breath, and bent down to continue what she had left unfinished.
This time, she didn’t hesitate again. Her lips and teeth fell on Wen Yan’s chest, taking in that point of bright red.
Wen Yan’s body jolted hard.
Her hand shot out and gripped the bedsheet beneath her, clenching it tight.
The sound that escaped her throat was bitten down fiercely, yet broken whimpers still leaked out from between her teeth and lips.
Jin Zijin looked up at her, amusement in her eyes. “Feels good?”
Wen Yan looked at her, the corners of her eyes faintly red, and nodded.
Bolstered by that response, Jin Zijin became even more diligent.
Her hand also grew restless, sliding along Wen Yan’s waist and probing lower. The instant her fingertips touched that hot, soft, damp place, Wen Yan’s whole body shuddered.
“Here?” Jin Zijin asked, lifting her head, though she already knew the answer.
Wen Yan raised a hand to cover her eyes. Her ears were red enough to drip blood, and she didn’t speak.
Jin Zijin curved her lips and lowered her head again.
Her fingers cautiously entered, and Wen Yan’s body tightened violently, a small cry slipping from her throat.
“Does it hurt?” Jin Zijin stopped and looked at her.
Wen Yan shook her head and tugged her down, kissing her on the lips.
This kiss was different from the ones before; it carried long-suppressed longing, carrying surging desire.
Jin Zijin was kissed until she could hardly breathe, yet she couldn’t bear to push her away; she only wrapped her arms around Wen Yan’s neck and responded just as fervently.
Wen Yan’s other hand closed around her wrist, guiding her deeper, her voice spilling from between their tangled lips and teeth, low and hoarse. “Keep going...”
Jin Zijin’s heart skipped a beat.
Following Wen Yan’s guidance, she pressed deeper little by little.
Wen Yan’s body was hot to the touch, like warm jade roasted by fire; every inch of her skin trembled.
Those tiny reactions seemed to encourage her in silence: you’re doing it right, you’re doing very well.
“Does it feel good?” Jin Zijin asked near her ear, her voice low and a little rough.
Wen Yan looked at her, her eyes red-rimmed, a glimmer of moisture clinging to her lashes.
She didn’t answer; she only pulled Jin Zijin down and kissed her lips.
Jin Zijin deepened the motion of her hand, and Wen Yan’s reactions grew more intense.
Her body arched up, then fell back, like a bow drawn to its limit.
Her palm pressed against Jin Zijin’s back, gentle and unwilling to let go, only holding her there with the heat of her hand; her fingers spread open like wings set free.
Seeing her like that, Jin Zijin’s heart softened and burned all at once.
She lowered her head, kissing away the tears at the corner of Wen Yan’s eyes, kissing the tip of her nose, kissing the corner of her mouth.
But her hand never stopped; instead, it only grew faster.
“Almost there...” she murmured into Wen Yan’s ear. “Almost there...”
Wen Yan nodded and held her even tighter.
At the final moment, Wen Yan’s whole body went rigid; a long, trembling whimper spilled from her throat.
That whimper lasted a very long time before she finally softened, collapsing on the bed like a puddle of water and breathing heavily in great gulps.
Jin Zijin lay on top of her, listening to her violent heartbeat, fast beyond belief, one beat after another.
After a long while, Wen Yan moved and lifted a hand to gently smooth Jin Zijin’s sweat-damp hair.
“How was it?” Jin Zijin lifted her head to look at her, hope for praise shining in her eyes. “Did I do okay?”
Wen Yan looked at her; her eyes were still red, but they were filled to the brim with laughter.
She reached out, pulled Jin Zijin up, and kissed her lips.
After kissing her for a long time, she finally let go, resting her forehead against Jin Zijin’s, her voice rough with strain yet so tender it seemed it could melt into water. “Very good.”
Jin Zijin smiled in satisfaction and tucked herself into Wen Yan’s arms, burying her face in her neck.
The two of them held each other like that, neither saying a word.
The room was warm, the person in her arms soft, and mixed with each other’s breathing, it was inexplicably alluring in the heavy night.
After a while, Jin Zijin lay on Wen Yan’s chest and looked at her, her voice carrying anticipation. “Yan Yan...”
“Mm?”
“Again, okay?”
Wen Yan lowered her gaze to her, laughter in her eyes. “You like it that much?”
“I do.” Jin Zijin nodded, her eyes bright. “It feels really good.”
Looking at her like that, Wen Yan’s heart softened into a puddle.
She reached out and cradled that tiny, palm-sized face, smiling warmly. “Alright.”
“You once, me once.”
As she said that, Wen Yan lifted Jin Zijin up with one hand and made her straddle her waist.
Amid Jin Zijin’s startled cry, Wen Yan reached out and entered her, lifting her eyes to meet hers. “I’ll make it up to you once first, then it’ll be your turn.”
In an instant, Jin Zijin hurriedly grabbed the arm that was wrapped around her waist, lifting her body in an attempt to escape.
But just as she broke free, Wen Yan dragged her back down from the clouds once more, making her fall onto her waist and abdomen, pinned so tightly she had nowhere to run.
——————
Ever since she’d tasted the sweetness of it that night on the second day of the lunar new year, Jin Zijin had become addicted to it.
Every night she hugged her phone and secretly did homework, taking notes from tutorials with the same seriousness one might reserve for a major business venture.
And Wen Yan really did indulge her, following her wishes and setting the “two to one” rule: let her go twice first, then Wen Yan would take the lead.
But every time, she would start off brimming with confidence only to be undone midway by one kiss from Wen Yan, or one low, husky word of praise.
By the end, her eyes would always be red, clutching Wen Yan’s shoulders while crying and begging for Wen Yan to take over, with not a trace left of her earlier arrogance.
And yet, the more she failed, the more spirited she became.
The next morning, she would wake up full of fighting spirit again, determined to win the field back.
Wen Yan indulged her, and just like that the two of them made a noisy, happy mess of things until the seventh day of the lunar new year, when the hospital officially reopened.
With Zhang Sheng, that troublemaking pest, no longer around, the department’s atmosphere improved considerably.
When coworkers saw her, they would smile and come greet her, wishing her a happy new year.
Work went smoothly; Wen Yan’s life was busy and fulfilling, and before she knew it, the Lantern Festival had arrived.
That noon, before getting off work, Wen Yan was taking the usual group of residents on rounds; their first stop was Lin Weiwei’s ward.
It had already been nearly a month since the emergency surgery for the car accident before the Spring Festival.
By now, Lin Weiwei had been transferred from the ICU to a regular ward; she had also woken up, was conscious and alert, and the strength in her lower limbs was gradually recovering, though she still couldn’t get out of bed.
When Wen Yan entered the ward, Lin Weiwei was sitting against the headboard. Seeing her come in, her eyes lit up; she wanted to raise a hand in greeting, but Wen Yan stopped her.
“Don’t move around.” Wen Yan stepped forward, lowered her head to check the dressing on her wound, then flipped through the nursing notes on the bedside table. Her voice was steady and professional. “How do you feel today? Any numbness or tingling in your legs? Can you move your toes?”
“No, Dr. Wen, I feel much better. I can move my toes a little now.” Lin Weiwei’s voice was still weak, but full of gratitude. “Thank you, Dr. Wen. Really, thank you.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my job.” Wen Yan nodded, then turned to instruct the nurse beside her. “Stop the IV today and switch to oral nerve-nourishing medication. Change her diet to a semi-liquid one that’s high in calcium and protein.”
“The rehabilitation therapist will come this afternoon for the first passive rehab session; keep an eye on her vital signs and any changes in lower-limb strength.”
The nurse hurriedly agreed and wrote everything down.
Wen Yan gave Lin Weiwei a few more reminders about what to watch for while bedridden before turning to leave the ward.
Just as she was closing the door, Lin Weiwei’s mother hurried out after her, a red envelope in hand, tears in her eyes as she bowed deeply to Wen Yan.
“Dr. Wen, thank you so much!” Her voice choked with emotion. “Before the surgery, Weiwei’s father was being unreasonable. He questioned you without knowing right from wrong and said such awful things to you.”
“You’ve been magnanimous and didn’t hold it against us, and you still did everything you could to save my daughter’s life... Our whole family doesn’t know how to thank you enough!”
As she spoke, she tried to press the red envelope into Wen Yan’s hand.
Wen Yan stepped back and reached out to steady her, her tone calm but warm. “Auntie, there’s no need for this.”
“I can’t accept the envelope. Performing the surgery for Lin Weiwei was our duty as doctors. We’ll follow up on her rehabilitation the entire way; you really don’t need to be so polite.”
She paused, then added, “Lin Weiwei needs someone by her side right now. Just stay with her properly; that’s better than anything else.”
With that, she gave Lin’s mother a slight nod and turned, clipboard in hand, toward the nurses’ station.
Most of the doctors and nurses had already gotten off work, and the wards were full of families coming to visit patients with thermos containers in hand.
Wen Yan had just reached the corridor corner when she heard a deafening commotion from the nurses’ station, mixed with a man’s rough shouting and a woman’s cries of alarm.
“Tell me where Lin Weiwei’s ward is!”
“Are you going to say it or not? If you don’t, I’ll stab her to death today!”
“Move! All of you, move!”
Wen Yan’s expression darkened at once.
She quickened her pace, rounded the corner, and saw the nurses’ station in complete chaos.
The triage desk sign was knocked to the floor; medical records were scattered everywhere, and disposable paper cups were rolling all over the place.
A fat man nearly six feet three, weighing close to three hundred pounds, had red-rimmed eyes and was using his thick arm to choke the young nurse Lin Xiao tightly around the neck.
In his other hand he held a pair of stainless-steel scissors; the sharp tip was pressed against the left side of Lin Xiao’s carotid artery.
The point of the scissors had already pierced her skin. Bright red beads of blood slid down the blade and dripped onto Lin Xiao’s white nurse uniform, blooming into glaring red flowers.
Lin Xiao was so frightened her face had gone paper-white; her whole body trembled like leaves in an autumn wind. Tears slid down her cheeks, but she didn’t even dare cry loudly, only biting her lip hard enough to make broken whimpers slip out.
Patients and family members nearby had all retreated to the far end of the corridor, too terrified to make a sound.
Two security guards rushed over with alarms in hand, standing about three feet away; their bodies were taut, but they didn’t dare take another step.
The man’s emotions had already reached the edge of collapse; with even the slightest provocation, the scissors would go straight into Lin Xiao’s major artery.
He was still shouting wildly, the veins on his forehead bulging, his breathing as rough as a broken bellows, pressing the scissors in harder and harder. “I’ll say it one more time! Where is Lin Weiwei’s ward?”
“Take me to her, or I’ll kill her right now!”
“Calm down! Put the scissors down first!” The security guards were frantic, sweat streaming down their faces, but it was useless.
The man only grew more agitated, his arm tightening further. Lin Xiao’s face instantly turned purple, and even breathing became difficult.
At that moment, Wen Yan stepped forward.
Her voice was steady and clear, without the slightest panic, instantly drowning out the chaos at the scene. “I’m Lin Weiwei’s attending surgeon, Wen Yan.”
Everyone’s eyes snapped to her all at once.
The man whipped his head around, his bloodshot eyes fixed furiously on her; his hand on the scissors tightened again as he roared, “You’re Wen Yan?!”
“Yes.” Wen Yan met his crazed stare without retreating a single step, her tone still even. “If you’re looking for Lin Weiwei, tell me.”
“Let go of this nurse. She’s just an ordinary staff member on duty; she’s never seen Lin Weiwei and knows nothing about her condition.”
“You’re choking her, and you won’t get anywhere or see Lin Weiwei that way.”
“It’s all your fault!” The man seemed to have had a bomb lit inside him; his emotions completely lost control. “If you hadn’t insisted on doing that damn surgery on Weiwei, how could she be lying there suffering like this?”
“My Weiwei, my Weiwei... She was supposed to be the ice princess on the rink, and now she’s lying in a hospital not knowing whether she’ll live or die.”
At that, he looked at Wen Yan, his eyes full of viciousness. “It’s all because of you! All because of you!”
“You quack! You beast!”
Wen Yan looked at the scissors pressed against Lin Xiao’s carotid artery, her brows drawing together.
So extreme?
Was there something wrong with his head?
It’d be best if there wasn’t; otherwise, the charges would get complicated.
Thinking this, Wen Yan’s fingers tightened slightly, but her face remained composed. She said each word clearly, “Lin Weiwei suffered a burst fracture of the spine in the car accident, and the shattered bone fragments were already compressing her spinal cord.”
“If we hadn’t operated, she’d never stand up for the rest of her life. Worse, the swelling of the spinal cord could have compressed the respiratory center, and she might not even have survived.”
“My surgery was a success. She already has sensation in her lower limbs and is recovering smoothly.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over his taut face as her voice softened a little. “What you’re doing here now, causing a scene and taking a nurse hostage, is against the law.”
“When Lin Weiwei wakes up and hears that her fan, because he was too worried about her condition, ended up being sent to prison, she’ll only be more upset, and it will be even worse for her recovery.”
“Do you really want to see that outcome?”
The man froze for a moment, a flicker of hesitation passing through his eyes. But then that was covered once more by fanatical stubbornness.
He suddenly pressed the scissors down harder against Lin Xiao’s neck, and Lin Xiao let out a broken sob.
“I don’t care. I want to see Weiwei now.”
“You take me to her, or I’ll kill this nurse right now.”
What kind of lunatic was this?
“I can take you to see her.” Wen Yan looked at him, her tone showing not the slightest hesitation. “But you have to let her go. She’s innocent.”
“Replace her with me. I’ll go with you. I’ll personally take you to Lin Weiwei’s ward.”
“Only I can bring you into the hospital. No one will dare stop us.”
The man’s eyes lit up instantly, but then he became wary again, staring her down. “How do I know you won’t trick me? Are you carrying anything? Did you call security?”
“I’m not carrying any weapon, and I’m not playing any tricks.” Wen Yan looked at him and slowly raised both hands, unbuttoning her white coat and pulling the lapels apart to reveal the plain black knit shirt underneath.
Right in front of him, she turned out every pocket on her clothes; they were empty, and even her phone was sitting on the nearby triage desk.
“See? I’m unarmed, just a doctor. I don’t have anything on me that can threaten you.” Wen Yan lowered her hands and looked him in the eye. “Let her go, and I’ll come over to replace her.”
“I’ll stand right here and let you do as you please; I’ll personally take you to see Lin Weiwei. You have my word.”
Everyone around them held their breath.
The resident following behind Wen Yan had gone pale with anxiety. “Dr. Wen! Don’t go!”
Wen Yan didn’t even turn back; she only raised a hand in a stopping gesture, her gaze never leaving the man’s face.
The man stared at her for more than ten seconds.
Looking at her empty pockets, at her calm, steady eyes, at her unhurried steps with not the slightest trace of panic, he finally clenched his teeth and barked, “Fine! Come over!”
“Walk slowly! Don’t try anything! If you move even once, I’ll stab her immediately!”
Wen Yan nodded and walked forward slowly, her pace steady, step by step.
The air seemed to freeze.
Everyone held their breath, and even the sound of heartbeats was audible.
When she was still two steps away from the man, he suddenly roared, “Stop! Stay right there! Don’t move anymore!”
Wen Yan stopped at once, standing where she was as she looked at him. “I’m already standing here. Let her go.”
The man hesitated for a few seconds. Seeing that Wen Yan had made no sudden move, he finally shoved Lin Xiao away with a violent motion.
At the same time, he reached out with his free hand and viciously grabbed Wen Yan by the collar of her white coat, pressing the scissors straight against Wen Yan’s carotid artery as he screamed madly, “Don’t move! Take me to Weiwei now! If you try anything, I’ll stab you to death!”
Lin Xiao fled in a panic; the security guards immediately rushed up and shielded her behind them.
Just as the man’s attention was fully fixed on the corridor ahead and the force in the hand holding the scissors loosened slightly because he had turned around, Wen Yan moved.
As one of the country’s top orthopedic surgeons, she knew the human skeleton, meridians, and pressure points inside out.
Every line of muscle, every nerve’s position, was etched into her bones.
Not to mention, she was also a provincial martial arts champion.
In the blink of an eye, her left hand seized the man’s wrist holding the scissors, and her thumb pressed with full force into the ulnar nerve groove on the inside of his wrist.
The man’s hand went numb at once, like an electric shock passing through it; all the strength drained from that entire arm, and his grip on the scissors instantly slackened.
Wen Yan did not pause for even a moment.
With her right hand, she simultaneously exerted force and, along the direction of the scissor blade, twisted hard in reverse.
With a sharp metallic clatter, the scissors were cleanly wrested from him.
The man let out a scream; before he could react, Wen Yan seized the stolen scissors and drove them back down with brutal force.
The sharp tip pierced straight through the back of his hand, pinning it firmly to the metal surface of the triage desk beside him.
Blood surged out at once. The man trembled in pain, cold sweat breaking out over his forehead.
With his other free hand, he swung a fist at Wen Yan’s face.
Wen Yan sidestepped nimbly to evade it, and in the same motion lifted a leg and kicked hard at his groin.
The kick was fast and vicious.
The man instantly doubled over in agony, losing all balance; like a mass of heavy rotten mud, he crashed hard to the floor.
He couldn’t even make a proper scream, only curling up and twitching all over, rolling his eyes in pain.
The entire subduing process took no more than ten seconds.
It was so fast that the people around them hadn’t even reacted.
Only after the man hit the ground did the security guards come to their senses and swarm forward, using a riot control pole to pin him down and quickly slap handcuffs on him.
A burst of deafening applause and relieved exclamations exploded around them; some people were so excited their eyes reddened.
“Dr. Wen is amazing!”
“My God! That was terrifying just now! Dr. Wen was way too calm!”
Wen Yan stood where she was, her chest rising and falling slightly. She subconsciously flexed her right hand.
A sharp, burning pain spread from her palm, racing upward along her arm.
She lowered her head and looked.
When she had wrested away the scissors just now, the blade had cut a deep gash across the palm of her right hand.
It ran from the web of her thumb all the way into the depths of her palm lines; the flesh was turned outward, and blood was dripping one drop at a time from her fingertips onto the white floor tiles, blooming into glaring red flowers.
Just now, with her adrenaline surging, all her attention had been on subduing the criminal, so she hadn’t felt any pain at all.
Now that the crisis had passed, that piercing agony came flooding in all at once.
“Dr. Wen, your hand!” The resident beside her went pale with shock and hurried over, staring at her bleeding hand, his voice trembling.
The head nurse rushed over as well, looking at the wound in Wen Yan’s palm and panicking. “My heavens, it’s cut so deeply!”
“Quick! Come with me to the treatment room; it needs stitches immediately! Otherwise it’ll get infected!”
Wen Yan looked at her bleeding palm and frowned slightly.
Just as she was about to follow the head nurse, her phone on the desk suddenly vibrated.
She picked it up with her uninjured left hand. Three characters flashed on the screen: Jin Zijin.
The moment she answered, Jin Zijin’s smiling voice came through, sweet and bright. “Yan Yan, I’m downstairs at the hospital.”
“I brought you black sesame tangyuan made by the housekeeper at home for lunch; they’re still the lava-filled kind you like. Are you back in the lounge after work? I’ll bring them up to you.”
Wen Yan lowered her gaze to her still-bleeding right hand and listened to Jin Zijin’s cheerful voice over the phone.
After a brief pause, she still curved her lips and kept her voice steady, giving no sign of anything unusual. “I’m by the nurses’ station. I just finished dealing with something, so I can’t go back yet. Come straight to the lounge; I’ll wait for you.”
After hanging up, the head nurse looked at her and sighed helplessly. “Dr. Wen, go get that wound cleaned first!”
Wen Yan nodded and followed the head nurse toward the treatment room.
Outside the window at the end of the corridor, the Lantern Festival sun was shining just right. It fell through the glass onto the floor, yet it could not cover the few glaring drops of red on the tiles.