Chapter 193 Not Like Before

But when his gaze fell on the tall and imposing figure behind her—Sheng Tingzhou—that warmth instantly turned to ice water, chilling him to the bone.

Song Zhiwei ignored his expression and didn't even glance at him.

She walked straight up to the nurse, her voice calm but carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Could you please step out for a moment?"

The tone left no room for negotiation; it was like a command, or a deliberate declaration.

The nurse paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Yuze on the hospital bed, her eyes filled with hesitation and doubt.

She was unsure whether she should follow the stranger's lead in this situation.

After Zhou Yuze remained silent for a moment, he finally nodded slightly. She then bit her lip and silently packed up the blood pressure monitor and notebook.

Before leaving the room with light steps, she made sure to close the door gently behind her.

As soon as the door closed, the room fell silent, and even the air felt oppressive and heavy.

Song Zhiwei walked slowly to the bedside, the sound of her heels tapping on the floor particularly clear in the silence.

She stood before him, looking down at him with a gaze as sharp as a knife.

Without any pleasantries or emotional build-up, she asked directly, "Uncle, is your leg finally healed?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuze merely turned his head slightly, glanced at her, and remained expressionless, showing no emotion.

His voice was as calm as a stagnant pool: "What's wrong?"

Song Zhiwei clenched her fists so tightly that her fingertips almost turned white.

The fingernails dug deeply into the flesh of the palm, leaving crescent-shaped red marks.

She tried to suppress the turmoil in her heart, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably: "That car accident... you orchestrated it?"

Zhou Yuze neither dodged nor denied it.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze passing through her and landing on the silent man behind her.

A mocking sneer curled at the corner of his lips as he said softly and clearly, "Yes, it's me."

This sentence, short and concise, was like a sharp knife, piercing her heart.

Her body jolted violently, her breath caught in her throat, and it felt as if a boulder was pressing down on her chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Even though I had already guessed the outline of the truth, hearing him say it aloud still felt like being stabbed in the chest.

Why did you do this?!

She finally lost control and shouted, her voice trembling so much it almost cracked.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back tightly, refusing to let them fall.

Zhou Yuze's voice was icy, every word filled with piercing hatred: "If I didn't pretend like this, I wouldn't even be able to see you."

"You moved, changed your phone number, and blocked all my contact methods."

"I called you, but you didn't answer; I texted you, but you read it and didn't reply; I wanted to come find you in person, but I didn't even know where you lived."

"Even on your birthday, when I gave you a gift, you said 'No need,' without even giving me an explanation."

His voice lowered, sounding even more suppressed and painful: "You and him are living so well... I see it every day, and my heart is breaking."

"Do you know that when I wake up in the middle of the night, all I can think about is your face? Do you know that when I sit in an empty house, listening to the songs you used to like, I cry?"

Song Zhiwei's eyes instantly stung, and tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She bit her lip hard to keep her sobs from leaking out.

Her voice choked with emotion as she said with difficulty, "Uncle, you really... aren't the same person you used to be."

The uncle who would put on his coat and sit by her desk in the middle of the night to help her with her homework;

The uncle who stood up for her at the school gate and taught a lesson to the classmate who bullied her, but ended up getting scolded by the teacher himself;

The uncle who held her in his arms and said "I'm here" at her mother's funeral...

They died in the past and can never come back.

At this moment, Sheng Tingzhou stepped forward, reached out, and firmly grasped Song Zhiwei's slightly trembling hand.

His palms were warm, giving her a sense of security and comfort.

He looked at Zhou Yuze on the hospital bed, his gaze calm, his tone low but powerful: "We're brothers, I really didn't expect this move of yours."

Stop pretending to be a good person!

Zhou Yuze suddenly sat up in bed, his eyes bloodshot, and almost shouted it out.

He pointed at Sheng Tingzhou, his fingers trembling violently: "If you hadn't interfered, if you hadn't taken her away, would I be in this state now?!"

"You've been lusting after her from the very beginning, so what are you pretending to be so affectionate and gentlemanly for?"

He sneered, his eyes filled with mockery: "Sheng Tingzhou, stop pretending! You've had your eye on this all along, and now that you've gotten the better deal, you're acting innocent?"

Song Zhiwei finally couldn't hold back and interrupted him: "Even without you, I wouldn't choose him."

Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm, like an irreversible verdict.

Zhou Yuze suddenly turned his head to look at her, his pupils contracted sharply, as if he had been stabbed.

His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes flashed with shock, pain, and disbelief.

He stared intently at her, as if he were seeing her for the first time, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "What did you say?"

But Song Zhiwei didn't look at him again. She just held Sheng Tingzhou's hand tightly, her eyes lowered, as if she were saying goodbye to a past that had already ended.

Song Zhiwei spoke each word clearly, with a chilling clarity: "Uncle, I know you don't believe me, but I've always considered you family, not a lover. After my parents' accident when I was little, the whole family felt like it had collapsed. Everyone avoided me, but you were always there for me during my most difficult times. You brought me food, accompanied me to school, and picked me up with an umbrella on rainy days. Even when you were overwhelmed with work, you never let me get through the hardest times alone. I'm grateful to you, truly grateful. That feeling of being cared for and protected was the only light in my darkest years."

Ultimately, what bothered her wasn't that he was dating, but that the tenderness that belonged to her had been taken away by someone else.

The caring look that was once reserved only for her is now directed at another woman; the person who used to reply to her messages no matter how late it was now giving perfunctory replies.

That sense of security that belonged only to her slipped through her fingers like sand, never to be grasped again.

This idea sounds selfish, but what she lacked since childhood was precisely this feeling of being cared for.

Her mother passed away early, and her father was often away socializing. She grew up in a large mansion with many servants, but no one truly understood her feelings.

Later, a car accident took away her parents, leaving her completely alone and helpless.

Once it's taken away, you can't let it go.

That dependence and affection were deeply ingrained, and even though reason told her she shouldn't do it, her heart couldn't easily sever it.

Zhou Yuce stared intently at her, his chest feeling like it had been hit by a hammer, the pain rendering him speechless.

He wanted to speak up and explain, but his throat felt like it was blocked by a heavy stone.

What he feared most was that she would tear off his mask and strip away all his pretense—all those days and nights he pretended to be lame, all that he deliberately created as weak and helpless, were just to make her feel sorry for him and keep him by her side.