Chapter 81 The biting pain was like a knife scraping into the bone marrow. ...
Ye Yuying stayed in the bathroom for a long time, warming her body against the radiator until she gradually recovered.
After that drink, my stomach felt like it was on fire, while the cold, nerve pain crept silently up my leg bones.
Her fingertips turned white as she endured the pain without thinking about painkillers—the alcohol made it impossible for her to take them, and all she could do was rely on her willpower to get through it.
She repeatedly picked up and let go of the metal box containing the painkillers.
The hand that gripped the medicine box so tightly revealed the stark white bones beneath the skin, outlined by the white light. Looking at her hand and the metal box that was being crushed and deformed in her grasp, she felt for a moment as if she were a demon on the verge of transformation.
The excruciating pain felt like a knife scraping into my bone marrow.
She stared at the medicine bottle for a long time, her fingertips trembling slightly, but she couldn't be swayed at all. Her lips were pale, and her reflection in the mirror showed sunken eyes and a withered appearance, like a drug addict going through a binge.
Not taking painkillers could be life-threatening, but taking painkillers after drinking alcohol could land her in the ICU.
Because she was taking prescription medication specifically for neuropathic pain, taking it with alcohol would cause central nervous system depression or even fainting.
She wanted to leave before the real pain arrived, and before that, she hesitated about who to ask for help.
She finally dialed Li Song's number without hesitation.
"Yu Ying?" The call was answered quickly. Li Song's voice was deep and slightly lazy, expressing surprise and delight, as if he had just stepped off the balcony of his vacation villa. "Why did you think of calling me?"
She opened her mouth, hesitated for a few seconds, and said in a trembling voice, "Dr. Li... I drank a glass of champagne and a glass of whiskey, and now my leg... hurts terribly, so I can't take my medicine."
Li Song's tone tightened instantly, and he said seriously, "Drinking? How could you be so careless? Where are you now? I'm coming right away."
"...I can hold on a little longer." She held her phone between her shoulder and ear, struggled to button her coat, and used her cane to support herself inch by inch. "I just want to ask if there's any other way...to relieve the pain besides medication."
Li Song sighed, as if trying to control himself: "Are you feeling cold right now? Are your hands and feet cold?"
Ye Yuying lowered her head, her hands were white and cold, and she didn't say a word.
"Listen to me, don't push yourself. Even if you've been drinking, I can find a way to apply localized blockage. Are you in Jiangcheng? Which part?"
"Dr. Li, there's no need for you to make the trip..."
Li Song is currently on vacation. Doctors in Germany value their holidays, and it's almost impossible to disturb them during their time off. She also tries her best to abide by these established rules.
She instinctively wanted to refuse, but the pain surged like a tide over her nerve endings, making her voice weak.
"Don't be stubborn, give me the address first." Li Song's voice was low and urgent.
Finally, he came up with the most compelling reason: "Do you still want to stand at the launch event for the second-generation prototype? Give me your location now, or I'll call Feng Ting directly and have him take you to the hospital."
Ye Yuying was silent for two seconds before finally announcing the name of the hotel where the party was being held, which was located in the suburbs of Jiangcheng.
"Stay where you are and don't move. I'll try to get there within twenty minutes. If you feel cold, find a radiator or hold a hot water cup to relieve the cramps and keep your body warm."
After hanging up the phone, she leaned against the bathroom door, her fingertips slightly numb.
However, the restroom was crowded with people, and many of the entrepreneurs present were paying too much attention to her, so she had to find a quiet corner to wait for Li Song to come over.
Not far from the restroom is a women's lounge, but most people are busy socializing and entertaining guests, so the lounge should be relatively empty.
But when she reached the outside of the ladies' lounge, she heard a faint sound coming from inside.
"That Xiao Ye is always hilarious, what is she doing all this time?"
"Is she trying to gain attention by using the banner of female entrepreneurs? Indeed, it does make her very eye-catching."
"Don't you understand? People who start businesses under the banner of independent women, do you really think they want to start a business? Don't you think about how many big names in the investment world she usually comes into contact with? She can catch a big fish just by catching one."
"Do you think... she really did get to where she is by... using her connections? Is she really knowledgeable in technical aspects?"
Someone offered a fair assessment, but it wasn't entirely fair: "She studied this area in Germany, so she understands the technology to some extent, but probably not the core technology..."
Ye Yuying's knuckles stiffened, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured down her back.
It was a familiar sting—a woman's harshness towards another woman always carried a cold, sharp edge.
She was about to turn and leave when she accidentally bumped into the flower stand next to the door with a loud "thump," a sound that was extremely abrupt in the quiet corridor.
The conversation in the lounge suddenly stopped, and there was complete silence. Then someone lowered their voice and said, "There are people outside."
Ye Yuying subconsciously stepped back, but before she could get far, the long corridor was still difficult for her to walk. If she were to run into the other person, it would be somewhat awkward.
Normally, she would definitely confront these people head-on and get to the bottom of things, but today she wasn't feeling well, and these women might be companions brought by other entrepreneurs. If she revealed her physical defects, there would inevitably be some potential trouble.
Just as she was about to turn back to the restroom, her wrist was grabbed by a cold and strong hand.
It is Cheng Mingdu.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled her away from the entrance of the lounge and dragged her into the emergency exit next to the corridor.
The door closed behind them, shutting out the lights and sounds outside.
The sound of light, hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor.
"Nobody passed by, so nobody should have heard it, right?"
"They're all busy in the lobby, and the men's restroom is upstairs. There are too few girls here, so no one should come. Don't be suspicious."
"Yeah, and what good would it do to hear it..."
As the crowd receded into the distance, the motion-activated lights in the emergency exit slowly went out after a few seconds, and darkness completely engulfed them.
Only their breaths, amplified clearly in the darkness, blended with the scent of their usual perfumes.
Ye Yuying stumbled a little as he pulled her, and her cane almost fell to the ground, but he leaned over and caught it.
This is the corridor leading to the women's restroom and lounge; logically, he shouldn't be here.
Her chest heaved as she tried to say "thank you," but a sharp pain in her nerves robbed her of the words.
Cheng Mingdu seemed to notice that something was wrong with her. She was in so much pain that she was losing consciousness. His voice was so low, like he was in a dream: "Are the side effects of drinking this bad now?"
His tone carried a sharp edge that hadn't completely faded, but it didn't sound accusatory; instead, it was filled with suppressed worry.
He's starting to act like a responsible older brother.
But he also tried his best to suppress the urge to question her.
"...I didn't avoid it." She forced a smile, but her voice was weak and strained.
Cheng Mingdu stared at her, and in the darkness, that familiar breath was so close that it made her a little flustered.
"Ye Yuying, you've come this far... all for the right to refuse, so why don't you just refuse?" He finally spoke, his voice sharp and forceful, but seeing her distressed expression, his tone softened.
He asked in confusion, "Are you enduring pain?"
At that moment, Ye Yuying longed for all her pretense to be stripped away, and her eyes welled up with tears.
She didn't answer, but simply reached out and grabbed the hem of his suit jacket.
It was a silent cry for help, like a drowning person instinctively trying to grab onto something.
She silently gritted her teeth, wishing she could crush both rows of teeth to pieces.
She was helpless and in so much pain she wanted to cry, especially when he appeared. His presence and warmth were right in front of her, and every cell in her body relaxed in front of Cheng Mingdu.
Over the years, she has rarely felt so much pain that she wanted to cry, but at this moment, she felt her heart was aching from the pain.
Cheng Mingdu lowered his eyelashes, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his heart seemed to tighten at her slight touch.
He didn't dare pull her away—he should have reminded her to restrain herself, but he just watched her quietly in the darkness, as if silently guarding her side.
They remained silent.
In the darkness, there was only the sound of their breathing and her slight groaning. She breathed heavily, her voice trembling, her head barely touching his chest, yet she couldn't recklessly bury herself in his embrace.
She shouldn't be the fickle one; having chosen a narrow path, she's determined to cross it alone.
Cheng Mingdu couldn't help but raise his hand, his fingertips gently touching the hand that was holding the cane, only to find that warm water droplets were dripping onto the back of his hand.
"Ye Yuying, where exactly does it hurt..." His voice was extremely soft, carrying a suppressed tenderness that only she could hear.
She lowered her head, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.
The pain was like a thorny, withered branch, slowly cutting into the bone from the skin, making her wish she could have her limbs amputated without marijuana.
She tried to endure it, but her body was on the verge of collapse, like a tightly squeezed pomegranate, ready to burst open and release its juice at any moment.
“…Brother.” She looked up, her face wet with tears, as if trying to see his face clearly in the darkness. The pain made her eyes widen wildly, her bloodshot eyes filled with bloodlust.
She wanted to laugh, but the smile wouldn't come out; she could only sob weakly.
A hand appeared on her shoulder and pulled her tightly into an embrace.
She was on the verge of collapse, her forehead pressed hard against his collarbone, her icy fingers gripping his shirt tightly, as if she wanted to tear the fabric apart.
"you--"
How much have you been through all these years that I don't know about?
Why, after eight years apart, are your eyes filled with scars and sorrow...?
His voice was almost hoarse, but before he could pull her away, he suddenly felt a numbness in his shoulder.
She actually... bit him.
It was an action bordering on despair. He bit down on his shoulder through a layer of clothing, his teeth trembling as if he wanted to crush his bones and blood to barely withstand the excruciating pain that swept over him from the depths of his nerves.
His shirt shoulder was wet from her biting, and his breath hitched, but he didn't push her away.
The darkness of the emergency exit enveloped them like a silent curtain.
As she bit his shoulder, her chest heaved violently, her breath hot as if a knife were scraping his skin.
That extreme vulnerability and repression, separated by the high walls built by time, divides people's hearts, making even breathing heavy.
Cheng Mingdu used almost all his strength to restrain the urge to hug her tightly and hold her completely.
His hand paused in mid-air, his fingertips trembling slightly from restraint, before finally landing gently on her back, as if afraid of hurting her with too much force.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.” His voice was so low it was almost broken, yet it carried a hint of gentle compromise.
She was like a possessed beast, biting him tightly, her tears falling one by one onto his shoulder.
He was very close, his voice suppressed to the bone, trembling in a way she couldn't detect, "If you want me to help you, I'll do anything, just bite..."
These words acted like a wake-up call, bringing Ye Yuying back to her senses. The pain was so clear, and the person in her heart was so clear as well. She couldn't hold back her tears.
She finally opened her arms to him, wrapped them tightly around his lean waist, and burst into tears in his arms. The fragile little deer she had imprisoned was finally released.
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Author's Note: 50
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