Qin Bing's promise

She didn't turn around, yet she knew exactly who Qin Bing was asking about.

"He won't die."

Yan Ruyu's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

The breathing behind her visibly hitched.

Immediately after, Yan Ruyu heard a very, very soft exhale, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

This sigh was like an invisible needle, piercing ruthlessly into her heart.

She spun around abruptly, her gaze like lightning shooting toward Qin Bing by the hospital bed.

Qin Bing's head was still lowered, her facial expression hidden from view.

But her hands, resting on her knees and unconsciously clenched tight, betrayed the turbulent waves within her heart.

Did she hate him?

Of course she did.

Whenever Qin Bing closed her eyes, she could recall that night—how she had, while fully conscious, step by step become a slave to desire.

That humiliation and despair of the body betraying the will was like the most vicious brand, etched into the depths of her soul.

But she also remembered the shocking wounds on that man's body.

She remembered the scene of him fighting a bloody battle against that devilish killer to protect her.

Even more, she remembered that she was the one who had taken the initiative to kiss him.

Driven by the effects of the drug, she had been like an insatiable beast, frantically demanding from him.

Hate and gratitude.

Humiliation and guilt.

These two diametrically opposed emotions were like two ferocious trapped beasts, frantically tearing at her heart, causing her unbearable pain.

"Qin Bing."

Yan Ruyu's voice unconsciously softened slightly.

She walked over to Qin Bing and crouched down, wanting to say something to comfort her.

"Don't think too much. The most important thing now is to recover well. Everything will pass."

But as soon as those words left her mouth, Yan Ruyu herself felt they were absurd.

Recover well?

Today was already the third day.

At most, there were four days left.

In four days, that instinct hidden deep in Qin Bing's heart would flare up again.

The so-called 'recovering well' was nothing more than pale, powerless, empty words.

A self-deceiving lie that could never be realized.

Just as Yan Ruyu was enveloped by the powerlessness of her own words, a cold hand gently covered the back of hers.

It was Qin Bing.

She looked up.

On that pale, haggard face, there were no tears, nor was there a breakdown.

There was only an extraordinary calm and a stubbornness burning with fire.

"Master, you don't need to worry about me."

Qin Bing's voice was still raspy, but every word was clear and firm.

"I can handle it."

"I will never succumb to it, never..."

In those once clear phoenix eyes, there now flickered a resolve to rather be shattered jade than a whole tile.

Seeing her most prized disciple in this state...

Yan Ruyu's heart felt both gratified and pierced with agonizing pain.

She knew how fierce and unyielding Qin Bing's character was.

But this time, what she had to fight was not a heinous criminal, but the most primitive and irresistible instinct within her own body.

This was a war destined to have no smoke.

"Good."

A thousand words ultimately condensed into just this one.

Other than this word, she didn't know what else to say.

Yan Ruyu stood up, reassuming her cold and stern demeanor.

"I'll have someone bring over a set of professional exercise equipment later and put it in your ward."

"If... that comes, and you really can't hold on, then run, jump, strike—exhaust every bit of your strength."

This was the only method she could think of for now that might be of some use.

Using physical exhaustion to combat the erosion of desire.

Qin Bing nodded without refusing.

Yan Ruyu looked at her, her lips moving as if she wanted to say more, but she swallowed the words back down.

The atmosphere in the ward became heavy once again.

In the end, Yan Ruyu still couldn't hold back.

She turned her back, her voice carrying a trace of complex emotion that even she hadn't noticed.

"Qin Bing, remember this.

That man... he doesn't lack women by his side."

"Yang Yun, Murong Wan, and your sister Qin Xue... and Yang Yun's younger sister."

"Every one of them, I can feel, has a relationship with him that is far from simple."

Yan Ruyu didn't turn around; she was afraid of seeing any hint of a hurt expression that might appear on Qin Bing's face.

"I don't know what kind of person he really is, and I don't want to know what kind of twisted relationship he has with those women."

"But I truly do not wish for you to become one of them."

"Even if... it's forced."

These words had far exceeded the boundaries of a master to a disciple.

It was more like a loving mother giving her most cherished daughter her most helpless and pained advice.

Behind her, there was a long silence.

Just as Yan Ruyu was wondering if she had spoken too harshly and wounded Qin Bing's already fragile self-esteem, Qin Bing's voice rang out again.

"I know."

"Master, rest assured."

"I, Qin Bing, even if I die, will never allow myself to become the kind of person that even I would look down upon."

That was a promise.

A thorny promise forged from pride and will.

Yan Ruyu's tense body finally relaxed a fraction.

She said nothing more, pulled open the door, and walked out quickly.

In the empty corridor, only the sound of her increasingly heavy footsteps remained.

She knew Qin Bing would keep her promise... Nightfall, like spilled ink, silently saturated the entirety of Shen City.

The door to Ward V001 finally opened.

Two uniformed Police Officers finally stepped out from inside.

A full five hours.

Strictly following Yan Ruyu's instructions, they had conducted what could be called a "routine interrogation" of Li Wei, digging three feet deep into his past.

From him skipping class to go to internet cafes in first grade, to failing exams and retaking them in college, to which female colleague he spoke more than a few words with after starting work—everything that could be asked and even things that shouldn't be asked were all turned upside down.

They had expected to see Li Wei break down or become impatient.

But as it turned out, Li Wei had been surprisingly cooperative from beginning to end.

He was like a storyteller sitting in a teahouse, unhurried and answering every question. He even kindly reminded Yang Yun, who was waiting outside, to pour water for them when their throats were parched.

An interrogation that was supposed to be high-pressure had been forcibly turned by him into a long and tedious resume recital session.

In the end, it was the two robust policemen who felt embarrassed first.

Watching the two Police Officers practically flee, Yang Yun and Yang Weiwei, who were waiting in the guest area, exchanged a look, both seeing a trace of helplessness in each other's eyes.

The two of them pushed the door open and walked into the inner room.

"Li Wei, are you sick in the head or something?"

As soon as Yang Yun entered, she walked to the bedside crossly and poked Li Wei's forehead with her finger.

"You knew that Policewoman surnamed Yan wasn't someone to mess with, yet you still spoke so rudely? Now look, you've been tormented by the people she sent for half the day. Happy now?"