~Excerpt~ She looked at him. Her gaze was resolute. "Let's date, Tinghao." The office was quiet. A cold breeze blew into the room and it sent shivers down Fu Tinghao's spine. He reached out to button the top buttons back. He couldn't believe his ears. For a moment, he feared he had heard the wrong thing. He lifted his head and he looked at her. She was looking at him quietly as though waiting for him to speak. He couldn't help but shake his head and laughed dryly. But, there was a lack of humor in his voice. "Tang Wan, it's not April Fools Day. Can you stop pulling my leg?"[1] Tang Wan was speechless. She looked carefully at him and realized that he didn't seem to be kidding. He really didn't believe her words. She pursed her lips and repeated, "I mean it. Let's date." Then, she stressed, as though to make her words more believable. "I love you." Fu Tinghao was stunned. He stared at her in a daze. It was then he felt the urgency in her words. He could sense the sincerity in those words. She said she loved him. He was unable to react, trying to comprehend her words. He felt a surge of happiness invade him. It was as though he was in the clouds. But on the surface, he was calm and his head was lowered. After some time, he looked up at her and gave a small chuckle, "Tang Wan, why do you like playing around like this? Just yesterday, you said you couldn't love anyone. I already accepted my fate that my love will forever be one-sided. But now, you are telling me you love me?" Tang Wan lowered her head as embarrassment sunk in. He was right. She had been unresponsive to his advances for a long time. And suddenly, she confessed to him. Anyone would feel doubtful. She opened her mouth to talk but he didn't let her… He cut in. "I don't love you anymore though." Tang Wan looked at him. He was staring at her seriously. His eyes were fixated on her and he seemed to be deadly serious. Of course, she had no idea he was only playing hard to get. Her heart skipped a beat. As his words sunk in, she felt a surge of panic. Her chest tightened as though there was a hand squeezing it. It was extremely uncomfortable. Was this how he felt all this while? No, she could not accept this outcome. "Fu Tinghao…" He looked at her. "I can't accept your love." Then, he picked up the light switch remote and clicked on it. The light immediately came on and the surroundings brightened. He then turned to the documents on the desk. He picked the blue fountain pen in the pen holder and stated, "I got to work." He lowered his head and began to write seriously. He didn't look at her anymore. Tang Wan was unable to move as she looked at that handsome face. She felt a strong sense of panic she had not felt in a long time. She didn't know what suddenly got into her. But, she rushed towards him and grabbed him by the collar. Then, she grabbed his chin and lifted his face up to look at her. She could vaguely see traces of emotions in his eyes too. But, she couldn't dwell on that anymore. She lowered her lips to his. She kissed him. *** Tang Wan, the beautiful daughter of the Tang family suddenly went insane after her parents deaths. Her very loving husband, Feng Jun immediately registered her at a mental hospital to protect and make sure she doesn't embarrass herself in the circle. That was what everyone thought... They were all discussing about how loving and patient Feng Jun was. But in reality... It was all a sham. *** Tang Wan, 22 years old went into a state of mania after her parents death and her husband's infidelity. There she met Fu Tinghao, a renowned doctor and with his help, she was able to recover. She returned to take over her family's entertainment company. Then, she started to create her own path in the industry, gaining a foothold as a renowned director and agent. Phoenix_10 (Mide) First Published: 2022
"My time is not up yet," Fu Tinghao calmly said the moment he accepted the call. The office was quiet except for the occasional tapping sounds of his finger against the desk.
An elderly but firm voice immediately sounded back. "Brat, I'm not calling to question you about the time."
"Then, why did you call?" Fu Tinghao scoffed. "Isn't it because you heard that I'm presiding over another patient's treatment? You're merely worried I'll go back on my words."
"You…"
The elderly man sighed and stroked his temple. "I'm your father, Tinghao. I know you better than anyone else. I already gave you the freedom to be a doctor for all these years. I know you won't go back on your words. You'll return to take over when the time is up."
"Why did you call?"
"I'll send a few more bodyguards to you." The man paused for a moment. "I heard she's dangerous."
Fu Tinghao was initially silent. His eyes flashed for a moment. "No need. Wu Jing and Xu Yi can protect me."
"But…"
"I don't want to burden my patient. I can protect myself. You don't need to worry."
"Tinghao," the man sighed helplessly. "Okay. I won't say anymore."
"Hm," Fu Tinghao replied. "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."
Then, he disconnected the line and placed the phone on the table. The cold expression on his face instantly shattered. His hand which was on the desk shook lightly. His head was lowered. Otherwise, one would have noticed that his eyes were red.
He was in that position for a while until someone knocked on his office door. He instantly wiped his eyes lightly and his expression returned to normal. He looked in the direction of the door. "Who's there?"
"It's Li Jin, boss." It was his assistant. Fu Tinghao leaned back into his chair, adjusting his mood, and reverted to his usual calm demeanor.
Tapping on the desk, he said to the assistant at the other side of the door. "Come in."
The door opened and Li Jin stepped into the office. He placed a file on the desk respectfully. "Boss, I've investigated and compiled everything you asked for in this file."
Fu Tinghao's gaze landed on the thick blue folder and he gave a nod. "Okay."
But, Li Jin didn't leave. He pursed his lips carefully and said, "Boss, it's lunchtime."
Fu Tinghao looked at him questioningly. Li Jin continued, "You didn't eat in the morning, also."
Fu Tinghao was silent. He knew his assistant was worried about his health. But, he wasn't a breakfast person. Li Jin also knew. But, he still kept on persuading him to eat every day.
Fu Tinghao sighed. "Alright, I'll eat."
Li Jin's expression instantly relaxed. "Then, I'll immediately order from your favorite restaurant."
He gave a slight bow and immediately exited the office. Fu Tinghao stared at his retreating figure for some time before releasing a smile.
He had known Li Jin for nearly five years. They had met during his internship period in medical school. He wanted to set up a hospital and he needed a helping hand. Li Jin volunteered and left the capital with him for Suzhou. So, there was a hint of familiarity between them and they were naturally close.
Fu Tinghao opened the folder. The first section was a medical report. It was about the woman he saw the day before at Yan's Hospital. Although he already expected her illness to be severe, he was surprised by how complicated it was. Not only was she suffering from schizophrenia, but she also had depression and mania.
When Fu Tinghao received her medical report, it was classified as confidential. It got him suspicious of her identity so he instructed Li Jin to investigate her background.
Fu Tinghao flipped the file calmly, his expression unchanging but there was an unknown glint evident in the depth of his eyes.
The office was quiet as he read the file. It was only about thirty minutes later, did he got up from the desk and went to stretch before the window.
He stared at the rows of building around his office. Several cars passed by the intersection roads which were lined by shops and stores.
Suzhou wasn't like the capital however it was peaceful and comfortable to live in. It had been two years since he left Beijing. He had an agreement with his father and he was to return to Beijing in a month.
But on second thought…
He wounded away from the window and looked at the file that lay quietly on the desk. He was interested in this patient. He wanted to cure her.
Filled with newfound resolve, the man pulled out his cell phone and depressed Yan Zheng's speed dial number. The phone rang once before it was answered.
"Hey, buddy," Yan Zheng's cheerful voice was instantly heard.
"Hey," Fu Tinghao greeted back. "How's the preparation going?"
Yan Zheng instantly replied,
"Done," He paused before asking, "Tinghao, are you sure you want to take this patient? You heard what Dr. Li said. She's dangerous. What if she hurts you?"
"I want to cure her. Thank you for your hard work, Yan Zheng."
"No. I should thank you for investing in our family's hospital."
"Then, I'll get back to you later," Fu Tinghao said and the call was disconnected. He leaned on the grey-colored walls of the office and thought about what he read in his investigation.
The lady was named Tang Wan. And, just as Fu Tinghao suspected, she was the young mistress of an aristocratic family. She was engaged to Feng Jun, the young master of the Feng family since birth.
To enable them to grow comfortable around each other, both families made sure they lived together. They grew up together. In short, it could be said they were childhood sweethearts.
They got married in their last year of university and it had been two years since then. But things went downhill when her parents died in an air crash a few months back. The same day, she found out her husband had been cheating on her and the other woman was even pregnant.
She had barely recovered from those series of shocks when the board of directors put her uncle in charge of her father's company. They felt she wasn't in the right mind to lead the company. It turned out her husband and her uncle had been cooking up plans to overthrow her father from his own company. They'd been bribing the directors behind his back.
Unable to withstand this series of events, grief overcame the young woman and directly affected her mind. Since then, her uncle had begun to reap all of her father's hard work and her husband dumped her in the hospital under the pretense of being a good husband.
Currently, very few people had any idea that the woman had been unjustly treated. What everyone knew was that the once glorious princess of the Tang family had gone mad.