89 What Happened in the Past, Remains in the Past

The whole staircase fell into silence as Makio parted from his beloved. Shino dusted her shirt before she coldly stared at the man, she dared love in the past.

Makio was not used to this side of her. The woman he loved was cheerful in his memory and love was clearly evident in her eyes every time she gazes at his eyes. But now, she glared hard at him and gave him the cold shoulder. "Shino"

"It's Cao Xiaolian" she immediately remarked the moment he called out for her name again. She's now living the life she had always wanted. She's freely reaching her dreams and her child is living a peaceful life. She has no intention of ruining it just because Makio finally dared to show up in front of her. "The Ieiri Shino you know, the Ieiri Shino who fell in love with you, is all in the past. So, get off me before I use my fist against you, you fucking bastard"

"Shino!" Makio called out once more making Cao Xiaolian angrier than ever.

She can't decipher whether it was unintentional or the bastard is really stirring up things by bringing up her buried identity.

"Stop calling me that!" she yelled out the moment she saw Makio walking closer to her while mumbling her name. She slapped away his hands when he tried to reach out for his name. His actions will surely stir up something in her, thus, evading it is the safest way for her to not get trapped in his game again. "You just came here to check who's disturbing your work, didn't you? Well now that you've seen the culprit, get lost!"

Makio clicked his tongue at her action. She looks like a threatened snake coiling up in defense. He didn't want to disturb her and receive a beating but there are questions that need to be answered. The more he thinks about those questions, he can't help but get angry at her for leaving him behind.

He doesn't know why she left but what she did clearly surged the anger within him, especially since the young child he praised could possibly be his child.

But he could also be someone else's child. Did she get another lover while he was looking for her?

Thinking this, Makio can't help but push her into the cemented wall again. There was fury in his eyes as his mind began drifting towards the possibility of Shino leaving him behind for another man. "Is Yingjie my child?"

"Get off me, Makio!" Cao Xiaolian shouted as she tried her best to get away from his grasp. But he was already angry and his strength was not something Cao Xiaolian cannot easily topple. Despite his weak-looking physique, Makio is quite a strong man and he proved that to her countless times in the past.

When she tried to evade his question again, Makio let out the anger within him. "Answer my question!"

"That matter no longer concerns you!" she exclaimed with all the coldness she could ever muster. She's currently pinned down by Makio but her anger is stronger than her fear. Cao Yingjie is her child and she will not allow him to learn from his jerk of a Father. "Whether he is your child or not doesn't change the fact that you're no longer a part of my life"

"Shino"

Cao Xiaolian glared hardly at him again. Calling out her name repeatedly is lowering his chances of ever receiving her forgiveness!

Merely calling out her name and making her recall her past is not enough to appease the anger she feels for him. He had all the chances in the world but the jerk didn't do enough to look for them. No matter how hard he tries, he is already 8 years late and nothing could ever change that fact. "What happened in the past shall remain in the past. Don't think that you can continue it where we left off and don't you ever think that it can still be fixed because you came 8 years late"

There was a sudden pang in his heart when he heard what she said. What she said is indeed true. He is 8 years late but they wouldn't be in such a situation if she left over their fight!

Suddenly, he remembers Ji Li Zhao and his affectionate reaction to Cao Yingjie. Somehow, he felt betrayed by him and the organization that he can't help but clench his fist in vexation. "Does Boss know?"

"He only found out when Yingjie entered his door" Cao Xiaolian answered with a mocking smirk. The moment Hou Wei Yan brought Cao Yingjie home, Ji Li Zhao instantly knew his real identity. He squeezed the truth out of Fang and immediately contacted her to learn what truly transpired between them and how she ended up raising Cao Yingjie alone and far from his father.

"Even he immediately found out when he saw Yingjie, but why didn't you?" she asked with mockery. She could clearly remember what Cao Yingjie told her about the man he met named Shun Makio. He faced his son and even received countless remarks about their similarity but the idiot merely shrugged it off and didn't even try to find out why they look similar to one another. That was another chance missed and he proved to her how unobservant he is when it comes to them.

Of course, Makio felt angry at himself when she mentioned this, and Cao Xiaolian took this opportunity to free herself from his grasp. She gathered enough strength to shove him away and immediately created a distance between them. "You're not that much of a genius after all"

"Wait!" Makio yelled out when he saw Cao Xiaolian hurrying towards the door. He managed to grab hold of her hands but Cao Xiaolian was done talking nonsense to him.

"Stop following me! I disappeared before; I can disappear again. If I were you, I would maintain this distance and never disturb my life again" she coldly stated before leaving him behind. He was unable to make a move anymore and lost all strength to chase her.

Cao Xiaolian sticks to her words. She is more than capable of disappearing again and who knows how many years it will take him again to find her. For now, he needs to do as she says and keep watch over them from a distance as he plans out his next move.

After he drew this conclusion in his head, another matter popped out again when he remembered the man who lied to him about the malfunction. Based on his actions, he found out about it a long time ago and this fact made him angrier than ever.

"Fang Tao" he mumbled between his grated teeth. Without hesitation, he dashed towards Hou Wei Yan's office. When he saw Fang Tao closing the door of the office, all reasoning left him as he was engulfed by fury and pounced at Fang Tao. The loud sound of a fist hitting a face immediately echoed throughout the hallway the next thing they know, Fang Tao was already lying on the ground, his face thrown to the side and his cheeks were swollen red by the impact. "You fucking bastard"

"Oh my God!" Hou Wei Yan yelled out as he rushed towards Fang Tao and helped him get up. "Fang!"

Fang Tao nodded his head at Hou Wei Yan after he got up to ease up the anxiety slowly building in her. He slowly dusted himself before he glared at the man who actually dared raise his fist against him for the first time in his life. "What's with all the fuss?"

"You knew but you didn't bother to tell me!" Makio immediately shouted causing quite a few people to glance their way. Hou Wei Yan flinched at the strength of his voice and immediately became aware of the other's stares.

Of course, Fang Tao felt their gazes as well and he didn't like the intention one bit. So, he immediately turned toward Hou Wei Yan and handed her the folder he was holding which contains the files of their future medical team members. "Madame, can we use your office?"

Hou Wei Yan glanced at Fang Tao and the man who just punched him. Slowly, she nodded her head thinking that they know each other well and just need to talk things through. "Of course"

"I'll go start recruiting right now" she blurted out as she turned her heels around and began walking away from the scene. The moment she left, Fang immediately pulled Makio inside and pushed him harshly on the wall.

He is obviously weaker than him but Makio's punch hit him square in the face which caused quite pain. He slowly massaged his face and glared coldly at him.

Makio knew what he did wasn't right but he was angry at what he did and refused to back down. "Why didn't you tell me that Cao Xiaolian was Shino?!"

"Because your woman forced me to stay silent!" he exclaimed in vexation. He knows he is angry but venting out on him is clearly not the right choice. The one he needs to scold is his very self—no one else but himself for not doing enough.

"She told me her reasons and I found it very difficult to side with you. So, I allowed her to do as she wants and helped her hide her identity during Yingjie's stay because your child was happy with the Madame!"

"Her reasons?! We only fought before because I was forcing her to join Palisades! She left me because I didn't back down!" Makio yelled back. He only fought with her and she left him. The moment he tried to force her to join Palisades, she got angry at him, threw away her ring, and left him angrily. "That reason was enough to move you?"

Fang Tao stopped moving and looked at him weirdly. [What the fuck? This fucking jerk is making my blood boil!]

"I never expected you were this kind of jerk, Makio" he remarked as he plopped himself on the couch. He viewed Makio as a decent man but his views changed when Cao Xiaolian told him her reason for leaving him. Now, his image of Makio turned worse when he refused to admit his mistake. "You didn't admit that you were wrong and you didn't take responsibility for your actions"

"I could have taken responsibility if you didn't hide it!" Makio blurted out in anger. He could have fixed their relationship earlier on if Fang Tao and Ji Li Zhao didn't hide it from him. "You guys betrayed me!"

"We recently found out about it! Why are you blaming us instead of accepting the truth that you're 8 years late?!" Fang retorted as he stood up in anger at what he said. They betrayed him?! Shino left them but she remains as their family member. The first who betrayed them was Makio because he hurt the woman they treasured in the organization. "You didn't look hard enough for her because you reasoned out that she left you over a fight! She left you when in truth you were the first one who let go!"

"What are you talking about?"

"That day she left, Shino said she found you cheating on her! She found you sleeping with someone else! You know her circumstances yet you prioritized your balls" he said as he grabbed hold of Makio's collar. Ieri Shino has a trauma over cheaters. Any sign of disloyalty and she will flee to safety. As her boyfriend and apprentice, he should know this over anyone else. But the bastard cheated anyway! "If that's not considered a jerk, then what is?!"

"Sleeping with someone else?" Makio asked in confusion. When did he ever sleep with someone else aside Shino?! "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Ask your girlfriend" Fang coolly answered before he swung his fist and hit him right in the face. He then released his grip and allowed him to fall to the ground. The mark of Fang's fist can clearly be seen and it was placed at the same spot as Fang's.

"I understand that you're angry but I never let anyone punch me without returning the favor" he remarked as he donned a satisfied smirk on his face. Ah, hitting someone back is the best thing for wild men like him. "Stand up! Learn to live with your failure. You and I both know you can no longer fix this mess so live on and try to appease your child in the very least"

"Fang Tao" Makio called out but Fang is no longer willing to reason out with him. He opened up the door and stood straight at the side while holding the knob. It was a sign that he needed to leave now. "Return to your post, Einstein. You still have a job to do. Don't dawdle or you'll bury yourself in another mess"

Left with no choice, Makio left the office, his face swollen and his mind a complete mess.

.....

The punch that landed on Fang Tao's face earlier was still marked in Hou Wei Yan's mind. She strode the hallway looking as normal as possible, but her mind is quite a mess. Unbelievable questions began popping into her mind one at a time. [Is he Fang's family member? Or does he also work for my husband? Wait. What if they began to fight more in the office? There's no one around in there except them so it's a more suitable place to make a mess. I shouldn't have left them alone, right?]

But she was already in front of her prospect member's room. Turning back was no longer an option so she just trusted Fang Tao and ventured inside after three knocks. She popped her head inside when she saw the assistant leisurely drinking his coffee. "Excuse me, is Doctor Ashraf inside?"

"Doctor Hou" the assistant called out politely. He beamed her a smile before directing her gaze towards the Laboratory Room with a distinct and isolated door at the left corner of the office. "He's inside as usual. You can meet him if you want"

Hou Wei Yan nodded her head as she strode toward the room. Before entering, she looked back and smiled at the assistant who always treated her politely. "Thank you, Derrick!"

"Doctor Ash?" she gently called out before closing the door behind her. The room was quite enormous and it was filled with necessary stuff for experimenting. The reason behind its obvious extravagance is Master Han who succumbed to Ashraf's annoying nagging and requests. Since he's producing revolutionary medicine and discoveries, he continued to pamper the man until the room became Ashraf's haven.

"Oh, Doctor Hou!" Ashraf replied before placing down the flask he was holding and gently maneuvering himself out of the dangerous zone. "What brings you here?"

"I came to talk to you about something" Hou Wei Yan stated as she followed Ashraf out of the room. Both of them entered his main office and consultation room where he immediately took off his PPEs. Hou Wei Yan settled down on the couch and Ashraf stood on the opposite side of it. "I heard from Master Han that you volunteered to join my medical team. May I be so bold and take you up on that offer?"

Hou Wei Yan was expecting him to accept but his next words came out unexpectedly for her. "I was waiting for you"

"Waiting?" she asked in confusion. By the way he talks, it doesn't seem like he's referring to the volunteering offer he had with Han Tengfei.

"I remember seeing you once on a convention abroad" Ashraf suddenly remarked causing Hou Wei Yan to turn rigid and stiff. If he met her abroad, it means that he met her when she was either 'The Daredevil' or the 'Haughty Genius of Mortham Private Hospital'—this title, of course, is only an assumption many people created because Hou Wei Yan always finishes the most complicated of surgeries in the shortest time possible.

"I was just a resident doctor then and everyone was singing praises to me, saying that I was a genius. But then I met someone younger than me, someone with more achievements than me, and someone whose heart is purer than mine. I realized that I wasn't much of a genius after all and afterward I began to admire that person" he continued making Hou Wei Yan's face suddenly turn cold and detached. Her actions made Ashraf lean his back on the couch and smile at her. "Your face tells me you've met countless people who also feel the same way as I"

"Yes" she immediately replied, her warmness when entering his office earlier now disappearing into thin air. "And their admiration is not something I'm fond of"

"Why?"

"Because their admiration often time leads to jealousy and envy. They tried to reach where I stand, but when they can't do it no matter how hard they try, they turn their backs on me and slander me instead" Hou Wei Yan honestly stated. Her road to becoming the great doctor she is now is not smooth. She tried to finish her studies as fast as possible and she worked her ass out and nearly killed herself while doing so. When she finally became a Doctor, she had to put up with plenty of tests and hardships before she could operate. Of course, that's not where everything ends.

The Emergency Room is a cruel Department. She needs to be knowledgeable in all surgeries possible, so she would tire herself out to study after her shifts.

She worked hard, and sacrificed a lot of her time as well, and yet people assume that she didn't work hard at all. They immediately assume she's a genius who could do anything in a snap of a finger.

They never acknowledged that Geniuses are people who work harder than the rest. Their reputation and knowledge were built through their hard work as well.

"When I tried to reach for them, when I tried to lower myself so they won't feel inferior, it only worsened everything. Since then, I stopped caring about whatever they named me. I decided to continue pursuing my path to medicine while not minding what curses they say to me or what scheme they use against me because my main objective is treating patients...not placing myself on the highest pedestal nor minding how many followers I garner" she finally continued after a long pause.

"I decided to never change myself to cater to others, so Doctor Ashraf can stop admiring me now. If you begin to hinder my work using schemes, I won't hesitate to cut you off" Hou Wei Yan remarked with a dangerously threatening voice. She used her best intimidation to kill Ashraf's admiration for her before its too late. "I am not as pure or as good as you think, I already made countless hateful and selfish decisions in this life"

They often refer to her as an angel, but she herself never believed in that. She's kind, but not merciful enough to be dubbed an angel or a saint.

"I see" Ashraf unexpectedly replied. Hou Wei Yan seriously looked at him, observing his tiny actions, and was suddenly surprised when she saw a smile on his face. "Then that's even better. At least, Doctor Hou is human"

"Excuse me?"

"I was beginning to doubt whether you were a robot or not" he casually stated as he shrugged his shoulders. He admires her but for it to turn into obsession is as low as 0.001%. The only thing he's obsessed with is experiments and nothing could topple the sensation of creating medicine for him. "You're too perfect it's scaring me"

Hou Wei Yan was slightly baffled by his words and action, But during her observation, she noticed that he was the type of person who wears his heart on his sleeve. With this thought in mind, she can't help but smile at him. "No one is perfect, Doctor Ash"

"I know" he replied as he grinned. Indeed, no one is perfect. No matter how much a person brags about his perfection, at one point, their weakness will show up.

"Does the offer for your medical team still stand? Even if I admire you, are you still willing to employ me?" Ashraf suddenly asked as he gazed at her. But he suddenly coughed when he realized that there are different types of admiration out there. "Just to be clear, I admire you as a doctor"

"If Doctor Ash promises to prioritize his patients before his admiration, then I am more than willing to accept you"

"That's easy" he replied with a goofy smile. Everyone perceives him as a weird fellow and instantly becomes prejudiced. No matter how weird or chaotic his mind is when experimenting, he is still a doctor and he would never dare neglect his patients over something as trivial as admiration. When the matter was finally settled, his curiosity immediately sprung up when an image of a petite and delicate-looking woman came to his mind. "Do you already have a scrub nurse?"

"Not yet" she replied back politely as she shook her head. She just finished finalizing her targets when Cao Xiaolian arrived so Ashraf is the first member of his team aside from Qiu Meixiu. "You're the first one on my list"

"May I know who you're vying for?" he asked without restraint. If she doesn't have anyone yet, then he has the perfect person to recommend.

"Xie Na told me the valor of Little Long Lee" Hou Wei Yan mumbled as she remembered what Xie Na told her. She decided to investigate her and found out just how kind and caring she is as a person. What's more, she's a very brave and seasoned nurse despite her very petite and fragile-looking physique. "I'm hoping she'll accept"

As she finished her strategic plan on how to persuade Long Lee, she turned to Ashraf and was dead shocked when she found him smiling. She had seen him smile countless times but he always appears cold and detached from other staff. This is the first time she saw him smile with the topic of their Hospital Staff at hand. "Don't tell me---"

"I think that's it. Thank you for your visit Doctor Hou" Ashraf rapidly said making Hou Wei Yan slightly confused whether he was rapping or not. He then sprung up from his seat and lead her outside before she could point out anything. "I'll wait for an official invitation"

"I---" before she could finish her sentence, Ashraf already waved his hands and closed the door. He immediately clutched down and blocked the door while clenching his head and leaving Wei yan to smile knowingly at the tightly shut door. She shook her head and decided to leave the office after waving Derrick goodbye.

She's done playing cupid. One mistake is enough for her to learn her lesson. So for this matter, she decided to let it flow according to what's destined to happen without stepping in and destroying everything.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Fang waiting outside. The fist mark he received earlier was still evident on his face making her worriedly glance at him. "Are you okay? Was your business already finished?"

"Yeah" he shortly replied before he walked beside her.

After a few moments of silence, Hou Wei Yan can no longer hold her curiosity back and finally decided to confront him regarding the man who suddenly attacked them. "Who was that man?"

"Hmmm" he began before looking away with a frown. "Yingjie's father"

"What!?" Hou Wei Yan exclaimed quite loudly in shock. [The man who punched Fang is Yingjie's Father? He's Xiaolian's Bastard Ex who cheated and dumped her?]

Fang returned his gaze to her before seriously restating his statement to make her understand and believe in him. "That man you saw is Cao Yingjie's father"

"And you know him?" she suddenly asked, still surprised with her sudden discovery. If that man is there, he probably met Xiaolian already. [Wait! He and Fang are acquainted with each other and Fang knows that he is Yingjie's father which makes him and Xiaolian acquainted with each other as well. But during their meeting, they acted like real strangers. All this time they were acting like strangers purposely? Why? Did something happen between them?]

"Somehow" he nonchalantly answered forcing Hou Wei Yan's train of thoughts to reach an abrupt end.

She quietly observes Fang and finally decided to not pursue the topic anymore. Fang is the type who only tells what should be said and nothing more. The matter must be quite deep and he must not have the right to tell her the whole story. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me"

"That man, if I see him next time, he'll receive a good beating from me" she blurted out all of a sudden as she secretly glanced at Fang for his permission. "I hope you don't intervene when that time comes"

Fang sighed at this as Makio's face flashed across his mind. "I won't intervene"

Hou Wei Yan nodded her head in enthusiasm when she heard this. After a short second, when she noticed that they finally arrived at their target spot, she reverted back to her professional decorum. She slowly approached a petite nurse who was busy typing a report on the computer. "Are you Nurse Long Lee?"

"Doctor Hou!" she exclaimed in surprise when she saw her idol in front of her.

"I want to talk to you" Hou Wei Yan said with a smile. "Can you meet me at my office later?"

Long Lee nodded her head without hesitation. "Okay"

She nodded her head as well before she walked away with Fang leaving an ecstatic Long Lee behind. They slowly headed towards the elevator towards their next capture target. "Next is Doctor He Lan"

"The Anaesthesiologist?" Fang asked as he pressed the close button. Hou Wei Yan immediately nodded her head before she began thinking of the people she's yet to convince to join her team.

"We still have a long way to go" she muttered with a sigh before the elevator started moving up.