Agony. Unbearable agony.
Feng Suyin's consciousness came back to her as raw pain tore through her entire body. Every inch of her burned. She could barely make a sound, let alone a scream. The scent of charred flesh and chemicals still hung in the air, carrying the explosion that had left her disfigured and broken on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Her wedding.
Tears blurred her vision. Feng Suyin struggled to come to terms with the reality of her injuries. Just hours ago, she had been overflowing with excitement and hope for the future. Now she found herself trapped in a nightmare.
Lying in the hospital bed, her mind ran over the events leading up to this horrific accident. She remembered the morning sun filtering through the trees, the light on her face. Now it offered nothing against the dread inside her.
A tear escaped her eye. How different everything would be if things had turned out differently.
She was only seven years old when she was adopted into the Feng family. No memories of her time at the orphanage. Back then, she had thought finding a home and family was the best thing that could ever happen to her.
But as she grew older, the truth became impossible to ignore. The Feng family, who had taken her in out of compassion, were not as kind as they had appeared. Despite their initial affection for her, they were more concerned with their reputation and social standing than showing any real love or care toward their adopted daughter.
Her adoptive mother used to shower Feng Suyin with love and treat her like her own child when she first arrived. Everything changed when she gave birth to Feng Yilan—Feng Suyin's younger sister. From then on, Feng Suyin became invisible in their eyes. Feng Yilan was born into a life of luxury and privilege.
Her adoptive father was a distant and cold man, only concerned with appearances. He rarely spoke to Feng Suyin, let alone showed any affection. Her mother, although warm and loving toward Feng Yilan, had forgotten Feng Suyin's existence as soon as her own daughter was born.
The resentment grew inside her. A slow burn that devoured her insides until it threatened to consume her entirely. She used to look at Feng Yilan with seething hostility when they were younger, convinced that her younger sister had stolen everything from her. Abandoned for the second time in her life, and the pain was becoming unbearable. She tried to suppress it, to remain silent and obedient. It was a constant battle.
There was a part of her that longed for her biological parents—to know who they were and what had happened to them. A persistent longing. A void that could never be filled. And as much as she hated her life at the Feng family estate, she also couldn't bear the thought of leaving and losing any connection to her past.
Despite all of this, Feng Suyin had always been determined to carve out her own path in life. She excelled in school and was accepted into a prestigious university to study medicine. There she discovered her true passion and purpose: saving lives. For years, she dedicated herself to this cause. She never once considered the possibility that one day she would be the one needing saving.
Now she lay on the hospital bed with bandages covering her disfigured face and broken limbs. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain and darkness pressing in on her. She wondered if it would have been better to have died in the explosion. Perhaps then she wouldn't have to endure this physical agony and all of it crushing down. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to wish for death.
No.
She had no idea how to move forward from here. The life she had planned had broken apart, along with her dreams of a happy future with Ji Hanjun. Despite the hopelessness pressing down, she knew she couldn't give up just yet. She owed it to herself to keep fighting.
Her eyes moved over the hospital room, searching for Ji Hanjun. Would he still want to be with her after seeing her disfigured and broken? She couldn't bear the thought of losing him too.
Then—the click of high heels in the hallway. She had heard that sound many times before. Her chest loosened when she saw Feng Yilan's face appear in the doorway.
Unlike herself, Feng Yilan was a vision of beauty that no one could ignore. And despite their complicated relationship, envy bit at her as she compared herself to her sister.
Feng Yilan's face was like a work of art. Every feature precisely made. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with mischief, and her pale smooth skin caught every light in the room. Her long dark hair fell in waves down her back. Standing in a hospital doorway and still managing to look like that.
Feng Suyin's gut twisted with resentment as she watched Feng Yilan look at her with a mocking gleam in her eye. She and Feng Yilan had always been at odds since they were younger. Feng Yilan would make passive-aggressive comments about Feng Suyin's appearance and figure. Her younger sister's attitude had mellowed after they graduated from college and started pursuing their respective careers.
To think that Feng Yilan still harbored such hostility toward her surprised Feng Suyin. Feng Yilan had been waiting for this day to come.
"I see you made it out alive after all. Pity," Feng Yilan said.
Feng Suyin's envy turned into burning anger. Feng Yilan would always see herself as superior. Even now. Even here.