The Guan family weren't self-made business moguls or empire builders. Instead, they were a lineage of renowned medical professionals, respected, accomplished, and deeply rooted in the world of medicine. Their reputation wasn't born from ownership, but from excellence. Guan Wenhao, the patriarch, was a man of quiet pride who knew his worth. Despite his wealth, he never sought to own a hospital. Power, to him, was not in possession but in demand. And he was always in demand. After all, everyone wants a doctor who is both skilled and irreplaceably qualified.
Running a vast empire, managing employees, chasing quarterly reports, none of that ever appealed to Guan Wenhao. Leadership, for him, was never about towering from the top but walking among the respected. He cherished his family more than any title, and though he had a web of powerful connections, CEOs, ministers, and magnates alike, he never flaunted them. He married an elegant woman from a prestigious business family, a match that was as graceful as it was strategic. Yet, beyond all the prestige and brilliance, Wenhao remained grounded.
He carried out his duties with unwavering excellence, every diagnosis and surgery done with the precision of a maestro. But it was in the quiet moments with his wife that his true contentment showed—moments of tea and soft music, away from the buzz of the world. Peace and tranquility weren't luxuries for him. They were necessities, and his wife was the calm in his perfectly measured life.
"Yufan. Dad seeks you," Meilin said with a knowing smirk, blinking up at him from where she sat curled against his chest.
Yufan stiffened, his hand pausing in her hair. "Tell him I'm busy," he muttered, eyes darting anywhere but hers.
She laughed softly, trailing her fingers down his arm. "He said if you said that, he'd just come to your office instead."
He groaned, throwing his head back against the couch. "Meilin, you know how much your dad loves pestering me about marriage. He cornered me in the hospital cafeteria last time with charts."
Her brows lifted in amusement. "Charts?"
"Yeah. With dates. Lucky dates, auspicious months, even a color-coded guest list," Yufan grumbled.
Meilin giggled. "And?"
He exhaled, defeated. "I'll marry you, I promise. But not yet."
Her teasing faded, replaced by a soft, unreadable expression. "You're not running, are you?"
Yufan turned to look at her, serious now. "No. Never from you."
That softened her entirely. She leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.
The couple carried on until sleep claimed them, wrapped in each other's warmth and soft breaths.
Next morning. Zhaoyue pavilion.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
Yifan jolted awake, heart pounding as a sharp scream pierced the quiet of morning.
He blinked, disoriented for a second, before turning to see Li Lian sitting up in his bed, eyes wide, hair disheveled, the duvet clutched tightly to her chest.
"W-what am I doing here?!" she cried, her voice laced with panic and confusion.
"Lian, hey, calm down," Yifan said quickly, sitting up as well, hands raised in a soothing gesture. "You fainted last night. At the office."
Her brows furrowed, lips trembling slightly as flashes of pain and dizziness returned to her memory.
"You had severe cramps," he continued gently. "The doctor said it was dysmenorrhea. I took you to the hospital and—well, you needed rest. Yufan went home and I… brought you here."
Li Lian stared at him, the storm in her chest still swirling but slowly settling.
"I'm… sorry for the trouble."
Yifan let out a breath and stood. "You can take a shower in the guest room," he said quietly before walking into the en suite. No further words. No pressure.
She nodded and slipped out.
---
The steam helped. A moment alone with water washing away the remnants of yesterday's pain. When she returned to the room, a neatly folded set of clothes lay waiting on the bed—fresh, simple, her size. They fit perfectly, like he'd taken the time to remember.
Downstairs, breakfast was already served. She resisted at first, but he raised an eyebrow and threw the doctor's warning back at her. "You want to faint again? Sit."
She didn't fight it after that.
When they were both ready to leave, he reached for his keys. "I'll drop you off."
"No, thank you."
Her tone was flat, polite. Distant. She stepped back like his nearness burned.
His jaw tightened, knuckles whitening around the car key. He gave a slow nod.
But just as she reached the curb and pulled open the taxi door, he moved.
Fast.
His hand wrapped around her wrist, not hard, not forceful, just firm, and in one bold moment, he pulled her toward him and pressed his lips against hers.
Soft at first. Then deep. Then still again.
When he pulled away, her breath was shaky, eyes wide.
"I can't let you go" he murmured.
She didn't say a word until he turned around and walked away.
Only then did she climb into the taxi, her fingers trembling as they closed the door behind her. Her heart thudded against her ribs, but her voice came out steady, sharp with finality.
"This is the last time we will meet, Mr. Zhao Yifan," she whispered under her breath. "I swear it."
---
The rest of her day passed in a blur of files and formalities. She kept her head down, her words clipped, her eyes carefully guarded.
But as dusk draped the city in gold and gray, she found herself seated in a bar booth beside Wang Yixi. A cocktail in hand, exhaustion slowly replaced by a quiet numbness.
Yixi clinked her glass, eyes narrowing as she studied Lian.
"…What happened, Lian?"
Lian raised a brow, feigning confusion, pretending not to know what she meant.
"What do you mean?"
"You look down. Don't hide it. Tell me."
Li Lian stayed silent, swirling the drink in her glass, but Yixi's glare was steady and unrelenting.
Finally, Lian exhaled, her voice quiet.
"…Sir Zhao Yifan and I had a past."
Yixi choked on her drink, coughing as it spilled from the corners of her mouth.
"YOU KNOW YIFAN?!"
Her voice practically echoed through the bar. A few people turned.
Li Lian winced. "Yixi, please, lower your voice."
But Yixi was too stunned. "Wait, Zhao Yifan, as in the CEO of Zhaoyi Holdings, walking ice cube, never-spotted-with-a-woman Zhao Yifan?! That Yifan?!"
Li Lian took another sip of her drink. "...The one and only."
Yixi gawked. "You better start talking."
Lian stared down into her glass, voice low and steady.
"…It isn't really what you think. We were close during our childhood, but now… our relationship is strained. Yifan became a whole new person."
Yixi blinked, stunned by the quiet weight in her tone.
Lian hesitated for a moment, then glanced sideways.
"Have you heard of the Li Empire, Yixi?"
Yixi scoffed lightly. "Who hasn't? A full-grown business empire, old money, deep influence… but it crashed hard. Too bad."
Lian set her glass down slowly, then met Yixi's eyes.
"…My father was the owner."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Yixi choked on her drink for the second time that night.
"Wait, what?! You're the Li Lian from that Li family?! Why didn't you ever tell me?!"
Lian leaned back in her seat, the corners of her lips twitching bitterly.
"Because being a fallen heiress isn't something you brag about."
Yixi stared, now fully processing it all.
"Damn… no wonder you said things with Yifan are strained. His family's empire rose while yours fell."
Lian nodded. "And now I work under the Yang-Zhao network. Life's funny like that, isn't it?"