Jiang Yu’s father, Jiang Dachuan, and mother, Song Yun, anxiously waited outside the operating room.
Suddenly, they saw a nurse rushing toward them. Before the nurse could even explain her purpose, Song Yun’s heart leaped into her throat.
At times like this, perhaps no news was good news.
“Family of Jiang Yu, right?” Sure enough, the nurse handed them a few sheets of paper the next moment. “The patient’s condition is not optimistic. Please sign this critical condition notice.”
With the confirmation of the news, Song Yun’s suspended heart finally sank, as if all the strength had been drained from her body. She slumped toward the floor. Jiang Dachuan couldn’t hold her up.
In the end, it was the nurse who helped her into a seat. Only then did Jiang Dachuan pick up the pen with trembling hands.
He had signed the name “Jiang Dachuan” countless times on contracts worth tens of millions, even billions. Each stroke had long become muscle memory. He could sign it with his eyes closed. But this time, his signature was shaky and crooked, with even the horizontal and vertical strokes unable to stay straight.
After completing her task, the nurse hurried away. Jiang Dachuan sat down beside Song Yun, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, as if this small gesture could allow the two helpless individuals to share a sliver of strength.
Song Yun covered her face with both hands, her palms wet with tears. “Yu’er is only twenty-three… If she really…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence, nor did she dare to.
Meanwhile, inside the operating room.
“Beep—”
The fluctuating line on the heart monitor flattened completely. The sharp alarm intensified the oppressive atmosphere, the scent of death instantly gripping everyone’s hearts.
“Defibrillator.”
“Increase the energy!”
The lead surgeon’s temples were beaded with sweat, while an assistant beside him continuously wiped them away.
The patient’s intracranial hemorrhage1bleeding within the skull was significant. Craniotomy2a neurosurgical procedure where a section of the skull (bone flap) is temporarily removed to access the brain, then replaced after surgery was already a challenging procedure. No one expected a cardiac arrest to occur at such a critical moment.
“Professor…”
The medical student observing the surgery for the first time felt his legs go weak.
If the rescue truly failed, the patient would remain on the operating table, while the shadow of this moment would haunt him for a lifetime.
Unbeknownst to anyone, at the exact moment the heart rate flatlined, a sharp, piercing screech echoed in Jiang Yu’s mind, overlapping with the alarm of the medical equipment.
【System binding successful. Initiating host physical function recovery program, 1%… 3%… 15%…】
“It’s beating! The heartbeat is back!”
“Prepare anesthesia… Wait!” The lead surgeon stared intently at the intracranial monitor’s display. For a moment, he wondered if the problem was with his own brain. “I remember the hemorrhage wasn’t this small just now???”
Lying on the operating table, Jiang Yu could faintly hear the surrounding noises. She felt something being placed over her nose and mouth, but she couldn’t move. Soon after, she sank into a sticky, inescapable nightmare, like quicksand.
It was a car accident.
In the back seat sat Qin Yan and herself, heavily pregnant and nearing labor.
The car slowly approached a red-lit intersection. Suddenly, the driver in the front seat cried out in alarm, “M-Mr. Qin! The brakes have failed!”
The sudden crisis made Jiang Yu tense up all over. Overwhelmed by panic, her contractions began at the worst possible moment. Clutching her belly, she bit her lip hard, not wanting to make a sound and add to the chaos and danger.
Qin Yan still noticed something was off about her. He reached out, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to steady her, while instructing the driver, “Turn right first. Slow down along the curb and pull over.”
Driving straight through the red light was too dangerous at this moment. He made the optimal choice in the shortest time possible.
But unexpectedly, a large truck making an illegal left turn from the right intersection charged straight toward them.
When the vehicle was hit, the tires screeched against the pavement with a grating sound. Jiang Yu felt her entire body go numb as her senses gradually faded away.
Finally, the wailing sirens of the ambulance and the beeping sounds of various machines in the operating room blended together, making it impossible for her to distinguish which side was reality and which was a dream…
【Host’s physical functions have been restored. Beep~System Secretary “Xiao Tiancai 002” with Work ID 6230060 is at your service.】
【The host is the love-struck female protagonist of the melodramatic and torturous romance novel 《Flash Marriage: CEO Qin, Stop Tormenting Me》, who is jinxed with eight hundred generations of bad luck: Jiang Yu.】
【It has been detected that the host erupted with intense resentment toward this character at the brink of death, successfully triggering an awakening.】
【Congratulations to the host for breaking free from the established character constraints. From now on, you can deviate wherever you wish, no longer needing to worry about OOC!】
Jiang Yu: ?
The strange voice that suddenly appeared in her mind continued: 【This book mainly tells the melodramatic love story of the host and the domineering male lead Qin Yan. You fall in love after marriage…】
A series of cold, mechanical tones seemed to connect directly to Jiang Yu’s brain, making her unfortunate head buzz and leaving her feeling severely traumatized all over again… Wait, what???
Jiang Yu: Are you saying I’ve been living in a melodramatic angst novel all along?
Jiang Yu: So the car accident I saw was also part of the predetermined plot of the book? And what’s this about falling in love after marriage? I… love Qin Yan?
This was utterly absurd.
She repeatedly examined her own feelings. As of now, she truly only regarded Qin Yan as a business partner. Love? How could that possibly… Wait, no. Then how could she explain her constant tolerance and efforts to please the Qin family? Or her repeated attempts to seduce him to lead a normal married life, even going so far as to specially order “battle attire” from a lingerie store? It seemed she had done some foolish things to preserve this marriage that even she couldn’t understand…
Alright, fine. Even if all of this was necessary to protect the Jiang family’s business, judging from the car accident she just witnessed, she even had a child with him later?!
Help! This isn’t a melodramatic angst novel. It’s a horror story!
System: 【This is the driving force of the plot. Previously, the host was restricted by the character and storyline, unable to fully control her emotions. Not all of her actions were truly from the heart.】
System: 【Xiao’er will now load the entire book for you. After reading it in full, you can activate the keyword search function, allowing the host to check important plot points at any time.】
【Loading…】
—
In the lounge of the Qin Group’s CEO office.
Qin Yan had just stepped out of the shower, wearing a white bathrobe. His still-damp hair was casually swept back, with droplets falling from the ends, tracing along his sharp jawline and down his slightly flushed neck from the hot shower, silently disappearing into the collar.
Secretary Fang, who had just returned from a trip to the hospital, followed him with his gaze, inexplicably swallowing hard.
“She’s not dead. She’s alive again?” Qin Yan tossed the towel he’d been using to dry his hair onto the coffee table and settled onto the sofa. Even in a loosely tied bathrobe, his posture remained impeccably proper, his noble demeanor firmly intact.
Secretary Fang averted his gaze and got down to business. “It was originally a massive intracranial hemorrhage requiring craniotomy surgery. They even issued a critical condition notice. But then, whether it was a misdiagnosis or something else, they ended up performing a minimally invasive procedure and wheeled her out. They say she’ll wake up tomorrow.”
“What kind of trick are they pulling now!” Qin Yan raised his hand to slam the table, but paused mid-air. He pursed his lips, his fair, slender, and distinctly knuckled fingers slowly resting on the teacup before him.
The tea had been brewed before his bath and was now long cold.
In the end, Qin Yan didn’t drink it, pushing the cup away with disdain.
“Are you suggesting this was deliberately orchestrated by Miss Jiang?” Secretary Fang couldn’t quite grasp it, but he was perceptive. As he spoke, he picked up Qin Yan’s teacup and went to pour him a fresh one.
Qin Yan took the cup, his expression blank. “What else could it be? A medical miracle? Or did everyone, from the moment she entered the hospital to the surgery, misdiagnose her condition?”
He took a sip of the hot tea, then snorted coldly. “She’s the spy my dear mother forced on me with a fifty-million dowry. If she were to die just six months into the marriage…”
“Then Madam Qin would suffer a huge loss… So, they staged this to lure you back for our Lucheng project?” Secretary Fang understood. But then, his expression gradually turned strange. After hesitating for a moment, he shared the gossip he’d overheard at the hospital. “I heard people chatting privately at the hospital. They said Madam went to the mall to get the lingerie Madam Qin bought for Miss Qin… and that’s how the whole incident started.”
Secretary Fang scratched his head. “I’ve never seen such an informal relationship between mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and sister-in-law. It seems Madam really is on Madam Qin’s side.”
“Pfft—”
The tea Qin Yan had just sipped sprayed out. He coughed violently, fist pressed to his mouth, the redness that had just faded from his neck creeping back up. His eye twitched, as if imagining something unspeakable. “She bought wh-what kind of clothes?”
“I heard it was lace, mesh, furry—the whole set!” When talking about this, the weary, dull look of a corporate drone vanished from Secretary Fang’s eyes, replaced by a hint of teasing. His mischievous gaze inadvertently swept over Qin Yan’s open collar before he immediately straightened up, clasped his hands behind his back, and let his eyes wander to the ceiling. “Actually, President Qin, Madam Qin’s move isn’t without merit. If you presented yourself as… appetizing in front of Miss Jiang, maybe she’d switch sides to you? Then what would Madam Qin have left…”
Hearing the first half, a trace of sarcastic amusement touched Qin Yan’s usually cold and sharp eyes. But when Secretary Fang earnestly added the second half, Qin Yan grabbed a sofa cushion and hurled it at him. “Get out!”
“I’m serious, President Qin!” Secretary Fang retreated toward the door, carefully tossing the cushion back onto the sofa. Seeing Qin Yan’s genuinely displeased expression, he quickly put on a flattering smile. “President Qin, aren’t you going home? Shall I drive you?”
“Having outsiders in the house is such bad luck.” Thinking about his wonderful mother and sister still lingering in his home, Qin Yan completely abandoned any pretense of decorum. The cushion that had just been retrieved by Secretary Fang went flying again. “Get out now! Come pick me up for the hospital tomorrow!”
—
When Jiang Dachuan arrived at the hospital room with breakfast in the morning, Jiang Yu was still asleep.
To be precise, she didn’t want to wake up yet.
She had just reached the end of 《Flash Marriage: CEO Qin, Stop Tormenting Me》. The car accident scene felt eerily familiar, as if she had lived through it herself. When she tried to flip further, she discovered that the next few pages were blank, with no more text.
Jiang Yu: The table of contents says there’s an epilogue! Where is it? Where’s my big, juicy epilogue? Did we just get double-killed in the car crash, and that’s it?
System: 【The epilogue is unrelated to the main plot. It’s just an extra. To unlock it, you need to meet special conditions, which will trigger automatically.】
Jiang Yu was furious: …This damn book! The synopsis promised a marriage-first, love-later story. Where’s the love? The romance plot is a mess, and I didn’t even get a single sweet moment! I was counting on the sugary epilogue, and now you’re telling me I can’t read it?! Do you have any idea how devastating this is for a distinguished VVVIP reader like me?! I have every right to report you for false advertising!!!
Even so, you’re the female lead, not some VVVIP reader.
The system had no heart. But after dodging questions so many times, it almost seemed to have one: 【Well… your one-sided love still counts as love. ‘Marriage-first, love-later’. The ‘love’ here could also mean ‘delusion’…】
Jiang Yu was so angry she practically jolted back to life, raising a middle finger with the hand still attached to the IV drip. Damn it! Whoever wants to act out this “marriage-first, delusion-later” script can go ahead. She’s done!
The system urgently called out: 【That’s a very dangerous thought, host! To avoid dying tragically on the streets, you must complete the system tasks and accumulate luck points to change your misfortune-prone constitution, host!!!】
“Ah! Her hand! Her hand moved! Our daughter’s awake!”
Song Yun had been keeping vigil by the bed, unwilling to take her eyes off Jiang Yu for even a second. Jiang Dachuan had urged her several times to eat breakfast, but she ignored him. Yet at the slightest movement from her daughter, she reacted instantly.
Jiang Dachuan hurried to the bedside as well. Since Song Yun had mentioned their daughter’s hand moving, his gaze naturally fell on Jiang Yu’s hand first… ??? What’s with that universally rude gesture?
Jiang Yu opened her eyes to the stark white ceiling.
In her ears, she heard Song Yun’s voice, choked with happy tears: “Xiao Yu! You’re finally awake!”
Jiang Dachuan anxiously asked how she was feeling, if she was uncomfortable anywhere, and whether they should call a doctor.
But neither of them expected her to move her pale, dry lips and grit out through clenched teeth: “I’m definitely getting a divorce!”
As luck would have it, the slightly ajar hospital room door was pushed wide open. A man’s voice, steady and devoid of any emotion, asked: “Divorce?”
Moonlit: Oh my! I’m loving this! HAHAHAHAHA. Thankfully, her parents seem like good people. Not like the parents from other arranged-marriage-to-save-family-business trope.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152