Chapter 519: Will You Marry Me?

Chapter 519: Would You Marry Me?

8 a.m., the hospital’s 22nd floor.

All medical staff were busy with their rounds, except for the VIP ward on the 22nd floor, where the Yi family's bodyguards stood watch. No one dared to enter except authorized doctors during scheduled visits.

Yet, at this moment, the usually heavily guarded ward was strangely deserted.

A shadowy figure crept toward Yi Yanran’s bed as she lay sound asleep, lifting a pillow with deliberate slowness.

Just as it was about to descend, Yi Yanran jolted awake as if sensing danger. She raised her wrist and began struggling violently.

Bai Lan—or rather, the former Liu Ling—forced Yi Yanran’s wrist down with icy ruthlessness, her expression cold. The heart monitor’s frantic beeping prompted Liu Ling to rip the cord free, sneering. "Yi Yanran, die already. Once you're gone, your brother will take your place and rule the Yi family. You couldn’t burn me alive before, so now it's my turn to kill you!"

Yi Yanran tried to scream, but her mouth and nose were smothered. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, her eyes wide with panic.

Liu Ling’s laugh was a frosty snarl. "A miscarriage survivor with a stab wound—do you really think you can fight me? I wanted to let you live a little longer, but Yun Mu works too quickly. If I don’t act now, I’ll run out of time. Yi Yanran, die already!"

At the hospital elevator entrance, Ji Ming stood rooted in place, his blond hair a tangled mess from restless hands.

His mind replayed every moment with Yi Yanran—her singing, her bloodied body collapsing into his arms. He recognized the unsettling turmoil in his chest whenever he thought of her.

But then he remembered Yun Mu. For twenty years, his world had revolved around Amu. Now, was it really time to let go?

The idea alone sent pain lancing through his skull.

...

Yi Yanran refused to die like this. She thrashed desperately, sending medical equipment clattering to the floor, hoping the noise would alert someone outside.

But no one came to save her.

Above her, Liu Ling’s overly sculpted face contorted into a nightmarish blur.

Black spots danced in her vision as oxygen fled. Dizziness overtook her. No light, no air—only the screaming agony in her lungs as if she had reached her limit.

Yi Yanran had no strength left.

Then, inexplicably, peace washed over her, and the pain faded away.

Finally, after a war waged in his mind, Ji Ming stepped toward the ward.

But the further he walked, the more uneasy he became. Yesterday, Yi Yanran’s room had been swarming with bodyguards. Where were they now?

Ji Ming quickened his pace and shouldered the door open.

What he saw froze his blood.

On the disheveled bed, Yi Yanran lay stiff, a white pillow still pressed over her face.

Heart pounding, Ji Ming rushed forward and tore the pillow away.

Yi Yanran’s eyes remained shut, motionless.

His throat dry, Ji Ming shook her shoulder, his voice cracking as he shouted, "Yi Yanran! Yi Yanran!"

Drowning in the fog, Yi Yanran faintly heard the call—distant, muffled, as if through water. Yet it was enough to pull her fading consciousness back.

Her eyelids felt too heavy to open.

Ji Ming frantically took out his phone and made a call, "What kind of hospital is this? Get me a competent doctor now!"

As Ji Ming was cursing, the wrist he had resting on the bedside was suddenly grabbed.

Ji Ming went completely still, looked down, and saw Yi Yanran's eyes flicker open.

Ji Ming felt as if his soul had finally returned to his body, even feeling an urge to cry. Yi Yanran's fingers dug into his wrist—he couldn’t pull away, so he leaned closer. "Yi Yanran, you're really something. Keep scaring me like this, and you'll be the death of me!"

Yi Yanran shook her head weakly, managing to whisper a few words, "Liu Ling... catch her..."

"Did she do this?" Ji Ming pressed his lips together. "I'll make sure she pays for this!"

Ji Ming immediately barked orders to seal all exits in the hospital and capture her.

Yi Yanran released his wrist, and the ghost of a smile appeared on her pale face. "I just had a dream."

Ji Ming sat beside her, watching silently.

"I dreamed I traveled many years into the future. My child didn’t leave me—she had grown up, a beautiful and lovely little girl. She was outstanding in her studies, lively and cheerful..." Yi Yanran's distant eyes lifted to meet Ji Ming's. "She became everything I couldn't be—free, unrestrained, innocent. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Ji Ming looked at her, his chest tightening painfully.

"I'm sorry..."

If not for him, her child could have been born safely.

This matter was a wound that never healed between them.

Yi Yanran shook her head, treasuring this unexpected calm conversation with him.

"It's not your fault. I chose to go. I knew the risks. Ji Ming, you don’t owe me anything."

Her words only made him feel worse.

He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat—he didn’t know how to express it.

Seeing his guilt, Yi Yanran felt even sadder. "If you came to apologize, then I’ve heard it. You—"

"I didn’t just come to apologize. I wanted to tell you..." Ji Ming clenched his fists, gathering all his courage, then blurted out, "I came to confess! Yi Yanran, will you marry me?"

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Bypassing completely "I like you" or "Will you be my girlfriend"—straight to "Will you marry me?"

Yi Yanran’s eyes filled with disbelief, her chest aching unbearably, and she wanted to cry. She was overjoyed to hear these words from Ji Ming, but not at the time or place she had hoped for.

Her body seemed unable to handle the surge of emotions. After a few shaky breaths—

"Ji Ming."

She looked up at him.

"I won’t marry you."

Ji Ming froze. "Why? Didn’t you always want to marry me?"

Yi Yanran bit her lip. "Yes, I did. I thought marriage would give me everything. But people change. Whatever Yi Yanran wants, she’ll earn it herself. This isn't charity!"

Ji Ming's temper flared. "This isn't charity!"

"I don’t need your pity or guilt!" she spat.