After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 32

When Ye Ling woke up again, she found herself in a hospital.

Having experienced the previous day’s events, her first instinct was to check the date—Monday.

Time was flowing normally, as if no one had forgotten it.

The pain in her right arm was even more intense than the day before, and the bandages were thicker, almost immobilizing her.

Ye Ling pulled back the covers and sat up, carefully supporting her right arm with her left hand as she bent it across her abdomen.

Beside her, Xue Jiqing stood by the window, her thumbs tapping furiously on her phone screen, sending messages to someone.

Ye Ling opened her mouth to call out, “Ji Qing…”

Before she could finish, Xue Jiqing whirled around, her brow furrowed, hissing “Shh!” as she glared at her and rushed over.

The phone screen hadn’t locked, and Ye Ling caught a glimpse of a large green frame with a contact name that seemed to start with “Lin.”

Assuming it was some romantic entanglement of Xue Jiqing’s, she didn’t look any closer.

As Xue Jiqing approached, she immediately demanded, “Do you even realize you were sleepwalking yesterday?!”

Ye Ling shook her head. “I…”

She wanted to say she’d never sleepwalked before, but Xue Jiqing’s hand clamped over her mouth before she could finish the word.

“The doctor said you can’t lift anything heavy with your right arm for two weeks, it can’t get wet, and you can’t overexert yourself. Also, your vocal cords are damaged, so you need to stay silent for at least two days.”

As she spoke, Xue Jiqing slipped a glove-like device onto Ye Ling’s left hand, covering only her palm and the base of her fingers.

“This is some black tech Lianqiu sent over. It’s supposed to track your finger movements like typing on a keyboard, with smart error correction. But since your right hand is injured, you’ll have to make do with the nine-grid input method for now.”

“And the voice device is here,” Xue Jiqing clipped a hairpin-like device to Ye Ling’s collar. “It’s something our company developed, so you probably know more about it than I do. Try it out and see if it works.”

Ye Ling lowered her gaze, experimented a few times, and quickly mastered the device.

What happened to my hand?

“You have the nerve to ask!” Xue Jiqing ground her teeth. After stabbing herself, Ye Ling had simply closed her eyes, leaving Xue Jiqing trembling in terror, her brain nearly crashing.

“You were sleepwalking in the middle of the night, picked a flower, and stuck it into the wound on your arm! Seriously? You managed to find the only sharp object in the whole room!”

“Do you even realize how many bacteria can grow on a flower that’s been soaking in water for almost two days? A wound infection could be fatal!”

Last night, when she and Meng Lianqiu brought Ye Ling to the emergency room, the doctor tore them a new one. Xue Jiqing had never felt so humiliated in her entire life!

I’m sorry for causing you trouble.

“You’re really… never mind. In any case, you need to stay hospitalized until the risk of infection is completely ruled out. Don’t even think about running off, understand?”

I can come for daily check-ups.

“No.”

Xue Jiqing rejected the idea without hesitation. Yesterday, Meng Lianqiu had taken Ye Ling out of the hospital without permission, and she was back by nightfall. If this happened again, who knew what state she’d end up in?

“Just stay in the hospital! Even if we take a step back, being here makes it easier to get help if something goes wrong.”

Before Ye Ling could object, Xue Jiqing continued, “Rest well, heal your injuries, and when we get back, I’ll introduce you to a psychologist.”

I don’t need a psychologist.

“No, you do. No one needs one more than you. Besides,” Xue Jiqing said, meeting her gaze steadily, “Xiaoxiao used to be her patient.”

Ye Ling’s pupils contracted, her fingers trembled, and the voice device in her collar emitted a meaningless short beep.

“You have so many questions about Xiaoxiao, right? Maybe she can answer them. But in exchange, you must promise me to focus on healing.”

“……”

After a long silence, the inorganic mechanical voice finally replied.

I understand.

With that assurance, Xue Jiqing felt considerably relieved.

The doctor had warned her to keep the wound dry, but with the sweltering heat, skipping a shower was out of the question.

The private room had its own bathroom, so Xue Jiqing went downstairs to the supermarket and bought a large plastic bag, which she carefully wrapped around Ye Ling’s right arm.

The shower problem was solved, but washing Ye Ling’s hair proved more challenging.

After a few glances at Ye Ling’s thick, raven-black hair, Xue Jiqing decisively decided not to struggle with it herself. She informed the nursing staff and took Ye Ling to a hair spa.

Two hours later, when Meng Lianqiu arrived to relieve Xue Jiqing, she found the hospital room empty, her expression unusually blank.

Twenty minutes later, Xue Jiqing rushed back with Ye Ling, apologizing profusely.

Having barely slept a wink after the night’s ordeal, she had accidentally dozed off during the hair spa’s soothing treatment.

Meng Lianqiu understood and didn’t press the matter.

After the shift change, Xue Jiqing returned to the hotel to catch up on sleep, while Meng Lianqiu thoroughly examined Ye Ling’s condition.

Seeing that the gauze on her arm was dry and showed no signs of bleeding, Meng Lianqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Ling remained still during the examination. Once it was over, she tapped her fingers: I’m sorry about last night.

“No one could have predicted that,” Meng Lianqiu sighed helplessly. “The important thing is you’re safe now.”

Xue Jiqing wasn’t the only one traumatized by the early morning incident. Meng Lianqiu had rushed to the hospital without even changing her clothes after receiving the emergency call. She arrived to find Ye Ling unconscious on the floor, Xue Jiqing kneeling beside her, looking like she was about to cry.

As Meng Lianqiu drew closer, she saw that the stitched wound on Ye Ling’s arm had torn open, and a single red rose was embedded in the gash.

The rose’s emerald-green stem, crimson petals, and the meandering trail of bl00d created a scene both hauntingly beautiful and disturbingly surreal.

From now on, every time I see a red rose, I’ll probably have a psychological shadow.

Forcing the image from her mind, Meng Lianqiu set up the hospital room table and asked, “Miss Xue must have brought you breakfast, right?”

Ye Ling nodded in response.

“Good.” At least she wasn’t completely unreliable.

Meng Lianqiu took out her laptop and plugged it in. “I brought the computer, but processing audio is time-consuming and mentally taxing. Since your right hand is injured, should I find someone else to do it?”

Ye Ling shook her head. I already extracted the audio yesterday. Listen to it.

She gripped the mouse, opened the file, and played it.

The audio clip was short. Meng Lianqiu listened carefully and said, “I can barely make out sounds resembling ‘we’ and ‘these.’ Miss Geng was probably just talking to herself, right?”

No, listen closely. It’s clearly a question.

Ye Ling clicked the mouse to play it again, and again, her expression gradually turning blank.

…Just like Meng Lianqiu had said.

She had heard it clearly last night.

What I heard yesterday was a question: “Am I asking a philosophical question?” Such a question could never be self-addressed.

Upon hearing this, Meng Lianqiu listened carefully several more times before cautiously replying, “In situations with poor audio quality and significant background noise, human voices are inherently difficult to isolate. Even the most meticulous processing can still introduce artifacts or lose fragments.”

“We’re already relying on a mix of listening and guessing. Could you have simply misheard a similar-sounding phrase?”

Ye Ling fell silent, reviewing the audio’s modification history. No matter which version she played, it sounded similar to what she’d heard last night, yet different.

Misheard, misguessed, misread.

Her eyes had deceived her, her ears had deceived her. What would betray her next?

Perhaps Ji Qing was right. She really should seek psychological therapy.

Ye Ling silently moved her mouse and deleted all the files.

Watching her actions, Meng Lianqiu hesitated before saying, “This morning, someone sent Miss Geng a WeChat message. Should we reply?”

On Monday, the Echo internal testing group sent out a new link.

Xiao Miao, always eager to slack off on company time, put on her headphones and clicked the link. She found her voice model and typed in a few sentences to test the results.

At first glance, it sounded decent, closely mimicking her real voice and tone. The only issues were occasional problems with phrasing and pronunciation, and a slight stiffness that failed to fully capture her natural demeanor.

After playing around with a few other voice models, Xiao Miao submitted her feedback and went to the break room to make a cup of coffee.

As she returned to her desk, cup in hand, she passed Chen Ruhong’s office and saw her walking out with a fully packed tote bag.

“Sister Chen!” Xiao Miao greeted enthusiastically, her voice brimming with warmth. The bonus for participating in the Echo project last Friday had already been deposited into her account. “Heading out for fieldwork?”

Chen Ruhong shot her a dark look before striding past without a word.

“Did I upset her?” Xiao Miao muttered to herself, puzzled. Just then, a familiar colleague tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Sister Chen got fired.”

“What?!”

People waiting for the elevator glanced over. Xiao Miao quickly lowered her voice. “Why? She seemed fine last week!”

“Who knows? They said she made a mistake, but no one knows what kind.”

The colleague shrugged and walked away. Xiao Miao returned to her desk and sat for a while before secretly pulling out her phone to send a WeChat message.

Still on leave?

Hey, Sister Chen got fired! I heard some people say she messed up at work and offended the boss, while others claim she was actually a spy.

I have no idea what’s going on! I’m so anxious!

After waiting a while, Xiao Miao received no reply. With no one to share her concerns, her anxiety grew even more.

She scratched her head for a moment, then flipped her phone face down on the desk, out of sight, out of mind.

About an hour later, her phone finally vibrated.

Xiaoxiao: Still busy with some things.

Xiaoxiao: I heard about Sister Chen too. They say she leaked some information, but I don’t know if it’s true.

Xiao Miao’s eyes lit up.  Wow, you’re getting news faster than I am even when you’re not at the office! You definitely have an inside source!

Xiaoxiao: No inside source, I just happened to hear about it.

Don’t even try to fool me!

But why does your tone sound so weird?

Ah! When did you start using such proper punctuation?

Xiaoxiao: ……

Xiaoxiao: I’m outside, the voice input automatically adds it.

Xiaoxiao: Gotta get back to work now. Talk to you later.

Okay then. Bye!

“……”

Meng Lianqiu held her breath, waiting for Ye Ling to finish typing. “Should we continue keeping the news about Miss Geng’s accident from Teacher Jiang?”

“……”

Ye Ling paused for a moment, then nodded.

We haven’t found Xiaoxiao yet. If we tell Teacher Jiang now, I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it.

“With Miss Geng’s phone, we should be able to stall for ten days or half a month without any major issues. But President Ye…”

Meng Lianqiu’s expression softened with pity, yet she had to voice the difficult truth. “Have you considered what we’ll do if something truly happens to Miss Geng, or if the rescue teams fail to find her?”

Ye Ling closed her eyes briefly.

How could she not have considered it? She had been thinking about it day and night, but the more she thought, the more she dreaded the possibility.

Study abroad.

There are several emails in Xiaoxiao’s inbox from foreign universities. I suspect she mentioned this to Teacher Jiang as well.

Meng Lianqiu pondered for a moment. “Physical separation might work, but they’ll inevitably try to contact each other. If they call…”

Use Echo.

Ye Ling typed the words almost without thinking, then paused, her expression momentarily blank.

Each step connected seamlessly to the next, as if someone had paved the way in advance, and she was merely following the path.

If she voiced such thoughts aloud, they would surely suspect her sanity.

With a bitter smile, Ye Ling continued:

AI technology for simulating real people is already highly advanced. For the voice, Xiaoxiao participated in Echo’s internal testing, so we have a model of her voice.

“I understand,” Meng Lianqiu said, rising abruptly. “I’ll notify the technical team immediately to expedite the refinement of Miss Geng’s model. We must ensure it’s indistinguishable from the real person.”

She rushed out to make a call, but the hospital room door swung open, revealing a face behind it that bore a striking resemblance to Ye Ling’s.

Ye Yunzhen’s brows were frosty, her voice icy: “Where’s Ye Ling? I want to see her.”

Xue Jiqing followed behind, his face crestfallen. He mouthed, “I tried my best.”

In the hospital room, two women of different ages sat and stood, their faces bearing identical expressions of cold indifference.

As their gazes met, the air conditioning seemed to drop several degrees.

“Xiaoxiao fell into the sea and is missing,” Ye Yunzhen said.

Judging by Ye Yunzhen’s gaze alone, it was hard to believe she was looking at her own daughter. “Why are you still sitting here calmly?”

Ye Ling, accustomed to this, lightly tapped her left hand on her thigh.

Mother thinks I should pay with my life, doesn’t she?

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Mo Yuan employs over a thousand people. Including the production lines and raw material suppliers, at least tens of thousands of families are involved.

If something truly happens to Xiaoxiao, after ensuring the company can operate without me, I will.

“You’re so glib.”

Ye Ling remained silent.

If you’ve only come to ask about this, I’ve already given you my answer.

Afterward, I’ll have someone inform you of any new developments regarding Xiaoxiao. Also, until the outcome is certain, please keep this from Teacher Jiang.

Ye Yunzhen scoffed. “Is this your solution? Deception?”

If you have something else to ask, please state it directly.

“I want to know exactly what’s going on with your engagement to the Shang Family.”

“I only went back to the old mansion for a visit, and you’re already rushing to do something that will upset me?”

You’re overthinking things. I’ve never met anyone from my maternal grandfather’s side, nor would I ever stop you from seeing them. The two matters are completely unrelated. However, I did expect you to find out sooner.

“It’s all because that Xue girl is protecting you! She publicly broke ties with you, ruined Su Yi’s birthday banquet, and everyone said it was because of some conflict between you two. Su Yi was so scared, he didn’t dare say a word.”

“If she hadn’t let slip later, and Dan Xin hadn’t come to ask me, how long would you have kept this from me?!”

I wasn’t hiding anything from you.

The only person she had ever wanted to keep in the dark was Xiaoxiao.

But fate continued to play cruel jokes on her, ensuring that what she desired most remained forever out of reach.

If you had simply asked me why Ji Qing and I fell out, you would have known everything.

“Are you blaming me now?!”

No.

“I can’t understand what you’re thinking. Even if it’s fake, so what? Why would you agree to such a foolish request? Have you gone mad?”

“……”

Foolish? Perhaps.

Ye Ling chuckled softly, her voice hoarse. “The reason is quite simple.”

“Shang Mi’er had already scheduled IVF treatment. At the final stage, she used her pregnancy to resist the arranged marriage.”

“Does that sound familiar, Mother?”

“What are you implying?!” Ye Yunzhen’s expression darkened further.

Ignoring her, Ye Ling continued, “Even with only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I couldn’t bear to stand by and watch another child like me be born.”

Intervening in the Shang Family’s affairs under the guise of a marriage alliance and helping Shang Mi’er seize power was the quickest and only way to eliminate the root of the problem permanently.

“What do you mean, ‘a child like you’?” Ye Yunzhen’s face turned as dark as ink, her voice losing its aristocratic composure and becoming shrill. “From the moment you were born, you’ve had the finest food, clothing, and everything else! Have I ever treated you poorly?!”

No, you haven’t.

After a night’s rest, Ye Ling’s throat felt marginally better, but she remained silent.

Some things were easier to express through other means.

She was genuinely grateful for the gifts Meng Lianqiu had sent, which had created an opening for the unspoken words buried deep in her heart to finally find release.

You gave me resources that most people could never dream of, but you never treated me as an independent person.

Ye Ling gazed at her, the light in her eyes shifting from childlike adoration to self-destructive resentment.

I was your tool to resist the arranged marriage, a docile pet to amuse you in your spare time, and later, a rebellious and cold ‘disobedient child’ who refused to listen.

No one ever taught me what love was. Ji Qing always said I was like a block of wood, but I thought you must have known.

You loved Aunt Jiang your whole life, and you resented it just as long. That’s why, when you noticed Xiaoxiao’s curiosity about me, you rushed to arrange our engagement, didn’t you?

In the end, all you wanted was to compensate for your own regrets through me and Aunt Jiang’s daughter. Did you ever truly care about what we wanted?

“Nonsense,” Ye Yunzhen’s face twisted for a moment. “You’re my daughter. How could I not see that your feelings for Xiaoxiao were different? If that’s the case, why shouldn’t I have brought you together? What did a few years of rebellion matter? You still ended up marrying her obediently.”

You’re just twisting cause and effect.

Ask yourself, if Xiaoxiao and I had no feelings for each other, would you have given up, or would you have resorted to even more extreme measures to force us together?

Ye Yunzhen’s chest heaved violently. Her meticulously maintained face twisted with emotion, becoming almost grotesque.

“I should never have given birth to you,” she spat. “You were so obedient as a child. How could you have turned out like this, completely lacking empathy…?”

I wish you hadn’t either.

“Talking to you is a complete waste of time.”

She turned to leave, but Ye Ling didn’t stop her. With a flick of her left hand, she uttered a cold, emotionless incantation that rooted Ye Yunzhen to the spot.

I’ve met Aunt Jiang Fufeng.

By the time Ye Ling counted to four, Ye Yunzhen had spun around, her eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

“Why would you meet her?”

Why wouldn’t I?

I thought your insistence on me attending the city’s top high school and getting into Teacher Jiang’s class was all part of your plan to engineer a chance encounter with Aunt Jiang.

“Stop talking nonsense!” Ye Yunzhen roared, her eyes rimmed with red. “Answer me! Did she recognize you? What did she say? Did she say anything to you at all?!”

Nothing.

Ye Yunzhen glared at her, her eyes bloodshot, like a caged beast.

Aunt Jiang only told me and the other students not to overwork ourselves when she brought in fruit. But when I went to deliver a stack of graded papers later, I overheard her conversation with Teacher Jiang.

Aunt Jiang asked Teacher Jiang who I was. When she learned I was your daughter, she said:

“It’s my fault. I tried to persuade her not to ruin her life so young, but somehow we ended up arguing. That’s why she stubbornly gave birth to this child out of spite.”

Ye Ling lowered her eyes, refusing to let anyone see her expression.

Though she wasn’t sure if the other person in the hospital room was even paying attention to her.

I knew from a very young age that you only wanted me to reject an arranged marriage. I was even thrilled when I first heard about it, because for the first time, I felt useful to you.

I even believed that, regardless of the reason, your decision to bring me into this world meant you had some expectations for me. Your strictness was meant to mold me into a suitable heir.

So I never complained, striving only to meet all your demands.

It wasn’t until I heard Aunt Jiang’s account of what happened back then that I understood the truth: you only acted out of anger.

Anger that the person you loved had found someone else during your most difficult time. Anger that she didn’t understand your feelings. The more she urged you to reconsider, the more stubbornly you refused to listen.

I never imagined my birth could be the result of such a ridiculous reason.

Forgive me, but I cannot accept this.

Silence stretched out. After a long moment, Ye Yunzhen let out a soft laugh.

“If you can’t accept it,”

A tear fell, her reddened eyes as cold as ice.

“Why don’t you just die?”