Scarred Hearts — A Girls' Love Tale - Chapter 28

“Someone’s coming!” The Artist pushed the door open and shouted at the Judge, just in time to see the two of them locked in a fierce battle. She pulled out a gun and fired several shots at Yan Shuangfei but missed. Panicked and with no time to waste, she turned and ran out. The Judge, unable to catch Yan Shuangfei, also knew the situation was urgent and hurriedly followed.

Yan Shuangfei’s vision blurred and darkened. Seeing the Artist retreat, she silently breathed a sigh of relief. Amidst the haze in her mind, she caught the Artist’s earlier words. Someone’s coming? Who exactly?

“Shuang’er!” A familiar voice rang in her ear like a lightning strike to her brain. She struggled to open her eyes. Luo Qinghan’s figure was right in front of her, flickering and shaking like shadows before coming into focus.

This couldn’t be a dream. Dreams wouldn’t be this beautiful. Yan Shuangfei smiled.

“You came?” she whispered. The sky had brightened, and Luo Qinghan’s face was just inches from hers—so real it was almost unbelievable. She noticed the dark circles under Luo Qinghan’s eyes and felt a pang of pain.

“Why haven’t you rested properly? You have dark circles,” she said with concern.

Yan Shuangfei looked pitiful—her shirt unbuttoned, revealing gruesome wounds. Bl00d matted her hair, a severed finger lay on the dusty floor, and fresh bl00d kept flowing. Her face was pale as paper, and she looked like she could pass out at any moment.

Luo Qinghan’s tears fell uncontrollably, streaming down Yan Shuangfei’s face, mixing with the bl00d and tasting salty. Yan Shuangfei was stunned—it was the first time she’d ever seen Luo Qinghan cry, the first time Luo Qinghan had cried in front of her.

After a moment of silence, Yan Shuangfei smiled weakly. “Don’t cry. Be careful you don’t mess up your makeup.” She reached out trembling to wipe Luo Qinghan’s tears but quickly pulled back, embarrassed. “My hands are too dirty…”

“Why are you so silly!” Luo Qinghan knelt beside her, her voice thick with emotion as she grabbed Yan Shuangfei’s shirt. “I’m not wearing makeup… it’s you…”

“Alright, don’t cry. You’re here now…” Yan Shuangfei’s voice was weak. The fight had reopened her wounds, and the strange cross-shaped cut oozed bl00d again, flowing freely. She shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring—the one she had given to Luo Qinghan before. Luo Qinghan had even hit her once over that ring.

The ring glowed with a bloody light—sinister and eye-catching. Yan Shuangfei turned it over in her hand and said with regret, “I think about you wearing this ring day and night. You could tell everyone I’m your lover…” She held the ring before her eyes, gazing at it foolishly. “Qinghan, it would look so good on you.” Luo Qinghan grasped Yan Shuangfei’s hand, trembling, “I’ll wear it. I’ll put it on for you right now!” But Yan Shuangfei wouldn’t let her—using her last bit of strength, she threw the ring far away. The ring flashed briefly with a clear ringing sound before disappearing into some dark corner.

“I know my condition… I won’t die, but I’m basically done for. I can’t hold you back. You need to find someone good,” Yan Shuangfei said, coughing heavily, her chest making dull, rough sounds. “And… you won’t have to be annoyed by me anymore… My head hurts a lot. I have a concussion, and there’s probably bleeding inside my skull. I might become a vegetable. Even if I wake up, I might have amnesia or some ridiculous thing like that. I don’t deserve you wasting your life on me. The Yan family will take care of things. Don’t worry…”

“Don’t talk nonsense! You’ll be fine… you’ll be fine…” Luo Qinghan’s words were as hollow as the bloody stain spreading on the ground, the smell of bl00d suffocating.

She could only hold Yan Shuangfei’s hand, ignoring the bl00d and pressing it against her own chest, trying to give her strength to keep going.

“I used to think… if one day you could say to me, ‘I love you,’ how wonderful that would be…” Luo Qinghan’s lips trembled as she tried to speak. Yan Shuangfei’s bloodied finger touched her lips. “Shh… don’t speak. Let me finish.”

“Luckily, I never said it… I never thought I wouldn’t be able to promise you a future… I love you… but I don’t expect you to love me back… These days, having you by my side made me happy. I always feared that one day I’d wake up in bed and you’d be gone again…” Yan Shuangfei’s voice grew weaker as her hand slipped helplessly to the floor. Her heavy breathing slowed. Luo Qinghan pressed her ear to Yan Shuangfei’s chest, hearing her weak heartbeat, and whispered nonstop, “I love you… I always have…”

Shuang’er, please don’t sleep. Stay with me, okay?

But she knew Yan Shuangfei wouldn’t wake up or hear her heartfelt words. Even the strongest Shuang’er would eventually give out, leaving her alone in the harsh reality.

“Quick, get her to a hospital!” The people around hurriedly lifted Yan Shuangfei as Luo Qinghan shouted hysterically. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. “Also, help me find something else.”

The doctor casually walked over with one hand in his pocket. He flipped open Yan Shuangfei’s clothes, frowned as he looked at her wounds, then looked up at Luo Qinghan and said, “Don’t worry, she won’t die.” He lightly traced the cross-shaped wound on her body, then added with a sly smile, “Haven’t seen her in a while. Didn’t expect her skills have improved—this cross is so delicately made.”

“Xi’er went after her, but she probably can’t catch up. The Artist made plenty of backup plans,” the doctor said carelessly as he slowly climbed into the car to operate on Yan Shuangfei. “By the way, I’m the lead surgeon. Tell Xi’er to wait for me outside the operating room.”

Luo Qinghan nodded silently and got in the car too. She held Yan Shuangfei’s right hand tightly the whole way, eyes fixed on her, afraid that if she looked away for even a second, Shuang’er might disappear.

One storm settled, another began.

Now that Yan Shuangfei was in trouble, she definitely wouldn’t stand by. Luo Qinghan clearly knew how Yan Huaiyuan would react when he found out the truth, but for now, she just wanted to cherish the present—regardless of right, wrong, grudges, or favors.