Chapter 12: She is mentally ill!

The pair, speaking in insinuating tones and mocking Lin Yourong, were both staff members of the City First Hospital. Zhao Yi was the director of the dermatology department, and Li Qian was the head nurse.

Logically speaking, Li Qian's position was higher than Lin Yourong's, but Lin Yourong's grandfather was the hospital's dean, so no one dared to touch her. At the same time, Lin Yourong's work ability was outstanding and widely acknowledged, leaving Li Qian powerless even if she wasn't convinced. However, what made Li Qian hold a grudge against Lin Yourong were matters of appearance and affection.

Both women were exceptionally beautiful. The quiet and introverted Lin Yourong gave off a pure vibe, while the charming and flirtatious Li Qian gave off a sultry vibe, both attracting the fancy of men. Previously, Li Qian was interested in Yang Jiaxiong, the son of the deputy dean. At that time Lin Yourong hadn't joined the hospital yet, and Li Qian was confident in winning over Yang Jiaxiong, but unexpectedly, after Lin Yourong's arrival, Yang Jiaxiong was completely smitten with her.

Li Qian was just about to land a rich and influential man when Lin Yourong spoiled her plans. Given Li Qian's mercenary nature, one could imagine the depth of her grudge against Lin Yourong. She often made work difficult for Lin Yourong, and now, seeing Lin Yourong intimately with a man and helping him buy expensive clothes, she couldn't help but mock her and even aimed to ruin Lin Yourong's reputation.

Lin Yourong was very angry at Li Qian's sarcasm and her face turned cold. Unfortunately, she wasn't skilled in this sort of thing, and her cold face didn't seem terribly fierce or intimidating.

This only made Li Qian believe she was right, and she mocked even more boldly, "Heh heh, what's with the saint act? We're all women; who doesn't think about men? Others think you're innocent, but I'd say you've probably been with plenty of men. Oh, my mistake, it's probably more accurate to say you've been on top of plenty of men..."

"Li Qian, you—you shut up!" Lin Yourong bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood. It wasn't out of shyness, but anger. However, due to her typically solitary and reticent nature, she had little experience with hurling insults and was lost for words in trying to argue back, her thoughts in turmoil.

Discussions about women and erotic matters always attracted attention. After Li Qian's outburst, the people around became interested, their gazes focusing on Tang Ye and Lin Yourong. Seeing Tang Ye dressed simply and Lin Yourong in her elegant and radiant attire, and her buying clothes for him, the rumors of her keeping a young gigolo seemed credible, prompting quite a few whispers and finger-pointing.

"Tang Ye is my fiancé. What right do you have to talk about me like that!" Lin Yourong, enraged and flushed with humiliation at the pointing and whispering, glared fiercely at Li Qian, no longer afraid to reveal her relationship with Tang Ye.

Li Qian laughed mockingly, "Fiancé? You could really say that out loud. Just yesterday you were single, and today you have a fiancé. Oh Lin Yourong, are you so eager to defend yourself? Boyfriend, I might believe, but fiancé? Only a three-year-old would believe that!"

Caught in another inconsistency, Li Qian left Lin Yourong unable to retort. Though Lin Yourong was telling the truth, it did seem rather suspicious to pick a man to be a fiancé so quickly by conventional standards.

Lin Yourong felt so anxious her vision blurred and she wanted to cry, yet she forced herself to hold back the tears. She was naturally not inclined to quarrel and was likely on the more fragile side of temperaments.

Tang Ye had been quietly observing the women's altercation and found it to be a trivial annoyance. However, Lin Yourong was his fiancée, and as a man, he would not let his future wife be bullied. He gently took Lin Yourong's hand, assuring her not to worry and said, "Don't worry, leave everything to me."

Lin Yourong was stunned, deeply grateful for Tang Ye's timely help. She didn't feel taken advantage of by his gentle squeeze of her hand; instead, she felt incredibly comforted. She was very thankful to Tang Ye and was becoming more accepting of his presence in her life.

At that moment, Tang Ye took a step forward, his gaze coldly settling on Li Qian, his aura commanding, a stark contrast to his previous modesty and reserve.

Li Qian flinched in surprise. It was only then that she noticed Tang Ye was quite tall, towering a whole head above her. Fearing that Tang Ye might hit her, she became defensive, snorting coldly, "What—what do you want to do? Let me guess, you're angry because I exposed your shameful affair and now you want to hit someone, is that it? Hmph, I'm warning you, everyone here is watching. You dare to cause trouble, you adulterous couple?"

Aiyo, what a vicious woman, drawing the public to her side.

Tang Ye chuckled coldly as everyone watched and, with Li Qian on guard, he raised his hand and, smack, delivered a fierce slap.

The whole place went quiet.

Li Qian was stunned.

Lin Yourong was stunned.

Everyone was stunned.

This direct act of hitting someone is not okay, right?

Li Qian came to her senses, touching her burning cheek, and anger surged as she nearly jumped up, her jade fingers adorned with crystal-embedded manicure pointing at Tang Ye, she shouted, "You hit me, you dare to hit me? Struck a nerve, did I? You resort to violence because you feel guilty? Let me tell you, you're finished. I'll destroy you, make you fall from grace! I'll make you utterly infamous!"

In a fit of hysteria, Li Qian seemed to have lost her mind.

The slap Tang Ye delivered was heavy, causing pain not just in the face but in the heart as well. Being publicly slapped was no small humiliation.

The onlookers sympathized with Li Qian, blaming Tang Ye. Lin Yourong was very worried; this guy always acted so impulsively.

But then Tang Ye smiled, showing off teeth even whiter and neater than a woman's, quite appealing. His smiling face was radiant, making him seem not so much like a bad person. He spoke leisurely, "You've all got it wrong. You Rong and I are indeed fiancé and fiancée, but she... she's one of my patients, mentally ill. Because of emotional trauma, her emotions often spiral out of control, which is why she spouted that nonsense just now."

"Tch!" The crowd didn't buy his words, skeptical.

You say she's mentally ill, and that makes it so? What a lousy excuse, who are you fooling! If anyone could use such an excuse after hitting someone, wouldn't the world be in chaos? Unless you can actually prove that Li Qian is mentally ill, but from every indication, she doesn't look like someone with a mental illness!

Now Lin Yourong was truly alarmed. Li Qian was her colleague, they worked in the same hospital—she was clearly not mentally ill. It was not acceptable for Tang Ye to make such a claim, and she didn't understand what he was trying to achieve. Although she very much wanted to strike back at Li Qian, she was more worried that Tang Ye's actions could bring trouble. She didn't want anything like this to happen and was concerned about him, so she approached Tang Ye and said, "What are you doing? This isn't right, what if you get arrested?"

Tang Ye turned to look at Lin Yourong, still exuding confidence, "Don't worry, it's fine. I know what I'm doing, and we don't need to show mercy to the wicked."

Despite his assurance, Lin Yourong was still very concerned. Talk is cheap, but with the entire place now in an uproar, and the onlookers clearly not accepting Tang Ye's explanation, how to resolve this mess!