At noon that day, Wang Haoran and Zhen Li arrived at the Tianhui Clinic, where Ma Hongsheng was receiving treatment and recuperation. However, before reaching Ma Hongsheng’s recovery ward, they encountered a familiar face.

“Aunt Zhen, Haoran, what brings you here?” Tang Bingyun asked, puzzled.

“What’s gotten into you? Do I look that old to warrant being called ‘Aunt’? You used to call me Sister Zhen without any issue. Why the sudden change?” Zhen Li responded, bypassing the question to voice her dissatisfaction.

Previously, when Tang Bingyun’s grandfather fell ill, Zhen Li overlooked the matter. But hearing the same address again, she found it intolerable.

“I didn’t mean it that way. You look young and beautiful, not old at all,” Tang Bingyun quickly clarified, her eyes inadvertently drifting toward Wang Haoran.

For some reason, she found Wang Haoran especially handsome today, and as she continued to look, she felt somewhat entranced.

[Ding, the host has stirred the heart of the female lead Tang Bingyun, earning 300 villain points!]

Wang Haoran felt a slight satisfaction. Just by standing there quietly, he managed to affect Tang Bingyun. Certainly, having a charm value over five hundred makes a difference!

“Then what do you mean?” Zhen Li pressed on, noticing Tang Bingyun’s dazed stare at her son and quickly deduced:

“Tang Bingyun, is this why you suddenly changed the way you address me? I treated you like a sister, yet here you are, eyeing my son—with no shame at all!”

Hearing this, Tang Bingyun snapped back to reality. The memory of an awkward moment at a couple’s restaurant flashed through her mind, causing her to blush.

“You misunderstood, I… I didn’t mean it like that,” Tang Bingyun couldn’t help but fib to appease Zhen Li’s anger.

“You didn’t mean it, you…”

“Mom.”

Just as Zhen Li was about to continue her scolding, Wang Haoran interrupted, giving her a slight shake of his head, signaling her to stop.

Zhen Li heeded her son’s cue and said no more.

Relieved, Tang Bingyun refocused her attention on Wang Haoran.

“What brings you here?” Wang Haoran asked Tang Bingyun out of curiosity.

Tang Bingyun seemed hesitant, but after a moment’s thought, she decided to be truthful:

“Grandfather asked me to check on Yan Guishan.”

“Yan Guishan is here?”

“Yes, he’s recuperating after getting injured.”

“What about your marriage with Yan Guishan? How was that resolved?”

“Grandfather annulled the marriage between Yan Guishan and me. He sent me to visit him purely out of the long-standing friendship between our families,” Tang Bingyun said, her face bright with relief.

Wang Haoran nodded slightly, realizing Old Tang wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Upon learning that Yan Guishan was crippled, he nullified the engagement. However, Yan Guishan’s protagonist status lingered, still capable of yielding rewards.

Now was the time when Yan Guishan was mentally and physically vulnerable. Seizing this opportunity to disturb his mindset could produce significant benefits.

With this in mind, Wang Haoran turned to Zhen Li:

“Mom, find a place to sit for a while.”

“Alright, do as you see fit,” Zhen Li replied, assuming her son wanted a private conversation with Tang Bingyun. She didn’t object; she had learned about Tang Bingyun’s annulment of marriage from Old Tang, and hence her mockery had been justifiable. But with the marriage contract voided, it was now irrelevant.

The Tang family business was substantial, and Old Tang likely planned to entrust it to Tang Bingyun. Despite the age difference, she remained a promising match for her son.

Reassured, Zhen Li stepped aside.

“What do you want to say to me?” Tang Bingyun asked, hopeful.

“Let’s go see Yan Guishan together,” Wang Haoran suggested.

“Huh?” Tang Bingyun felt a pang of disappointment but quickly masked it and nodded. “Follow me.”

Tang Bingyun led the way to a high-end recovery ward where Yan Guishan was under care. Concerned about intruding, she gently knocked on the door first.

“I’m Tang Bingyun. My grandfather asked me to check on you. Is it convenient for me to come in now?”

There was no reply from within.

Undeterred, Tang Bingyun repeated her words.

Meanwhile, Wang Haoran used his X-ray vision to appraise the room’s interior. He saw Yan Guishan alone without a nurse attending to him.

Yan Guishan had heard Tang Bingyun’s voice but chose to remain silent, his face a maelstrom of feelings such as inferiority, regret, loneliness, and anger—unprepared to face her.

“No response. Might he be asleep?” Tang Bingyun wondered aloud.

“Let me check.”

Wang Haoran reached to open the door.

Yan Guishan quickly shut his eyes, feigning slumber.

“He’s asleep,” Wang Haoran chuckled softly, pivoting to Tang Bingyun.

“Is it okay for me to go in?” Tang Bingyun inquired, treading carefully.

“It’s fine.”

“Alright, then.”

Tang Bingyun nodded, entered with Wang Haoran, and placed the flowers and fruit they brought on a table beside the bed. She then spoke softly to Yan Guishan:

“My grandfather asked me to see you. Are you okay?”

Yan Guishan continued his pretense, ignoring her.

“He’s in deep sleep,” Tang Bingyun murmured.

“What’s his reason for being here? Where was he injured?” Wang Haoran asked while seating himself, feigning ignorance.

“He was beaten and sustained injuries,” Tang Bingyun replied, vaguely.

“Where is he injured?” Wang Haoran pressed further.

“There!” Tang Bingyun leaned in to whisper, mindful of Wang Haoran’s curiosity.

“Where?” Wang Haoran pretended not to grasp her meaning.

“Let me say it this way: Yan Guishan won’t be able to marry or have children in the future,” Tang Bingyun clarified, choosing tactful euphemisms.

[Ding, the host deliberately guided the situation, causing the protagonist Yan Guishan to be deeply hurt by female lead Tang Bingyun, earning 500 villain points, Yan Guishan’s protagonist halo -20, host’s villain halo +20!]

“Oh, I see.” Wang Haoran, having reached his objective, mirrored understanding.

“Haoran, since he’s asleep, let’s leave,” Tang Bingyun suggested, eager for a conversation elsewhere.

“Your grandfather asked you to check on Yan Guishan. As he’s not awake, leaving would seem inappropriate, wouldn’t it?” Wang Haoran reasoned, intent on further unsettling Yan Guishan’s mindset.