The room fell silent, the atmosphere thickening with tension.
Shen Yuze's expression tightened at her words.
He didn't move for a moment, his gaze still fixed on her.
Li Xiyan didn't avoid his eyes, as she lay on the bed.
She clenched her fists, determined to sit up, but as she tried to push herself, a wave of pain shot through her, making her bite back a curse.
Her limbs felt heavy, uncooperative, like they belonged to someone else.
The doctor, noticing her struggle, stepped forward.
"Lie back," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "It's best if you stay still for now."
Li Xiyan shook her head and pushed herself up, her body protesting with each movement. As she finally sat upright, a sharp curse escaped her lips, her breath ragged with the pain.
Finally sitting upright, Li Xiyan looked at Shen Yuze once more, her eyes steady despite the pain.
She repeated her words, each one firm, "I want to leave."
A while ago, she had been disoriented, unsure of where she was. But now, with Shen Rui's presence and Shen Yuze's swift arrival, it clicked. She was in one of his estates, or perhaps even his actual home.
And the thought of it made her skin crawl.
She didn't want to be there.
Shen Rui, standing at the side of the room, looked at her with wide eyes, then quickly turned her attention to her father.
Shen Yuze stood there for a moment longer before speaking, his voice cool and controlled, but with an edge of something deeper.
"You're not leaving." His tone brooked no argument. "You're in no condition to move."
"I… I don't care," Li Xiyan said, her voice trembling despite her best effort to remain steady. "I need to leave. I can't stay here."
She couldn't bear being in that room a minute longer, not even if it meant enduring more pain.
The weight of her injuries didn't matter.
Shen Yuze's distrust had cut deeper than any wound. He had every reason to believe she was behind his daughter's kidnapping, but it still stung.
She couldn't stop thinking about how he'd looked at her while she bled out in that room—cold, detached.
That look haunted her.
What terrified her more, though, was the fear that if she stayed, Shen Yuze might uncover her true identity as Yan Xiuran.
She couldn't let that happen. Even if it meant clearing her name, she couldn't risk it.
Her fate had already been too tangled with his once.
She was done.
She wanted nothing more than to escape the past and live peacefully, to finally pursue her own dreams without the shadow of everything that had come before.
Shen Yuze's eyes softened slightly, but only just. His gaze flickered to the doctor and the nurse, still in the room, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
The room had become too quiet, too still, as if the air itself were holding its breath.
But Shen Yuze wasn't done yet.
He moved closer, his voice now softer, though it still carried an undeniable edge. "I can't let you leave with your condition. Let us help you."
His words hit her like a blow to the stomach.
Help?
How could he possibly help her after everything he had put her through?
After the pain and the bloodshed?
After his accusations and the torment of being trapped, of having no way to defend herself?
Her throat tightened as she fought to keep her composure.
"I'm fine," she managed to say, her voice strained but defiant. "I'll be fine on my own. I just... don't want to stay here."
For a moment, she expected Shen Yuze to insist she stay, to push her into agreeing to stay under his care, to argue with her.
But instead, he simply looked at her—his gaze sharp, piercing through her defenses—and said, "I'm sorry."
The words were unexpected.
Li Xiyan froze, stunned into silence, her thoughts scrambling to catch up with what she had just heard.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Shen Yuze, the man who had accused her, tormented her, and believed the worst of her, was apologizing.
"I apologize for everything I did," he continued, his voice low, firm, yet tinged with something vulnerable. "For what I made you go through, for the accusations I threw at you without understanding the truth."
The apology was direct, without excuses or defenses.
It was a rare admission of fault, and something about the way he said it—no pride, no arrogance—stirred something inside Li Xiyan.
She remained silent, unsure of how to respond.
The air in the room thickened with unspoken words.
Li Xiyan felt herself at a loss, her mind racing.
Just then, a soft sound broke through the tension.
Li Xiyan looked up to see Shen Rui running toward Shen Yuze.
The little girl's small feet pattered across the floor, her face twisted in concern, eyes wide and brimming with tears.
The tears in her eyes sparkled like dewdrops, and her expression—hope intertwined with worry—was the purest form of innocence.
Shen Rui reached up, takin Shen Yuze's hand in hers that were still covered with gloves, her gaze never leaving Li Xiyan.
For the first time since waking, Li Xiyan felt herself smile a little.
The sight of Shen Rui, so full of life, made the pain, the struggle, everything she'd been through, feel worthwhile.
Shen Yuze watched how her expression softened, his gaze shifting from Shen Rui to Li Xiyan, and in that brief moment, the depth of her feelings for his daughter became clear to him.
She cared, genuinely.
Remembering his previous accusations, his harsh treatment, only makes the shame cut deeper.
He let out a sharp breath, his gaze fixed on Li Xiyan. His voice, serious and almost pleading, cut through the tension.
"Ms. Li, please stay. Recuperate here, and let me make amends for what I've done."