172: Chapter 173 Heartbroken! Qin Yan's Awakening and Resolute Decision!

Inside the Fumanlou banquet hall, the red light of the police sirens had just vanished from the entrance, leaving behind nothing but a scene of chaos—shattered wine glasses, scattered balloon fragments, and the black handkerchief Xiao Chen had dropped when he was being taken away.

Clutching his severed finger, Zhao Lei sat on the floor, wailing and howling. Cold sweat mixed with tears streamed down his forehead: "Quick! Hurry and take me to the hospital! My finger is going to be ruined! Qin Fei, what are you just standing there for!"

Qin Fei, still shaken by the earlier scene, was startled by Zhao Lei's shout and hurriedly pulled out her phone to call an ambulance. While dialing, she complained: "It's all your fault! You just had to provoke Xiao Chen. Now look at you, your finger is broken, and we were questioned by the police for ages!"

Mother Qin held Qin Yan's shoulders, her voice choked with sobs: "Yan Yan, are you alright? You scared me to death just now. How could Xiao Chen be..." Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Qin Yan's hollow gaze.

Qin Yan sat on the chair, her back straight, yet she seemed as if her soul had been drained away. She stared at the puddle on the floor stained red by wine. Her mind kept replaying Xiao Chen's coldness when he tossed the divorce agreement at her, his arrogance when he said, "You are not worthy of climbing high," and her own cautious devotion over the past three years—cooking different dishes he loved every day, scrimping and saving to buy him a computer, and silently defending him when he was mocked by relatives... It turned out that all of this was merely a routine task in his "repayment mission," a stepping stone in his "Dragon King's Return" script.

The surrounding relatives crowded around, gossiping: "Yan Yan, you've really been wronged. How could you marry such a person?"

"It's a good thing the police arrived in time, otherwise who knows what might have happened!"

"You must keep your eyes open in the future and don't get deceived again!"

Voices of sympathy, accusation, and lingering fear intertwined, but Qin Yan seemed not to hear them. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor, and she didn't even lift an eyelid.

Qin Fei hung up the call for the ambulance and shuffled over, lacking her usual overbearing attitude.

Her mind was in turmoil; on one side, the harsh words she had previously said to Qin Yan still stung, and on the other, she was pulled by sisterly affection. She opened her mouth several times but couldn't form a complete sentence.

After struggling for a long time, she lowered her voice, carrying a hint of awkwardness even she didn't notice: "Xiao Yan, you... take care of yourself. After all, you'll need to take care of Mom."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Lei urged from the side: "Qin Fei! Are you trying to kill me? I'm in agony here! Why are you dawdling? If you're any later, my finger won't be able to be reattached!"

Qin Fei didn't dare say more, hurriedly patted Qin Yan's arm, and supported Zhao Lei as they walked toward the door, their footsteps as panicked as if they were fleeing.

At this moment, the hotel manager walked over, holding a bill, looking troubled: "Miss Qin, I'm sorry, the chaos just now damaged quite a few things—the balloon arch, the crystal chandelier, and several tables and chairs. These all need compensation, totaling fifty-eight thousand yuan."

Qin Yan finally reacted. She slowly raised her head, her eyes devoid of any emotion—neither anger nor grievance, only a cold, numb indifference.

She took her phone out of her bag, opened the payment app, and entered the amount. Her fingers didn't hesitate at all. With a "beep," the transfer was successful.

"Is that all?" Her voice was soft but carried an unquestionable detachment.

The manager nodded, said "apologies," and left with the bill.

Mother Qin looked at her daughter, feeling both heartbroken and anxious. She couldn't help but ask: "Yan Yan, Xiao Chen... he's been arrested by the police now. Do you want to go to the police station to see him? After all, you were husband and wife..."

"Husband and wife?" Qin Yan suddenly laughed, a soft laugh, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness. "Mom, from the moment he tossed the divorce agreement and said I was 'not worthy of climbing high,' he, Xiao Chen, and I have had absolutely no relationship."

She stood up and smoothed out her crumpled skirt, her movements slow but firm. The surrounding relatives wanted to say something more, but Qin Yan didn't stop and walked straight toward the door.

She didn't look back, nor did she look at anyone, as if the birthday banquet, the relatives, and these three years of memories behind her were just a farce that should have come to an end.

Just as she stepped out of the hotel entrance, it suddenly began to drizzle. The fine rain fell on her face, bringing a touch of chill.

Qin Yan didn't use an umbrella, nor did she seek shelter from the rain. She just walked slowly along the roadside, letting the rain soak her hair and clothes, as if she wanted this rain to wash away all her grievances and humiliation.

Meanwhile, Zhang Fan and Gu Jingshen were sitting in a taxi, heading toward Singularity Technology.

Gu Jingshen looked at the rainy scene outside the window and suddenly pointed at the figure on the side of the road, his tone carrying a touch of teasing: "Fan Zi, look at that woman. She's not using an umbrella on a rainy day, standing by the roadside getting soaked. Her figure is actually quite good, with her wet clothes clinging to her body..."

Zhang Fan looked in the direction he pointed, and his heart suddenly jolted—wasn't that woman standing in the rain Qin Yan from the birthday banquet?

Her hair was soaked through, clinging to her cheeks, her face as pale as paper, and her eyes gazed emptily ahead. She looked to be in a terrible state.

"Stop the car!" Zhang Fan immediately called out to the driver, paid the fare, and pulled Gu Jingshen out of the car.

"Hey, where are you going?" Gu Jingshen asked, looking puzzled, but he still followed Zhang Fan as he ran over.

Zhang Fan walked up to Qin Yan and asked softly: "Miss Qin, are you alright? It's raining so hard, why aren't you seeking shelter?"

Qin Yan raised her head and saw that it was the young man who had been sitting in the corner at the birthday banquet. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly returned to her numb state: "I'm fine, thank you."

"Fine, my foot. Your complexion is so poor; you must have been shocked earlier and now you're drenched in the rain. If you keep this up, you'll get sick." Zhang Fan didn't give her a chance to argue, pulling her arm and walking toward the car Gu Jingshen had parked by the roadside. "We'll take you to the hospital to get checked out first."

Gu Jingshen also quickly chimed in: "That's right, beautiful. It's easy to catch a cold in the rain. Look at you, your clothes are all wet. Let's get you to the hospital to change into dry clothes first."

While he spoke, he opened the car door, not forgetting to wink at Zhang Fan—this kid, he usually seems quite aloof, but he's actually pretty good at caring for people at critical moments.

Qin Yan didn't resist. Perhaps the rain was too cold, or perhaps the exhaustion from earlier had finally crushed her; she obediently sat in the passenger seat.

The car's heater was on. Gu Jingshen rummaged through the trunk and found a clean jacket, handing it to her: "Put this on first, don't catch a cold."

Along the way, Gu Jingshen deliberately brought up light topics, from "the food at the birthday banquet wasn't good" to "Xiao Chen's chuunibyou is so hilarious," and the atmosphere gradually eased a bit.

Seeing that Qin Yan's mood had improved, Zhang Fan asked "casually": "Miss Qin, you have such a refined temperament, what do you do for work?"

Wrapped in the jacket, Qin Yan's voice softened: "I am an attending physician at City First Hospital, mainly responsible for the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine."

"Attending physician?" Zhang Fan's eyes lit up, feigning surprise. "What a coincidence! I run a tech company called Singularity Technology. We are currently collaborating with Yunqi Technology to develop a medical ai and are preparing to make a supporting health monitoring app. I've been wanting to find a professional medical consultant to help us control the medical professionalism, but I haven't found anyone suitable after looking for several people."

Qin Yan was stunned. She hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary young man in front of her was actually the boss of a tech company. Looking at Zhang Fan's sincere eyes, a ripple stirred in her heart—ever since Xiao Chen's incident, her mind had been filled with "divorce" and "deception." She hadn't had time to think about her future life, but Zhang Fan's words were like a glimmer of light, allowing her to see new possibilities.

Zhang Fan took a business card from his bag and handed it to her: "Dr. Qin, if you are interested, you can contact me at any time. Salary and benefits are negotiable, and the medical ai we are making is intended to let more people in remote areas enjoy high-quality medical resources, which is very meaningful."

He paused and added in a sincere tone: "I know you might be feeling very hurt right now, but I believe that leaving the wrong person is to welcome a better career and life. You are so excellent, you shouldn't be trapped in past memories."

Qin Yan took the business card, her fingertips touching the words "Singularity Technology Zhang Fan" on the card. The cold numbness in her heart seemed to be melted a little by these words. She raised her head and looked at the rain that was gradually stopping outside the window. For the first time, her eyes held an emotion other than coldness—it was a glimmer of anticipation for the future.

The taxi soon stopped at the entrance of City First Hospital. Zhang Fan opened the car door for her: "Go get checked out first. If anything happens, call me anytime."

Qin Yan nodded without speaking, but she clutched the business card in her hand tightly and turned to walk into the hospital. Watching her back, Gu Jingshen leaned over to Zhang Fan and whispered: "You aren't trying to poach her for your company, are you? But then again, she is an attending physician at City First Hospital, so her professional ability must be fine. If you can hire her as a consultant, your medical ai will be even more reliable."

Zhang Fan smiled and didn't deny it—Qin Yan's medical background was an excellent asset for the medical ai project, and he genuinely wanted to help this woman who had just walked out of a difficult situation find a new direction in life. After all, confronting Tianming Group required not only technology and capital but also people like Qin Yan who had professional ability and warmth.

The rain gradually stopped, and a faint light appeared on the horizon. Zhang Fan looked at the hospital gate, knowing clearly that the turmoil caused by this birthday banquet not only allowed them to defeat the first wave of attacks from Tianming Group but also unexpectedly gained a potential medical consultant—and this, perhaps, was the most unexpected gain on the path to confronting Tianming Group.