C21 Domineering

After they had taken her into the emergency room, Zhang Yang finally exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He saw Bai Ya standing there, lost in thought, and wasn't sure what to say. Should he reproach her? But on what grounds could he possibly do so? After all, this was a matter between the sisters.

"Director Bai, what blood type is Ling Ling? What could happen to her if she's been injured?"

Bai Ya slowly lifted her head, her makeup smeared from tears, revealing a natural beauty that Zhang Yang had no desire to admire at the moment. Bai Ling was still inside, her condition unknown, and he was fond of her, not wanting to see her hurt.

"Ling Ling was injured once as a child. She bled a lot and nearly lost her life. The doctor said she has a rare blood type; it was the first of its kind in the blood bank. If she gets injured, there's no blood available for a transfusion. Ever since then, we've been too scared to let Ling Ling go out alone. This is all my fault. What will I do if something happens to her?"

Bai Ya crouched in a corner of the hospital, her head buried between her knees, sobbing. Zhang Yang had never seen her like this before.

"Director Bai, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It was an unintentional oversight. Plus, she only lost a little blood. I'm sure Ling Ling will be okay."

"What do you know? I failed to take care of Ling Ling. When our parents died, I promised I'd never let her come to any harm, and now I've broken that promise. I feel so useless." Bai Ya pushed Zhang Yang's hand away and shouted at him.

"What good does crying here do? Ling Ling will be fine. She'll be out soon, and she certainly wouldn't want to see you crying."

Bai Ya paused, taken aback by Zhang Yang's words, but then her crying grew louder. "You don't understand anything. You don't need to concern yourself with Ling Ling and me. Leave. If it weren't for you, Ling Ling and I wouldn't have argued. If we hadn't argued, none of this would have happened. Just go!"

Bai Ya stood up and attempted to usher Zhang Yang out, but her slight frame was no match for his tall and burly build; she couldn't budge him an inch.

"Have you lost your mind? Ling is still being resuscitated in there. What's the point of this commotion?" Zhang Yang demanded, gripping Bai Ya's wrist to stop her frantic movements.

"Let go of me, Zhang Yang! This is none of your business. Just leave," Bai Ya insisted, struggling wildly. Her hair became disheveled, and she looked utterly worn out, unable to free her hand from Zhang Yang's firm grasp.

"Be quiet and wait patiently. Ling will be okay," Zhang Yang reassured her, though her tears were driving him to distraction. He decided to hold both her hands and pull her into an embrace, preventing her from scratching or biting him in her agitation.

"Zhang Yang, you jerk, let go of me! This isn't over," Bai Ya protested, still trying to escape his hold. Just then, the emergency room doors swung open.

"Whoa... Sis, are you two getting cozy so quickly?" Bai Ling teased from her stretcher, giving the entwined pair a mischievous look from her pale face.

Caught off guard, Zhang Yang swiftly released Bai Ya and rushed to Bai Ling's side.

"Ling, you're awake? Are you okay?" he asked, full of concern.

"Ling, are you awake? Are you okay?" Bai Ya echoed, their questions overlapping in their urgency, the awkwardness of the moment forgotten as they focused on Bai Ling's condition.

"You two are clueless," the doctor in the white coat chided them sharply. "This young lady just fainted from seeing her own blood after a minor cut. Even with her unique blood type, that little blood loss isn't life-threatening. Your arguing out here is what's really dangerous."

Zhang Yang, unfazed by the rebuke, promptly expressed his gratitude to the doctor. Bai Ya, now reassured by Bai Ling's safety and regaining her composure, felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she recalled her earlier frenzy. Despite her position as Director Bai, she was, after all, still a young woman barely into her twenties.

Worried about Bai Ling's well-being, Bai Ya insisted on a hospital stay. The doctor, left with no alternative, agreed to admit Bai Ling for observation.

Zhang Yang escorted Bai Ling to her hospital room and then went out to buy some fruit and vegetable gifts before he suggested parting ways.

"Ling, now that I see you're okay, I can rest easy. Make sure you get some rest, I'm going to head back now."

Zhang Yang was struggling with the awkwardness of being around Bai Ya, not to mention Bai Ling's peculiar glances at the two of them.

Bai Ya breathed a sigh of relief, her embarrassment so intense she felt she had no place to hide. Zhang Yang's presence only served to remind her of her mortifying behavior, particularly the moment he had embraced her.

"No, Mr. Zhang Yang, I want you to stay with me. You're not allowed to leave."

After having some food, Bai Ling's color returned, and she spoke with renewed vigor.

"Ling, be reasonable. Mr. Zhang Yang has other obligations. Don't cling to him."

Bai Ya reverted to her frosty demeanor, addressing Bai Ling with severity.

Bai Ling began to cry again, her mouth full of food, her words muffled and choked, "You're both trying to deceive me. I saw you hugging. I've told you, I'm not a child anymore, but you keep blaming me. I don't care, I want both of you to stay with me. With no mom and dad, you two are all I have. If even you don't want me, I might as well be dead..."

"Okay, Ling Ling, no more tears. I won't leave; I'll stay right here with you. Eat your food; crying will ruin your pretty face."

Zhang Yang's heart was heavy. He wanted to leave but felt trapped. For now, he would pacify her and plan to slip away once she fell asleep.

"Fine, you said it yourself. You can't leave in the middle of the night. When I wake up, I expect to see both of you here."

Bai Ling's tears gave way to a smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Bai Ya's lips quivered, but ultimately, she remained silent, resigning herself to the situation.

The trio sat in awkward conversation in the room until the chatter of two nurses outside caught Bai Ling's attention. She shushed the others, signaling them to listen.

"That family from earlier was quite a spectacle. The kid was just a bit hurt, but the crying was over the top. And then they were all lovey-dovey in the hallway."

Bai Ya's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The earlier incident was a deep humiliation, and it kept being dredged up. She was ready to storm out and send the nurses away, but Bai Ling firmly grasped her hand, holding her back.

Bai Ling gave Bai Ya and Zhang Yang a mischievous smile and whispered, "Nobody's allowed to leave. I want to eavesdrop. If anyone dares to leave, I'll cry just to show you."

Even someone as thick-skinned as Zhang Yang felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave, but Bai Ling was still unwell, so he had no choice but to stay put.

"Keep it down, don't let anyone overhear. I was in the office right across from them and sneaked a few peeks. That woman is such a tsundere."

"Oh? How so?"

"She obviously wanted to be comforted desperately, but she wouldn't admit it. She even tried to send the guy away. But he was so assertive; he just swept her into his arms. Guess what happened next?"

"Come on, spill it. Don't leave me hanging."

"The moment she was embraced, she calmed right down. She kept saying she didn't want it, but her body told a different story. She kept squirming. Isn't that just her way of tempting the guy?"

"Giggle... That guy is so assertive. If a guy treated me like that, I'd marry him in a heartbeat."

"Drop dead, you hopeless romantic. That girl is gorgeous, and you don't even come close..."

...

Their voices faded as they walked away. Bai Ya turned to face the window, lost in thought, while Zhang Yang sat calmly, enduring Bai Ling's odd stares.

"Mr. Zhang Yang, not too shabby. You've got that domineering CEO vibe. And you, Director Bai, I never took you for the demure type..."

"Bai Ling, shut it, or I'll ground you," Bai Ya said, her back turned to them, her voice icy.

"Zhang Yang, this is a family matter. Please leave."

"Sis..."

Bai Ling tried to interject but was cut off by Bai Ya, "Enough. Rest quietly. We shouldn't bother outsiders with our family issues."

Zhang Yang glanced awkwardly at the two women and said to Bai Ling, "Ling, you get some rest. I'll come check on you tomorrow."

Seizing the moment, Zhang Yang made his exit, feeling secretly thrilled. He hadn't expected to be seen as a domineering CEO, though Bai Ya didn't seem the type to be meek and mild.

"Ling, I need to make something clear to you today. There's nothing between Zhang Yang and me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even speak to him. You can't talk like that in the future."

Bai Ya breathed a sigh of relief; the awkwardness had finally subsided.

"But sister, you're not getting any younger. Lin Yuan is bad news, and Mr. Zhang Yang is such a good man. Why won't you give him a chance?"

"Ling, you're an adult. You should understand that everyone has the right to choose their own path in life. I know what's best for me, so please, no more lectures," Bai Ya implored with gravity.

"Sister, that's hypocritical. You say I have the right to choose my own life, yet you forbid me from working with Mr. Zhang Yang and constantly ground me. Isn't that a contradiction?"

Bai Ling had pinpointed a flaw in Bai Ya's logic, leaving her without a response.

"Ling, it's different. How can you equate matters of the heart with my life plans for you?"

"Ugh, sister, that's just favoritism. You meddle in my affairs but won't let me have a say in yours. You still treat me like a child."

Bai Ling looked at Bai Ya with scorn. Did she really think she was that gullible?

"I'm doing this for your own good..." Bai Ya started, but Bai Ling cut her off, her eyes wide with challenge, "Is that what you were going to say?"

Caught off guard, Bai Ya hesitated, and Bai Ling smirked, "I knew it. Sister, today you're going to realize that I've grown up. It's not enough for you to acknowledge it verbally; you need to accept it in your heart too."

"Ling, you've become quite defiant. I don't want to argue anymore. You need to follow my guidance. If I say it's not happening, then it's not happening."

Realizing she couldn't persuade Bai Ling, Bai Ya played her ace, foregoing any explanation for direct action.

"Hmph, sister, don't delude yourself. This time I'm going to make it clear to you that I've grown up and I won't just blindly follow your plans anymore."

The sisters were lost in their own thoughts, and before long, Bai Ling had drifted off to sleep.

Bai Ya rose and gazed out the window, the promises she made to her parents and her vows to her sister resurfacing in her mind.

"Forgive me, Bai Ling. I can't lose you. You're all I have left."