Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Why Did the Photo Get Torn?

Time, like a ceaseless river, never paused for anyone’s emotions.

Early the next day, Yu Shiya arrived at the hospital early, waiting for Si Chen felt like an endless period of discomfort and anticipation. There were several times when she thought about giving up and just leaving. However, her unwillingness to lose eventually prevailed; She was determined to ask Si Chen what made Tong Yao superior to her.

Due to Tong Yao’s disturbance last night, Si Chen had a restless sleep, and came to the hospital early in the morning. When he pushed open the door there was a brief moment of hesitation, but his expressions quickly returned to normal. Like nothing had happened, he walked into his office, put on his white gown without uttering a word.

Yu Shiya bit her lip as she watched Si Chen. Seeing him treating her with such disregard, she felt an inexplicable sense of grievance that made her eyes, which were still swollen from recent tears, well up once again.

"Doctor Si, didn’t you see me? Why don’t you greet me?"

Si Chen turned to look at her, seeing her reddish eyes, he furrowed his eyebrows slightly, "It’s not appropriate for you to be here."

Her patience, which had been stretched thin after a night of hurt feelings, snapped with this comment like a powerful tide. Yu Shiya unleashed her flood of tears, "What is inappropriate? I just wanted to come and talk to you. I, as an unmarried woman, am not scared; what is making you afraid?"

"You may be unmarried, but I am married." Si Chen’s tone was uncharacteristically cold, seeming unwilling to have further conversation with Yu Shiya, especially after noticing her tears. "Your crying here doesn’t look good."

Yu Shiya felt even more aggrieved, her tears welling up again, she bit her lip and said, "I don’t care. Doctor Si, Dr. Liu must have talked to you yesterday, right? Since you already know, I won’t hide anymore. I just want to ask you one question. Just answer me honestly- How am I inferior to your wife?"

It was a question that bewildered Yu Shiya, even if she asked anyone in the hospital, they would agree that she was a hundred times better than Tong Yao. So, why did Si Chen refuse to divorce for Tong Yao’s sake? Why, exactly?

How was she inferior to a country bumpkin like her?

Whether it was her career or family life, it was clear that Yu Shiya was far superior and more suited to be someone’s wife. Bringing her to gatherings would only earn praise from friends and relatives, while bringing someone like Tong Yao would just be laughed at.

It was an issue as simple as solving an elementary addition problem.

"She doesn’t need to be compared with others." Si Chen settled in his chair, opened the drawer, and pulled out a medical book, starting to read as if no one else was there. He barely looked at Yu Shiya.

"..."

Yu Shiya, who had been treated like a princess since childhood, who shone bright in both school and hospital, was being ignored after expressing her feelings for the first time, felt humiliated and resentment started to build up in her heart.

"Doctor Si, you will regret this someday."

Hearing her words, Yu Shiya walked away defiantly. She had just reached the door when Si Chen suddenly called out to her, "Wait."

Yu Shiya’s heart skipped a beat, thinking that Si Chen had changed his mind. She stopped and waited for his apology.

"Doctor Shiya, could you please put my photo back into my drawer?"

"..."

She hadn’t expected that Si Chen called out to her just to ask for his photo. Yu Shiya tried to laugh it off, in spite of her anger.

"Doctor Si, even if you don’t like me, isn’t it unnecessary to insult me like that? What would I want with your photo?"

Without giving Si Chen a chance to respond, Yu Shiya stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. In the hospital, she had always behaved gracefully, always laughing and never revealing her quick temper. She thought Si Chen, with his refined manners, would like that kind of woman. However, she had overestimated that.

Returning to her office, Yu Shiya opened her drawer and pulled out a photo, the same one that Si Chen had in his drawer. Looking at the radiant woman in the photo, she gritted her teeth and tore the photo into tiny pieces, tossing them on the floor with some satisfaction. Still feeling a bit unsatisfied, she stomped on them ferociously.

When Guo Nan walked into the office, he found Yu Shiya standing over the ripped pieces of a photo, her eyes swollen and red. He asked out of concern, "Doctor Shiya, why were you crying?"

"I’m not crying. I just didn’t sleep well last night because I drank too much water before bed, and my eyes are swollen." Yu Shiya tried to cover up the fact that she had been crying by rubbing her red-rimmed eyes. As proud as she was, even if she had been rejected, she didn’t want everyone in the hospital to know about it.

Guo Nan dismissed her explanation, seeing no reason for a woman as successful as Yu Shiya to cry. Spotting the remains of the photo on the floor, he curiously walked over to pick them up, "Why did you tear up the photo?"

"I took that a long time ago and looked too ugly in it. I didn’t want it anymore, so I tore it up." Yu Shiya quickly picked up the torn pieces, threw them in the trash, and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "When I first took the photo, I thought I looked good, but now the more I look, the less I like it. I look like a tempting fox, not attractive at all."

"Doctor Shiya, if you’re not pretty, then no woman in our hospital would ever get married. We all envy your appearance. I would wake up laughing if I ever dreamt I looked like you." In truth, Guo Nan envied more than just Yu Shiya’s appearance—it was her aura and her family background as well. Guo Nan was not visually inferior, but her family wasn’t as wealthy as Yu Shiya’s.

With a brother and sister to care for at home, most of her salary went into contributing to the family. She found it hard to even buy new clothes for herself and had no means to enhance her beauty with cosmetics. Sometimes, she wished she could be selfish and not care about her family, but her conscience would never allow that.

Every time Guo Nan saw Yu Shiya, impeccably dressed in new clothes and looking radiant, she couldn’t help but feel envious, fantasizing how great it would be to be like Yu Shiya.

"I am not as good as you make me out to be." Yu Shiya modestly replied with a smile, which improved her mood significantly. "By the way, my birthday is in a few days. My parents will be hosting a party in the canteen. Remember to come."

"Wow!" Guo Nan’s eyes gleamed with envy. "The Dean really spoils you! I’m so jealous. I never got to celebrate my birthday."

Having multiple children at home, her parents favored her brother over her, always looking after him. Seeing this, Guo Nan felt sad but dared not argue with them. Whenever she would criticize her brother, her parents would defend him, saying he was young and didn’t know any better. After so many years, Guo Nan became accustomed to it.

Seeing how Yu Shiya, also a girl, was spoiled by her family, Guo Nan couldn’t help being envious.

Yu Shiya felt extremely satisfied hearing Guo Nan’s praise. She smiled and said, "That’s nothing. I celebrate it every year. Before, my parents would invite relatives to dine out. But now, as it’s more convenient, we’ve invited everyone to the canteen."

She was the pride and joy of her family. Every day was like one others eagerly awaited. Si Chen not liking her was his loss, he would regret it one day.

When her birthday arrived, in front of her, Tong Yao would only feel shame.

...