Yuan Ning (1)
Yuan Ning (1)
Yuan Ning hated the weight he endured. As the eldest son of an esteemed and famed family, he was born with a tremendous amount of expectations—a name to live up to. His surname, Yuan, had multiple meanings: Round object, round coin, money.
His family name meant and revolved around money, which suited their profession as rulers of a banking empire. His family are debt collectors; they were supposed to be callous, apathetic—nonchalant. And Yuan Ning was all of those things, as his father wanted him to be, and yet it didn't satisfy him.
His father claimed he wasn't good enough, that he had to change if he wanted to inherit Yuan Bank. They were both no longer seeing eye-to-eye, and Yuan Ning grew resentful of him. His father threatened him countless times to pass down his legacy to his younger brother, Yuan Shun. But Yuan Ning didn't want him to suffer the wrath and fury of their father, so he kept up the position as the prominent eldest son of the Yuan family.
One night, his father had been fueled with so much anger, hatred, and alcohol that he beat the shit out of him for voicing his concern. Yuan Ning was tired of being treated like a puppet his father could control.
So he escaped by visiting an old friend who sheltered him.
"My sister is a nurse. She can tend to your wounds..." he drifted off, "and, Ning, you can stay here as long as you want."
"Thank you."
A woman then stumbled into the room. She had wine-coloured hair, mahogany from roots to ends. She had a heart-shaped face, vibrant brown eyes, and a lithe figure. Her expression was soft, gentle and warm. It was vexing to him just how happy—though subtle—she looked when nothing exciting was happening.
She took out her emergency kit immediately, organizing the tools and medicine she needed to patch his face.
He scowled at her scathing touch.
"These are terrible," she said. "What happened?" she questioned as she cleaned the dried blood from his bruised and swollen face.
"Bar fight," he lied with a detached voice.
The nurse sighed. "What did you do?"
Yuan Ning didn't answer.
"What did he do?" she changed the question, her voice growing soft.
He ignored her.
"Not much of a talker?" she asked, "Well, that's fine with me. I am someone with many words."
Yuan Ning then had to endure the woman's endless muttering and rambling as the night went on.
"Are you ever quiet?" He interrupted her. "Or are you always this irritating?"
The woman pouted at first, but then she laughed a genuine and hearty laugh. "Not really, but I don't like awkward silences, so I'm often this chatty with my patients."
Despite his physical pain and foul mood, Yuan Ning shook his head, wearing a smile.
"Oh, there's a smile," the nurse said, her lips curving upward.
Yuan Ning frowned.
"Hey," she paused and said, looking at him earnestly. "I know we don't know each other, but whatever is happening at home, you can get help."
Yuan Ning caught her wrist, looking directly into her eyes with a deadpan expression. "It's true. You don't know me, so stay out of my business."
The woman sighed. "Listen," she said to him with fire in her eyes. "I'm only trying to help you. I can tell these wounds are not from a bar fight, and I'm letting you know that I'm here to help."
Yuan Ning let her go. "Just stitch me up," he replied with slight irritation.
She obliged.
And Yuan Ning stayed at his friend's apartment for that weekend, and he visited many times after that, learning that the nurse's name was Qin Li.
Qin Li was an annoying and pestering woman that always wanted to know his business, and she didn't leave him alone until he told her about all of his problems. But then, she became his sanctuary, a relief from his emotional suffering.
He never confided in his mother or siblings. He was the oldest, and as the oldest, he had to shoulder and carry the weight without any complaints.
During the heat of a moment, Yuan Ning found himself kissing Qin Li. She gave in to the passion momentarily until she pushed him away. "We can't…" she breathed heavily. "I'm an ordinary nurse, and you're from a whole different world than me. You'll only anger your father further. You must think of your family…and me. I don't want to be the reason you lose sight of your goal. You want to protect your family, right?"
Yuan Ning nodded. She was right. He didn't want to lose sight of his goal, and he wanted to respect her feelings. He didn't see Qin Li again until years later, at his old man's funeral. She came with flowers in hand, paying her respects. He ran up to her and embraced her tightly in his arms, grief and relief overcoming him.
He spoke to her that evening, and he realized that he had been an idiot. He wanted her—he wanted her badly.
They talked about being together, and she accepted him this time, admitting that she was a fool for letting him go in the first place when she loved him so fiercely.
With his father out of the way, he was able to love her freely. He kept his Underworld dealings secret, and when he learned that his fiancée was pregnant, Yuan Ning decided to abandon his role as Prince of the Wolf Organization. He wanted nothing to do with it—that was until he found his future wife in their apartment, with a gaping hole in her chest.
He ran up to her, collecting her still-warm body in his arms. She looked up at him with a shocked expression, her body trembling. "I don't…I don't want to die," her voice croaked, tears escaping her eyes.
"You won't," he said breathlessly, calling the ambulance on his phone.
She tried to smile through the pain, but her face paled, her arms grew limp, and she drew her final breath.
Yuan Ning thought he knew suffering and pain, but his whole life shattered that moment. He remembered when the ambulance arrived. The paramedics tore her lifeless body from his insistent arms.
When his family found out what happened, they tried their best to be there for him, but nothing could heal what's been torn apart into pieces.