2 Diamond Ring

April 1, 20xx

Beijing

The Previous Day

The sun has yet to rise and while the rest of the world is still in slumber, a black car traversed on the wide expanse of highway illuminated by the bright moon and lamps. There were only a few cars in sight making the whole trip a lot faster compared to the usual two hour drive it takes during the rush hour. Yan Shi rolled the window down and gush of early spring air blended with moist brushed her face that gives one, feeling of elation.

Yet, she feel the opposite. For unknown reasons, she cant stop herself from fidgeting. The minute she left the hospital, after completing a 3-hour craniotomy (1) at 4 am, she felt this. It is like a premonition that something bad is going to happen.

But her laziness to dwell much into it made her brush it off. Additionally, it must the lack of sleep after being on duty for more than 24 hours at Xuanwu University Hospital where she is completing a residency program. Studying in the US, she had choices to enter prestigious university hospital with her medical degree but she opted to return to her country and practice. Her primary reason, to be close to her boyfriend as long distance relationship can give strain to couples. Though they are in different department but at least they are both in the same hospital.

Thinking of him, she gave out a smile. Tomorrow is his birthday and she planned to give him a surprise. There was a surge of excitement in her.

Not only excited for the party but also, she is looking forward to his proposal. His cousin, who is completing his clerkship at the hospital mentioned by accident that he accompanied Bai Haifeng three weeks go to buy a diamond ring and even showed photo of it. In her excitement, she was unable to sleep that night and had wanted to call him to ask but reigned her impulsiveness. Though marriage is far off from her plans, if the object is him, then she has no qualms in marrying him. After all, they've been together for 10 years.Seven years as friends and 3 years as couples. Aside from Grandpa Yan and her mother, he is her next favorite person. In spite of the fact that she never felt that fast beating heart as describe by people when they are in love, she feels comfortable around him. So in her heart, perhaps that is her own way of loving him.

Before Yan Shi realized, the car being driven by the family driver, came to halt and the door opened. A uniformed maid greeted her as she walked past the patio leading to the main door.

"Welcome home, Eldest Miss."

She nodded in cognition and followed another one inside the house.

This is her paternal grandparents house and since she returned overseas, the number of times she returned to this house could only be counted by the fingers of one hand.

Not that hospital is taking much of her time but rather, she is reluctant to associate herself with her father's second family. Hence, she settled on staying on the accommodation offered by the hospital. Plus, this residence is an hour away from the city center where here workplace is located at.

If not for Grandpa Yan, she will never step on this house that gave too much pain to her Italian mother, Laura Ricci who fell in love with her father, Yan Dengfeng when she came to China for internship.

He swept the gullible Laura Ricci of her feet and after a whirlwind romance, they married.

But who could have known, while she was four months pregnant, her scumbag husband was having an illicit affair with his childhood friend, Wang Nanfu. The latter even approached her mother with Grandma Yan and forced her to sign the divorce paper and requested for her baby to aborted because the third party is two months pregnant with his child.

Compared to her unknown mother's identity, the Yan family preferred Wang Nanfu for being the heiress to Wang Enterprises. Marriage with this family will bring unprecedented benefit to Yan's businesses.

Heartbroken, her poor mother signed it and left the country without informing her ex-husband.Three months later, she gave birth prematurely to a baby girl she named Blythe Ricci. Her childhood life was spent in happiness and full of laughter but one day, everything disappeared. Her mother died when she was 5 years old. She has no memories of her life after her mother's death. There is a blank window inside her brain as to what happened for the last 7 years before she was sent to her father's home.According to him, her weak, dying body was delivered by two masked people who cant be identified by the police.

Luckily, she always had attached herself to Grandpa Yan hence her wicked stepmother was never able to physically hurt her although the woman tried many times. But verbal attacks from her relatives and her two half-sisters never ceased and the two would always find trouble. Luckily, she is vigilant against them. If not, she would have suffered a lot of misfortunes.

When she got accepted by NYU at 16 to start her college life, she was happy to leave.

The loud reprimanding voice of Grandpa Yan from the living room caught her attention as she entered the foyer.

"How can the two of you do this? What about Yan Shi? She----"

He stopped when her figure came to his sight.

Yan Shi looked around and she counted 7 people inside the house. Her wristwatch read 6:30 and it made her wonder why these people are here, early in the morning.

She finds the presence of her boyfriend, Bai Haifeng and both of his parents in the living room surprising.

He was kneeling on the ground with her sister, Yan Mei. There was a smirk on the latter's face as opposed to him. At the same time, she put her two hands on top of each other on her lower body, totally exposing the diamond ring on her finger. The glint of the jewellery caught her eyes and instantly, a suspicion formed in her head for the reason that she was called to return home immediately.

Her eyes darted to his face to get his attention but his sight is glued on floor.

Grandpa Yan saw her and without a smile, he said "What are you standing there for? Come quickly."

She stepped forward, smiled amiably to the old man. Although her heart is sour at the moment, she never forgot to bow in respect and stood a few steps away from him. She refused to sit on the empty spots in the wide living room.

The doubt in her head was confirmed when her stepmother handed her an envelope.

***

(1)Craniotomy is a surgery performed to cut a bony opening in the skull. A section of the skull, called a bone flap, is removed to access the brain underneath. This may be performed to treat brain tumors, blood clots, aneurysms, traumatic head injury and swelling of the brain or infection. Depending on the severity of the problem, it may take two to four hours to complete the procedure.