61.

At 11:30 PM, outside a certain VIP high-level ward at the Qi Private Hospital.

Bang!

Leo, who had just rushed over, slammed a fist right into Killian's face, completely beside himself with rage. "Tara just came back and went to find you with a heart full of joy, and this is how you treat her?"

Seeing this, the surrounding bodyguards immediately moved to intervene, but Killian raised a hand to stop them.

His hawk-like phoenix eyes stared dead at Leo. "Didn't you say Tara was dead back then? The things inside that ashes urn... you lied to me?"

"Yes!"

Since things had come to this, Leo no longer hid it, his anger not diminishing in the slightest as he barked, "Lying about Tara's death back then was indeed a deception, but wasn't that all for your sake?!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He walked over, grabbed Killian by his collar, pulled him close, and said viciously, "If she hadn't been dragged down by you back then, Tara wouldn't have been targeted by the West family and suffered all that agony!"

"If you had the capability to protect her back then, she wouldn't have had to resort to such a desperate measure, wronging herself by using that resolute method to live alone abroad for so many years!"

With that, completely unable to contain his fury, he slammed another fist into Killian's face. "I also blame myself for being blind back then—I should never have entrusted Tara to you!"

Knocked by this punch, Killian crashed heavily against the wall behind him. The corner of his mouth was split, seeping a trace of blood.

He raised his hand, tracing the pad of his thumb across it, then lifted his eyes to look at Leo with a sharp, cold gaze. "Regarding Tara's faked death, what exactly did you still hide from me back then? And where did she go all these years?"

"CEO Qi, Miss Tang is awake."

Half an hour later, Dr. Ye, who was in charge of watching over inside, came out to inform them. But seeing the scene before his eyes, he froze slightly. "CEO Qi, this..."

The cold corridor was dead silent.

The two tall men looked disheveled and somewhat wretched. His CEO Qi, in particular, sat on the floor with his head hanging desolately, his short black hair obscuring his sharp facial features, looking like a battle-damaged lone wolf.

The moment they saw him come out, both lifted their eyes, rose with anxious expressions, and rushed into the ward.

Dr. Ye: "..."

No, he hadn't even finished his words yet. What was the rush?

Helpless, he immediately followed them inside.

"Tara, are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else? If you don't want to see him, your brother will take you home right now!"

Leo held his sister's pale little face, his handsome countenance filled with a mix of heartache and fury.

Beside them, Killian stared at her fixedly, his eyes slightly red, his stern face taut without uttering a single word.

"Brother, I'm fine."

After she finished speaking, she immediately called out to Killian in a respectful tone, "CEO Qi, I'm alright. It was probably just low blood sugar. Rest assured, I will definitely move over to your place on time tonight; I absolutely won't delay the schedule."

Hearing this, Killian's sharp dark brows furrowed.

CEO Qi?

His face darkened by several fractions.

Did she hate him so much now that she wasn't even willing to call him by his name?

Tara didn't notice Killian's countenance, which was so dark it looked ready to kill. She lowered her eyes to look at Leo, her exquisite and pretty little face full of disapproval as she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Brother, don't say things like that anymore in the future. What if you make CEO Qi angry?"

Leo looked entirely baffled and exceptionally incensed. "What's wrong with what I said?" His voice raised, "He still dares to get angry at me?!"

Tara hadn't expected his voice to be so loud, blurting out her words so bluntly.

She immediately covered his mouth in a panic, sneaking a glance at Killian, who stood nearby with a cold and gloomy face, before pulling her gaze back and lowering her voice even further. "Brother, I know you want to save face, but I entered this transaction with CEO Qi willingly. You don't need to feel sorry for me."

"He promised me that as long as I follow him obediently, he will find a way regarding our parents' illnesses, and he will also help bring our family's nearly bankrupt company back to life."

After saying that, her big eyes even blinked, giving him a meaningful look. "So he is our sugar daddy right now. Be a bit more polite to him, understand?"

Leo: "...?"

What transaction?

What on earth was this about their father's illness?

And his company, bankrupt?

Leo's face thoroughly blackened. He turned an unfriendly gaze toward Dr. Ye standing nearby. "You, tell me what's going on. Why did my sister's brain suddenly break?"

Tara: "...?"

Could he speak properly? Where was her brain broken?

Beside them, Dr. Ye let out a faint sigh, finally seizing the opportunity to explain, "Miss Tang's condition can currently be basically confirmed as Identity Recognition Disorder Syndrome, brought about because her mind suffered excessive stimulation."

Hearing this, Killian and Leo both frowned, speaking in unison, "What does that mean?"

Dr. Ye explained, "It is similar to a split personality, yet it is not a split personality in the traditional sense."

"During this symptom's duration, Miss Tang may frequently switch identities and scenarios, imagining herself as various different character roles."

"These roles might be characters from a certain movie she watched, or perhaps from a novel."

"During the periods she imagines herself as these characters, she will act, speak, and communicate with the people around her according to the settings and behavioral patterns of those roles."

Dr. Ye cast a sympathetic glance at the two tall men and said, "Judging by Miss Tang's current situation, I guess she has probably imagined herself as a lover who willingly sold her body to the CEO in order to save her family from bankruptcy."

Leo: "..."

Killian: "..."

A deathly silence spread.

Meanwhile, Tara didn't take in Dr. Ye's words at all.

She was entirely immersed in her own world, her mind completely filled with:

How should I constantly please CEO Qi in the future so that he will be willingly inclined to help rescue my dad, who couldn't handle the blow of the family bankruptcy and jumped off a building to lie in the ICU, my depressed mom, and my brother who also almost jumped off a building.

After a moment, Killian broke the silence. "How long will it take for this symptom to fully heal?"

Dr. Ye shook his head. "This cannot be determined with certainty. If she recovers well, it could be as short as one or two months. If she recovers poorly, it's possible it could last for up to several years."

He reminded them, "If you want the illness to recover better, during this period, the family members need to try their best to go along with her, cooperating with her acting to make her feel cheerful."

"Remember not to excessively expose her when she switches to other identities, otherwise it might cause mental trauma to her, worsening the condition."

"Of course," he comforted, "during this period, she may have brief intervals of returning to normal, but the duration generally won't exceed a week."

"Damn it!"

The moment he picked Tara up to leave the hospital, Leo still couldn't hold back and let out a curse word.

Tara was puzzled. "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

What was wrong? The cabbage that had just returned to his home was so quickly being forced to be given away again; he was about to die of anger!

With a dark face, Leo said testily, "Aren't we going home to pack your bags? Let's go."

After saying that, he turned back to glare at Killian behind them, cursing, "I'll let you off easy for now. If you dare to treat Tara poorly, you're dead meat!"

Killian's countenance wasn't good either. Ignoring him, he stepped forward to take Tara's hand and said, "I'll accompany you."

Tara was surprised.

He actually wanted to accompany her?

So the rumored CEO Qi was this considerate to his lover?

No, no, he must be afraid that she would renege on the debt and refuse to move into his house to be his lover!