บท 31: Burn Scars

Mei Qingyang saw shock on everyone's face. Well, it was not the first time this had happened.

She had seen all the nurses in the hospital, where her foster father got her treated four years ago after stumbling upon her in a burning car, see her with disgust or pity. Disgust because her body, especially four years ago, looked hideous. Pity because she probably would never get a partner in life. She had heard the nurses discuss her condition numerous times among themselves, on how God did save her face from burning but instead left her with something useless.

And it was not like she had never tried going to school before. It was fine as long as she was wearing layers beneath her white shirt of the uniform, so her dark scars wouldn't be visible at all. But that dreaded physical check-up day came. She was still trying to get over her complex about her body.

The assistant nurse who was working there for the first time in her life, got so scared that she screamed really loudly in panic, causing everyone to be curious. Don't know if it was her or someone else who revealed her secret to everyone around but Qingyang became a subject of mockery for everyone.

No one except that nurse and the doctor had seen anything. Her dad tried hard to keep everything under wraps, even pressuring the principal on the basis of his high position in the education ministry at the time. Later, a few bullies had forcefully torn her shirt, only to uncover another layer of clothes beneath. This confirmed their suspicions and the bullying became so worse that her dad had to pull her out of the school. Her confidence became all time low.

If not for her foster mother going out of her way to seek Chinese medicine from various places and have her bathe in herbal baths everyday, her scars wouldn't have faded to the extent they were today. And her confidence would not have returned, if not for her foster father, who taught her martial arts. Her parents had put in so much effort into her, she needed to do something for them as well.

These guys were showing a similar expression of shock and horror on their faces. It triggered her unpleasant memories for sure. Because she did not really want to tell them everything, she just smiled embarrassingly and scratched her head. No matter how much she tried, her face was full of grief.

"You guys! Get out!! Who gave you permission to enter the room?", Fan Ruyi yelled and threw couple of pillows on exasperated guys who were just standing there, staring at her. The guys understood that they were being rude and went back to their original cold selves. But one had to say, this girl in black tank top and black shorts, with so many scars and bruises, looked like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, a fighter. It added so much to her charms. The guys rushed outside once again after Fan Ruyi's harsh scolding. Only she could control them ah!

"Let me see.", Fan Ruyi moved her hand forward to touch her scars below her collarbone. Mei Qingyang promptly blocked her arm with her own, a sharp look in her eyes.

"Ah! I'm sorry. I was being inconsiderate.", Fan Ruyi snapped out of her trance of seeing her burn scars. Since she belonged to a family of doctors, she had been exposed o medical knowledge since her childhood. She was preparing to become a doctor herself and was enrolled in the medical department of the college. She did not really need any lessons because she already knew everything.

Thus, she was a special case in the school and was allowed to research on her own under various doctors. Her family being famous, she had opportunity to study under renowned doctors abroad.

Things like these really intrigued her and she would just get lost in her own world of organs like this. Right now, she was so entranced that she forgot she was dealing with a tough girl.

"It's okay, as long as you know.", replied Mei Qingyang coldly. She wasn't interested in telling them the full story. Their inquisitiveness about her was becoming a headache for her. She had seen sparkles in their eyes before they left the room and in this girl's too, like they all were ready to listen to a long story from the past. She had come to know from her dad that he had only told them that he had found her somewhere without giving out any details. She didn't believe it was the right time to reveal her backstory to them yet.

She told Fan Ruyi sternly, "Ms Fan, could you just pass me that first aid box? I could dress my wounds myself." She knew very well that this girl was trying to be helpful to her but Fan Ruyi was definitely being a klutz right now. Was she just pretending to be on her good side, or did she really want to be friends with her?

"No, please. Let me do it. I'll take care of it, don't worry!!", cried Fan Ruyi. Why was this girl being so mistrusting and difficult? What had these stupid guys done with her that she was trying so hard to maintain a distance? She could feel that this girl could definitely use some social interaction. *I need to ask these idiots if they did something to her. Ugh.*

"You know, my hospital has developed this skin cream which is not available in market yet. It can fade away toughest scars and works on burn marks too. I'll get it for you when I get time, okay?" Fan Ruyi tried to make small conversation with her. She shut up after a lack of response from this injured girl.

"Alright, I'm done. You can rest here for some time. At least one of us will be here with you. Yu Tian has also assigned brother Yu Bufan for your help. So just press this bell here to call him should you need anything.", Fan Ruyi was finally done after about half an hour. She pointed to the bell on the side table and promptly left from the room. The guys were standing outside.

Mei Qingyang closed her eyes and slowly drifted away to sleep. With her sharp senses, she heard Fan Ruyi complaining to Yu Tian in a disappointing tone, "She doesn't trust me at all. I'm so sad. Ugh, did you guys make too much trouble for her?"

A smile floated on Mei Qingyang's face. This girl will definitely be useful to her in developing trust among all four of them.