The Sweet Rival (Mango Shen and Nathaniel Ye)

"It's over!"

Mango's mind went blank as she collapsed to the ground uncontrollably.

She had no idea what would happen to her, nor could she tell the future of the little girl as everything had gone beyond her control.

As soon as Mango fell, the doctor caught hold of her.

Mango looked extremely tough yet unbelievably beautiful at the same time.

Her gaze swept across Mango's body as she placed her on the hospital cot aside before shifting her attention to treating the little girl.

Mango had a deep sleep that night.

In her dream, a large crowd of people were chasing after her yet she had no idea where to escape. All she could see was Nathaniel waiting for her not far away. However, when she tried approaching him, Nathaniel took a few steps back.

"Nathan, don't go!"

Mango yelled, and her eyes filled with tears. She quickened her pace to chase after Nathaniel but she still couldn't close the distance between them.

"Where the hell are you? Come back now!"

At that point, Mango cried out in agony.

Nathaniel was clearly just a few steps away from her, yet she couldn't reach him no matter how hard she tried, and it seemed as if she had to overcome huge obstacles to get to him.

She fell to the ground, heartbroken as she sobbed in sorrow.

Just then, a pair of slender legs came into her sight.

"Why are you weeping again? Didn't you promise not to cry anymore? Your tears are ruining your pretty face."

The moment Mango discerned the familiar voice, she raised her head abruptly and caught Nathaniel standing in front of her while gazing at her gently. He even extended his arms towards her.

"Nathan!"

All of a sudden, Mango felt very aggrieved.

Immediately, she threw herself into Nathaniel's arms.

His embrace was still as warm and reassuring as before and it gave her such a strong sense of security that she became reluctant to part with him.

"Silly girl."

Nathaniel gently stroked her head as he smiled dotingly.

The warmth and comfort she felt from his palms was all too familiar.

Out of the blue, she felt a sharp weapon pierce through her chest as an excruciating pain started spreading across her body. Then, she released Nathaniel in shock and disbelief.

Blood flowed down her chest, and she couldn't believe that the person who stabbed her was Nathaniel as he was still smiling at her dotingly.

"Nathan, you..."

Mango clutched her chest as the pain was so great that she began to suffocate, and the warmth in Nathaniel's eyes gradually faded away. "No... you are not Nathan! Who are you?"

As Mango said that, she tried to grab Nathaniel's hand but he had disappeared.

"Nathan, Nathaniel Ye!"

At that moment, Mango screamed in pain as she sprang to her feet.

"Are you awake?"

A strange voice sounded in her ears, and she glanced towards the person in reflex.

She noticed an unfamiliar woman before her, and Mango was confused about who she was.

"Do you not recognize me?"

The doctor smiled at her and teased, "You threatened me with a scalpel before this just to force me to save the little girl, yet you don't recall any of it now after a nap?"

Mango came to her senses after her words.

"Where's the little girl? How is she doing?"

Having said that, she lifted up the blanket and attempted to get up, yet she felt so dizzy that she fell back down onto the bed again.

Then, the doctor looked at her and said in a low tone, "Don't get too worked up, your body has been overly exhausted. I have no idea what's going on with you, but you have been in a coma for three days." "What?! I slept for three days? How is that possible!"

Mango felt as if she just took a short nap and had a nightmare.

Really?

That was right!

It was definitely a nightmare!

However, why would she have such a dream?

Nathaniel would never stab her with a knife, would he?

Nevertheless, the scene was so vivid and intense that Mango was heartbroken, and she could feel a chill down her spine the moment she thought of it.

"Is this a warning?" Mango wondered.

She couldn't tell, but she felt an unceasing pang of heartache as if something dear to her was snatched away from her.

The doctor noticed that Mango was drowned in a sea of emotions and seemed dazed, so she faked a cough and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Mango came back to her senses in a flash.

It wasn't the time for her to get overwhelmed by dreadful emotions and let her imagination run wild. Now that she was here, she had to give it a shot regardless of how dangerous the journey might be. Even if Nathaniel had really lost his mind as how he appeared in her dream, she must take him home.

At the thought of this, Mango regained her composure in no time.

The doctor glanced at her several times as she doubted that Mango could recollect herself within such a short time.

"You are certainly not a local, so what are you doing here?"

Next, Mango looked at the doctor in front of her.

She was about the same age as Mango, though the wrinkles on her face made it clear that she was older.

Perhaps she used to be a beautiful woman too, but at present she seemed worn out with her face full of wrinkles. Mango couldn't discern even a trace of youthful vigor from her.

"I can't tell you the reason I'm here for the time being. The only thing I'm concerned with now is how the little girl is doing."

"She's fine, don't worry. She's lucky because if you brought her in a few minutes later, she wouldn't have survived. I treated her wounds but I could do nothing for her lips and tongue. Anyway, I noticed that her tongue was severed deliberately, so who on earth did that?"

The doctor stared at Mango as though Mango's expression would give her a hint.

Mango shook her head and said, "I have no clue either. Someone dragged her out of the river when I found her."

"That's very kind of you, and it's rare to see someone like you in today's society. But aren't you afraid of being pestered by her? Or do you have other motives?"

The doctor had her eyes fixated on Mango fiercely as she wanted to catch even the slightest change in expression on Mango's face.

However, Mango wasn't intimidated and said with a faint smile, "I do have a motive. This little girl was sold here by human traffickers and my husband came here to find her. But he disappeared after arriving at this place, and I couldn't get in touch with him, so I came to see what happened. Then, I found this girl by chance. Her life is at stake, but I need her to tell me my husband's whereabouts." Mango did not hide anything from the doctor.

That was because she could tell that the doctor was not a bad person.

Anyone could determine a person's character from their vibe. This doctor seemed cool and indifferent, but her innocent gaze told Mango that she was kind.

The doctor was stupefied for a moment before she said in a low voice, "It will take a few days for her to recover, but your condition is worse. Are you aware of your health issues?"

Yes."

The doctor frowned at Mango's calm and nonchalant expression as Mango smiled faintly.

"You knew? Then, why did you come here so recklessly and eat some weird medicine to boost your strength? Do you know that you are draining your life? If you thought that you have 6 months of life left, you're wrong, and to be frank, you'll not live beyond 3 months."

"It doesn't matter. As long as I find him and he is safe and sound, I will have no regrets it even if I don't wake up the next day."

The doctor's expression changed at Mango's words.

"That's blatant stupidity. A woman who sacrifices everything for love without a second doubt is a total fool. You can seek a man's money and power, but you should never expect love from him. A man's words are no more than sweet lies that can harm you. Are you out of your mind? That's your own body. You may be risking your life for him today, but when you are bedridden, will he even spare a glance at you?" The doctor was somewhat angry.

Mango could tell from her tone and expression that she might have been betrayed by a man before, and Mango wouldn't gain anything from arguing with her. Furthermore, her body was very weak right now, so she would be no match for the doctor, who could probably push her onto the bed with no effort.

The doctor frowned again as Mango didn't respond.

"What? You don't agree with me?"

"No, it's just that everyone has different opinions."

Mango spoke in an indifferent manner without arguing nor quibbling.

Her body was in a dire condition.

She felt extremely disoriented with occasional waves of nausea, and she had no strength to do anything at all, let alone get out of bed.

The doctor noticed Mango's tough expression and said with a smile, "You must think that I'm a lunatic even though you aren't saying anything. You can't go anywhere with your current condition anyway, so it's best for you to stay until you heal. Your sickness isn't easy to treat but I can guarantee that if you listen to my advice, you can live till your golden years. The girl isn't awake yet but I'll let you know she wakes up. Rest well."

Having said that, the doctor was about to leave.

"Wait a minute!"

Mango quickly called out to her.

"Doctor, I admit that I was very rude to you when I first came in and I'm aware that you're doing all this for my own good, but I really don't need rest. Where are my things? Please give them back to me as I need to leave here as soon as possible to find my husband."

It was at this moment that Mango realized her belongings were gone.

She saw no one else other than this doctor in the hospital, so it must be her who had taken it.

The doctor said coldly, "You intend to continue using the medicine that drains away all your strength to save your husband, am I right?"

"Yes, I do!"

Mango didn't try to hide anything as she felt that no one could deceive the woman in front of her.

It was as if she could see through all lies although her eyes seemed innocent.

The doctor said sternly, "If you hadn't entered my hospital and didn't force me to save anyone's life, it would have nothing to do with me whether you are alive or dead. But now that you are here and even urge me to save a young girl, I won't let you leave until you recover. As for the medicine you mentioned, I have already thrown it away. There's no reason to keep such a harmful item that benefits no one."

"What? How could you do this!"

At that point, Mango got all worked up suddenly.

That was the only means for her to sustain herself so that she could save Walter and find Nathaniel, yet it was disposed of by this doctor?

How was she going to find Nathaniel then? How was she going to save Walter? Was she really going to stay in this shabby and remote hospital for life?