Wendy was still rambling about her good-for-nothing son.

I interrupted her impatiently, "Wendy, I have other patients to attend to. If you're done, you can leave."

Wendy paused.

Noticing my stern expression, she said quickly, "Alright, I won't keep you. Just think about what I mentioned. My son genuinely likes you, and you're a good match in age. I'm even hoping for a grandchild someday."

She spoke as if we were already engaged.

I wore a gloomy expression, almost visibly rejecting her suggestion.

Wendy, being a shrewd woman, should have picked up on my disinterest, yet she persisted in trying to set me up with Warren.

Did she think that the special treatment I gave her wasn't enough and wanted me to take care of her son for life? How could she be so shameless?

I withdrew all my special considerations for her, treating her as just another patient.

Some people really can't be treated too kindly, or they will take it for granted and demand more greedily.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until I died in my previous life that I realized this point clearly.

However, some people are used to such special treatment and can't accept the gap after losing it.

The next day, as I was making my rounds, I heard Wendy arguing with Nurse Cindy as I approached the ward.

A crowd had gathered, and I asked, "What's going on?"

Seeing me, Wendy felt she had found an ally and started berating Cindy.

"Dr. Clark, you're just in time. This nurse is shirking her duties, and she even dares to talk back when I scold her. I can't believe your hospital hired someone like this."

Wendy was the type of person who could make a dead man angry, let alone a young woman like Cindy.

Cindy was immediately reduced to tears. "Dr. Clark, she's being unreasonable. She wanted me to help scrub her son's body."

With that, my face darkened instantly.

I felt partly responsible for it.

I had previously thought Wendy, being elderly and taking care of her son alone, needed help, so I told Cindy to assist her as much as she could, allowing her to rest a bit.

I hadn't expected Wendy to take this as her due and exploit Cindy without hesitation.

After my rebirth, I told Cindy to focus on her job and not worry about Wendy and Warren, which led to today's incident.

I gently wiped away Cindy's tears and shielded her behind me. "Cindy is a nurse. If she's done something wrong, the hospital will handle it, but she has no duty or obligation to wait on your son. If you need help, you can hire a caregiver."

Wendy was displeased. "What are you saying? She's a nurse, supposed to serve patients. Why shouldn't she help me take care of my son?"

I laughed. "Because she's a nurse, not your son's mother!"

Wendy was taken aback, then continued to grumble and refuse to let it go.

I ignored her, comforted Cindy, and persuaded the onlookers to disperse, never giving her another glance.

Without Cindy's care, Wendy was busy all day taking care of Warren, with no time to complain to me.

Warren had a bad temper, and since being hospitalized, he frequently threw things and cursed at people.

Occasionally passing by his room, I could hear the sound of him scolding.

This time, he even splashed a bowl of hot soup onto Wendy's hand.

She jumped up in pain, blowing on her hand urgently.

Instead of an apology, he yelled at her, "Are you trying to scald me, you old hag?"

In no time, blisters formed on Wendy's hand.

She didn't dare complain but hurriedly comforted him. "No, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Don't be angry. I'll go get you another bowl of soup."

She bumped into me outside the ward, her face lighting up. "Dr. Clark, are you here for Warren?"

I was speechless; I was just making my rounds, and she made it sound like I was visiting relatives.

After being busy for the whole morning, I could still run into her during lunch time.

She looked at me as if I were a bone to a dog, her eyes brightening instantly.

"Dr. Clark, what a coincidence to meet you here. What are you having for lunch?"

While Wendy was talking, her eyes were almost glued to my lunchbox.

In my previous life, I felt sorry for her and often gave her my lunch and then bought another one for myself.

She would just stay hungry this time.

Hunger would keep her from bothering me.

I deliberately waved the lunchbox in front of her. "The beef smells great. Have you had lunch, Wendy?"

Wendy swallowed hard and said, "I'm not hungry. Dr. Clark, you go ahead and eat."

I ate slowly and deliberately in front of her, savoring each bite of the tender, juicy beef.

Wendy licked her lips unconsciously, but I pretended not to notice.

When I couldn't eat anymore, about a third of the food left, I threw the box away and went to wash my hands nearby.

She thought I had left. Seeing no one around, she picked up the lunchbox from the trash and ate the remaining food without any hesitation.

"Such a waste. It's such a pity to throw away so much food. I can't let her marry Warren with such habits."

I watched coldly, wondering where she got the confidence that I would marry her son.

Why should I marry him? Because he was poor, ill-tempered, or because he was sick?

Fortunately, Warren's condition had stabilized, and he would be discharged from the hospital in a few days!

Wendy, growing increasingly anxious, grabbed me to ask, "Dr. Clark, have you thought about what we discussed last time?"

I feigned ignorance. "What are you referring to?"

She smiled with flattery. "About you marrying Warren. You're over thirty now, and it won't be easy to get married later on, but my son doesn't mind your age.

"You wouldn't believe there were so many people chasing him in his youth, but I didn't like any of them. I just like you. If you have no objections, let's settle it soon."

She was really good at boasting about her son, making a middle-aged man who was seriously ill, of despicable character, and with violent tendencies sound like a great catch.

Suddenly, I had an idea and feigned a heavy sigh. "Wendy, my parents said that if I get married, my husband must give me at least two million dollars, plus a house downtown in my name."

Wendy's eyes widened. "Two million dollars? Why don't you just go rob a bank? You're over 30, not a young girl in her twenties. I didn't ask you for anything, and you're asking for two million dollars."

Her voice was loud, and the topic of marriage and money attracted many people to stop and listen.

I put on a show of distress. "Yes, if it weren't for my parents, I wouldn't be unmarried now."

Sorry, Mom and Dad, for using you as an excuse to get rid of her.

Sure enough, the mention of such an exorbitant sum left Wendy speechless.

They couldn't even come up with twenty thousand dollars, let alone two million.

My words were intended to dissuade her, to make her think twice about pushing this marriage.

It was really laughable!

With so many suitors after me, I'd have to be blind to consider her son.

Just recalling what he did to me in my previous life made me sick.

Every time I saw him, I wished I could kill him. But I wouldn't.

I've already lived and died once; they're not worth a second round.

To my surprise, Wendy embellished the story and spread it far and wide.

Soon, the whole hospital was abuzz with the news of my family's two-million-dollar marriage demand, and even my colleagues were whispering about it.

I just smiled and didn't explain.

When a male colleague, Alan Scott, asked me out for dinner, I accepted gladly.

I also let a nurse reveal the news "accidentally" to Wendy.

The next day, as I arrived at work all smiles, Wendy turned and ran away at the sight of me, her face full of fury.

When I made my rounds, her words were full of sarcasm, but I was unfazed at all.

Whether it was the two-million-dollar demand or the dinner with Alan, my actions were clear signals to Wendy. Marrying her son was out of the question.

Her reaction was just as I'd anticipated.

I caught her gossiping with patients' families whenever I passed, only for her to stop the moment she noticed me.

I could guess the tenor of her conversations without a second thought.

This tactic proved effective. After that, Wendy kept her distance, and the subject of marriage never crossed her lips again.

But she began to hold a grudge against me.

She slandered me at every turn, even warning Alan with feigned concern, "Dr. Scott, you have no idea about Dr. Clark's scandalous behavior. She was trying to seduce my son, demanding two million dollars as a precondition for marriage. The whole hospital knows. I'm telling you this because I think you're a good person and I don't want you to be deceived."

When Alan relayed her words to me, I couldn't help but let out a scornful laugh.

Me, seduced her son?

No one who's seen Warren would believe such balderdash.

I didn't bother to refute her; it was all part of my plan.

However, I didn't expect her to be so shameless!