Xiao Xiao rarely spoke up with a fair and reasonable statement: "He didn't know you were sick."
"Yes, he doesn't know. He'll never know anything about me unless I tell him, because he's never even considered asking me! He's never sent me a single text message. When I do, no matter how many words I type, his replies are always pitifully simple. I ask him, 'How was your day?' and he just replies 'good,' not even bothering to ask 'How about you?' Sometimes he doesn't even reply. Then he'll call me after a few messages, asking in a very gentle tone what's wrong. How am I supposed to answer? What could I possibly want? If it were really important, would I use a text message? Texting between lovers is just making conversation, playing games, isn't it? Doesn't he understand?"
Xiao Xiao watched Zhang Jingzhi lash out, speechless, thinking to herself, "Whose fault is this? You were the one who took the initiative to pursue her! There are people who take the initiative to pursue you, but you didn't want them. Now you feel wronged, where were you before?" Of course, these were just Xiao Xiao's inner thoughts. At this critical moment, even if she had a few more lives, she wouldn't step forward to block Zhang Jingzhi's still raging machine gun.
Zhang Jingzhi shouted a few times, but then realized it was pointless. She forced a smile that looked more like a grimace at Xiao Xiao and said, "You should go now. Isn't there an important negotiation? You already took two days off yesterday, so don't delay today. I'm fine now."
Xiao Xiao shook her head. "How can I go in your condition?" She looked at Zhang Jingzhi and said, "Jingzhi, I know you are going through a painful process of shedding your skin, and it hurts me. But I can't help you. Only when you experience the pain yourself will you understand what you need, what you should cherish, and what you should give up."
In fact, Xiao Xiao really wanted to tell Zhang Jingzhi that Wang Yuhan was not angry with her. He would call her phone almost every few hours to ask about her condition. Even when she was most delirious with fever, it wasn't just her who was by her side, but also Wang Yuhan. However, the man left after seeing her fever subside because he said he didn't need her gratitude.
There are some things that are not the right thing to say yet.
"Xiao Xiao, you've really become a philosopher. How come you have such a set of theories?" Zhang Jingzhi laughed, pretending to be relaxed. "If you're worried, just call Chu Yang and have that girl come and watch over me. I can't let all the love I've given her go to waste!"
Xiao Xiao glanced at her watch; she had a second negotiation with Wan Chang that afternoon, which she couldn't miss.
Xiao Xiao called Chu Yang, who was shocked to hear that Zhang Jingzhi was hospitalized. Without saying a word, he rushed to the hospital and arrived at Zhang Jingzhi's ward shortly after. To Xiao Xiao's surprise, Fang Yi was also there.
"Mr. Fang?"
Fang Yi nodded slightly, "I happened to be with Chu Yang, so we came over together."
Zhang Jingzhi had been determined to teach Chu Yang a lesson for not caring about her older sister, but as soon as she heard Fang Yi's voice, her arrogance vanished. She slid onto the bed, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
Sigh, it's not that she's afraid of Fang Yi, it's just that she feels her face burning whenever she thinks about that epic showdown with Fang Yi at the "male escort shop". She, Zhang Jingzhi, has only ever acted like a shrew once in her life, and of course, someone else happened to run into her. Of course, she has also been unladylike a few times with Wang Yuhan, but at least she didn't throw a tantrum!
Seeing that Zhang Jingzhi had her eyes closed, Chu Yang turned around and whispered to Xiao Xiao, "Is she asleep or unconscious?"
Xiao Xiao was also puzzled, thinking to herself, "She was so lively just now, how could she fall asleep in just two seconds?" She glanced at Zhang Jingzhi's still slightly trembling eyelashes, then looked at Fang Yi, understood what was going on, smiled, and said, "She's asleep."
Hearing that she was just asleep, Chu Yang breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What happened? Why are you in the hospital?" He thought to himself, "Weren't you just playing Tom and Jerry in the lecture hall a couple of nights ago? How come you're in the hospital now?"
Xiao Xiao naturally couldn't tell Chu Yang the whole story in front of Fang Yi, so she could only smile faintly and say, "The fever caused a lung infection, but it's not very serious, and the fever has basically subsided."
"Oh," Chu Yang nodded and kindly went over to cover Zhang Jingzhi with the blanket.
Seeing Zhang Jingzhi's tense appearance, Fang Yi guessed she was pretending to be asleep, and gently tugged at the corner of his mouth without saying anything.
Xiao Xiao glanced at Fang Yi and instructed Chu Yang, "If you're free, stay here for a while. I have to go to the company; I have a meeting this afternoon."
Chu Yang nodded. "I'm fine, you go ahead. Fang Yi said he has a meeting this afternoon, you can go together."
Fang Yi nodded, "I have to go back too, let's go together." He then looked at Xiao Xiao and asked, "Do you need to go back and change your clothes?"
"No need, the company has prepared everything, we can just go directly there. There are some new documents that I haven't had time to look at yet, I need to go and prepare them, otherwise I'll suffer."
Fang Yi nodded; he had always admired her abilities.
Xiao Xiao took Fang Yi's car back to the company. The negotiation materials were already laid out on the table. She glanced at them briefly and it was almost time for the negotiation.
Ah Song didn't have his arm in a sling; he just had a slight fracture, nothing too serious. It wasn't difficult for him to put on a show in this situation, and he still had a proper smile on his face.
As soon as Xiao Xiao saw him, she remembered the phone call she had received and the overloaded truck that had crashed into her head at high speed. Her smile became even brighter, and she shook his hand more enthusiastically, shaking it up and down forcefully.
Ah Song's smile twisted, her lips barely moving, her mouth slightly parted as she hissed in pain. It hurt, it really hurt! This woman is truly heartless!
After watching Zhang Jingzhi finish her afternoon IV drip and seeing that she was alright for the time being, Chu Yang thought he should take the opportunity to go home to get some daily necessities and some documents that He Yiyang needed. He figured it would be convenient to find anything while his mother wasn't home.
She took her things from home and hadn't even reached the bus stop when she saw He Yiqian's car slowly following her along the side of the road.
He Yiqian rolled down the car window, leaned over, called her name, and asked, "How long are you going to keep hiding?"
Chu Yang finally stopped, clutching his backpack more tightly in a guarded manner, and turned around to look at him coldly: "What exactly do you want?"
"Get in the car and we'll talk."
Chu Yang sneered and asked, "Do you think I'll get in the car? If you're so capable, drive onto the sidewalk and follow me!" After saying that, he turned and walked inside.
"Chu Yang," He Yiqian called out, pursing his lips and softening his tone, "Let's not be stubborn anymore, okay? Let's have a proper talk."
"There's nothing for us to talk about."
“Yes,” He Yiqian said, looking at Chu Yang with deep eyes, “Don’t always avoid me, Chu Yang. Do you remember what you said to me that year? It was today too, do you remember?”
Chu Yang stood there with his back stiff.
...Eight years ago that morning, she was on her bicycle, looking up at him and shouting, "My name is Chu Yang, Feng Chen Chu Yang, remember that! I'll protect you from now on. If He Yiyang dares to bully you again, come find me, and I'll beat him up for you! He can't beat me!"
She slowly turned around and looked at He Yiqian across the narrow sidewalk.
Small groups of pedestrians occasionally passed through them, cutting off their view. The past was fragmented and struggled to emerge from the cracks of memory, hurting both themselves and others.
"How dare he bring up the past? How dare he even mention the past?" Chu Yang sneered.
She turned her head, smiled sarcastically, and then looked at He Yiqian. Since he wouldn't let her go, then she would send him to hell!
Chu Yang took two steps toward the car, opened the door, and got in under his watchful gaze.
"Chu Yang, you?" He Yiqian scrutinized Chu Yang, unable to hide the surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly this time.
“Take me back to school,” she said. “Tell me what you have to say.”
The car slowly slid back into traffic. He Yiqian remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "I'm sorry."
Chu Yang sneered, "Is it necessary?"
He Yiqian pursed his lips but did not answer.
In the silence, Chu Yang turned to look at He Yiqian's sharply defined profile. Since his return, she hadn't really looked at him properly. Now, she realized that he and He Yiyang didn't look much alike. He Yiyang's features were soft, with a strong scholarly air, while Chu Yang's facial contours were more defined, with bright, arched eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and long, slightly upturned eyelashes, making him more handsome and more arrogant.
Six years have passed, and he has finally shed his naivety.
Feeling Chu Yang's gaze, He Yiqian turned his head slightly, looked at her with a complicated expression, and suddenly said, "Leave him, Chu Yang, don't be stubborn."
Chu Yang scoffed: "He Yiqian, what right do you have to say that?"
He Yiqian ignored Chu Yang's provocative words and said calmly, "Do you know how much older he is than you? Chu Yang is ten years older than you. You have no idea about his experience or his background. You two are not suitable to be together. If you hate me, then take revenge on me. You can punish me however you want, torture me however you want, as long as it makes you feel better. But you absolutely cannot take revenge on me by hurting yourself."
Chu Yang shook his head, a half-smile on his face: "He Yiqian, I didn't expect that in the years you've been away, you haven't made any progress in anything else, but you've certainly picked up the arrogance of those foreign devils. For you? Who do you think you are?"
Just one sentence almost ignited He Yiqian's barely suppressed anger. He frowned and said, suppressing his rage, "I know I've never had a place in your heart, but this time, I absolutely won't allow you to be willful!"
Chu Yang sneered, feeling there was no way to communicate with him. He turned to look out the window, only to realize this wasn't the way back to school. Looking at the increasingly familiar scenery, Chu Yang felt a pang of panic and snapped, "He Yiqian, where are you taking me? Drive the car back! I want to go back to school!"
Ignoring Chu Yang's shock and anger, He Yiqian turned the car into a quiet alley and slowly stopped the car by the side of the road. He rolled down the window and looked through the mottled iron gate. The crabapple trees in front of the building were in full bloom, with red buds and pink and white petals, clusters and bunches, like rosy clouds and brocade, dazzling to the eye.
"Do you remember this place?" He Yiqian asked.
Do you remember this place? Chu Yang turned his head away and remained silent.
Chu Yang
Do you remember this place? Chu Yang turned his head away and remained silent.
How could she forget this place, this courtyard they called Begonia Garden? She didn't know how many times she had ridden her bicycle along this path in front of the gate. Back then, the main iron gate was usually closed; only the small gate, less than a meter wide, would be open. She would then ride her bicycle across it, only stopping abruptly at the bottom of the stairs, tilting her head back and shouting, "He Yiyang! Hurry up!"
Back then, He Yiyang was as slow and dawdling as a girl, always making her wait for him. She would get anxious and say some threatening things. He's mother would also call her from the first-floor dining room, "Chu Yang, have you eaten yet? Come and have breakfast with us!"
She would politely decline He's mother's offer, then raise her head and shout He Yiyang's name to threaten him. She didn't know how many mornings like this had passed, until one day, she didn't call out He Yiyang's name, but instead saw a thin young man in the window next door...
When she went out with He Yiyang, she would bring that boy along, whether he wanted to or not. They would go hiking, swimming, and cycling around together, showing him everything about the city and playing all sorts of silly but fun things that would please a young man.
She said, "He Yiqian, stop wearing that long face all the time. I don't owe you any money! Look at He Yiyang, he's always grinning like an idiot."
She said, "He Yiqian, why are you being so petty? I only lied to you once! I've been bullying He Yiyang for over ten years, and he's never dared to say a word!"
She said, "He Yiqian, how can you be such a coward! Do you think I'd drown you here? Can't I just hold you around the waist? Hold your breath and lunge forward, and your body will float up on its own! Ouch! Let go, let go, you're going to drag me to the bottom!"
She said, "He Yiqian, tell me honestly, have you ever written love letters to girls? Have you received any love letters? Hurry up! You should learn from He Yiyang! He lets me review all the love letters he receives first!"
But for some reason, no matter what she said, he would still have a tight smile when he saw He Yiyang grinning foolishly; he would still get angry when she fooled him; at the swimming pool, he would still blush and refuse to let her support his waist, and when he held his breath, he would hold her hand tightly and refuse to let go; he would throw away the letters that girls gave him without even reading them, but he would never give them to make her happy...
He Yiqian remained silent, his gaze drifting far, far away. The crabapple branches in the courtyard swayed in the wind, scattering petals that were carried by the breeze but had no fragrance.
At that time, he was happy, but he was also tormented. He knew she was good to him, but he also knew she was even better to He Yiyang. She and He Yiyang grew up together, childhood sweethearts, and even the adults would laugh and tease the two little ones when they saw them. His father would tease his younger brother at the dinner table, asking him when he would marry his little wife. His younger brother would then say with a grin that it would be soon.
He had never felt so jealous of his younger brother. In all his memories, why could he only watch helplessly as his brother monopolized her?
She was still closer to He Yiyang after all. On He Yiyang's birthday, she saved up her allowance for several months and ran across most of the city to buy the pair of sneakers that her younger brother liked. She excitedly showed them to him and asked He Yiyang if he would like them. He got angry that time. Yes, he knew that his younger brother would definitely like the gift because he liked it too, he liked it very much.
But she would forget his birthday. After He Yiyang reminded her, she would slap her forehead and exclaim, "Oh no! I forgot!" She would apologize repeatedly, then rummage through her bulging schoolbag for a while, pull out a glass bottle, and hand it to him with a grin, saying, "I made this lucky star in craft class. Here, I'll give it to you first. I'll make it up to you later!"
The small bottle contained dozens of lucky stars of various sizes. The craftsmanship was a bit clumsy; even the paper used to fold the stars was old and some even had ink stains and were a little dirty.
He held the bottle in his hand, then looked at her smug smile, and smiled bitterly to himself. So, in her heart, they were still so far apart!
As she grew older, she drifted further and further away from him. She loved crabapple blossoms. When the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard bloomed, she would lie casually on the newly grown grass under the tree, legs crossed, eyes half-closed, humming a little tune, utterly content. Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows on her, outlining the delicate features unique to a young girl.
He approached, his footsteps very light, but he still startled her. She called out with her eyes closed, "He Yiyang, hand me the water."
He didn't speak, but sat down on the grass, took the water bottle next to her and handed it to her outstretched hand. She opened her eyes and saw it was him, but seemed to be startled. She hurriedly sat up from the ground, spilling water all over her. She was a little angry and asked him why he was here and where He Yiyang was.
He stubbornly pursed his lips and refused to speak. Seeing her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger, he felt a strange sadness rising in his heart. It turned out that he had never entered her heart. The one she held in her heart was always He Yiyang, the younger brother she had grown up with.
Fine then, he'll walk away, and let them have their way.
He started getting to know some carefree young people outside, began to go home less often, and started doing things that skirted the edge of the law. Later, he met Fang Yi and Huang Fei. By then, Fang Yi and his friends had already graduated from university and entered society. Due to their family's wealth, their vague underworld connections, and his own outstanding abilities, they had quite a reputation in the city, attracting some powerful and wealthy young men to their side, such as Huang Fei, the third and fourth brothers, and himself.
...
He Yiqian turned his gaze away, slumped over the steering wheel for a long time, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Chu Yang, I'm sorry. That time, I really didn't mean to. I had been drinking. I never thought of hurting you. I like you. I've liked you since the first time I saw you."
Yes, he never thought he would hurt her, never. He loved her, and because he loved her, he was willing to quietly withdraw, willing to let them be together, and willing to walk away alone.
That year, his father went abroad for an inspection tour, and his mother was busy with work. His younger brother, as usual, spent every day with her. The sight of the golden couple stung his eyes. To him, this home was more like a hotel, a place to stay and leave at any time. He became even more unrestrained, often drinking and fooling around with his brothers outside, and not returning home at night.
That day, he drank quite a bit of alcohol again. His third and fourth brothers took him home. When he got home, there was still no one there, not even the housekeeper. His third and fourth brothers, drunk, were lying on the sofa downstairs waiting for him. He staggered upstairs and when he passed his younger brother's room, he heard a noise inside. Without thinking much, he pushed open the door and saw her looking panicked in front of the mirror.
She was only wearing a large men's white shirt, as if she had just come out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet and disheveled, soaking the shirt and outlining her youthful figure.
She looked at him in a panic, her face flushed crimson, and frantically grabbed the blanket from the bed to cover herself. He was first shocked, then enraged, his eyes bloodshot as he stormed into the bathroom, roaring, "He Yiyang, get out here!"
She snapped out of her daze and hurriedly followed him into the bathroom, tugging at his sleeve, both ashamed and angry: "Don't shout! What are you shouting for? He's not here! He Yiqian! Don't shout! What if Auntie hears us when she gets back?"
He Yiyang wasn't in the bathroom, but he was still consumed by rage. He hated her lack of self-respect, hated her childhood friendship with her brother, hated...
Seeing his angry face, she panicked and stammered, "I, I was just trying to play, I—"
The pent-up jealousy and resentment surged up all at once. Ignoring her fear, her struggles and screams, he dragged her out of the bathroom, threw her onto the bed, and then pressed his body against hers, pinning her hands to her sides. "Since you want to play games, then I'll play with you!" he said viciously, lowering his head to nibble at her pink lips.
She was terrified and desperately tried to avoid his lips, shouting, "He Yiqian, you bastard, let me go!"