Chapter 67 Lu Mingxuan leaned against…

Lu Mingxuan leaned against the desk in his office, holding a freshly poured cup of hot coffee, looking at Jiang Huaichuan with a puzzled expression: "Huaichuan, I don't understand. Just now, there was such a good opportunity, and Xiao Li was so distressed. Why didn't you take the opportunity to mention the surgery? Maybe he would have softened and agreed."

Jiang Huaichuan touched the ring, a faint smile in his eyes: "Mingxuan, I know you mean well, but I can't treat him like this. Shen Li is soft-hearted, and I can't take advantage of his soft heart to achieve my own goals."

"Hey, you..." Lu Mingxuan instinctively wanted to retort, but swallowed back the rest of his words.

That's enough.

Jiang Huaichuan stood up: "I'm going back first. Shen Li's checkup is almost finished."

“Okay.” Lu Mingxuan paused, then suddenly said, “The surgery is tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock. Huaichuan, I’ll say it again, don’t leave any regrets.”

"Thanks."

The heavy snow started suddenly at dusk, half a day earlier than expected. Within two hours, a thick layer of snow covered the outside of the window.

It was freezing cold outside, but the heating was on in the ward. Shen Li was wearing cute kitten pajamas and was being held in Jiang Huaichuan's arms.

The ward was quiet; both of them had something on their minds.

As night deepened, the streetlights outside the window came on.

As soon as Shen Li moved, she felt the arm around her waist tighten.

"I want to go to the window and look out."

Jiang Huaichuan took a moment to realize what Shen Li was saying and slowly released his hand.

Jiang Huaichuan suddenly felt a chill in his arms and shivered, his eyes fixed on Shen Li.

The snow hadn't stopped outside. Looking down, Shen Li saw the two seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys again on the open ground next to the small flower bed behind the inpatient department.

The little snowman they made yesterday has melted, and the two of them are now rolling two new snowballs with great effort.

Shen Li saw the boy in the black down jacket roll around and suddenly grab a handful of snow and throw it at another boy. The boy couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely.

Building a snowman turned into a snowball fight. Under the warm yellow streetlights, two figures chased each other, filled with youthful spirit.

Shen Li was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice Jiang Huaichuan standing beside her.

Jiang Huaichuan didn't disturb Shen Li. He just stood there quietly, watching the longing and melancholy in Shen Li's eyes.

Want to build a snowman?

Jiang Huaichuan suddenly asked.

Shen Li was puzzled. He didn't think Jiang Huaichuan would let him go down to play in the snow at this time. Not to mention Jiang Huaichuan, even Lu Mingxuan wouldn't let him go down.

Jiang Huaichuan asked again, "Do you want to?"

Shen Li nodded emphatically: "I want to!"

"Okay, wait."

After saying that, Jiang Huaichuan put on his coat and walked outside.

Within five minutes, Shen Li saw Jiang Huaichuan by the window, and wondered where he had gotten that big plastic box.

A snowball landed precisely on the back of Jiang Huaichuan's head, a chill running down his spine. Jiang Huaichuan frowned and turned his head.

The boy in the black down jacket jogged over, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Upon seeing Jiang Huaichuan's face, the boy abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Holy crap?! He had just heard from his older brother the day before yesterday that the head of the Jiang Group was at the hospital with his wife, and he saw him today.

Xiao Fei stood awkwardly a meter away from Jiang Huaichuan: "President Jiang, I'm so sorry, I was having too much fun with my friends and the throw went astray. I'm really sorry, let me pat it for you?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Huaichuan brushed the snow off his head and continued to put the snow into the box.

Xiao Fei peered in for a while, then said, "Mr. Jiang, do you want to store snow? I have a super large thermos that I haven't used yet. If you don't mind, I can get it for you."

Before Jiang Huaichuan could reply, Xiao Fei greeted his friend and ran into the building.

Seeing him running so fast, his friend called out worriedly, "Hey? Your leg! Slow down!"

"I know, I know."

Less than a minute later, Xiao Fei came out carrying a thermos cup that was bigger than his own face, and he placed the cup next to Jiang Huaichuan.

Xiao Fei, panting heavily, helped his friend to his feet: "Huff—"

“…Thank you.” Jiang Huaichuan’s gaze swept over the boy’s slightly raised leg, and he poured the snow from the box into a thermos. “Xiao Jingming is your older brother?”

Xiao Fei: "Huh? Right."

Jiang Huaichuan nodded: "What happened to your leg?"

Xiao Fei fell silent instantly, his face flushed slightly, finding it difficult to speak.

Xiao Fei's friend, a talkative fellow, picked up the conversation when he saw Xiao Fei's reluctance to speak: "Sigh! This kid was in a car accident last year. When he was taken to the hospital, he hadn't been breathing. They spent most of the night trying to save him, and he finally survived, but no one knows when he'll wake up. His older brother prayed to the gods and Buddhas for ages before they finally managed to get him back. Now, after half a year of recuperation, he's finally recovered and was clamoring to go out and play in the snow. He fell and broke his leg, thankfully without fracturing it."

Jiang Huaichuan: ...

Jiang Huaichuan filled the thermos with snow, stood up and said, "You still need to take care of yourself. Thank you for this, I'll return you a new one later."

"Oh, it's nothing, take it." Xiao Fei quickly waved his hand. It was just a thermos, there was no need for Jiang Huaichuan to come all the way to return it.

Jiang Huaichuan took two steps and suddenly stopped. He looked up at the window on the eighth floor with the light on and saw Shen Li standing by the window.

Jiang Huaichuan asked the two of them, "Are you going to build a snowman later?"

Xiao Fei nodded: "Piled up."

Jiang Huaichuan: "Can I do you a favor?"

...

After listening, Xiao Fei looked at the thermos in Jiang Huaichuan's hand. Combining this with what his older brother had said a few days ago, he instantly understood everything. He patted his chest and assured him, "President Jiang, don't worry. We're experts at this job. We do it every year. It'll be done perfectly."

Jiang Huaichuan: "Thank you."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the building.

"Oh, right! Mr. Jiang!" Xiao Fei suddenly remembered something. He quickly ran to Jiang Huaichuan and said in a serious tone, "There is a temple on the western mountain of B City called Yun Gui Temple. My life was saved by my elder brother going there. If Mr. Jiang has something he wants, why not give it a try?"

——

When Jiang Huaichuan returned to the ward, he saw Shen Li leaning against the door from afar, with a woolen coat draped over her shoulders.

Jiang Huaichuan placed the thermos on the table by the door, then pushed Shen Li's shoulder and walked into the house: "Change into a down jacket, let's play in the hallway by the door."

The indoor temperature is high, and even the best thermos will melt the snow in less than a minute once it's taken out. The corridor is different; although the air conditioning is on, the temperature is low and can last for four or five minutes.

Just then, Lu Mingxuan came over with two small stools: "I borrowed them from the nurses' station downstairs. I have to return them after I'm done using them."

Shen Li sat obediently on a small stool, wearing gloves that Jiang Huaichuan had bought for her last winter, with a fruit plate in front of her.

Under Shen Li's expectant gaze, Jiang Huaichuan poured the snow into the fruit plate.

There wasn't much snow, just enough to make two small snowmen. The eyes and noses were made from pebbles that Jiang Huaichuan picked up from the flower bed.

But Shen Li was very happy. He held his chin and looked at the two little snowmen that were snuggling together in front of him.

Shen Li opened her camera, took a picture, and posted it on her WeChat Moments.

Shen Li: Our Little Snowman [Image]

Jiang Huaichuan gave it a thumbs up.

The snow didn't stay under the air conditioner for long; it started to melt almost immediately.

Lu Mingxuan: "I have a refrigerator in my office, so I can store things for a while."

The little snowman moved into the refrigerator that Dr. Lu had painstakingly made, waiting for its owner to take it home.

That night, after Shen Li fell asleep, Jiang Huaichuan went out wrapped in a down jacket.

Shen Wenyuan stood outside the door: "The snow is falling heavily again. The highways are closed, and the national roads might be closed as well. Are you sure you can make it?"

Three hours ago, Shen Wenyuan received a call from Jiang Huaichuan.

I'm going out tonight.

Jiang Huaichuan asked, "Where are you going?" Shen Wenyuan immediately understood: "I'm coming over. Where are you going?"

Unless there is something particularly important, Jiang Huaichuan will definitely not leave Shenli tonight.

“When I went to City B, Xiao Fei told me that there was a Yun Gui Temple there, which was very effective.”

Xiao Fei?

The name was familiar; Shen Wenyuan knew who it was as soon as he heard it. The youngest son of the Xiao family who had been in a car accident last year—the incident caused quite a stir. Xiao Jingming had stirred up a storm in the city for his brother's sake, and at its worst, he even hired a so-called Taoist priest to perform a ritual of exchanging one's life for another.

The Xiao family is one of the candidate partners submitted by the project team for the Shen family's new project that is about to start this year.

Shen Wenyuan originally did not intend to consider the Xiao family, after all, a company boss who could believe in a con artist and be deceived was one of the biggest risks in cooperation.

but……

Shen Wenyuan's eyes darkened. If it really worked, then the Xiao family... might not be out of the question.

Jiang Huaichuan zipped up his coat and whispered, "I can make it, trust me."

Shen Wenyuan patted Jiang Huaichuan on the shoulder and said, "Okay, be careful."

At 1 a.m., a black sports car drove out of the hospital's underground parking lot and headed towards City B.

——

Shen Li was somewhat absent-minded. When she woke up today, Jiang Huaichuan was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Li's gaze kept drifting towards the doorway. Whenever someone passed by, he would stare at them, then blink in disappointment after a few seconds.

Shen Li's fingers unconsciously tapped the phone screen; he hadn't received a reply to the message he sent to Jiang Huaichuan.

Shen Li fell silent, gazing absently at the sky outside the window.

As the surgery time drew closer, Shen Wenyuan began to check his phone frequently. The news at the top of his phone showed that National Highway 023 in Yong'an was closed due to heavy snow.

Finally, when Lu Mingxuan appeared in the ward, Shen Li could no longer hold back. He gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, his beautiful brown eyes misting over, and he asked Shen Wenyuan in a trembling voice, "Big brother, do you know where Huai Chuan went?"

The unease in Shen Li's eyes was clearly visible to Shen Wenyuan. Shen Wenyuan froze, looked at Shen Li, and his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

His younger brother was so smart, he already knew.

He accepted the surgery that was kept secret, and he accepted their concealment.

But he is afraid now.

He was afraid he wouldn't see Jiang Huaichuan one last time.

Shen Wenyuan knelt down in front of Shen Li and held Shen Li's trembling hands: "He went to beg for your safety. Just wait a little longer, he'll be back soon."

Lu Mingxuan knew that these words were also directed at him.

Let's wait a little longer.

Time passed slowly, and it was almost 9 o'clock.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Jiang Huaichuan walked in, shivering from the cold. His down jacket was soaked with rain and snow, and water dripped from the hem.

Shen Wenyuan and Lu Mingxuan went out, leaving the two of them alone.

Jiang Huaichuan looked at Shen Li, and Shen Li looked at him too. After wiping his hands clean, Jiang Huaichuan took out a red rope wrapped in layers of handkerchief from his pocket.

Shen Li looked at him and asked softly, "Why are you in such a mess?"

"I'm not in a bad mood, I'm fine." Jiang Huaichuan took Shen Li's right hand and slowly tied the red string around his wrist. "Don't be afraid, I will always be with you. Our Shen Xiaoli is so good, she will definitely be safe and sound."

After saying this, Jiang Huaichuan choked up.

"Chen Li, don't leave me."

Although the surgery was not explicitly stated, both of them already knew the truth.

"I can't bear to leave you, Huaichuan."